VOL. Ill] Animals of Some West Coast Shells. 351 



uous glide around the vessel in which it was confined, but most of 

 the time it remained stationary at the edge of the water, as if waiting 

 for the tide to come in, or a chance to escape. 



Conus ca/ifoniicus Hinds. The body of this mollusk is whitish 

 in color, and profusely dotted over with black specks that frequently 

 coalesce near the margin of the mantle. When the animal is in mo- 

 tion the foot extends about }l of an inch beyond the anterior and^ 

 posterior ends of the shell. It is truncated in front and bluntly 

 pointed behind. The sole is white and sparsely sprinkled with 

 black specks. The motion of the animal is a constant glide. The 

 proboscis is black, and about }^ an inch long when fully extended, 

 and seems to be a specialized portion of the animal's mantle, rolled 

 together with the lower edges in contact but not joined. It curves 

 over and above the back of the shell, as the animal moves forward. 

 Two small tentacles, of a dark color, each 5 millimeters long, pro- 

 trude from the head near the base of the proboscis, bearing two 

 small keen eyes, which are situated about half way between the tips 

 and base of the tentacles. 



The operculum is horn-color and claw shaped, a portion of the 

 lower or sharp end being free from the animal. 



When the animal is in motion this operculum lies transversely 

 across the upper side of the posterior part of the animal's foot. 



The nucleus of- the young shell is white and glassy, and after a 

 few turns the spire resembles a bluntly pointed, round peg. After 

 this the upper end of the whorls rapidly enlarges, as also does the 

 length of the whorls from the anterior end of the shell to the 

 shoulder. 



In the adult the body of the shell is covered with numerous re- 

 volving lines, more prominent near the anterior end of the shell. 



On the spire of some specimens there are also strong revolving 

 lines, while on others these lines are entirely obsolete. The shoulder 

 of the last whorl is rather concave and forms a shallow subcanal 

 around the shell at the base of the spine, but this, like all other 

 characters of shells, is very variable, and in some individuals it is 

 absent. 



The whole shell is covered with a dirty yellowish epidermis that 

 frequently darkens into chestnut color. The shells are quite brittle 

 and very frequently broken, which perhaps is due to the thin, sharp. 



