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Show 584 MR. H. ADAMS ON NEW SPECIES OF SHELLS. [Nov. 3, rate them specifically, as some of the neighbouring islands produced more or less intermediate forms. Birds from the following localities had a conspicuous silvery-white shade on the ear-coverts-Flores, Celebes, Borneo, Timor, Amboina, and Ceram ; while specimens from the following islands had dark ear-coverts and forehead-Gilolo, Batchian, Morty, Mareh, Ternate, Tidore, and Ceram. The darkest were those from Batchian, Morty, and Mare'h, while those from Ternate, Tidore, and Ceram had an appearance of silvery-white ear-coverts. The Amboina bird is noted by me as a bleached and faded specimen in worn plumage; while the one from Flores, figured by Professor Schlegel, I considered at the time to be an extremely old bird. The accompanying drawing (Plate LXVIII.) represents an adult pair of C. rupicola (figs. 1 & 2), a species which has never been well figured ; and the Aldenham female of C. tinnunculus is also drawn (fig. 3). 5. Descriptions of some new Species of Shells from various Localities; also of a new Genus of Bivalves from Mauritius. By H E N R Y ADAMS, F.L.S. [Received August 6, 1874.] (Plate LXIX.) Mr. Holdsworth having kindly placed in my hands for examination the shells recently obtained by him from the pearl-oyster beds at Ceylon, I find among them two species that appear to be new, as well as several known species which, from having been collected alive, still retain their opercula. Of one of the latter, viz. Tudicla spirilla, Lam., the operculum has not been hitherto observed, and is therefore now figured (Plate LXIX. fig. 2). The genus Tudicla was included by m y brother and myself, in our ' Genera of Recent Mollusca,' in the family Fasciolariidse; and Dr. Gray subsequently, in his 'Guide to the Mollusca,' placed it as a subgenus of Murex in the Muricidae. The operculum of Tudicla, however, possesses similar characters to those of the other genera of Fasciolariidae, being acutely ovate and having the nucleus apical; and I would consequently retain it in that family. The shell, moreover, is furnished with a plait upon the columella, is without varices, and has a papillary apex ; while the shells of Murex have no plait, are all more or less variced, and have the apex acute. I take this opportunity of figuring also (Plate LXIX. figs. 4, 4a, 4b) the operculum (hitherto unknown) of Neritopsis, from which it would appear that it is more closely allied to the Neritidae than to the Naticidae. The specimen containing this operculum was procured from Barkly Island, Mauritius. Among other shells received from Mauritius is an example of Scintilla incerta, Desh., described in his ' Cat. des Moll, de Pile de la Reunion' from a' specimen obtained at that place ; and he remarks that although he refers it to the genus Scintilla, he considers it to form an intermediate link between that genus and the genus Galeomma, possessing, as it does, |
