164 GENUS Px\GURUS. LDecember, 



rvrist linear, beneath ventricose, as long as the hand, sca- 

 brous, \vith a light groove above, formed by two lines of 

 granules; hand linear, granulate, with a moniliform edge 

 beneath, and raised line on the exterior side: second and 

 third pairs of feet elongated, glabrous, with a few hairs, 

 two penultimate joints punctured, and above serrate^ 

 tarsi scabrous, cylindrical, incurved, as long as the two 

 preceding joints conjunctly; feet annulate. 



Length of the thorax three tenths of an inch. 



Very common in our estuaries are generally seen near 

 the edge of the water, running actively about seeking food, 

 or a more commodious or elegant shell, than that with which 

 they are already furnished; they are very quarrelsome and 

 approach each other with great caution. When tw^o of them 

 unexpectedly meet, they immediately and rapidly recede 

 from each other, to a safe distance, in order to consider their 

 respective strength: a combat sometimes ensues, which 

 consists of a variety of movements, the object of which 

 is to drag the adversary out of his dwelling. I have seen 

 a large and powerful individual, whose shell was old and 

 broken, attack one of inferior size, with the obvious inten- 

 tion of plundering him of a shell superior to his own. 



They take possession of a Nassa and a Turbo, which 

 are very numerous on our coast; but they may be found in 

 almost every different univalve, regardless of the species; 

 they take possession of any one, that is of a commodious 

 size, but never, as far as I could observe, do they destroy, 

 or offer violence to, the original inhabitant or fabricator of 

 the shell. When recent, the feet are annulated with red- 

 dish-brown and whitish. 



