183 



canoellate shells, (I mean the true Jh/ruke,) with a very short spire, 

 aad pyriform, having the greatest diameter above the middle. 

 But as Buccinum, in another family, is at present constituted, 

 Ftmis is allied artificially even to that genus. 



The species are numerous, and are marine. Lamarck enumer- 

 ates thirty-seven recent and thirty-six fossil species ; but wc are in- 

 formed that Defrance makes the number of fossil species amount 

 to sixty-six. 



Fusus CORNEUS. — Specific character. Fusiform, unarmed, 

 transversely striated ; beak rather short, recurved. 



Murex Cornells. Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 1224. Penant, Zool. vol. 

 4, p. 124, pi 76. Donovan, Nat. Hist. Brit. Shells, vol. 2,, pi. 38. 

 Moiit. Test. Brit. p. 158. {DiUwyn.) 



Fusus islandicus. Martini Gonch. vol. 4, p. 159, pi. 141, (^Dill- 

 loyn.') 



Murex islandicus. Gmel, Schrehers, (^Dillwyn^ &c. — Lister 

 Gonch.pl. ^1^, fig. 5 



Desc. — Shell turrited-fusiform ; the greatest dilatation a little 

 below the middle ; unarmed : whorls about eight, convex, trans- 

 versely striated and longitudinally a little wrinkled : epidermis 

 pale brownish, deciduous : spire tapering, nearly as long as the 

 aperture and beak, terminating obtusely : labrum simple, smooth 

 within : columella naked, simple : beak of moderate length, slightly 

 arquated and a little recurved. 



This is one of the several species of shells, which inhabit the 

 northern shores of America, in common with the coast of Europe, 

 and particularly that of Great Britain, as well as Iceland. The 

 late Mr. Z. Collins, a zealous and enlightened naturalist, presented 

 to me an individual which he found on the coast of New Jersey. 

 The color is whitish, but when living, it is covered with a brown- 

 ish deciduous epidermis. 



Although the name icelandicus has been adopted by Lamarck 

 and other distinguished conchologists, yet with Pennant, Dillwyn 

 and others, I have retained the Linnaean name, for the all- 

 sufficient reason, that it has the priority ; whilst, at the same time, 

 it has the advantage of being preferable in itself, as the shell is 

 not limited to Iceland. 



The resemblance between this shell and the antiquum, L., has 

 been noticed by many writers ; but that species is much larger, 



