332 VEEMETID^E. 



neath, mixed with a few dark blotches ; the same colour above, 

 mixed with fine transverse black lines ; a little truncate in 

 front ; scarcely auricled ; sloping rapidly posteally to a rounded 

 termination, on which is fixed a closely spirally-striated, 

 circular, corneous, dark brown operculum, dentated, or finely 

 fringed at the^dges of the gyrations. In Vermetus, the foot, 

 from the animal being fixed, has the anterior and posterior 

 parts amalgamated ; the operculum, Philippi observes, " multi- 

 spiratum." The buccal orifice is under the head, garnished 

 with minute horny rugae, and within these are two tumid, 

 white, corneous plates, and a short spinous tongue : Vermetm 

 has similar organs. The branchial apparatus is a single plume 

 of long yellowish- white pectinations, which have connection 

 with the fringe of the head ; above them is a range of coarse 

 strands that appear in miniature, like the mucous fillets of 

 the Murex undatus, and, if such, indicate some affinity with 

 the Canalifera. This arrangement is nearly the same in 

 Vermetus. On the back of the head and neck there are two 

 raised, white, sinuous, longitudinal lines, running parallel to 

 the branchial cavity, which appear to serve, as in C&cum, to 

 facilitate the passage of the water. The liver is dark green, 

 and is impacted with the light yellow ovarium. When speak- 

 ing of the foot, I omitted to mention, that its pedicle is very 

 long and strong, and throws out laterally two white muscular 

 straps, which merge in the muscle of attachment of the animal 

 to the shell. 



This is a singular animal, being one of the shyest of the 

 Gasteropoda : its locomotion is unknown to me. I have exa- 

 mined hundreds for hours, and never even saw it turn from 

 one side to the other. I have placed it in sand and pebbles, 

 and tried every plan to stimulate its perhaps apparent apathy, 

 but all in vain. Something is wanting in confinement to 

 produce motion: I almost think that it is not one of the 

 attributes of the animal. It never protrudes the head when 

 immersed, but entrenches itself within the operculum : it is 

 only when it has been a considerable time out of water, 

 exposed to a current of air, that the head and foot are ex- 

 serted. MM. Quoy and Gaimard say of their exotic Turritella, 



