CYPILEA. 505 



predecessor, so as almost to obliterate the traces of a spire, 

 which is very short in Marginella and Ovula, and entirely 

 concealed in the adult Cyprcna. None of these genera have 

 an operculum, and the mantle in all is largely reflexed on the 

 shell. This family terminates the British Muricidal group. 



CYPILEA, Linnaeus. 

 C. EUROFjEA, Linnseus. 



C. Europcca, C. pediculus, C. arctica, Auct. 



C. Europcea, Brit. Moll. iii. p. 495, pi. 114 A. f. 6-9 ; (animal) pi. N.N. 

 f. 5-7. 



Animal inhabiting a strong, suborbicular, transversely-ribbed, 



white or pale flesh-coloured convolute shell. The mantle is very 



large, and can be reflexed on both sides so as to cover the 



entire shell ; it is marked for some depth with alternate red, 



brown and white transverse stripes, sprinkled sparingly with 



minute sulphur-yellow well-raised papillae. The branchial fold 



extends beyond the shell, and is edged with orange-colour, 



marked on its surface with fine yellow lines, mixed with a 



few brighter dots, with its terminus more intensely yellow. 



The head is scarcely a projection, concave laterally, flat above, 



and from its central basal vertical fissure a long proboscis can 



be exserted, though it is rarely seen ; the palate is imme- 



diately within it, enclosed by two transparent yellow corneous 



plates, between which a short spinous tongue proceeds to the 



stomach. Behind the buccal mass is the nervous cordon of 



two oval orange- coloured ganglia. The tentacula are pale 



yellowish-white, marked with five or six intensely yellow, 



flaky, minute dots ; they are long, slender, round, tapering to 



rather a short obtuse point, greatly divergent, with eyes on 



very short pedicles at the external bases. The foot when in 



action is long, narrow, and rounded in front, yet slightly 



auricled, slender behind, but not very pointed, and extending 



considerably beyond the shell ; in the middle portion it is 



bluish-white, but posteally and anteally of a pale orange- 



brown, with a few small bright sulphur patches. The bran- 



