Chapter XV: Part II: Marine Invertebrates (10)

^S. pugilis.^ The very common Floridian species, often three to
four inches in height, with a short spire covered with nodes or
short, obtuse spines, which are also found upon the shoulder of the
body-whorl (sometimes smooth). The aperture is long, with a wide
notch in the outer lip and a posterior canal. Living specimens have
a tough, leathery epidermis covering at least the body-whorl. The
color is brownish. The columella is covered with a fairly thick
callous deposit, and, as within the aperture, is highly polished,
and deep purple, blackish-chestnut, or vivid carnation-red in
color. The smoother varieties have gone under the name of ^S.
alatus^, but the identity of the two species is assured. This
pugilistic /Strombus/ is a very active mollusk, and when placed in
a boat will sometimes effect its escape over the side in a most
surprising manner. The species is very abundant in all the shallow
waters of Florida. A piece of meat on a string, left overnight in
some sheltered sandy spot where there are from six to eight feet of
water, will surely attract them. In Florida, where the waters teem
with life, unless the bait is protected in a wire cage, the chances
are that the hosts of crustaceans and fish will make away with it
long before the strombs can arrive on the scene. (Plate LXX.)

^S. gigas.^ One of the largest of gasteropods, very common on the
Florida Keys and also occurring in southern Florida. Hundreds of
thousands of these shells have been sent to Europe from the Bahamas
to be cut into cameos. This familiar shell is to be seen everywhere
in the South, placed about flower-gardens and lining the paths
and walks in yards. It is generally known in Florida and the West
Indies as the "conch-shell." The animal is used as food in Key
West, and is very generally eaten throughout the Bahamas. From
their habit of eating [pg377] these animals the natives of some
of the Bahama Islands are themselves called "Conchs." The rich pink
color of the shell is very striking.

There are perhaps seventy-five or eighty species of /Strombus/
inhabiting the tropical seas, and many of them are highly prized by
collectors on account of their great beauty.

FAMILY ~CYPRAEIDAE~

GENUS ^Cypraea^

/Cypraea/ is one of the "aristocratic" genera. Whether the shell or the animal itself is considered, there is probably no genus of mollusks which offers so much of beauty and interest to the collector and student. The genus is a tropical one, and finds its metropolis among the coral-fringed islands of the equatorial Pacific. Despite their brilliant colors and general attractiveness, the cowries--for such is their popular name--are very modest and shy; they prefer to hide among rocks, where they may be secure from molestation, for probably their conspicuous appearance is a real source of danger to them. In the animal of /Cypraea/ the mantle is provided with two large lateral lobes, which are reflexed and meet over the top of the shell; thus, when the mantle is fully extended, the shell is entirely concealed. These mantle lobes are often furnished with numerous forked, tufted, or ramified filaments. The foot is long; there is no operculum. The color of the animal is often very striking in its intensity. A description of the cowry-shell is hardly necessary, so familiar is every one with it. A deposit of enamel is made all over the shell, and its painting and decoration, usually very elaborate, is reserved for the adult as a final process in the artistic completion of its home. The aperture is as long as the shell, is channeled at both ends, and is toothed along both margins. The spire is insignificant and is concealed by layers of enamel. In the young the shell has a very different appearance, resembling a sharp-lipped /Oliva/, and its scheme of coloration may be entirely different from that employed by the adult.

Among the /Cypraeidae/ are many remarkable species. The splendid ^Cypraea aurantia^, a native of the Fiji Islands, is one of the shells most sought after by enthusiastic collectors. The natives [pg378] learned its value long ago, and hold specimens of it at very substantial prices. It is worn as an ornament by chiefs and as a mark of distinction. The well-known ^C. moneta^, also a native of the Pacific Islands, has been very extensively used as money throughout the South Seas and in Africa. There are many collectors of shells who confine their efforts almost exclusively to this and to one or two of the other "aristocratic" genera. From an esthetic point of view this is very natural, but biologically the less pretentious mollusks are quite as interesting.

Of the one hundred and fifty or more species in existence only three are to be found upon the Atlantic coast of the United States, and the chances are decidedly against the finding of any of them north of extreme southern Florida.

^C. exanthema.^ A species not uncommon at Key West, where it may
be seen slowly crawling about the mangrove roots near the water's
edge. It attains a length of from four to six inches, and is so
highly polished that a good specimen could be used as a mirror. In
color it is shining, light chestnut, clouded with purple; the lips
are a dark, very rich chestnut; over all are whitish spots which
appear to shine forth from beneath the enamel. Lengthwise along
the middle of the back is a zone of lighter color which reflects a
purplish sheen. (Plate LXX.)

^C. spurca.^ Another Floridian species, properly belonging to the
West Indian fauna. It is not more than one half an inch long, and
is white in color, but it is so thickly dotted with yellow spots
upon the back that it would pass for a yellow shell. The base is
pure white. The surface of the shell glistens in the light.

GENUS ^Trivia^

In the genus /Trivia/ the shell is shaped in every way like that of /Cypraea/, but its surface is never smooth. In the middle of the back is a longitudinal groove, from which run transverse ribs, which continue around to and enter into the aperture. The shells are always small, never exceeding one half of an inch in length, and their color is generally reddish or brownish, passing to pink.

^T. pediculus.^ A Floridian species, first described by the great
naturalist Linnaeus. Like most of the descriptions of the earlier
naturalists, this is very short and inadequate, and would apply
equally well to almost any /Trivia/. The color is rose-pink, with
several large brownish splashes on the back. The spire is entirely
hidden. It is found in shallow water in pools, and on the beach
after storms. (Plate LXX.) [pg379]

^T. quadripunctata.^ Much smaller than the preceding; rose-red,
with four conspicuous reddish-brown dots on the back, two on each
side of the median dorsal groove. Found in Florida. (Plate LXX.)

On the California coast are also several species of /Trivia/ and
one /Cypraea/, but they belong to the Southern California peninsula,
and are not commonly found farther north than Santa Barbara. The
cowry is called ^C. spadacea^; it grows to a length of about two
inches, is highly polished, with white base and sides, and is
bright chestnut above. As is usual in the cypraeas, the spire is
covered with enamel.

^T. californica.^ A species found at Monterey and thence south.
It lacks the median dorsal groove, and has a whitish color-streak
instead. The ribs are white, and the ground-color of the shell
is dark brownish-red. These little shells, when found upon the
beach, are called "coffee-shells," from their somewhat striking
resemblance to the coffee-bean, being flat on one side and rounded
upon the other, and otherwise resembling it in size and color.
(Plate LXX.)

^T. solandri.^ This species may be found at Santa Barbara and San
Diego. It is twice as large as the last species, and has a very
deep groove in the back and widely separated ribs. Color rose to
brown. The groove on the back penetrates into the white portion of
the shell.

FAMILY ~DOLIIDAE~

This small family furnishes two conspicuously handsome species belonging to the genus /Dolium/, which range from Hatteras southward into the West Indies.

GENUS ^Dolium^

^D. galea^ and ^D. perdix^. The animal in both of these species
has a relatively large foot, which spreads out while in the act
of creeping and seems far too bulky ever to be withdrawn into the
shell. It is square in front, and, bulging out far to each side,
tapers to a blunt point behind. The most noticeable feature of the
animal, however, is the great development of its proboscis, which
is quite as long as the shell itself. The siphon is also long and
is curved over the back of the shell. The operculum is wanting in
adult specimens. The shell of /D. galea/ sometimes attains a length
of eight inches, with a diameter of about six inches; the other
species is not quite so large. They are both ventricose, thin,
inflated shells, with large body-whorls and crenulated lips. Both
are slightly umbilicated and ornamented with revolving, regularly
spaced ribs. The ribs of /D. perdix/ are not so highly raised,
but they are painted with light reddish-brown spots. /D. galea/
is white, with a lower spire and deeply channeled sutures. (Plate
LXXI.)

GENUS ^Pyrula^

^P. papyratia.^ One of the commonest as well as one of the
handsomest of American shells. It is a Floridian species, found in
shallow water and on sandy bottoms. The animal greatly resembles
that [pg380] of /Dolium/, except that it has two side-flaps,
which, when extended, partially inclose the shell. The shell is
thin, with an almost flat spire and a greatly enlarged body-whorl.
The aperture is flaring, and is drawn out anteriorly into a
tapering canal, which gives to the shell the outlines of a pear.
The ornamentation is revolving, but not highly raised, and there
are ribs with very distinct longitudinal lines of growth between.
The color is pure white, or sometimes yellowish, with rufous spots;
within it is golden. This attractive shell is usually from three to
four inches in length, but is sometimes found considerably larger.
(Plate LXXI.)

FAMILY ~CASSIDIDAE~

GENUS ^Cassis^

The cassides, commonly known as the "helmet-shells," are carnivorous mollusks, which lead an active life in sandy stations, prowling about in search of bivalves, upon which they prey. They have a large siphon and a fairly large and extensible proboscis. The foot is broad and strong, being well adapted for plowing through the sand. The shell of /Cassis/ is large, generally heavy and inflated, with a short spire and a short, recurved anterior canal. The lip is much thickened. Upon the Atlantic coast of North America there are four species of /Cassis/. They are all properly West Indian in their faunal relations, but have found lodgment on the American shore at various points. All of them have been taken in the neighborhood of Cape Hatteras, two of them in West Florida, and two in Texas.

^C. tuberosa.^ A large, heavy shell, often from six to eight inches
in length, with a flattened spire. The aperture is long and narrow,
with large white teeth upon the outer lip, which is also greatly
thickened. The columellar lip is ribbed. A heavy deposit of enamel
to the left of the columellar lip gives the shell a triangular
outline. A row of very large nodes upon the shoulder of the
body-whorl and two rows of obsolete nodes below are characteristic
features of this species. The color is light yellowish-brown
suffused with pink. The aperture and the columellar callosity are
flesh-tinted, with chestnut trimmings. The anterior canal is deep
and recurved.

^C. cameo.^ A species of about the same size as the last, but
more ovate or ventricose in form. It is coarsely striated, with
elevated growth-lines, and has circling rows of large, rib-like
elevations, having sometimes nodes upon the body-whorl. The
columella is conspicuously ribbed and greatly expanded. The outer
lip is thickened, and has lamelliform teeth within. Flesh-colored;
teeth white; purple-brown trimmings. A great many of these shells
are sent yearly from Nassau [pg381] to Italy, where they are used
in cameo-cutting. It is owing to the fact that the substance of
these shells is deposited in layers of different colors that they
are available for this purpose. There are about fifty species of
helmet-shells, the one most valued for cameo-cutting being known as
the black helmet, /C. Madagascarensis/.

^C. testiculus.^ A species found outside of the West Indies only
at Key West and at Hatteras, where the Gulf Stream has brought so
many West Indian forms, and left them at the point where it takes
its oblique course away from the shore. This pretty species is
smaller than the others just described. It has a low, depressed
spire; longitudinal ribs crossing wide, flat revolving ribs; a
long, narrow aperture; and a reflexed and thickened outer lip,
also toothed. The columella is thickened and ribbed. The anterior
canal is recurved over the back of the shell, as is usual in the
genus. The color is bluish, with dark spots. There are square black
spots on the reflexed lip; the aperture is pink, and the teeth
and columellar ribs white. This species is exceedingly common at
Nassau, and plays havoc with the more slowly moving bivalves, which
it devours. (Plate LXXI.)

^C. inflata.^ Perhaps the commonest species of /Cassis/ on our
coast. It is reported to be common at Beaufort, South Carolina, yet
it is not so frequently met with out of the West Indies as some
earlier collectors would have us believe. Beach-worn specimens,
however, are not unusual all along the Florida coast. It attains
a size of from three to four inches, and is a rounded, globose,
ventricose shell, with a higher spire than is usual in this
genus. The surface is almost smooth, the series of revolving ribs
being scarcely raised on the body-whorl. The lip is thickened
and reflexed, with prominent lamelliform teeth which continue as
internal ribs. The lower portion of the columella is calloused and
roughly granulated. The color is bluish-white, glazed, with large
square brown spots. The region of the aperture is pure white.
The collector should not remain content with a specimen or two
of the poor beach-worn shells of this species. In general, this
advice applies to the collection of all specimens. One can get
no idea of the sculpturing and painting of shells from dead and
worn specimens. It is quality rather than quantity that makes an
interesting cabinet. (Plate LXXI.)

FAMILY ~MURICIDAE~

SUBFAMILY ~MURICINAE~

It seems like making a long leap to pass suddenly from the /Cassididae/ to the /Muricidae/. In the natural biological order, as it appears in our present state of knowledge, a host of families and genera intervene between these two. But they are omitted here, either because they do not conspicuously occur upon our own shores, or because they are free-swimming pelagic mollusks, which live only far out at sea and rarely are found on the beaches. The family /Muricidae/ is an exceedingly large one, including a [pg382] bewildering number of well-characterized genera. It has many representatives in every sea, but, as is apt to be the case, the finest and most striking species are tropical. The animal is not peculiar in any way, being altogether a conventional prosobranch gasteropod, with moderately long foot, and the usual tentacles placed upon a small head. There is a retractile proboscis, which suggests carnivorous habits. In reality the /Muricidae/ are perfect pirates among the /Mollusca/, attacking nearly every species they encounter, piercing its shell and devouring the unfortunate inhabitant. They live in rocky and gravelly places or about coral reefs. Their shells are seldom colored, except about the aperture. What the shells lack in color, however, they fully gain in oddness of form and in sculpturing. The anterior canal varies from a mere notch to an astonishingly long channel. The tendency to nodes, varices, spires, and varicose processes in general is a prominent feature of the family.

There are several genera, with numerous species, upon the east and west coasts of the United States, but we can do no more here than mention those which are very common.

GENUS ^Murex^

Of this tropical genus there are two Floridian species--/M. rufus/ and /M. pomum/. The genus has been very extensively divided into subgenera, based upon shell-characters alone. Some of these subgenera are usually accepted at full generic value, and their substitution for the old, well-established name /Murex/ is to be expected. These two Floridian species fall within different subgeneric lines, and the student who goes to a museum to compare his catch with the labeled specimens on exhibition will probably be puzzled to find his two murices named /Chicoreus rufus/ and /Phyllonotus pomum/ respectively. But for our purposes the name /Murex/ will do well enough.

^M. rufus.^ This species scarcely ever exceeds three inches
in length. Its spire is moderately high, and the aperture is
oblong-ovate, with a long, slightly curved, and almost completely
inclosed anterior canal. Through the end of this the fleshy siphon
projects in life. The shell is most extravagantly sculptured--so
intricately that it is difficult to [pg383] describe it. Its
most conspicuous feature is the large foliaceous varices which
cross the whorls, projecting almost one fourth of an inch from the
body of the shell. Between each of these varices is a large node.
There is, besides all this, a system of pronounced revolving ribs
which cross the varices and nodes, giving to the shell a greatly
roughened appearance. The interior is bluish-white. The operculum
is corneous, with a subterminal nucleus. Unfortunately, this really
handsome shell is usually incrusted with coralline or calcareous
matter, which must be removed with acid before a good idea of
its appearance can be had. In color it is reddish-brown to dark
chestnut on the varices. It is very common on the west coast of
Florida, but rarer elsewhere. (Plate LXXII.)

Pyrula papyratia.

Cassis testiculus. Cassis inflata.]

^M. pomum.^ A more abundant species, found all along the coast
from Hatteras to Texas. It is not so elongated as the last, and
its sculptural design is much less exaggerated. Between each of
the varices are two nodules. The aperture is oblong-ovate, and
the anterior canal is nearly closed and recurved toward the back.
Revolving ribs cross the varices and nodules. The color is ashen,
with chestnut tips upon the nodes and varices, and chestnut-colored
patches about the aperture. The varices are simple and not
foliaceous as in /M. rufus/; the shell is more globose. Length two
to three inches. (Plate LXXII.)

^M. (Phyllonotus) fulvescens.^ The largest of the American murices.
It is not commonly found except in Texas.

GENUS ^Trophon^

^T. clathratus.^ A fairly common shell of the Maine coast;
although it belongs to a deeper zone than that of the tides, it
is occasionally found after storms upon the shore. It is a small
fusiform shell, with many prominent longitudinal ribs and a
produced anterior canal. /Trophon/ is a boreal genus, which finds
the best conditions for life in the icy waters of Labrador and
Greenland.

GENUS ^Urosalpinx^

The genus /Urosalpinx/ is closely allied to /Murex/ and /Trophon/. Several of its species are found on the east coast of the United States.

^U. cinerea.^ This well-known species is regarded by Chesapeake and
Long Island Sound oystermen much in the light of a plague. These
active predaceous mollusks live upon bivalves, and preferably upon
oysters. They bore a small round hole through the shell of their
helpless victims, and then proceed to extract the succulent, fleshy
animal from within. The oystermen call them by the suggestive
name of "drill," and wage incessant warfare upon them. In some
years these mollusks appear to go into partnership with the large
starfish, /Asterias/, and the combination of the two can soon
destroy any oyster-bed. The original home of this destructive
little creature is presumed to be in Chesapeake [pg384] Bay, but
the transplanting of oyster-spat thence to Long Island Sound has
introduced the enemy at the same time. The species has a wide range
from Florida to Cape Cod, and locally north of that point; in fact,
it may be counted upon to appear wherever there are oyster-beds.
The shell is dingy gray in color, and its whorls are crossed by a
dozen or more rib-like undulations, and numerous revolving striae.
The anterior canal is produced, and is yellowish-brown within.
Length under an inch.

GENUS ^Eupleura^

^E. caudata.^ A curiously flattened shell which has close family
connections with that last described. The peculiarly flat
appearance is due to the fact that there is a rather wide varix
upon each side of the shell. It is a small species, never more than
an inch in length, dingy gray, with longitudinal undulations upon
the whorls, and a long, narrow anterior canal and crenulated lip.
The animal is white and yellow, and is notable for its activity.
Found from Maine to Florida, about low-tide mark.

On the west coast of the United States occurs a striking development of a group of the /Muricidae/ of a curious foliaceous appearance, belonging to the genera /Pteronotus/, /Ocinebra/, and /Cerostoma/.

GENUS ^Pteronotus^

^P. festivus.^ The shell is marked by three well-raised varices
upon each whorl, which are reflexed backward; between each varix
is a rounded knob. All is covered with numerous spiral lines
of sculpture, which upon crossing the varices are frilled. The
aperture is oval and white within; the anterior canal is entirely
closed and is reflexed slightly over the back. Length two inches;
color dingy white. Found on the southern coast of California.
(Plate LXXII.)

GENUS ^Ocinebra^

^O. poulsoni.^ This has the same dingy white color as the species
last described. Its plan of sculpturing is somewhat different and
consists of a series of rounded varices, about nine to a whorl,
crossed by spiral lines. The anterior canal is open, and just
within the white aperture, upon the inner side of the lip, is a
series of five or six little round teeth. This species frequents
the waters near San Diego, and sometimes grows to be two inches in
length. (Plate LXXII.)

^O. lurida.^ A much smaller species than the last, being not more
than one half to three fourths of an inch in length. Very common
at Monterey and in San Francisco Bay. It is strongly marked with
spiral lines covering the longitudinal undulations usually found in
this genus, but which are less prominently developed in this case.

There are several species of small ocinebras upon the California
coast, but they are not easily determined without a more critical
examination [pg385] than we are giving our specimens. They are
^O. interfossa^, a small shell with deep spiral grooves, sharp
varices, and deep sutures; and ^O. circumtexta^, also small, but
heavy, short-spired, with scalloped or crenulated outer lip.

GENUS ^Cerostoma^

^C. nuttallii.^ A species belonging to the southern coast of
California. It may be recognized at once by two prominent
characters: first, a horn-like projection from near the base of the
outer lip, and, second, the tumid varices alternating with rounded
knobs. It has no spiral series of lines like those in /Pteronotus
festivus/; and it has a row of five or six little teeth upon the
inner side of the aperture, like those in /Ocinebra poulsoni/.
The anterior canal is closed. It is about two inches long. (Plate
LXXII.)

^C. foliatum.^ A shell somewhat like the last, but almost twice as
large, with heavy wing-like varices (three upon each whorl), made
up of overlapping plaits. The knobs between the varices are much
smaller, while the revolving ribs, though fewer in number than in
most of these west-coast murices, are heavy and large. The aperture
is oblong, the anterior canal closed. There is a "horn" near the
base of the aperture, as in /C. nuttallii/, but no row of teeth
upon the under side of the lip. The color is dingy white. (Plate
LXXII.)

In the waters of Oregon and Washington there are a few trophons and
other forms similar to the east-coast genera. These no doubt belong
to the boreal and arctic faunal provinces, and have spread over
both the Atlantic and Pacific northern regions.

SUBFAMILY ~PURPURINAE~

This is considered a subfamily of the /Muricidae/, and the group therefore bears the subfamily termination /-inae/. There is no vital difference between it and the subfamily /Muricinae/. The operculum in the /Purpurinae/ has a lateral nucleus instead of a subterminal one, but beyond this there are no essential differences. The shell of the purpuras is generally heavy and solid, being adapted to a life among rocks which are exposed to the beating of the surf. There is a lack of that extravagant sculptural design so characteristic of the true murices, most of the purpuras being comparatively smooth, in order, no doubt, that they may offer as little resistance as possible to the rushing, seething waters of exposed rocky shores.

The /Purpurinae/, like some of the murices, when mutilated, exude a reddish-purple fluid. On account of this, the ancient Romans used to gather great quantities of certain Mediterranean forms belonging to these families, place them in large mortars, [pg386] and grind them up, shell and all. A garment dipped in the mixture and then exposed to the sun would receive a rich purple dye. This was the basis of the famous "Tyrian purple." The process was lost, and was rediscovered many centuries later, but it was long ago abandoned in favor of the far superior modern chemical dyes.

GENUS ^Purpura^

^P. lapillus.^ No one who has ever spent an observant hour among
the rocks at low tide, on the shores of Massachusetts or Maine,
has failed to notice the myriads of /P. lapillus/ clinging to
the barnacle-covered boulders, or slowly creeping about in the
tide-pools. This rather pretty little mollusk is a native of Great
Britain, and there attains its greatest development and exhibits
best its marvelous range of variation. It is presumed to be an
immigrant in American waters, having found its way across the sea
by Iceland and Greenland, and thence down the coast. As it is a
cold-water animal, and can only survive in open, rocky stations,
it will probably never pass south of New York. It is difficult
to describe this well-known species because it is so extremely
variable. There is an individuality about the species which causes
it to be recognized at once, yet its details are elusive. It is
never more than one and a half inches long (in the United States),
and varies in color from white through yellow to chocolate. Often
it is banded in yellow or brown. Near the only sand-beach of Bar
Harbor is a colony with vermilion bands. The shell varies from a
smooth to an exceedingly rough exterior, the latter being caused by
raised scales along the lines of growth, which make the shell even
prickly to the touch. Of this latter form there is a large colony
on Campobello Island. Numerous coarse revolving ridges are common.
The columella is flattened and smooth, and its lower portion is
a little twisted. The anterior canal is short. /P. lapillus/ has
been accused of attacking clams and boring their shells, as does
the predaceous /Urosalpinx cinerea/, but the accusation is not well
founded. /Purpura/ is carnivorous, and no doubt destroys many young
barnacles; but with its short and small foot it would find great
difficulty in digging in the sand for clams.

In Florida waters there are several purpuras, which properly belong
to the West Indian fauna, but enjoy an extensive range.

^P. patula.^ This species has a rounded body-whorl, and sometimes a
low spire, which give it much the appearance of a large limpet. Its
back is decorated with rows of nodules in regular order, forming
a spiral series. The chief point of distinction is the deeply
excavated, broadened, and flattened columella-lip of salmon-color.
A portion of the whorl itself is worn down and made smooth by being
dragged over sharp coral rocks, revealing underneath the rough,
incrusted exterior, a transparent colorless shelly substance. Dark
and chestnut-colored [pg387] patches and spots adorn the outer
lip. The shell is from two to two and a half inches long. (Plate
LXXIII.)

^P. haemastoma.^ Like its relative, /P. lapillus/ of Northern
waters, this species is so variable as almost to defy description.
The form that usually occurs from Hatteras to Florida is of a
bluish-gray color, and is indistinctly encircled with narrow yellow
zones, which are crossed by somewhat vague longitudinal waves of
black. The columella and outer lip and interior are orange-yellow.
The spire is moderately high, with a sharp apex. The whorls are
noduled upon the shoulder. There are revolving grooves throughout,
even within the aperture. A Texan variety of this species has
a much more elevated spire, with channeled sutures, and small
aperture of bright salmon-color.

Upon the Californian coast there are three species of /Purpura/,
which markedly resemble the /P. lapillus/ of the Maine shores.
Their extreme variability has given rise to much confusion in their
nomenclature; the multitude of names given by numerous authors to
the varietal forms of these three species constitute a list of
synonyms which is appalling to the systematic student.

^P. crispata.^ With very few modifications, a description of /P.
lapillus/ would apply to this species, which occurs commonly at San
Francisco and ranges north. /Crispata/ is possibly heavier, with a
smaller aperture, and with four or five round teeth upon the inner
white surface of the thickened outer lip. It ranges in color from
pure white to dark brown and is sometimes banded. The surface may
be smooth or rough, and is sometimes ruffled all over with wrinkled
frills. Length one and a half inches. Its habits and station are
much the same as those of /P. lapillus/, of which it is possibly
a descendant, somewhat modified by changed environment. (Plate
LXXIII.)

^P. lima.^ A less common species, with rounded whorls and channeled
suture, and about fifteen spiral grooves upon the whorls. The color
is light brown; the length from one quarter of an inch to one inch.

^P. saxicola.^ A shell exceedingly abundant along the whole
Californian coast, living under quite the same conditions as the
purpuras already described. It is smaller than the last two, being
always less than an inch in length. It also runs through the gamut
of variations as to color-scheme and sculpturing, but always
preserves a certain individuality. There is a tendency to a small
umbilicus; the outer lip is sharp; the columella is flattened and
slightly twisted; and anterior canal is short, and bears to the
left. A smaller aperture, with relatively thicker shell, seems to
be all that distinguishes it from the smaller varieties of the
east-coast species. (Plate LXXIII.)

GENUS ^Monoceras^

This genus, which is very closely allied to /Purpura/, is almost wholly confined to the west coast of the United States. The name is given on account of a peculiarity, which has, however, already been noticed in /Cerostoma/, namely, a horn-like projection from the basal portion of the outer lip. In all other respects this genus is nothing but a true /Purpura/. [pg388]

^M. lapilloides.^ The shell in this species is about an inch in
length, and has markings which give it a striking resemblance to
granite. A row of small round denticles upon the inner surface
of the lip is a characteristic already noticed in some of the
west-coast murices. Their station is the same as that of the
purpuras--between the tides on rocky, exposed shores. (Plate
LXXIII.)

^M. engonatum.^ This species has sharply ridged whorls, and
revolving ribs with wavy growth-lines between them. In other
respects it is almost identical with the last described. It is
often found mingled with the seaweed which covers rocks between
tides, and, when moist, simulates the color of its surroundings.
(Plate LXXIII.)

GENUS ^Chorus^

^C. belcheri.^ This family cannot well be left without at least
a mention of this large and rather handsome species. /Chorus/ is
a genus of but few species, confined to the Pacific shores of
North and South America. This particular species does not reach as
far north as San Francisco, but may be taken at low tide in the
vicinity of San Diego. The prominent feature of the shell is the
posterior canal, which, being abandoned as the growth of the shell
continues, leaves a series of hollow, folded spiny processes upon
the shoulder of the body-whorl, which appear like jagged points
upon the spire. (Plate LXXIII.)

FAMILY ~COLUMBELLIDAE~

This is a large family of small but often exceedingly beautiful shells. Their distribution is mostly tropical, but the list of North American species is a very generous one indeed if the deeper-water forms are included. The animal is quite the same as in the /Buccinidae/, to be described later. (See also description of /Buccinum undatum/ on page 330.) The shells are usually quite solid, with a long, narrow slit for an aperture; the outer lip is thickened on the inside, especially about the middle portion, and is deeply toothed; and the lower portion of the columellar lip is also ribbed or toothed.

GENUS ^Columbella^

^C. mercatoria.^ This Antillean species is found in Florida, and
is one of the gems among the American shallow-water shells. Its
height is about one half of an inch. It is decorated with revolving
grooves and with a variously patterned color-scheme of broken
yellow or reddish [pg389] lines on a white background, or of
white splotches on a brownish background. (Plate LXXIV.)

^C. (Anachis) avara^, and the variety ^C. similis^. These rather
slender shells, about one half to three fifths of an inch long,
occur from Florida northward to Cape Cod. The upper whorls are
smooth, the lower ones are undulated with vertical costae (ten
to thirteen), and the body-whorl is encircled below the middle
by a series of revolving, closely set grooves. The aperture is
typical of the genus, though less strongly marked by internal
callosity on the outer lip and with less prominent teeth than in
/C. mercatoria/. The greater development of the revolving grooves,
which spread over the entire surface of the body-whorl and cross
the costae, producing a granulated surface, constitutes the variety
/C. similis/. The color is brownish, with white reticulations.
This species is to be found in considerable abundance in sandy mud
and among stones and algae about low-water mark. At New Bedford and
Martha's Vineyard, and on Cape Cod, it may always be taken. It is
also common at Norfolk and along the Virginia and Georgia coasts.

^C. (Astyris) lunata.^ One of the characteristic eastern-coast
shells, which, like the last species, ranges from Cape Ann in
Massachusetts to the West Indies. It occurs about low-tide mark
and just below, upon stones and algae, or crawling about on a soft
bottom. On account of its generic features, combined with the
peculiar coloration, the species cannot be mistaken. The latter is
a ground of reddish-brown or fawn, with encircling rows of large
white or yellowish spots. The whorls are quite smooth. Length not
over one fifth of an inch.

The collector soon learns to recognize the variable forms of
these northern-range columbellas. They are not a difficult group,
for once their generic position is established by the characters
of the aperture (which are constant) the species can readily be
determined, notwithstanding their tendencies to vary from the type.
Californian waters also have several columbellas. The conchologists
of the west coast have preferred to apply to their shells, and
indeed to employ in general use, a large number of subgeneric names
in place of the ordinarily accepted generic ones. The result of
this is to confuse at first the student of conchology, who, though
fairly familiar with the molluscan genera, finds himself perplexed
when he confronts a list of west-coast shells. Thus the two common
Californian columbellas are /"Amphissa" corrugata/ and /"Astyris"
gausapata/, these two species belonging to different subgenera of
the genus /Columbella/.

^C. corrugata.^ This shell finds its metropolis in Puget Sound,
but occurs also along the Californian shore. The aperture is wider
than is usual in this genus. The surface is deeply wrinkled by
longitudinal costae and is encircled by revolving grooves. Length
one half of an inch; color red, or orange to light brown. It is
found in shallow protected waters. (Plate LXXIV.)

^C. gausapata.^ This species lives in great numbers about the roots
of eel-grass. It is very small and smooth, with a rather high
spire. The color of the spire is deep brown; the body-whorl is
lighter in color. Occasionally the body-whorl is obtusely carinated
just below the suture. This little shell is very common upon many
beaches after heavy winds, but it should be sought for at very low
tides and gathered alive. (Plate LXXIV.) [pg390]

FAMILY ~NASSIDAE~

These are familiar, and often very characteristic, littoral shells in all parts of the world. Where they exist at all they are generally to be found in astonishingly large numbers, sometimes even crowding out all other mollusks. They are exceedingly active and predaceous, feeding upon other mollusks, whose shells they bore through by means of the sharp teeth upon their lingual ribbon. The /Nassidae/ of the east coast find a relentless enemy in the small hermit-crabs, which attack them, drag them from their coverings, and then proceed to occupy the empty shells themselves; the torn and lacerated /Nassa/ animal is thereupon leisurely eaten, a retribution probably well deserved. The animal of /Nassa/ (the principal genus of /Nassidae/) is peculiar in having frequently a bifurcated tail; or, to speak more correctly, the posterior end of the foot is terminated by two appendices. It has a long siphon, and eyes placed upon the outer sides and near the base of the tentacles. The operculum has serrated edges.

GENUS ^Nassa^

^N. trivittata^, ^N. obsoleta^. These are the two nassas of the
New England and New Jersey coasts. The first has a more northerly
range, extending to the Gulf of St. Lawrence; the other is not
usually found north of Cape Cod, but below that point as far as
Hatteras it is probably the commonest shell of the coast. It fairly
swarms in sheltered muddy reaches about low tide. Little pools left
by the tide on the Jersey flats are sometimes so crowded with /N.
obsoleta/ that for lack of room the animals crawl over one another.
/N. trivittata/ is more commonly taken at small depths in the
harbors, where it seems to live well upon all kinds of sea-bottom.
Probably they exist in great numbers along the southern shore of
Long Island, for the beaches are often lined with their dead and
worn shells. Over half the specimens thus found will have a little
round perforation upon some whorl, showing that they were victims
of some cannibalistic brother. The shells of the /Nassidae/ have a
short, ovate aperture, with a short anterior canal. The inner lip
is smooth, and is usually coated over with a more or less heavy
[pg391] deposit of enamel. /N. trivittata/ is about one half to
seven tenths of an inch long, and is yellowish-white. A series of
revolving grooves cutting across a series of longitudinal lines
gives the shell a decussated or granulated appearance. The whorls
are somewhat shouldered at the sutures, and are white inside.
/N. obsoleta/ cannot be called a handsome shell by the most
enthusiastic collector. Its spire is usually eroded or completely
dissolved away. The color is blackish to olive, with the aperture
purplish-black. The columellar lip is arched, with a twist or
fold in its lower portion. It is decussated by crossing lines and
grooves, though not so conspicuously as /N. trivittata/; sutures
simple; length one half of an inch to one inch. Old specimens not
only become eroded, but are usually covered with vegetable mould,
and are not over-inspiring to the collector. They often live in
brackish water, and frequent all the inlets and marine flats
between Cape Cod and Hatteras. Below Hatteras both this and the
last-named species occur, though not so plentifully.

^N. vibex.^ This ubiquitous little mollusk seems content in any
station, and swarms in all the sandy bays of Florida. It is a
busybody, always on the move, and its long siphon is constantly
vibrating. The shell is about one half an inch long and shining
white, with brown or reddish spots. There are prominent
longitudinal undulations and revolving lines upon the lower part of
the body-whorl. The anterior canal is deeply cut and very short;
the columellar lip arched, richly calloused, and often granulated
at its base. This is probably the first live shell the collector in
Florida will encounter. The animal is very graceful and prettily
marked in color. The terminal cirri on the foot form a notable
feature--a character belonging to the entire family.

^N. fossata^, ^N. perpinguis^. On the California coast there are
the huge (for this genus) /N. fossata/ and the smaller but no less
interesting /N. perpinguis/, also ^N. tegula^ and ^N. mendica^.
/N. fossata/ grows to a length of one and a half to two inches.
When adult the lip is somewhat thickened, and the entire aperture
is bright orange. The color of the shell is ashen-gray, and it
is marked with spiral and transverse riblets which produce a
granulated surface, especially upon the upper whorls. The shell is
ribbed inside the mouth. A deep groove circles the anterior canal
at the base of the body-whorl. /N. perpinguis/ is an especially
graceful shell, smaller than the last-named and more finely
decussated and darker (brown) in color. It also has a deeply
channeled groove encircling the base of the body-whorl. It is
often banded in chestnut. Both these species occur in the southern
part of California only; /N. tegula/ and /N. mendica/ are of more
northern range. The former resembles the Floridian /N. vibex/. /N.
mendica/ is a slender shell three quarters of an inch long, with
prominent longitudinal ridges, and light brown in color, with a
white aperture. (Plate LXXIV.)

FAMILY ~BUCCINIDAE~

From the number of subfamilies and genera included in this exceedingly large and comprehensive family, it would almost [pg392] seem that it has served as a sort of dumping-ground for various groups of mollusks of uncertain biological affinities. Although the family has recently been reduced by the removal of several large families, it still remains a bulky one.

GENUS ^Buccinum^

The animal is described at some length on page 330. It has no striking peculiarities. The siphon in /Buccinum/ is fairly long; the eyes are placed about midway between the base and the end of the tentacles. It is in general a conventional prosobranch animal. The great majority of the members of this family have a boreal range and are found widely distributed within the colder waters of the world.

^B. undatum.^ This is the most prominent representative of the
/Buccinidae/ upon the North Atlantic shores of the United States.
It is an exceedingly common shell, ranging from Cape Cod to
Greenland. It is also found in England and Scotland, where it is
extensively used as food under the familiar name of "whelk." It
affects every kind of station and seems to be as much at home in
very considerable depths as about the low-tide mark. Upon the Maine
coast it may be found almost everywhere, just below low tide. If
none are in sight they may be attracted by putting a dead fish
in a basket and anchoring it near shore. The American whelk is
somewhat smaller than the British variety, although it attains a
length of full three inches. It has revolving ribs and longitudinal
oblique folds. A yellowish-brown, velvety epidermis covers the
entire shell. The lip is simple, and the shell is white or golden
yellow within. The columella is somewhat twisted; the operculum
is corneous, with a lateral nucleus. The variations in this shell
are so great as to have caused naturalists no little perplexity.
Specimens taken near large cities are apt to be defective. (Plate
I.)

GENUS ^Chrysodomus^

^C. decemcostatus.^ One of the most striking shells of our
northeast coast. As its name indicates, it is decorated with
(normally) ten costae. [pg393] These are prominent revolving ribs
or keels upon the body-whorl, the upper one being the largest, the
others diminishing in size toward the base of the shell. Upon the
upper whorls but two of these circling keels appear. The lip is
plain, but somewhat modified by the termination of the ribs. The
columella is arched above; the canal produced (sometimes to the
left). The color without is dull ashen-white to horn; within, pure
white. The operculum is small, with a terminal nucleus. The animal
is the same as /Buccinum/. This species is not quite so common as
/B. undatum/, but it is often found associated with it. At Eastport
and Bar Harbor it is abundant just below low-water mark.

GENUS ^Sipho^

^S. Stimpsoni.^ One of the most graceful of the larger shells of
our eastern coast. It is almost identical with the /S. islandicus/
of northern European waters, and for a long time was considered to
be the same species. /S. Stimpsoni/ is not found south of Cape Cod,
except possibly in deep offshore stations. North of that point it
ranges to Newfoundland, but it has enjoyed the reputation of being
a rare shell and has been greatly prized by local collectors in
consequence. It is, in fact, not rare to any one who is provided
with a dredge and rope enough to enable him to use [pg394] it
effectively in from twenty to one hundred feet of water. The spire
is high and regular, with seven to eight slightly rounded whorls.
The suture is simple, and there are faint revolving grooves. The
epidermis is thick, horn-colored, and sometimes velvety; the lip
simple; and the anterior canal produced. The shell is pure white
within. The operculum is corneous, with a subterminal nucleus. The
animal is the same as /Buccinum/, but with small irregular specks
of black. This shell is found from three to five inches long.

^S. pygmaeus.^ This species has the same range as that of the
species just described, and often occurs associated with the young
of the latter. It may be distinguished from /S. Stimpsoni/ by the
greater number of whorls, the more prominent revolving ridges, and
the smaller aperture. The epidermis is drab-colored and strongly
corrugated, inclined to hirsute. The color of the shell is pure
white. Length one inch to one and a half inches. It is found from
low-tide mark to very considerable depths.

GENUS ^Siphonalia^

^S. kellettii.^ /Siphonalia/ is one of the Pacific genera of the
/Buccinidae/, which finds its greatest development in Japanese
waters. One of these Japanese species, /S. kellettii/, is also
found in California. It has the typical animal of the /Buccinidae/,
and a fusiform shell white to brownish in color, and three to five
inches in length. It is conspicuously marked upon the whorls by a
revolving series of large rounded knobs and indistinct revolving
grooves. The operculum is corneous, the nucleus subterminal. It is
found in shallow water to low-tide mark. (Plate LXXIV.)

GENUS ^Tritonidea^

^T. tincta.^ A Floridian species which ranges from Hatteras to
the West Indies, and finds its station near low-tide mark, upon
coralline rock or rough, stony bottom. It is about one inch in
length, is of a brownish horn-color, and has an oval aperture with
a crenulated outer lip and a deep anterior canal. An entering ridge
of white enamel at the top of the columellar lip forms, with one of
the teeth of the outer lip, a posterior canal. It is sculptured,
with revolving ridges and crossing longitudinal folds. The color
is bluish-white within the shell, touched with yellow about the
anterior canal and along the edge of the outer lip. (Plate LXXIV.)

FAMILY ~TURBINELLIDAE~

GENUS /Fulgur/

Of the two genera of this family which occur in American waters, /Fulgur/ may be taken as the most characteristic mollusk of the American Atlantic fauna; that is to say, /Fulgur/ occurs only on the American east coast. Its range is from Cape Cod to the West Indies. The two Northern species are /F. carica/ and [pg395] /F. canaliculata/, both of which are exceedingly common in sandy shore stations from Cape Cod southward.

^F. carica.^ The largest univalve north of Hatteras, most easily
recognized by its pear-shaped shell, with simple suture and
brilliant vermilion aperture. The anterior canal is long and
open; the columellar lip is twisted and arched, and the outer
lip is simple. There is a revolving row of nodes or spines of
various degrees of prominence upon the shoulder of the body-whorl,
continued on the spiral whorls just above the suture. The color
varies from ashen-gray to a dirty brown. In young specimens there
are stripes and bands of violaceous brown, and the shells are
striate within the aperture. The length of this shell is sometimes
nine inches.

^F. carica^ frequents almost any sort of bottom. In Long Island
Sound they are common on stony ground, but they do not attain
the maximum size and the high degree of aperture-coloration
characteristic of those taken along the New Jersey shore, on sandy
stations exposed to the surf. The string of curiously shaped
capsules containing the eggs of /Fulgur/ is shown in Plate I.

^F. canaliculata^ often occurs associated with the last. It does
not attain quite the same size, but specimens of both species
are, on the [pg396] average, about equal in cubic capacity. It
is pear-shaped, like /F. carica/, and has a long anterior canal;
but its distinguishing features are the flattened shoulder of the
whorls and the deeply channeled sutures. The epidermis is brown,
thick, and heavy. The color of the shell is whitish-gray, yellowish
within. It is found in the same places as /F. carica/, and is very
abundant at Atlantic City and along the entire New Jersey coast.

^F. perversa.^ A Floridian species, immediately recognizable by the
fact that it is sinistral; otherwise a description of the shell
would almost fit that of /F. carica/, except in the matter of the
color of the aperture, which in /F. perversa/ is brownish-white.
The brownish streaks upon the whorls, in young specimens, are
a very noticeable feature of this shell. The shoulders of the
whorls are rather flatter than in /F. carica/, but, unlike /F.
canaliculata/, the sutures are simple. The row of nodes or rounded
spines which encircles the body-whorl appears in the spire as nodes
just above the sutures. The animal is jet-black, and frequents
sandy flats, where, at low tide, it may be gathered in considerable
numbers, as it plows its way along, almost wholly concealed beneath
the sand. Large specimens measure quite a foot in length. In old
shells the color-markings are not so brilliant, the shells being a
dull, lusterless white. (Plate LXXV.)

^F. pyrum.^ Another Floridian species, much smaller than the last
(three to four inches), with a regular, pear-shaped outline, a long
anterior canal, a low spire, deeply channeled sutures, flattened
shoulders, and no spinous or nodose processes. It is ornamented
with revolving inconspicuous ribs or striae, alternately larger,
and has a somewhat hirsute epidermis. The color is white, with
transverse broad yellowish or rusty lines; the color within the
aperture resembles that of the exterior color-lines. It is found on
sandy stations, in shallow water. (Plate LXXV.)

GENUS ^Melongena^

^M. corona.^ A Floridian species, named from the single or double
row of spinous processes upon the shoulder of the body-whorl and
the crenulated appearance of the spire caused by the continuations
of the triangular spines. The three apical whorls are not spinous.
There is also a row of hollow triangular spines obliquely
encircling the base of the shell. The epidermis is heavy, rough,
and brown; the aperture oval and large; the outer lip notched at
points where the spines commence; the anterior canal wide and
short; and the columella white and twisted, and banded within with
purplish-chestnut and white. The color without is drab in older
specimens, in young specimens chestnut banded with revolving striae.
Length four inches. Found in shallow water. This active predaceous
animal must be the terror of the mollusks in Florida. With his
sharply toothed radula he is able to pierce even the ponderous
clam-shell, /Venus mercenaria/, variety /mortoni/, and devour the
soft fleshy parts within. No mollusk, save, perhaps, the vigorous
/Strombus pugilis/, can escape the attack of this highwayman.
(Plate LXXV.)

[pg397]

FAMILY ~FASCIOLARIIDAE~

This family comprises a number of genera of mollusks which have a fusiform shell, with a long-drawn-out spire and a long anterior canal. The animal is in no manner remarkable; no essential differences are to be noted from the usual conventional type of gasteropod mollusk, represented in the two families last described.

GENUS ^Fasciolaria^

This genus is of tropical range, and contains many species of shells which are more or less conspicuous for their large size or their beauty of form. Three species occur in Floridian waters, and all of them may be taken about low-tide mark on the sandy flats which are so characteristic of Florida bays and harbors. All of them are sluggish animals which crawl very slowly along the bottom or bury themselves almost wholly in the sand, leaving only the tip of the spire projecting slightly above.