GASTEROPODS 391 



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 cut- 

 ting 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 obsolete, 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. 



JV. 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 j the colu- 

 mellar 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 JV. tegula and N. mendica. N. fossata grows to a 

 length of one and a half to two inches. When adult the lip is some- 

 what 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 resem- 

 bles the Floridian N. vibex. N. mendica is a slender shell three quar- 

 ters of an inch long, with prominent longitudinal ridges, and light brown 

 in color, with a white aperture. (Plate LXXIV.) 



FAMILY BUCCINIDJE 



From the number of subfamilies and genera included in this 

 exceedingly large and comprehensive family, it would almost 



