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Show 1882.] MR. SOWERBY, JUN., ON NEW SPECIES OF SHELLS. 1 17 3. Descriptions of new Species of Shells in the Collection of Mr. J. Cosmo Melvill. By G-. B. SOWERBY, Junr. [Received December 30, 1881.] (Plate V.) CONUS PRYTANIS. (Plate V. fig. 1.) Shell somewhat pyriform, lightish brown, here and there longitudinally streaked with darker brown, encircled with a well-defined narrow pale band below the middle ; spire short; whorls 9, smooth, the upper ones sloping, the rest squarely turreted, with bold whitish tubercles at the angles, banded with dark brown between the tubercles ; last whorl slightly rounded at the upper angle between the tubercles, faintly ribbed towards the base. Aperture of moderate width, nearly equal at both ends, light purple within. Lip thin, with scarcely any sinus at the upper extremity. Length 35, width at the angle 20 millim. Hab. Galapagos Islands. In looking over Mr. Melvill's fine collection of Cones in October last, he called m y attention to this shell, which he had obtained in 1873 at the sale of the late Thos. Norris's collection, and to which he had given in manuscript the above name, not having been able to identify it with any known species. I have since compared it with C. liviclus (Brug.), which it resembles in colour, but from which it differs materially in form, being much shorter, with convex sides, slightly contracted at the base. It differs also from that species in the character of the crown, the tubercles being more clearly defined and elevated than in any specimen of C. lividus with which I have met. Its next ally is C. brunneus (Mawe), the whorls of the spire of which species are distinctly grooved, whereas in this they are smooth. It differs also from that species somewhat in form, and in the whitish band with which it is encircled. The shell it is most like in form and coronation is C. tiaratus (Brod.), which is a species far removed from it in colour and markings. Upon searching the British-Museum collection, M r . Edgar A. Smith drew m y attention to three specimens similar in every respect to M r . Melvill's shell, and undoubtedly of the same species, marked " Galapagos, sandy m u d (H. Cuming)." They had been mistaken for a variety of C. brunneus. CONUS EVELYN^E, sp. nov. (Plate V. fig. 2.) Shell elongately pyriform, pale yellow, striped with light brown, encircled with an interrupted whitish band ; spire rather short; whorls flattened, with four spiral grooves, coronated with elongated flattened tubercles at the angle; apex prominent; last whorl very faintly striated, rather convex below the angle, and slightly attenuated towards the base. Aperture rather narrow, a little widened towards the base, interior white. Length 28, width at the angle 14 millim. |