NASSA. 



TESTA oblonga, siibtiirrita, apice plerinnqne 

 aciLtiuscula: spira inedioeri ; apertiira siiborbi- 

 culari, longi til dine latitiidinem paulum super- 

 ante, basi emarginata ; labio ewterno pIiis mi- 

 nus ve incrassato, swpern^ marginato, interdum 

 appendice minore, instructo, intus denticulate 

 vel sulcato ; labio interno plerumque pl^s mi- 

 nusve expanse, inerassato, dentieulo superne 

 ut plurimum adjeeto. Columella spirali, mar- 

 gine inferiore subacute ; camili brevissimo, re- 

 flexo. Operculum corneum. 



The Nassae were formerly separated from the Buecina by 

 Lamarck, but subsequently reunited to them, without his 

 expressing his reasons for so doing: several characters 

 in our opinion render it advisable to keep up the distinc- 

 tion formerly proposed^ we have therefore adopted the 

 Genus. 



Shell oblong, generally subturrited, with the apex 

 for the most part rather acute: spire seldom long, some- 

 times very short and obtuse, more frequently of middling 

 length: aperture suborbicular, seldom nearlj^ oval, though 

 generally rather longer than broad; notched at the base: 

 outer lip more or less thickened, sometimes furnished 

 with a small marginal appendage close to the upper end, 

 generally grooved or toothed within: inner lip most fre- 

 quently more or less spread over the lower part of the 

 last volution ; this is sometimes also very much thickened, 

 and very rarely extends to the point of the shell; and 

 it has often a small tooth at tlie ujiper part^ just within 

 the mouth. Columella spiral, its lower margin rather 



