The Tun Shells. Wine Jars. Fig Shells 



Habitat. — Indian Ocean, Polynesia, West Africa, West 

 Indies, Florida Keys, Brazil. 



The Apple Tun(D.pomnm,L\nn.) is a solid little shell, yellow- 

 ish brown, clouded and mottled with white in about equal pro- 

 portions. The spire is depressed, with a deep suture; the whorls 

 bear broad, low, rounded ridges. The columella is ridged and 

 umbilicated, with a slight excavation in the middle. An external 

 groove sets off the flaring lip, which is thickened and crossed by 

 sharp ridges just back of the incurving edge. These shells are 

 rather heavy for their size. Length, 3 inches. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Philippine Islands. 



Sub-Genus MALEA 



The Grinning Tun (D. ringens, Swn.) is the heaviest species 

 in the genus. The grin is produced by the turning backward 

 of the outer edge of the lip. The columella has a distinct excava- 

 tion in the middle with prominent ridges above and below it. 

 The exterior of the shell has deep wide grooves and rounded 

 ridges which give the flaring lip a scalloped edge. Length, 4 to 

 9 inches. 



Habitat. — Peru and Panama. 



Genus PYRULA, Lam. 



Shell very thin, pear-shaped, finely ribbed, cancellated, 

 ending in an open canal at base; spire depressed, short; lip thin, 

 smooth; operculum and umbilicus wanting. Foot large, with 

 wide spread; siphon, head and tentacles much elongated and 

 narrow; mantle lobes reflected over sides of shell in use. A 

 few species only. 



The Paper Fig Shell (P. papyratia, Say) is found from 

 Beaufort, N. C, down the coast to the West Indies. I have picked 

 up many fine specimens on the Gulf coast of Florida; how the 

 delicate, almost transparent, things escape shattering in the surf 

 is more than I can explain. I never saw the living mollusk. 

 The general colour of the shell is brownish white with faint brown 

 lines drawn down from the spire. Inside, the brown is darker. 

 There are no spots on the finely cancellated surface. Length, 

 3 to 4 inches. 



Arthur Adams describes an East Indian species as a very 



141 



