404 cyprteid^:. 



the back or upper part of the shell, which it oftens covers 

 completely ; it is more or less studded with conical or wart- 

 like processes, some of which frequently are branched and 

 others longer than the rest ; colour pale orange-brown with 

 the papillae yellow or white, and occasionally variegated by 

 red spots and a few purplish blotches : pallia! tube conico- 

 cylindrical, rather long, projecting horizontally or somewhat 

 upturned ; this is also studded with papillae, and is orange 

 or light yellowish-brown ; edges of the orifice slightly renexed : 

 proboscis long : tentacles long, flexible, tapering to a blunt 

 point, and widely diverging ; they are speckled with yellow : 

 eyes on short stalks at the outer bases of the tentacles : foot 

 expansile, so as to be twice the length of the shell, in front 

 truncated, with small angular corners, behind rounded or 

 obtuse-angled ; it is pale yellowish-brown, and edged with a 

 rather broad border of a lighter tint ; sole whitish, yellow, or 

 orange: verge large, orange: jaws elliptical and horny: 

 odontophore short. 



Shell roundish- oval, solid, opaque, and glossy : sculpture, 



from 20 to 2d fine thread-like ribs, which cross the back of 



the shell or body- whorl, and are continued within the mouth ; 



a few of these ribs anastomose, or are shorter and placed 



between others of full length ; those at each end are fork-like ; 



their interstices (especially on the underside of the shell) are 



microscopically pustulated : colour pale reddish-brown or 



fleshcolour (sometimes whitish) above, often variegated by 



three purplish -brown spots along the back, one at each end 



and the third in the middle; the underside of the shell is 



white ; ribs paler in highly coloured specimens : spire very 



short, more or less concealed in the adult ; apex of young 



shells (in which alone it is visible) not unlike that of Natica : 



luJiorls, apparently a single one which enwraps all the others ; 



in the young between 3 and 4 may be counted : suture in 



the early state of growth slight, afterwards coated over: 



mouth slit-like, nearly of the same width throughout, and 



somewhat arched : canal very short and straight, exhibiting 



on the outside a conspicuous notch : outer lip very thick, 



broad, and rounded ; edge notched by the ribs : inner lip 



scarcely perceptible : p'lXlar gently curved, angulated or 



ridged on the outside, with a cavity or depression underneath ; 



inside traversed by the ribs, and notched. L. 0-45. B. 0-35. 



Habitat : All our coasts, on stony and coral ground, 



