83 

 CANCELLARIA. 



Gen. Char. Oval, subturrited ; last whorl more 

 or less ventricose ; aperture almost entire, 

 lower angle either slightly canaliculated or 

 produced into a short recurved beak ; outer 

 lip sulcated within ; inner lip expanded ; 

 columella plaited. 

 But few of the species of this genus are much elon- 

 gated, the form of the last whorl generally giving them 

 an ovate contour. The decussated ridges upon the 

 surface have given an apt name to the genus, although 

 in some species the transverse ridges are not sufficiently 

 prominent to give the appearance of lattice work ; while 

 the longitudinal costas are strong and sharp : in a few 

 species varicose sutures are formed at diti'erent periods 

 of growth by the inflated ou«er lip ; such species ap- 

 proach to Murices, but are well distinguished by the 

 folds upon the columella ; these folds are few, very 

 prominent, and compressed ; they are sometimes accom- 

 panied by two or three irregular protuberances. Some 

 species are elegantly colored. ; they all belong to marine 

 animals. 



Auricula simulata of tab. 163 is a species of this genus, 

 with only one proper plait upon the columella. 



CANCELLARIA quadrata. 



TAB. CCCLX. 



Spec. Char. Ovate, elongated, cancellated, 

 without either varices or beak ; two obtuse 

 plaits upon the columella, besides the spiral 

 edge ; outer lip sharp, entire, striated 

 within. 



An elegant shell, a little resembling Cancellaria (Auri- 

 cula) simulata, but more pointed and very differently 

 marked ; it has also another fold upon the columella : 

 the surface is covered by small hollow squares formed by 

 a number of elevated lines that cross each other Avith 

 much regularity, of which however the transverse are 

 rather the strongest : all the whorls are convex ; the last 

 occupies nearly two-thirds the length of the shell. 



This species may be arranged in the last of the four 

 sections Mr. G. B. Sowerby has divided the genus Can- 



