UNIVALVES CONUS. 73 



C. geographicus, and C. bullatus, but are distinguished 

 by having a wider aperture, and being more inflated. 



Most of the cones have a smooth surface, and bear a 

 high natural pohshj but some, as the C. nussatella and 

 and C. granulatus, are covered with granulated transverse 

 striae, and even globular tubercles. 



No other genus can vie with the Conus for the beauty 

 and diversity of the coloring and marking; and none per- 

 haps holds so important a station in collections. The 

 lines on the C. literatus often resemble Hebrew, Greek, 

 or Arabic characters; and the C.ebraeus exhibits simi- 

 lar appearances. In other species the colors are arrang- 

 ed into different shades of cloudings, veins, marblings, 

 dots, stripes, bands, or reticulations. 



Among the rarities may be enumerated the C. ammi- 

 ralis or admiral cone, the vice-admirals, guinea-admirals, 

 and the varieties of the zebra cones from the South Seas; 

 most of which, when fine, are frequently estimated at 

 from five to twenty guineas. But this price appears 

 trifling when compared witli the value of the C. cedo- 

 nuUi; which, incredible as it may appear, was estimated 

 at one hundred guineas! and a fine C. gloria maris, (a va- 

 riety of the C. textile,) is, even at the present time, esti- 

 mated at fifty guineas. The following are also considered 

 rare and beautiful, the C. aurisiacus, C. glaucus, C. no- 

 bilis, C. arachnoides, and the C. cingulum, which is sur- 

 rounded with an elevated girdle, and is found at the 

 Friendly Isles. 



The far greater number of species are found in the In- 

 dian ocean ; some arc brought from the shores of Africa 

 and America ; and others from the South Seas. 



