“GAN ae ap Let ‘ NPY a € 424 ‘, Perea & ie *) ; a ye a eaits i rg Sees ae wee 2 tela . 4 aK 43 ae ae ree dt eae” pe ae ren eee, AA Re eae atte! © Ci ome AUS eo) gi SS ae CT oe cone a ~ ait kia aoe wa, _ ee = 3 ; v te Sey a re 7” tee OS ee Melk PE a ON : ae : ea ees Te See ob ee eS — te ly IE eee le he Skea ee Ss a Tem sata oe zi oe x Bice So i y ‘ Ns D epee ie: + eae? tg eT Nw tee he tay | ge s ed C SH) THE ANNALS ~~ AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, INCLUDING ZOOLOGY, BOTANY, ann GEOLOGY. (BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE ‘ANNALS ’ COMBINED WITH LOUDON AND CHARLESWORTH’S ‘MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. ) CONDUCTED BY CHARLES C. BABINGTON, Ese., M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.GS8,, JOHN EDWARD GRAY, Ph.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.; V.P.Z.S. &e., AND WILLIAM FRANCIS, Ph.D., F.1.S. “a se” VOL. XX.—THIRD SERIES. Ieo—rr—rm LONDON: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS. SOLD BY LONGMANS, GREEN, READER, AND DYER} SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO.; KENT AND CO.; BAILLIERE, REGENT STREET, AND PARIS: MACLACHLAN AND STEWART, EDINBURGH ¢ HODGES AND SMITH, DUBLIN: AND ASHER, BERLIN. 1867. dL. “Omnes res create sunt divine sapientie et potentie testes, divitie felicitatis humane :—ex harum usu bonitas Creatoris; ex pulchritudine sapientia Domini; ex ceconomia in conservatione, proportione, renovatione, potentia majestatis elucet. Earum itaque indagatio ab hominibus sibirelictis semper estimata; a veré eruditis et sapientibus semper exculta; malé doctis et barbaris semper inimica fuit.”— LINNZEUS. ‘* Quel que soit le principe de la vie animale, il ne faut qu’ouvrir les yeux pour voir qu'elle est le chef-d’ceuvre de la Toute-puissance, et le but auquel se rapportent toutes ses opérations.” BRUCKNER, Théorie du Systéme Animal, Leyden, 1767. eb ee he ee Bide re an DOowers Obey our summons; from their deepest dells The Dryads come, and throw their garlands wild And odorous branches at our feet; the Nymphs That press with nimble step the mountain-thyme And purple heath-flower come not empty-handed, But scatter round ten thousand forms minute Of velvet moss or lichen, torn from rock Or rifted oak or cavern deep: the Naiads too Quit their loved native stream, from whose smooth face They crop the lily, and each sedge and rush That drinks the rippling tide: the frozen poles, Where peril waits the bold adventurer’s tread, The burning sands of Borneo and Cayenne, All, all to us unlock their secret stores And pay their cheerful tribute. J. TAYLOR, Norwich, 1818. CONTENTS OF VOL. XX. [THIRD SERIES. | NUMBER CXV. I. Onthe Annelid Genus Spherodorum, CErsted, and a new Repre- sentative of it, S. Claparedii. By Dr. RicHarp Greerr., (Plate I.) II. On the Menispermacee. By Joun Miers, F.R.S., F.L.S., Geshe ces Leeihs noah sc ciiornnncveaconsestheipeses ea tukigercves i conven II. List of Coleoptera received from Old Calabar, on the West Coast of Africa. By ANDREW MuRRAY, F.LAS. .......cccsceeseeeeeees IV. Remarks on the Potton Sands, in reply to Mr. Walker’s Paper in the ‘ Annals of Natural History’ for November 1866. By Harry GoviER SEELEY, F.G.S., of the Woodwardian Museum in the Uni- I ERT ony, c frsen das cous Ukend vik sadeeentsJbap bdskes oi tcvsanes’ V. Remarks on Pyrula (Fulgur) carica (Lamarck) and Pyrula (Fulgur) perversa (Lamarck). By T. GRAHAM PONTON....+...ceseees VI. On the Tunnelling Coleopterous Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, Dyschirius, and their Danish Species. By Professor J.C. ScH16pTE VI. Description of a new Australian Tortoise (Elseya latisternum). By Dr: J, EK. Gray, FBS. &o, ....000.000 ee dhs GAG KRAAED Siahadebedpanesers VIII. Additions to the knowledge of Australian Reptiles and Fishes. By Abert Gintuer, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., F.R.S. ......... IX. On the Shell-structure of Spirifer cuspidatus, and of certain allied Spiriferide. By WiLuL1aAM B. CarPENTER, M.D., F.R.S. ... New Books:—1. A List of the Flowering Plants, Ferns, and Mosses collected in the immediate neighbourhood of Andover, by C. B. Clarke.—2. Flora of Devon and Cornwall, by J. W. N. Keys. (Ranunculaceze—Geraniacez.)—3. The Bath Flora: a Lecture delivered to the Members of the Bath Natural History and Anti- quarian Field Club, by the Rev. L. Jenyns.—4. Flora of Norfolk : a Catalogue of Plants found in the County of Norfolk, by the Rev. K. Trimmer......... Sddeidicdap isan edausnestace¥es| dyepie ste daeds buedes Page 1 11 20 23 28 30 43 45 68 lV CONTENTS. On the actual state of our Information relative to the ‘ Leporide,’ or Hybrid between Hare and Rabbit, by Dr. Pigeaux ; Megaceros hibernicus in the Cambridgeshire Fens, by Norman Moore, Esq.; Note on Assiminea Francesie, by Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &e.; On the Species of the Genera Latiaxis, Faunus, and Melanatria, by Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &c. ; Descriptions of new Fishes, by Dr. Page F. Steindachner; Supplement to ‘ English Botany’ ........ . 75—80 NUMBER CXVI. X. On Waldheimia venosa, Solander, sp. By Tuomas Davipson, Pdw.d., EGS, S6.0650 coc arsdneccnscescveccesyenncseevesseesceyauneeee anne 8] XI. List of Coleoptera received from Old Calabar, on the West Coast of Africa. By ANDREW MURRAY, F.L.S. .......sccescesscesceees 683 XII. On the Occurrence of Diplommatina Huttoni in Trinidad. By KR. J. LecuMenrs Guppy, F.G.S.,-F,TAS; ...césccrsccnsseuueae apse Oe XIII. Conchological Gleanings. By Dr. E. von Martens ...... 97 XIV. Notule Lichenologice. No. XVI. By the Rev. W. A. LeicuTon, B.A., F.L.S.—Prof. Santo Garovaglio on the Species of Verrecarta found in Lombardy. °s.5...000..0si0cs.ceseecechupaeteouenns sant fe DO XV. New Fishes from the Gaboon and Gold Coast. By ALBERT GintueEr, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., F.R.S. (Plates II. & III.) ......... 110 XVI. Description of a new Species of Apocryptes. By Dr. ALBERT GUNTHER (.0..ccc0s ses ceccscsusesaunesiihny sdesucoeesenseyecsss 4050; (inne 117 XVII. A Reply to Mr. H. G. Seeley’s Remarks on my Account of the Phosphatic Deposit at Potton in Bedfordshire. By J. F. WALKER, B.A., F.C.P.S.; F.C.S., F.G.S, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge... 118 XVIII. Note on the Species of the Genus Tribonyx. By P. L. Scrater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., Secretary to the Zoological Society OE THQUOOD, ii oan is «sci bewdaiors vthins sceseashodnasdss sides ceeacenes pein 122 XIX. On Hyalonema lusitanicum. By J. V. BarBoza pu Bo- CAGE, sepsciescavenscusupelthebapacuamaiueisasvialaacs oerprerr rere esoree 123 Proceedings of the Royal Society ............ssscsssscseesssees eeseee L27—140 Cases of Monstrosities becoming the starting-point of New Races in Plants, by C. Naudin; The Theory of the Skeleton, by Harry Seeley, Esq.; Note on the Phenomena of Muscular Contraction in the Vorticelle, by C. Rouget; On the Regeneration of the Limbs in the Axolotl (Siren pisciformis), by J. M. Philipeaux ; On the Development of the brown Aphis of the Maple, by MM. Balbiani and Signoret ; Cervus megaceros previously known in the Fens, by H. Seeley, Esq. .......... bosbaabbetesestieacsies 141—152 CONTENTS. v . Page NUMBER CXVII. XX. On Venomous Fishes. By M. Avucuste DuMERIL ...... «» 153 XXI. On the Menispermacee. By Joun Miers, F.RS., F.L.S., (NESE SES NAR Pai gh ck bas toa bieKs 6S UEEWL EA 60s GUA Kes Vncvag inns aneeceens 167 XXII. On the Recent Zoology and Palzontology of Victoria. By Freperick M‘Coy, Professor of Natural Science in the University of Melbourne, Director of the National Museum of Victoria, &e. ..... 175 XXIII. Notes on Spiders, with Descriptions of several Species supposed to be new to Arachnologists. By Joun BLACKWALL, 2 ee SEES OAR Siew a se Cadac peaks Gis kas Seo GA digas osuakinas caus 202 XXIV. -On some new Species of Oliva and a new Trivia. By SE AN aos cg hoe ce uth ccd the catcetesexannengydosears 213 XXV. Descriptions of some remarkable new Species and a new Genus of Diurnal Lepidoptera. By ArtHur G. Burter, F.Z.S. MEME. Dl sckaseeh eeehispotasedsenesscanscaadenesens ceccens edubats 216 XXVI. Description of a new Species of Tiger-Moth in the pos- session of Mr. T. W. Wood. By Artruur G. Burtuer, F.Z.S. NE FY es cays oy Le cdassuevsci de deiiessbbsnebtieaséassivenseedeees 218 XXVII. Notes on the Skulls of Hares (Leporide) and Picas (La- gomyide) in the British Museum. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S....... 219 XXVIII. Descriptions of two new Saurians from Mossamedes (West Africa). By J. V. BARBOZA DU BOCAGE........0...04 ceceee wsq S20 On the Development of the Ctenophora, by A. Kowalewsky; Re- markable Instances of Crustacean Parasitism, by A. E. Verrill ; On the Anatomy of Balanoglossus (Delle Chiaje), by A. Kowa- lewsky; On the external Characters of the Young of the Central American Tapir (EHlasmognathus Bairdii, Gill), by A. E. Verrill 228—232 NUMBER CXVIII. XXIX. On the Classification of the Subdivisions of M‘Coy’s Genus Athyris, as determined by the laws of Zoological Nomenclature. By E. Bituines, Paleontologist of the Gevlogical Survey of Canada ... 233 XXX. Fourth Report on Dredging among the Shetland Isles. By J. GWYN JEFFREYS, F.R.S.........0ccscceceecesesccsescesecccccesceecerescons 247 XXXI. Notule Lichenologice. No. XVII. By the Rev. W. A. Leicuton, B.A., F.L.S.—Dr. W. Nylander on new British Lichens 256 XXXII. On the Menispermacee. By Jonun Miers, F.R.S., Whites MGs Ss cases, Baa edie caae Cs isan cevcnae d= so Scondunesaygites cuyvenes seb yeteas 260 vi CONTENTS. Page XXXIIT. Revision of the Group of Lepidopterous Insects hitherto included in the Genus Pronophila of Westwood. By A. G. BuTLeR, ELS e: weuhp stneceieas lea taisevees sovsieevs Searasaesnncgen errr 266 XXXIV. On two new Birds from Eastern Australia. By JoHN CPOE ETD, is aco cause curdcheccsuaunucb¥vscassapiesasinvavncce =. 269 XXXV. Synopsis of the Asiatic Squirrels (Sciwride) in the Collec- tion of the British Museum, describing one new Genus and some new Species. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., &e. <.ccscoscseseesnss 270 XXXVI. On anew Genus of Phalanger. By FrepERIcK M‘Coy, Professor of Natural Science in the Melbourne University and Director of the National Museum of Victoria. (Plate VI.) .......scscsceceseeceees 287 XXXVII. Additions to the British Fauna. By Dr. ALBERT Gountuer, F.R.S. (Plate: V.) 22 igeccistcccciseeccnccssdeneas pieces aes 288 XXXVIII. On the Systematic Value of Rhynchophorous Coleo- ptera. By Jonn L. Leconte, M.D..0c... ...0c0ccscsesncescecsventee ena 291 Proceedings of the Royal Society ....4.....0.sdsecs-eessoessvcnsessus 294—300 Notice of a new Species of Spider Monkey (Ateles Bartlettii) in the British Museum, by Dr. J. E. Gray; Note on a Species of Plana- rian Worm hitherto apparently not described, by the Rev. W. Houghton, M.A., F.L.S.; Megaceros hibernicus in the Cam- bridgeshire Fens, by Mr. Norman Moore; Note on Ursus lasio- tus, a hairy-eared Bear from North China, by Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S, &e.; On the Anatomy and Physiology of Amphiowus, by MP ark iss cuss cnanwokoh one bc abesnananevaeesssuscasin a ee 300—304 NUMBER CXIX. XXXIX. On a new form of Mudfish from New Zealand. By Dr. ALBERT GUNTHER, F.R.S. (Plate VII.) ...... aves caceaepeeaaee 305 XL. Remarks upon Oceanic Forms of Hydrozoa observed at Sea. By CurHBert CoLLiInGwoob, M.A., F.L.S. &¢. .eeseescsseceenceees 309 XLI. List of Coleoptera received from Old Calabar, on the West Coast of Africa. By ANDREW Murray, F.LS. ............ sev baedénves 314 XLII. Synopsis of the African Squirrels (Sciurid@) in the Collec- tion of the British Museum. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., Keeper of the Zoological Department .........eeesseeeeseeees noes sadennteane 323 XLIII. On some undescribed points in the Anatomy of the Limpet (Patella vulgata). By E. Ray LAnKestEr, Christ Church, Oxford 334 XLIV. On the Structure of the Annelida, including a critical CONTENTS, | Vil Page Examination of the most recent Works on this class of Worms. By RP on PIE BON Eg COREE DEES TEPETE OPT E ECEPTT TEP DLEE EPEC POTEET OEE Cr 337 XLV. On the Campodee, a Family of Thysanura. By Dr. Fr. MEINERT «.....-000. PMR RAIS C aA ietesutncaswnscgacecers sbehecicesccscnncneds 361 New Books :—British Conchology. Vol. IV. Marine Shells, in con- tinuation of the Gastropoda as far as the Bulla Family, by John Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S., F.G.S., &e.—Mind in Nature; or, the Origin of Life and the Mode of Development of Animals, by Henry James-Clark, A.B., B.S., Adjunct Professor of Zoology in Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., &€. .....+..eseeceeees 378—382 On the Organization of Cryptoprocta ferox, by MM. A. Milne-Ed- wards and A. Grandidier; A way to determine Trichopterous Pupe, by A. E. Eaton, Trin. Coll. Cam.; On the Spontaneous Movements of the Leaves of Colocasia esculenta (Schott), and on the Ejection of Water from them in a continuous Jet, by M. Musset; On two new forms of Plants parasitic on Man (Asper- gillus flavescens and A. nigricans, by Robert Wreden; The Theory of the Skeleton, by Mr. H. Spencer.................. 382—388 NUMBER CXxX. XLVI. Observations on the Aériferous Vesicles of the Utricularie. RN NEEDLE MOT i 03505 ce ceasin ces stn cancestesssosuccsasesecctchoneses 389 XLVII. Descriptions of new or little-known Species of Asiatic Lepidoptera. By Artur G. Burier, F.Z.S. (Plates VIII. & IX. BN BEND vis iidave sw cesesssoesvarccress beRceaaUAcosdvnnssdseenbacssssasaibeates 399 _ XLVIII. Description of a new Genus and Species of American Satyride from the Collection of Mr. H. W. Bates. By A. G. BuTter, Boers | Pate 1X, fig. 11.) ........... sepekeshissieeiaw skis i nabGacdeilices ches 404 XLIX. The Method of Geology; being an Account of the intro- ductory part of a paper on “The Laws which have determined the Distribution of Life and of Rocks,” read before the Cambridge Philo- sophical Society, Nov. 12, 1866. By Harry G. Srexey, F.G.S., of the Woodwardian Museum in the University of Cambridge ............ 405 L. Synopsis of the Species of American Squirrels in the Collection of the British Museum. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., &c.. 415 LI. Synopsis of the Species of Burrowing Squirrels Pegene in the British Museum. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S. « 434 LIT. Descriptions of two new Fossil Cowries characteristic of Ter- tiary beds near Melbourne. By Freprerick M‘Coy, Prof. of Nat. vii CONTENTS. Page Science in Melbourne University, and Government Palzontologist Be VCP sii cass fateh non es dntp Senin cae on hen o ed Se ceres eaoss es ceeeae ee 436 . LIII. Notule Lichenologice. No. XVIII. By the Rev. W. A. LeicuTon, B.A., F.L.S.—On the Lichens of Spitzbergen .........+.. 439 LIV. On a new Species of Victorian Honey-eater. By FrepDE- r1cK M‘Coy, Prof. Nat. Sc. Melbourne University, and Director of the Natiinal Museum; Victoria © ....cevcccscccocsecescoeteesscsnehes tena 442 New Book :—Letters Home, from Spain, Algeria, and Brazil, during past Entomological Rambles, by the Rev. Hamlet Clark, M.A., PALB. AiS ti eae ec slvccavedcedsseddaccssececnevteeiey a 9 aan Note on Mermis nigrescens, by William Mitten, A.L.S.; Experiments on the Axolotl, by M. Auguste Duméril; Note on a supposed new Species of Planarian Worm, by the Rev. W. Houghton; On the Development of Sepiola, by E. Mecznikow; M. LeVaillant, the African Traveller, by Mr. E. Layard; Investigations on Rhabditis terricola, by M. J. Perez .....csecesscccovececeesens 445—455 PLATES IN VOL. XX. Piate J. Spherodorum Claparedii. 1 tNew Fish from the Gaboon and Gold Coast. IV. New Diurnal Lepidoptera.—Mazeras Woodii. V. New British Fish. VI. Gymnobelideus Leadbeateri. VII. Neochanna apoda. VIII. New Asiatic Lepidoptera. IX. New Asiatic Lepidoptera.—New Genus of American Satyride. THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. [THIRD SERIES. ] Oe saaibavdsuausasits per litora spargite muscum, Naiades, et circtm vitreos considite fontes : Pollice virgineo teneros hic carpite flores : Floribus et pictum, divx, replete canistrum. At vos, o Nymphe Craterides, ite sub undas ; Ite, recurvato variata corallia trunco Vellite muscosis e rupibus, et mihi conchas Ferte, Dee pelagi, et pingui conchylia succo.”’ N. Parthenii Giannettasii Ecl.1. No. 115. JULY 1867. ' I.—On the Annelid Genus Spherodorum, Mirsted, and a new Re- presentative of it, S.Claparedii. By Dr. Ricnarp Gruerr*. [Plate I.] Unoer the name of Spherodorum, Girsted, in 1844+, founded a new genus of Annelids, characterized by the spherical form of the dorsal cirri, and by numerous papille standing on the fore part of the head. ‘This was afterwards described by John- ston{ under the name of Pollicita (peripatus), and lately more carefully by Claparéde §, and, with especial reference to i structure of the characteristic globular dorsal cirri, by Kol- iker ||. ne a short residence in Dieppe last year, I found in the oyster-basin of that place a small Annelid which showed a near relationship to the genus in question, but at the same time differed from it in several points, and which, moreover, in other respects seems to me to present some very interesting pecu- * Translated from Wiegmann’s Archiv, 1866, pp. 338-351, by W.S. Dallas, F.L.S., &e. + “Zur Classification der Annulaten,”’? Wiegmann’s Archiv, 1844, p. 108. { Annals & Magazine of Natural History, vol. xvi. p. 5, pl. 2. figs. 1-6. § ‘Beobachtungen iiber Anatomie und Entwickelungsgeschichte wir- belloser Thiere,’ Leipzig, 1863, p. 5, taf. 11. figs. 8-18. S; | Kurzer Bericht iiber einige vergl.-anat. Untersuchungen,” Wiirz- burger naturwiss. Zeitschrift, 1864, Band y. p. 240, taf. 6. fig. 1 Ann. § Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. xx. 1 / 2 Dr. R. Greeff on the Annelid Genus Spherodorum, liarities that may render it worth a particular description*. I will revert at the conclusion of my communication to the cha- racters common to this worm and to Spherodorum, as also to those by which it differs therefrom, in order the better to effect a comparison between them. 4 The little animal measures scarcely 2 millims. in length, but is of considerable comparative breadth, attaining nearly 0-6 millim. in the middle regions of the body. It is narrowed before and behind in such a manner that the general form of the body, leaving out of consideration the external appendages, approaches an oval; nevertheless the narrowed anterior part of the body is shorter and more rounded, whilst the hinder part appears more drawn out. The skin has a general light brownish- yellow colour, with dark-brown marks (plaques) distributed singly over the whole surface of the body; these acquire the most various forms, and possibly represent the secretion pro- duced by the cutaneous glands. At no part is there a trans-- verse segmentation of the body indicated by external furrows. The segmentation, however, is sufficiently indicated by the ex- ternal appendages, according to which the entire body is divisible into 18 segments. The cephalic segment (see PI. I. fig. 1), which at first sight almost presents a greater resemblance to that of a mollusk than to that of an annelid, is the longest of all; its somewhat truncated frontal margin presents in the middle a distinct but not deep notch forming the two lateral lobes of the head. On each lobe are seated two clavate tenta- cles—cne placed more towards the upper surface, the other lower down towards the mouth; so that, in all, four cephalie or frontal tentacles are present—two superior, and two inferior. The bases of these, as also the space hetween them, are densely set with small papillee, likewise more or less clavate, which are distinguished from the true tentacles by nothing but their smaller size; so that the tentacles, from their whole habit and when compared with the small papille surrounding them, might likewise be characterized as papille projecting, in conse- quence of especial development, from the midst of the numerous smaller but otherwise perfectly similar structures. But their constant occurrence on the above-mentioned spots on the head, their size, and mobility justify their receiving the denomination of tentacles. Further back, at about half the length of the head, there are * I have alrecdy made a brief communication upon this subject, at the Meeting of the Niederrheinischen Gesellschaft fiir Natur- und Heil- kunde (Bonn) on the &th February, 1866, where I also exhibited ‘the drawings relating to it (KOlnische Zeitung, 31st March, 1866, No. 90). and anew Representative of it, 8. Claparedii. — 8 two more tentacles, one on each side, which might be deno- minated posterior cephalic tentacles or tentacular cirri; so that we have in all six tentacles on the head—four anterivr, and two posterior. The small clavate papilla mentioned above as oc- curring in the spaces between the anterior tentacles, extend also into the region of the posterior tentacles, but are not so closely eens, and from this point begin to change from the elongate clavate to a more globular form. I call attention at once to this change, as it indicates at the same time a change in the function of these cutaneous appendages, the anterior cla- vate appendages being, in my opinion, organs of touch, whilst - the posterior globular ones are to be regarded as glands. The middle part of the cephalic segment bears two reddish-brown eyes, which are placed a little within the bases of the two lateral pesterior tentacles. The segment of a spherical lens projects from each eye forward and outward. The cephalic segment, as already remarked with regard to the segmentation in general, is not separated by any transverse furrow from the first segment of the body, but passes into it without any definite boundary. The first body-segment is therefore determined partly by the inferior setiferous pedal tu- bereles, and partly by the large globular cutaneous appendages which at this spot pass like a ring round the whole body. I say like a ring, and must call particular attention to this, be- cause, singularly enough, these appendages are not only ar- ranged transversely upon the dorsal~surface between the two lateral rudimentary feet, but occupy the ventral surface also in _the same manner*. As regards the number, however, there is a noticeable difference between those standing on the dorsal and yentral surfaces; for whilst on the back there are six of _ these globular bodies in a row, there are only four on the ven- tral surface. This condition, of course, tends greatly to sug- gest the notion that the two outer lateral processes situated upon the back over the pedal tubercles are to be regarded as the two true dorsal cirri. But the two lateral structures are perfectly similar to those standing in a row between them, both in size and form. As regards their function, moreover, there is no distinction ;.all, as we shall see hereafter, are glands. If, therefore, we were to call the two lateral proeesses dorsal cirri, this might also be required for the other similar ap- pendages situated on the back, and, in the same way, we should also have to name the transverse rows situated on the ventral surface ventral cirri. It would be no obstacle to such a conception —* In Spherodorum peripatus, as is well known, only one pair of these globular cutaneous appendages is situated upon each segment—one on each side of the back, 1* 4 Dr. It. Greeff on the Annelid Genus Spherodorum, that all these appendages, as already stated, are glands; for the cirri of the Annelids in general are not to be regarded merely as organs of touch or motion, but may apparently be subser- vient to very various purposes *. If we now examine these globular cutaneous appendages more closely, we observe, even with a low power, that their cavities are occupied by a coil of tortuous vermiform bodies, which (irsted + has already detected and described in the dorsal cirri of Spherodorum, and with regard to which he proposes the question whether they may not be ovaries. These peculiar structures seem to have entirely escaped Johnston {, which I can only explain by supposing that he did not examine them ina - fresh state; for if the animals under examination be dead, or — if they have been exposed for some time to pressure for the purpose of observation, nothing remains of the original appear- ance, in consequence of the breaking up of the vermiform bodies. Johnston regards the globular appendages in Spherodorum (Pollicita pertpatus) as branchize. To Claparéde belongs the merit of having first more accurately grasped the morpholo- gical nature, although he could not arrive at any definite opinion as to the physiological signification of these organs. He thought that he could see an orifice § in the papilliform process which occurs on the upper part of the globular dorsal cirri in Spherodorum, but not in our animals, but found that the cap- sule was closed in other respects; in this, however, as Kélliker has proved, he was in error. Kolhker|| first placed their histological and by that means also their physiological character in the proper light, when he found that the papilliform process in Spherodorum is not perforated, but that each of the vermiform bodies situated in the interior of the capsule opens externally by an orifice of its own. He regards the individual bodies as tubular glands, which “ appa- rently consist entirely of rounded-angular, dark, cell-like struc- tures.” As regards my own observations, I have but little to add to Kolliker’s statements in relation to the structure of these organs, The mammilliform process occurring upon the capsules in Sphe- rodorum is entirely wanting in our animals; so that I can ex- press no opinion as to the perforation which Clapérede describes, but, according to Kdlliker, has no existence; I can, however, completely confirm KGlliker’s results, according to which each of * See Ehler’s ‘ Die Borstenwiirmer,’ p. 22. t “ Zur Classification der Annulaten,’’ Wiegmann’s Archiv, 1844, p. 108. t ‘Annals,’ vol. xvi. p. 5, pl. 2. ) § Beobacht. tiber Anat. der wirbell. Thiere, p. 21, taf. 11. figs. 12, 13. || Wurzb. naturw. Zeitschrift, 1864, p. 240, taf. 6. fig. 1. and a new Representative of it, S. Claparedii. 5 the tubular glands opens externally by a separate orifice (PI. I. figs. 10-14). With regard to the contents of the individual tubes, these frequently consist of densely compressed, small, more or less roundish, sharply defined corpuscles: these were seen by Claparéde; and Kolliker, as already stated, calls them “ cell- like structures.” Even by the employment of high powers I could detect no nucleiform structures, or anything of the sort, in the individual corpuscles. KOlliker’s interpretation of the structures in question as tubular glands is the only admissible one; it is especially founded on the above-mentioned opening of each tube sepa- rately at the external surface. Thus (to return to the description of our little animal) we have ten of these large globular glandular capsules surrounding the periphery of the first segment of the body, and that of each following one, in two transverse rows, one on the dorsal, the other on the ventral surface. It is only on the last seg- ments that the number diminishes by one or two capsules in each row. Between the regular rows of these large cutaneous appendages there are distributed over the whole surface of the body a very great number of irregularly arranged smaller but likewise globular capsules, the size of which varies greatly among themselves.. They all, like the above-described larger structures, represent cutaneous glands; and by their careful examination we may, it appears to nie, carry out the very in- teresting observation of the complete development of the glan- dular bodies in question. I have figured some of the principal forms and stages of development, so far as the limited material permitted this to be done (PI. I. figs. 83-9). The first (and smallest) of these forms (fig. 3) represents a vesicle of only 0:009 millim. in diameter, in the interior of which a tolerably sharply marked compact nucleus is situated: there are often two, or even three of these nuclei; but one of them is usually re- markable for its size. A further-advanced form (fig. 4) shows the vesicle enlarged to nearly double the diameter, as also the - enclosed nucleus, which has also become filled with a finely granular substance. This type is also retained by the following stage, except that the granular substance of the nucleus be- comes more dense, and some granules shine out of it like dimly lustrous globules. When a certain size has been attained, a roundish perforation of the nuclear substance itself takes place at some spot, usually near the periphery of the nucleus, so that the nucleus appears as if pierced at this point. This first hole is often followed by a second in close juxtaposition with it. As this opening enlarges, the bridge situated towards the peri- 6 Dr. R. Greeff on the Annelid Genus Spherodorum, phery, corresponding with the narrowest border of the orifice, breaks through, and the two ends then separate from each other; so that instead of the round hole in the nuclear sub- stance we have a deep indentation of the nuclear substance penetrating from the circumference towards the middle. By this simple process therefore, as may be readily seen, the form of the above-mentioned glandular tube is very soon produced : at first, by the two ends becoming rounded, it has nearly the appearance of a sausage with two surfaces in apposition; and it frequently retains this form even in the fully developed state. But generally, during the further growth of the tube, its two extremities separate more or less, and then one of them becomes bent or rolled up, so as even to embrace the neighbouring tubes; and thus the position and form of the individual glands is altered in many ways, and the above-described appearance of the vermiform, tortuous, glandular coil as the contents of the capsule is produced. As regards the further histological differentiation of the indi- vidual glandular tubes, these, during the processes just de- scribed, become more and more filled with darkly granular substance, in which afterwards larger pale bodies make their appearance; these gradually increase, until finally the whole tube is filled with the roundish corpuscles, or, as KGlliker calls them, cell-like structures, above described. The perfectly formed glandular tube is attached by one end, or frequently, as it seemed to me, by both ends, to the wall of the capsule; but only one extremity, and with it the wall of the capsule at the same spot, exhibits a roundish external orifice. The number of glands enclosed in a capsule is not constant. The above-mentioned large capsules standing in regular trans- verse rows generally contain three or four, rarely more (figs. 10 to 14); the smaller only one, or, at the utmost, two tubes. On various parts of the surface of the body, partly upon and partly between the vesicles, and sometimes even within them, we frequently see dark-brown marks (plaques), forming the most multifarious figures, which are often, in consequence of their tenacious consistence, much elongated, and only connected by narrow bridges. These substances appear to have nothing to do with the pigment-structures which so frequently occur in the skin of Annelids; but whether they are, as I suppose, to be regarded as the secretion furnished by the glands, and what purpose is served by it in this case, 1 cannot decide. I have already called attention to the gradual transition from the small clavate cutaneous structures, resembling the tentacles which stand upon the anterior portion of the head, to the globular ones which succeed them, and indicated that a change of func and a new Representative of it, S. Claparedii. 7 tion is connected with the change of form. This opinion is founded upon the circumstance that in the small papille of the cephalic segment I have never detected structures resembling the above-described developmental stages of the glands, or the latter with their openings. On the other hand, it appeared to me that fine filaments penetrated into some of them from below, and passed at the top into granular inflations: these therefore might be regarded as the extremities of nerves. I believe, therefore, that these small papillee of the cephalic seg- ment are to be regarded as tactile organs, in contradistinction to the globular appendages seated upon the rest of the body, which, as already shown, are cutaneous glands. With reference to Spherodorum, Kolliker remarks that the (whole of the) small papille of the skin are not pierced by glands, but contain nerve- terminations—in direct contradiction to Claparéde, who found the papille of the entire surface of the skin pierced by the efferent ducts of small cutaneous glands in the same animal. As I have at my disposal only a few spirit-specimens of Sphe- rodorum, collected last summer in Heligoland, I cannot decide upon this difference, or whether the above-described distinction between tactile and glardular papille exists also in Sphero- dorum. Besides the described circlet of globular glandular capsules (or, if it be preferred, the transverse rows of dorsal and ventral cirri), each segment also bears a pair of uniramose pedal tuber- cles. Hach foot (fig. 2) consists ofa conical tubercle, at the apex of which there is a pair of lamellar processes or fins and a bundle of about six composite sete inserted into the tubercle ; posteriorly the number of the latter diminishes, so that on the last segments there are only one or two sete in each tubercle ; but these are exactly similar to those of the anterior feet. The pedal tubercles are placed directly beneath the two lateral dorsal capsules, and are usually in part concealed by them. The alimentary apparatus of our animal commences with a buccal orifice piaced on the lower surface of the cephalic seg- ment, towards the anterior margin; this, when retracted, re- sembles a funnel with numerous folds. The mouth leads at once into a spacious flask-shaped cesophagus (fig. 1) or gizzard with double walls, or rather consisting of two chambers placed. to a certain extent one within the other. By compression, the inner part can be pushed out ; but whether it can be voluntarily extended, and is consequently to be regarded as a trunk, I was unable to determine by observation. The cesophagus is directly followed, and, indeed, embraced, by a rather wide, dark-brown intestine, which lies loose in the body-cavity without any attach- ments or constrictions, and. makes about four or five convo- 8 Dr. R. Greeff on the Annelid Genus Spherodorum, lutions before reaching the anus, which is situated at the poste- rior extremity of the body. With regard to the sexual conditions, I can only state that one of the animals examined I found filled pretty closely with roundish disccid ova, which lay perfectly loosely and irregularly in the body-cavity, and, surrounding the intestine on all sides, were driven to and fro in the cavity of the body by the move- ments of the intestine and the general movements of the animal. If we now glance back at the zoological characters of our animal, especially in comparison with those of the genus Sphero- dorum, we shall be at once struck by certain points common to both. The most prominent of these are the globular cutaneous appendages occupied by glands, and the form of the cephalic segment, with its peculiarly formed tentacles and _papille. Further points of union are presented by the form and compo- sition of the feet, which in both consist of simple conical fins having a bundle of composite sete. (£rsted* indeed ascribes to Spherodorum a multifid fin (pinna unica multéfida); but this notion, as Claparéde correctly observes, has evidently arisen from the fact that Cirsted regarded the glandular appendages which are frequently seated upon the pedal tubercles as parts or branches of the fin. Besides these characters, the two have in common the absence of any external segmentation of the body, or annulation of it by means of transverse furrows, as also, in connexion with this, no internal constrictions of the intestine are present, but the latter in both constitutes a loose tube laid together in several convolutions, When we consider those properties of our animal which re- move it from Spherodorum, we find, in the first place, that whilst Spherodorum bears only one pair of the large globular cutaneous appendages upon the back of each segment, in our animal fen of these stand upon each segment—six on the back, and four on the ventral surface. There is also a difference in the form of these appendages; for in Spherodorum there is a papilliform process upon the globular capsule, whilst in our animal, in which this process’ is deficient, the globular form of the struc- tures in question is much more clearly shown. In the presence and even the form of the four frontal tentacles of the buceal segment both agree; but we have described two posterior tentacles or tentacular cirri, exactly like the frontal tentacles, which are wanting in Spherodorum, where their place is taken by two mere;rudimentary glandular appendages. Of subordinate distinctions we find that in our animal there are at the apices of the pedal tubercles two lamellar fins, which are absent in Spherodorum; whilst, on the other hand, the * Loc. cit. p. 108, and a new Representative of it, 8. Claparcdii. 9 peculiarities which Claparéde describes in the fect of some of its segments (the third, fourth, &c.) are wanting in our animal. Further, according to the statements of all authors, Sphero- dorum has four eyes, whilst our animal only shows two. The accordance of the true intestine has already been pointed out ; but we find essential differences in the anterior part of the ali- mentary tube, as in Spherodorum this consists of three succes- sive divisions (see Claparéde, Anat. &c., p.51), which cannot be made to agree with the structure of the cesophagus &c. described by us. teuly. as regards the external form of the body in general, this, again, is extremely different in the two animals. (irsted says of Spherodorum, “corpus lineare teretiusculum ;” John- ston, “body serpentiform;”’ and, lastly, Claparéde describes Spherodorum as a cylindrical worm of 2 inches long. If we contrast with this the little animal above described, scarcely 2 millims. in length, and comparatively very broad and nearly oval, the difference becomes very striking. Nevertheless, notwithstanding all these differences, the affini- ties first indicated lead me to prefer uniting our animal, at least provisionally, with Spherodorum to form a single genus, for which purpose, however, the generic characters given by Girsted and others must undergo some modifications. I would define the genus as follows :— Genus SpHzroporem, (Crsted. The more or less elongated body, which is always narrowed before or behind, nowhere shows any transverse annulation or segmentation indicated by external furrows, although this is defined by the outer appendages. The buccal segment bears on the anterior margin of the small and not deeply divided cephalic lobes four clavate and anteriorly somewhat inflated frontal tentacles, the bases of and intervals between which are closely set with small but also clavate papillae. Further back, likewise on the buccal segments, there are two tentacular cirri, one on each side, which sometimes resemble the frontal tenta- cles, and in this case are to be regarded as true tentacles also in respect of their function, sometimes in form and signification approach the globular cutaneous appendages of the following segments, and must then pass as glandular organs. The first body-segment and all the following ones are characterized by large globular cutancous appendages occupied by tortuous tubular glands. Of these either each segment bears only two upon its back, namely, one on each side over the pedal tubercle (dorsal cirri), or the whole segment is surrounded by a circlet 10 Dr. R. Greeff on the Annelid Genus Spherodorum. of these appendages, which are placed at regular intervals, and form a transverse row upon the back and another on the belly. Between the large cutaneous appendages there are numerous small ones irregularly scattered over the body. Feet simple, containing a bundle of composite setz. 1. Spherodorum flavum, rst. Annulat. Danicor. Conspectus, fase. i. p. 43, pl. 1. fig. 5, pl. 6. figs. 92, 101. Archiv fiir Naturg. 1844, 1. p. 108. Corpore 14" longo, ?” lato, teretiusculo, flavescente, utringue fere squaliter attenuato, segmentis 150, duplo latioribus _ quam longis, papillarum 12-16 in margine anteriore capitis, duabus paulo longioribus; oculis quatuor quadratum forman- tibus; pinnis abbreviatis, 7-8-fidis, setis 5-7 uncinatis. The preceding character of (irsted’s species must certainly undergo some alterations in accordance with the above observa- tions. As, however, S. flavum does not appear to have been observed by any one since Cirsted, I leave his description unal- tered for the present. It is possible, moreover, that there is no specific difference between S. flavum and S. peripatus. 2. Spherodorum peripatus, Grube. (Die Familien der Anneliden, p. 67.) Pollicita peripatus, Johnston, Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. xvi. p. 5, pl. 2. figs. 1-6. Spherodorum peripatus is the species investigated by Clapa- rede and KGlliker, as has already been repeatedly stated. 3. Spherodorum Claparedii, sp.n. PI. I. I venture to name the new species described in detail in this paper after the indefatigable observer who has done so much for the natural history of the Annelida. EXPLANATION OF PLATE I. Fig. 1. Spherodorum Claparedii, magnified about 40 diameters. Ig. 2. Foot with the bundle of composite uncini, magnified 300 diameters. Figs. 3-9. Developmental stages of the glandular appendages, magnified about 600 diameters. Figs. 10-14. Developed glandular capsules with the tubes contained in them, and opening externally by a fine orifice in the wall of the capsule; magnified about 600 diameters. Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacez. 11 II.—On the Menispermacez. By Joun Minrs, F.R.S., F.LS., &e. [Continued from vol. xix. p. 330.] 50. PycNARREENA. This genus was established by me in 1851 upon an Indian plant in the Wallichian Collection. It is easily recognized by its oblong, acuminated, simply penninerved leaves, upon short and remarkably tumid petioles: this manner of nervation, though less frequent, is not rare among the Menispermacee, for it occurs also in Hyperbena, Antitaxis, Penianthus, Clambus, Elissarrhena, Spirospermum, and Rhaptonema. It is also remarka- ble for having nine stamens almost without filaments, or, rather, as many 2-celled anthers, crowded in three series so as to form a sessile central head, after the manner of Anamirta; the anthers are transversely oval, 2-valved, gaping by a common horizontal suture. The drupe is oval, with the vestige of the style placed a little above the middle on the ventral face ; the putamen is reniformly oval, somewhat compressed, thin and testaceous, the seed being appended to the slight intrusion of an almost obsolete con- dyle on the ventral side; the embryo is exalbuminous; the co- ’ tyledons, occupying almost the whole space of the cell, are very fleshy, accumbent, lunately incurved at the apex towards the ventral face, where the minute radicle points to the persistent. style. The genus comes near to Antitazis. PycnarruENna, nob.—Flores dioici. Mase. Sepala 6-9, ter- natim disposita, exteriora gradatim minora et bracteiformia, 3 interiora multo majora, cuneatim ovalia, valde concava, eestivatione imbricata. Petala 6, sepalis breviora, cuneata, transversim latiora, apice subtruncata, lateribus paulo oblique involutis, membranacea. Stamina 9, in glomerulum centralem crebriter aggregata; filamenta brevissima, tenuia, fere obso- leta; anthere subglobose, cruciatim sulcate, septo transverso bivalvatim hiantes, loculo antico septulo verticali diviso, hinc ineequaliter 3-locellate.—F/. Mem. ignoti. Drupa gibboso- ovata, styli vestigio facie ventrali supra medium notata, glabra: putamen subreniformi-ovatum, paulo compressum, -leve, chartaceo-testaceum, 1l-loculare ; condylus e sinu ven- trali intra loculum paulo intrusus, hine convexiusculus. Se- men loculo conforme, exalbuminosum ; integumentum tenuiter membranaceum, facie ventrali condylo affixum: embryo locu- lum implens; cotyledones magne, carnose, accumbentes, apice incumbentim incurve, radicula minima supera ad stylum - spectante multoties longiores. 7 Frutices Indie orientalis et insularum indigent; rami rigidt, 12 Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacee. flexucsi, axillis nodosis et approximatis ; folia oblonga, utrinque subacuta, lucida, glaberrima, penninervia, supra in nervis sul- cata, petiolo brevi, apice valde tumido et cavo: panicule g perplurime vel pauciores, supra-axillares, fasciculata, interdum brevissime et crebriter subglomerate, aut laxe ramose et petiolo paulo longiores ; floribus parvis: in 3 pedicelli pauci, axillares, et 1-flori. The characters of the following specics will be given in the third volume of the ‘ Contributions to Botany ’— 3 1. Pycnarrhena pleniflora, nob. in Ann. Nat. Hist. 2 ser. vii. 44; —Pyenarrhena planiflora, Hook. & Th. Fl. Ind. i. 206 ;— Cocculus planiflorus, Wall. (pro errore typographico vice pleniflori)—In India orientali: v. s. in herb. Soe. Linn. 3, Sylhet et in hort. Bot. Cale. cult. (Wall. Cat. 4961) ; . tn herb. Hook. 2 , Bengal (Griffiths). 2. tumefacta, nob.— In Borneo: v. s. in herb. Hook. 3, Bangarmassing (Motley, 357). 3. mecistophylla, nob.—In Himalaya: v. s. in herb. Hook., Assam (Griffiths, 1264), 51. ANTITAXIS. This genus was proposed by me in 1851 for a plant collected in Malacca by the late Mr. Griffiths, with male flowers. It is only lately that I have seen other specimens in fruit. It has large lanceolate leaves, with alternate pinnate slender nerves, anastomosing towards the margin, and with rather short pe- tioles: in the g it has a few slender 1-flowered pedicels, fasci- culated in each axil; in the ? the inflorescence is similar. The 3 flower has eight sepals decussately arranged in opposite pairs, the two inner series being larger, equal in size, and imbricated in zstivation ; it has two petals alternate with the inner pair of sepals, and somewhat smaller than these, four stamens cruciately placed opposite the petals, with filaments somewhat shorter than they, fleshy, thickening upwards, the anthers partly immersed in their summits, globular, 1-lobed, opening somewhat extrorsely by a diagonally transverse fissure, showing two gaping lips, as in Anelasma and Elissarrhena. The 9 flower is unknown; but the drupes are subglobose and tomentose, with a somewhat reniform putamen, which is chartaceous and brittle, with an almost obsolete condyle in the sinus of the ventral side; the embryo is exalbuminous, reniformly orbicular, with large, fleshy, curving, accumbent cotyledons which nearly fill the cell, and a very minute, somewhat superior radicle. The leaves are coria- ceous, glabrous, shining, having a peculiar nervation resembling Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermace. 13 that in Pycnarrhena, Clambus, and Penianthus. In its inflores- cence, with several 1-flowered pedicels fasciculated in each axil, it resembles Pycnarrhena, as well as in its globular anthers opening extrorsely by a gaping fissure—a feature repeated in Anelasma, Jateorhiza, and Elissarrhena. The chief peculiarity -of Antitazis is in the dimerous arrangement of its floral parts ; but the Menispermacee are far from constant in their usual ternary disposition, as we find also binary sepals and petals in Antizoma, Clypea, Peraphora, and others of the Cissampelide, while in several genera of the family the floral parts are found in numbers varying between two and seven, or even beyond this. When I published the synopsis of the genera (huj. op. xiii. 124), a separate section was made to include all those of which (for want of sufficient evidence) the tribe to which they belong could not be determined; to this section Antizoma was then referred. Since that time I have seen its fruit, which closely resembles that of Pycnarrhena and other genera of the Pachy- gonee ; consequently Antitaxzis must now find its place in that tribe: its wood is unmistakeably of Menispermaceous structure. The authors of the ‘Nova Genera’ (i. p. 33), in one sentence, expel this genus and Odontocarya from this family, because ‘they appeared to them to offer no character distinct from the Huphorbiacee, and because they differ from Meni- spermacee in their inflorescence and in their habit. The strong evidence afforded here and elsewhere completely disproves all these inferences. Antitaxis, nob.—Flores dioici. Mase. Sepala 8, per paria decussatim opposita, 2 exteriora bracteiformia, extus longe pilosa, 2 sequentia late obovata, apice truncata, ciliato-fim- briata, 4 interiora paulo majora, equalia, suborbicularia, concava, carnosula, glabra, cestivatione imbricata. Petala 2, tenuiora, obovata, apice truncata, sepalis 2 interioribus alterna et paulo breviora. Stamina 4, cruciatim disposita, petalis opposita et paululo breviora; filamenta carnosula, sursum gradatim incrassata; anthere filamenti vertice semiimmerse, subglobose, carnose, l-lobz, subextrorse, rima subobliqua transversim et bivalvatim hiantes. Ovarii rudimentum nul- lum.—Fam. Flores ignoti. Drupe 3, aut abortu pauciores, subglobose, exsicce, velutine, styli vestigio facie ventrali notatz ; putamen subreniformi-ovatum, tenuiter chartaceum, 2 fragile, 1-loculare ; condylus parvus, internus, intra loculum sinum versus paulo intrusus aut fere obsoletus. Semen reni- formi-globosum, exalbuminosum ; inteyumentum membrana- ceum, sinum versus chalaza majuscula notatum : embryo reni- formi-globosus, loculum implens, cotyledonibus magnis, car- 14 Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacee. nosis, crassis, accumbentibus, curvatis, radicula minima su- pera ad styli vestigium spectante multoties longioribus. Frutices Asiatici, forsan scandentes ; ramuli pubescentes, demum glabri, cupuloso-nodosi; azillis approximatis; folia oblonga vel oblongo-lanceolata, glaberrima, nervis impari-pinnatis ; pe- tiolo subbrevi, imo apiceque subtumidulo : pedicelli g aaxillares, plurimi, fasciculati, gracillimi, 1-flori, internodiis sepius equi- longi; 9 axillares, pauciores, crassiores, 1-flori; drupe sub- globose. Descriptions of the following species will be found in the third volume of my ‘ Contributions to Botany :’-— 1. Antitaxis fasciculata, nob.—In peninsula Malayana: ». s. in herb. Hook. et meo 3, Malacca (Griffiths). 2. cauliflora, nob.—In Java: v. s. in herb. Mus. Brit., Java, ? (Horsfield, 3 et 4). . 5. — lucida, nob.;—Cocculus lucidus, Teysen e¢ Bennings, Nat. Tijdsch. iv. 397.—In Java: v.s. in herb. Hook. 2 in hort. Bogor. cult. (T. Anderson). 4. ——- longifolia, nob. ;—Cocculus longifolius, DC. MS.—In insula Timor: v.s. in herb. Mus. Paris. 52. SprrosPERMUM. This genus was founded, in 1806, upon a Madagascar plant, by Du Petit-Thouars, who gave a very meagre deseription of it. De Candolle, in 1818, arranged the genus in Menispermacee, in his ‘Systema,’ comprising all the details afforded by Thouars within the space of six lines, and that is all we know of the plant since that time. In my prefatory remarks on this order (Aw. op. 3 ser. xill. 125), not having then seen the plant, I exeluded the genus from the family, on account of the spiral form of its embryo, and upon the following grounds. In every instance throughout the Menispermacee I had found the embryo always more or less incurved, the degree of its curvature invariably corresponding with the extent of excentric growth of the ovary and fruit, the cotyledonary end of the embryo being seen inva- riably in close proximity to the basal point of attachment of the fruit, while the radicular extremity as constantly points to the vestige of the deflected style, the latter being generally drawn down near to the basal point of attachment: hence, in the most extreme cases, the embryo never completes an entire circle ; and from the constancy of this feature, it was naturally inferred that a spiral embryo could not occur in Menispermacee. A sub- sequent examination of the seed convinced me that I was quite mistaken in this conclusion, and that Spirospermum offers a very Mr, J. Miers on the Menispermacee. 15 anomalous departure from the above-mentioned otherwise uni- versal rule. Here, although the radicular end of the embryo remains in its normal position, its cotyledonary extremity is not directed as usual to the point of attachment of the fruit, but it wanders to some uncertain station through a helical channel. The putamen contains a single orbicular seed, which is greatly flattened and covered by a thin membranaceous integument ; from a point on its periphery, just below the persistent style, and close to the basal attachment of the putamen, the cell be- gins to be intercepted by a thin partition, which curves spirally until it terminates in the exact centre of the seed, thus com- pleting in its course two and a half gyrations, and the embryo is found within the spiral cell of the integument, without any albumen. ‘This spiral division is, in fact, the condyle, which at its commencement is like that seen in Tiliacora, Diploclisia, &e. —where, terminating a little beyond the middle of the cell, it divides it into a bimarsupial or hippocrepiform pouch ; but in Spirospermum this septiform condyle is continued far beyond that point, in an extremely attenuated state, under the form of a spiral coil, which reaches the centre in the manner before de- scribed. This septiform line is attached to the two opposite inner faces of the putamen, as in the other genera; and when a knife is passed round the periphery of the putamen, its two flattened sides are easily torn away from the adherent edges of the condyle, leaving a corresponding helical cicatrix upon the two faces, and showing correlative grooves on the outer surfaces of the putamen. We might suppose that the embryo would fill the entire length of the helical cavity of the integument; but it was otherwise in the specimens I examined; for although this spiral cavity consisted of nearly three gyrations, the elongated slender embryo only extended through half of the first turn, the remaining two gyrations being quite empty; the radicular end, however, touched its normal point on the periphery, at the beginning of the first coil. I have explained how the development in Tihacora, Diplo- clisia, &c. takes place by the simple process of excentric growth; indeed in all the genera of the family, even in the more extreme cases just mentioned, the amount of curvature of the integu- ment and seed is coequal and symmetrical with the unequal expansion of the ovary, and therefore of the pericarp and puta- men; but in Spirospermum the one greatly exceeds the ratio of the other, as is shown above ; and this forms a solitary exception to the otherwise general rule. It would be instructive if we could ascertain the cause of this singular growth. In all cases the original ovular integument grows lengthways; and in Spirospermum we might suppose that 16 Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacee, it grows into a very slender elongated tube within the cell of the ovary, gradually extending itself till it completes a circle, and that at that point, meeting with obstruction, it would be turned aside and carried forward in an inward spiral coil for nearly two other gyrations, terminating in the centre: in this - case the entire coiling tube ought to be free; but we see the reverse; for its adjacent sides are found agglutinated together and also with the interposing spiral condyle, which has simul- taneously accompanied it in its growth. By what means this is accomplished appears ay enigma very difficult of explanation. The only species of Spirospermum is a tree of low stature, or a shrub with pendent branches charged with large, lanceolate- oblong, coriaceous, polished, glabrous leaves, with many parallel oblique nerves, which anastomose near the margin; the petiole is short and stout; the inflorescence is a terminal panicle, twice the length of the leaves, pendent, and, with the fruit, becomes black in drying; it is copiously branched, its ultimate branches bearing, in the ¢ plant, two long fructiferous pedicels, swollen at their summit into a receptacle, which carries nine crowded stipitate drupes, all being glabrous, bractless, and black. The drupes are exsiccous, orbicular, extremely compressed, acutely carinated on the margin, on which, close to the base, is seen the remnant of the persistent style, and on each flattened face, near the carinated margin, is a prominent ring: the putamen is thin and coriaceous, quite flat and discoid in the centre of each face, where it is marked by a spiral furrow corresponding with the line of condyle already described. In the g plant the inflorescence is in axillary panicles, which are as long as the leaves, having a slender rachis provided at each of its alternate axils with two slender branches of unequal length, all dichotomously divided, the ultimate branchlets bearing two equal 1-flowered pedicels, all quite glabrous. The flowers are small, consisting of :—six obovate sepals, in two series, the three inner being twice the length of the three outer ones; six equal oblong petals, one-third the length of the inner sepals, having their lateral margins inflected; six stamens, in two series, the length of the petals, the three outer ones free, with slender fila- ments, the three inner filaments being united for half their ~ length into a monadelphous column ; each stamen provided with two free, distinct, erect anther-lobes. | SprrosPeRMUM, Thouars.—Flores dioici, ubique glabri. Mase. Sepala 6, biseriata, obovata, fusco-nigrescentia, quorum 8 ‘interiora duplo majora. Petala 6, biseriata, eequalia, oblonga, sepalis interioribus 3-plo brevioribus, lateribus inflexis. Sta- mina 6, biseriata, petalis equilonga; filamenta filiformia, Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacez. 17 erecta, 3 exteriora libera, 3 altera fere ad medium in columnam centralem coalita; anthere didyme, lobis parvis, oblongis, liberis, erectis, apice paulo divaricatis, rima laterali longitudi- naliter dehiscentibus.—Fm. ignoti. Drupe 9, supra recepta- culum parvum crebriter erect, longiuscule stipitate, exsicce, orbiculares, valde compresse, basin versus stylo persistente notate, nigre, rugulosz, glabre; putamen sarcocarpio sicco tenaciter adherente vestitum, orbiculare, valde compressum, carina peripherica tenui latiuscula munitum, utraque facie mar- ginem versus lira annulari prominente signatum, disco planum et sulco spirali notatum, tenuiter chartaceum; condylusinternus, septiformis, primum angustus, demum filiformis, a basi ortus, deinde ex anfractibus 3 spiraliter convolutis in centro termi- natus. Semen loculum implens, exalbuminosum, valde com- pressum ; integumentum conforme, membranaceum, condylo spirali interseptatum: embryo valde elongatus, pariter teres, radicula basi proxima, ad stylum persistentem spectante, coty- ledonibus linearibus accumbentibus vagis paulo breviore. Frutex vel suffrutex Madagascariensis, crebre ramosus; rami longi, teretes, iterum ramosissimi, pendentes, glaberrimi, rarulis ultimis pedicellos 2 unifloros gerentibus : flores parvi, glabri. The following species will be described in the third volume of my ‘ Contributions :’°— Spirospermum penduliflorum, Thouars, Gen. Madag. p.19. no. 63; DC. Syst. 1.515, Prodr. i. 96.—In Madagascar: v. s. in herb. Hook. 3 et 2 (Gerard, 32). 538. DETANDRA. This genus was proposed by me, several years ago, for two plants in the herbarium of Prof. DeCandolle, both natives of the province of Bahia in Brazil; its characters were sketched more than three years since in my synopsis of the genera of the family (huj. op. xiii. p. 124). One of these plants, in the size, shape, and tex- ture of its leaves, offers some resemblance to Chondodendrum tomentosum, R. & P., with which it also agrees in the more than usual number of its imbricately disposed sepals; but it differs in the form of its six petals, and in having only three stamens, whose filaments are united into a central column, leaving the anthers almost sessile on its furcated summit* ; the two cells of each anther are laterally imbedded in the nearly obsolete points of the filaments, the intermediate connective being very shortly and obtusely excurrent beyond their apex; and they burst by a * This feature of the agglutination of the stamens suggested the generic name, from derds, ligatus; avijp, mas. Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser.3. Vol. xx. 2 18 Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacee. longitudinal suture corresponding with a narrow semiseptum, which renders them 2-locellate. We may perceive in the above peculiar characters some analogy towards Parabena and Syrrho- nema, from which genera it differs in many respects. I have here described two species, one of which Dr. Eichler has made a third species of his genus Sychnosepalum; but I have shown, under my description of the latter genus, how much dissimilarity exists between them: it differs in its habit, its sub- peltate leaves, its inflorescence and the structure of its flowers. The Somphoxylon of the same botanist is at variance with De- tandra only in its more expanded panicle, minute flowers, and the smaller number of its sepals (frequently an inconstant character) ; it agrees in the number, shape, and relative size of the petals, and exactly in its three monadelphous stamens. The species of Detandra have somewhat oval, subpeltate, coriaceous, 5-nerved leaves, which are glabrous and polished above, pale and tomentose beneath, on rather slender petioles: the inflorescence is a panicle shorter than the petiole, with short alternate branches, each bearing one to three alternate pedi- cellated flowers; the flower has fifteen to eighteen closely | imbricated sepals becoming gradually smaller externally (the upper moiety of the six interior and larger ones expanding horizontally, as in Chondodendrum), six petals in two series, which are oblong or lanceolate, unguiculated at the base, and entire or denticulated on the margin; the stamens are already described. Detanpra, nob.—Flores dioici. Masc. Sepala 14-17, in or- dine ternario ad torum subcylindricum imbricatim disposita, quorum 2-5 exteriora minutissima et bracteiformia, 6 inter- media ovato-oblonga et extus pilosiora, 6 interiora cuneato- oblonga, cum apicibus rotatim reflexis, omnia extus leviter tomentella et ciliolata. Petala 6, biseriata, subzequalia, sepalis dimidio breviora, unguiculato-oblonga vel lanceolata, erecta, glabra. Stamina 3, alte monadelpha, petalis longiora; fila- menta in columnam centralem fere ad summam coalita, apice hine crassiuscule et brevissime trifurca; anthere bilobe, lobis ovatis, majusculis, segregatis fet in “filamentum lateraliter semiimmersis, connectivo intermedio paululo excurrente, bi- locellatis, 2-valvatis, rima longitudinali dehiscentibus.—F/. fem. ignoti. Frutices Brasilienses scandentes ; rami striati, ad axillas cupuloso- nodosi; folia alterna, petiolata, subpeltata, ovata vel ovato- oblonga, imo rotundata vel sinu levi subtruncata, integra, co- riacea, 5-nervia, supra glabra, subtus pallide tomentosa: pani- cula azillaris, petiolo brevior, tomentosa, alternatim ramosa, Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacez. 19 ramis brevibus, corymbuloso-paucifloris, pedicellis 2-8, fascicu- latis ; flores parvi. The descriptions of the two following species will be given in the third volume of the ‘ Contributions to Botany ’— 1. Detandra latifolia, nob. in Ann. Nat. Hist. ser. 3. xiii. 124,.— In Brasilia: v. s. in herb. DeCand. 3, Bahia (Blanchet). ovata, nob., loc. cit.;—Sychnosepalum microphyllum, Eichl. in Mart. Fl. Bras. fasc. xxxviii. p- 204, tab. 44. fig. 5. —lIn Brasilia: v. s. in herb. De Cand. 2, Bahia Blanchet, 3178 a). 2. 54. SyRRHEONEMA. This genus was proposed by me for a climbing plant having roundish cordate leaves, with a supra-axillary inflorescence, consisting of from three to six short fasciculated peduncles bearing generally three sessile flowers, which are small, with six tomentose imbricated sepals, no petals, and three stamens united for half their length into a central column%, the free portions being nearly erect, fleshy, and semiterete, each having four distinct anther-lobes quadrately disposed and imbedded introrsely in their summits. There is some resemblance in this latter feature to the stamens of Jateorhiza; but the analogy extends no further. The genus approaches Detandra, Aristega, and Desmonema in having three monadelphous stamens; but it differs from them in having no petals and in other particulars. In its inflorescence (consisting of several fasciculated, axillary, simple peduncles) it offers some analogy with Pycnarrhena and Antitaxis; but there the peduncles are 1-flowered, while here they bear from three to six crowded, sessile, very small flowers. SYRRHEONEMA, nob.—Flores dioici. Masc. Sepala 9, quorum 3 exteriora minora et bracteiformia, 3 interiora majora, ovata, acuta, concava, membranacea, extus pilosa. Peta/a nulla. Stamina 3, sepalis longiora, monadelpha; filamenta ad me- dium in columnam centralem coalita, sursum libera, crassius- cula, fere erecta, intus plana, extus valde convexa; anthere omnino introrse, loculis 4, parvulis, quadratim ‘diseretis, 2 inferioribus minoribus, singulis subglobosis, filamento semiimmersis, rima obliqua hiantibus.—F7. fem. ignoti. Suffrutex scandens insule Fernando Po indigeng; ramuli teretes, tomentosi ; folia alterna, ovata, subcordata, 5-nervia, reticulata, subtus pubescentia, petiolo pubescente, limbo breviore: pedun- * Hence the generic name, from cuppéw, confluo; vipa, —— 20 Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. culi $ breves, 8 vel plures, supra-axillares, fasciculati, pilosi, apice 3-4-flori; flores sessiles, parvi, cano pubescentes. The following only known species will be described in the third volume of my ‘ Contributions to Botany ’— Syrrheonema fasciculatum, nob. in Ann. Nat. Hist. ser. 3. xi. 124.—In insula Fernando Po: v. s. in herb. Hook. (Mann, 192). [To be continued. | ITI.—List of Coleoptera received from Old Calabar, on the West Coast of Africa. By AnpRew Murray, F.L.S. [Continued from vol. xix. p. 340.] Cucujide. , CHEILOPOMA™, noy. gen. Maxille membranaceous, not concealed by jugular pieces ; mandibles unequally trilobed at the apex (the lobes or teeth unequal in length), and tridentate on the inner side and with a membranous plate at the base; ligula with its apex bilobed and membranaceous ; both labial and maxillary palpi subcylin- drical, moderately stout; labium entire. Clypeus very large, prominent, triangular, and projecting, almost covering the man- dibles. Labrum almost imperceptible, narrow and membrana- ceous. Antenne as long as the head and the thorax, and moniliform ; all joints nearly equal, except the last and first two ; the first is pear-shaped, the second a little longer, and the last twice the length of any of the rest. Anterior tarsi tetramerous (in the male?), middle tarsi pentamerous, and posterior pro- bably also’ pentamerous, but broken off in the only specimen received ; first article smallest; the last article in the anterior tarsi twice the length of the last article in the middle tarsi ; femora and tibie short. Body flat, depressed, and with the sides parallel. Head rather broad. Thorax with parallel sides, rounded posteriorly. Chetlopoma castaneum. Dilute castaneum vel testaceo-ferrugineum, nitidum, leviter punctatum ; elytris striato- punctatis, interstitiis irregulariter punc- tatis. Long. 44 lin., lat. 14 lin. * From xeidos, a lip, and mapa, a lid, in allusion to the large clypeus covering the greater part of the mandibles. Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 21 Pale chestnut or testaceo-ferruginous in colour, with tip of the mandibles black; shining, finely punctate. The head rather broad, with a marginal projection in front of the eye; the cly- peus lower than the rest of the head, and also separated from it by a further depression ; there is a very shallow depression on each side, between the eyes, which are rather strongly granular; punctuation fine. Thorax nearly a third broader than long, smooth and flat, with shallow depressions towards the posterior angles; sides parallel; apex truncate; anterior angles, as seen from above, right-angled, posterior rounded except at the angle of the base, where there is a slight projection; base and sides margined, the margin visible from above at the posterior half of the thorax, not visible on the anterior half, it being turned in below. Scutellum small, transversely ovate, rounded ; the apex slightly indicated, very slightly punctate. LElytra punctate-striate, the strie becoming evanescent towards the apex, the interstices punctate ; shoulders not prominent, sides subparallel; slightly narrower behind the shoulders, and becom- ing broader again behind the middle ; apex rotundato-truncate, sides margined, but the margins not seen from above. Under- side very shining and smooth, more finely punctate than above. I have only received one specimen of this species; and even it was somewhat imperfect, the posterior tarsi having been lost ; but it appeared such an interesting addition to the genera of Cucujide that I have had no hesitation in describing it from my materials such as they are. The only forms which we have hitherto known of this little family are the true Cucujus, with its dull opaque texture and usually bright-red colour, of which species occur in Europe, America, and Australia. In looking at the section from my pres sent point of view, the Australian Platisus clearly goes along with the typical Cucujus. The Brazilian Palestes, bright and shining, forms a different section ; and the present genus a third. It has a certain degree of superficial resemblance to Trogosita. Silvanide. Silvanus frumentarius, Fabr. Syst. El. ii. 557, 11; Erichs. Ins. Deutsch. ii. 336. In the packing of boxes from Old Calabar. Cryptophagide. Cryptophagus sericeus. C. bicolori affinis, thorace angulis anticis in dentem acutum producto dignoscitur ; oblongo-ovalis, piceo-ferrugineus ; ely- 22 Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. tris et pedibus testaceis, sericeo pubescens, levissime punc- tatus. Long. lin., lat. lin. Allied to C. bicolor of Sturm, in the text of his Deutschlands Fauna, vol. xvi. p. 107 (C. rufipennis, De}., of Sturm, in plate, op. cit. pl. 319), but is readily recognized by having a projecting tri- angular tooth at the anterior angles of the thorax. It is more shining silky and finely pubescent than most of the other spe- cies, and its punctuation is so fine as to be almost imperceptible. The thorax, besides the projecting tooth at its anterior angles, has a very slight prominence on the surface a little behind it. The tooth is triangular in shape, and points obliquely out- wards. In the packing of boxes from Old Calabar. Murmidius ovalis, Beck (Ceutocerus advena, Schuppel), Germar, Ins. Nov. i. p. 85. In the packing of boxes from Old Calabar. Lathridiide. | Holoparamecus Kunzei, Aubé, Aun. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1848, p. 245. Readily distinguished from the other species described by its having a longitudinal dorsal fovea in the middle of the disk of the thorax. | Alive in the packing of boxes from Old Calabar. This spe- cies was first found by M. Kunze in fungi coming from Brazil. Its mode of occurrence throws some uncertainty on its aboriginal habitat. Dermestide. Dermestes subcostatus. Supra totus brunneus, punctatus, pube brunnea et grisea pubescente ; elytris subcostatis, apice rotundato; abdomine pube cinerea vestito, utrinque bitessellato. Long. lin., lat. lin. Above concolorous, dark brown, clothed with dark and paler brown pubescence mixed, producing a dark-brown pubescence ; punctate. The thorax is twice and a half the length of the ely- tra, and has the usual round depression at the base between the middle and the posterior angles. The elytra are subcostate, but the punctuation continues irregularly over all. The underside is clothed with cinereous whitish pubescence, and the anterior part of each segment of the abdomen has on each side a mark clothed with dark-brown pubescence, next the margin of the abdomen, and another between it and the middle, giving the Mr. H. G. Seley on the Potton Sands. 23 abdomen the appearance of a double row of tessellation on each side of the middle; the outer mark is bilobed, the lobes point- ing backwards; the inner mark is more or less triangular, the apex pointing backwards. In none of my specimens is there any appearance of the fossette which Erichson uses as a character to divide the genus into two sections, according as the males have a fossette on the fourth segment or on the third and fourth segments of the abdomen. The species is otherwise not difficult to distinguish. Its upper surface being concolorous reduces the number with which to compare it to a few; the ordinary proportions between the elytra and the thorax remove it from the Chilian species; and the double tessellation of the pubescence on each side of the abdomen distinguishes it from the Australian, Natal, and Siberian species. If we except one or two of the species which are established and go everywhere in ships, the members of this genus do not appear to be so cosmopolitan as is generally supposed. At any rate, the other species come constantly from the countries to which they are ascribed. - [To be continued. ] 1V.—Remarks on the Potton Sands, in reply to Mr. Walker’s Paper in the ‘Annals of Natural History’ for November 1866. By Harry Govier Seerey, F.G.S., of the Woodwardian Museum in the University of Cambridge. In July 1866 I wrote to the editors of this Magazine a letter on the fossils of the sands at Potton, expressing a few results of investigations into the nature of the sands between the Kim- — meridge Clay and what are usually called the Middle Cretaceous beds*. My friend Mr. Walker, apparently misunderstanding my paper, and being zealous for the geological honour of our University, at once wrote a refutation of my mistakes, and pub- lished it in various sections of the British Association and in this Magazine. However, the only mistake in my letter was the statement that “Gryphea dilatata is perversely wanting,” which, indeed was then true; for before the end of July it occurred in great plenty, and was exhibited in the Woodwardian Museum. * A portion of my results were given in a paper “On the Carstone and its Southern Extension,” read in the Geological Section of the British Association at Nottingham; and the whole of them, with the method on which they depended, were given in a paper “ On the Potton Sands,” read before the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Nov. 12, 1866. 24 Mr. H. G. Seeley on the Potton Sands. With this confession I now proceed to examine Mr. Walker’s aper. I. The deposit in which the phosphate-bed occurs he names the Lower Greensand. The Shanklin (or Lower Green) Sand, as I understand it, is the series of beds between the Weald Clay and the Gault. But these sands at Potton are between the Gault and the Oxford Clay; and, so far as I remember, the only fossil previously recorded from the beds in this district is Ammonites biplex, mentioned in my paper on the Cretaceous beds at Ely,—neither of which facts offers any presumptive evidence of the deposit being Shanklin Sands. To assume the age is, no doubt, an easy way of settling an — exceedingly complicated problem, and at the same time enables us to assert with confidence that all fossils except those previously found in similar deposits must be extraneous fossils, derived from the denudation of older beds, or, if need be, of newer ones. But even if the Potton Sands had been Lower Greensand, for which there is not an atom of evidence published, I am not aware that there would be anything more wonderful in the occurrence of Gryphea dilatata in such a bed than there is in the occurrence of Ammonites Lamberti, a lower Oxfordian species, in the Kimmeridge Clay of Ely and in the Lower Greensand of Atherfield, or in the finding of the eminently Cretaceous Neithea quinquecostata in the Kimmeridge Clay of Weymouth. II. A paragraph further on, Mr. Walker calls the phosphatic deposit a conglomerate. The idea conveyed by the term to most men who have seen conglomerates is a deposit formed by the wearing up of older strata into rounded masses, which have often become cemented together. But this Potton bed is a quantity of rolled concretions of tolerably pure phosphate of lime with a quantity of rolled masses of sand, sometimes con- -ereted with phosphate of lime, sometimes with iron, rarely with silex, and a small proportion of old rocks: these are oftenest loose in sand, but sometimes bound into a hard mass by oxide of iron. The term conglomerate applied to this bed is caleu- lated to mislead ; for, involving the idea of denudation of older beds, these might furnish our author with his would-be extra- neous fossils. III. The author then questions my reference of this stratum to the Carstone. That name I have since proposed to restrict to the sands of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk which occur between the Upper Greensand (Hunstanton Limestone) and the Kimmeridge Clay. But though I abandon the term, I do not abandon the idea; for what I wanted to express may be shown Oe Pan ake ace a Te =e NOES oe mete TREAD Oot PONE ite pe Dmg oe ge mae ee ne § Sa SP Tae SS Mr. H. G. Seeley on the Potton Sands. 25 by this diagram of the succession of sands in this part of our series of strata :— North. Red Roek, é.e. Upper Greensand. Shanklin Sands. Weald Clay. Hastings Sands. : Purbeck. 8 Portland Rock, with sand, _ °C Portland Sand. Kimmeridge Clay (South). In the south the sands pass insensibly down into the Kim- meridge Clay, in the north they rise insensibly up into the Upper Greensand ; and the further one travels from the eleva- tion of the Purbeck-Wealden area, the more thoroughly do those and all the cognate beds become represented by marine sands. IV. What I meant by the deposit reproducing earlier in time the conditions of the Cambridge Greensand is not what our author is at such pains to show (that the Potton bed is sand, and does not effervesce with hydrochloric acid, while the Cam- bridge bed is a marl which does effervesce with hydrochloric acid), but that both were formed on a long low shore during a protracted period of time, that both derived their phosphoric acid from the growth and decay of sea-weed, that both were open to the actions which furnished the Greensand with its wonderful erratics*. V. Our author then reminds us that in one analysis of a sample from this Potton phosphate bed there was as much as 6°64 per cent. of alumina, magnesia, and fluorine, and adds, “this would indicate that the phosphatic nodules had been formed of clay soaked in decomposing animal and vegetable matter.” The au- thor does not tell us whether this has been determined by ex- periment or evolved by some other method; but it is certainly a notable discovery that by soaking six or seven parts of alumina in decomposing animal and vegetable matter till they increase to 100, you will produce a nodule of phosphate of lime. What, meanwhile, would become of the clay, or in what reservoir all this soaking was to be done, are matters as to which we are left in ignorance. VI. I am then criticised for saying that I had gathered no extraneous fossils from the bed. This, with diffidence, on ac- count of the state of the specimens, I still repeat. And it is one of those things which have surprised me most; for I have * See Geol. Mag. July 1866, “On the Cambridge Greensand.” 26 Mr. H. G. Seeley on the Potton Sands. long been in the habit of teaching that sands and sandstones are formed during upheaval, and therefore we may expect in them fossils denuded out of older strata; but we shall also almost inevitably have in the bed, of contemporary age, a mixture of the life of the preceding and of the succeeding periods*. VII. The author then says that the phosphatic casts of shells in their general aspect resemble those of the Kimmeridge and Oxford Clays. Had he taken the trouble to get a few of them named, he would have found that they were Portland species ; he would, moreover, have found that a large number of the casts are in sand cemented with phosphate of lime, and that species which are usually preserved as internal moulds occur with the shell preserved when contained in hard sandy nodules. VIII. Many of the Mollusca, as Mr.Walker has stated, occur with the shell replaced by oxide of iron. They are all in exactly the same state of preservation; but since our author imagined the bed to be Shanklin Sand, he selects a few which have affini- ties with Lower Greensand species, and discards the remainder as extraneous—a way out of a difficulty, as I imagine, hardly in accordance with scientific method. IX. Our author’s list of Mollusca, as far as it goes, is given with some approach to correctness. TI have seen no Terebratula, however, which corresponds with Prof. Morris’s celtica. But T’. celtica, T. prelonga, T. sella, T. tamarindus, and T. depressa, with some few others, will, I apprehend, hereafter be regarded as varieties of one species ; so that it is one of those shells which it would not be surprising to find. Pecten Robinaldinus is not a bad identification. But P. Ro- binaldinus, P. interstriatus, P. Galliennei, and several others are, I believe, only varieties of the elongatus of Lamarck, separated, like the Terebratule, because the series at the describer’s com- mand was too small to show the gradations of one form into another. Ostrea macroptera.—Although this is the name used by me for this fossil, as a variety of the O. frons of Parkinson, it is a form limited, so far as I know, to the Portland Rock, being usually attached by the whole of one valve, and having the. other valve nearly smooth—very unlike Sowerby’s typical O. macro- ptera. O. frons and O. gregaria are not to be separated as species. Pleurotomaria Deshayestt, though resembling that shell, is a variety of P. gigantea, intermediate between that species and P. rugata. * “The Laws which have determined the Distribution of Life and of Rocks.”’ Read before the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Nov. 12, 1866. ‘ Mr. H. G. Seeley on the Potton Sands. 27 Not having seen Mr. Walker’s specimens, I am unable to speak with confidence on the other species named ; but no such shells as Exogyra conica, Modiola equalis, and Myacites plicata have come under my notice, though I have long had other spe- cies of those genera in the Woodwardian Museum. X. The author’s list of fish and reptiles needs but brief com- ment, the names being in part identical with those which have for years been attached to similar fossils in the Woodwardian Museum ; but it can hardly be necessary to assure any one that the genera Pycnodus, Hybodus, Lepidotus, Gyrodus, &c. are just as little found only in the Kimmeridge Clay as are the spe- cies Asteracanthus ornatissimus and Lepidotus (Spherodus) gigas, and that there can be no reason for thinking them other than tenants of the sea of the time. Had the author availed himself more fully of the collections to which he appears to have had access, he might have chronicled a more wonderful series of fossils than those enumerated—a series as rich perhaps in genera and species of fossil reptiles as any known geological fauna, XI. The author quotes the existence, in the Woodwardian Museum, of shelly limestone containing Cyrene, and uses this as evideuce for inferrmg some of the fossils to have been derived from the Wealden. I can confidently say that no such speci- mens have ever been found; and the concretions which were supposed to be the said shelly-limestone, on being broken, are found full of Cardium, Cytherea, &c.- Moreover I have shown, in my paper on these beds, that the material of the deposit came from the east. XII. Finally, Mr. Walker has described and figured (pl. 13) two shells. The one referred. to Sphera Sedgwickii is not a Sphera, but a Cyprina, and only differs as a variety from C. angulata (Sow.), a type prolific in varieties. The form figured is not typical. The species referred to Pholas Dallasii may be new. As every one is aware, all the secondary Pholades belong to the genus Pholadidea. This species burrows in wood, and lines its burrow with shell, and rather approximates to Xylophaga and Teredina than to Pholas. It has no affinity to D’Orbigny’s P. Cornueliana. The age of the beds to which Mr. Walker’s paper relates is a difficult problem, and not one that can be solved by an appeal to fossils, or mineral character, or superposition. And it is in- timately bound up with questions of great interest, such as the age of the Farringdon beds and the nature of the marine equi- valents of the Purbeck and Wealden strata. For I have found to the north of Cambridge most of the Farringdon fossils in a 28 Mr. T. G. Ponton on Pyrula (Fulgur) carica bed inseparable by any great distinction from, and under, sands full of the Potton-Sand fossils*. A discussion of the whole question and descriptions of the fossils are given in my ‘Geology of the Country round Cam- bridge.’ It may be here stated that this investigation led to proposing the following classification of the secondary strata :— Chalk. Cretaceous... / Greensand. Gault. Shanklin (or Lower Green) Sand. Psammolithic } Wealden { Potton? and Wicken and (or Siliceous) ) Purbeck | Farringdon beds? Portland. ae Kimmeridge Clay. ig tor} Coral Rag and Gamlingay Clay. erspatoic)«** | Oxford Clay. Great Oolite. Inferior Oolite. Lias. Trias. Oolitic ...... While these divisions mark approximately the greater physical breaks and the periods when great changes were made in phy- sical geography, it happens almost as a necessary consequence that there is a linking of the life between each of the six great groups of formations here indicated. V.—Remarks on Pyrula (Fulgur) carica (Lamarck) and Pyrula (Fulgur) perversa (Lamarck). By T. Granam Ponton. AxutHovueH fully alive to the responsibility which rests upon an one who presumes to doubt the specific value of old and well- known forms, I nevertheless venture to submit the few following remarks to the consideration of other conchologists. Having for some time past been engaged in re-arranging the collection of shells in the museum of this city, and having paid particular attention to the species comprised in the Lamarckian genus Pyrula, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion, for reasons to be afterwards mentioned, that Pyrula perversa (La- * At the meeting of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, May 27, 1867, a paper was read “‘ On the association of Potton-Sand fossils with those of the Farringdon Grayels in a phosphatic deposit at Upware on the Cam; with an account of the superposition of the beds, and the significance of the affinities of the fossils.” This series I propose to name the Wicken and Herrimere group. I have already obtained 120 species, including many continental species not previously recorded in Britain. and Pyrula (Fulgur) perversa. 29 marck) is not a distinct species from P. carica (Lamarck), but simply a reversed form of that shell. The chief distinctions relied on for the discrimination of the two species, independently of the difference in the direction of the whorls, are 1. The comparatively greater breadth of the shell in Pyrula carica. 2. The orange-red colouring of the columella in the same species. Now let us see how far these distinctions are worthy of reliance. 1. On measuring a number of both shells, I find that in shells of either species in which the length is equal, the breadth is also equal. 2. As to colouring: in specimens of P. carica, in this museum and other collections which I have examined, the colour of the columella varies from the typical deep orange, through various shades of yellow more or less intense, to, in one instance, a pure white—this individual being young, but not very small. Again, in specimens of P. perversa, I find that the colouring of the columella varies from the normal white to a yellow, in some instances deeper than that of many specimens of P. carica. _ Another distinction sometimes relied on is, that the interior of the aperture in P. carica is merely striated, whereas in P. perversa it is grooved; but here, again, this appears to be an individual character, depending more on age than anything else; for the aperture of young specimens of P. carica is distinctly grooved; and the grooves in the aperture of mature individuals of P. perversa become in most instances almost obliterated, degenerating into mere striations. _ The characters of the two species based on the form of the spire and the external coloration and sculpture of the shell are so variable that they must, I think, be regarded rather as individual than specific. There is one obstacle, however, to the admission of the spe- cific identity of the two forms—namely, the difference of locality, P. carica being usually considered to be confined to the more northern seaboard of America, and P. perversa to the more southern. This fact might seem to take the case out of the ordi- nary one of reversed shells ; nevertheless a parallel case might, I think, be found in the differences caused by locality in Pur- pura lapillus, Buccinum undatum, &c. The fact itself, moreover, In the case under consideration requires confirmation ; and it is by no means certain that P. perversa and P. carica are not both found in the West Indies. There is, indeed, in the collection 380 ~— Prof. J. C. Schiddte on the Tunnelling Coleopterous of this museum a specimen of P. perversa said to have been brought from South Carolina ; but I should not like to lay much stress upon this, as the localities given, in collections, for foreign shells are too often, alas! not to be depended on. I may add that my notes on these species were submitted to Dr. Eduard von Martens, of Berlin; and it is at his suggestion they are published. In conclusion, I would suggest the following amended dia- gnosis of the shells in question :— Pyrula carica (Lamarck). Shell pyriform, ventricose, tumid, rather thick, more or less transversely striated ; whorls dextral, more or less depressedly angled round the upper part, armed at the angle with large flattened spines; interior of the aperture striated or faintly grooved; columella varying in colour from deep orange to white; exterior of the shell white, variously streaked and banded with reddish brown. Hab. South Carolina, West Indies ? Var. a. The Pyrula perversa of Lamarck. © The shell the same as the last; but whorls sinistral; aperture more or less distinctly grooved ; colour of the columella vary- ing from pure white to deep yellow. Hab. West Indies, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, South Carolina ? Two other varieties might perhaps be added, namely :— Var. 8. Shell thin; colours pale or uniform; smooth within ; dextral. Var. y. The shell with large spines, with a rather short but very gibbous and swollen canal. Hab. Guyana. A specimen in the Museum at Berlin (Dr. von Martens). Clifton, near Bristol, June 10, 1867. VI.—On the Tunnelling Coleopterous Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, Dyschirius, and their Danish Species. By Professor J. C. ScH16pTE*, — 3 THE connexion between these three genera is not of a systematic character, for they belong to three widely different families ; * Translated from the Danish original in ‘ Naturhistorisk Tidsskrift, 3 ser. vol. iv. p. 171. Copenhagen, 1866. Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, and Dyschirius. 31 but they are closely connected by their habits, living together as they do on the shores of fresh and salt waters, where they excavate tunnels and galleries, which betray their presence on the surface by small heaps of earth, like diminutive mole-hills. Besides, Dyschirii and their larve are specially equipped for hunting the others. | The species of Bledius and Heterocerus are generally not seen about in the daytime, but leave their habitations on warm sum- mer evenings, after sunset, flying in numbers near the surface. Those few which are observed in the daytime are only such as have been pressed out of the soft ground by footsteps, and hurry away for safety. They may, in fact, be collected in this manner; but very many are thus squeezed to death, and it is better to dig them out. The small heaps indicating their dwelling-places are easily observed, because, consisting as they do of loose particles of earth, they dry soon and distinguish themselves by a lighter colour from the moist ground. The different species of Dyschirius, on the contrary, are constantly in motion, both in their galleries and out of them, hunting their prey, love to bask in the sun, and exhibit upon the whole the same wild, restless, insatiably rapacious nature as the shrew- mouse and the mole, which they may be said to represent amongst Carabide. I. “ Oxytelini genuini,” Er. (Gen. et Spec. Staphylinorum, 30) forms a well-defined small group of Oxytelini, easily distin- guished by triarticulate tarsi; but the views hitherto enter- tained of the mutual relationships of the genera belonging to this group can scarcely bear a thorough sifting. Thus the existence of two rows of fossorial spines on the anterior tibiz of Bledius is erroneously regarded as the most characteristic pecu- larity of that genus (which is more specially than any other constructed for digging) ; for Oxytelus and Platystethus, when carefully inspected, exhibit the same structure. On the other _ hand, it seems to have been overlooked that Bledius possesses another character distinctive of its peculiar fossorial type—viz. that the basal joint of the antennz can be received into a groove situated close in front of the eyes, which therefore in Bledius are flatter than in the other genera. Nor is Bledius properly placed near Ozytelus and Platystethus; for that genus really represents the type of the Carpalimi modified for tunnelling-pur- poses. A close inspection will show that the entire group of Oxytelini genuini, Er., naturally divides itself into two sub- groups principally distinguished by the structure of the eyes 382 Prof. J. C. Schiddte on the Tunnelling Coleopterous and the position of the cox, according to whether they move more on the surface and in daylight, or in darkness and under- ground. In the first case, as in Oxytelus and Platystethus, the eyes are finely granulated and naked, the middle coxe separated from one another by a broad expanse of the sternum; the whole figure is flatter, the integuments with coarser sculpture and less hairy. But in Carpalimus*, Haploderus, and Bledius the eyes are coarsely grained, only fit for near vision, with lashes between the facets ; the cox are closely approximated to one another, the general figure more cylindrical, the sculpture finer, and the hair more abundant, finer, and closer. The pronotum is more smooth and vaulted, in the same proportion as the animals are more calculated for digging; in those which merely root on the sur- face, the coxal muscles are weaker, and the prothorax is by ex- ternal cavities relieved of so much of its inner space as is not required for the neck and its muscles. Those which dig or root in the ground have the tibie furnished with spines, whilst in those which merely run about on the surface the tibie have fine hairs. The organs of the mouth exhibit a more or less pro- truding membranaceous labellum divided into two lobes, of which either the external margin alone, or the internal alone, or both margins are fringed or. ramified, the ramifications being in some cases several times subdivided ; besides, a kind of comb of horny spines is placed at the base of the inner side of each lobe, the two combs meeting in the middle of the labium. The mandibles possess a large rough grinder, and a well-developed, lobated, fringed or ramified inner lobe; its terminal part is slender and provided with few teeth in Bledius and others, but very powerful and with many teeth in Platystethus, Haploderus, and Carpalimus. The lingua is broad, with thin integuments, more or less emarginate in front, the corners pointed or (in Car- palimus) rounded ; the paraglosse are small, closely united with the lingua, and do not show in front of its corners. In Bledius alone the narrow fulcrum lingue reaches the anterior margin of the lingua or protrudes in front of it as a ligula, carrying on its truncated apex a row of pointed spines. The mutual relations of the principal genera of the group would therefore appear to be the following ;— * Names suggestive of life under the bark of trees are not to be allowed for animals living in moist places and in vegetable mould (cf. also Linn. Philos. Botan. § 232, and Fabr. Philos. Entom. § 22). The names Haplo- derus, Steph., and Carpalimus, Leach, ought therefore to be preferred (though not originally sustained by real characters) to Phiwoneus, Er., and Trogophleus, Mannerh. Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, and Dyschirius. 33 I. Eyes finely granulated, naked. Middle coxz distant from one another. OxyTELus, PLATysTETHUS. II. Eyes coarsely granulated, hairy. Coxe approximated. 1, No antennal grooves. a. Legs calculated for rooting; anterior tibize with only one row of spines, emarginate at the point. The lateral rib of elytra close to the margin. ‘ | HAPLODERUS. 6. Legs calculated for running ; tibie with fine hairs, not emarginated. he lateral rib of elytra distant from the margin. CARPALIMUS. 2. Antennal grooves in front of the eyes. Legs constructed for digging; anterior tibize whole, with double row of spines; lateral nb of elytra distant from the margin. BLEDIvs. Two attempts have been made at a subdivision of the old genus Bledius, Leach; but they have failed to command general support, having been aimed rather at an isolation of some more remarkable species than a careful analysis of the mutual rela- tions of the species in general. Nevertheless such a general analysis, carefully executed, reveals so many important differ- ences between the species, particularly in the structure of the mouth and the prothorax, that it becomes impossible to preserve Bledius, Leach, as an undivided natural genus. This will have become manifest already to those who have studied the descrip- tions and details of the larva whiclh-I have given on a former occasion™ ; and the divisions of the old genus suggested by the differences between the larve correspond most closely to those I have now to point out in the perfect insects, and which may be thus summed up :— I. Terminal part of mandibles thick, with a strong sharp tooth be- hind the apex. Inner lobe of mazille spinulous, the terminal spines blunt and powerful. Anterior margin of Jabium straight ; lobes rounded, their margins ramified all round; the spines of the comb (see above, p. 32) ramified at their points. Posterior corners of pronotum rounded, not separated from the posterior margin. A. Sockets of first pair of cove externally open. Lobes of /abellum with three elongated ramifications, the innermost of which is very long, all profusely subdivided. Spinulous ridges of anterior tibie widely separated. BLeEDIvs, s. str. Danish species :—1. B. tricornis, Herbst, fr. Sometimes re- * In the “ Observationes de Metamorphosi Eleutheratorum,” in vol. iti. of the ‘ Naturhist. Tidsskrift,’ tab. 12. Ann, & Mag. N, Hist, Ser. 3, Vol. xx. 3 34: Prof. J.C, Schiddte on the Tunnelling Coleopterous markably tenacious of the locality : thus a small colony of this species still existed thirty years ago in the unpaved footpath of a little-frequented street in Copenhagen, which in ancient times was a meadow such as it generally inhabits. 2. B. bi- cornis, Ahrens, m. fr. on marshy soil near high-water mark, in company with Corophium longicorne ; its tunnels reach a depth of 2 feet, and are of importance for the formation of new allu- vium. 3. B. diota, n.sp., resembles B. hinnulus, Er., but. is distinguished by the great size and development of the. anterior corners of the forehead, and by the elytra being more sparingly and finely punctate. The larva was described in ‘ Naturhist. Tidsskrift,’ iii. p. 148 as that of B. hinnulus, Er., for which the Danish specimens of the imago were first mistaken; and it is Dr. Gerstacker who kindly undertook to compare Danish specimens with the original specimens of B. hinnulus of Erich- son in the Berlin Museum, and has thus ascertained that the former belongs to a different species. B. Sockets of anterior coxe@ closed. Lobes of labellum with only one long, much subdivided branch. Spinulous ridges on anterior tibie close together. | TADUNUS, nov. gen. Danish species :—1. T. fracticornis, Payk., fr. 2. T. crassi- collis, Boisd. & Lacord., r. 3. T. atricapillus, Germ., r. II. Terminal part of mandibles attenuated. Lobes of labellum ramified on the outside: ramifications short and of uniform length, some of them bifid or trifid at the apex. Posterior corners of pronotum projecting from posterior margin. Spinulous ridges on anterior tibie close together. A. Inner lobe of mazille spinulous, the terminal spines strong, blunt. Labrum with a round emargination. Lobes of Jabellum broadly rounded ; the spines of the comb lobate at their points. Sockets of first pair of coxe externally open. BarGus, nov. gen. Danish species :—]. B. erraticus, Er., r. 2. B. opacus, Er., m.fr. 3. B. pallipes, Gravenh., fr. 4. B. ratellus, un. sp., m.fr, 5. B, terebrans,n. sp.,m. fr. The two new species re- semble B. pallipes, but are shorter and thicker, the teeth of their mandibles strong and powerful, and placed close behind the point, whilst in pallipes they are small and removed from the point; the posterior corners of the pronotum are perceptibly salient in the new species, obtuse in B. ratellus, rectangular in B. terebrans; the colour of the antennz and legs is deeper in the two new species, particularly in B.ratellus. The latter differs from B. terebrans by possessing a small but distinct depression on the top of the head, which is wanting in the latter, and by the elytra being closely and finely punctated in B. ratellus, whilst their puncture is much coarser in B, terebrans. B. Inner lobe of mazille without spines, ending with a brush of bristles. Lobes of Jabellum elongated, pointed. a. Sockets of anterior cox@ externally open. Terminal part of mandibles with one tooth behind the apex. Labrum deeply bifid. Tooth of the comb serrate. Astycors, Thomson. > - Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, and Dyschirius. 35 Danish species:—l. A. talpa, Gyllb., m. fr. 2. A. sub- terraneus, Er., fr. b. Sockets of anterior pair of coxe closed. Terminal part of mandibles with two teeth behind the apex. Anterior margin of /abrum straight. Teeth of the comb with blunt points. HEsPEROPHILUS, Steph. Danish species:—1. H. arenarius, Payk., fr. If. The manner in which Erichson, in his work ‘ Naturgeschichte der Insekten Deutschlands,? has treated of the numerous small Clavicornia has afforded a new starting-point for in- vestigations of the often very difficult natural history of these animals. His principal object being to reduce to order the confused mass of material by settling the species, it was but natural that he should be more successful in distinguishing and separating than in combining. It is therefore to be expected that future more penetrating investigations of the structure and de- velopment of these Coleoptera, and more strictly scientific com- parisons, will in some cases result in the principal systematic value being attributed to points now less regarded or overlooked, and in essential changes in his classification. The last four families more particularly, Byrrhii, Georyssii, Parnide, and Heteroceridee, exhibit so close a relationship in all essential features, especially in the structure.of the mouth, and in all stages of their development, that it is more than probable they will have to be regarded merely as subdivisions of one and the same family, each expressing a peculiar modification of the same fundamental type; for it will be found that all those characters which distinguish these families from one another are merely expressive of the different requirements of movement and re- spiration in different kinds of localities and different media. In Byrrhus we find this Coleopterous type developed for life on and, in shady and moist places, and for feeding on moss. In other genera we find an incipient modification calculated for wetter localities. Still within the pale of Byrrhi we meet with Limnichius, living on the shore itself, and Syncalypta, which is enabled, by club-shaped bristles on the back, to carry about a protecting shield of mud. In Georyssus* we see the same type __* With regard to the character “ prosternum membraneum,” on which Erichson lays so much stress as being peculiar to Georyssus, it must be observed that the prosternum of these Coleoptera is as hard as any other part of their skeleton; but it is very narrow, owing to the manner in which the head is retracted, and consists only of a narrow, arched, transverse band, which, besides, on account of its hidden position, ye not acquire 86 —- Prof. J. C. Schiddte on the Tunnelling Coleopterous adapted for a similar life, the beetle wandering about on the shore, protected entirely from the sun and hidden from its ene- mies by means of a portable roof of clay. Heterocerus obtains the same protection by tunnelling the shore, whilst Parnus and Elmis represent still more decided modifications for living in water, the former crawling about the water-plants under the surface, whilst the latter clings to the under surface of the stones on the bottom. It is one of the most striking examples © of typical unity coupled with extreme biological adaptation for different modes of life, that in all these animals the structure of the mouth remains almost entirely the same, even in the smallest details, not only in Heterocerus and Parnus, but even in the larvee of Heterocerus and Elmis. All these Coleoptera are dis- tinguished by the peculiar structure of the mandibles, which, both in imagos and in larve, are constructed as pincer-shaped grinding-instruments carrying several teeth on their terminal part. The larve possess two maxillary lobes. Hitherto much stress has been laid on their external shape, which is very vary- ing ; but this view will have to be abandoned here as everywhere. Even the larva of Cytilus is entirely different from that of Byr- rhus in appearance, being much more like the larva of Si/pha though the imagos are so very much alike. Heterocerus and allied genera occupy exactly the same position with regard to the other Coleoptera we have mentioned as Bledii occupy amongst Staphylini, Scaritint amongst Carabide, Ce- briones amongst Elateride. They exhibit the fossorial modifica- tion of the type, are the moles of the family, and form a special group (Heterocerini), which, according to the structure of the mouth and of the antenne, is distributed into several genera, the characters of which will be explained further on. 4H. von Kiesenwetter has supplied excellent materials for the difficult distinction of the species, to which we offer some further addi- tions. The principal characters of the group are as follows :— When the head is pushed forwards, the closed mandibles work both as a wedge and asa shovel. These latter are proportionally long, their upper surface somewhat hollow, the outer margin bent upwards, and with a tooth on the very edge; the terminal part is protruding, carries four teeth, and is (in the males of — some species, particularly in large and powerful specimens) pro- longed and curved upwards ; the inner lobe is greatly developed, with a free apex and the inner margin furnished with spines forming a comb ; the molar tooth is very large and grooved; the the dark colour of the other integuments. When the head is bent in, the prosternum is covered up by the organs of the mouth, the trochanters of - the first pair, and the mesosternum. Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, and Dyschirius. 37 labrum is long, hard, rounded in front, the edge slightly emar- * gimate in the middle, with four strong, short, thick and blunt spines on each side. The maxille and labium are elongated and narrow ; the palpifer of the maxille reaches beyond the root of the palpi, forming a protruding point; the maxillary lobes are hard; the anterior angles of the mentum very salient; the lingua is cordate, hard, and spinulous; the stipites of the labial palpi very small, and coalesced with one another as well as with the lingua. The basal joint of the antenne can be laid into a groove in front of the eye; the club is serrated, arched, calcu- lated for being coiled round the eye. Prothorax narrowed behind, its sides extended so as to form an angle on each side (hitherto erroneously described as the hind corner) ; the prosternum possesses a short procursus labialis. The legs are constructed for digging, all three pairs of about the same size and shape; the coxe are transverse; the trochanters support the femora, which are spindle-shaped ; the tibiz broad, with a comb of spines; the spurs long and curved ; the feet thin, long-haired, four-jointed, the claws very thin. The body is in general cylindrical, rather flat or vaulted, oblong, with parallel or round sides. The hairy covering double, consisting of an inner coat to which the air clings, and an outer coat of longer bristles standing out from the body; both layers vary according to the closeness and moisture of the soil in which the animal has its home, being finer and closer in those which live in clay, coarser and stiffer in those which dig in sand, those which live in mixed soil presenting intermediate modifications. These short observations may suffice as an introduction to the following synopsis of Danish species; but there is one rather remarkable point in the structure of these Coleoptera which de- serves more special attention. _ Erichson pointed out (Naturg. d. Ins. Deutschl. iii. 539) the existence of a peculiar arched ridge on each side of the first (externally visible) ventral segment, and a similar straight and sharp ridge on the inner side of the third pair of femora, which _ he interpreted as constituting an organ of sound, as indeed it is. Tt seems, however, that in suggesting this interpretation, Erich- son was led rather by a happy instinct than by a careful exa- mination of these parts; for he does not give any account of those peculiarities of structure which really enable the animal to make a sound by means of this apparatus; and those parts to which he draws attention have in fact nothing at all to do with the production of the creaking sound. He says that in some species, the lateral part of the arched ridge is distinctly transversely grooved in both sexes or only in the males*, whilst * Referring to the descriptions of the species, we find that the lateral 38 Prof. J.C. Schiddte on the Tunnelling Coleopterous in others it is entirely smooth all over in both sexes; and this is really the appearance presented when the parts are observed through an ordinary pocket magnifier. But whilst, on the one hand, it seems impossible that the friction of the two ridges against one another could produce a sound in those species where they are described as entirely smooth (supposing always the description to be correct), a careful examination shows, on the other hand, that the lateral part of the ridge on the abdo- men, which Erichson evidently looks upon as the source of the sound, cannot by any means be concerned in its production. It lacks two essential conditions, being neither in a favourable po- sition nor furnished with transverse grooves sufficiently fine. The creaking sound produced by many insects depends on a very rapid and powerful friction of a very thin edge against a grooved surface, the fine transverse strie of which catch hold of and again let go the edge. The thinner the edge, the finer the strize, and the greater the velocity of the movement, the higher is the note; and if the velocity and strength of the movement are small and the grooves coarse, no’ sound, or a mere low rattling noise, can be produced. But that lateral part of the abdominal ridge which, in some species, under a moderate power, shows transverse grooves is placed so far forward that the ridge on the femur could touch it only when the leg is stretched out, moved by its tensors, when the movements would not by any means be strong or quick enough; and its direction is, moreover, such that the grooves could not alternately catch and let go the ridge on the femur. Besides, these grooves are so distant from each other, so coarse, and so deficient in sharpness, in comparison with the strize on the creaking-apparatus of other Coleoptera, that even on that account they cannot be regarded as sources of sound. Even in animals so large as Necrophori and Cerambyces, the striz on the surface of the creaking-apparatus are so extremely close and minute that they show interferential colours*, and are distinctly observable only by the assistance of a very strong mag- nifier. The structure does not come out clearly till the parts are examined under the microscope by strong side light and a mag- nifying-power of 50-100 times. If the creaking-apparatus of Heterocerus deserves that appellation, the strie must be expected to be still more minute, and the surface would appear smooth ‘part of the ridge is described as grooved in both sexes of H. marginatus, mtermedius, and levigatus, grooved in the male but smooth in the female of H. fossor, femoralis, fusculus, and hispidatus, smooth in both sexes of H. parallelus, obsoletus, and sericans. * On the creaking-apparatus of Necrophori, vy. Naturhistorisk Tids- skrift, ser. 2. vol. i. (1844), pp. 61, 69; and on that of Cerambyces, Nat. © Tid. ser. 3. vol. ii. p. 494 [Aun, & Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. xv. pp. 191, 192]. Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, and Dyschirius. 39 to the naked eye or even under an ordinary pocket magnifier. Now this is precisely the state of the case. The ridge on the femur is not rubbed by the action of the tensors against the outer lateral part of the ridge, which in some species shows a few coarse transverse grooves (a sort of introduction, as it were, to the structure of the true apparatus), but it is rubbed, by the powerful action of its flexors, against the inner part of the arched ridge, which forms exactly a segment of a circle, the point of the coxa being the centre and the femur the radius, and which, though apparently smooth in all species and both sexes, is co- vered with transverse strie as regular, close, and minute, in proportion to the size of the animals, as in any of the larger insects just mentioned. Of course this is not observable except by means of the microscope, by side light and a suitable mag- nifying-power: it is best seen by a power obtained by using a proportionally strong eye-piece, if the instrument allows it. It is still better to choose specimens for the examination which have just gone through their transformations, and in which the integuments, having not yet acquired their deep colouring, are semipellucid. The first ventral segment should be cut off, carefully separated from the soft parts, cleansed with solution of caustic potash, and examined, under a strong magnifying-power, by transmitted side light, which, of course, ought to be directed along the arched ridge, across the transverse striz. The pre- paration repays the trouble, as nothing can be more elegant than the aspect of the strive, which cover the whole arch in the cases where this, by a low power, appears entirely smooth all over, but only the inner larger portion of it in those cases where the pocket magnifier shows transverse grooves on the outer or lateral part of the arch. Whilst, according to the account given in ‘ Naturg. d. Ins. Deutschl.,’ these latter species would appear to have the most developed creaking-apparatus, the reverse is _ the case, as it is the apparently smooth part of the arch which produces the sound, not the coarsely grooved part. It follows that several of the characters for species and sexes which Erichson thought to find in this creaking-apparatus lose very much of their value ; but it presents one peculiarity, hitherto overlooked, which more than makes up for the loss, and is of great utility in distinguishing closely allied species. The fore end of the arch, which generally exhibits a few coarser trans- verse grooves, is the broader of the two; and these two circum- - stances indicate clearly enough that the friction is calculated to commence at that end and continue inwards, when the femur is inflected, towards the lower or posterior extremity of the arch, which is more and more attenuated, and generally ends at the posterior margin of the segment. But in some species 40 Prof. J. C. Schiédte on the Tunnelling Coleopterous (amongst the Danish in H. sericans, intermedius, Physites aureolus and Augyles hispidus) the arch is continued as an excessively thin and sharp recurring ridge, as far as the apex of the poste- rior coxe, thus completing a larger section of the eircle. Inter-. mediate forms between this and the common structure do not seem to occur. DANISH SPHCIES. HETEROCERUS, F. Antenne 11-jointed, the club abruptly separate; third and fourth joints very small. Maxillary lobes spinulous. Inner lobe of mandibles membranaceous, with membranaceous comb. A. Lateral angles of pronotum rounded, without marginal groove. Inner lobe of mandibles slightly emarginate in the middle. Body oblong, with parallel sides, flatly vaulted. : Pronotum in the male broader than the elytra, in the female of the same breadth as these. a. Arches of creaking-apparatus ending in the posterior margin of the’ first ventral segment. 1. H. femoralis (Kiesenw.), fr. 5. Arches of creaking-apparatus recurring from the posterior margin of the first ventral segment towards the apex of the third pair of coxee. ; : 2. H. sericans (Kiesenw.), m. fr. B. Lateral angles of pronotum with deep marginal groove. a. Lateral angles of pronotum rounded. Inner lobe of mandibles with a sharp indentation in the middle. Body oblong, with parallel sides, flatly vaulted. Pronotum in the male as broad as elytra, in the female narrower. Arches of creaking-apparatus ending in the posterior margin of the first ventral segment. 3. H. obsoletus (Curt.), fr. 4. H. levigatus (Panz.), m. fr. 5. H. fusculus (Ksw.), fr. b. Lateral angles of pronotum pointed. Body oblong, rounded, rather high vaulted, almost the same in both sexes. * Arches of creaking-apparatus ending in the posterior margin of first ventral segment. 6. H. marginatus, Ksw. * Arches of creaking-apparatus recurring towards the posterior coxee. 7. H. intermedius, Ksw., r. va PHYRITES, nov. gen. Antenne 11-jointed; the club increasing gradually from the third joint. Mazillary lobes spinulous. Inner lobe of mandibles bifid, the lower division membranaceous, with membranaceous comb, the outer division horny, with fringed margin, and carrying five or six very thick horny spines. 1. P, aureolus, v, sp. (Oblong, rounded sides, highly vaulted ; hairy Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, and Dyschirius. 4] covering thin, coarse, the hair standing out from the body, brown, in the elytra partly golden, forming three narrow, serrated, golden transverse bands; the outer layer of hairs very long, close, and black; teeth of mandibles very powerful; lateral angles of pronotum pointed, marginated; elytra coarsely punc- tured, without coloured markings on the integument itself; ab- domen underneath with a broad, dark-red margin; arches of creaking-apparatus recurring towards posterior coxe. 33-4 mil- lim.), r. AUGYLES, nov. gen. Antenne 10-jointed; club abruptly commencing, third and fourth joints very small. Mazillary lobes furnished with bristles. Inner lobe of mandibles membranaceous, with membranaceous comb. 1. A. hispidulus, Ksw., fr. Il, Although the representatives of our indigenous genera of Scaritini, Clivina and Dyschirius, abound everywhere, our know- ledge of their natural history seems still open to not unimpor- tant additions. On a previous occasion* I drew attention to several peculiarities in the structure of the mouth not hitherto noticed—for instance, the convenient character for distinction be- tween these two genera, that the anterior margin of the clypeus is merely slightly emarginate in Clivina, but bi- or tridentate in Dyschirius; and in a paper on the new genera Niletus and Ochyropus +, I have pointed out that both Néletus and Clivina, _ Dyschirius, Oxygnathus, and Oxystomus amongst Scaritini, pos- sess a sharp, hard, horny spine between the claws—a true ony- chium, the possession of which was formerly looked upon as a principal character of certain Lamellicornia, but which really occurs in many Coleoptera. ‘T'o these we shall add two other remarks. The inner lobe of the maxille in Dyschirius is almost straight, and truncate at the apex, though it is often de- scribed as pointed, owing to some of the terminal spines being mistaken for the apex of the lobe. But in Clivina (fossor) the lobe terminates, as in other Carabi, with an inwardly bent hook. In Dyschirius the two bristles of the lingua are divergent, whilst in Clivina (fossor) they stand so close together as to look like one thick bristle. The anterior margin of the palpifer is rounded in Dyschirius, with finely serrated edge, whilst in Cli- vina it presents an obtuse angle with undulated edge. In examining the organs of the mouth in a great number of specimens of Dyschirius, I observed that in many individuals * Danmarks Eleutherata, i. p. 110, tab. 4. fig. a, 7. + Naturhistorisk Tidsskrift, Rekke 2. vol. 1. (1846-49), 346; vide Ann. & Mag. Nat, Hist. vol. x. p. 379. AQ Prof. J. C. Schiddte on the Tunnelling Coleoptera. the terminal joint of both pairs of palpi presented a rather peculiar structure. In dry specimens this betrays itself by the joint being somewhat broader than usual; and on the under surface a deep spoon-shaped cavity is observable. In fresh specimens, or such as have been boiled for examination, the hard chitinous integument seems to-be wanting in this spot, and to be replaced. by a soft membrane, closely covered, as if it were paved, with small black polygonous chitinous warts, pretty regularly disposed in quincunx. It can scarcely be doubted that this is an organ of sense, a secondary palparium; and a dissection of the internal sexual organs shows that the indivi- duals possessing this peculiarity are all males. Hitherto no external marks of distinction between the sexes were known; but these supplementary inferior palparia are found in the males of all species of Dyschirtus and in many exotic species of Clivina, though they are wanting in the males of Clivina fossor. The characters available for the distinction of species are not very many. Originally authors were almost confined to the variations of the external teeth on the tibie; Erichson added (Kafer d. Mark Brandenburg) the varying extension of the mar- ginal strie of the elytra; in ‘Danmarks Eleutherata’ I pointed out some additional characters derived from the shape of the clypeus; whilst Thomson, in ‘ Skandinaviens Coleoptera,’ drew attention to the marginal strie of the pronotum, which some- times are wanting, and, where they exist, extend to a varying distance from the posterior corners. ‘Two new characters may be derived from the different size of the supplementary palparia on the maxillary palpi of the males, and from a small difference in the outline of the ligula (or, rather, fulerum ligule). By combining these characters, the species may be grouped with satis- factory precision. But within the pale of each of these groups the species are so closely connected that it is exceedingly difficult to distinguish them except by a set of characters which are not always as sharp as could be desired; and one is often tempted to look upon many reputed species as mere local variations. But this same uniformity is observable also in other genera of Scaritini, and is, upon the whole, of frequent occurrence in Arthropoda which dig or burrow in the ground, within such genera as have a very wide geographical distribution. If, then, those species of Dyschirius which dig their tunnels on the shores of the Ganges, or in the salt-moors of Tranquebar, and along the rivers of America, when carefully examined, differ as little from our indigenous species as these latter do from one another, we must be content to leave the matter as it is, in spite of the dearth of specific characters. Dr. J. E. Gray on a new Australian Tortoise. 43 DANISH SPECIES. DyYSCHIRIUS. A. Superior palparia on both pair of palpi of the male very large, extend- - ing over the whole length of the joint. 2 Siiewas tridentate. Ligula extended at the apex, with pointed cor- ners. Marginal strie of pronotum continued past the second pair of bristle-points. Marginal strie of elytra continued to the base of the latter. External teeth of anterior tibie pointed. Pronotum round. LHlytra ovate. 1. D. thoracicus, Fabr., fr. 2. D. obscurus, Gylih., fr. b. Clypeus bidentate. Ligula gradually attenuated, with round apex. Marginal strie of pronotum terminating in the second pair of bristle-points. Marginal strie of elytra ceasing at the shoulder. External teeth of anterior tibie pointed. Pronotum oblong, round. Striz of elytra deeply punctate, smooth towards the apex. 3. D. teneus, Dej., fr. 4. D. salinus, Er., fr. ¢. Clypeus bidentate. Ligula gradually acuminated, with round apex. Marginal strie of pronotum wanting. Marginal strie of elytra ceasing at the shoulder. External teeth of anterior tibie obtuse. 5. D. gibbus, Fabr. B. Superior palparia on the labial palpi very large, extending over the whole length of the joints, those on the maxillary palpi reduced to a small spot behind the apex of the joint. Clypeus bidentate. Ligula gradually acuminate, with round apex. Marginal strie of pronotum continued beyond the second pair of bristle-points. Marginal strie of elytra ceasing at the shoulder. - External teeth of anterior tibie indistinct. Pronotum oblong. 6. D. inermis, Curt.,r. 7. D. politus, Dej., m.fr. 8. D. im- punctipennis, Daws. (Geod. Brit. 29. 6 = arenosus, Putz., levistriatus, Fairm. & Laboulb.), fr. | VII.—Description of a new Australian Tortoise (Elseya lati- sternum). By Dr. J. HE. Gray, F.R.S. &e. In the ‘Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ for 1863, vol. xii. pp. 98 & 246, I described a species of Chelymys under the name of Chelymys dentata. In that paper I proposed to divide the genus into two sections, the one having and the 4 other being destitute of a nuchal shield. In the collection from : North Australia there are two specimens of the animal in spirits, q which show that the animals of the Chelymydes without a nuchal shield differ greatly from those of the typical Chelymys ; and they are particularly interesting (as forming a passage between the Hydraspides of Australia and South America) in having a pair of beards in the front of the chin, a warty upper surface to the neck, and scaly temples—all characters absent in most of the Australian species, but generally present in those genera of the ie oy ee a. eke, sili, th 4.4. Dr. J. E. Gray on a new Australian Tortoise. family peculiar to South America. They thus combine with the habit and structure of the Australian genera some of the technical characters of the South American. I am therefore inclined to form for these a new genus, which I propose to name (after my late friend, who lost his life in attempting to increase our knowledge of the zoological produc- tions of Australia) Euszya, and which may be thus charac- terized :— Nose and crown of the head covered with a smooth skin ; temple, cheek, and throat covered with flat polygonal plates; tympanum flat; chin two-bearded; upper side of the neck warty. Shell convex, expanded and subdentate behind ; sides slightly revolute ; nuchal shield none; front of the cavity rather contracted. Vertebral column short, keeled within; sternum solid, rather narrow, with shelving side-wings; gular shield elongate, smal], marginal. Tail short, thick, concave ; claws 5/4, acute. Hab. Australia. This genus contains two species :— 1. Elseya dentata. Chelymys dentata, Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1863, vol. xii. pp. 98, 246. The front of the sternum narrow, half-ovate, with the sides rapidly contracted in front ; the gular shield very narrow, elon- ate. Hab. North Australia, Upper Victoria (Dr. Elsey). There is a series of three shells of this species in the British Museum, young, middle-aged, and adult. The plates of the under surface of the two younger specimens are pale, and do not appear to have a dark edge as is the case with the two half- grown specimens of the next species. The adult shell is black brown above and below, varied with pale brown on the middle of the sternum. 2. Elseya latisternum. The front lobe of the sternum broad, nearly semicircular in front; the gular shield as broad as the side shield, and rather short ; the plate on the under surface yellow, with narrow dark edges to the shields; hinder margin of the shell dentated. Hab. North Australia. There are two specimens of this species in the Museum; they are at once known from E. dentata by the greater compa- rative breadth of the sternum, which is. most marked in the form of the front lobe, though common to all its parts. The shells of the two specimens vary considerably in form, one being much broader compared with the length than the Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 45 other ; and also, on the surface, one has the shields of the back of the shell nearly smooth, and the other covered with close sunken dots. The animal is dark slate-coloured above, and paler grey be- neath. There is a broad well-marked white streak from the hinder angle of the mouth, margining the underside of the tympanum and extending nearly to the middle of the base of the front legs; the hind legs have a series of rather large pro- minent scales from the outer side of the knee to the base of the outer toes, which are largest near the toes; tail short, with two series of shields on the underside, behind the vent. VIII.—Additions to the knowledge of Australian Reptiles and Fishes. By Aubert Ginrner, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., F.R.S. Tue British Museum has received in the course of the last three or four years various collections of reptiles and fishes from Aus- tralia, and quite recently one made at Champion Bay and Nicol Bay (Western and North-western Australia) by Mr. Duboulay, and two others brought by Hr. Damel from Cape York and Port Denison. The following notes were made during the arrange- ment of these specimens; and, besides the new species, only those are mentioned which were either previously desiderata in the British Museum, or for which new localities can be given. TORTOISES. 1. Elseya latisternum. See the preceding paper by Dr. Gray. LIZARDS. 2. Odatria punctata (Gray). West and North Australia. Var. timoriensis. Timor, Torres Straits. 3. Odatria ocellata (Gray) = ?O. tristis (Schleg.). West and North-west coast of Australia (Nicol Bay, Du- boulay). Distinguished by the large spines of the tail. 4. Pygopus lepidopus (Lac.). | Pygopus squamiceps (Gray). Swan River, Champion Bay, Sydney, Van Diemen’s Land. 5. Lygosoma laterale, sp. nu. Habit slender ; limbs feeble, fore limbs equal in length to the 46 Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. distance of the ear from the snout ; toes very unequal in length. Nasals slightly in contact behind ‘the rostral ; central occipital not much larger than a preoccipital. Eyelid with a transparent disk ; ear-opening very small. Body surrounded by twenty-two series of scales ; ; sixty-seven scales in a series between the axils of the fore and hind limbs. Two large preeanal scales. A deep- black band, two scales broad, runs from behind the eye along each side to the root of the tail. South Australia. 54 inches long (Krefft, 47). _ 6, Lygosoma australis (Gray). Swan River, Cape York. 7. Delma Fraseri (Gray). Champion Bay and Nicol Bay. 8. Lialis Burton (Gray). Scales in seventeen rows. Swan River, Houtman’s Abrolhos. Var. with the ornamental colours very pel chin not dark- coloured. Champion Bay. 9. Lialis punctulata (Gray). Scales in nineteen rows. Sydney, Port Essington. Var. bicatenata. Port Essington. Var. uniformly coloured. Sydney, Cape York. 10. Rhodona punctata (Gray). Swan River. 11. Rhodona Gerrardii, sp. n. Rhodona punctata, var. Gerrardii, Gray. Nasals slightly in contact with each other; upper labials six ; frontal triangular, thrice as large as the central occipital. Body surrounded by twenty-one longitudinal series of scales ; seventy-one scales in a longit. series between the axils of the fore and hind limbs. Two large preanal scales. Har-opening small, covered by scales. Fore limb very small, single-toed on one side, and with two toes on the other. Two toes behind, the outer more than twice as long as the inner. Body with three black longit. bands, one along the middle, and one on each side of the back. Swan River, Champion Bay. -5 inches long. The fore limb of Rhodona punctata is about as large as a scale, that of Rhedona Gerrardii equals the length of six seales; Rh. punctata has only one large central occipital, Rh. Gerrardii one central and a pair of preoccipitals. The eyelid has a transparent disk in the middle. tae Was Dr, A, Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 47 12. Rhodona punctato-vitiata, sp. n. Nasals forming together a broadish suture ; upper labials six; frontal triangular, twice as large as the central occipital. Body surrounded by seventeen longit. series of scales; eighty-two scales in a longit. series between the axils of the fore and hind limbs. Two large preanal scales. Ear-opening small, covered with scales. Fore limb minute, tapering, terminating in a straight minute claw, with scarcely an indication of a second claw. Two toes behind, the outer more than twice as long as the inner. Each scale on the upperside with a black dot, the dots forming six or eight longit. lines. Queensland. 5 inches long. 18. Anomalopus Verreauau (Dum.). Brisbane, Clarence River, New South Wales. Specimens from the jast two localities through Mr. Krefft. The eyelid is scaly, as observed by Prof. Peters in ‘ Monatsber. Ak. Wiss. Berl.’ 1867, p. 24. All our specimens are distin- guished by the light occipital cross band, which is pure white in young examples, but only faintly marked in adults of twelve ‘inches in length. 14. Hinulia fasciolata, sp. n. Har-opening small, rounded, and not denticulated in front. Na- sals separated by the prefrontal, which is of a triangular shape. Postoccipitals forming a suture together behind the central occipital, which is a little smaller than the preoccipitals. Body surrounded by thirty-three longit. series of scales, the vertebral scales being scarcely larger than the others; there are fifty scales in a longit. series between the axils of the fore and hind limbs. Subcaudal scales broad. Lach series of scales on the upperside of the tail with a low ridge. Six preeanal scales, the central pair being much the largest. Limbs rather. feeble; tail of moderate length, but very thick. Body with narrow, black, rather irregular cross bands, some of them obliquely descending forwards. Rockhampton, Port Curtis. 8 inches long. 15. Hinulia branchialis, sp. u. Ear-opening small, rounded, and not denticulated in front. Nasals forming together a suture ; the central occipital separating entirely the postoccipitals. Body surrounded by twenty-four longit. series of scales, of which the vertebral pair is broadest; there are fifty scales in a longit. series between the axils of the fore and hind limbs. Subcaudal scales broad. Four preanal scales, the central pair largest. Limbs rather feeble; tail of 48 Dr. A. Gunther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. moderate length. Three black transverse spots on each side of the neck. Three specimens, 4 inches long, from Champion Bay, north- west coast of Australia. 16. Hinulia Richardson (Gray). Abrolhos, Champion Bay. 17. Hinulia (Hemispheriodon) Gerrardit (Gray). Rockhampton (Krefft, 43, 512). 18. Cyclodus gigas. The stomach contained the remains of crabs and a fungus. 19. Cyclodus occipitalis (Ptrs.). Adelaide, Swan River. 20. Cyclodus Adelaidensis (Ptrs.). Adelaide (Krefft, 40). 21. Tropidolepisma nitidum (Gray). Swan River. 22. Tropidolepisma majus (Gray). Rockhampton. 23. Mabouia macrura, sp. n. Tail strong, much longer than the body; limbs rather feeble. Supranasals separate. Preefrontal forming a long suture with the rostral and parietal, separating the postfrontals, which are small. Central occipitals three, of nearly the same size; post- occipitals forming a short suture together behind the central occipital. Anterior margin of the ear-opening with very small denticulations. Body surrounded by twenty-eight longit. se- ries of scales, the vertebral pair being broadest. There are forty- eight scales in a longit. series between the fore and hind limbs. Eight preanal scales nearly equal in size. Uniform brownish- olive above, white below. . Cape York. 143 inches long, the length of the tail being 9 inches. 24. Tetradactylus decresiensis (Péron). Kangaroo Island, Swan River, Champion Bay. Young specimens with a very distinct and well-defined black lateral band from the snout to the end of the trunk. 25. Hemiergis polylepis, sp. n. Very similar to H, decresiensis, but with smaller scales, the Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 49 body being surrounded by twenty-six series (in H. decresiensis by eighteen or twenty). Also the toes are more developed, the anterior as well as the posterior being conspicuously longer than the eye. Posterior frontals well developed. Seventy-two scales in a series between the axils of the fore and hind limbs. South Australia. 4 inches long (Krefft, 48). -26. Chelomeles quadrilineatus (D. & B.). Houtman’s Abrolhos, Swan River. 27. Soridia miopus, sp. n. Form of the head and arrangement of head-shields as in S. lineata, but with the snout somewhat less wedge-shaped. No free fore limbs, but there is a short longitudinal groove, in the upper end of which a minute tubercle (the first indication of an external limb) is visible; hind limb as long as the head, terminating in a single longish toe. Body surrounded by twenty series of scales. Coloration nearly uniform, pale olive; four very indistinct stripes of minute blackish dots along the dorsal series of scales. Six inches long. Champion Bay. 28. Cidura marmorata (Gray). Port Essington, New South Wales (Krefft, 52). 29. Cidura rhombifera (Gray). ?Phylicdactylus Lesueurti, D. & B. New South Wales (Krefft). : 30. Strophura spinigera (Gray). Houtman’s Abrolhos, Champion Bay, South Australia ( Krefft, 81. Diplodactylus vitiatus (Gray). | Champion Bay, New South Wales. 32. Diplodactylus ornatus (Gray). Houtman’s Abrolhos, New South Wales, through Mr. Krefft (114, 518). 33. Diplodactylus marmoratus (Gray). Houtman’s Abrolhos, Freemantle, Champion Bay. 34, Diplodactylus ocellatus (Gray). Diplodactylus bilineatus (Gray). Houtman’s Abrolhos, Champion Bay. 35. Diplodactylus polyophthalmus, sp. n. Allied to D. ocellatus (Gray), but with much smaller scales, Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser.3. Vol. xx. a 50 = Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. which in that species are particularly rough and tubercular. Tail rounded, rather swollen. Head scarcely depressed. Sub- digital plates. narrow. Scales minute, those on the belly scarcely larger than those on the back. Upper parts brownish or greyish, with round white spots, which, in young examples, are sur- rounded by a brown ring. Uniform white below. Two specimens, 3 and 2 inches long. Nicol Bay, Champion Bay. 36. Gecko albo-fasciolatus, sp.n. Body covered with small flat granulations arranged in cross series, and with ten longitudinal series of mamilliform tubercles ; scales of the belly in about twenty-six longitudinal series ; pree- anal pores sixteen, in a slightly angular series. _Nostril sepa- rated from the rostral by an intervening shield. Thirteen upper and eleven lower labials; the front pair of chin-shields are as long as the first lower labial. Head depressed, longer than broad. Tail rounded on the sides, with an irreguler series of enlarged subcaudals. Reddish-olive, marbled with greyish ; upperside of the head with a few small white spots; a narrow white horseshoe-shaped band across the neck, the convexity being directed backwards. Trunk with six rather irregular, narrow, transverse bands, composed of white spots. Lower parts uniform whitish. A Ten inches long; without tail 63. Polynesia? 37. Gehyra australis (Gray). Swan River, Port Essington, Champion Bay, Norfolk Islands. 38. Heteronota Binoei (Gray). Eublepharis derbianus (Gray). Hoplodactylus australis, Stemdachner, Reise d. Novara, p. 18, taf. 1. fig. 2 Houtman’s: Abrolhos, Champion Bay, Port Essington, N ohh Australia, Queensland. 39. Hemidactylus vittatus (Gray). Borneo, Port Essington. The Australian specimen differs from the types only in having a pair of additional rows of very small tubercles along the median line of the back. 40. Phyllurus Milliusti (Bory). Sydney, Houtman’s Abrolhos, Champion Bay. RuHYNCHOEDURA (g.n., Geckot.). All the toes are compressed, rather slender, not dilated in any eo a aie ae a bo Sy rae ae res Na co ink a | sin ge ae eee co 4 ee E . 2 ? : a te er se RS ee eet oe ey t ‘ y ¥ ee i : is e Bes Me se oo Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 51 part, granular below, with feeble claws. Head and body with very small granule-like scales, without any tubercles; tail rounded, slightly swollen, covered with rings of small square plates. Snout pointed, peculiarly compressed; labial shields minute, front of upper jaw covered with a prominent, nail-like shield, Tongue narrow, rather poiuted in front, not notched. Kye very large. Some larger shields, without pores, before and behind the vent. Al. Rhynchoedura ornata, sp. n. Greyish, each side with confluent black half-rings, a black band across the occiput. Head and body with round, faint, whitish spots. Lower parts white. Nicol Bay. 24 inches long. 42. Physignathus Lesueurtt (Gray). Istturus Lesueurtt (D. & B.). Amphibolurus heterurus (Ptrs.). Clarence River (Krefft). 43. Chlamydosaurus Kingit (Gray). Port Essington, Cape York, Nicol Bay. 44. Lophognathus Gilberti (Gray). Redtenbacheria fasciata, Steindachner, Reise d. Novara, Rept. p. 31. Port Essington, Swan River, Champion Bay, Nicol Bay. 45. ees reticulata (Gray). Nicol Bay. © 46. Grammatophora maculata (D. & B.). _ Nicol Bay, Champion Bay. 47. Grammatophora macrolepis, sp. n. No larger scales scattered between the others; all the scales comparatively large, those on the back larger than the labial shields; body surrounded by fifty-four series of scales, of which fourteen belong to the back. Scarcely a trace of a dorsal crest is visible on the back. Hind limbs long, extending to the ear, if laid forwards. Snout short, nostril midway between the end of the snout and the angle of the ocular slit. A few small pro- minent scales above and behind the tympanum. Yellowish-olive, with some darker markings on the side of the body and tail. Snout deep brown, interorbital space yellowish ; lateral fold of the neck black. Adult female, 8 inches long, tail 74 inches. i 52 Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 48. Grammatophora levis, sp. n. Back with a median series and several irregular transverse series of larger scales. None of the dorsal scales with a distinct keel or spine; scales of the limbs and tail distinctly, those of the belly very faintly keeled. Head broad, high; snout very sbort, the nostril being midway between the end of the snout and the angle of the ocular slit. Limbs of moderate length, hind limb ex- tending nearly to the gular fold. Sides of the head and neck with conical tubercle-like scales. Yellowish brown, with a series of irregular large blackish-brown blotches along each side of the back ; sometimes the whole back reticulated with brown. Champion Bay. 7 inches long, tail 4 inches. 49. Grammatophora temporalis, sp. n. No larger scales scattered between the others, those on the back small, shorter than the labial shields ; a slight dorsal crest runs from the nape to the end of the trunk. Hind limbs very long, extending beyond the eye, if laid forwards. Nostril much nearer to the end of the snout than to the angle of the ocular slit. A few prominent scales in the middle between the tym- panum and the lateral fold of the neck. A white band along the lips, below the tympanum to the lateral fold of the neck ; a black band above it from the eye to the tympanum ; a white streak above the black band, more or less distinctly continued along the side of the auterior part of the trunk. Back with more or less complete black cross bars, the anterior only being distinct in adult examples. Tail more or less distinctly — annulated. Port Essington, Nicol Bay. The largest example is 13 inches long, the tail being 9 inches. 50. Grammatophora calotella. Calotella australis, Stemdachner, Reise d. Novara, p. 28. Cape York. 51. Tympanoeryptis cephalus, sp. n. Body very stout; head very short, high, and broad; snout extremely short, the nostril being midway between the angle of the ocular slit and the end of the snout; hind limb extending somewhat beyond the gular fold, if laid forwards. Head above with keeled scales, larger than those on the back, those on the occiput being particularly large. Back with numerous enlarged spinous scales intermixed with the others; upper parts of the limbs with large spinous imbricate scales. Body reddish olive, with a brown collar; blackish-brown bands across the limbs and tail. . Nicol Bay. Adult female 54 inches long, tail 8 inches, Ty aa: SEEM AIEE OS LOO eI y CT On OE ‘ Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 53 SNAKES. 52. Tropidonotus picturatus (Schleg.). This snake varies in coloration. We have received a nearly - entirely black example from Cape York. Port Essington, Cape York, Rockhampton. 53. Dendrophis punctulata (Gray). Attains to a length of 66 inches. | Port Essington, Moreton Bay, Cape York, Sydney. 54. Dendrophis calligastra, sp. n. Scales in thirteen rows. Loreal none. Eight upper labials, the fourth and fifth entering the orbit ; one pra- and two post- orbitals ; temporals 1+2+2. Abdominal shields 179, strongly keeled. Some of the scales with a single terminal pore. Greenish brown above, sides of the head and neck yellow; a black band across the rostral shield through the eye to the side ofthe neck. Belly purplish yellow, powdered with purplish brown. _ Cape York. 36 inches long, tail 12 inches. 55. Brachysoma diadema (Schleg.). Elaps ornata (Gray). Glyphodon ornatus (Gthr.). Extends over the whole of Australia. 56. Diemenia superciliosa (Fisch.). = Pseudoelaps Sordelli (Jan)=Ps. Kubingii (Jan) = Cacophis Giintheri (Steindachner). New South Wales, Adelaide, Norfolk Islands ? _ Of this snake we possess now a series of nine examples, vary- ing in length from 16 to 60 inches. 57. Hoplocephalus nigriceps (Gthr.). Swan River, Champion Bay. 58. Hoplocephalus maculatus (Steindachner). _ The young has the upperside of the head and neck uniform black. Rockhampton. FROGS, 1. Pterophryne Georgiana (Bibr.). Port Essington, Sydney, King George’s Sound (Krefft, 4). 2. Pterophryne fasciata (Steindachner). Houtman’s Abrolhos, Sydney. (Cystignathus sydneyensis, Krefft, 16.) 54, Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 3. Limnodynastes Kreffti (Gthr.). Limnodynastes Salmini, Steindachner, Reise d. Novara, p. 27, taf. 4. figs. 12-15. Specimens from Rockhampton, collected by Hr. Damel, have the hinder surface of the thighs black, dotted with white. Sydney, Brisbane, Rockhampton, Clarence River (Krefft, 59), Port Denison. 4. Limnodynastes ornatus (Gray). Opisthodon Frauenfeldi, Steindachner, Reise d. Novara, p. 9, taf. 1. figs. 1-3 (representing the usual coloration). . Extremely variable in coloration. Port Denison, Cape York. 5. Limnodynastes (Platypectron) Dumerilit (Ptrs.). Heliorana Grayi, Steindachner, Reise d. Novara, p. 32, taf. 2. figs. 11-14. — Adelaide. | 6. Limnodynastes platycephalus, sp. n. Closely allied to ZL. tasmaniensis, but with the head much broader and depressed: Snout very short, not longer than the eye. Hind leg without large gland. Two small metatarsal tubercles. Hind toes slightly fringed. Choane very small. Olive, with large dark-brown blotches, sometimes a white verte- bral line. A broad dark band along the canthus rostralis, an- other from the eye to behind the angle of the mouth; an oblique band-like spot below the eye descending forwards. Adelaide (Krefft, 39). 7. Chiroleptes australis (Gray). Cyclorana Nove Hollandie, Stemdachner, Reise d. Novara, p. 29, taf. 2. figs. 7-10. : ?Phractops alutaceus (Ptrs.)=old example? Clarence River, Rockhampton, Port Denison, Nicol Bay. 8. Chiroleptes alboguttatus, sp.u. ? ? Chiroleptes inermis, Ptrs. -Head as long as broad; snout depressed, with very indistinet canthus rostralis, somewhat pointed; the distance between the nostrils is less than that from a nostril to the eye. Tympanum at least one-third smaller than the eye. Vomerine teeth between the choanz, in two transverse series, separated by an inter- space, but extending to the edge of the choane. The inner metatarsal disciform tubercle well developed; no outer meta- tarsal tubercle. Smooth above; hinder lower parts very finely granulated. Toes half webbed. Blackish ashy above, indistinctly marbled with black. A white vertebral line. Sides of the ‘- peer ee ey ee rey, pie ie sai) pi he aia at Ba age tae See oe ,: Ya an a ay 4 a - Gig aa = nce + 7 a ~ ae oe a “ae at: “a iis >, me. = sf ver han > oe Jaa 4 ¥ Sam one Re a4 3 > - ee Ye og oa hi ey, “4 , ot ‘e - = ah a pe One mer oe ee SS ALR aga epee h Pee gee Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 55 body and hind part of the thighs black, with numerous round white spots. A black band along the canthus rostralis and above the tympanum. Lower parts white; throat reticulated with greyish. Port Denison, Cape York. Body 2% inches long, hind limb 34 inches. 9. Heletoporus albopunctatus (Gray). Swan River, Port Essington, River Murray, New South Wales. 10. Uperolia marmorata (Gray). West Australia, Cape York, Sydney. 11. Pseudophryne Bibronu (Gthr.). Van Diemen’s Land, Sydney, Clarence River (Krefft, 60). 12. Euenemis bicolor (Gray). Port Essington, Cape York, Brisbane, Blue Mountains, Port Denison. 13. Litoria Wilcoxii (Gthr.). ?Litoria Copei, Steindachner, Reise d. Novara, p. 56, taf. 3. figs. 14-17. Clarence River, Rockhampton, Port Curtis, Brisbane (Krefft, 62, 55), Richmond (Krefft, 12). 14. Litoria nasuta (Gray). Port Essington, Clarence River (Krefft, 56), Brisbane (Krefft, 57), Sydney (Krefft, 54). 15. Litoria latopalmata, sp.n. Snout of moderate length, somewhat pointed in front, the distance between the front angles of the orbit being equal to that between the eye and the extremity of the snout. Canthus rostralis rather obtuse; nostril much nearer to the end of the snout than to the eye. Tympanum very distinct, not much smaller than the eye. Back with a few indistinct, short, glan- dular folds or tubercles. Vomerine teeth in two oblique short series between the choane. Tongue with scarcely a trace of a notch behind. Openings of the Eustachian tubes at least as wide as the choane. Limbs rather slender, the third finger much longer than the fourth. The length of the body is less than the distance between vent and heel. Tarsus with a lateral fold of the skin. Metatarsus with two small tubercles, the inner being minute. Toes broadly webbed, the web extending to the - disks of the third and fifth toes. The length of the fourth toe is one-half that of the body. Disks small. Upper parts reddish-olive, with numerous small irregular 56 Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. brown spots. An irregular brown cross band between the eyes. A brown streak along the canthus rostralis ; tympanum in front and. behind with a narrow deep-brown margin. Hinder surface of thighs marbled with brown, as the upperside. : Pee Or LN DODGY’) 6 eta hes a>. 17 Width of cleft of the mouth .......... ee aor Gr tore HOY. Foe ee wk ee ig=— a third finger |. ho. ea ei Seo ne hind Timbo ea ee Kb ig ae Onlire Took ne eee 42% a fOurtN $06.3 Sa ee. Ieee Two specimens from Port Denison (Krefft, 11). 16. Hylorana erythrea (Schleg.). Kast-Indian archipelago, San Christoval, Cape York. 17. Hyla Ewingit (D. & B.). Hobart Town, North-east Australia, Melbourne, King George’s Sound (Krefft, 2). 18. Hyla adelaidensis (Gray). Port Essington, King George’s Sound (Krefft, 23). 19. Hyla rubella (Gray). Port Essington, Houtman’s Abrolhos, Port Denison apt: ot. 36). 20. Hyla Peroni (D. & B.). Port Essington, New South Wales, Clarence River, Rock- hampton. 21. Hyla infrafrenata, sp.n. Snout short, rounded, with obtuse canthus rostralis. Vome- rine teeth in two transverse series on a level with the hind part of the choane, which are wide. Skin minutely granular. Fingers one-third webbed. Uniform green above (bluish in spirits). A pure white band round the margin of the lower jaw, and continued in a straight line to below and behind the tym- panum. Lower parts whitish. Cape York. Body 1? inch long, hind limb 3 inches, foot 2 inch. 22. Hyla nigrofrenata, sp.n. Allied to H. adelaidensis, but with longer hind limbs, wider choane, and different coloration. Snout long and pointed. Vomerine teeth in two transverse groups on a level with the front part of the choane. Choane Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 57 about one-fourth the size of the tympanum. Fingers not _ webbed. Skin perfectly smooth above. Light olive-coloured ; a broad black band runs from the extremity of the snout through _the eye and tympanum, to the side of the abdomen, being inter- rupted a short distance behind the tympanum. A blackish band across the back of the wrist. Hind limbs marbled with blackish along the fore and hinder surfaces. Cape York. Body 13 inch long, hind limb 3+ inches, foot 10 lines. 23. Pelodryas ceruleus (White). Port Essington, Moreton Bay, Nicol Bay, Sydney. FISHES. 1. Serranus fuscoguttatus (Riipp.). East Africa, Hope Island, Port Essington, Port Denison, Cape York. 2. Serranus undulato-striatus (Ptrs.). - New South Wales. =8. Plectropoma maculatum (Bl.). Cape York. 4. Priacanthus Benmebari (Schleg.). Japan, Sydney. 5. Ambassis agrammus, sp. 0. D.7|>. A.=. L. lat, 26-27. ? _ The height of the body is two-fifths of the total length (with out caudal). Lateral line visible on the foremost scale only. The second dorsal spine is longer than the third, much longer than the second and third anal spines (which are equal in length), not much shorter than the head, and two-sevenths of the total length (without caudal). Uniform greenish olive, with a narrow bluish-silvery band along the middle of the tail. Cape York. 6. Ambassis Agassizit (Steindachner). — D. 6 | > A. =. be at: 25. _ _. The height of the body is contained twice and one-third in _ the total length (without caudal). Lateral line none. The second dorsal spine is scarcely longer than the third, much longer than the anal spines, shorter than the head without snout, and less than one-fourth of the total length (without caudal). Body immaculate, with a narrow bluish-silvery lateral band. Clarence River (Krefft, 65). 58 Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 7. Apogon aterrimus, sp. N. D.7[>- A.>. L. lat. 25. The height of the body is one-third of the total length (with- out caudal). Entirely uniform deep black. Cape York. 8. Apogon Nove Hollandie (Val.). New South Wales. 9. Arripis georgianus (C. & V.). Port Jackson, Hobson’s Bay, Holdfast Bay, Houtman’s Abrolhos. 10. Therapon percoides (Gthr.). Fitzroy River, Nicol Bay. The cross bands become less distinct in large examples, of 7 inches in length. 11. Therapon unicolor (Gthr.). New South Wales, Fitzroy River, Rockhampton. 12. Therapon caudovittatus (Rich.). Victoria, Harvey River, Cape York. 13. Diagramma reticulatum (Gthr.). China, Cape York. 14. Scatophagus argus (L.). - = Sc. ornatus (C. & V.). In young specimens the markings are frequently like those represented in Sc. ornatus by Cuvier and Valenciennes; but these specimens do not constitute a distinct species, being in other . respects entirely similar to young Sc. argus without light bands on the head. The length of the dorsal spines is subject to much variation. Young specimens from Australia exhibit the coloration of Sc. ornatus; adult do not differ from Kast-Indian Se. argus. Cape York, Sydney (Krefft, 102). 15. Atypichthys strigatus (Gthr.). Young with a black ocellus on the soft dorsal fin. Swan River, Holdfast Bay, Champion Bay, Raoul Island, Sydney. 16. Scorpis equipinnis (Rich.). _ Scorpis lineolatus (Kner). Richardsonii. (Steindachner). This species varies a little in the shape of the body, and in the Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 59 proportions of parts of the head; but from an examination of _ eight examples in the British Museum, I cannot convince my- self that these variations represent distinct species. Swan River, King George’s Sound, New South Wales (Krefft, 5), Sydney (Schiitte). 17. Upeneus porosus (C. & V.). D.8|z A.7. L. lat. 30. Distinguished by the elevated anterior part of the body, the greatest depth of which is not more than one-third of the total - length (without caudal). Upper profile of the head and neck describing a fourth of a nearly regular circle. Snout elevated, not quite twice as long as the eye. Barbels extending to the vertical from the hind margin of the opercle. The dorsal fin commences above the root of the pectoral ; its spines are flexible, the longest being two-thirds the height of the body. Tubes of the lateral line with a cluster of short branchlets. Parts above the lateral line clouded with darker. Spinous dorsal blackish. Sydney (Krefft), Melbourne, Van Diemen’s Land, New Zealand. _ 18. Upeneus signatus, sp. n. Allied to U. barberinus, but with the head much deeper, the snout much shorter, and larger caudal spot. D.8|; A.z. L. lat. 30-81. The height of the body is contained thrice or thrice and one-third Inthe total length (without caudal). Head not much longer than deep; snout only twice as long as the diameter of the eye. Barbels extending to the hind margin of the preeoperculum. Dorsal spines slightly flexible at the top.. Tubes of the lateral line with rather long lateral branchlets in small number. Colo- ration as in U. barberinus, but with the black caudal spot large, square, extending over the back of the tail ; a whitish blotch in front of it. Port Jackson (Krefft, 12). 07-18 long. 19. Lethrinus Richardsoni (Gthr.). China, Cape York. 20. Girella tricuspidata (Q. &G.). New South Wales. 21. Chilodactylus nigricans (Rich.). De. Avis. L. lat. 48-53. * 9-10 ° King George’s Sound, Victovia. 60 Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 22. Chilodactylus gibbosus (Rich.). The tuberosities on the snout and the long dorsal spines: are- probably sexual characters developed with age. Sydney (Krefft). 23. Scorpena bynoensis (Rich.). | Scorpena bynoensis, Richards. Ereb. & Terr. Fish. pl. 14. figs. 3-5 (young). jacksoniensis, Steindachner,, Wien. Sitzgsber. xiii. taf. 3. fig. (adult ; tentacles and membrane between dorsal spines badly figured). North-west coast of Australia, Port Jackson (Krefft, 6). 24. Centropogon australis (White). Sydney, Port Jackson. 25. Centropogon robustus (Gthr.). Centropogon Troschelii (Stemdachner). Sydney, Port Jackson, Cape York. 26. Centropogon marmoratus (Gthr.). Moreton Bay. 27. Polynemus macrochir, sp. n. DSi A Stee. 12 ._ Five pectoral appendages, three of which extend to the anal fin; pectoral fin nearly as long as the head, the length of which is contained thrice and two-thirds in the total (without caudal), and equal to the distance between the root of the ventral and the anal. A distinct spine above the angle of the preeoperculum. Coloration uniform. New South Wales (Krefft, 103). 0:22 long. 28. Otolithus atelodus. B.10 pak s Scales small; canine teeth none. Body elongate. The height of the body is contained five times in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and two-thirds. The maxillary does not quite extend to the vertical from the hind margin of the orbit. Preoperculum rounded, with small, slender, distant, spinous teeth. Dorsal spines moderately feeble. Caudal fin slightly emarginate. Silvery; indistinct, oblique, dark lines along the series of scales. Axil black behind. Australia. O™:31 long. 29. Acanthurus matoides (C. & V.). Indian Ocean, Pacific, Nicol Bay. ; Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. , 61 30. Trachynotus Baillonii (Lac.). | Indian Ocean, Pacific, New South Wales (Krefft, 101). 31. Psettus argenteus (L.). New South Wales. | : 82. Aphritis Urvillii (C. & V.). ; D.7. 17-19. A. 23. UL. lat. 61. a (Van Diemen’s Land.) Sydney (Krefft, 506). | 33. Batrachus diemensis (Les.). Port Essington, Cape York. : 34. Batrachus dubius (White). q New South Wales (Krefft). ; 35. Antennarius pinniceps (C. & V.). : Sydney. : 36. Antennarius Commersonii (C. & V.). ; Sydney (Krefft). : Entirely uniform deep black. 4 37. Lepidotrigla phalena (C. & V.). a : Melbourne. q 38. Gobius crassilabris (Gthr.). ‘ Oualan, Aneiteum, Australia (63. 7, 29, 20, Krefft). ; | 89. Gobius bynoensis (Richards.). 4 Port Essington, Cape York. d j 40. Gobius ornatus (Ripp.). - Indian Ocean, Pacific, Nicol Bay. : 41. Gobius Voigtii (Blkr.). : Port Essington, Cape York. 4 42. Gobiodon quinquestrigatus (C. & V.). Tubercles on the forehead minute. . East-Indian archipelago, Cape York. 43. Eleotris australis (Krefft) . _ Kastern Creek. 62 Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 44, Eleotris gymnocephalus (Steidachner). Hawkesbury River (Krefft, 52). 45. Hleotris Coxu (Krefft). Hawkesbury River, Mulgoa Bay (Krefft). 46. Eleotris grandiceps (Krefft). Bronte (Krefft). 47. Eleotris fusca (Bl., Schn.). Indian and Pacific Oceans, Australia. 48. Eleotris compressus (Krefft). This species varies much in the form of the body, according to age and season, being rather elongate when young and be- fore spawning- time. Also the coloration varies, old males having, in the spawning-season, a bright orange anal fin with a broad black and white margin. Clarence River (Krefft), River Dunn (Port Denison). 49. Eleotris aporos (Blkr.). Islands of the East-Indian archipelago and Pacific, Port Denison, Cape York. 50. Eleotris muralis (Q. & G.). Kast-Indian archipelago, Philippine Islands, Cape York. 51. Pertophthalmus Koelreuteri (Pall.). Port Essington, Nicol Bay. 52. Salarias meleagris (C. & V.). Van Diemen’s Land, Cape York. 53. Petroscirtes anolis (C. & V.). Port Jackson. 54, Lepidoblennius haplodactylus (Steindachner). Rockhampton (Krefft). 55. cet ts robustus, sp. 0. D385. AS The anterior dorsal fin commences over the hinder margin of the preoperculum, and is not higher than the posterior. A fringed tentacle above the orbit, a small one at the nostril. Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 63 Back with seven dark cross bands, the vet below the anterior dorsal, subocellated. 4 Melbourne. 5 inches long. _ SricHarium, gen. nov. (Blenn.). Body elongate, compressed, naked, or with scarcely a trace of rudimentary scales hidden in the skin. Anterior part of the lateral line distinct, near the dorsal profile. Snout short ; small teeth in the jaws, without canines ; ; palate apparently toothless. Dorsal fin long, formed by pungent spines only. Ventrals jugular, with two rays; caudal distinct. Gull-openings rather wide, the gill-membranes being broadly united below the throat and quite free from the isthmus. 56. Sticharium dorsale, sp. n. ak A 36° The height of the body is two-thirds of the length of the head, which is contained six times and a half in the total length (without caudal). Cleft of the mouth extending to below the middle of the eye; lower jaw slightly prominent. Length of the trunk not much exceeding that of the head. Dorsal and anal fins very low, terminating in a low fold of the skin, which is con- tinued to the caudal. Ventrals much longer than pectorals. A broad white band runs along the upper surface of the head and back. Sides finely marbled With brown, the markings radiating from the eye on the head. Two examples, 0™:066 long, formed part of a collection from Australia, containing several species known from Port Jackson. Norocraptus, gen. nov. (Blenn.). Body elongate, compressed, covered with minute scales. La- teral line complete, running along the base of the dorsal fin. ' Head longish and rather depressed; snout of moderate extent, '__- somewhat pointed ; cleft of the mouth wide; a short flat barbel ____ at the symphysis of the lower jaw. Bands of villiform teeth in the jaws and palatine bones, none on the vomer ; tongue narrow, long, free. Vertical fins confluent; dorsal and anal with nu- merous spines, the posterior becoming gradually stiffer and more pungent than the anterior. Ventrals jugular, close together, reduced to a single bifid ray. The gill-membrane is attached to the isthmus before the ventrals. Pseudobranchiz well deve- __ loped. Intestinal tract short, simple, without pyloric appen- _ . dages. Aiur-bladder none. 64. Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 57. Notograptus guttatus, sp. n. D, 69. C, 11... A. 43. The height of the body is one-twelfth of the total length (without caudal), length of the head two-fifteenths. Hye small. Barbel shorter than the ventrals, which are about twice as long as the eye. Reddish or brown; dorsal fin, upper, and lateral parts with numerous blue dots, those on the head largest. Young with the spots on the body indistinct, and of a brown colour. . Cape York. 0-17 long. 58. Mugil subviridis (C. & V.). India, Cape York. 7 59. Mugil cephalotus (C. & V.). China, Hawkesbury River. 60. Mugil breviceps (Steindachner). Hawkesbury River (L. lat. 48-50). 61. Atherina stercus muscarum, sp. n. D.7 |; A.j L. lat. 33. L. transv. 8 or 9. Origin of the spinous dorsal behind the root of the ventrals. The height of the body is contained four times and two-thirds in the total length (without caudal), length of the head thrice and two-thirds. Snout not much shorter than the eye. Dorsal spines feeble. Pectoral short, extending to the root of the ventral. A black band from the snout through the eye to the root of the pectoral. A silvery band along the fourth series of scales. Each scale with a black dot at the base. Cape York. 2 inches long. 62. Atherina signata, sp. n. D.3|; A.z L. lat. 28. L. transv. 7. Origin of the spinous dorsal behind the root of the ventrals. The height of the body is contained thrice and three-fourths in the total length (without caudal), length of the head four times. Snout obtuse, shorter than the eye. The three dorsal spines are united into a narrow lobe, terminating in a long filament. Anterior dorsal and anal rays, lobes of the caudal, and the ventrals prolonged into long filaments. The middle of the sides silvery; the prolonged parts of the fins deep black ; ventrals white. . Cape York. peices Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 65 This is the smallest species of Atherina known at present, the single specimen, an adult male, being only 14 inch long. Probably the female and young are without the prolongations of the fins. 63. Nematocentris nigra. Atherina nigrans, Richards. — Atherinichthys nigrans, Gthr. Nematocentris splendida, Peters, Monatsber. Ak. Wiss. Berlin, 1866, July 23, p. 516 (published in 1866). Strabo nigrofasciatus, Kner und Steindachner, Sitzgsber. Ak. Wiss. Wien, 1866, Oct. 4, p. 372. fig. 10 (immature example) (published in 1867). Of this species, which was formerly represented in the British Museum by some skins in a more or less bad state of preserva- tion, we possess now a fine and complete series, viz. :— a. A skin, 3 inches long, from King’s River, near Victoria, which is the type of the species. (Not from Port Essington as stated by Sir J. Richardson.) b. A skin, 3 inches long, from Port Essington. c-e. Three skins, 21 lines long, from Severn River, New South Wales. f-l. Six examples, in spirits, 3-5 inches long, from Rock- hampton (Krefft).. [Nematocentris splendida, Ptrs.} m—n. Two examples in spirits, 18-24 lines long, from Cla- rence River (Krefft, 67). o. One example in spirits, 20 lines long, from Brisbane. [Godeffroy Coll., Strabo nigrofasciatus. | p. One example, in spirits, 4 inches long, from Port Denison (Krefft). : g-t. Four examples in spirits, 3 inches long, from Cape York (Damel). I have convinced myself, from an examination of these speci- mens, that the names lately proposed and mentioned above refer to the same species, which appears to be spread over the whole of Australia. The black band, so distinct in the typical example, is paler in specimens from Port Denison and Rock- hampton, replaced by a bluish band in other examples from Rockhampton and other parts of Queensland and New South Wales, and disappears sometimes entirely in apparently very old examples. The form of the body varies, of course, according to age and season. The pungent dorsal spines become stouter with age, and some of the rays become produced. The number of longitudinal series of scales varies from ten to thirteen, the lowest being more or less developed. D.5 | j—- A. ah Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol, xx. 5 66 Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 64. Parma microlepis (Gthr.). Port Jackson. 65. Parma squamipinnis (Gthr.). Port Jackson (Krefft, 2). 66. Heliastes hypsilepis, sp. n. Dp. 4. A. =. L, lat. 29. 13—14° This species is allied to H. notatus; but each scale on the middle of the side of the body is twice as deep as long, whilst it is only somewhat deeper than long in that Japanese species. The height of the body is a little less than one-half of the total length (without caudal). - A whitish spot below the end of the soft dorsal. Upper half of the base of the pectoral black. New South Wales (Krefft). O™-18 long. 67. Labrichthys gymnogenys (Gthr.). Port Jackson (Krefft, 2). The specimens from Port Jackson are 8 and 9 inches long, and agree perfectly with the typical examples, which are of the same length. However, Mr. Krefft has sent us two other exam- ples, 11 inches long, which differ in a remarkable manner in their coloration, but appear to be merely a variety. They are uniform dark brown, only the tail being somewhat lighter, the middle ventral rays black. In other respects they are perfectly identical with the younger examples. 68. Labrichthys laticlavius (Rich.). Tasmania, King George’s Sound, Port Jackson (Krefft). Young with the lateral bands very indistinct or entirely ab- sent. 69. Odazx Richardsonu (Gthr.). Odaz Hyrtlii (Steindachner). | New South Wales (Krefft, 61), Hobson’s Bay, Victoria. 70. Gerres philippinus (Gthr.). Philippine Islands, Cape York, Nicol Bay. 71. Dinematichthys mizolepis, sp. n. Very similar to D. iluoceteoides and marginatus, but with conspicuously larger scales, there being about ninety transverse series. Head naked. Palatine teeth in a long stripe. Cape York. 2 inches long. 72. Copidoglanis brevidorsalis, sp. n. This species differs in a singular manner from its congeners in Dr. A. Giinther on Australian Reptiles and Fishes. 67 having the anterior half of the second dorsal fin replaced by a pad of fat, from which the rays gradually emerge behind; the anterior portion does not contain any rays. It is therefore im- possible to give an exact number of dorsal rays. The anal fin is composed of about eighty-five rays. The nasal barbel extends to the origin of the dorsal fin; none of the others reach beyond the extremity of the pectoral. The eye is one-seventh of the length of the head. Entirely black. Cape York, Nicol Bay. 6 inches long. Neosilurus Hyrthi (Steimdachner), from Rockhampton, is evi- dently closely allied to this species. 73. Ezocetus atrodorsalis, sp. n. D.8-9. A.10. L. lat. 35. Closely allied to #. hillianus. The pectoral extends to the end of the dorsal. The ventral fin is scarcely nearer to the root of the caudal than to the end of the snout, extending to the origin of the anal. Dorsal fin elevated, its longest anterior rays being as long as the head; it commences in front of the anal. Upper pectoral rays blackish, lower whitish ; dorsal fin entirely black. Cape York. 5 inches long. 74. Hemiscyllium trispeculare (Rich.). Turtle Island, Cape York. 75. Crossorhinus tentaculatus (Ptrs.). Adelaide, Cape York. 76. Trienodon obesus (M. & H..). Red Sea, Aneiteum. 77. Trygonorhina fasciata (M. & H.). ? New South Wales (Krefft). ADDENDUM. Holacanthus Duboulayz, sp. un. pe ot Allied to H. mesoleucus. Scales small. . Preopercular spine with a scarcely perceptible groove, reaching to the vertical from the hind margin of the operculum. Dorsal and anal fins rounded posteriorly. Head with the anterior part of the trunk yellowish, which colour is sharply defined from the remaining brown por- tion. A very broad brown ocular band, broader than the eye, 5x 68 Dr. W. B. Carpenter on the Shell-structure of descends from the neck to the ventral fins. The brown portion of the body coarsely reticulated with yellowish, the lines de- scending from the back to the belly. Caudal fin and a cuneiform band along the hinder half of the base of the dorsal yellow. North-west coast of Australia (Duboulay). IX.—On the Shell-structure of Spirifer cuspidatus, and of certain allied Spiriferide. By Wiiit1am B. Carrenter, M.D., F.R.S. To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. ¢ GENTLEMEN, Being now in a condition to give a complete and explicit reply to the question raised by Mr. Meek, on which I addressed you six months ago (Ann. Nat. Hist. Jan. 1867, p. 29), I take the earliest opportunity of communicating to you the results of my researches, which will be found, if I mistake not, of singular interest to such paleontologists as pay special attention to the . Brachiopoda. I think it due both to Mr. Meek and to myself to point out that the note in the ‘ Annals’ for August,’ 1866 (p. 144), in which he is represented as calling in question the accuracy of my original observations on the imperforate structure of the shell of Spirifer cuspidatus, did not correctly express his views. In a letter with which he favoured me immediately on reading my previous communication he says :— “JT am sorry you had not seen my little paper before you read the notice of it to which you allude. If you had done so, I am sure you would have at once seen that I made no attempt whatever to cast doubts upon the accuracy of your investiga- tions. I never for a moment questioned the fact that the shells examined by you are not punctate. The only question with me, after seeing, as I believed, very minute and very scattering punctures in the shells I had examined, was, whether there might not be in Ireland, and possibly in England, another rare type, not seen by you, indistinguishable by form and other external characters from S. cuspidatus, and yet widely separated by having a punctate structure. Believing that this might be the case, and knowing that, if so, it would be a matter of some in- terest to know which was the true cuspidatus, I published my remarks mainly in order to cause further investigations. “As you have doubtless ere this seen my little paper, you must have observed that the words ‘contrary to the opinion of Dr. Carpenter,’ quoted by you, do not occur in it, nor any others Spirifer cuspidatus and of certain allied Spiriferide. 69 of the same meaning. Indeed the question never once suggested itself to my mind whether you might not have been mistaken in regard to the shells you had examined ; for I assure you there is no one living in whose opinion on such a question I have more confidence than in yours”’*, The results I have now to communicate, whilst fully con- firmatory of my original determination, also afford a complete verification of the sagacious guess thus put forward by Mr. Meek. | Through the kindness of Mr. Worthen and Mr. Meek, I have been furnished with the following materials for examination :— 1. Chips of the type species of the genus Syringothyris, established by Prof. Winchell on the basis of a very peculiar feature of internal structure, which differentiates it from ordi- nary Spirifers, viz. the connexion of the vertical dental plates (fig. 1 /, 2) by a transverse lamina (fig. 2, ¢r) which gives off a pair Fig. 1. Fig. 2. SA WERE vy Fig. 1. Syringothyris typa, from a drawing by Prof. Winchell : /, 7, dental plates; A B, plane of section. Fig. 2. Section of Syringothyris typa across the plane a B, after Winchell : 1,1, dental plates; tr, transverse lamina; ¢, incomplete tube. of parallel lamelle that curve towards each other so as nearly to meet on the median line, and thus form an incomplete tube (¢) * I cannot but contrast the courteous tone in which Mr. Meek (an entire stranger to me) has expressed his full reliance on my scientific accuracy in this matter with the treatment I continue to receive from Prof. King, who, in spite of my reiterated warnings against the fallacy of such superficial observations, has again (in the last number of the Geological Magazine) called in question the correctness of my statements, on no better evidence than that afforded by the examination of the surface of a specimen of Spirifer cuspidatus with a hand magnifier ! 70 Dr. W. B. Carpenter on the Shell-structure of projecting into the interior of the shell. This peculiarity not being indicated by any corresponding peculiarity of external conformation, shells which are now found to present it have been ranked among Spirifers by our very highest authorities *. 2. Chips of the shells which have been ranked by American paleontologists as Spirifer cuspidatus and Sp. subcuspidatus. 3. Chips of the shell referred to by Mr. Meek as having been sent to Mr. Worthen by Mr. Davidson as a typical specimen of Spirifer cuspidatus from Millecent in Ireland. In all the foregoing specimens the shell-structure was ex- tremely well preserved. Through the kindness of Mr. Jukes, who sent a collector to Millecent on purpose to obtain for me specimens of the last- mentioned type, I have also been enabled to examine— 4... Two entire specimens of reputed Spirifer cuspidatus from Millecent. Although there was but little shell on these speci- mens, that little was well preserved, and proved quite sufficient for my requirements. Finally, the readiness of Mr. Davidson to make any needful sacrifice for the sake of arriving at the whole truth on this point has led him to place at my disposal— 5. The entire specimen of Spirifer cuspidatus from Millecent, figured by him in his ‘Carboniferous Brachiopoda’ (plate 8. fig. 19) as a typical representative of the species. The shell of this specimen is so well preserved that lamelle scaled off from it could scarcely be distinguished from those of a recent Rhyn- chonella. All the foregoing specimens have been examined under mag- nifying-powers of from 50 to 100 diameters, (1) by mounting in Canada balsam:such lamelle as were already thin enough to be transparent, and (2) by grinding down such chips as were originally opaque until they became thin enough to be seen through, and then mounting them in Canada balsam. This is the method which I have uniformly practised, when able to do so, in the examination of the shells of fossil Brachiopoda; and I consider it the only one by which satisfactory results can be obtained. A natural lamella gives the structure of that parti- cular layer of which it formed part, whilst a thin section procured by grinding will generally traverse all the layers of the shell. The following are the facts thus revealed as to the structure of the specimens just enumerated :— 1. The type-specimen of Prof. Winchell’s Syringothyris ex- hibits distinct perforations of about 1-3000th of an inch in diameter, set at an average distance of about 1-300th of an * A fully illustrated description of this genus, by Mr. Davidson, will be found in the ensuing (July) Number of the Geological Magazine. Spirifer cuspidatus and of certain allied Spiriferide. 71 inch from each other. They are not distributed, however, with the uniformity which usually prevails in the shells of the per- forated Brachiopoda ; for patches of imperforate shell intervene between portions that are pretty regularly perforated, and some- times a fragment large enough to fill a great part of the field of view is entirely imperforate. This, I feel certain, is not the result of any alteration produced by fossilization, the shell- structure being equally well preserved in the perforated and in the imperforate parts. Prof. Winchell speaks of this shell as “jmpunctate in all conditions and under high powers,”’—a statement for which I can only account on the supposition that he happened to examine only minute fragments which chanced to be imperforate, as occurred to myself in my first examination of No. 4. 2. The Spirifer cuspidatus and Sp.subcuspidatus of the United States paleontologists are unquestionably perforated ; and pre- cisely resemble the preceding not only in the size of the per- forations and in their distance from each other, but also in the patchiness of their distribution. 8. The Millecent (Irish) shell in Mr. Worthen’s possession exhibits exactly the same combination of imperforate with per- forated structure ; and I have no doubt that it was the uncer- tainty produced by this peculiarity which led Mr. Meek, in transmitting me chips for examination, to express a doubt whether he had been originally correct in asserting the presence of perforations in this shell. 4. The two Millecent specimens obtained for me by Mr. Jukes also unquestionably exhibit the same character of patchy per- foration; but I might not have ascertained the existence of perforations if I had not carefully scrutinized every lamella of shell that I could scale off, all the fragments first examined having chanced to be imperforate. 5. Mr. Davidson’s typical specimen of Spirifer cuspidatus, also from Millecent, exhibits not the smallest trace of perforations, though I have scaled off from it flakes of such size, and from so many different parts (including also both its outer and its inner layers), that I feel justified in confidently asserting that this - shell is essentially zmperforate. Thus, then, whilst my previous determination of the imper- forate structure of Spirifer cuspidatus is fully borne out by the examination of a remarkably well-preserved specimen of that type (No. 5), this result is in apparent contradiction to the fact that shells (Nos. 2, 3, 4) not externally distinguishable from it are indubitably perforated. The difficulty has been entirely re- moved, however, by an examination of the internal structure of these shells, the results of which are in complete harmony with 72 On the Shell-structure of Spirifer cuspidatus &c. the singular correspondence between the patchy distribution of the perforations in Nos. 2,3, 4 and that which is characteristic of Syringothyris (No. 1)—a correspondence which is the more significant as I have not elsewhere encountered this peculiarity. On slicing across my perforated Millecent specimens (No. 4) in the direction indicated by Prof. Winchell’s figure, the internal structure of one of them proved to be sufficiently well preserved to show most distinctly the transverse lamina (fig. 3, ¢r.) con- Fig. 3. Fig. 4. Fig. 3. Transverse section of Syringothyris from Millecent, from a drawing by Mr. Davidson: /,/, dental plates ; ¢r, transverse lamina; ¢, incom- plete tube. Fig. 4. Transverse section of true Spirifer cuspidatus from Millecent, from a drawing by Mr. Davidson: J, /, dental plates. necting the dental plates (/, 7), with its projecting pair of lamelle forming the nearly complete tube (¢) characteristic of the typical Syringothyris (figs. 1, 2), to which genus, therefore, these shells are obviously to be transferred. Nothing, then, remained save to subject the imperforate shell of the true Spirifer cuspidatus (No. 5) to the same crucial test ; and on carrying a section through this specimen in precisely the same direction (4B), it proved that its dental laminee (1, J, fig. 4) are unconnected by any transverse plate, and that there is no vestige whatever of the characteristic tube of Syringothyris. Thus, then, the remarkable fact is incontestably established that there is an exact zsomorph of Spirifer cuspidatus, not distin- guishable from it by external conformation, but generically differentiated by a very marked peculiarity of internal structure, of which peculiarity the perforated structure of the shell seems (so to speak) to be the exponent. | It would be difficult, I think, to find a more significant proof of the value of the microscopic test than this result has’afforded; and I venture to hope that, as I have spared neither time nor trouble in the investigation, and am prepared to stake my scientific character upon the accuracy of the observations now detailed, they may not be lightly called in question. I should add, in conclusion, that, in addition to the foregoing, I have examined chips of the shells of the following species of Bibliographical Notice. 73 reputed Spirifers sent to me from America by Mr. Meek :-— Sp. Hannibalensis (Swallow), Sp. capax (Hall), Sp. ? hemiplicatus (the type of a new genus Syntrilasma), all of which are unques- tionably perforated. On the other hand, a chip sent to me by Mr. Meek of a little shell which he states to be the type of Prof. Hall’s genus Ambocoilia (= Orthis umbonata, Con.) is as cer- tainly imperforate. But, after the experience above described, I should hesitate to pronounce on the absence of perforations in a shell allied to this group, except after the examination of several such fragments. . I remain, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, WiiraM B. Carpenter. University of London, June 17, 1867. P.S. I have to add that, having learned from Mr. Davidson that the typical structure of Syringothyris is exhibited by a Belgian shell hitherto known as Spirifer distans, I have reexamined the only example of this type at present accessible to me, the one contained in the Museum of the Royal School of Mines. So far as I can judge from the minute fragments of shell, not very well preserved, which this specimen has afforded, I should still say that it is imperforate. But the experience I have now acquired from the Millecent shells leads me strongly to desire a more complete investigation of this type; and I should be greatly obliged to any of your readers who may be able to supply me with well-preserved specimens of it, It does not seem impro- bable that the reputed Spirifer distans of Belgium, which proves to be truly a Syringothyris (see Davidson, loc. cit.), may be, like the Millecent shell, an isomorph of a true Spirifer. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE. 1. A List of the Flowering Plants, Ferns, and Mosses collected in the immediate neighbourhood of Andover. By C. B. Cuarke. Calcutta, 1866. 2. Flora of Devon and Cornwall. By J. W.N. Keys. (Ranuncu- laceee—Geraniaceee.) Plymouth, 1866. 3. The Bath Flora. A Lecture delivered to the Members of the Bath Natural-History and Antiquarian Field Club. By the Rev. L. Jenyns. Bath, 1867. : 4. Flora of Norfolk: a Catalogue of Plants found in the County of Norfolk. By the Rev. K. Trimmer. London, 1866. Tuese four tracts on the flora of Britain have recently reached us. They differ considerably in intention and character, but are well deserving of notice. The first has the peculiarity of being a partial flora of a district in England, printed and published at Calcutta. 74 Bibliographical Notice. The cause of this is mentioned in the introductory remarks—namely, that the author has become a resident in Bengal. We may add that he is a fellow of Queen’s College at Cambridge, and has now charge of a large educational institution in India. He had occupied him- self for several years before leaving England in the examination of the flora of Andover during such parts of the summer as he could be there, and has done well to print the results of his researches. He justly remarks that ‘‘a list of this kind can never be complete,” and he therefore less regrets the incompleteness of the present.. It is a valuable contribution to a knowledge of the distribution of our native plants. The author is a man of great ability and much originality : he has therefore occasionally made remarks which may not be quite palatable to some other botanists. They always well deserve atten- tion, although we are sometimes far from altogether agreeing with the author. We would especially direct attention to the observations upon ‘geographical distribution,” on pages 10-14. They deserve the notice of all who occupy themselves with that interesting study. Under Rubus is the remark :—‘I admit that universal botanists are not bound to get up the Rudi; but if they only describe R. fru- ticosus and R. cesius, they should define those ‘species’ so as to collect the allied forms as well as possible ; and they must not sup- pose that by making two species only they avoid all difficulty. So far is that from being the case, that it is as difficult at the least to separate the Cesi and Fruticosi as it is to separate R. leucostachys from R. discolor. For instance, Dr. Bromfield, a skilful rubologist, considered R. corylifolius to belong to the Fruticosi, laying stress on its fruit; whilst most other rubologists consider it to be one of the Cesii. If, therefore, rubologists are not always able to separate ab- solutely their ‘species,’ they are not therefore to be taunted as triflers by those who define their two species R. fruticosus and R. cesius in such a way that, in the case of great masses of Rudi, no- body can decide under which section they are to be placed.” But we must proceed, after simply adding that the List records the localities and frequency of 667 species of flowering plants and ferns—not a bad catalogue for a small district of less than ten miles’ radius. The ‘ Flora of Devon and Cornwall’ is the first instalment of a complete flora of these interesting counties. Such a flora is very much wanted, as we possess no satisfactory account of the plants of the south-west of England. Mr. Keys is well qualified for the work that he has undertaken ; and we hope that he will be able to proceed successfully and quickly with it. He makes only two “districts,” namely the counties of Devon and Cornwall. We think that it would have been well, considering how much the different parts of these counties differ from each other, if he had followed the example of most of the modern local floras, and divided each of the counties into several local districts. The work which he has undertaken seems to be performed well and carefully. Mr. Jenyns’s Lecture is intended to show what has been done in Miscellaneous. 75 the elucidation and completion of the flora of Bath since the publi- cation (in 1839) of the ‘Supplement to the Flora Bathoniensis.’ He points out the errors to be found in that book, and corrects them, and adds a considerable number of species to the list. Unfortunately, we cannot greatly praise Mr. Trimmer’s ‘ Flora of Norfolk.’ As a list of plants found in the county, it is doubtless very correct; but as a flora of the county it is very imperfect. There is no attempt to show the distribution of the plants by local divisions. It is an old-fashioned flora, such as might have been published fifty years since, except that its nomenclature and the view taken of species are those of the present day. Whole districts of the county seem not to have been examined, or only in a very super- ficial manner. If the author had made known his intention of pub- lishing a flora of the county, we know that he might have obtained lists of plants for some of these neglected tracts. Let us hope that a new edition will supply the wants of this one. MISCELLANEOUS. On the actual state of our Information relative to the ‘ Leporide,’ or Hybrid between Hare and Rabbit. By Dr. Pigraux. Are there any sexual relations between the hare and rabbit in a state of nature to which it would be possible to attribute the crea- tion of a mixed or intermediate species, to be named, on account of external configuration, Leporide? The ancients, and indeed some of the moderns, deceived by the colours and special forms of certain varieties of rabbits common in the south of Europe and very abun- dant in Asia Minor, have believed this to be the case. Such varie- ties are found in some departments of the east of France and along the banks of the Rhone. These are, after all, merely rabbits which burrow, and are born without fur and with the eyes closed. Such are the Léporides of M. Roux, and those also which have been and are perhaps still called ‘ Leporides’ at the Jardin d’ Acclimatation in Paris. These rabbits pair voluntarily, and are productive either amongst themselves or in conjunction with the ordinary domestic rabbit. .I have had in my possession some of them which, from their appearance, might almost have been mistaken for hares, having the tip of the ears black and the inferior surface of the belly and of the thighs tawny ; nevertheless, by all characters distinctive of the species, they were never anything but rabbits. Thus I am able to negative the pretentions of M. Roux to having created a race of fertile hybrids begotten through a male hare and several female rabbits. It is, however, by no means difficult to bring about a connexion between the hare and rabbit in a state of domestication; but for success we must not persist in uniting adult individuals unaccus- tomed to living together previously. In such a case the female _ nearly always kills the male, bleeding him at the jugular, or, unless the hutch be very securely fastened, succeeds in dislodging him. 76 | Miscellaneous. This will occur indeed sometimes when a young male leveret has been brought up with young female rabbits, as soon as they become adult, if the cage be too constrained in its dimensions. In order that the experiment may succeed, it is necessary to provide a cage of a certain extent, say of some metres, barred in some portions and pannelled in others, so that the animals may escape observation at pleasure. It is well also to leave several females with the young male, in order that he may have some range for choice. Such measures were adopted by M. , of Nanterre, near Paris, whose success has been as complete as it is perfectly attested and indubit- able. Several female rabbits were rendered pregnant by the agency of a single male hare existing in his menagerie ; he has further been able to rear to the adult state a number of the mongrels or, rather, mules so obtained between the two species. ‘There were both males and females, apparently strong and well developed ; and these paired, but have not been productive, as far as I know, hitherto. I would not deny to these mongrels a fecundity similar in degree to that which is sometimes found in the cross between ass and mare; but such a case is only exceptional, and we can neither fear nor indeed hope to create a new race: so that from this point of view the Leporides do not exist. The instance cited by M. Albert Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, in which a female hare covered by a male rabbit gave birth to a young already covered with fur, and having the eyes open, is a most remarkable one; it could, however, be merely a case of a cross retaining the form of the mother, and no more fertile than in the case of those hybrids between the Ass and the horse in which the latter animal (the male) gives the predominant character to the offspring. These experiments may be repeated and varied, proceeding with very young animals brought up together and enjoying a certain liberty, although confined in the hutch. It is of especial import- ance, in breeding with the male hare, to provide several females, whether of rabbit or of hare, always, however, isolating them as soon as they are ready to bring forth (in twenty-eight or thirty days). That the hare, when in good condition, will produce several times a year admits of no doubt; but as she does not burrow, it is necessary to furnish her with a sufficient quantity of twigs, and to keep them extremely fresh and clean. Although in captivity the hare usually produces only one or two young, she has been known to bring forth three, and to rear them with great tenderness; it is, however, neces- sary to remove them early from the male, and even from the female, who will often strangle them as soon as they are capable of living independently, especially if they are about pairing again. The rearing of hares in captivity is but a thankless task, as they do not live long, wanting a sufficient space for running; their flesh, also, is insipid, unless, indeed, they are let loose some months pre- viously in an area perfectly free from rabbits; for between these two species there rages a most inveterate war; and a single rabbit would with ease strangle fifty hares in one night. The female, also, is not very productive, and ceases to bear after the third year. : Miscellaneous. ib To sum up, therefore, we would affirm that Leporides exist un- doubtedly under both forms, with predominance of the hare or of the rabbit; but as a species, or even a variety, we cannot admit them, since, like all other crosses, they have merely an accidental a Their utility moreover is but slender, the flesh aving neither the whiteness of the rabbit nor the fine flavour of the hare. Pretty much the same thing may be said of hares reared in hutches; their flesh lacks flavour, and their multiplication is too limited to render them a profitable object of industrry.—Bulletin mensuel de la Société Impériale zool. d Acclimatation, 2” série, tome iii. No. 7, July 1866. Megaceros hibernicus in the Cambridgeshire Fens. By Norman Moors, Esq. Early this year some diggings for phosphatic nodules were opened near Upware, a village on the Cam, about twelve miles below Cam- bridge. I have several times visited the workings in company with Mr. J. F. Walker, B.A., F.G.S., Examiner in Natural Science at Sidney Sussex College; and whilst he was occupied with the Lower- Greensand fossils, I paid more particular attention to the surface soil. Some fragments of roebuck horns and teeth, one horn of a red deer, and various other bones have been the result. One of the roebuck horns is notched on each side, as if to afford a fastening- place for string, and the points are rubbed smooth ; hence one might suppose that the horn was used, centuries ago, as a net-peg. While at Upware, on my last visit to the bed, a few days ago, I heard that a man in the neighbouring village of Wicken had an elephant’s bone, which he had dug out of the surface soil while working at the coprolite-diggings in Burwell Fen. I luckily fell in with the man and the bone, which, to my delight, I saw belonged to an Irish elk. It was an almost perfect and well-marked ulna, evidently of a full- grown animal. The man informed me that several bones of like appearance were found with this one. They were sold for a small sum to a bone-dealer; this was kept as a curiosity because of its curious shape, ‘‘like a pistol.’ It is of a dark peat-colour. As far as I can judge by a comparison of the relation which the length of the ulna bears to the height of the shoulder from the ground in the _ Irish elk in the Woodwardian Museum, I suppose that the animal to which this ulna belonged cannot have been less than eighteen hands high. St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge. Note on Assiminea Francesie. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &e. Tn the ‘Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ for June last, at p. 381, Mr. Blanford makes some observations on the various terminations which have been given to the name of the shell called Assiminea Francesie. I may state that I originally described the shell as above, naming it after my sister, Frances Ince, who made a 78 Miscellaneous. very extensive collection of the freshwater shells of India—the first, I believe, that was sent to this country. It is figured by Mr. W. Wood, however, in the Supplement to the Catalogue of Shells as Turbo Francesi, from specimens sent home by Mrs. Ince: so the confusion began early. Mr. Wood (unfortu- nately for science, as it added some confusion to the nomenclature) submitted the proofs of the text of the Supplement to Dr. Goodall, who, I suppose, not knowing that the names which I had supplied to Mr. Wood had already been published (though it is mentioned in the preface that they are the names used in the British Museum collection), altered some of the names capriciously. I suppose that the Provost of Eton College did not think it right that a shell should be named after a woman; for in the same way he altered Nerita Smithiea and Turbo Maugere to Nerita Smithii and Turbo Maugeri. No one who knew him can believe that it arose from want of polite- ness or gallantry ; but conchologists are more liberal now. I may observe that all the shells figured from specimens in the Supplement were engraved (not etched) on the copper at once, from the shells selected by myself either from the British Museum, Mrs. Mawe’s, or Mrs. Gray’s collection; and I furnished him with the names of the species (which in some cases were so oddly changed) and also with the Lamarckian Index to the Catalogue and Supplement. On the Species of the Genera Latiaxis, Faunus, and Melanatria. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &e. The examination of the original specimens on which the various - species of the genus have been described and figured has convinced me that there are not more than two distinct species of Latiazis. The first, ZL. Maire, is nearly smooth, with a flat depressed spire and avery large umbilicus: L. purpurata, Chenu (Mollusques Mar.), appears to be only a variety of this species, which is sometimes of a purplish colour. The second, L. pagoda, Johnson, has a conical spire and a small umbilicus. L. pagoda, Johnson, L. textilis, A. & H. Adams, L. Eugenie, Beraud, and L. nodosa, A. Adams, are all varieties of the same species, varying in the presence or absence of a keel on the last whorl, and in the whorls being slightly nodose. They are all inhabitants of the China Seas. The specimens of the genus Faunus, Montfort, in Mr. Cuming’s cabinet show most conclusively that the shells named Faunus ater, F. terebralis, Lamk., F. Cantori, Benson, and F. pagoda, Reeves, are only slight varieties of a single species. F'. Oantori is a dwarf decollated state, and F’. pagoda is described and figured from an acci- dentally distorted adult shell. They are found in Ceylon, Penang, the Philippines, and New Caledonia. The species of Melanatria, Bowdich, have been also needlessly divided. There can be no doubt that M. fuminea and M. plicata, Reeve, are only varieties of M. spinosa, Lamk. It is found in Madagascar and West Africa, They vary not only in the strength be Ts tad Ry: i Miscellaneous. 79 of the plaits and spines (some are even quite smooth), but also in the depth of the notch of the hinder part of the outer lip. The named species of Latiaxis, Faunus, and Melanatria are not even local varieties. A series of specimens from the same locality show the variations in the surface on which these dealers’ species are professed to be distinguished, which should be treated as the names given to flowers by nurserymen and florists are by the botanist, as they are scarcely worthy the attention of the scientific conchologist. The effect of this useless multiplication of names has been to almost entirely prevent conchology being studied as a science. Descriptions of new Fishes. By F. Ste1nDACHNER. 1. Plecostomus Wertheimeri.—Marginal scutes of the sides of the head closely beset with long bristle-like spines; a row of broad transverse plates on each side of the belly between the pectoral and ventral; head adorned with black spots, body with yellow spots. From the river Mucuri in Brazil. 2. Cottus Brandtii.—Head parabolic ; skin of body scaleless ; pree- operculum with three spines, of which the uppermost is the longest; mouth-cleft oval, longer than broad; vomer with teeth ; upper sur- face of head closely set with round warts. D.9/13; A.11; V. 3; P. 17. From the mouth of the Amur. 3. Amblyopus Sieboldi.—Length of head contained 9 times in the total length, or 73 times in the length of the body; greatest depth ;4, of the total length; caudal pointed, long, § of the total length. D. 6/48-49; A.44; C.17. Mouth of the Amur. 4. Pseudorhombus adspersus.—Length of head contained 32 times, depth of body 22 in the total length; diameter of eye % of the length of the head; numerous black points, spots, and rings on the whole body. D. 72; A.58; P.12; V.5; L. lat. 104. From the Chinchas Islands. 5. Scopelus spinosus.—Scales of body toothed; a long spine on the lower extremity of each scale of the last longitudinal series but one above the anal, which is longer than the dorsal ; diameter of the eye 4 the length of the head. D.14; A. 20; V.9; L. lat. 40; 3 _L. transv.~1_—. From China. 53 (43) 6. Genus Teniolabrus.—Body rather compressed, much elon- gated, of very small depth, covered with cycloid scales; head scale- less; ventral fins articulated a little before the pectorals *; teeth in intermaxillaries and lower jaw uniserial, pointed, the foremost the longest; vomer and palatal bone with teeth; dorsal and anal fins very long; lateral line not interrupted. 7. Teniolabrus filamentosus.—Head pointed, 4 of the total length; lower jaw protruding ; eyes approximated ; depth of body ;'; of the * In the original the author contrasts “ Bauchflossen”’ with “ Ventra- len,” which are identical; the above is probably his meaning. 80 Miscellaneous. total length; middle ray of ventral very much elongated; caudal very long, pointed; black rings on the scales of the lateral line. D. 6/41; A. 1/38; V. 1/5; L. lat. 58-59. | 8. Gobius pavo.—Length of head contained 3$, breadth of head 64, depth of body 84, and caudal fin 4} times in the total length ; length of eye 4 of length of head; dark golden brown, with four large indistinctly limited black spots along the lateral line, and two deep-black obliquely placed spots, separated by a light-yellow spot of nearly the same size behind the fifth spine of the first dorsal. 1D.6; 2D.1/8; P. 20; A.1/8; L. lat. 31. From the Philip- pines.—Anzeiger der Akad. der Wiss. in Wien, May 16, 1867, p- 119. Supplement to ‘ English Botany.’ Mr. J. W. Salter, the proprietor of this work, wishes to continue the publication of the fifth volume, which was commenced in 1863, and of which six numbers have appeared, but, owing to the very small support which the work receives from botanists, to whom apparently its great value is unknown, he is unable to do so. There ought to be ample support for this Supplement to the original ‘English Botany,’ since there are at least 2000 copies of that work in the hands of the public, and none of them can be considered complete without these supplementary volumes. Some friends of this work are desirous of obtaining the help of from forty to fifty subscribers of £5 each, in order to raise a fund for completing this publication. They propose that these subscrip- tions should be placed in the hands of Prof. C. C. Babington, of Cambridge, and expended by him solely in the payment of the artists’ and printers’ bills for each number when it is issued to the subscribers. They will of course receive their copies in part repayment of the money advanced by them, the remainder being repaid by the sale of the work. There are between 100 and 150 flowering plants as yet unpublished, of which about 20 have been already drawn by Mr. J. D. C. Sowerby or Mr. J. W. Salter for this Supplement: most of the remainder can readily be obtained ; and it is intended to proceed with their publication as rapidly as circumstances will allow. The plates and text will be superintended by Prof. C. C. Babington, who will be supported by some of the most active English botanists. But nothing can be done until the fund for paying the necessary expenses has been raised; for the proprietor is not able to bear the heavy cost himself—although if once published it is nearly certain that the work will in due time be remunerative. The proprietor will hand over the booksellers’ balance annually to Prof. Babington until the entire sum subscribed has been repaid. Botanists or others who will kindly aid in this way are requested to communicate with, and pay their subscription to, Prof. C. C. Babington, of Cambridge, as soon as possible. THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. [THIRD SERIES. ] No. 116. AUGUST 1867. i X.—On Waldheimia venosa, Solander, sp. By Tuomas Davinson, F.R.S., F.G.S., &c. To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. GENTLEMEN, A great deal of valuable matter in connexion with the Recent Brachiopoda has from time to time been contributed to the ‘Annals,’ and consequently I would solicit space for a few re- marks with reference to the largest recent specimen, and species, of Brachiopoda hitherto discovered, and of which we are now in possession of the correct habitat. In the ‘ Annals’ for June 1861, Mr. Lovell Reeve mentions that I had communicated to him the discovery that either Waldheimia globosa or W. dilatata had been collected nearly a century ago by the illustrious navigator Capt. Cook, and named by Solander Anomia venosa, that the name only appeared in manuscript at first in the Portland Catalogue, but that a few years later another specimen had been brought to England from the same locality (the Falkland Islands) by Capt. George Dixon, and in the narrative of his expedition, published in London in _ 1789, a very excellent figure and description had been given of it. The designation Waldheimia venosa, Solander, was con- sequently adopted by Mr. L. Reeve and myself, as it was the earliest name given to the largest recent form of Terebratula hitherto discovered. On the 3rd of April of the present year, Rear-Admiral B. J. Sulivan kindly forwarded for my inspection and determination a Terebratula much exceeding in dimensions any I| had hitherto seen ; and I was informed at the same time that he had dredged it alive in the outer harbour of Port William, at the Falkland Islands, in the year 1843 or 1844. The depth at which the ‘animal lived was from six to seven fathoms; the bottom on which the shell lay was a compact quartzose sand only, as no mud ever comes up with the dredge, although a stiff muddy Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser.3. Vol, xx. 6 } 82 Mr. T. Davidson on Waldheimia venosa. clay underlies the sand, in which anchors hold very firmly. Many small Serpule are attached to its surface; and a long piece of sea-weed, two feet in length, was found growing from near its hinge. On opening the box containing this interesting specimen (of which two correct drawings are here appended), I at once per- ceived that the shell was no other than an extremely large ex- Waldheimia venosa, Solander, sp. (Falkland Islands, and Collection of Rear-Admiral B. J. Sulivan.) Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 83 ample of Solander’s species. In shape it is almost regularly oval, and longer than wide; the valves almost equally convex and deep, while in the dorsal valve there exists a shallow median depression or sinus close to the front, and which corresponds with a broad, slightly elevated mesial fold in the ventral valve. The beak of the ventral valve is moderately produced, incurved and truncated by a large circular foramen, partly margined by a deltidium in two pieces. In the interior of the dorsal valve the loop is elongated and reflected, while a sharp raised septum extends from under the cardinal process to about half the length of the valve. This fine specimen measured 3 inches 2 lines in length by 2 inches 8 lines in breadth, and 2 inches in depth. Now the largest Tertiary Terebratula with which I am at present acquainted measures 4 inches 2 lines in length by 3 inches 1 line in breadth, and 2 inches 1 line in depth; but although the Crag Terebratula grandis, to which we would refer, does very much resemble in general form the recent W. venosa, the Tertiary shell was possessed of a short loop, and consequently is a true Terebratula, while T. venosa has an elongated one characteristic of the subgenus Waldheimia. : Admiral Sulivan informs me that W. venosa may perhaps occur also near Tierra del Fuego, where he supposes Solander’s shell might have been found, as he is doubtful whether that naturalist ever was at the Falklands; and he thinks it surprising that during his own long service in that region, while in com- mand of the ‘ Beagle,’ the shell.was never found by Darwin or any other of the officers on board, although the dredge was frequently at work. In conclusion, I may here add that both the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods possessed one or two very large species of Tere- bratula ; but none that I am aware of attained the proportions of the largest example of 7. grandis with which we are acquainted. In the Triassic and Paleozoic periods the species of the genus are fewer in number and of much smaller proportions. I remain, Gentlemen, yours, &c., Tuomas Davipson. XI.—List of Coleoptera received from Old Calabar, on the West Coast of Africa. By ANpRew Murray, F.LS. { Continued from p. 23.) Bostrichide. Apatr, Fab. This genus is in a state of considerable confusion. The few species described are for the most part of old date, being chiefly : 6* 84. Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. from the pen of Olivier and Fabricius and other authors of their. date; and although tolerable figures are sometimes given by Olivier, it is not surprising, considering the strong family re- semblance which prevails in all, that their short descriptions should have left entomologists very much in the dark and almost entirely dependent on tradition for a knowledge of the species intended by them. Before entering on the description of the species from Old Calabar, I must ask leave to add to the entomological termino- logy an expression to enable me to deal without periphrasis with the anterior and posterior extremities of the Bostrichide. Every one who reads this knows that this group is composed of cylindrical insects which have the thorax terminating in an overhanging straight or excavated or more or less vertical front, and the elytra terminating either in a rapid, steep rounding off, an abrupt, oblique, or even vertical slope, or an actual excava- tion. ‘These abrupt terminations at each end of the body I _ propose to call truncatures,—viz. the thoracic truncature and “the apical truncature of the elytra. The word does not much matter ; as Prof. Owen says, it is a mere tool to do the work. What I want is something to express in a word the declining abrupt termination at either end of the Bostrichide. Where it does not occur, of course it will not be used. 1. Apate terebrans, Pallas, Spicilegia Zool. Ins. p. 7; Oliv. Ent. iv. No. 77, pl. 1. fig. 4. (A. barbifrons, Dupont, De}. Cat.) Found both in Brazil and Africa, and distinguished from other species by its size and a large tuft of yellow hair and two small projecting triangular teeth on the forehead. The elytra are marked with punctures running into each other, and making a series of rather fine rugosities or slight reticulations. I have no doubt tradition is correct in assigning this insect to Olivier’s terebrans, although his figure represents an insect considerably shorter. This we may assume to be an error in the drawing, because we know no other species which is so like the drawing as this, and the description in the text corresponds with that of the species. I have wasted a good deal of time in carefully comparing the African and Brazilian specimens, with the expectation or desire of finding some difference between them ; but have been unable to find anything that is constant or could be called specific. As a rule, the African specimens are more distinctly and deeply marked, and have a deeper fovea round the scutellum; but sometimes there is no such difference, or even the reverse occurs. Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 85 If a number of Brazilian and African specimens were mixed together, I think it would be impossible to assign them all cor- rectly to their different countries, although probably the majority might be successfully guessed at. Not rare in Old Calabar. The same species also extends to Natal. 2. Apate muricata, Fab. Syst. El. Nigra; capite plano, epistomate parum fulvo piloso antice; thorace utrinque antice dentibus parum uncinatis instructo; elytris profunde reticulatis, nitidissimis. Long. 14 lin., lat. 44 lin. This is a large, handsome insect (the finest of the family), cylindrical, black, with the elytra strongly impressed with deep coarse reticulations, and the oT raised parts glittering and shining. Head punctate aasieaioty, almost impunctate in front, leaving smooth shining spaces about the middle and on each side, with a longitudinal line down the middle, somewhat more deeply impressed at a point im the centre, free from hair or pubescence, but covered on the sides and partially on the front with round, small tuber- cles. Epistome with a projecting point in the middle and a fringe of yellow pile. Labrum emarginate, almost bilobed, the margin of the lobes fringed with yellow pile; palpi and club of the antenne piceous, Thorax widest in front, Opaque, except behind, divided as it were transversely into two parts; the anterior part broad and large, and covered with denticulations, which at the anterior angles become de- veloped into hooks, the denticulations being triangular projecting teeth near the anterior angles, on the sides and front flattened triangular spaces slightly elevated; the posterior half finely aciculate or subtuberculate, the tubercles here being a modifica- tion of the same triangular denticulations, only much finer and more closely adpressed and flattened, in the centre towards the base almost smooth; a slight central longitudinal line runs forward from the middle of the base ; there is an indentation on each side of the middle of the base, making the centre into a lobe; the posterior angles are rounded eminences, with two somewhat. transverse impressions on the sides. Scutellum rounded, opaque, lying in a hollow. Elytra parallel, cylin- drical, deeply and broadly reticulated, with the elevated spaces _ very bright ; there is a longitudinal hollow for about a line and a half behind the scutellum ; the base is straight, the shoulders rather prominent and nearly smooth; the apical truncature is hollowed out, and the excavated space shining and nearly 86 Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. impunctate; the elytra above the truncature terminating in three projecting teeth (the two outermost projecting furthest, and the outermost the smallest) ; there are faint traces of three raised lines or costz, of which these teeth are the terminations ; the raised reticulations have in some specimens one more deve- loped than usual, like a varicose vein, running transversely from the suture at about one-third of the length of the elytra from the apex. The outer margin has a row of punctures marked off by a slightly raised straight line, within which at the anterior part are two rows of punctures enclosed by an oblique line. Under- side piceous. Metathorax fulvo-pilose. Tibize finely externally toothed, especially near the apex. This I believe to be the A. muricata of Fabricius. Some ento- mologists on the continent still apply that name to it, doubtless from tradition. There is also a specimen in the Fabrician collection, now in the British Museum, bearing this name. The continental entomologists generally, however, consider it synonymous with d. ¢erebrans, Oliv.; and Lacordaire (Gen. Col. iv. p. 538) so records it; but I am convinced that this is an error, and a strong proof that it is so is that A. terebrans is found both in Brazil and Africa, while muricata is confined to Africa. Its appearance, too, is so different that one can only account for its ever being considered the same by the difficulty of putting the differences into words, and the ease with which a little exaggeration of the characters of terebrans would turn it into muricata. It is of the same size as terebrans, only broader and not quite so long, giving the effect of a more bulky insect. The thorax is decidedly broader in front, instead of bemg narrower as in A. terebrans. It is deep black, with much deeper reticulations on the elytra, leaving more open raised spaces, which are more shining and glittering. The apical truncature is more vertical. The descriptions do not help us in the least, that of Olivier’s terebrans and Fabricius’s muricata being totidem verbis the same for both. Lacordaire makes the suggestion that the tuft of hair on the forehead may be a sexual difference, in which case the present species might be a sex of ¢erebrans: it has not the tuft, nor the projecting teeth, and it has an additional and a curved development of the small most advanced teeth on the thorax— both corresponding to a sexual difference which, I think, occurs in another (smaller) species, A. monacha; but in it the reticula- tions are the same in both, which is not the case here; and, be- sides, as already said, all idea of this being a sex of terebrans is excluded by the fact of the one, and not the other, being found in South America. Not common in Old Calabar. It extends to Natal. Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 87 3. Apate degenera. A. muricate valde affinis, fere tertia parte minor; elytris minus Trugosis et minus reticulatis, apice haud leviter punctato sed leviter et evanescenter rugoso. Long. 9 lin., lat. 3 lin. Very close to A. muricata, of which it has the form, but nearly a third smaller, and the reticulations on the elytra not nearly so marked; they are not much deeper or more decided than in A. ¢erebrans, but they have the character of those of A. muricata, It is exceedingly difficult to find any definite cha- racter to distinguish it from the latter; but the difference in its appearance, coupled with the above-mentioned distinctions, seem to warrant its being treated as a distinct species. A minor difference is that the apical truncature of the elytra, instead of being sparsely dotted with small shallow round punctures, is smooth, but marked with faint, evanescent, chiefly longitudinal corrugations. Only one specimen received. 4. -Apate monacha, Oliv. Ent. iv. pl. 2. fig. 9. (A. reticulata, De}. Cat. 333; A. Leprieurii, Dej. Cat. 333.) A. terebranti similis, sed tertia parte minor. Mas? Capite cum _ fronte sine tuberculis sed fasciculo fulvo piloso instructo ; thorace cylindrico, haud latiore antice, lateribus anticis vix tuberculatis; elytris subreticulatis, bi- vel tricostatis et apice aciculatim papillosis. Femina? Capite levi, haud fulvo piloso; thorace parum latiore antice, lateribus anticis tuberculatis vel minute dentatis, dentibus anticis uncinatis; elytris vix costatis, potius fortiter punctatis quam reticulatis et apice fere levibus. Long. 84 lin., lat. 24 lin. : The above two forms are, in my opinion, the different sexes of the same species, the specimens which I possess of the allied species, A. Francisca, Fab., from Algiers, being of two forms, which are distinguished by similar differences, and which are also probably male and female. In A. monacha the general outline of the one is like that of A. terebrans, and that of the other is like A. muricata, but each about a third less than them in size. What, in accordance with Lacordaire’s suggestion, I assume to be the male has a tuft on the forehead, and the elytra are subreticulate and bi- or tricostate ; the hollowed apical trun- eature is acicularly papillose: in the other sex the tuft is absent and the forehead smooth and bare; the thorax is broader, too, and the tubercles or teeth on each side of the front of the thorax are more numerous and extend to its anterior margin, and the foremost of these is hooked. The small tubercles on the disk 88 Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. are still tubercles, although very small and flat-topped, while in the supposed female they appear as if rolled flat and even with the surface, and the elytra have the cost less distinct, and are rather deeply punctate than reticulate; the hollow space at the apex of the elytra, too, is nearly smooth. Var. indistincta.—There are some slightly larger and more coarsely reticulate specimens, which look somewhat different ; but I can find no tangible character ; however, I note it as a variety, because I have received specimens from Natal belonging to it, and not of the normal type. I have no certain knowledge that this is the A. monacha of Olivier ; but it corresponds with his description and figure; and as his species is said to have come from Senegal, I think we may as- sume it to be it, especially as there is nothing else from Africa (so far as I know) to compete with it, except A. Francisca, Fab., from Algeria, which, although very close to it, is still distinct. A. Francisca can be readily distinguished from the present species, however, by the narrower thorax, the more rounded and decided punctures of the elytra, and more especially by the hollowed apical truncature of the elytra, which in the male of 4. Francisca is strongly marked with deep, scattered, round punctures; while in this species, on close examination, it will be seen that the truncature, although apparently punctate, is in reality not so, but derives the appearance from raised papille or minute tuber- cles instead of sunk holes. The female of A. Francisca, Fab., is A, Carmelita of Fabricius, according to Lacordaire. Common at Old Calabar. Bostricuus, Geoffr., Lacordaire. § 1. Thorax with anterior angles prominently projecting. 1. Bostrichus protrudens. Niger, nitidus; thorace tuberculato, angulis anticis recte projicientibus, apice haud acu- tis, subtus unituberculatis ; elytris striato- punctatis, apice rotundatis, sine truncatura, margine solum parum explanato. Long. 8-83 lin., lat. 22 lin. Black, uieianels shining. Head invisible from above, in consequence of the projection of the thorax, covered with small round tubercles, which are finest behind; deeply hollowed out behind in a transverse rounded groove reaching to the posterior part of the eye on each side; in front of this furrow is a higher shelf running from the anterior part of the eye on each side; there is a longitudinal line in the middle of this, which has Mr: A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 89 a slight emargination behind, on each side of which there is a faint elevation : in front of this shelf is a raised rounded ridge divided longitudinally, reminding one of the swollen upper lip of an otter or seal, slightly and shortly bristly, chiefly at the sides; this raised part projects a very little at each side both to the sides and in front, forming a semicircular epistome. Labrum transverse, entire, rather large, fringed with a moustache of fulvous pile. Thorax cylindrical, nearly as broad in front as behind, roughly tuberculate, except on the disk, where the tu- bercles are flattened down into flat scale-like markings ; there is an irregular, not very strongly marked, longitudinal dorsal stria. The anterior angles are produced for a space about a third or fourth of the length of the thorax. Seen from above, the pro- jections are nearly straight forward; seen from the sides, twice as broad as from above, and slightly turned up at the end; on their underside towards the base there is a tubercle; along the upper margin and the hollowed front of the thorax lying between the two projections are a number of small teeth or tu- bercles of different sizes; this anterior margin slopes obliquely to a channel in the middle, on each side of which is one of the more prominent tubercles ; it is lined on its upper part with a sparing fulvous pile, and immediately above the head it is hol- lowed out into two smooth shallow fovez ; there is no marginal edging along the front; the posterior angles, seen from above, are rectangular. Scutellum slightly raised, somewhat rugosely punctate, and longitudinally impressed. Elytra very deeply and coarsely punctate-striate, the striz, slightly oblique, being more numerous at the base than at the apex; suture depressed, most so near the scutellum ; there are three slightly raised coste running obliquely inwards from the base to the apex, the inner one starting at the base between the third and fourth or fourth and fifth strie ; and the three or four striz lying between it and the suture have diminished to two before it reaches the apex ; the second costa is separated from the first by a similar number of striz similarly diminishing in number as they approach the apex; the outer costa is scarcely observable except posteriorly ; none of the costz reach the apex, but stop where the elytra begin to decline to the apex, where, in the species which have apical teeth, they would have terminated in teeth; the inner costa, as usual, stops first ; the striation and punctuation continues equally marked to the apex; there is no excavation or smooth space, but the extreme apical margin is slightly explanate, and the edge thick- ened. Underside clothed with a somewhat loose woolly fulvous pile. Olivier describes and figures a species from Madagascar under the name of B. cornutus, with the angles of the thorax projecting ; 90 Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. but it cannot be this or any of the following cornute species, for his species has the apex of the elytra hollowed out and with the teeth projecting. I have received another species, under the mistaken name of Apate cornuta, from Abyssinia, which comes much nearer this, and which I shall call B. Abyssinicus, as from the indications of its characters, which I am. about to mention, I may be entitled to give it a name. It is distinguished from B. cornutus by many characters. The thorax is much shorter and less massy. The projecting angles of the thorax are not of the same shape: in B. Abyssinicus they are not flat, nor broader at the side than above ; in it there is no tubercle on their under- side. They are turned in in front, and the hollow between them is more rounded, open, and less sloped to the centre; that hollow in it is much more pilose. The whole surface of the thorax (except a longitudinal dorsal space) is covered with well-marked distinct small tubercles, instead of the disk being smooth: its elytra have traces of punctate striz; but, instead of being re- markably distinct, they are almost merged in a tendency to transverse indiscriminate corrugation. The costz are also much more prominent. 2. Bostrichus productus, Imhoff in Bericht tiber die Verhand- — lungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel, vol. v. p. 176. Mas. Niger, punctatus; thorace cornibus intus haud tuberculatis et elytris haud apice ‘prolongatis. Femina. Niger, punctatus ; thorace cornibus intus bituberculatis; ely- tris singulis apice obtuse prolongatis. Long. 84 lin., lat. 24 lin. Like B. protrudens, but easily distinguished from it by the projecting angles of the thorax being curved instead of straight; and the female is equally easily distinguished both from it and the male, as well as the other species with curved thoracic pro- jections, by the apex of each elytron being produced into a pro- jecting knob. Male. The head is nearly the same as in B. protrudens, except that the intermediate shelf between the hollow furrow at its back part and the ridge forming an apparent swollen upper lip is absent; that ridge is consequently broader, and is not marked by any ‘longitudinal line or division. The thorax is also nearly the same, with the following exceptions :—it is narrower in front, and the posterior angles are rather more rounded; the anterior angles of the thorax are incurved instead of being nearly straight, and have a slight turn outwards again at the very tip; viewed te Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 91 sideways, they are scarcely broader than when viewed from above, and terminate in a point curved upwards; there is no tubercle beneath them, nor on the upperside are there two on each side of the inner lower margin, as is the case with the female of this species. On the upper margin of the curve of the horns the teeth or tubercles are more numerous and larger than in B. pro- trudens. The scutellum does not differ from that of protrudens. The elytra differ in the coste being almost absent, the striation straighter and less oblique, and in the apex of each being pro- longed into a rather obtuse triangular end. I see no difference in the underside. Female. Very nearly the same as the male, but it is distinguished by the elytra each ter- minating in a prolonged knob. The head is the same. The thorax is scarcely so coarsely \ tuberculate, and the disk is smooth and only shows a sculpture of the form of ad- pressed tubercles, instead of having flat-topped smaller tubercles present ; and the dorsal longitudinal line is not so deep as in the male: the horns of the projecting angles are longer and less incurved; they have not a tubercle on the underside as in B. protrudens, but two on the inner margin of the upperside, one a little behind the point, and the other on the front margin, just before where the curve of the horn begins, with a marginal edging uniting the inner two; the hollow between the horns is greater than in the male. The elytra are, if anything, more deeply punctate, and at the apex, instead of a simple obtuse end, each elytron is prolonged into a rather large conical knob, smooth and shining, a little turned upwards and outwards. In other respects the same description. will apply to both. I state the distinction of the sexes on the authority of Imhoff. Until I saw his description I had regarded the male and female as distinct species. 7 I have only seen three specimens. 3. Bostrichus brevicornutus. B. producto similis; elytris apice rotundatis dignoscitur. Long. 6-8 lin., lat. 12-2 lin. Very like B. productus (male), but has the elytra without any prolongation. The head and thorax are almost identical with those of that species, while the punctuation is more like that of B. protrudens, the striation being, as in it, more oblique than in B. productus. The elytra are rounded at the apex, and have the apical marginal edging 92 Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. of the former species; but it is rough and rugose, instead of being shining and more or less smooth. Apparently more numerous than the preceding species of this section, but still received only in very small numbers. § 2. Thorax with anterior angles not prominently projecting. The species in this section have not the same facies as the pre- ceding species. They are large, coarse, black insects, with much more real affinity to the genus Apate than to the species of the present section, which contains the, smaller Bostrichi, such as B. varius, Ilig. (Dufourti, Latr.), &c. Indeed the distinction between Apate and Bostrichus (as that genus is now defined by Lacordaire) would better rest (according to my judgment) on the facies of the insects than on whether the antennz have the club compact and close or open and loose. There are all degrees of difference in this character to be found in the spe- cies forming the two genera; and I should have preferred that Apate had been reserved for all the large, coarse, black species, while Bostrichus was kept for the smaller ones. But few genera can be so well defined as to escape criticism, at least when the contain more than one species; and to attempt to aiuctarl Lacordaire’s arrangement now would be a much worse evil than to preserve some incongruous or ill-characterized genera. A fixed arrangement that we all know and can refer to as a standard is what we have wanted for thirty years past, what Lacordaire’s ‘Genera’ was started to supply, and what that wonderful work has most successfully accomplished. 4. Bostrichus brunneus. Angustus, brunneus; thorace duobus parvis dentibus uncinatis, antice projicientibus, et post hos quatuor vel quingue lineis transversis dentium minorum; elytris lineatim punctatis, hneis irregularibus vix strias formantibus, apice rotundato sat abrupte declivo. Long. 3+ lin., lat. 1 lin. The species in question is narrow, dull, and brown. The head is finely papillose or granulated, with a shallow transverse furrow across the front between the eyes, wider and tumid behind this depression ; in the middle of the depression there is a short, transverse, slightly raised, smooth line; there is a little fulvous pile on the front of the epistome; the margin of the labrum is also fringed with fulvous pile. The thorax is as broad as long, widest in the middle, sinuate before‘ the posterior angles, which are slightly prominent; the anterior angles are rounded, and terminate in front in two short but rather pro- Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 93 minent teeth, which are curved upwards; there is a hollow between these, and the margin is semicircular; behind the thoracic truncature there are about four rows of small teeth running across from side to side; the posterior part of the thorax is finely granulose or papillose. Scutellum small and triangular. Elytra twice and a half the length of the thorax. punctate in lines, many of which are irregular. There are the faint traces of three coste; the apex declines rapidly, and is rounded at the margin; the sutural line and the margin are both raised at the apex, so that on each elytron they include a slightly depressed, coarsely punctate space, although scarcely so decided as to be called ‘a truncature. The underside is not quite so dark as the upper. - A single specimen. Srnoxyton, Guér. ' 1. Sinoxylon pubescens. Piceo-fuscum, pubescens; elytris sexdentatis, sutura sine dente ; subtus dilutius, pedibus piceo-testaceis. se, Long. 34 lin., lat. 14 lin. Of the type of S. seadentatum, but nearly a third larger. Piceous brown, clothed with a short, pale griseous pubescence close and thickly applied on the sides and back part of the thorax and on the underside; fine and woolly hairs sparingly scattered over the elytra. Antenne and parts of the mouth testaceous. Head black and finely granulose ; there is a narrow ridge or edging along the part that lies next the thorax; a transyerse slightly curved line runs from the anterior inner angle of each eye, separating the epistome from the rest of the head ; the labrum is covered with fulvous pile. The thorax is widest at about a third from the base, the truncature of which is pear-shaped with the apex in front, and truncate with the anterior angles slightly produced, covered with tuber- cles, which are largest at the sides; the sides and back part _ nearly smooth, covered closely with pale griseous pubescence, among which appear a few scattered, very minute, but distinct papille. Scutellum small, subquadrate. Elytra with the apical truncature very slightly oblique, almost vertical and even, as if a part of the body had been cut off ;- irregularly punctate, faintly at the base, and gradually more deeply towards the apex, where the punctuation is very deep, coarse, and rugose; there are traces of the usual three costz on each elytron, which respectively terminate at the apical truncature in well-developed teeth ; the sutural margin and the external margin of the trun- 94 Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. eature are both a little raised. Underside piceo-ferruginous, pubescent. Legs piceo-testaceous. One specimen only. 2. Sinoxylon fumatum. Antice testaceo-ferrugineum, postice gradatim piceum, parum pubescens ; thorace postice levi; elytris irregulariter punc- tatis, fortius versus apicem, apice oblique declivo, singulis duobus minutis tuberculis instructis. Long. 23-3 lin., lat. 1-14 lin. Testaceo-ferruginous until past the middle of the elytra, when the colour becomes gradually darker, until at the apex it is piceous. The head and thoracic truncature are rather darker than the rest of the thorax. Head finely granulose, with a transverse curved depression or line behind the epistome. Man- dibles piceous. Thorax broader than long, with the truncature covered with dentiform tubercles pointing backwards; the pos- terior part of the thorax smooth, shining, slightly pubescent, and with traces of very fine tubercles next the tubercular anterior part. Scutellum subquadrate, raised. Elytra very cylindrical, irregularly punctate, faintly at the base, and gradually more coarsely towards the apex, thinlyclothed with fine woolly hairs; the apical truncature very slightly oblique, being very nearly vertical, as if the body had been cut through; the truncature is well. defined, slightly sloping inwards to the suture, which is distinctly raised, as well as the margin of the truncature, all round, except at its top; a little within it, near the upper margin, are on each elytron two scarcely perceptible tubercles in the relative position which would have been occupied by the termination of the two inner cost usually met with in other species. Underside finely pubescent. : There is an undescribed species from Port Philip which is very like this; but it is narrower and has no tubercles at all on the. apical truncature.: In it the elytra are more coarsely punctate, particularly toward the base; the thorax (except the truncature) is shining and very finely and sparingly punctured ; the piceous termination to the elytra is less decided, and the reddish colour brighter. I would call it S. rufescens. : Two specimens received. 3. Sinoxylon nitidipenne. Atrum, interdum plus minusve piceum vel piceo-ferrugineum ; elytris nitidis, leviter punctatis, truncatura apicali superiore margine rotundato sex-dentata ; subtus castaneo pubescens. Long. 24 lin., lat. 1 lin. Black, sangha more or less, both in place and degree, to Mr. R. J. L. Guppy on Diplommatina Huttoni in Trinidad. 95 piceous or piceo-ferruginous ; the base of the elytra sometimes — ferruginous, and the rest black; the legs testaceous, piceo- testaceous, or piceo-ferruginous. Head finely granulose; the epistome separated from the rest by a very marked line of sepa- ration, and more depressed than the posterior part. Thorax broadest behind the middle; the truncature rounded, extending pretty far back ; a series of larger teeth and tubercles extending along the sides, others, not so large, across the back part ; the front merely granulose; the anterior margin nearly straight ; the posterior half of the thorax granulose or finely tuberculate in the middle, smooth, shining, and impunctate on the sides ; the basal margin with a transverse depression reaching to the posterior angles, marked with four longitudinal aciculations. Scutellum small. Elytra shining, sparsely and finely punctured, the punctures of different sizes and often indistinct, most deeply marked towards the sides and apex; the apical truncature nearly vertical, with the margin sloped with a gentle curve on the upperside, and with a sharp raised edge on the sides; the sutural line is also raised, and projects in the middle into two teeth ; there are also two smaller teeth within the truncature near the upper margin, corresponding in position to the termi- nation of the usual cost, which are not here present, but within the truncated space; near the apical margin the truncature is slightly hollowed. The underside is covered with a pale chestnut pubescence. Four or five specimens of this have been received. [To be continued. | XII.—On the Occurrence of Diplommatina Huttoni in Trinidad, By R. J. Lecumere Gurry, F.G.S., F.L.S. By the kindness of my friend Mr. Thomas Bland, F.G.S., of New York, I was made aware of the discovery, by Mr. Theodore Gill, in Trinidad, of a minute land-shell, which was believed by Dr. Pfeiffer to be identical with the East-Indian Diplommatina Huttoni. On the receipt of this information I took the earliest opportunity of making an expedition with the view of discover- ing this little shell, which had previously escaped my search. I was fortunate beyond my anticipation in finding the Diplom- matina; but upon the first search I only found two perfect ex- amples. Subsequently, however, I had the good fortune, on revisiting the same locality, to obtain more than twenty living examples. I could not, however, induce the mollusks to show themselves out of their shells; and I was obliged to destroy several in order to obtain a sight of the operculum and the 96 Mr.R.J.L.Guppy on Diplommatina Huttoni in Trinidad. dental membrane. Owing to its minuteness and tenuity, the operculum is scarcely visible to the naked eye, even when iso- lated. It is horny, transparent, subcircular, and composed of a few indistinct whorls with raised edges, hardly resembling the figure I have seen of that of D. folliculus. The species is remarkable as being the only sinistral one of the genus, which only includes, I believe, five or six known species. The lingual dentition, being very minute, is somewhat difficult of preparation; but I have been able to make out its characters, which are as follows :—The dental band is of mode- rate length; the teeth are 3.1.3, the median is broad, its edge narrowly reflexed and five-toothed, its base narrow, almost pointed. The first and second laterals are subclavate, their edges reflexed and three-toothed. The third lateral is somewhat hamate and obscurely tricuspid. The mandible is broad and flat, covered with very distinct, separate, lozenge-shaped plates. All this tends to induce one to retain this genus in the Cyclo- phoride, to which these characters attach it more closely than to the Cyclostomide. Its position, therefore, with respect to its congeners seems to have been pretty correctly given by Pfeiffer and Gray. The occurrence in Trinidad of a second land-shell common to India naturally induces one to seek an explanation of so curious a circumstance. Ennea bicolor has for some years been known to be common to St. Thomas and Trinidad in the West Indies, and to the East Indies. But it would have been unsafe to ground any conclusion upon a single coincidence, which might have been due to accident, as Mr. Bland appears to have sug- gested. Ennea bicolor is rare in Trinidad. During my eight years’ residence in Trinidad, I have closely searched every loca- lity near Port-of-Spain ; and until made aware by Mr. Bland of its existence here, I had not discovered Diplummatina Huttoni. It has not been found in any other place than near the Maracas Waterfall, a distance of nine or ten miles from Port-of-Spain, the nearest seaport. I think, therefore, it is highly unlikely that these two species can have been introduced, not to mention the improbability of their surviving a voyage from India. In fact I need scarcely say more on this point, considering that the only direct communication between Trinidad and India is con- fined to the ships which bring Asiatic labourers from the latter place. I would suggest for consideration the possibility of these species having migrated by means of the supposed tertiary Atlantis, of the former existence of which I have endeavoured to show the probability in my paper on the Tertiary formations of the West Indies, published in the twenty-second volume of the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. It is true that On the different Ages of Trochus niloticus and T. maximus. 97 this hypothesis supposes a very great antiquity for these species. But this antiquity has its parallel in the Helix labyrinthica of North America, which is found in the Kocene deposits of the Isle of Wight; and there are many circumstances which tend to show a high antiquity for the species of terrestrial Mollusca. Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, June 4, 1867. XIII.—Conchological Gleanings. By Dr. KE. von Martens. [Continued from vol. xvii. p. 213.] V. On the different ages of Trochus niloticus, L., and Tr. maximus, Koch. Trochus niloticus is one of the commonest shells in our col- lections ; nevertheless it seems not to have been fully understood as regards its several stages of growth and its differences from its nearest ally 77. maximus, Koch, which, indeed, is figured in Reeve’s ‘ Conchologia Iconica’ instead of the true niloticus. Chemnitz’s ‘ Conchylien-Cabinet,’ the most complete work on _conchology of the last century, contains, in its fifth volume, published in 1781, four shells, said to be of different species, which are to be referred as follows :— Figs. 1605 and 1614, the true Tr. niloticus of Linné, full- grown. Figs. 1606 and 1607, registered by Gmelin as a variety of the former, by Lamarck and Philippi (m Kister’s new edition of Chemnitz) as a distinct species, 7. marmoratus, Lam.; by Dill- wyn, Deshayes, and Anton, on thé contrary, as the’ younger age of Tr. niloticus. This latter opinion seems to me to be correct. . Figs. 1608 and 1609, cited only by Philippi (/oc. cit.) as a variety of niloticus, “ which may be perhaps a distinct species,” _I think is a young state of 77. maximus. Fig. 1611, called by Gmelin 77. spinosus, regarded by Pfeiffer, in his index to Chemnitz’s figures, with some doubt, as a young marmoratus, and by Philippi as marmoratus, var. 8. I suppose it to be a Tr. niloticus still younger than fig. 1606. The full-grown Tr. maximus, Koch, was not introduced as a distinct species before the year 1844, when it was figured in Philippi’s ‘Abbildungen und Beschreibungen neuer Conchy- lien; it appears again in the same author’s treatise on the genus Trochus, which forms a part of the above-mentioned new edition of Chemnitz, in Kiener’s ‘ Iconographie,’ with the name Tr. marmoratus, and in Reeve’s ‘Conchologia Iconica’ as an Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. xx. 7 98 Dr. E. von Martens on the different Ages of illustration of niloticus. HH. & A. Adams, ‘ Genera of Molluscous Animals,’ i. p. 418, admit three species—Tr. maximus, niloticus, and spinosus ; under the last name they perhaps also comprehend Lamarck’s marmoratus, on the authority of Philippi, who unites both into one species. In the zoological museum of Berlin there are at present twenty-seven specimens which I have been able to examine for this purpose —five full-grown 77. niloticus, four full-grown Tr. maximus, twelve which I presume to be young ages of niloticus, and six which I think to be the young of 7. maximus. The differences of the two species, when full-grown, prove to be very striking; they are the following :-— 1. Tr.maximus is as high as broad, niloticus is broader thanhigh. 2. In Tr. maximus the two whorls before the last exhibit a distinct sculpture of large oblique folds; in 77. niloticus they are as smooth as the last itself. 3. In Tr. maximus the last whorl has its upper surface slightly curved, in the same manner as the preceding ones; in Tr. niloticus it is remarkably concave, the peripheral margin being very swollen and projecting, whereas the surface of the preceding whorls is even. 4. The base or under surface of Tr. maximus is concave, that. of niloticus convex. 5. The same part exhibits in 77. maximus about twelve spiral grooves, whilst in 77. niloticus it is smooth. 6. The markings also are somewhat different : in 7. maximus they consist of distinct large purple rays, which become somewhat more numerous on the last whorl; in 77. naloticus the rays are much more numerous, narrower, and variously bent in the last whorl; on the preceding ones they are interrupted and inter- mingled one with the other so as to form a repeatedly rather marbled design. The base, on the contrary, exhibits in 77>. maximus small linear spots situated between the grooves, and, therefore in the direction of the spiral—in 77. niloticus narrow radiating lines, which are variously bent and interrupted. In both the markings of the base are of a lighter red than those of the upper surface, and in both the purple colour of the latter is sometimes partially replaced by a rather dark green. I sup- pose the latter to be the original colour, which may be changed into red in the dead shell, or the dead portions of it, by the in- fluence of light, just as the same change of colour happens in Neritina fluviatilis by long exposure to the light of the sun. Both species are subject to individual variations within rather narrow limits. The dilatation of the last whorl of 7. niloticus and the convexity of its base especially are different in degree in different specimens; and the rays of some specimens of Tr, Trochus niloticus and Trochus maximus. 99 niloticus are almost as broad, regular, and few as those of 77. maximus: such a specimen of Tr. niloticus is figured by Chem- nitz. The measurements of the largest and of the smallest specimens, which may be supposed to be full-grown, among those exhibited in the Berlin Museum are as follows, the height being measured from the top to the undermost part of the pillar side of the aperture :— Tr. maximus: height 130, breadth 130; height 91, breadth 91 millims. RR gs SEA se: ADA. gy Oli un 87 The last measurements are taken from an extraordinarily dwarf specimen, the thickened pillar-lip and convex basis of which prove it to be full-grown. In almost every full-grown specimen of TJ’. niloticus the uppermost whorls are much worn and often wholly destroyed ; this circumstance has probably hitherto formed the chief diffi- culty in recognizing the very young specimens as belonging to the same species. Iam compelled by it also to number the _ whorls in a retrograde manner, from the last upwards. The two whorls before the last in Tr. niloticus are, as above stated, even, smooth, and marbled; they agree in these respects, as well as in size, exactly with the last two whorls of 7. marmoratus as figured by Chemnitz (figs. 1606, 1607) ; and on placing several specimens in the Berlin Museum agreeing with those figures side by side with the full-grown niloticus, I feel quite convinced that they are nothing but the same species in a younger state, wanting the last whorl. The base of one of these specimens is as smooth as that of the full-grown niloticus; the base of an- other exhibits distinct traces of spiral grooves; in all, however, it is neither convex nor concave, but as even as the spiral growth allows it to be. The second whorl before the last in Tr. marmoratus exhibits a sculpture of large plaits or tubercles near the lower edge, and two or three rows of small grains above them, sometimes uniting themselves into oblique plaits, vanish- ing gradually towards the upper whorls; therefore the third before the last in the full-grown niloticus must have the same sculpture; but this is just withm reach of the apical destruc- tion, so as to show only few and less distinct traces of the sculp- ture in question. Moreover there are in the Berlin Museum smaller specimens agreeing perfectly with Gmelin’s Trochus spi- nosus, Chemnitz, fig. 1611, in size, shape, and sculpture, which, on comparison with those named marmoratus, prove evidently to be the young of the same—that is, the very young niloticus, requiring still three or four whorls for its full age, and therefore sculptured on all the whorls which have been as yet formed. In these specimens, also, the base is even and slightly grooved in a spiral direction. 7* 100 Dr. E. von Martens on the different Ages of This sculpture is the same as that of the upper whorls in Trochus maximus ; the striking differences between the two spe- cies enumerated above in Nos. 3-5 are situated in the last whorl, The markings on the upper whorls of marmoratus are nearly the same as in maximus ; therefore the only differences by which we are able to distinguish the very young 77. niloticus from a Tr. maximus of the same age are the somewhat broader shape of the whole shell and the somewhat larger apical angle. But whenever the specimens have reached about 40 millimetres in diameter, or about the fifth or sixth whorl (the third before the last in full age), the persistence of the sculpture and the deepening spiral grooves of the base will undoubtedly distin- guish the young 77. maximus from the young 77. niloticus. I have at present before me two young maximus of this deserip- tion, and two which are somewhat older but retain the same character; they agree very satisfactorily with Chemnitz’s figures 1608 and 1609: in these specimens also the base is neither convex nor concave, but even; the markings show the charac- teristic features of 7. maximus. Thus three periods may be distinguished in the course of life of the two species: in the first, which extends until the fifth or sixth whorl, both are very like each other; in the second, com- prising the two whorls before the last, the sculpture both of the upper and underside vanishes in 77. niloticus, whilst in Tr.mazi- mus the upper one becomes only more feeble, and the under one even increases in strength; in the third period, finally, the differences between the two species prove to be quite contrary, the last whorl becoming in 77. niloticus concave above, convex and smooth beneath—in Jr. maximus nearly straight above, concave and deeply furrowed beneath. The synonymy of the two species may be resumed as fol- lows :— I. Trochus niloticus, L. Turbo exoticus umbilicatus, Columna, De Purpura, p- 21; Chemnitz, Conch.-Cab. v. pl. 167. fig. 1605, and pl. 168. fig. 1614; Encyclopédie Meéth. pl. 444. fig. 1 ; Kiener, Tconogr. pl. 10; Adams, Genera, pl. 46. fig. 7. Trochus juvenilis, Lister, 680. 6; Chemnitz, v. pl. 167. figs. 1606, 1607. Tr. marmoratus, An. s. Vert. no. Trochus pullus, Chemn. v. pl. 167. fig. 1610. Tr. spinosus, Gmel. Tr. marmoratus, var. 8, Philippi. Il. Trochus maximus, Koch. Trochus pyramidalis maximus late radiatus ex rubro, Lister, Hist. Conch. no. 617. fig. 3; Philippi, Abbildungen, i. pl. 4. fig. 3; Chemn. ed. nov. Trochus, pl. 19. fig.4. Tr. marmo- ratus, Kiener, Iconogr. pl. 11. Tr. niloticus, Reeve, Conch. Icon. fig. 3. itroekes pullus, Lister, 619.5; Rumph. 218; Chemn. v, figs. 1608, 1609. Tr. niloticus, var. B, Philippi. irochus niloticus and Trochus maximus. 101 In Lister’s figure 3 the base seems rather convex than con- cave; but, as the other characters agree with Tr. maximus, I feel inclined to think this may be a fault of the engraver; or may it be a form intermediate between the two? The figures in the works of Rumph (pl. 3. fig. 21), Gualtieri (pl. 59. fig. c), and Argenville (pl. 8. fig.c) seem to represent rather 7. maximus than Tr. niloticus. Trochus niloticus is an inhabitant of the Indian seas. I found it myself alive on the coral beach of the little island Pulo-tikus, near Bencoolen, Sumatra. Quoy and Gaimard (Voyage of the Astrolabe) describe the living animal, found by themselves at New Ireland. Philippi mentions as a locality for Tr. marmoratus (2. e. the young niloticus) the Sooloo Islands, south of the Philippines. Other localities, which may be got out of various published lists of sea-shells found at Ceylon, Madagascar, &c., may be here omitted, as, where no description or figure i is added, we cannot tell with certainty whether the true 77. niloticus or Tr. maximus is meant. The name Trochus niloticus itself is consequently incorrect : it originated with old Aldrovandi (who gave it, equally incorrectly, to a large species of Conus), and was transferred to our Trochus by Linné; but as it is now generally adopted and so evidently untrue that no misunderstanding is to be feared from it, I would not propose to change it for a new one. The habitat of Zr. maximus has not been stated by Koch and Philippi. I procured a young specimen at Singapore, and think therefore that. the Indian Ocean ‘is the common home of both Tir. niloticus and Tr. maximus. Nevertheless there are some traces of another habitat for Zr. maximus: in the Berlin Museum there is a very young specimen of the latter, stated by a label to have formed part of a collection made in Guinea by Mr. Halleur (the other shells of the same collection are true -West-African species) ; and Chemnitz informs us that, in his copy of Lister’s work, a manuscript note, “ex insula Principis,” was added to the said figure 617.38. If this is the island situated ~ in the Gulf of Guinea, it would be in favour of the West-African habitat ; or are we perhaps allowed to presume.that the Prince of Wales Island, i.e. Pulo Pinang, on the coast of Malacca, was meant? It is very desirable that more reliable statements concerning the habitat of this form, Trochus maximus, should come to our knowledge. I never saw a full-grown specimen which left any doubt whether it belonged to the one or the other species: the diffi- culty of distinguishing them increases the younger the indivi- duals are which come under observation, and the more so as even the different stages of age in which the characteristic changes of feature make their appearance are subject to a certain 102 On the different Ages of Trochus niloticus and T. maximus. amount of individual variability. Some young individuals of Tr. maximus are as broad as high, some even a little broader than high; and, on the contrary, in the younger age of Tr. ni- loticus {stage of marmoratus), its breadth exceeds its height by a relatively smaller amount than in the full-grown shell. I have before me two very young specimens (stage of spinosus), which I am induced to regard as niloticus by their relative breadth ; the height of both is the same, _millims.; the breadth of the one ,of the other millims.*, which last proves to be a very excessive one when compared with those of other young indivi- duals. The even and smooth surface of their last whorls is the most characteristic feature of the adolescent specimens of nzlo- ticus (marmoratus) ; it is the consequence of the disappearance of the sculpture long before the change of shape peculiar to the full-grown age makes its appearance at the same time as the last whorl; whilst in Zr. maximus both changes, which are of less intensity, coincide with regard to the age of the individual, But even this vanishing of the sculpture in 77. niloticus takes place in some individuals a little sooner or later than in others : the amount of this variation may be a whole whorl ; and external causes seem to have some influence upon it: in fact one of the specimens in the stage of marmoratus shows the traces of having been fractured just in the whorl, where the change generally takes place very gradually; but here the sculpture is preserved in its full strength up to the fracture, and immediately after it the newly formed continuation is smooth. There is no evi- dence that a rather large portion of shell has been destroyed and taken away by the fracture; on the contrary, the perfect regularity of the following portion of the whorl shows that there is no marked restoration, but simply progress of growth ; never- theless the change of sculpture is sudden, as if the interruption and new beginning had given the animal an impulse to construct the following parts of the shell at once according to the new fashion, instead of gliding gradually from one into the other. Another instance of individual variation is presented by a speci- men of niloticus which shows on its last whorl the dilatation and swelling of the lower edge which is so very characteristic of the last whorl of the full-grown shell, whilst its dimensions (height 56, breadth 66 millims.), the still even base, the broad urple rays above, and the small spots beneath rather clearly indicate that another whorl is still required for the full growth of the shell. Such specimens, in which a property normally peculiar to the adult makes its appearance in a previous stage of growth, may be called premature individuals. * (These measurements, which have been accidentally omitted by our correspondent, will be given in a note in our next.—Eb. |] Dr. E. von Martens on the Species of Argonauta. 103 It is an almost general rule throughout the animal kingdom that members of different species, genera, families, or orders agree more with each other in the first stage of their life than when full-grown; but very often this general resemblance is due rather to the special characters being indistinct, or not yet developed, not to the special similarity of them—as, for in- stance, the embryo of all the Vertebrata in its first period is similar, but not a fish or a bird, the distinctive characters of these making their appearance afterwards. In the present in- stance the sculpture, which is a rather special character, neither similar in all species of Trochus nor already formed within the egg, is specifically similar in the young state of both species; and the difference in the sculpture between the two full-grown shells arises not from any new character coming up, but from the disappearance, earlier or later, perfectly or partially, of that which has been common. If we may take for granted that the single species, such as they live at present, have not been created independently of each other, but that they are the descendants of others of other times, that. they bear the traces of their genealogy in themselves, and that the characters trans- mitted by a longer series of ancestors are also more constant and manifest themselves earlier in the youth of the individual, whereas the modifications acquired for the species in later times make their appearance less early in the course of individual development—if this be granted, then we may be entitled to pronounce that Trochus niloticus and Trochus maximus descend from similar, therefore probably common ancestors, which must have been sculptured throughout, with an even, spirally grooved base, such as is presented, for instance, among the now living allied species by 77. acutangulus,—that Tr. niloticus has deviated in the same space of time more from the common ancestors than Tr. maximus, the characters of the last whorl in 77. niloticus being quite new,—and that the above-mentioned premature spe- cimen of the same may give a hint as to the direction in which the species will change itself in future times. VI. On the Species of Argonauta. Linné comprises all the Argonaute known to him in one species, A. Argo; his second species, A. Cymbium, is a foramini- ferous shell (Peneroplis planatus, Montfort), as is proved by his own words, “testa vix minime arenule magnitudine,” and by the quotation of Gualtieri. Lamarck, who laid the foundations of the modern generic and specific distinction of sea-shells, distinguishes three species of Argonauta—Argo, tuberculosa, and nitida (= hians, Solander). 104 Dr. E.von Martens on the Species of Argonauta. D’Orbigny limits himself to the same three species, admitting A. gondola and haustrum, Dill., as varieties of A. tuberculata and Argo. Reeve, in the ‘ Conchologia Iconica,’ vol. xii. 1861, admits five species; H. and A. Adams, in the ‘ Genera of Mol- luscous Animals,’ 1858, and Sowerby, in the ‘ Thesaurus Conchy- liorum,’ six species. On reviewing the twenty-nine specimens exposed in the Ber- lin Museum, I was impressed with the conviction that they all are referable to three constant types :— 1. Type of A. Argo: ribs smooth and numerous; keel nar- row; colour white. : 2. Type of A. tuberculata, Shaw (nodosa, Solander, tubercu- losa, Lam., oryzata, Meuschen) : ribs tuberculated, numerous ; keel rather narrow; colour white or pale yellow. 3. Type of A. hians, Solander (nitida, Lam.) : ribs smooth, distant, and therefore few; keel broad; colour yellowish or light brown. In all three the hinder part of the keel is very often tinged with dark brown; this dark-brown colour is wanting in a few specimens of 4. Argo and tuberculata, and in many of A. hians. Within each of these types there are specimens in which the lateral edge of the aperture is nearly straight, the aperture therefore narrow (forma mutica), and others in which this edge forms near its inner end an angle which is more or less blunt (forma obtusangula), or extends itself into a prolongation called the ear (forma aurita). Type of Argonauta Argo :— a. Forma mutica: A. Gruneri (Dunker), Reeve, fig. 64, Marquesas Islands; Sow. fig. 9. b. Forma obtusangula: A. Argo of most authors. Lister, Hist. Conch. pl. 555. fig. 7; Martini, Conchylien-Cabinet, vol. i. pl. 17. fig. 157; D’Orbigny, Céphalopodes, pl. 2. figs. 1,2; Reeve, fig. 2°, from Venezuela; Sow. Thes. fig. 2. c. Forma aurita: obtained at Ceram, Moluccas, by myself; Rumph, Amb. Rariteitkamer, pl. 18. fig. A, from Amboyna; Gualtieri, pl. 12. fig. a; Argenville, Conchyliologie, pl. 5. fig. a; D’Orb. Céph. 2, 3-5. A. haustrum, Dillwyn; Reeve, fig. 2, from Tahiti ; Sow. Thes. fig. 1. Type of Argonauta tuberculata :— a. Forma mutica: one specimen from the coast of Brazil, in the Ber- ‘lin Museum; Reeve, fig. 1. b. Forma obtusangula: some specimens in the Berlin Zoological Mu- seum. c. Forma aurita: Gualtieri, pl. 12. fig. B ; Argenville, 5c; Martini, figs. 156 & 160; D’Orb. Céph. pl. 4; Reeve, fig. 2; Sow. fig. 3. A. navicula, Solander. A, gonda Dillwyn, on the authority of D’Orbigny. ’ Dr. E. von Martens on the Species of Argonauta. 105 Type of Argonauta hians :— a. Forma mutica: Lister, 553. 5? 6, Forma obtusangula: Gualtieri, pl. 12. fig. c; Argenville,5p. A. hians, Solander, and A. Owenii, Adams and Reeve, Zool. Voy. Samarang, Reeve, figs. 4 & 5, pl. 3, South Atlantic. Obtained by myself at Ceram, Moluccas. ec. Forma aurita: Lister, 554.6; Rumph, pl. 18. fig. B, from Amboyna; D’Orb. Céph. pl. 5. A. gondola (Dillwyn), Adams and Reeve, Zool. Voy. Samarang, pl. 2, from the South Atlantic. A gon- dola, Reeve, figs. 3* & 3,; Sow. fig. 4, from the Philippines. Obtained by myself at Batjan, Moluccas, from the natives. Concerning tuberculata, I have no doubt that the three forms are merely variations of the same species, as some specimens remain intermediate between them. For A. hians I incline rather to think the same, although very respectable authorities range themselves on the opposite side; in this the first form seems to be very rare, as it is the only one out of the nine which is wanting in the Berlin Zoological Museum. The presence or absence of the ears, however, is not a character of age, as both are to be seen in very young and in full-grown specimens, nor does it seem to be a difference of geographical value, the forms 6 & c of hians having been found both in the South Atlantic and in the Indian Ocean. For A. tuberculata, 1 cannot find anywhere the geographical habitat of the eared variety separately stated, so as to compare it with that of the earless form. Concerning A. Argo I feel much more doubtful—first because the want of the ears in 4. Gruneriis combined with a more elongated shape of the whole shell, and secondly because it seems to me that the eared form, A. haustrum, is proper to the Indian seas, the obtuse-angulated, on the contrary, to the Medi- terranean ; but I am acquainted with the exact habitat of too few specimens of either form to advance anything positively in _ this respect. However, it seems to me not quite absurd to admit that some species may be rather constant and others very vari- able in the shape of the upper margin. It may be remarked that the ears of A. haustrum are prolonged in the same plane with the sides of the shell, whereas they are bent outwards in the eared forms of A. tubercu/ata and A. hians. - Finally, there is in the Berlin Museum a specimen, belonging to the type of A. Argo, in which the angles are present but little developed, and not free but. firmly joined to the spire, in consequence of which, at first sight, one might suppose them to be entirely absent; the shell is more compressed and more elongated than that of A. Argo generally; its coloration is typical of that species. This seems to be a very well-charac- terized species; but I cannot help suggesting whether it may not be regarded rather as a fourth variation of A. Argo, espe- 106 Prof. Santo Garovaglio on thé Species of cially as A. Kochianus, Dunker (loc. cit. figs. 7, 8) appears to be the analogous variation of A, hians. If this view should prove to be right, we shall have a fourth form (forma agglutinans), the rarest of all, being as yet exemplified only in two of the three species. XIV.—Notule Lichenologice. No. XVI. By the Rev. W. A. Leicuron, B.A., F.L.S. Pror. Santo Garovaciio has favoured us with a copy of a further portion of his ‘Tentamen Dispositionis Methodice Lichenum,’ comprising the Verrucarie quadriloculares, and illustrated with three plates. Secrio III. Verrucarie quadriloculares. Saxicole vel corticole ; hermaphrodite, monoice vel dioicee ; epithecium breve, dimidiatum, subintegrum, carbonaceum (in una alterave specie coloratum ; paraphyses nullz, obsoletz vel distinctze, simplices aut ramose, continue vel in frustula solute, capillares vel articulate ; asci lineares vel clavato-elongati ob- ovative, interdum circa medium ventricosi, interdum supra basim saccato-gibbi, octospori; spore in duplicem triplamve seriem, rarius (Cohors IV.) uno ordine altera super alteram disposite, figura et magnitudine varie, s. ovoidez, obovate, in formam cocci, bombycis, vel fusi, in cohorte III. gracillime, aciculares, in reliquis sat crassee, recta vel curvate, normaliter quadri- loculares, loculis amplis vel angustis, quorum duo interpositi vix non semper rectangulari-tetragoni, extimi duo subconici. In quibusdam speciebus loculi omnes ocellulati apparent, ocellis rhombeis, subrotundis yel ellipticis, in singulis loculis ut pluri- mum singulis. Thallus varius, in corticolis hypophleodes, Hypothallus modo obsoletus, modo distinctus, ater. Cohors I. Epithecio brevi vel dimidiato ; paraphysibus nullis vel obsoletis; ascis elongato-clavatis, ventricosis, inflatis, octosporis; sporis in duplicem triplamve seriem intra ascos distributis, tumi- dulis, ellipsoideis obovatisve, eximie bombyciformibus, gran- diusculis, quadrilocularibus, loculis binis intermediis rect- angulari-tetragonis, extimis duobus ad formam coni, quorum infimus vix non semper minor. (Species omnes saxicole, hermaphrodite.) 1. V. pseudo-Dufourei, Garov. = V, pyrenophora, Leight. Ang. Lich. p. 76; Exs. 139. V. papillosa, Leight. Ang. Lich, t. 24, Verrucaria found in Lombardy. 7 oe f.1. V. Sprucei, Leight. Ang. Lich. t. 23. f. 4,5, 6; Heppe, 97, 98. Subspecies 1. V. cryptarum, Garov. = Anzi, Lich. rar. Ven. 1438. 2. V. Zwackhi, Garov. = Heppe, 96, 487, 442, 443; Anzi, Lich, rar. Ven. 136, 171. Cohors II. Epithecio vario, carbonaceo vel colorato; paraphysibus liberis, distinctis, flexuosis, simplicibus vel subramosis, capillaribus vel articulatis, perdurantibus ; ascis elongatis, biicarsbus,3 in- feriora versus sensim attenuatis, passim clavato-obovatis, in medio ventricosis vel circa basim saccato-gibbis, octosporis ; ‘ sporis duplici triplave (jam ordinata, jam confusa) serie spi- raliter intra ascos dispositis, angustato-ellipticis s. fusiformi- bus, adultis quadrilocularibus, loculis ope septi tenuis cras- sive evidenter sejunctis, duobus interpositis cylindrico-trun- catis vel rectangulari-tetragonis, extimis subconicis. (Species saxicolz vel corticole, monoice vel dioicz.) A. Sazicole. 1. V. umbonata, Scher. = Scher. Exs. 285; Leight. Ang. Lich. t. 24. f. 6, Exs. 32; Heppe, 696; Rabenh. 650. 2. V. Ricasolu, Garov. = Leight: Ang. Lich. t. 22. f. 1, 2, t. 23. f.1; Heppe, 694, 695. Subspecies V. macularis, Wallr. = Zw. Exs. 152, 153; Scheer. L. H. Exs. 523,524; Leight. Ang. Lich. t. 25. f.3, Exs. 138; Heppe, 693. . B. Corticole. 1. V. punctiformis, Fries, L. Europ. Ref. p. 447. f. carpinea, Garov. = M. & N. 855; Scher. 525; Leight. Ang. Lich. t. 18. f. 2, Exs. 99; Heppe, 459; Anzi, Lich. rar. ‘Ven. 139. f. callopisma, Garov. = Mass. Lich. Ital. 350 4,8; Anzi, Lich. rar. Longob. 222; Zw. Exs. 46. f. rhyponta, Garov.=M.& N. 557; Scher. 591; Anzi, Lich. rar. Ven. 121,122; Mass. Ital. 255. Subspecies V. erumpens, Garov. 2. V. cerasi, Schrad. =Scher. Exs.664; Zw. Exs. 106; Leight. Ang. Lich. p.41; Mass. Ital.106; Anzi, Lich. rar. Ven. 130; Heppe, 457. 108 - Prof. Santo Garovaglio on the Species of Cohors III. Epithecio tenui, dimidiato, carbonaceo; paraphysibus raro dis- tinctis, plerumque obsoletis, vel in massam granuloso-floc- cosam cito diffluxis; ascis clavato-elongatis sublinearibusve, octosporis ; sporis duplici sat regulari serie intra ascos col- lectis, gracillimis, fusiformi-acicularibus, vel angustato-ellip- ticis, incurvis, primum unilocularibus, tribus vel quatuor ocellis rotundis minutis preditis, dein bilocularibus cum loculis elongato-cylindricis acuminatis, postremum quadri- locularibus cum vel absque ocellis. (Species unica, corticola.) 1. V. oxyspora, Nyl.=Zw. Exs. 107; Rabenh. 117; Heppe, 460; Mass. Ital. 352. Cohors IV. Epithecio carbonaceo, crasso, subintegro, cum tunica arcte laxeve conjuncto ; paraphysibus ‘creberrimis, gracilibus, filiformibus, flexuosis, interdum in frustula fatiscentia solutis; ascis elon- gatis, cylindricis, vel linearibus, circa basim attenuatis, octo- sporis; sporis plerumque in una rectilinea serie ad invicem verticaliter aut oblique sibi succedentibus, rarius duplici con- fuso ordine congregatis, ovoideo- ellipticis, obtusiusculis (s. cocciformibus), quandoque torulosis, ceterum coloratis s. fulvis vel fuliginosis, quadrilocularibus, passim bi- triloculari- bus, loculis septo tenuissimo, seepe obsoleto, divisis, duobus interpositis prismatico-tetragonis, binis extimis obtuse co- nicis, omnibus ocellulatis, ocellis in singulis vel pluribus, rhombeis, subrotundis vel ellipticis, (Species omnes corticolee, monoicee vel dioicee.) 1. V. nitida, Schrad. = Borrer, E. Bot. Suppl. t. 2607. f. 1; Leight. Ang. Lich. t. 15. f.38; M.& N. 36548. f. major =Scher. Exs. 111; Heppe, 467. f. minor = Leight. Exs. 28; Heppe, 468. 2. V. glabrata, Ach.=Scher. Exs.110; M.& N. 950; Zw. Exs. 34, 85; Leight. Ang. Lich. t. 18. f. 4; Heppe, 227. f. coryli, Nyl.=Rabenh. 85; Heppe, 455. Appendix. V. quercus, Garov.=Scher. Exs. 105; Zw. Exs. 33, 215. The plates contain sections of the apothecia, asci, ang spori- dia :— Verrucaria uniloculares. Tab. I. fig. 1. V. aberrans, Gar. 2. V.hydrela, Ach. 3. V. @ethio- bola, Ach. 4. * V. submersa, Scher. 5. V. plumbea, Ach. Verrucaria found in Lombardy. 109 6. V. glaucina, Fries. 7. *V.collematoides, Gar. 8. V. nigres- cens, Pers. 9. *V. nigrescens, Pers., var. stenospora, Gar. Tab. II. fig..1. V. macrostoma, Duf. 2. V. tristis, Krmphbr. 3. V. Dufouret, DC. 4. V. epipolea, Ach., var. orbicularis, Gar. 5. V. epipolea, Ach., var. muralis, Gar. 6. V. macrostoma, Duf., var. imbricum, Gar. 7. V. epipolea, Ach., var. lurida, Gar. 8. V. epipolea, Ach., var. murina, Gar. Tab. III. fig. 1. V. decussata, Gar. 2. V. epipolea, Ach., var. rupes- tris, Gar. 3. V. epipolea, Ach., var. major, Gar. 4. V. papu- laris, Fries, var. neglecta, Gar. 5. V. papularis, Fries, var. platy- spora, Gar. 6. V. papularis, Fries, var. subtestacea, Gar. 7. V. purpurascens, Hoffm. 8. V. calciseda, DC. Verrucaria biloculares. Tab. IV. fig. 1. V. olivacea, Fries. 2. V. Ungeri, Flot. 3. V. he- terospora, Gar. 4. V. pertusatii, Gar. 5. V. conoidea, Fries, var. vulgaris. 6. V. conoidea, Fries, var. subsquamacea. Tab. V. fig. 1. V.gemmata, Ach. 2. V. biformis, Borr. 3. V. con- fusa, Gar. 4. V. epidermidis, Gar., var. analepta-spectabilis. 5. V. epidermidis, Gar., var. cinereo-pruinosa. 6. V. epidermidis, Gar., var. Jauri. 7. V. epidermidis, Gar., var. fraxini. 8. V. epidermidis, Gar., var. analepta-vulgaris. 9. V. epidermidis, Gar., var, analepta-betule. 10. V. Heppii, Naeg., var. Juglandis, Gar. Verrucarie quadriloculares. Tab. VI. fig. 1. V. pseudo-Dufourei, Gar., var. verrucosa. 2. V. pseudo- Dufourei, Gar., var. feracissima. 2*. V. pseudo-Dufourei, Gar., var. crassiseda, 2**, V. pseudo-Dufourei, Gar., var. con- spurcata. 3. V. cryptarum, Gar., var. intumescens. 4. V. cryp- tarum, Gar., var. hiascens. 5. V. eryptarum, Gar., var. asperata. 6. V. ecryptarum, Gar., var. detersa. 7. V. Zwackhii, Gar. 8. V. umbonata, Scher. 9. V. Ricasolii, Gar. 10. V. macularis, Wallr. Tab. VII. fig. 1. V. nitida, Schrad., var. major, Gar. 2, 2*. V. nitida, Schrad., var. minor, Gar. 3. V. glabrata, Ach. 4. V. punctiformis, Gar., var. callopisma*. 5. V. punctiformis, Gar., var. carpinea*. 6. V. punctiformis, Gar., var. callopisma**. 7. V. *erumpens, Gar. 8. V. Heppii, Gar., forma. 9. V. pune- tiformis, Gar., var. rhyponta. 10. V. punctiformis, Gar., var. carpinea**, 11. V. cerast, Schrad. Tab. Suppl. I. fig. 1. V. Anziana, Gar. (unilocular). 2. V. cinereo- rufa, Schrad. (unilocular). 3. V. Hochstetteri, Fr. (unilocular). 4. V. scrobicularis, Gar. (bilocular). 5. V. micula, Fitw. (bi- locular). 6. V. oryspora, Nyl. (quadrilocular). 7. V. quercus, Gar. (4—5-6-locular). 110 Dr. A. Giinther on new Fishes XV.—New Fishes from the Gaboon and Gold Coast. By A. Gunruer, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., F.R.S. [ Plates II. ‘& IIL.) A most valuable collection of Fishes made by Mr. R. B. N. Walker in the Gaboon country has been recently secured by the Trustees of the British Museum. Besides several species which were formerly desiderata in this collection, the following prove to be new and of great interest, partly because some of them are the types of distinct groups, and partly because others prove that the Fish-fauna of the Upper Nile is nothing but the most eastern branch of that of Tropical West Africa. Repeatedly on former occasions I have directed attention to the identity of these two faunas ; and we may safely conclude that there is an uninterrupted continuity of the fish-fauna from west to east, and that the species known to be common to both extremities inhabit also the great reservoirs of water in the centre of the African continent. Mr. Walker had sent other collections to the Free Public Museum of Liverpool; and Mr. Moore was kind enough to lend them to me for examination, adding another very valuable col- lection made by H.T. Ussher, Esq., Deputy Assistant Commissary- General, Lagos, on the Bossumprah River, Gold Coast. The latter gentleman had previously sent a small collection to the British Museum from the same locality. The Cyprinoids are not mentioned in this paper, as their descriptions will be found in the forthcoming seventh volume of the ‘ Catalogue of Fishes.’ Ctenopoma Petherici (Gthr.). Dorsal spines sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen, anal spines nine or ten. ‘This species, first discovered by Mr. Petherick in the White Nile, occurs also in the Gaboon. Ctenopoma multispine (Ptrs.). This species was first described from East-African specimens with seventeen dorsal and ten anal spines. An example from the Gaboon, with twenty dorsal and eleven anal spines, agrees in every other respect with the East-African type, and must be regarded as a variety only. Mastacembelus cryptacanthus (Gthr.). The number of dorsal spines varies between twenty-four and thirty. A fine example, 16 inches long, has been sent to the Liverpool Museum, from the Bossumprah River, by Mr. Ussher. Hemichromis fasciatus (Ptrs.). Guinea, Lagos (Mr. Ussher), Gaboon (Mr. Walker). A a ere Ae ee oe ee from the Gaboon and Gold Coast. 111 Clarias Gabonensis, sp. u. D. 76-78.