CONUS-CONE. 67 



tributed to the object, exists in an inferior degree. 

 Examine the substance of the shell. 



Child. It is heavy and thick. 



Teacher. It is a ponderous shell ; now look 

 at the spire, and tell me what you remark in it. 



Child. It has little swellings placed regularly 

 at the edges of the whorls. 



Teacher. These swellings are called tubercles, 

 and a spire marked with such inequalities is said 

 to be coronated. 



Child. I suppose that means crowned. 



Teacher. Yes, the spire is so called from its 

 crown like appearance ; do you observe any other 

 peculiarity in it ? 



Child. The whorls of the spire are concave, 

 and in most shells they are convex. 



Teacher. The whorls in this shell form a little 

 spiral channel, and are then said to be channeled. 

 We will now write down the specific character ; 

 but you should know what the name marmoreus 

 is derived from ; it is from the Latin marmor, 

 marble ; and is applied to these shells on account 

 of their mottled appearance. 



CONUS Marmoreus* 



MARBLED CONE. 



Specific Character. Shell ponderous, smooth, 

 dark chesnut brown, with white subtriangular 

 spots ; spire coronated, whorls channeled ; size, 

 from two to three inches in length. 



* Plate II. fig. 1. 

 F 2 



