TRITON.— Plate I. 



The Tritons are shells of much more solid structure 

 than the Murices or Raiiella, and of much more simple 

 growth. They are not furnished with any spines, nor 

 have they any ramified branches like the Murices ; the 

 rude manner in which the whorls are convoluted seems 

 rather to indicate that their animal inhabitant, though 

 possessing abundant power of calcification, is of some- 

 what sluggish growth. The epidermis of the Tritons is 

 often remarkably thick, hairy and bristly, and is some- 

 times accompanied with small tufts of bristles. Another 

 curious peculiarity in these shells is the structure of the 

 apex : it appears in numerous instances to be formed of 

 horny substance, thinly plated with shelly matter, and it 

 is not an uncommon thing to find examples in which the 

 calcareous plating is broken off so as to expose the 

 horny cast underneath. The columella of the Tritons is 

 generally covered with a bright coat of wrinkled enamel, 

 and the outer lip becomes thickened in a manner ex- 

 ceedingly curious ; upon arriving at maturity the lip 

 curls under so as to form a deep broad channel or gutter, 

 and this is then filled up to form the thickened lip. The 

 varices are all constructed in the same manner, each 

 forming for a time the margin of the aperture ; they are 

 destined, it is conjectured, to protect the lip during a 

 season of rest, and it would be extremely interesting if 

 it could be discovered what length of time ordinarily 

 elapses between the formation or deposit of the varix, 

 and the renewal of the operation of growth. 



The Tritons appear to be widely distributed over the 

 globe : of from eighty to a hundred species now before me, 

 the chief portion are from the Molucca, Philippine and 

 Pacific Islands ; some few are from the western coast of 

 America, some from China, several from New Holland, 

 Ceylon, and Mozambique ; and there are also one or two 

 from the Mediterranean, the Cape of Good Hope, the 

 West Indies, and the United States. 



The illustration of this beautiful genus has been sin- 

 gularly neglected by naturalists, and affords me the op- 

 portunity of contributing figures of a large number of 

 species that have been only known hitherto to their pos- 

 sessors. " Kiener," as M. Deshayes says, "contents 

 himself with publishing thirty-two species :" in addition 

 to these, I have (as Sowerby made no selection of Tritons 

 in his ' Conchological Illustrations') the sixteen species 

 described in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' 

 about thirty new ones, the produce chiefly of Mr. Cu- 

 ming's researches amongst the Philippine Islands, and 

 several recently described by Mr. Hinds from the col- 

 lection of Captain Belcher of H.M.S. " Sulphur." 



Species 1. (Fig. a, Mus. Cuming.) 

 htok tuherosus. Tril . tesld e/ongalo-ovatd , variables 

 senis rotundis ; spird acuminatd ,- anfractibus superne 

 leviter depressis, transversim costatis, costis tuber- 

 culato-nodosis, varices super vald'c prominentibus, in- 

 terstitiis tuberosissimis ; cinered ant nigricante-fuscd, 

 albizonatd, varicibus albis ; columella nitidi encaus- 



ticd, albd, subobsolete rugosd, callositate pared su- 

 perne armatd ; aperturd ovatd, fame rubido plus mi- 

 nusve tinctd, labro intus nodoso-denlicu/ato ; canali 

 breviusculo, ascendente. 

 The quilted Triton. Shell elongately ovate, with 

 six round varices ; spire acuminated; whorls slightly 

 depressed at the upper part, transversely ribbed, 

 ribs tubercularly knobbed, very prominent over the 

 varices, interstices full of irregularly-sized oblong 

 bumps ; ash-colour or blackish brown, zoned with 

 white, varices white ; columella brightly enamelled, 

 white, rather obsoletely wrinkled, armed at the 

 upper part with a small callosity ; aperture ovate, 

 interior more or less stained with red, lip nodulously 

 denticulated ; canal rather short, turned upwards. 

 Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. (Deshayes' edit.), vol. ix. 

 p. 635. 



Variety ft. (Fig. b, Mus. Cuming.) 

 Testa omiiinb alba. 

 Shell entirely white. 



Hub. Island of Annaa (Chain Island), Pacific Ocean 

 (found on the reefs) ; Cuming. 

 The title of " quilted" which I have applied to this 

 well-known species is suggested by the small oblong 

 tuberosities with which its entire surface is covered. 

 The dark red painting in the mouth is also a very cha- 

 racteristic feature. 



Species 2. (Mus. Cuming.) 

 Triton subdistortus. Trit. testa ovato-conicd, vari- 

 cibus septem depressiusculis ; spird acuminatd ; an- 

 fractibus ventricosis, liris nodulosis irregularibus nn- 

 dique linctis, superne leviter angulatis, tuberculorum 

 serie unicd ad unguium armatis ; albidd, rufescente- 

 fusco varil tinctd, anfractu ultimo subobsolete albi- 

 baltealo ; columelld medio hevigatd, aperturte fauce 

 albd, labro tenuiculo ; canali brevi. 

 The somewhat-distorted Triton. Shell ovately co- 

 nical, with seven rather depressed varices ; spire 

 acuminated ; whorls ventricose, everywhere encir- 

 cled with irregular noduled ridges, slightly angu- 

 lated at the upper part, armed at the angle with 

 a row of tubercles ; whitish, variously stained 

 with light reddish brown, last whorl encircled 

 with a faint white belt ; columella smooth in the 

 middle, interior of the aperture white, lip rather 

 thin ; canal short. 

 Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. (Deshayes' edit.), vol. ix. 



p. G38. ' 

 Hub. Port Adelaide and King George's Sound, New 

 Holland. 

 This species presents somewhat the form of the large 

 trumpet-shaped Tritons, and the varices have the same 

 flattened character. The nodules which ornament the 

 transverse ridges are very irregular both in size and di- 

 stance from each other. 



