130 TEREBELLUM. 



Genus TEREBELLUM, Klein, 1753. 



Mr. Arthur Adams, in his Narrative of the Voyage of the 

 " Samarang," makes the following remarks upon this mollusk : 



" In its habits the animal of the Terebellum is exceedingly 

 shy and timid, retracting its body into the shell on the slightest 

 alarm. It will remain stationary for a long time, moving its 

 tentacles about cautiously in every direction, when, suddenly, it 

 will roll over with its shell, and continue again perfectly quiet. 

 They appear to have all the muscular energy, vivacity, and, 

 doubtless, predatory boldness possessed by the Strombi, which 

 they also resemble in their perfectly organized eyes, and quick- 

 ness of vision. Mr. Cuming informs me that he has seen them 

 leap several inches from the ground, exactly as I have seen the 

 animal of Strombus gibber-ulu.s. On one occasion, a beautiful 

 specimen was lost to the above-mentioned enthusiastic collector, 

 by the animal suddenly leaping into the water, as he was holding 

 and admiring it in the palm of his hand. Those I kept in con- 

 finement died in a few days, and appear to be of a more delicate 

 constitution than the hardy Strombus. There appears to be a 

 very trifling muscular connection between the animal and its 

 shell. 



u From, my observations on the animal of Terebellum, I should 

 imagine the spotted variety to be perfectly distinct as a species. 

 In this, which may be called T. maculosum, the proboscis is of a 

 whitish-brown. color, reddish towards the tip ; the body is of an 

 opaque pearly white, the mantle transparent ; the foot semi- 

 pellucid white; the ocular peduncles are mottled with dark red, 

 and the pupil black. The front of the mantle, edging the anterior 

 part of the shell, is colored with a black line, forming its margin. 



" In the common species, T. subulatum, the eye-peduncles are 

 punctulatecl with red-brown, as is likewise the upper and under 

 part of the fore-portion of the body. The bod^y is opaque pearly 

 white, with three large, irregular-shaped red-brown blotches on 

 the fore-part. The under surface of the foot is light brown, with 

 a white cross-like marking of a deeper brown. Doubtless, when 

 the animal of the variety covered with zigzag markings shall 

 have been discovered, it will also be found to be specifically 

 distinct." 



