234 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[IIarpsuells. 



Trivia. 



T. Bareinensis, Gray; t'yp. Barcinen»i», Konie, 

 Barcelona; T. sphwriculata, Cyp. Lam.? Italy ; T. 

 acuticostala, Gray, Italy; T. pediciilo'i'cles. Gray, 

 lUly ; T. porcellus, Gmy, Crag ? T. Broiinii. Gray, 

 Italy; T. solida. Gray ; T. avtilana, Sow., M. C, 

 Suffolk Crag, which, Mr. Gray observes, appears to 

 be an allied species ; T. Duclosiana, Gray. 

 Erato. 



E. ventrjcosa. Gray, Italy. 

 Oviilum. 



O. Lethesii (I.eathesii?), Sow., M. C. 



Mr. Gray makes the whole number of species of 

 Cypraid», including the subgenera above indicated, 

 and the fossil as well as the living species, one 

 hundred and seventy-four. If Cyp. nivosa, Brod., 

 is to be considered as a well-established species dis- 

 tinct from Cyp. Dama, as Mr. G. B. Sowerby 

 ('Zool. Journ.,' vol. iv. p. 220) and others contend, 

 the number will be one hundred and seventy-five, 

 provided C. Broderipii, Gray, be not also a variety 

 of C. Dama, as Mr. Gray says it perhaps may be. 

 To these are to be added eight living species re- 

 corded by Mr. Gaskoin, and one by M^r. Reeve, in 

 the 'Zoological Proceedings' for 183.'», as hitherto 

 undescribcd ; and C. umbilicata, Sow., provided it 

 be not a variety of G. pantherina, as Mr. Gray states 

 it to be, but which Mr. Sowerby does not allow, 

 considering it an established species more nearly 

 allied to C. pantherina than C. Tigris. 



Family BUCCINID.*: (WHELKS, 

 HARPSHELLS, &c.). 



This family, tlie Entomostomata of M. de Blainville, 

 and nearly the same with the genus Buccinum of 

 Linnaeus, comprehends, says Cuvier, all the shells 

 which have no fold at the columella, but a notch, or 

 a short inflected canal, towards the left. 



We may add from M. de Blainville that the shell 

 is variable in form, with the opening sometimes 

 large, sometimes small, without any apparent canal, 

 or with a short canal, curved upwards, and always 

 more or less deeply notched anteriorly. The oper- 

 culum is homy, nail-shaped, or oval, with subcon- 

 centric striae, and the summit a little marked and 

 marginal. 



With respect to the mollusk, it is of a spiral form, 

 with the foot shorter than the shell, and rounded in 

 front. The mantle in front of the branchial cavity, 

 with a long respiratory tube or siphon, always un- 

 covered, which the animal uses as an organ of pre- 

 hension. The head is furnished with two tentacles, 

 which carry the eyes on a basal enlargement. The 

 mouth is armed with a proboscis, without any labial 

 tooth, but furnished with a tongue. The bi-anchiie 

 two, unequal, and pectinated. 



The genera of this family are numerous: most 

 are marine; some, however, live at the mouths of 

 rivers, and a few are positively tluviatile. 



The first genus which we may notice is Planaxis. 

 The shell isstout, conical, and transvereely furrowed ; 

 the aperture is oblong; the columella flat, trun- 

 cated anteriorly, and separated from the right border 

 or outer lip by a sinus. The inside of the outer lip is 

 furrowed, with a thickened margin. The opercu- i 

 lum is a delicate horny lamina, subspiral and oval. 

 The animal does not appear to have been described, 

 though M. Rang observed it in abundance at the 

 Isle of France, where the rocks along the shore are 

 sometimes covered with them; unfortunately he 

 lost his notes, and is consequently unable to give 

 any particular details, but according to his recol- 

 lection the mollusk differed little from that of Pha- 

 sianella. He states that he possesses six well dis- 

 tinguished species. 



2777. — The Sulc.^tbd Planaxis 

 (Planaxis sulcata). The Sulcated Planaxis, like the 

 other species of this genus, is littoral in its habits, 

 frequenting rocky snores, and often hiding itself 

 under stones. It is common in the Isle of France. 



■Several fossil species of Planaxis occur in beds of 

 the tertiary series. 



Another genus is that termed by M. de Blainville 

 Subula, and which he states that he found himself 

 compelled to establish, upon examining the animal 

 brought home by MM. Quoy and Gaimard, the shell 

 of which had hitherto been placed in the genus 

 Terebra. In the genus Subula M. de Blainville 

 arranges all those species which have the shell 

 greatly elevated, with a very pointed spire, the 

 whorls being at the same time ribanded. It will 

 therefore include the greater number of the species 

 desciibcd by Lamarck as Terebrse, and which nearly 

 all belongto the East Indies and Australasia. It may 

 be observed, that Mr. Gray, who on July 8th, 1834, 

 described an extensive collection of shells of the 

 genus Terebra (see ' Proceeds. Zool. Soc' 1834, p. 

 51) et seq.), does not notice M. de Blainville's genus 

 Subula, and that M. Rang considers it desirable that 

 new observations be made on the animals in order 

 that the line of separation between the Subuloe and 

 Terebrae may be established. 



The characters of Subula, as given by M. de 

 Blainville, are essentially as follows: — 



The shell is destitute of an epidermis, turriculated, 

 and with a pointed spire ; the whorls are smooth, 

 ribanded, and bifid. The aperture is small, oval, 

 and deeply notched anteriorly ; the outer lip is thin 

 and sharp-edged ; the inner or columellar lip has 

 an oblique roll or fold at its extremity. The oper- 

 culum is horny and lamellar ; its figure oval. 



The mollusk is spiral, very much elevated, with 

 a short round foot ; the head is small, with triangu- 

 lar tentacula bearing the eyes at their summit. 

 The proboscis is very long, without hooks, and the 

 mouth is unarmed. 



2778.— The Spotted Subula 



(Subula maculata). Buccinum maculatum, Linn. 



This elegant shell is found at the Moluccas and 

 other islands. Lamarck observes that a specimen 

 in his possession was brought from Hawaii or 

 I Owhyhee. The uppermost of the two figures ex- 

 hibits the shell only ; the lower figure, the last 

 whorl of the shell with the animal in the act of 

 creeping along. The operculum is distinguished 

 by the letter a. 



We now turn to the genus Terebra, which we 

 shall find very differently characterized by M. de 

 Blainville and Mr. Gray. 



The former gives the following details : " Animal 

 spiral and rather elevated; foot oval, with a trans- 

 verse anterior furrow, and two lateral ear-like ap- 

 pendages : head bordered by a small fringe ; tenta- 

 cula cylindrical, terminated in a point and distant 

 from each other; eyes but little apparent at the 

 origin and outside of the tentacula ; mouth without 

 a proboscis ; tube of the respiratory cavity very 

 long. Shell without an epidermis, inclining to oval ; 

 spire sharp, not much elevated, or subturriculated ; 

 aperture large, oval, and strongly notched ante- 

 riorly ; columeliarlipwith an oblique fold(bourrelet). 

 No operculum.' 



In the 'Proceeds. Zool. Soc' already referred to 

 (1834, p. 59) Mr. Gray thus characterizes Terebra: 



" The animal has a small foot and a very long pro- 

 boscis ; at the base of which are seated two very small 

 tentacula. The operculum is ovate, thin, horny, 

 rounded behind, and rather tapering in front. The 

 shell is covered by a veiy thin pellucid horn- 

 coloured periostraca (epidermic layer) ; it is usually 

 white, variously streaked wilh brown, the streaks 

 being often interrupted or broken into spots by the 

 two spiral bands of the shell : one of these bands is 

 placed near the spiral groove, and the other on the 

 middle of the whorl. The apex of the cavity is fre- 

 quently filled up by a calcareous deposition." 



The characters here given by Mr. Gray are evi- 

 dently descriptive of M. de Blainville's Subula ; 

 which the former, it would appear, does not admit 

 as distinct : but, on the other hand, the Terebra as 

 characterized by M. de Blainville must be distinct 

 from the Terebra of Mr. Gray ; and if this name be 

 appropriated to the forms associated under it by the 

 latter naturalist, then a fresh name will be required 

 for the Terebra of De Blainville. 



In the ' Proceeds. Zool. Soc' already quoted Mr. 

 Gray describes forty-five species, of which twenty- 

 one were new ; all of them either in the British 

 Museum or in his own private collection. 



2779. — The Miran, and the Banded Terebra 



{Terebra f [ Vis Miran] et Terebra vittatata). 



The figure on the left hand is the Miran from 

 Adanson ; that on the right is the Banded Terebra. 



The Terebrae, like the Subula?, are natives of the 

 warmer latitudes, occurring in depths ranging from 

 the surface to seventeen fathoms. Occasionally 

 they creep on reefs out of the water, but always 

 within the reach of the spiay. 



The Terebra) and Subulae occur in a fossil state, 

 in the beds of various epochs. Some are found in 

 strata below the chalk, as the Portland stone in 

 Dorset, South Wiltshire, North Wiltshire, Oxford, 

 and Bucks. They also occur in the Claiborne beds, 

 in the oolitic series, in the London clay, and in beds 

 of the tertiary system. 



Closely allied to the genus Buccinum we find the 

 genus Eburna, characterized by the shell being 

 oval, elongated, and smooth, with the spire pointed, 

 and the whorls not divided from each other by a 

 deep suture, and therefore but moderately marked ; 

 the aperture is oval, elongated, and deeply notched 

 anteriorly ; the right lip is entire, the columellar 

 lip umbilicated, callous posteriorly, and slightly 

 cnannelled at its externa! part. 



2780. — The Smooth Eburha 

 (Ehuma glahrata). Buccinum glabratura. List. 



These Eburnae, of which only a limited number 

 of species are known, inhabit the seas of warm cli- 

 mates : Lamarck assigns three to the East Indies, 

 and one to South America. Fossil species occur in 

 tertiary formations ; but they appear to be rare. 



We may now turn to the genus Buccinum, of 



which the Common Whelk or Waved Whelk is a 

 familiar example. 



The shell is oval, elongated, pointed, with the 

 spire moderately elevated ; the aperture is oblong 

 or oval, deeply notched anteriorly; the right lip is 

 entire, sometimes thick ; the columella simple or 

 callous ; the operculum horny. The species are 

 extremely numerous and widely distributed. They 

 are littoral in their habits, and range at various 

 depths from the surface to seventeen fathoms. Two 

 species, the Buccinum glaciale and B. Sabinii, were 

 met with by Captain Parry within the regions of the 

 arctic circle. 



2781. — The Waved or Common Whelk 



(Buccinum undatum). This species abounds every- 

 where on our coast, where it creeps about in search 

 of prey, boring holes with its proboscis though the 

 shells of other mollusks for the purpose of sucking 

 the juices of the unfortunate prey. In order to 

 accomplish this it uses a sort of tongue or retrac- 

 tile filament, armed with minute teeth, with which 

 its proboscis is furnished, and which acts as a soit 

 of drill, or rasp-like perforator. 



The empty shells of the whelk, scattered about 

 at random on every beach, are appropriated by the 

 Hermit Crab (Pagurus), who ensconces himself 

 within, and guards the entrance. The shell of the 

 Purpura Lapillus (Buccinum Lapillus) is also 

 similarly occupied by this crab, which thus protects 

 its soft body from the rough waves and shingles or 

 sharp stones of the sea-shore, over which he wanders 

 prowling in quest of his prey. 



The common whelk is boiled and eaten, and num- 

 bers may be seen exposed for sale, as food, in the 

 street-stalls of the metropolis. Like the periwinkle, 

 they are coarse and indigestible. 



It was from a species of whelk that the Tyrian 

 dye of ancient times was procured, but to this we 

 shall have occasion to allude in our notice of the 

 genus Purpura, now separated from Buccinum. 



The number of fossil Buccina is very consider- 

 able ; M. Deshayes records ninety-five species, 

 including those of the genus Nassa, which he does 

 not separate from Buccinum. Dr. Felton, in his 

 ' Stratigraphical and Local Distribution,' notices two 

 species below the chalk in the Portland stone; 

 and Mr. Lea observes twenty-seven species occur 

 in England, several as low as the mountain lime- 

 stone, but mostly in the London clay and the ci-ag 

 formations, the genus being more abundant in tlie 

 upper than in the lower formations. The Pliocene 

 of the Subapennines, he adds, presents us with 

 twenty-seven species; the Miocene strata about 

 Bordeaux twenty-one ; the Eocene around Paris 

 nine. Four species have also been found in North 

 America, in the older Pliocene. 



With regard to the genus or subgenus Nassa, it 

 is distinguished by Cuvier from having the side of 

 the columella covered by a large plate more or 

 less broad and thick : the notch, besides, is very 

 deep, but there is no canal. The animal is a true 

 whelk in figure, and there are many transition 

 links between the shells of this subgenus and Buc- 

 cinum. 



In their habits the Nassae resemble the Buccina; 

 they mostly live in the warmer seas, a few species 

 only being European. 



Another genus is termed Harpa, which is easily 

 to be recognised by the bold transverse salient ribs 

 on the whorls ; the shell is delicate, enamelled, and 

 convex, the last whorl very ample ; the right lip 

 extensive and deeply notched anteriorly. According 

 to the statements ot M. Reynaud and other observers 

 who have examined the living animal, there is no 

 operculum. 



The mollusk has a large head destitute of a pro- 

 boscis, the mouth opening below; the tentacula 

 are conical, and cany the eyes on a slight external 

 basal enlargement. The respiratory siphon is 

 elongated. The colour of the mollusk is a rich 

 Vermillion red. About eight species are recorded- 

 All are natives of the warmer seas, and especially 

 around the Mauritius and the adjacent islands, 

 where the finer specimens are procured, and where, 

 indeed, a sort of fishery for these shells is carried 

 on; so prized are they by collectors for the 

 beauty of their colouring and the elegance of their 

 form. 



The men engaged in fishing for these shells take 

 advantage of the ebb tide, and at low water visit the 

 reefs and sand-banks during the night or at day- 

 break, the animals being then, as it is supposed, 

 wandering about in quest of food: they use a rake 

 to which a net is attached, and the latter receives 

 the shells which the rake catches in its progress. 

 Occasionally when the men are fishing with baited 

 lines for olives, they draw up harps at work upon 

 the bait. 



2782.— The Ventricose Harp 

 (Ha)-pa ventricosa). This fine species is found on 

 the coast of the Mauritius ; it is very valuable, but 



