TESTACELLA. 



145 



TESTACELLA HALIOTI'DEA*, Draparnaud. 



T. haliotidea, Drap. Hist. Moll. p. 121, tab. ix. f. 12-14. T. hcdio- 

 toidea, F. & H. iv. p. 26, pi. G. G. G. f. 1. 



BODY contracted towards the front and somewhat pointed 

 at the head, rather smaller in the middle, a little broader 

 behind, capable of extending itself like a worm, with a thick 

 and tough skin, which is smooth when the animal is crawling 

 at its full length, but transversely wrinkled when it is at 

 rest, yellowish-brown, sometimes mottled or speckled with 

 black, red, or white: lips or labial lobes flexible and exten- 

 sible, resembling a third (but much shorter and thicker) pair 

 of tentacles: mantle very small and thin, not much larger 

 than the shell: tentacles rather short, smooth, brown, very 

 little swollen at their extremities : eyes placed on the upper 

 side of the tentacular extremities, but not quite at the end : 

 back convex, divided into three nearly equal parts by two 

 longitudinal grooves which extend on each side of it from 

 the front edge of the shell to within a very short distance 

 of the tentacles ; these grooves have parallel offsets above 

 and below, which are finely ramified: foot bordered with 

 distinct and prominent edges. L. 3. B. 04. 



SHELL oblong, compressed, especially in the middle and 

 towards the front margin, solid, not glossy, closely striate 

 by the lines of growth, and sometimes also marked by a 

 few indistinct lines which radiate from the spiral point : 

 epidermis rather thick: spire terminal, sharp, and very 

 small : anterior margin rounded : posterior margin obliquely 

 truncate: lateral margins obtusely curved: mouth exceed- 

 ingly large : pillar lip thickened and slightly reflected : fold 

 flat and sharp-edged. L. O25. B. 0'15. 



Yar. scutulum. Body yellowish, speckled with brown. 

 Shell narrower: spire more produced and pointed. Testa- 

 cella scutulum, Sowerby, Gen. Sh. f. 3-6. 



HABITAT : Gardens at Norwich, Plymouth, Bideford, 

 Youghal, and Bandon. The variety, which was first dis- 

 covered by the late Mr. Sowerby in his garden at Lam- 

 beth, is not uncommon in many parts of the metropolitan 



* Resembling a Haliotis or ear shell, 



