38 ZOOLOGY. 
which it differs from the next family), and prolonged in a siphon, which . 
extends a little beyond the shell. The animal is carnivorous, and the tongue 
is armed with hooked teeth. , 
Fam. 10. Cypreide (or Lnvoluta). In this family there is neither 
operculum nor periostraca, the shell is rolled upon itself nearly as in Conus, 
but some are rolled upon a cylindrical instead of a conical axis, so that there 
is no spire exposed. The shells are very beautiful and highly pokened the 
mantle being so wide that its sides can be turned over the back of the shell, 
where it secretes the ornamental layer of the shell. The point of union of 
the margins of the mantle is often indicated by a discolored line upon the 
back of the shell. | 
Cyprea (C. moneta, pl. 76, fig. 5; C. mauritiana, fig. 6; C. arabica, — 
jig. 7), has the mantle edged with tentacular filaments, and when they are 
turned over the back, the shell is hidden. The aperture is long and narrow, 
each side denticulated, and the external margin turned in. ©. moneta is 
used as money in western Africa. 
Ovula (O. ovum, pl. 76, fig. 4; O. volva, fig. 2), as the name indicates, is 
shaped somewhat like an egg, with the ends attenuated, and the inner 
margin of the aperture without denticulations. The animal resembles that 
of Oypreea. 
Oliva (O. rspidula, pl. T5, fig. 122; O. porphyria, fig. 125; O. maura, 
fig. 126) has the head very small, and the tentacles united at the base. 
These resemble somewhat the same organs in Strombus, being divided, and 
having a terminal eye upon one of the branches. O. porphyria is the 
largest and handsomest species of the genus, being four or more inches long, 
of a pale brownish purple, marked with numerous zigzag angular lines, and 
having the anterior extremity violet. It inhabits the coast of South America. 
Fam.11. Volutide. In this carnivorous family there are usually distinct 
folds upon the columella. Voluta is a genus of large and handsome, generally 
inoperculate shells, with a wide aperture notched in front, and the apex 
rounded. A part of the shell has sometimes the appearance of being 
varnished, which indicates the extent to which it is covered by the mantle. 
The animal cannot entirely enter the shell, the head is proboscidiform, and 
the tentacles are short, with the eyes at their external base. 
Mitra (MM. episcopalis, pl. 75, fig. 123; M. papalis, fig. 124) is a genus 
of handsome shells extremely rich in species, there being about 250 recent 
and 100 fossil species known. The animal is very dull in its movements, 
the head small and V-shaped, on account of the projection of the slender 
tentacles. These have the eyes upon an external peduncle. In Mitra 
episcopalis (shell white with red spots), the rostrum is once and a half 
times the length of the shell, exceeding that of any other genus. aoe 
enables it to attack its prey at some distance. 
Terebra (7. maculata, pl. 75, fig. 117) has the foot (weil bears an 
operculum) but little longer than the last whirl of the shell, a proboscidiform 
head, tentacles and eyes in the usual form, and the siphon projecting beyond 
the shell. There are upwards of a hundred recent species known. 
Fam. 12. Sigaretide. Sigaretus (S. haliotideus, pl. 75, jig. 89) is a 
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