630 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
to those found throughout the Pacific. The jointed coral of 
Tolaga Bay likewise corresponds with that of the Fiji. There 
is also an evident affinity between many of the New Zealand 
shells and those of Australia,, and even of India and China. 
The Scalaria pretiosa and Strombus Troglodytes may be 
instanced as examples, the latter being nearly allied to the 
Fusus GoluSj Ceylon, and the former, very similar to the 
Chinese member of that family, a beautiful chain of connec- 
tion may thus be traced, which marks most clearly the 
general unity of the whole. 
The fossil shells of New Zealand, with few exceptions, are 
identical with its living ones, as the Rotella vestiaria ; some 
of them are much larger than those still in existence; this 
is the case with an immense cardium cockle, and some be- 
long to families which are now altogether extinct, as a fine 
pearl clam, found on the Waitotara coast, and an immense 
Ostrea, oyster, shaped like the sole of a man’s shoe and of 
the same size, but much thicker. Two families of shells may 
be said to be peculiar to New Zealand, the Struthiolaria , 
( Takai or Totorere) and the Amphibola avellana ( Pupukari - 
kawa). Some few shells appear to be identical with existing 
ones in Britain, of these is the well-known little Gyprea ? fami- 
liar to us as the blackamoor's tooth. New Zealand is rich in 
the allied families, Turbinidoe and Trochidoe ; of the former 
may be instanced the Trochus Imperialis, ( Ngaruru ,) which 
attains the great size of four inches diameter, and more 
than two in height. The Trochus Elenchus Iris, (Til hi Pu 
Taranaki ,) is a beautiful shell, and frequently worn as an 
ornament. Ziziphinus Tigris ineni, commonly called the 
partridge trochus of the Bay of Islands, where also is found 
the strawberry trochus, of a deep pink with black spots. 
There are fully sixty species of the trochus in these Isles, 
and many of them most curious and beautiful. Nearly one 
hundred species of land and water shells are already deter- 
mined, and are all peculiar. 
The Fam. Patellidce is a numerous one, some are of large 
size, the sessile ones are curious, as well as those with an aper- 
ture at the apex ; one of the smallest and most delicately 
