CONUS Princeps, 

 Prince Cone. 



Generic Character. — See PI. 65. 



Specific Character. 



C. conicus, coronatus, roscus ; lineis fusco-purpurtis longitudinalibus sub- 

 ramosis ; spird comexd. — Lamarck. 



Coronated Cone, rosy, with brownish purple longitudinal lines, 

 which are sometimes branched ; spire convex. — Lamarck. 



Conns Frinceps. Gmelin. 3378. (omitting var. |3 and 7.) Turton. 4. 



313. (omitting var. 2. and 3.) 

 Conns regius. Martini, vol. x. pi. \38. fig. 1276. Brug. no. 12. 



Encj/. Meth. pi. 2\%. Jig. 3. Lainarck, Ann. du Mus. p. 31. 



no. 10. 



1 HE Cones are remarkable both for their beauty and the very 

 high value attached to many of the varieties. Tliey are like- 

 wise a very numerous family, and, with three or four excep- 

 tions, are all inhabitants of tropical latitudes, particularly the 

 Indian Ocean. Bruguiere and Lamarck have each written 

 very able descriptions of the species, of w^hich the latter 

 enumerates 179 recent, and 9 found only in a fossil state. 



This is a shell of great rarity and beauty. Dead and in- 

 jured specimens are often seen, in which the deep reddish 

 brown colour is bleached to a pale rose, and the base worn 

 round. Of the live shell I have never seen more than two or 

 three ; and the finest of these is here figured from Mr. Du- 

 bois' cabinet : it is a native of the Asiatic Ocean. 



I see no reason why the original name of Linnaeus for this 

 shell should have been changed, although, under it, he has 

 evidently included other species quite distinct ; (his var. B- 

 being C ebrceus) : indeed, it too often happens, that in mak- 

 ing those alterations absolutely necessary in the present state 

 of the science, the spirit of" innovation oversteps the justice 

 due to those, whose labours first laid the foundation of our 

 own knowledge, 

 n. 86. 



