CONCHOLEPAS. 



TESTA oblonga, spird brevissima ; apertura amplS, 

 fere magnitudinem testae aequante^ basi leviter 

 canaliculata^ processibus duobus brevibus in- 

 structa: peritremate continuo. Labium inter- 

 num reflexum. Impressiones musculares du£e^ 

 altera subcolumellaris^ altera in interiorem labii 

 externi partem descendens. 



In his Systeme des anim. sans vertebr. Lamarck has placed 

 the Concholepas among those Genera which he has formed 

 out of the Linnaean Patella, though he mentions the fact 

 of the animal being provided with an horny operculum. 

 We were for a long time disposed to accord with Lamarck 

 in assigning it a place near to the Patelliform shells, prin- 

 cipally because we found in it two very distinctly marked 

 muscular impressions, in all respects bearing a strong re- 

 semblance to some of them ; and further, because the evi- 

 dence we possessed at the time of the existence of an oper- 

 culum was very insufficient. We have since learned that 

 these muscular attachments exist also in the Purpurae, and 

 in many, if not all, univalve shells : and though we have 

 never seen the operculum, we are compelled to believe 

 the fact of its existence, for Bruguiere mentions having 

 seen many specimens with their opercula, brought by 

 Dombey from the coast of Peru ; guided by this circum- 

 stance, and also by its outward appearance, he has perhaps 

 judged more correctly in placing it among his Buccina, in 

 which also it was included by Linne, Gmelin, &c. it cer- 

 certainly is very nearly related to Purpura. An extremely 

 large aperture, and the spire placed near to its edge, in 

 the opinion of De Montfort, would naturally bring the 

 Concholepas near to the Patella and other nearly cognate 

 Genera, if the sinus, or short canal at the base of the 



