82 PEARLY TOP-SHELLS. 



Calliostoma tricolor, Gabb., tri'-co-lor, is shown in 

 67. The shell is conical, its five whorls little 

 raised, but marked with delicate spiral 

 sculpturing. The back-ground of yel- 

 lowish gray is ornamented with fine 

 spiral threads of color, broken into 

 alternate joints of purple and white, 

 thus giving it the three- colored aspect. 

 Fig. 67. it is a southern shell, and is obtained 



by dredging. The figure represents a large specimen. 

 Another rare southern species is named Calliostoma 

 supragranosum, Cpr. , su-pra-gran-o'-sum. It resem- 

 bles the last figure, but is more conical, and has more 

 flattened whorls. The interior is white, but the out- 

 side is of a light reddish-brown color, with a chain of 

 dark circular dots along the sutures and the angle of 

 the body- whorl. Good specimens have been found 

 at Monterey. (Mrs. Estabrook.) 



Calliostoma splendens, Cpr., splen'-dens. Small, 

 the size of a pea ; whorls marked with slight spiral 

 ridges; base flattened and glossy; color yellowish 

 chestnut. It is a rare shell, and is found at low 

 water, or is dredged. 



Turcia caffea, Gabb. , Tur'-shi-a caf '-fe-a. A little 

 larger than the last, with whorls flattened, and 

 sutures deep and bearded. Thin, brown, and very 

 rare. 



Leaving the Top-shell, with their sharply conical 

 form, so suggestive of that toy which every boy 

 delights to spin, we pass on to the more rounded 

 Turban-shells, which put you in mind of Bible-stories, 

 and the turbaned heads of the men of the East. 

 Our first species is shown in Fig. 68, and its scien- 

 tific name is Omphalitis fuscescens, Phil., Om-fa'-li-us 

 fus-ses'-sens. 



