CYPKEIDJE, OE COWRIES. 373 



986. The group of Mollusca distinguished by the possession 

 of a siphon, includes several families, the members of which are 

 remarkable for the beauty of their shells, or for their interesting 

 habits. Of these the CYPR^EID^I, or Cowries, are distinguished 

 by their convoluted shells, with the aperture narrow and run- 

 ing the whole length of the Shell, the outer margin inflected and 

 usually toothed, and the spire generally concealed in the adult 

 shell. The animal walks upon a broad foot, which bears no 

 operculum ; and the mantle covers nearly the whole of the shell. 

 The shells of the animals of this family are remarkable for the 

 brilliancy of their colours, and for the high polish of which they 

 are susceptible. They are pre-eminently porcellanous ; that is 

 to say, they have much of the half glassy appearance of porcelain 

 when they are polished ; and they break with a fracture similar 



to that of earthen- 

 ware. This results 

 in part from the 

 very small quantity 

 of animal matter 

 they contain. The 

 form of the shell in 



is like that of the 



well-known Olives; its edge being thin and sharp ; but it sub- 

 sequently undergoes a very remarkable change, as already de- 

 scribed ( 979) ; and it is then only that the full beauty is ac- 

 quired by the shell, as it depends on the deposit of the final 

 layer of shelly matter over the whole exterior. The Cypra&idae 

 are almost restricted to warm climates ; where the species are 

 very abundant. The Cyprcea moneta, or Money Cowry, is the 

 current coin of the natives of Siam, Bengal, and many parts of 

 Africa ; it is collected in the latter by the negro women, and is 

 sent thence to distant countries. In Bengal, 3200 of these shells 

 are reckoned to be equivalent to a rupee, or about two shillings 

 of English money. It is also used amongst several savage na- 

 tions to adorn their dress, and even in this country it has been 

 employed as an ornament for harness. Several other species 



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