Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales

Description of a New Species of Perameles, from New Ireland -by E. PIERSON RAMSAY, Curator of the Australian Museum, Sydney.

PERAMELES COCKERELLII. Nov. Sp.

HEAD conical, pointed; snout long, tapering; eye small; ears' small, rounded, almost as broad as long; limbs short and thick made; hind feet broad; nails of fore feet strong, arched, rounded; the outer and inner toes rudimentary, and without nails; the fur harsh; spiny on the back, composed of flat, grooved spines, black hairs intermixed with fine hair of a rusty brown colour; on the sides the spiny hairs are blackish, tipped with rusty not so stiff, and mixed with rusty and grey hairs of a finer texture; the rusty colour more conspicuous on the thighs and hind legs; under surface light ashy grey or white; hair on the inner side of the limbs without spines; feet clothed with flattish, light ashy brown or grey hairs; the basal portion of which is brown; head blackish-brown, with a few fine grey hairs; snout bare; sides of the face, throat, and chest light ashy brown; ears with a few reddish hairs on inner surface, blackish on the outer; tail blackish above, whitish beneath, apparently naked, but clothed very sparingly with fine hairs.

From snout to root of tail, 10 inches; tail, 25 inches; head, 27; fore feet, 1 inch; nail of longest toe, 0·4.

Hind feet, 19; longest toe, 0·7; its nail, 0·4.

From snout to eye, 17; from snout to base of ear, 2.6; ear, 0.7 x 0.6.

Hab. New Ireland.

A larger specimen measured: Total length from snout to root of tail, 12 inches; tail, 3.2; hind foot, 2-3; fore foot, 13; from snout to base of ear, 3 inches; to orbit, 2.2.

This species I have named after Mr. James Cockerell, who accompanied the Rev. George Brown during his recent missionary voyage to the islands north-east of New Guinea, and from whom the Museum obtained the present specimen, only two of which species were obtained during the trip.

MONDAY, 25TH NOVEMBER, 1876.

WILLIAM MACLEAY, Esq., F.L.S., President, in the Chair. The Secretary announced the receipt of the "Proceedings of the Societé Entomologique de Belgique for September, 1876."

Mr. Brazier exhibited a new and handsome species of Murex from Port Darwin. He announced his intention of describing it at a future meeting of the Society.

The following Papers were read :—

Shells collected during the Chevert Expedition. By J. BRAZIER, C.M.Z.S., Cor. Mem. Roy. Soc., Taş.

FAMILY CANCELLARIIDE.

1. CANCELLARIA MACROSPIRA.

Cancellaria macrospira, Adams and Reeve, Moll. Voyage, Samarang, p. 41, pl. 10, fig. 2.

Hab. Darnley Island, Torres Straits, sandy mud bottom, 30 fathoms. Also, Coast of Borneo and China Sea (Belcher.)

2.-CANCELLARIA AUSTRALIS.

Cancellaria Australis, Sowerby, Thes. Conch., vol. 2, p. 442, pl. 95, fig. 72-73.

Hab. Darnley Island, Torres Straits, sandy mud bottom, 30 fathoms.

3.-CANCELLARIA (TRIGONOSTOMA) BICOLOR.

Cancellaria bicolor, Hinds, Proc. Zool. Soc., London, 1843, p. 48. Sowerby, Thes. Conch., vol. 2, p. 456, pl. 94, fig. 49-50; pl. 95, fig. 69.

Hab. Cape Grenville, North-East Australia, 25 fathoms, sandy mud bottom, specimens white; Darnley Island, Torres Straits, 30 fathoms, sandy mud, specimen white, spirally banded with narrow brown bands.

4.-CANCELLARIA (TRIGONOSTOMA) LAMELLOSA.

Cancellaria lamellosa, Hinds, Proc. Zool. Soc., London, 1843, p. 49.

Hab. Darnley Island, Torres Straits, 15 fathoms, sand bottom.

5.-CANCELLARIA (TRIGONOSTOMA) OBLIQUATA.

Cancellaria obliquata, Lam. Anim. Sans Vert., tome 7, p. 115. Sowerby, Thes. Conch., vol. 2, p. 453, pl. 96,

fig. 83.

Hab. Palm Island, North-East Coast of Australia, 8 fathoms, mud bottom; Darnley Island, Torres Straits, 30 fathoms, sandy bottom.

FAMILY TRICHOTROPIDE.

6. TRICHOTROPIS TRICARINATA, N. SP.

Shell somewhat conical, whity-brown, deeply umbilicated; strongly three-keeled at the periphery, the keel at the angle running into the suture, keels showing faint minute spicules (only seen with the lens); whorls 4, somewhat tabled, the last large and angled above in front, spire rather more than half the whole length, apex smooth, white; umbilicus wide, bordered with a broad keel, which forms the outside of a very narrow canal at the base; columella narrow, thin, straight; aperture squarely ovate; peristome continuous, divided by a small passage between the body whorl, slightly expanded at the base.

Length, 2; breadth, 24; least, 1 line.

Hab. Bet Island, Torres Straits, 11 fathoms, white sandy mud bottom; off Katow, New Guinea, 7 miles; bottom sand and mud, 8 fathoms. This species differs from any of the known Trichotropis by its large and open umbilicus somewhat like T. unicarinata, (Sowb.), the lip being continuous and divided from the body whorl by a small narrow passage. Only one speciman found at Bet Island, Torres Straits, it being 23 lines long, 24 lines in breadth,

least 1 lines. Two specimens obtained off Katow, New Guinea, much smaller, both dead and somewhat seaworn.

7. TRICHOTROPIS GRACILENTA, N. SP.

Shell turrited, thin, transparent, umbilicated, smooth; whorls 5, flatly spirally angled, three-keeled, one on the angle, one in the centre, and one above the suture, studded with close set, obtuse, nearly obsolete spines; spire acuminated; apex white, shiny, smooth, rounded, umbilicus narrow, with a small keel bordering the edge; aperture nearly rounded; columella slightly tortuous, acuminated at the lower part.

Length, 23; breadth, 1; least, 1 line.

Hab. Darnley Island, Torres Straits, 30 fathoms, white sandy mud bottom. One specimen found (Brazier).

There are thirteen species of Trichotropis at present known, namely T. Cedo-nulli, A. Ad.; bicarinata, Brod. and Sowerby; unicarinata, Brod. and Sowerby; quadricarinata, A. Adams—all from Japan; Borealis, Brod. and Sowerby, Behring's Straits, Greenland and North Britain; insignis, Middendorf, Behring's Straits; cancellata, flavidula, inermis, Hinds, Sitka, North West Coast of America; Ruzeri, Phillippi, Spitzbergen; conica, Muller, Greenland; costellata, Couthouy, North America; clathrata, A. Adams, New Zealand, on the authority of Mr. A. Adams. The present

two new species from Australia bring the number up to fifteen.

FAMILY CERITHIIDÆ.

SUB-FAMILY CERITHIINÆ.

8.-CERITHIUM NODULOSUM.

Cerithium nodulosum, Brug. Dict. No. 8.