Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/341

Rh spirit specimens, and suggesting for the animals (regarded as belonging to two species), the names of Bombyxinus melanostoma and B. uva.

(2). Rang, from information thus obtained, drew up a memoir, and published it in 1829. He disregarded Bélanger's MS. names, however, and described the shells as Litiopa melanostoma and L. maculata.

(3). Bélanger (1833?), dissatisfied with Rang's account, gave full details of his observations, the name Bombyxinus being here published for the first time.

(4). Kiener (1833) restated Bélanger's observations, and united the two supposed species as Litiopa bombix.

(5). Eydoux and Souleyet, during the voyage of the 'Bonite,' re-collected specimens from the gulf-weed, and are believed to be the only naturalists, other than Bélanger, who have published observations on the living animal. This they did in 1839.

(6). Naturalists agree that the two forms should be united; but Kiener's name is inadmissible (as also are those of Bélanger, over which the names of Rang have priority of publication). The creature—with Litiopa maculata among the synonymy—is now known as Litiopa melanostoma.

(7). Nearly all the books contain accounts of the animal's spinning habits. These, however, are derived from Rang and Kiener (without reference to the original notes of Bélanger and Eydoux and Souleyet); the information is thus unsatisfactory; and the tale, being an often-told one, has grown considerably.

Bélanger's notes have the form of extracts from a log, and are evidently the result of careful observation. It was on June 26th that the creature first came up with the gulf-weed, and, on shaking the weed to make the animals fall, Bélanger observed that some remained suspended, at a considerable distance, by an