COSES.- 



-MOLLUSCA. 



-AUGEK-SIIEI.LS. 



321 



eometimes a little curved, and always notched at its 

 upper extremity, and the inner lip is marked with a 

 few elevated strioe on its anterior termination. In 

 general the shell of the Cones is thick and solid, and 

 is covered with a tliick tenacious epidermis ; a covering, 

 however, seldom seen on Cones in cabinets, as the 

 dealers generally take great pains to remove it in 

 order to sliow the fine polish and the beautiful colours 

 underneath. 



There are few genera of shells more rich in the 

 number of species than that of the Cones, and no one 

 rivals it in rare and expensive objects for the cabinet. 

 There is none in which the colours are more diversified, 

 or in which the form appears to have so much constanc}' 

 and uniformity ; two peculiarities which have always 

 rendered the distinction of species very difficult. The 

 species are found in southern and tropical seas for the 

 most part, ranging northwards, however, as far as the 

 Mediterranean, and southwards to the Cape of Good 

 Hope. They become more numerous and more varied 

 in their colours, as we approach the equatorial seas, 

 and they form bright and beautiful ornaments to the 

 shores of tropical islands. They seem to prefer obscure 

 holes in the rocks, where they lead a predatory life, 

 boring into the substance of shells of other molluscs 

 for the purpose of sucking the juice from their bodies. 

 They crawl but slowly, and usually with their tenta- 

 cles extended in a straight line before them. The}- are 

 very timid, and shrink within the shells quickly on the 

 approach of danger. — (Adams.) As we have already 

 mentioned, on the other page, some of the species have 

 been found to bite severely when incautiously handled. 

 Mr. A. Adams, in the voyage of the Samarang, had an 

 opportunity of witnessing the fact. Speaking of the 

 animal of Coitus aulicus, " its bite," he says, " pro- 

 duces a venomed wound, accompanied by acute pain, 

 and making a small, deep, triangular mark, wliich is 

 succeeded by a watery vesicle. At the little island of 

 Mayo, one of the Moluccas, near Ternate, Sir E. Belcher 

 was bittenby one of these Cones, which suddenly exserted 

 its proboscis as he took it out of the water with his 

 hand, and he compares the sensation he experienced 

 to that produced by the burning of phosphorus under 

 the skill." 



Extravagant prices have been given, at various 

 times, for individual specimens of Cones. The Peer- 

 less Cone, C. cedo-nuUi— fig. 212 o — is one of these, and 

 though not so rare as it was some time ago, is still 

 much prized by collectors and amateurs. Some of the 

 varieties of this shell are exceeding beautiful. Another 

 species which formerly commanded a high price, is the 

 Admiral Cone, C ammiralis. In Holland a single 

 specimen of this handsome Cone has fetched the large 

 sum of five hundred florins. But perhaps the largest 

 sum given for a single individual shell, is that paid for 

 the Comts gloria-maris, or the Glory of the sea, now 

 in the fine collection of Cones in the British Museum. 

 This beautiful Cone was at one time tlie gem of the 

 collection of the late Earl of Tatikerville. At the sale 

 of this nobleman's museum in 1825, this shell was sold 

 for the large sum of one hundred guineas ! The late 

 lamented Mr. Broderip informed the writer of this, 

 that having vowed he would never give such a large 

 Vol. II. 



sum as £100 for any shell, and yet being exceedingly 

 desirous to possess this treasure, laid down before the 

 late Mr. G. B. Sowerby, who had the sale of the col- 

 lection, £99 19s. 6d. 1 but was refused. It realized 



Fig. 212. 



Conus cedo-niilli— a, shell ; fc, operculum; c, animal. 



one hundred guineas ; but the person who became the 

 happy possessor of the coveted prize, a few years 

 afterwards became bankrupt; his collection was brought 

 to the hammer, and the same shell was then purchased 

 by Mr. Broderip for £50. Mr. Broderip's entire col- 

 lection, some years after that, became the property of 

 the nation, and this beautiful Cone, of which it formed 

 a chief gem, is now in the British Museum. We are 

 not aware that the animals of any of the Cones have 

 been anywhere used as food, except in Cliina. Osbeck 

 informs us, in his " Voyage to China," that the animal 

 of the Chinese Cone, Conus Cliinensis, is put into water, 

 and sold in every street in Canton by the name of 

 Ha-in-yo. 



Fajiily II.— ACUSID^ [Auger-sheiU). 



The family of Auger-shells (forming the genus 

 TerebrA of Lamarck, the family AcusiD-E of Gray), 

 though differing considerably in the form of the shell 

 from that of the Cones, resemble in many respects the 

 animal of that genus. The mantle is entire, the siphon 

 elongate and recurved, the foot is small and compressed, 

 and the teeth which are implanted in the fleshy pro- 

 boscis are elongate, swollen at the base, and denticulated 

 as in those of Conus. The operculum is annular. 

 The shell, however, is turreted, elongate, pointed, and 

 has a very long spire. The animals of many species 

 are nearly blind, or if they have eyes, these organs are 

 exceedingly minute and placed near or on the top of 

 the very small, short tentacles. The mouth is exposed 

 and not surrounded by a rostrum-like veil. The 

 .aperture of the shell is ovate, short, and notched in 

 front ; the inner lip is rather concave, and the outer is 

 thin. The canal is short and recurved. The species 

 are numerous. Tliey live only below high water mark, 

 and are mostly inh.abitants of tropical seas. Only one 

 species has been found asfar north as the Mediterranean, 

 the rest being found in India, China, and West America. 



THE SPOTTED AUGEE [Tcrcbra maculala) is the 

 best example of tlie family Acusidoe. It is the largest 



a s 



