88 UNIVALVES. BUCCINUM. 



iius: among these may be particularized the B. har- 

 pa and B. costatum, the latter is commonly called the 

 Many-ridged Harp, and surpasses all the other varieties in 

 elegance and rarity, it is found at the Isle of France, 

 and has been sold for as large a sum as fifty pounds. Of 

 the Scoops, which form a part of this division, the most 

 common species are the B. patulum and B. monodon : 

 there are two varieties of the B. persicum, both of which 

 are considered rare. 



Many species of the fifth, sixth, and seventh divisions 

 resemble in form the B. undatum or common English 

 whelk ; such are the B. spiratum (which has its whorls 

 channelled or spirally grooved), B. scala, and Buccinum 

 lapillus, whose animal yields a fine durable purple die. 

 The inhabitant of the English whelk is often eaten. The 

 Buccinum bezoar has its whirls surmounted with rows 

 of Foliations; and is, therefore, generally called the Foliated 

 Bulb. The B. tuba and B. spadiceum are so nearly al- 

 lied to the genus murex, that it remains still a matter of 

 doubt in which they ought to be classed. 



The last division of Buccina is more distinct than any 

 hitherto enumerated; it comprises those shells which are 

 usually known by the name of needles, on account of 

 their sharp, lengthened, and spiral form; and, though by 

 no means rare, they are often elegantly marked. The 

 most common species isthe B. maculatum or marline-spike, 

 which sometimes exceeds nine inches in length : some of 

 the other species, as the B. subulatum and B. crenula- 

 tum, are very beautiful. 



The B. fluviatile, the B. flumineum, and the B. virgine- 

 um, are fresh water species. 



The African, American, Indian, European, and South- 

 ern oceans produce the greater part of the species; 



