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interior shows the outside network on a ground of greenish tint. Margin smooth. About a quarter of an inch in length, it is found between tide marks attached to the under side of loose boulders.

Auckland Harbour; Mount Maunganui; Wellington Harbour; Sumner; Lyttelton; Greymouth.

Plate V No. 5

Acmaea fragilis (akme, a point; fragile).—A small limpet, almost transparent, oval in shape, remarkably flattened, with the apex close up to the front margin, and coloured green and brown in alternate concentric bands. Internally the prevailing colour is bright green, not exactly an emerald green as usually described, but the beautiful opaque green seen on antique bronzes. Like all the acmaea family the A. fragilis is not iridescent internally. It is slightly over half an inch in length, and is found by turning over smooth loose boulders between tide marks. It is better not to use a knife in removing them, as the shells are almost sure to suffer; but, after sprinkling them with a little water, gently slide them off with the finger and thumb.

Found in the North and South Islands: Smugglers' Bay; Whangarei Heads; Mount Maunganui; Chatham Islands.

Plate V No. 8–8a

Acmaea helmsi (akme, a point; named in honour of Mr. R. Helms).—This little acmaea bears a strong family likeness to the A. Daedala, having similar sculpturing, and colour marking externally; but the shell is rather rounder in outline, the A. Daedala being slightly more of an elongated oval. The A. Helmsi has an opaque central area, and a semi-transparent border rayed with dark brown, radiating streaks.

Found on boulders between tide marks, Picton, South Island.

Plate V No. 4–4a

Acmaea parviconoidea (akme, a point; parviconoidea, like a small cone).—These delicate little limpets are found on the rocks in company with the Modiolus ater, the well-known small black mussel, which clusters so densely on the piles of wharves and piers. The shell is oval, and usually highly conical, with the apex near to the anterior third, sharply pointed and more or less curved forward. Although this shell is generally incrusted or eroded, occasionally one finds specimens showing the radiate ribs and threads, but identification is easily established by the brown and yellow stripes which are seen round the lower third of the exterior and are also invariably shown on the

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