30 THE HALL OF SHELLS. 



wliicli it is adorned are plainly seen at the 

 bottom of tliat page, wliere is the larger illus- 

 tration of the same shell. 



The Mtt/rex princeps is the spiny shell 

 shown among the olive and cone shells. It is • 

 a beautiful variety, found upon the west coast 

 of South America, is sometimes five inches in 

 length. Its ribs are white, contrasting beauti- 

 fully with its spines and shadings of chestnut 

 brown. 



The MuricidcB, however, are not all regarded 

 as lovely. It is a Mwrex which is one of the 

 worst enemies of the oyster, piercing its shell 

 and sucking the sweet juices from within. So 

 voracious is this depredator that a large num- 

 ber of the bivalves are often required to fur- 

 nish it a single meal, the young Murex select- 

 ing the young oyster shells, which are most 

 easily pierced, while the old Murex feasts upon 

 the large oysters, finding the labor of boring 

 through their hard shells but whets its appe- 

 tite for more. The oyster farms in some parts 

 of Europe are only preserved by fishers being 

 employed incessantly to destroy these depre- 

 dators. 



