THE CONES. 



201 



a dull, yellowish-brown epidermis, they offer no peculiar attraction in the living state. But when this 

 natural covering is removed, and the shells have been carefully cleaned by a skilled hand, we are 

 struck by the extreme beauty and diversity of patterns and colours which they display. 



"The Cones," says Adams, "are principally inhabitants of the equatorial seas. Haunting the 

 holes and fissures of rocks, and the labyrinths of coral-reefs, they lead a predatory life ; boring into 

 the shells of other molluscs and sucking the juices of their bodies." 

 Nearly three hundred living species have been described. 



The genus Conns embraces many of the most highly-prized shells which are known to collectors. 

 " Individuals," writes Dr. S. P. Woodward, " of many species are almost as abundant as the Cowries, 

 while a few, and these are amongst the most conspicuous, are exceedingly rare." The Conus neptuni, 

 in Mr. Cumming's collection ; * Conns caledonicns, in that of the Baron Delessert ; and Conus 

 brownii, in the cabinet of M. Bowin, are considered unique. A specimen of Conus thalassiarchus was 

 sold for 4: 15s. ; and good specimens of Conus nobilis are worth from 3 to .6. The "Admiral" 

 (Conus ammiralis) is a beautiful shell, although no longer esteemed a great rarity ; but Conus cedo- 

 nulli has maintained its fame for a century, on account of the variety of painting it exhibits, and the 

 extreme rarity of fine examples. A specimen was sold at Mr. Harford's sale for 16. The rarest of 

 all Cones, and perhaps of all shells, except the living Pleurotomaria, is the Conus gloria-maris, which 

 those old pagan Dutchmen worshipped, as did the Greeks the Paphiaii Venus. Perhaps it was this 

 cone of which a Frenchman is related to have had the only specimen, except one belonging to Hwass, 

 the great Dutch collector, and when this came to the hammer he outbid every rival, and then crushed 

 it beneath his heel, exclaiming, " Now my specimen is the only one." Doubtless many traditions 

 respecting the Comis gloria-maris yet linger in Amsterdam marts, in England it is 

 still worth ten times its weight in gold. The Museum specimen formed part of the collec- 

 tion of the late Mr. W. J. Broderip, who gave ,70 for it ; and a second, in the cabinet 

 of Mrs. De Burgh, was originally obtained from Holland for the late Mr. Norris, of 

 Bury, a veteran collector, who expressed himself highly privileged to become the possessor 

 in his old age of such an unexpected treasure, t The Cones range northward as far as 

 the Mediterranean, and southward to the Cape; but they are most abundant and 

 varied in the equatorial seas. They are found in shallow water down to forty or 

 fifty fathoms. The animal moves slowly, and some species (as Comes aulicus} bite 

 when handled. (Adams.) 



The shells of the genus Pleiirotoma J are turreted, fusiform, with an elevated 

 spire, an oval aperture, and a long and straight canal; the columella is smooth, 

 the outer lip being notched in front and having a deep slit near the suture. The 

 eyes are at the outer bases of the tentacles, which are wide apart. The mantle has 

 a slit in the hinder part on the right side ; the siphon is straight. The operculum is 

 pointed, with an apical nucleus. This is a most prolific genus, numbering about five 

 hundred species, and distributed from Greenland to the Cape ; they are, however, 

 most numerous in Asiatic waters, and are met with from low water-mark to one 

 hundred fathoms. 



The Terebra, or " Auger-shell," as it is called, from its long, pointed, many- 

 whorled shell, like a borer, has a short canal, a small mouth, and a pointed operculum. 

 The siphon is long and re-curved. The animal, in some species, is blind, and in others 

 has the eyes at the extremity of minute tentacles. All the shells of this genus are TKHUNA! 

 smooth, and ornamented with variegated spots, generally red, brown, and orange colour. 

 They are widely distributed over the world. One hundred and ten species are described, most of 

 which are tropical. 



FAMILY VI. VOLUTID^E. 



The shell in this family is notched in front for the siphon, the columella is regularly and deeply 

 plaited, and the operculum is absent. The animal has a very large foot, partly covering the shell, 

 the siphon is re-curved, and the eyes are placed at the base of the tentacles. 



* Now in the British Museum. 



216 



Pleura, the side ; tome, a notch. 



t " Recreative Science," 1860. 



