No. 6(l92l) COMMON MOLLUSCS OF SOUTH INDIA 



135 



Largest of all the Indian murices is M. ramosiis. This shell is 

 found associated with the rather larger Horned Helmet-shells 

 {Cassis corniita) in deep water (lO fathoms) on the pearl banks off 

 the Tinnevelly coast. The fishermen call it the Elephant-CHANK 

 (Afii sangn, Tamil). The shell is short and massive, the beak quite 

 short and wide and the whole surface beset with powerful spines 

 slightly curved. Closely related is Miirex anguliferus, a small 

 edition of the elephant chank. So much alike are they that the 

 smaller one has been supposed by some to be the young of the 

 larger. The spines in the young are less developed than 

 in the mature, and in this condition the angular form is well 

 seen. It is common on the East Coast and at the temple at Tiruk- 

 kalikkunram this shell appears sometimes to take the place of a 

 real chank in the miracle enacted periodically at this place, which 

 lies between Chingleput and Mahabalipuram. Here at intervals 

 of several years, a chank shell rises to the surface of the temple 

 tank and among the shells thus miraculously produced and trea- 

 sured at the temple, I have seen two of Murex aiigiiliferus.^' 



The Purples [Purpuridae) are littoral shells of small size found 

 on all rocky coasts. The largest Indian species, Purpura bufo and 

 P. rudolphi {par attai, Tamil) are barely 2 inches in length, thick 



Fit;. 20. Purples. Purpura rudolphi ^nA Purpura bufo, X 1. 



and stoutly built, with a short spire and a fairly large body-whorl 

 and large aperture. They live on rocks between tide marks at 



* " The Sacred Chank of India," p. 184. Madras Fisheries Bulletin t No. 7 

 Madras, 1914. 



