VOLUTA cymbium. 

 Clouded Melon Volute. 



Sub-family Voliitinse Nob. (Gen. Melo. Cymba. Voluta. Brod.) 



Generic Character. 



Sbell enveloped by the mantle of the animal : oval, ventricose; spire 

 very obtuse, papillary, remarkably short, the whorls (when tlc- 

 fineel) abruptly lessening. Pillar with from 3 to 4 carinated 

 plaits. 



Types of Form. — 1. V. fulgetrum. 2. V. cymbium. olla. Nep- 

 tuni, porcina ,proboscidalis, rubiginosa. 3. melo, tessellata, 

 Ethiopica, diadema, armata, nautica. 4. Imperialis, Scapha (?) 

 5. angulata. Auct. 



SrEciFic Character. 



Type 2. Shell ovate, marbled tvith rufous aud white, suture chan- 

 nel led, the margin carinated : spire rude, irregular, plaits 

 on the pillar variable. 



Voluta cymbium. Auct. Lam. Sys. 7. 9. 332, Ency. Meth. 



pi. 38G, /. 3.— L'Yet, Adans. Scneg. pi. 3./. \.p. 44. 

 Cymba cymbium. Brod. in Sow. Genera. 



That the system of nature is essentially a system of types 

 and symbols, is a truth which has not only been perceived 

 by philosophers, but is apparent to every attentive observer 

 of nature. It has been our endeavour, in the second volume 

 of Northern Zoology, to investigate this system, and to as- 

 certain those laws by which it is regulated. One of the re- 

 sults of this enquiry has been, that every genus, i>re-emi- 

 nently typical, contains a greater number of forms than any 

 other ; the necessary consequence of comprising within 

 itself, representations of every division in the whole family. 

 By this test must our present definition of the typical genus 

 Voluta be tried. We consider this particular species as the 

 type of the whole group : according to Adanson, it is abund- 

 ant on the western coast of Africa, where it is stated to vary 

 considerably, both in its colour and in its jilaits. To the 

 same traveller we are indebted for the best account of the 

 animal, which he describes under the name of L'Vet. It 

 has been thought, indeed, that this is the Voluta ueptuni, 

 but as the interior of Adanson's L'Yet is " blanche" and (hat 

 of iVejtf^wvii is yellowish orange, we rather think (hat (he 

 French writer intended to designate tlic Voluta cifnibium of 

 systematic authors. 



84. 



