V 



^ 



MELANIA. 



Lam. 



TESTA turrita vel subturrita, epidermide cornea 

 induta; spird plerumque elongata, interdum 

 brevissima; aperturd Integra, ovali vel oblonga, 

 superne acuta, infra rotunda, efFusa vel canalem 

 indistinctum efFormante, peristomate simplice, 

 acutiusculo. Operculum corneum, spirale, an- 

 fractibus duobus vel tribus. 



The genera Helix, Linn., Buccinum^ Miiller, and Bulimusy 

 Bruguiere, have successively been the receptacle of one 

 or two of the shells which compose the present Genus, 

 which Lamarck at length separated from all others under 

 the name of Melania. It is a Genus of river or fresh 

 water shells, related to Ampullaria and Paludina, and 

 apparently forming the transition from the shells with 

 entire apertures, such as Paludina to those which are 

 characterized by a notch at the base, such as Potamides 

 of Brongniart, Melanopsis of d'Audebard, and Pirena of 

 Lamarck. AVe have never seen the animal, but the shell 

 is well distinguished by the following characters : 



Shell turrited or subturrited, spire frequently elon- 

 gated, acute ; aperture entire, oval or oblong, generally 

 pointed at the superior extremity, rounded below and 

 at its junction with the smooth incurved columella form- 

 ing a sort of indistinct canal. The edge of the lip is not 

 thickened nor reflected, but silnple and sharpish. In a 

 few instances the upper part of the aperture is separated 

 from the last volution. Sometimes the shells of this 



