BUCCINUM WHELK. 83 



The reversed shells of this species are held 

 sacred in China, where a great price is given for 

 them ; they are kept in pagodas by the priests, 

 who on certain occasions administer medicine to 

 the sick out of them, and also use them to anoint 

 the Emperor at his coronation. They are often 

 curiously ornamented with carvings, executed by 

 the Indians who use them for drinking cups. 



GENUS. BUCCINUM.* 



WHELK. 



Generic character. Shell univalve, spirally 

 convoluted, frequently canaliculated ; from gib- 

 bous ; aperture ovate, effuse at the base, ending 

 in a short canal, abruptly curved and turning to 

 the right, that is, from the outer lip ; columellar 

 lip flattened. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE SHELL AND ITS 

 INHABITANT. 



The characters which distinguish this genus 

 do not always occur in each species. The most 

 invariable mark of distinction is the direction of 

 the canal ; and should this fail, as is the case in 

 a few instances, the thick gibbous form or flat- 



* Plate III. fig. 1, 2, 3, 4. 



