382 VERMETID#. 
neath, mixed with a few dark blotches ; the same colour above, 
mixed with fine transverse black lines; a little truncate in 
front ; scarcely auricled ; sloping rapidly posteally to a rounded 
termination, on which is fixed a closely spirally-striated, 
circular, corneous, dark brown operculum, dentated, or finely 
fringed at the edges of the gyrations. In Vermetus, the foot, 
from the animal being fixed, has the anterior and posterior 
parts amalgamated ; the operculum, Philippi observes, “ mud¢i- 
spiratum.” The buccal orifice is under the head, garnished 
with minute horny rugze, and within these are two tumid, 
white, corneous plates, and a short spmous tongue: Vermetus 
has similar organs. The branchial apparatus is a single plume 
of long yellowish-white pectinations, which have connection 
with the fringe of the head; above them is a range of coarse 
strands that appear in miniature, like the mucous fillets of 
the Murex undatus, and, if such, dicate some affinity with 
the Canalifera. This arrangement is nearly the same in 
Vermetus. On the back of the head and neck there are two 
raised, white, smuous, longitudinal lines, running parallel to 
the branchial cavity, which appear to serve, as in Cecum, to 
facilitate the passage of the water. The liver is dark green, 
and is impacted with the light yellow ovarium. When speak- 
ing of the foot, I omitted to mention, that its pedicle is very 
long and strong, and throws out laterally two white muscular 
straps, which merge in the muscle of attachment of the animal 
to the shell. 
This is a singular animal, being one of the shyest of the 
Gasteropoda: its locomotion is unknown to me. I have exa- 
mined hundreds for hours, and never even saw it turn from 
one side to the other. I have placed it m sand and pebbles, 
and tried every plan to stimulate its perhaps apparent apathy, 
but all in vam. Something is wanting in confinement to 
produce motion: I almost think that it is not one of the 
attributes of the animal. It never protrudes the head when 
immersed, but entrenches itself within the operculum: it is 
only when it has been a considerable time out of water, 
exposed to a current of air, that the head and foot are ex- 
serted. MM. Quoy and Gaimard say of their exotic Turritella, 
