BULIMUS. 



Genus BULBfUS, Lamarck. 



Testa ovata, vel oblonga, vel turrita, anfractibits nunc per- 

 paucis, ventricosis, nunc plurimis, contractis, aut fra- 

 ffiUius et nape translucidis, aut cramuscwUs, epidermide 

 interdum duplici indutk; columella recta, interdum, uni- 

 pUcatd, hasinunqnam trmicatd; aperture! nonnunqtiam 

 dentatd, plerumque integrd, iimrgiiii/mi diyiinctis, lahro 

 vel simplici, vel re/texo. Opercii/iim hhIIuih. 



Shell ovate, oblong, or turreted, whorls sometimes very 

 few and ventricose, sometimes many and contracted, 

 either fragile and often transparent, or rather thick, 

 covered with, sometimes, a double diaphanous epi- 

 dermis ; columella straight, sometimes one-plaited, 

 never truncated at the base ; aperture in some in- 

 stances toothed, generally entire, with the margins 

 disjoined, lip either simple or reflected. 



The beautiful forms and varieties of shells produced by 

 those aii'-breathing mollusks, which, under the generic 

 appellation of BuUmus, constitute an important division 

 of the gi-eat tribe of Snails, have become objects of 

 especial interest to the conchologist, owing to the zeal 

 with which a few enterprising scientific travellers have 

 lately penetrated into tropical countries in pursuit of them. 

 It is, however, to the productive exertions of Mr. Cuming 

 that we are mainly indebted for the newer and more 

 attractive subjects of the present monograph. The re- 

 searches of this ardent naturalist in the arid plains on the 

 west side of the Andes, in the dense woods of West 

 Colmubia and Central America, and, more recently, in 

 the luxuriant open forests of the Philippine Islands, whilst 

 they present an instructive contrast, exceed any result 

 the most sanguine collector could have anticipated. In 

 the dry and ban-en regions of Western Chili and Peru, 

 the BuUmi are mostly small and of comparatively fragile 

 structui-e; but in the beautifid islands of the Eastern 

 Archipelago, where climate aud vegetation combine to 

 favom- the growth of arboreal species, the genus is 

 represented with prolific splendom-. Blr. Cuming must 

 have truly felt like one transported to the fabled garden of 

 the Hesperides, when beholding the lofty trees of these 

 sunny isles laden with snails of such magnificent propor- 

 tions. Aladdin, in the Arabian tale, could not, sm-ely, 

 have contemplated the rich clusters of vaii-coloured fruit 

 in the garden of the African Magician with more astonish- 

 ment, nor probably gathered it with more aWdity. 



"It was in 18.36," relates Mi-. Broderip, "that :Mr. 

 Ciuning proceeded to the Philippine Islands by permission 

 of the Queen Eegent of Spain, and aided by powerfid 

 recommendations from her government, which opened to 

 him the interior of the islands, and caused him to be 

 received with a noble hospitaUty, equalled oidy by the 

 warm interest which facilitated his pm-suits wherever he 

 amved and made himself known." Species of which we 

 had but an imperfect knowledge, in consequence of the 

 bad condition in which a stray individual chanced to 

 reach our cabinets, were found in liixm-iant plenty, and 

 many new kinds were discovered in their aii-y solitude in 

 equal abundance. Had De Terussac, the enthusiastic 

 admii-er of this tribe, Hved to see the glorious series of 

 Bull mi accumulated in the Cumingian collection in different 

 stages of growth, and in the finest state of preservation, 

 from the egg to the adult, he would have been indeed 

 amazed. Sorry am I that the limits of the present work 

 win not allow me to illustrate more than two, or occa- 

 sionally three, of the typical varieties of each species, and 

 of these but a single view. 



The genus BuUmus, as restricted by Lamarck, compre- 

 hends an extremely natural group, though presenting 

 important differences of growth and texture ; and these 

 variations are peculiarly local. In the Philippine Islands, 

 as just described, the species are of large and rather soUd 

 gi-owth with a remarkable hydrophanous epidermis, that 

 is, one pei-meable by water or other evaporable fluid. 

 On the barren liUls of Lima and the sandy plains of Chili 

 and Peru, they are mostly small and delicately formed ; 

 in Brazil, the species are remarkable for having the aper- 

 ture in frequent instances denticulated; and in New 

 Caledonia, Venezuela, New Grenada, and New Hebrides, 

 they not imcommonly exhibit, with equal peculiarity, a 

 plaited Auricula-YikQ columella. 



It is a curious featui-e in the Philippine species that 

 the varieties of pattern, which constitute then- chief orna- 

 ment, reside only in the epidermis. The colours of the 

 shell rarely describe any sort of configuration : they are 

 mostly blended into a uniform tint, over which a fanciful 

 pattern is produced by the epidei-mis forming a double 

 porous membrane in some places, and a single one only 

 in others, developed, moreover, with the same continuous 

 regularity as the textile marking of a Volute or Cone. 

 This phenomenon is easily detected by immersing the 

 shell in water, when the light portion or upper porous 



April, 184.8. 



