Report on the zoological collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean ...

50 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA.series before me larger, there would be little difficulty in showingthe specific identit}'.The single specimen from Torres Straits is smaller than the typein the Cumingian collection, and consists of nine whorls, three ofwhich form the smooth pinkish nucleus. The brown zone aroundthe middle of the body-whorl is uninterrupted, and passes up thespire just above the suture, beneath which the whorls are alsostained with the same colour. The columella is smooth, Avith theexception of one or two elongate tubercles at the upper part ; andthe labrum is armed within with about fifteen fine lira?, running farwithin the aperture.33. Phos senticosus, var.Murex senticosus, Linn.Var. = Phos muriculatus, Gould.Var. = Phos angulatus, Sowerby.Hah. West Island, Prince of Wales Channel, Torres Straits(Co2:>p{n(/er) ; Port Essington, 7 fms. {Juices in Brit. Mus.).The variety muricuUttus cannot, I think, be distiuguished fromthe well-known P. senticosus, of which it has the aspect of being adwarfed form. The style of coloration is similar, and the dift'erencein sculpture is very slight indeed, not sufficient to warrant, in myopinion, a specific separation. In the British Museum I find aseries graduating from the short stumpy form of P. muriculatus tothe more graceful elongate outline of P. senticosus, the latter consistingof eight whorls, exclusive of the smooth apex, and the formerof six, other specimens intermediate with regard to length havingseven. P. angulatus appears to offer very slight differences beyondthe absence in a greater or less degree of colour.34. Purpura bitubercularis, var.Lamarck ; Kiener, Coq. Viv. pi. xi. fig. 32 ;Reeve, Conch. Lc. fig. 37 ;Kdster, Conch.-Cab. pi. 31 a. figs. 3-8.= Purpura kienerii, Deshnyes, Anim. sans Vert. vol. x. p. 101.Var. = Purpura undata, Heeve (? Lamarck), Conch. Leon. fig. 43.Hab. Philippine Islands (Cuming); Port Essington (Juhes);Arakan coast {Blanford) ; Pelew Islands (Dr. King) ; Port Molle,Uueensland ( Co^^pinger).This species varies considerably in the length and development ofthe tubercles. The two small specimens from Queensland havethem short and obtuse, as represented in fig. 3 of Kiister. Someother forms, which have been described under various names, mayeventually be considered conspecific with this : such are P. luteostoma,Chemnitz, P. alveolata, Heeve, P. clavigera, Kiister, andperhaps P. bronni, Dunker. I cannot, however, agree with Tryonthat P. hippocastanum should also be classed with this species. Ishould here observe that the specimen figured by Eeeve as P. undataof Lamarck is unquestionably a variety of this species (bitubercularis),