GASTEROPODS 377 
these animals the natives of some of the Bahama Islands are themselves 
called ‘‘Conchs.” The rich pink color of the shell is very striking. 
There are perhaps seventy-five or eighty species of Strombus inhabit- 
ing the tropical seas, and many of them are highly prized by collectors 
on account of their great beauty. 
FAMILY CYPREIDE 
Genus Cyprea 
Cyprea is one of the “aristocratic” genera. Whether the shell 
or the animal itself is considered, there is probably no genus of 
mollusks which offers so much of beauty and interest to the col- 
lector and student. The genus is a tropical one, and finds its 
metropolis among the coral-fringed islands of the equatorial 
Pacific. Despite their brilliant colors and general attractiveness, 
the cowries—for such is their popular name—are very modest and 
shy; they prefer to hide among rocks, where they may be secure 
from molestation, for probably their conspicuous appearance is a 
real source of danger tothem. In the animal of Cyprea the mantle 
is provided with two large lateral lobes, which are reflexed and 
meet over the top of the shell; thus, when the mantle is fully 
extended, the shell is entirely concealed. These mantle lobes are 
often furnished with numerous forked, tufted, or ramified fila- 
ments. The foot is long; there is no operculum. The color of 
the animal is often very striking in its intensity. A description 
of the cowry-shell is hardly necessary, so familiar is every one 
with it. A deposit of enamel is made all over the shell, and its 
painting and decoration, usually very elaborate, is reserved for 
the adult as a final process in the artistic completion of its home. 
The aperture is as long as the shell, is channeled at both ends, 
and is toothed along both margins. The spire is insignificant and 
is concealed by layers of enamel. In the young the shell has a 
very different appearance, resembling a sharp-lipped Oliva, and 
its scheme of coloration may be entirely different from that em- 
ployed by the adult. 
Among the Cypreide are many remarkable species. The splen- 
did Cypreea aurantia, a native of the Fiji Islands, is one of the 
shells most sought after by enthusiastic collectors. The natives 
