C N U S. 



Plate III. 



Species 1 1 . 



Conus ammiralis. Co/i. testa turbinatd, an/ lavi, aut 

 granulatd,albidd,flavo subtilissime reticulata, brunneo 

 transversim fasciatd ; fasciis plus minusve latis et 

 numerosis, maculis a/bis trigonis vivide inspersis ; 

 spirit concavo-acutd, aut lecri, ant coronatd. 



The Admiral Cone. Shell turbinated, whitish, very 

 finely reticulated with yellow, painted transversely 

 with broad brown bands crossed and recrossed 

 with darker lines of the same colour, and vividly 

 sprinkled with triangular white spots; spire con- 

 cave and acute, the tops of the whorls being either 

 smooth or coronated. 



Linn^us, Syst. Nat. (Gmelin edit.), p. 3378. 



Hab. Society Islands, Philippines, Moluccas, &c. 



Before describing the varieties of this highly-valued 

 species, esteemed in all ages for its rarity and beauty, it 

 is important to explain that I differ entirely from my 

 predecessors, in taking the dark brown painting to be 

 the ground character of the shell. Instead therefore of 

 describing the shell, like Bruguiere and Lamarck, to be 

 brown, with yellow net-work bands, I describe it as 

 yellow, with brown bands. An examination of the Co- 

 ronated Admiral, Fig. 11 e, a variety apparently un- 

 known to those conchologists, will testify the correctness 

 of this view. The bands in this species are so exceedingly 

 variable in their distribution (still within a very limited 

 degree) that I propose to include the nine varieties noted 

 by Lamarck under notice of four, the coronated variety 

 making five. Attaching so much importance to slight 

 variations tends rather to confuse than to simplify. 

 After carefully examining a long series of these Cones, 

 I have come to the conclusion that they may be more 

 conveniently classed under the following five heads : — 

 1. a, one or two uninterrupted broad bands ; 2. /3, se- 

 veral bands, or two broad bands with one or more narrow 

 bands running between them ; 3. y, two or more bands 

 of paler colour with spots very large ; 4. 2, shell small, 

 granulated, sometimes slightly coronated, and variously 

 banded; 5. t, shell strongly coronated, bands variable, 

 but generally narrower and more distant. 



Variety o. (Fig. 1 1 J, Mus. Cuming.) 



Testd bifasciatd, interdum at rarb unifasciatd, fasciis latis, 

 maculis profuse inspersis. 



Shell two-banded, sometimes but rarely singly banded ; 



bands broad, and profusely sprinkled with spots. 

 Conus ammiralis, var. b ? and g, Lamarck. 



The two-banded shell may be regarded as the com- 

 mon typical variety of the species. That which I have 

 selected for illustration was found by Mr. Cuming at the 

 island of Ticao ; it is however very generally distributed 

 amongst the Philippine, Society and other islands in the 

 tropical regions. 



Variety p. (Fig. 11 c, Mus. Stainforth.) 



Testd fasciis tribus out pluribus; plerumque duabus, latis, 

 una perangustd interveniente. 



Shell with three or more bands ; generally two broad 



bands with a very narrow one intervening. 

 Conns ammiralis, var. a, h and i, Lamarck. 



Under this head I include all those in which the two 

 broad bands of the first variety are divided into three 

 or more. 



Variety y. (Fig. 11 d, Mus. Stainforth.) 



Testd plerumque majore ; fasciis duabus out pluribus, pnl- 

 lide castaneis, maculis maximis. 



Shell generally larger ; bands two or more, pale chest- 

 nut colour ; spots very large. 



Conus ammiralis, var. e and/, Lamarck. 



This is a very characteristic variety. 



Variety c. (Fig. 1 1 a, Mus. Stainforth.) 



Testd minore, superficie granulatd, divers't fasciatd. 



Shell smaller, surface granulated, variously banded. 

 Conus ammiralis, var. c and d, Lamarck. 



The granulated variety appears to be always of 

 smaller size. 



Variety e. (Fig. lie, Mus. Stainforth. ) 



Testd plerumque majore, albidd ; fasciis tribus nut pluribus . 

 angustioribus, interruptis, interstitiis irregulariter 



reticulato-pictis. 

 Shell generally larger, whitish, with three or more nar- 

 rower interrupted bands ; spaces between them 

 filled with very irregular net- work. 



This beautiful shell exhibits a great peculiarity of 

 marking, besides that of being coronated. The bands 



