MURIClDiE. — WHELK. 
133 
taceo, behind the Alcantarine Convent, at Tarento, con- 
sisting chiefly of the shells of Mur ex brandaris, which 
were supposed to have produced the purple dye; and ac- 
cording to Dr. Bizio, the Tyrian purple was produced 
from this Murex hrandaris, and the amethystine purple 
from Murex trunculus.% Romulus employed the purple- 
dye for the trabea. It was purple and white, something 
similar in cut to the toga^ and was the royal robe w^orii 
by the early kings. Servius mentions two other kinds 
of trabea besides the one already described, one wholly 
of purple, which was sacred to the gods, and another of 
purple and safiron, wdiich belonged to augurs. Julius 
Caesar appears to have been the first of the Roman em- 
perors who wore the toga entirely of purple.* 
In Religious Ceremonies,^ p. 309, we are told that 
the Pope celebrates Mass in Lent, Advent, and all eves 
on which fasting is required, in a purple robe. 
Other shellfish produce purple dyes — amongst them, 
Aplysia hybrida, and I have dyed a piece of linen with 
the beautiful purple liquid which it emits, but it faded 
quickly. 
Dr. Darwin mentions a large Aplysia which is com- 
mon at the Cape de Verd Islands, five inches long, and 
of a dirty yellowish colour, veined with purple, which, 
when disturbed, emits a very fine purplish-red fluid which 
stains the water for a space of a foot round. 
Scalaria communis yields a purple liquor destructible 
by acids, and Planorbis corneus, a purplish fluid, but it 
cannot be made of any use, though Lister tried several 
experiments with the vain hope of being able to fix it. 
In Spain, Murex trunculus is eaten, and Pupura lapillus 
* Pliny, Nat. Hist, see note, vol. iv. bk. xxi. chap. 22. 
t Cic. Philipp, ii. 34. 
