No. 634] UTILIZATION OF ECHINODERMS 



423 



well be prepared as an extra delicacy and sold as such, 

 and in that way made to make up partly for injuries that 

 it inflicts on the bivalve-mollusks. 



Barbier (1908) enumerates a large number of gastero- 

 pod mollusks used by the natives of Madagascar in va- 

 rious ways. Not only is the animal matter used as food, 

 but the shells are commercialized as well. Having enu- 

 merated ten species of the genus Murex, and 139 species 

 from different genera including Littorina, Nerita, Cyp- 

 rcea, Pterocera, Strombus, Neritina, Turbo, Conus, Tere- 

 bra, Natica, Cassis, Harpa, Mitra, Voluta, Vasum, Oliva, 

 Fasciolaria, Purpura, Rapana, Eburna, Nassa, Ranella, 

 Triton, Fusus, Neptuna, Busy con, and Pyrula y all of 

 which are marine forms, he adds the following terrestrial 

 and freshwater gasteropods : Helix hcemastoma L., Buli- 

 mus perversus L., Mulimulus multilineatus Say, Pupa uva 

 L., Clausilia cana Gld., Auriculus auris Midae L., Tudora 

 versicolor Pfr., and Helicina miltochila Cross, and says : 



It is worth noting that genus Purpura which causes 

 great destruction of the mussel beds on the English coast, 

 and which was suggested by Lebour to be systematically 

 collected and destroyed, serves the Indians of Madagas- 

 car as food. Murex, Natica, Nassa, Busycon, and others 

 related to the gasteropod types on our coasts are being 

 utilized as food by the natives of Madagascar. Cycotypus 

 canaliculars Verrill & Smith, 1873 (Busycon canalicu- 

 lars Say, or Fulgur canaliculata Gould, 1887, Dall, 1889), 

 is a very pernicious enemy of oysters. According to 

 Sumner, Osburn and Cole, 1908, 



It is abundant in shallower water generally . . . pretty generally dis- 

 tributed throughout Buzzard Bay and Vineyard Sound. It preys upon 

 mollusks and is said to be destructive to oysters (p. 707). 



It is still of little commercial value save that of being used 

 for dissecting purposes, and some Europeans, in New 



