The Cone Shells 



dozen. Most of these are in museums, and are not likely to change 

 hands. I note in the Nautilus of October, 1890, that a speci- 

 men secured by a collector in Europe is valued by him at I500, 

 Mrs. Constable of New York has a fine specimen in the admirable 

 conchological collection made by her late husband. The species 

 is practically extinct. 



Though no American museum can show a shell of this 

 species, many libraries have Reeve's "Conchologia Iconica." 

 A fine colour plate of a gloria-maris, life size, forms the frontis- 

 piece of the first volume. 



The Cloth-of-gold Cone (C.tofa7«,Linn.)is stout and heavy, 

 with low-peaked spire. The exterior is covered with longitudinal 

 zigzag lines of dark brown and yellowish blotches arranged to 

 form three broken bands of darker colour on a white ground, 

 divided by brown lines into triangular patches. Altogether 

 the resemblance to some intricate brocaded fabric is striking, 

 and the name is well chosen. 



The virulence of the poison of this species is vouched for 

 by good authority. Deaths by gangrene following bites of this 

 species are known to occur. The natives of the South Seas 

 declare that the mollusk spits the poison several inches. Length, 

 2 to 4 inches. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, Ceylon, Australasia. 



The Lettered Cone (C. literatus, Linn.) bears row after row 

 of oblong brown characters on its white surface.- A yellow under- 

 colour groups these rows into indistinct bands. The spire is flat and 

 in adult shells roughly calcareous and colourless, as if the peak 

 had been ground off and not polished. This is one of the com- 

 monest and most striking of the cones. Length, 3 to 6 inches. 



Habitat. — East Indies. 



The Thousand-dotted Cone (variety mtllepundatus of the 

 species above) has the same characters except that the dots are 

 much smaller and more numerous. 



The heaviest and stoutest of the cone shells is C. betulinus, 

 Linn. In life it is covered with a thick, reticulated brown coat. 

 Under this the smooth porcellanous substance is yellow, finely 

 cross-banded with rows of dark brown dots. Three or four strong 

 varices occur on the body whorl. The spire is scarcely elevated 

 Length, 3 to 6 inches; breadth of shoulder, 2 to 4 inches. 



Habitat. — East Africa to Philippines. 



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