*^ 



inhabiting the United States. 4G9 



situated in the tips of tlie tentacula, these members them- 

 selves may be still organs of touch, as they undoubtedly 

 are in other genera, when the black points are situated at 

 Iheir base, and the habit they have of applying them to 

 every object which they approach, confirms the supposi- 

 tion that they are constructed for this purpose. That the 

 black points are eyes, may very fairly be inferred analogi- 

 cally, from the recent observations of a naturalist on one 

 of the laro-est animals of this class. Rev. Lansdowne 

 Guilding (Zoological Journal, vol. iv, p. 72) asserts, that 

 in the giant species of Strombus, in the Caribbean Sea, 

 the eyes are more perfect than those of many vertebrated 

 animals, — that they have a " distinct pupil, and a double 

 irisy equalling J in beauty and correctness of outline j those 

 of birds and reptilesJ^ . 



In comparing our species wath those of Europe, there 



n 



are some general considerations deserving of attention. 

 Our shells are more uniform and less brilliant in their 

 coloring, and are in general destitute of spots and painted 

 bands or zones. This peculiarity seems to be connected 

 with, and perhaps grows out of, the habits of the respec- 

 tive animals which in Europe are common in gardens and 

 fields, on walls and hedges and other places exposed to 



w 



the action of hght, while in this country they are gener- 

 ally found in forests, sheltered under logs and stones, and 

 are rarely seen abroad except during twilight and in damp 

 weather. They do not infest our gardens and cultivated 

 fields, nor cause damage to vegetation. Another pecu- 

 liarity is, the great proportion of our species whose aper- 

 ture is provided with tooth-like appendages, amounting 

 indeed to more than half of the whole number, and to 

 more than three quarters of those with reflected lips. 

 The Epiphragm, in all our species, is a thin, semi- 



jr- 



