38 THE ECONOMIC MOLLUSCA OF ACADIA. 



to pass as the country becomes more populous, and as our 

 poor classes become poorer, as the history of civilization tells 

 us they must. It is chiefly by the poorer classes that the 

 Whelk is used in England. When the fishery does begin to 

 become of importance, regulations for its protection should be 

 enforced from the first. In England, the only restriction 

 that is found to be needed, is as to the taking of the young; 

 those under one and three-fourths inches long must be re- 

 turned to the water. 



7. Purpura lapillus (Lin.) Lamarck. 



Purple-shell, Dog-periwinkle, Dog-whelk. 



[Purimra, Tyrian-purple shell ; laj^ilhis, a little stone.] 



DiSTEiBUTiON. (a) General; — Between tide marks and 

 in very shallow water. Long Island (rare South of Cape Cod} 

 to the Arctic Ocean; around the North Atlantic to Northern 

 Europe and south to the coast of Africa. North-eastern 

 coast of Asia to Japan; Sitka, Alaska, and possibly south to 

 California. 



(h) In Acadia; — (in N. B.) Very abundant on the Bay 

 of Fundy coast from Grand Manan to St. John and probably 

 much further. Not reported from the North Shore, but 

 surely occurs there. (In N. S.) Annapolis Basin, abundant, 

 Verlci'iizen; all rocky shores, Jones; Prince Edward Island, 

 Daivson. Probably occurs everywhere on our coasts in rocky 

 places and tolerably clear water. 



Habits. So variable is the shell of this animal, aud so few con- 

 stant characters does it present that it is difficult to describe it. It is, 

 without doubt, the most variable shore shell we have. Sometimes, when 

 living in very sheltered places, it is nearly as thin as this paper; again, 

 when exposed on rocky reefs, it may be of a thickness a dozen times as 

 great. Sometimes it is white, sometimes orange, or gray, or brown, or 

 any neutral shade. While usually of a nearly uniform color, it some- 

 times shows broad revolving bands, one to three in number, of pure 

 white on a dark ground. Sometimes ciuite smooth, again it is finely 

 sculptured with longitudinal lines of raised scales, and there is every 

 gradation between these extremes. It varies, too, in form, aud in length 

 proportional to the breadth. The only shore form which it resembles- 



