122 Monograph of the Cones of North America. 



sometimes it is entirely smooth. All of them, in their living state, 

 are covered with an epidermis or periostracha. 



But few accurate observations appear to have been made on the 

 animal which inhabits the cone. I am informed by a friend, 

 that in the bay of Bengal it is frequently taken with a bait— 

 a piece of flesh is attached to a long line and sunk to the bottom ; 

 upon drawing up the line cautiously, the cones will be found adher- 

 ing to the bait ; when near the surface of the water, a small hand 

 net must be dexterously slipped under them to secure them as they 

 dropoff. 



As this genus includes a vast variety of species, many subdivi- 

 sions of it have been proposed, founded on certain peculiar charac- 

 ters. La Marck has divided it into two sections',; the first including 

 coronated cones, and the second those which have n plain spire. 

 Dillwyn makes four subdivisions : 1st. Cones with a spire trun- 

 cated ; 2d. Pyriform cones, rounded at the base ; 3d. Elongated 



Ventricose cones, with a wide aperture. In a general monograph, 

 the species could perhaps be better described and identified, by 

 combining the sections of La Marck with the divisions of DM- 

 As far as the coast of North America has hitherto been examin- 

 ed, but five or six species of the cone have as yet been found ; but 

 since the animal inhabits the deep parts of the ocean, it is believ- 

 ed that when our shores shall be more fully explored by dredging 

 and by other methods, many new varieties of this interesting genus 

 will be added to our Fauna. The following species are all that 

 have as yet fallen under our personal observation. 



ConusMus. Bruguiere. Plate 3. Fig. 1. 

 Shell conical, pyriform with elevated transverse striae ; brown, 

 with longitudinal confluent streaks of a lighter colour; a single 

 transverse irregular band of white below the middle of the body 

 whorl ; spire acute ; its whorls coronated on the lower side ; the 

 upper being marked with cancellate stria? ; the tubercles are white, 

 and the interstices of a rich brown : one inch and a half long and 

 half as broad. 



Good specimens of this shell are uncommon, but worn and im- 

 perfect ones are often brought from the West-India islands. Mr. 

 Peale found a number of them on the Florida Keys. Dillwyn 

 says that « the transverse striae are alternately larger." This is 



