28 



his fe:ond genus, which he calls whelks with a notched 

 mouth without any beak. 



3. Buccina longiroltra, fuch as the purpura, tower of 

 Babel, crane, thorny woodcock, and others having a ve- 

 ry long and extended beak. Da Cofta fays he does not 

 riieet with any author except Davila, who agrees with him 

 in this genus; and he makes tliem his fourth genus, 

 ■whi^h he calls buccina whole mouths are furniflied with 

 a very long tail or beak. The purpurse are properly to 

 be placed with thcfe buccina longiroltra, and not form a 

 dillinft genus, for the diftinttions between them are not 

 built on real or decilive charaflers. Thtpuipura: prey on 

 other (hell- h(h, and for that purpofe bore a round hole in 

 the (hells of the (ilh they feed upon, by palTmg their 

 tongue, which is hard, bony, long, and (liarp, through 

 the hole it bores. This praftice of the animal was ob- 

 ferved by the antient naturalifts ; Ariftotle Je part mtimal. 

 and Plinii hijh nat. The latter fays, the tongue of the 

 purpura is a finger's length, by which it preys in boring 

 or perforating other (liells, it is of I'uch hardnels. Some 

 authors conchide that it performs this aifion of perforat- 

 ing other (liells, by virtue of fome menftruum it emits 

 through the tongue, whereby it foftens or corrodes the 

 other (hell, and then digs out the corroded fubftance 

 with the beak, and all this without any verfatile or other 

 Itrong motion. Others contend, that to make this hole 

 it is not necelfary that the fifli (hould have a rotatory mo- 

 rtonj. or that, Ijke a wheel, the tongue (liould always 

 move circularly the fame way. II is fuflicient that it 

 turns brilkly backwards and foi wards. And, if the 

 lioles, which are moll commonly found in fome fpecies 

 of the chamae, and the fcrew Oiells particularly, are ex- 

 amined with a glals, they will be found to be lb finely 

 circular, that it is impoflible to conceive any menftruum 

 (hould art upon it in fo regular a manner. Further, it 

 does not feem conclufive that the purpura extracts its food 

 by this hole. It is rather done with a view, either to 

 force the animal out of its (liell, or to kill it, that it may 

 devour it at leifure. There feems to be a wife ciioice in 

 that part fixed upon. It is in fuch a part of the fcrew 

 (liell that the animal cannot crowd itlelf below the perfo- 

 ration, and efcape the piercer : (o likewife in the chamae 

 and other (IkUs there is not the leaft reafon to apprehend 

 a menftruum. 



Lifter has feveral (hells he calls purpurx, but thefe 

 more efpecially are his buccina ampuUacea, Kumphius and 

 Linna:us place them among the murices. Guaitieri calls 

 thempurpuis. Argenville makes his thirteenth family 

 purpurie, but gives no definition for them : and Davila 

 follows him, except that it is his eighth family, and that 

 be forms two genera of them. The purpuras obtained 

 tlveir name I'rom the purple juice or dye the fifli yields, 

 which is lb famous in hillory, by the name of the tyrian 

 purple; becauf'e it is imagined that a (Iiell of this kind 

 was firll dii'covered to aftordit: but indeed moft turbi- 

 nated (liells yield a purple liquor. This genus of buccina 

 longiroftra contains many fpecies very rare and curious. 



4.. Buccina umbilicata ; umbilicatcd whelks, or thofe 

 that have a perpendicular hollow or navel alide the colu- 

 mella or pillar-lip, on the firft or body whirl. This is 

 the ^jofitive charafter of the gejius; and all buccina or 

 whelks tliat have a hollow or navel, rank under it, whe- 

 ther guttered, wry-mouthed, or beaked. Sec. No author 

 belides Da Cofta has formed a genus from this lecond cha- 

 radler, (b that the (I'ells herein ranked are generally dif- 

 perled among the other buccina. 



5. Buccina columella dtntata vel plicata ; whelks 

 with a wrinkled or jilaited pillar. The fliells of this ge- 

 jius have the inneror pillar-lip wrought with one or more 

 bigh or prominent tranfverfe ridges or plaits. Thefe 

 tranfverltr prominent ridges on the inner or pillar-lip, 

 are the ftandard charaiSer of this genus ; for all whelks, 

 whether beaked, guttered, &c. if the pillar is thus plait- 

 ed, range herein; and there are of all kinds with this 

 charafter. However, it is very proper to obferve, that it 



CONCHOLOGY. 



is only the whelks whofe pillars are plaited, that are to 

 be arranged in this genus ; for there are other families of 

 (liells, as the Perlian crowns, the murices or rocks. Sec. 

 which have their inner or pillar-lip wrinkled or plaited in 

 the lame manner. Thofe are to be placed in their re- 

 fpeitive families, and not here, folely on that account. 

 Lifter and Linnseus are the only authors who have agreed 

 with Da Cofta in ranging (iiells by this fubordinate cha- 

 railer. It is Lifter's buccina columella dentata : but he 

 has not only arranged the buccina therein, but likewife 

 all other (hells whofe pillars are plaited. Linnasus has 

 done the fame; and from this (ingle charaflerof columella 

 plicata, he has fonned his genus voluta; in which n(;t 

 only buccina are included, but alio olives, fome murices 

 or rocks, the Perfian crowns, Midas's ear, and other (hell- 

 fifti of diftisrent families. 



6. Strombi, or buccina with an exceeding long and ve- 

 ry taper clavicle or turban. They have a wry-mouth ex- 

 aftly the fame as the lecond genus, which fometimes ex- 

 tends or turns fo far on the back, as to be like a fpur. 

 All (liells lb prodigioufly tapering and long have been ge- 

 nerally held as a pai ticular family, by the name of ftrombi, 

 or needles, only on account of their taper ftiape, and with- 

 out regard to the contour of their mouth. How^ever, 

 Da Colta has only placed thofe fliells here, which have a. 

 wry-mouth like the fecond genus ; all thofe that have a 

 perfeft round mouth, he has ranked among the liiails, by 

 the name of cochlea flrombiformes. Lifter calls them 

 whelks with an extreme lengthened and tapering turban : 

 however, he has erroneoully placed them among the 

 whelks with a plaited pillar. Guaitieri and Seba have ar- 

 ranged all the taper (hells together, and calls them turbo, 

 or cochlea; with a fniall mouth, and remarkable length- 

 ened or taper body. The French authors Argenville and 

 Davila call them all, turboand ftrombus (la -vis, otfcre'wj.,) 

 and Rumphius likewife calls them ftrombus. Lifter has 

 called the olives rhombi or ftrombi; but Linnaeus hat 

 changed the old name of ftrombus, always ufed for thefe ta- 

 per fliells, to others of a quite difterent form ; his ftrombi, 

 except fome iaw, being winged (hells, or alatse. 



The elder conchologifts ranked in this genus the 

 chank fliells, or tritonis of Rumphius, fo much revered in 

 Hindooltan, and'other pnrts of Afia. They are called 

 fiiankos, or oblation fliells ; and are in great requeft with 

 the Mahometans, for making bracelets and thumb-rings, 

 which are made ufe of in drawing the bows. The Hin- 

 doos employ them to hold oil, to illuminate their pago- 

 das. Linna;us, in his fliell-(i(h, has clalled it under niu- 

 rex. It was ulcd by the Romans in their earlier days, as 

 a trumpet of war : 



Buccina jam prifcos cogebat ad arma Siuirites. 



This (hell is very common in India, Africa, and on the 

 fliores of the Mediterranean fea ; where it is ftiil ufed as 

 a trumpet for founding alarms, and giving fignals. It 

 fends forth a hullow, deep, ungrateful (bund. 



There are fome folhl kinds of the buccina, hitherto un- 

 difcovered in their living ftate. Firft, the buccinum he- 

 teroftrophum, or other handed whelk; becaule the whirls 

 and mouth lie to the right-hand inftead of the left; 

 which is the moft ufual manner of turbinated fliells. 

 This fpecies belongs to the firft genus, and is found in 

 great plenty, in the foftil ftate, in the counties of Efli^x 

 and Suftiolk. Another foftil buccinum from France, and 

 Hampfnire, is a fpecies of the fifth genus, or with 4 

 wrinkled or plaited pillar, but hitherto unknown recent. 

 It is in Brander's Foif Hanton. The annexed engravings 

 exhibit an alVemblage of difterent fpecies of buccina. 



MUREX, THE ROCK-SHELL. 



The murices conftitute the (ixteenth andJaft family of 

 univalves, according to Da Cofta's claflification. As 

 they conlilt of many (hells that have very different fubor- 

 dinate charatltrs. Da Cofta forms difterent genera of 

 them J but the iiied or efleiiUai charatter is an oblong 



and 



