mens of the same length, the diameter of the body whorl 
of the T. Carlottae, compared to that of the T. rosea, is 
in the ratio of nine to twelve. The colour is brown or 
yellowish brown, and not pink or red by any possible man- 
ner of chance, in spite of being called rosea. The sculp- 
ture consists of polished darker spiral cords, pretty much 
all of the same size, though two of them are slightly more 
pronounced than the others, there being about twenty such 
raised lines on the body whorl. The spire tapers regularly 
with straight outlines to quite a sharp-pointed apex. 
North and South Islands. Mount Maunganui; Mata- 
kana, Tauranga Harbour, where very fine specimens are 
to be obtained. 
STRUTHIOLARIA PAPULOSA (struthio, an ostrich; 
papulosa, furnished with papules or small knobs).—A 
handsome and rather large spiral univalve with a high tur- 
retted spire, the shoulders of the whorls bearing a number 
of white-tipped nodules or papules, disposed in one spiral 
row. The colour varies considerably; it may be straw- 
colour, darker yellow, chestnut brown, or purplish brown, 
each specimen being decorated with stripes of a much paler 
shade, the wavy lines corresponding in contour to the 
growth lines. The mouth has a thick white lip almost 
continuous round the aperture, the outer lip having an ex- 
ternal band of the prevailing colour. The operculum is 
thin, dark brown, and horny in structure, small in com- 
parison to the size of the animal, and furnished with a 
formidable-looking spike at the lower end. As the foot of 
the creature can be protruded to a considerable distance 
from the shell, and the animal is quick in its movements, 
it is supposed that this spike is provided as a weapon of 
defence. The shell is about three and a-half inches in height 
and is popularly known as the Ring shell, from the peri- 
stome or ring-like border of the mouth, which the Maoris 
string on flax for wreaths and ornamental purposes. It 
derives its name, struthiolaria, from the mouth of the shell 
being supposed to resemble the foot of an ostrich. As for 
these flights of fancy indulged in by naturalists, in the 
naming of genera and species, we may, without doing any 
grave injustice to our conscience, adopt the philosophic 
humour of Polonius, despite the carping criticism of Ham- 
let :-— 
Ham.: Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel ? 
Pol.: By the mass, and ’t is like a camel, indeed. 
Ham.: Methinks it is like a weasel. 
Pol.: It is backed like a weasel. 
Ham.: Or like a whale? 
Pol.: Very like a whale. 
43 
Plate IV 
No. 18 
Sea Shells 
of New Zealand 
