FAMILY PURPURIDZ — PYRULA. 141 
PyrvuLa Carica. 
PLATE IX. FIG. 192. Avutt.— FIG. 193. Youna. 
Murex carica. Lin. Gmel. 3545. 
Pyrula id. Lam. An. sans vert. Vol. 7, p. 138. 
oe id. Avams, Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2, p. 271. 
BP. id. Gout, Invertebrata of Mass. p. 296. 
Description. ApvuLT sHELL, large, ponderous : spire moderately elevated, acute. Whorls 
six, nearly plane or subconcave above, with numerous minute revolving strie; the three 
lower volutions with a series of distinct triangular tubercles near the suture: those on the 
body-whorl nine in number, gradually enlarging to the edge of the outer lip; on the apicial 
whorls, obsolete : incremental lines on the body whorl coarse. Columella concave, with a 
polished callus : aperture oval ; lip arched, dilated ; canal rounded, slightly emarginate. 
Color : Epidermis soiled brownish, agglutinating ; within dull orange. 
Youne suey. Spire more elevated : body-whorl furnished rather with spines than tubercles, 
which may be traced as far up as the fourth whorl ; revolving strie more distinct, particularly 
on the lower part of the body-whorl, and may be traced on the callus above the fold; the 
fold on the pillar-lip very distinct, subangular beneath; extremity of the canal rounded ; 
aperture irregularly oval, angular above. Color, varied with brownish red and white, the 
reddish spots most apparent near the sutures: a broad light greyish revolving band on the 
upper portion of the body-whorl ; a similar, but narrower, interrupted and obsolete band 
beneath ; within varied with brownish red and grey. 
Length of adult, 6°0 - 8°0; of aperture and canal, 4°8 — 5°5. 
Length of young, 2:0 - 4:0. 
This shell, as is apparent from the description given above, varies very much in different 
stages of its growth. It is very common, and the largest of the convoluted shells found on 
our coast, extending from the shores of the Southern States to Cape Cod. It is sold in our 
markets as an article of food, at the rate of a dollar a hundred; but is coarse, and of a strong 
flavor. 
