NATURAL HISTORY. 



Family, Turbinidae. (Lat. Turbo, a Whorl.) 

 SCALARIA. (Lat. Scala, a Ladder, or stairs.) 



Family. Coniidse. (Gr. 



f, a Cone.) 



Pretiosa (Lat. valuable), the Royal Staircase Wentletrap. 



Generalis (Lat general), the Gone. 



pounds. Even now, a very fine specimen cannot be obtained 

 under six or seven pounds. For this reason, the specific name 

 " pretiosa" was affixed to it by Lamarck. 



As an example of the large family of Cones, we will take 

 the common Cone, whose beautiful marbled colour and elegant 

 shape render it a most attractive shell. 



THE MONEY COWRY, AtfD THE WHELK. 



The Cowries are not less celebrated for the elegance of their 

 form and the beauty of their markings, than for the curious 

 circumstance that one species is used as current coin in 

 Guinea and Bengal, thus being employed for the same purpose 

 by two entirely distinct races of men, situated in different 

 quarters of the globe. Their value is of course small in 

 proportion to gold or silver. At the present time a rupee in 



