178 Marine Shells of the Western Coast of Florida 



of these glands passes through a long duct into a minute channel 

 in the teeth of the radula, and certain tropical species of Conus have 

 been known to inflict dangerous and even fatal wounds upon human 

 beings. Natives of South Pacific islands insist that some of the 

 cones "spit poison" at an enemy. 



The cones constitute a large family of many species, almost all 

 native to tropical seas. Their stations are about reefs and rocky 

 bottoms of moderate depths; some shallow water species have 

 adopted sandy stations. 



The animals are predatory and carnivorous, drilling through 

 the shells of other mollusks in order to reach the soft parts. 



The shells are distinguished for rich colors and varied patterns 

 and elegant inversely conic shape. The whorls are rolled upon them- 

 selves below a small, sharp apex, the narrow aperture is as long as 

 the body whorl and usually notched near the suture. The operculum 

 is disproportionately small, corneous, unguiform, with apical nu- 

 cleus. 



Genus CONUS Linne, 1758 

 Conns spnrius'^-' atlanticus Clench {"C. protcus Hwass") PI. 37, fig. 254 



Alt., to 70 mm. Shell smooth, inversely conic, white, with re- 

 volving interrupted bands of orange- or chestnut-colored markings; 

 thick brownish, translucent epidermis; about ten whorls, first two 

 or three whorls of spire rise sharply from flattened shoulder of 

 shell; sutures distinct; sculpture of growth lines and a few spiral 

 threads at base; aperture length of body whorl, notched at suture, 

 outer lip thin, outer and inner lip parallel, recurved notch at base; 

 operculum brown, very small. 



Dredged in three to six fathoms. Not uncommon on sand bars 

 of inside waters. 



Egg capsules of ("onus spurius atlanticns Clench PI. 54, figs. 360a, b, c, d, e 



Conns perryae-'-^ Clench PI. 37, figs. 258a, b 



Alt., 12.5 mm.; width, 7 mm., length of body whorl 10 mm. Apex 



^-^ Lat., conus, cone; sparsus, speckled, spotted; Protcus, a sea god able to 



assume many diverse shapes. 

 328 Named for Dr. Louise M. Perry. Clench, Wm. J.: Johnsonia, No. 6 



p. 31 and 32. 



