UNIVALVES MUREX. 97 



frondose, black, undulate spines; which being contrasted 

 with opaque-white, renders it at once an object of great 

 beauty and magnificence. 



The next class or division of the Murices comprises 

 those species which are commonly called Triplices, or 

 more properly Purpuras, as the animals inhabiting most 

 of the shells of this division possess the property of afford- 

 ing a rich purple juice or liquid; from this circumstance 

 the whole genus has by some authors been called Pur- 

 pura. The shells have their sutures composed of crisped 

 foliations and acute angular ramifications; among those 

 best known are the pink and yellow-mouthed varieties of 

 the M. saxatilis, which are exceedingly rare and beauti- 

 ful. The number of rows in the foliated sutures diflfers 

 considerably, some (as the M. ramosus, &c.) have only 

 three, the M. scorpio has four, the M, saxtatilis five, and 

 the M. diaphanus six. 



The next division is composed of the species that hare 

 their sutures thick, protuberant, and rounded ; such are 

 the M. lyratus, M. rana, M. lampas, M. lotorium, and 

 M. femorale; the outer lip of the latter shell is frequent- 

 ly imitated in the borders or rims of massy silver plate, 

 hence called the gadroon border. 



In the species of the fourth division the form is more 

 abbreviated and gibbous, they are also more or less spi- 

 nous, and without a manifest beak: as in the M. ricinus, 

 M. hippocastanum, and the varieties of the M. neritoideus ; 

 most of which have rows of black tubercles and spines; 

 some having purple, and others yellow mouths. 



The next and most numerous division of Murices is 

 composed of tliose shells which have a long, straight, 

 subulate beak, and unarmed with spines: such are the 

 M. coins, of which there are many large and beautiful 



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