MUKEX.— Plate III. 



Species 13. (Mus. Taylor.) 



MuREX CALCITEAPA. Miir. festn trigoHO-fasiformi, crassd, 

 solidiumdd, spird turritd ; aiifractibus siijienie depres- 

 siuscnlis, transvemm striatis et sitkatu, inter varices 

 tuberculatis ; trifariam varicosd, varicibtis biseriatim 

 froiidosis frondium serie alterd minidd, alterd promi- 

 iiente, frmuUbus crassiicscidis, irregidaribus, diiabus mi- 

 ticis majoribus; rufexetde-castaned, lineis baltdsve 

 angmtin mgerrhno-fmcis cingidatd; canali subelongato, 

 compresso, leviier recuiro. 



The caltrop Mueex. Shell triangularly fusiform, thick, 

 rather solid, spire turreted ; whorls rather depressed 

 at the upper part, transversely striated and grooved, 

 tubercidated between the varices ; tlu'ee-varicose, va- 

 rices composed of a double row of fronds, one of 

 which is minute, the other prominent with the fi'onds 

 rather thick and irregidar, the two most anterior 

 being larger than the rest ; reddish-chesnut, encu-cled 

 with narrow blackish-broT\Ti lines or nan-ow belts ; 

 canal rather elongated, compressed, slightly recurved. 



Lamarck, Anim. saus vert. (Deshayes' edit.), vol. is. p. 573. 



Hub. Eed Sea (found on the coral reefs) ; EiippeU. 



Variety /3. 



Testa plerumque brevior ; albd, lineis rubido-fuscis cincta. 

 Shell generally shorter ; wliite, encircled with reddish brown 



lines. 



Murex brevifroiis, Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. vol. ix. 

 p. 573. 



Purpura frondosa. fasciata, Martini. 

 Hub. West Indies (found on the coral reefs). 



There can be little doubt but that Lamai'ck's Murex bre- 

 vifrons is a white vaiiety of liis Murex calcitrapa, inhabiting 

 a different locality ; although their close affinity is not com- 

 mented upon by M. Deshayes. It is a thick, rather pon- 

 derous looking species, well characterized by the brown 

 lines and belts which cross the interstices between the 

 varices. Some specimens are thin, and more fi-ondose. 



It may be interesting to know that the caltrop was an 

 instrument of war, which the ancients scattered on the field 

 of battle in order to wound the feet of the enemies' horse. 

 It was a small ii-on weapon constructed of three sides, with 

 a row of sharp spikes down each angle, such as may be 

 suggested by the three-varicose structure of the shell midcr 

 consideration. If thro\vn with skill over the enemies quar- 

 ters, a shower of caltrops must have proved very annoying. 



because, upon whatever side the instnunent fell, a row of 

 spikes would stand uppermost. 



Species 14. (Mus. Cuming.) 



MuEEX ROSARIUM, Yar. 0. Por description of which see 

 Plate VIII. 



Species 15. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Mdrex turbinatus. Mur. testa orato-turbinatd, spird 

 brevi, conicd; aiifractibus superne augulatis, tran-sversiu 

 liratis, liiis impresso-striatis, alternis majoriius ; sex- 

 fariam varicosd, varicibus obtuso-rotundatis, ad angulum 

 coiifipicue spinoso-tiibei'culatis, baseiii versus subnmricato- 

 tuberculatis ; albidd, fasciis riifescente-fuscis tribtis in- 

 terruptis varices super tinctd, columella pallide rosacea; 

 canali breviusculo. 



The tuebin.vted Murex. Shell ovately turbmated, spire 

 short, conical ; whorls angulated at the upper part, 

 transversely ridged, ridges impressly striated, alter- 

 nate ridges the larger ; sL\-varicose, varices obtusely 

 rounded, conspicuously spinosely tubercled at the an- 

 gle, somewhat prickly tubercled at the base ; whitish, 

 stained, upon the varices only, vrith three interrupted 

 reddish bro^\ai bands, columella faintly tinged with 

 pink ; canal rather short. 



Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. (Deshayes' edit.) vol.ix. p. 586. 

 Kiener, Icon. Coq. viv. pi. 22. f. 1. 



Hub. Mouth of the Gambia, East coast of .yiica. 



The varices of this somewhat rare species are probably 

 rather variable in number ; in the specimen before me 

 there are only six on a whorl, Lamarck mentions seven, 

 and Kiener, who transcribes Lamarck's Latin diagnose of 

 the species, eniunerates eight in his summary of the specific 

 chai-acters. The aperture of this shell is lined with pm-e 

 white, and the columella with pink enamel. 



Mr. Sowerby, jun., has unfortunately published a serious 

 category of errors in attempting to illustrate this species ; 

 haxdng figm-ed tlu-ee different sheDs, of which neither has 

 any reference to it. The shell represented at Fig. 30. of 

 the ' Conchological Illustrations ' is an iudifierent specimen 

 of the Murex spimcostata ; that represented at Fig. 90 I have 

 decided, after a long and patient examination of the speci- 

 men, to be a worn, cuiiously stained, tubercled variety of 

 the Murex truiiculus; and Fig. 91 represents an obscure 

 example of the Murex endivia. 



