424 



THE OCEAN WORLD. 



below, with a dorsal branching line above; the interior is violet 

 colour, with thirty-six teeth on one side, and forty-two on the other. 

 It belongs to the Indian Ocean. 



The Harlequin Cowrie, Cyprsea histrio (Figs. Y. and VI.), from 

 the coast of Madagascar, is ornamented with white spots very closely 

 arranged, and much circumscribed above, with black spots upon the 

 sides. The under side is violet. 



A' very fine species, which is very common in collections, is found 

 in the Indian Ocean, from Madagascar to the Moluccas the Tiger 

 Cowrie, already figured with its inhabitant. This shell (Fig. VII.) 



Fig. 262. Natural size of Ovulurn oviformis (Lamarck). 



is large, oval, tun-bellied, thick, and convex, of a bluish white, orna- 

 mented with numerous broad, black, round spots, much scattered, and 

 a straight dorsal line, brown above, and very white below. 

 It has generally twenty-three teeth on each edge, quite 

 white. Somewhat resembling the Tiger Cowrie is the 

 Cyprsea panther ina (Fig. 261), which is perhaps a 

 variety of the same species. Another remarkable species 

 is Cyprsea argus, as represented in PL. XXII. (Figs. 



Fig 263. Natural VTTF flTlfl IX "> 



size of ovuium v ii i . ana i A. ) 



The genus Ovuium, so called from their egg-shaped 

 form, occupy a place near the cones in some systems. The shell is 

 highly polished, white or rose-coloured, oblong or oval, convex, atten- 

 uate, and acuminate at the extremities without apparent spiral, the 



