NOTES ON THE CYPR^^. 



By MPS. C. COXEN, M.R.M.S. 



^Read he/ore the Royal Society of Queensland, lA^th October, 1898,] 



Few people are aware how curious and indeed how beautiful is 

 the animal which inhabits the cowrie shell. In years gone by, 

 when on our boating trips, I have had the living cowries in a 

 vessel of water in the boat, and have, therefore, bad opportuni- 

 ties of watching them and of observing tlieir colour and form. 

 I have myself picked up from ten to twelve different speciea 

 alive from under the corals, stones, and seaweeds in small 

 shallow pools of water. 



It was my late husband's intention to get the animal 

 modelled in wax and coloured, and then to place the models of 

 the dift'erent species in their proper shells. For this purpose he 

 had the animals alive in the boat, but illness prevented him 

 carrying out his wishes. I have, however, Mr. Coxen's descrip- 

 tions of three cowries, which may be regarded as supplementing 

 those of Linnffius, who described only the shells. 



Cypraa errones, Linn. 

 Foot yellowish cream colour, the upper part finely mottled 

 all over with black markings ; small lobe under the respiratory 

 canal marked with fine dark lines ; tentacles blackish-brown ; 

 around the trunk a light-brown fringe. 



( 'yprcea vitelhis, Linn. 

 Mantle creamy white, largely mottled with black, full of 

 minute white dots, also with many spicules \ of an uicli high, 

 terminating m two or three points ; respiratory canal creamy- 

 white, with fine yellow fringe at the edge ; tentacles black. The 

 little spicules on the mantle are only perceptible when the 

 animal is in the water. 



