species and longitudinally ribbed in others. They also vary in color, 

 being yellowish, grayish, or brownish, and many species are spotted with 

 white or red. 



There is a group of handsome mollusks living in the tropics whose 

 shells have been named Mitra by the naturalist Lamarck, from their 

 fancied resemblance to the pope's miter. The shells are fusiform, very 

 thick and heavy, and beautifully ornamented with various colors. The 

 surface of the shells of some species is smooth, others are granulose, and 

 not a few are spirally lined and longitudinally ribbed, while the columella 

 is marked by several heavy plaits or folds. There are about two hundred 

 species of this genus, living in all parts of the world, but they are more 

 numerous in tropical regions. The Philippine Islands seem to be the 

 metropolis of this mollusk as of others, and their shores fairly teem 

 with the graceful creatures. Some of them live among the coral reefs, 

 concealing themselves in holes and among the seaweed, or under stones. 

 Others live on the sandy or muddy beaches, in which they bury them- 

 selves when the tide recedes. Some of the species are entirely covered 

 with mud, and when in this condition they are hard to distinguish. 

 Most of the species love company, and generally a dozen or more 

 individuals may be seen crawling over the sand, like the basket shells. 

 The smaller species are quite active ; but the larger species, probably 

 owing to the heavy shell, are quite slow, the foot being rather small 

 as compared with the shell. Many of the species are nocturnal, and 

 remain hidden under coral and stones, or buried in the sand during 

 the day. When disturbed, they are said to emit a purple fluid of dis- 

 agreeable odor. 



The early naturalists were fond of applying significant names to the 

 various shells which they described, and the Mitras have received their 

 share. Thus we have the episcopal miter, Mitra episcopalis, having 

 a white shell with brilliant red spots and flames; the papal miter, 

 Mitra papalis, with a brown spotted, whitish shell ; the pontifical miter, 

 Mitra pontificalis, with a red spotted shell and a coronated spire ; and 

 lastly the cardinal's miter, Mitra cardinalis. These four species might 

 be called the ecclesiastical quartette. The shells of Mitra vary from 

 one-half to five inches in length. In a nearly related genus, Turricula, 

 the shell is very broad, heavily ribbed longitudinally, and the colors 

 are red, ashy, or brownish, with an occasional black spiral band. 

 This genus of one hundred and sixty species is found only in the 

 tropics and subtropics, and is most abundant in Central Polynesia. 



The harp shells, although few in species, are among the most showy 

 of the marine snails. Their shells are large, and marked by many 



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