CTPKJ;A.— Plate 1. 



or less tiiiged with reddisli bromi, sides promis- 

 cuously painted with brownish black spots, teeth 

 reddish brown, extremities blackish. 



Testa junior. 

 Limdo-ca^uleseens, fusco undato-fasdata. 

 Li\nd-l)liie, banded with brown waves. 

 Variety Cyprcea eglantina Duclos. 

 LiNN^us, Syst. Nat. (12th edit.) p. 1173. 

 Hab. Eastern Seas. 



The Cypraa Arahica is weU distinguished by the lines 

 of hieroglyphical character which cross the dorsal smface 

 from one extremity to the other, leaving a greater or less 

 mmiber of eu'cular vacancies showing the imder coating ; 

 the sides are ornamented with a number of promiscuous 

 blackish spots, some of which are often partially obscm-ed 

 by the overflowing of the browii-tinged milky enamel of 

 the base. 



The young of this species appears to have been described 

 by Liimaeus in different states under the names of Cyprcem 

 fragilk and amethystea ; and an oblong livid-green variety 

 in which the Ai'abic lines are fine and rather close-set has 

 been named by Duclos Cypraa eglantina. 



Species 3. (Mus. Cuming.) 

 CYPKiEA RETICULATA. Cypr. testo. ovatd, lateriius dorso- 

 que gibbosis, lateribus valde incrasmtis ; dorso livido- 

 carulescente, fuscescente obscure fa&ciato, reticuM 

 comummatd fused midique picto ; basi lacted, maculis 

 purpnreo-nigricantibm protniscue et creberrime pictd ; 

 dentibus nigricante-fusck. 



The keticulated Cowky. Shell ovate, sides and back 

 gibbous, sides very much thickened ; back HWd-blue, 

 obscurely banded with very pale browm, and painted 

 thi'oughout with elaborate net-work ; base milky 

 white, promiscuously and vei-y closely painted with 

 purple-black spots ; teeth blackish brown. 

 Martyn, Universal Concholog}', pi. 15. 

 Cypraa Idstrio, Gmelin, Lamarck. 

 CyprcBa arlequina, Chemnitz. 

 Cyprcea Arahica var., Gray. 



Rai. Eastern Seas. 



I quite agree with Lamarck in the propriety of distin- 

 guishing tliis shell from the Cypraa Arahica ; it is tnie 

 they run very closely into each other, but we must judge 

 of their typical difi'erence. The Cypraa Arabica is of an 

 oblong foim, marked with lines of hieroglj-jahical character 

 running from one extremity to the other, but interrupted 

 in such a manner here and there as to leave an iiTcgidat' 

 display of vacancies showing tlie under layer of colouring 

 matter. In the Cyprcea reticulata the imder layer of 

 colomiug matter is much more exposed, the dorsal siirface 

 having merely a fine net-work tlu'own over it, tlie vacan- 

 cies in which are clear and definite. This pecidiarity of 

 pattern in the Cowries has not been correctly repre- 

 sented by the tei-m " spots " ; it is only a deposite of 

 colom'ing matter such as characterizes the Cyprcea tigris, 

 and the sides of these shells,. that can be termed spots. 

 These spot-like appearances are merely that visible portion 

 of the under layer of coloming matter which the light 

 fabric of the adult does not affect. 



