140 



MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN 



VOL. XIV, 



The next three families, the Pleurotoinatidae, Tercbridae, and 

 Conidae possess a large " poison gland " in the gullet, communicat- 

 ing by a duct with barbed teeth on the radula ; they constitute 

 the tribe of " Poison-teeth " or TOXOGLASSA. As may be inferred 

 from this, they are carnivorous in habit. 



Fig. 26. Life-appearance of Conus. 



The Cones {Conidae), as their name implies, are more or less 

 conical in shape. The spire is usually short and may even be 

 telescoped so greatly as to give the apical end a truncated appear- 

 ance. The aperture is long and narrow, the outer lip thin ; a 



claw-shaped small operculum. Inter- 

 nally the partitions are partly absorb- 

 ed. The family is very large, mainly 

 tropical in character ; it includes many 

 most brilliantly coloured shells, some 

 so rare and beautiful that collectors 

 have paid as much as Rs. 750 for a 

 single shell. Some species are 

 dangerous to handle on account of the 

 poisonous nature of their bite, but 

 none of the Indian species have ever 

 attempted to bite me when handling 

 them and none of our fishermen appear 

 to fear them ; the South Sea Islanders 

 on the contrary have a most lively 

 dread of them, and allege that their bite is often fatal. 



Our common species chiefly haunt coral reefs. They include 

 Conus hcbraciis (the markings resembling Hebrew letters). 



Fig. 27. A common Cone 

 (C. fi^uUmis). X L 



