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Show 478 MR. E. A. SMITH ON N E W SHELLS. [June 15, On examining the mouth there was no trace of any sublingual gular pouch ; on the contrary, the frcenum linguee was well developed in its ordinary position. But the oesophagus, for the greater part of its course in the neck, though stopping short considerably of its entrance iato the thoracic cavity, was much dilated, so that by blowing it up with a blowpipe a large distention of the neck took place, confined, however, to the upper two thirds, or thereabouts, of the neck-the oesophagus, which, as usual in the Otididae, develops no crop, being in the rest of its course, till it entered the stomach, of very much smaller calibre. On inquiring of Mr. Bartlett and the keeper, J. Church, whether they had ever witnessed any display on the part of this bird, they both told me that during the last two summers (1878, 1879) it had " shown off." But this display did not take place in the same way as in E.australis, as depicted and described by Dr. Murie (P. Z. S. 1868, pp. 474, 475, pl. xxxvi.) ; for there was none of that downward distention of the oesophagus, and consequent trailing of it on the ground, that is so marked a feature in the showing-off of that species; on the contrary, the distention of the oesophagus during display in E. denhami is lateral, the neck being immensely puffed out on both sides in a globular way, and so resemblingwhen seen from in front, touse Mr. Bartlett's words, "a lady's muff." In E. australis, it must be remembered, there is a similar dilatation of the oesophagus, extending, however, in that species, over a larger extent of its course, so that " before dissection, by filling its cavity with air, the lower portion of the dilated oesophagus protruded downwards considerably in front of the symphysis furculee, and formed the depending portion of the sac which was so conspicuous in the living animal" (Garrod, P.Z.S. 1874, p. 473). 6. Descriptions of twelve new Species of Shells. By EDGAR A. SMITH. [Eeceived June 16, 1880.] (Plate XLVIII.) Of the species here described, all, with the exception of the Trophon and the Helix, are in the British Museum ; the latter are in the collection of Dr. J. Percy, F.R.S. CONUS CONSANGUINEUS. (Plate XLVIII. fig. 1.) Testa solida, subponderosa, alba, dilute fusco zonata, epidermide crassa dense lamellosa induta. Spira breviter conica, ad apicem pallide rosea. Anfractus circiter 10, declives, sutura irregulari discreti. Anfr. ultimus superne rotunde ungulatus, deinde leviter convexus, in medio levissime constrictus, transversim undulatim rugose striatus, versus basin oblique sulcatus, interstitiis inter |