THE AUSTRALIAN PHEASANT-SHELL. 



395 



shell is seen at the mouth, and a lucina at the base. The name Phorus is of Greek 

 origin, and signifies a carrier. The movements of the Phorus are said to be very clumsy, 

 the animal staggering and tumbling about like the stromb-shells already described. 



WE now arrive at the Top-shells, or Turbinidae, a rather large and important family. 

 In all these creatures the shell is spiral, and beautifully pearly in the interior, the nacre 

 appearing when the outer coating is removed. The animal has a short head, rather long 

 tentacles, with eyes mounted on footstalks at their base, and the head and sides are 

 decorated with fringed lobes. They are all inhabitants of the sea and are vegetarians 

 in their diet, their array of sharp teeth being very useful in rasping away the sub- 

 stances on which they feed. 



IN former days, the PHEASANT-SHELLS were articles of great price and rarity, some 

 specimens almost rivalling the precious wentletrap in the enormous sums asked and ob- 

 tained for them. Now, however, that their habitations have been discovered, and more 

 frequent voyages are made, 

 they have become compara- 

 tively plentiful, although, from 

 the fragility of their structure, 

 a perfect specimen is not at all 

 common, and will still bring a 

 good price in the conchological 

 market. 



The Pheasant-shells are now 

 found in great numbers on the 

 sandy beaches of several 

 shores, being especially plenti- 

 ful on the coast of Port 

 Western, in Bass's Straits. 

 The high tide sweeps them 

 towards the shore, where they 

 are left by the receding waters, 

 and seek for shelter beneath 

 the masses of sea-weed that are 

 always flung on the beach by 

 the tide. On lifting these 

 sheltering weeds, the Pheasant- 

 shells may be found crowded 

 together under their wet 

 fronds. They can move with 

 some speed, the duplicate nature of the foot aiding them greatly in progression. 



Although vegetable feeders to a great extent, the Pheasant-shells will eat animal 

 substances, andean be captured in great numbers by the simple process of lowering a 

 net to the bottom of the sea after baiting i: with bits of meat tied to the meshes. They 

 are active creatures, always on the move, and therefore free from the various parasitic 

 plants and animals of the sea which invariably take possession of all stationary or 

 sluggish objects. This very activity, however, is injurious to the perfection of the 

 fragile shell, its delicate lip being mostly notched and broken by coming in contact 

 with hard substances. 



The color of the Pheasant-shells is extremely variable, and after death the shell often 

 assumes quite a different tint to that which it bore during life. Several shells, which 

 presented tints of brown and green during the life of the inhabitant, changed to a reddish 

 hue after death and when the rays of the sun had poured their strange influence on them. 



As may be seen by the engraving, the animal is of a very curious shape. The 

 tentacles are extremely long, pointed, and slender, and the head is supplied with cer- 

 tain fringed lobes. The foot is large, rounded in front and pointed behind, and is divided 



COMMON TOP. Trochus zlzyphinus. 

 AUSTRALIAN PHEASANT-SHELL.-PAas/afleW* Australia. 



