206 BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF 



Buccinidae 

 BucciNUM Linne 



B. UNDATUM Linne. (Linne, 1767, Syst. Nat. ; Gould,, 1870, 

 Inv. Mass., p. 366, fig. 634.) This species is the common 

 representative of this family upon our coast and is exceed- 

 ingly abundant in the entire Gulf of Maine region. Although 

 it is never used here as food, it is found in the markets of 

 the British Isles under the name of 'whelk.' 



It seems to be everywhere in this Region and is found along 

 the shore at low water and brought up in the dredge from 

 all depths and every kind of bottom except the softest mud. 

 Reported from Eastport to Stonington; entire Canadian At- 

 lantic region to 170 fathoms. 



Neptunea Bolten 



N. DECEMcosTATA (Say). {Fusus 10-costatus Say, 1826, 

 Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. ; F. dedemcostatus Gould, 1870, 

 Inv. Mass., p. 375, fig. 642 ; Chrysodomus decemcostatus Dall, 

 1870, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 13, p. 242.) This strik- 

 ing form is very common and grows to quite a size here. Sta- 

 tions: D5, 25, 38, 51, 62-64, 71, 72, 107, 125, 126, 135, 139, 

 140, 144. 



As its name indicates, this animal is decorated with 10 

 costae normally and these permanent keels are upon the body 

 whorl, the upper one being the largest and the others dimin- 

 ishing in size toward the base of the shell. It is one of the 

 prominent shells of this Region and, in fact, of the whole 

 New England coast and attains quite a size. The animal is 

 much the same as B. iindafum, and the species is closely asso- 

 ciated with it but not so common and not so apt to be found 

 in shallow water. Reported from Eastport, Casco Bay, off 

 Nahant, off Cape Cod. ''Bay of Fundy and Atlantic coast 

 of Nova Scotia from low-water to 45 fathoms, but not cer- 

 tainly known to extend so far northward as the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence." (Whiteaves). 



