LEPAS. 39 



nected together, as usual, by a scaly suture, the edges 

 of which appear finely crenated in the interior of the 

 shell. The opening is large, and nearly triangular. 

 The operculum consists of four valves, two of which 

 are very large, and marked with projecting transverse 

 striae. A longitudinal ftirrow divides them from each 

 other, and they are terminated by two conical prolonga- 

 tions, with sharp points, which form the other valves. 

 The exterior of the shell is a cone, divided into six raised 

 and six depressed compartments; the raised divisions 

 are rough, and striated longitudinally ; the depressed 

 divisions are smooth and finely striated transversely. 

 The shell is found of various sizes, from half an inch to 

 three inches in height, and with a base in proportion ; 

 the colour is purple or violet, varied with brown, or 

 reddish, as in fig. 2. 



The bell acorn is found in groups on rocks, or on 

 large shells, where more than fifty have been found 

 united in a single cluster. They have been observed in 

 the European ocean, on the coast of Denmark, in the 

 Indian seas, and on the coasts of Amboina and Jamaica. 

 They are often attached in such abundance to the bot- 

 toms of vessels from foreign countries, that many hun- 

 dreds have been taken from a single ship. 



It is strange, that this Lepas still continues to be 

 admitted into the catalogue of British shells, since it is 

 evidently an inhabitant of warm climates, and brought 

 to us only by accident. It is never found alive upon 

 the English coast, and we therefore cannot with pro- 

 priety naturalize the species. No one thinks of calling 

 a Chinese an Englishman because he often visits our 

 Country; and yet the only difference, in this particular. 



