CONCHOLOGY. 



Ge»«s-CONUS. Speciw-CONUS PARTICOLOR. 



Generic Character — Shell univalve, spiral, oblong, spire 

 short, no beak, the mouth oblong and narrow, 

 ending at the base in an open channel rounded. 

 The whole form of the shell having the shape of 

 a cone, angular and pointed. 



OF the natural history of Shell Fish, it appears that the 

 greatest part remains at present unknown. Of the small 

 microscopic shells, which do not exceed an eighth of an 

 inch in size, no work has hitherto been published. Of the 

 Fossil Shells we may also make the same observations, except 

 a slight essay by Dr. So lander upon the Fossil Shells of 

 Hampshire, which can contribute little to the general 

 knowledge of them. Some of the very minute shells have 

 been published in a partial manner by Soldani Fichtel, and. 

 Dr. Boys, but the plates are so inaccurate, that they convey 

 no positive information to the mind of the reader as tq their 

 general forms. 



Amongst the shells at present known to exist in the sea, 

 the Genus Conus affords us, perhaps the greatest numbers, 

 and most highly coloured varieties; and amongst these, we 

 have singled out the shell at present to be described. The 

 Conus Particolor is a shell of a beautiful taper form resem- 

 bling the Gloria Maris, formerly described in this work, in 

 its general shape. It is elegantly variegated with a dark 

 map-pattern of brown and white, and the colour of the mouth 

 varies in .different subjects. When we contemplate the 

 variety and richness of colours, presented to our minds in 

 the tribes of Shell Fish, we cannot help suggesting who 



