R. Etheridge, Jan. — Contributions to British Palwontology. 247 
in which the shell occurs requires that a name should be given to 
it, and in the absence of auy more definite characters, tbe above 
will serve to distinguish it. 
Loc. and üorizon. — Covering the surface of a bed of shale dis- 
covered by Mr. Bennie, in large numbers, below the Abden Lime- 
stone, on the shore between tide-marks, at Abden, a short distance to 
the east of Kinghorn, near Kirkcaldy, Fife, near the base of the 
Lower Carboniferous Limestone Group. Collection of the Geol. 
Survey of Scotland, and my own Cabinet. 
Genus Capulus, de Montfort. Capulus neritoides, Phillips. Plate XII. 
Figs. 12-14. 
Pileopsis neritoides, Phill., 1836; Geol. York., vol. ii. p. 224, t. 14, f. 16-18. 
„ vetustus, „ (non Sow.) „ ,, „ f. 19. 
,, angustus, „ 1836 ,, „ „ f. 20. 
Acroculia vetusta, M‘Coy (pars), 1844; Synop. Carb. Foss. Ireland, p. 45. 
Capulus neritoides, de Köninck, 1842-44; Descr. Anim. Foss. Terr. Carb. Belgique, 
p. 334, t. 23 bis. f. 1. 
Acroculia angusta, and A. neritoides , Tennant, 1847 ; Strat. List Brit. Foss. p. 105. 
,, „ D'Orbigny. 1849; Prodrome de Pal., p. 125. 
Pileopsis neritoides, Brown, 1849 ; Foss. Conch, p. 102, t. 47, f. 48 and 51. 
,, angustus, „ „ ,, „ ,, 103, t. 47, f. 54. 
., vetustus, ,, ,, „ ,, ,. ,, „ 
Capulus auricularis, M l Coy; Brit. Pal. Foss., p. 523. 
„ angustus, et C. neritoides, Morris, 1854; Cat. Brit. Foss., p. 239. 
(Compare Conchliolitbus [ Helicites ] auricularis, Martin, Pet. Derb. 1809, t. 40, 
f. 3 and 4.) 
Obs . — American palaeontologists appear to have adopted the name 
Platyceras (Conrad, 1S40, = Acroculia, Phillips, 1841) for shells 
similar to the present species, in preference to the earlier proposed 
Capulus (de Montfort, 1810, —Pileopsis, Lamk., 1812), in the belief 
that they are generically distinct from the latter. This Separation 
has been made by Prof.- Hall from the absence, in Platyceras as 
he supposed, of the peculiar horseshoe-shaped muscular scar of 
Capulus. 1 Messrs. Meek and Worthen, however, who also adopt the 
term Platyceras, have demonstrated the occurrence of the scar in at 
least two American species. 2 It follows from this that no satisfactory 
evidence has, as yet, been adduced for a Separation of Conrad’s 
Platyceras from Montfort’s Capulus ; but on the contrary the evidence 
is rather confirmatory of their identity than otherwise. 
Prof. M‘Coy drew attention to a point which he considered had 
been greatly lost sight of, the identity of Conch. [ Helicites ] auricularis, 
Martin, with Capulus neritoides, Phill., and its Synonyms. Prof. 
M‘Coy’s Suggestion appears to be worthy of consideration ; for if such 
is the case, we should, in simple justice to Martin, adopt his name. 
I propose to consider the following shell (Plate XII. Figs. 12-14) 
as a variety of the above species, under the name of 
C. neritoides, Phill., var. Simpsoni, var. nov. 
Varietal Chars . — Shell considerably more depressed than in the 
typical form ; dorsal portion obtusely rounded and wanting the arched 
1 Twelfth Annual Report of the Regents of tbe Univ. New York, 1859, p. 16. 
2 Illinois Geol. Report, 186S, vol. iii. p. 385. 
