28 CONCH.OLOGY. 
l:is fecond genus, which he calls whelks with a notched 
mouth without any beak. 
3. Buccina longiroftra, fuch as the purpuras, tower of 
Babel, crane, thorny woodcock, and others having a ve¬ 
ry long and extended beak. Da Coda fays he does not 
meet with any author except Davila, who agrees with him 
in this genus; and he makes them his fourth genus, 
which he calls buccina wliofe mouths are furniflied with 
a very long tail or beak. The purpuras are properly to 
.be placed with thefe buccina longiroftra, and not form a 
diftirift genus, for the difti notions between them are not 
built on real or decifive characters. The purpura preyon 
other fhell-fifh, and for that purpofe bore a round hole in 
the (hells of the fi(h they feed upon, by palling their 
tongue, which is hard, bony, long, and (harp, through 
the hole it bores. This practice of the animal was ob- 
ferved by the antient naturalifts ; Ariltotle de part animal . 
and Plinii hijl. nat. The latter fays, the tongue of the 
purpura is a finger’s length,'by which it preys in boring 
or perforating other (hells, it is of fuch hardnels. Some 
authors conclude that it performs this aftion of perforat¬ 
ing other (hells, by virtue of fome menitruum it emits 
through the tongue, whereby it foftens or corrodes the 
other (hell, and then digs out the corroded fubftance 
with the beak, and all this without any verfati'le or other 
ftrong motion. Others contend, that to make this hole 
it is not neceftary that the fifli (hould have a rotatory mo¬ 
tion ; or that, like a wheel, the tongue (hould always 
move circularly the fame way. It is fuflicient that it 
turns brifkly backwards and forwards. And, if the 
holes, which are moll commonly found in fome fpecies 
of the cliamae, and the ferew (hells particularly, are ex¬ 
amined with a glafs, they will be found to be fo finely 
circular, that it is impoffible to conceive any menftruum 
(hould aft upon it in fo regular a manner. Further, it 
does not feem conclufive that the purpura extrafts its food 
by this hole. It is rather done with a view, either to 
force the animal out of its (hell, or to kill it, that it may 
devour it at leifure. There feems to be a wife choice in 
that part fixed upon. It is in fuch a part of the ferew 
fliell that the animal cannot crowd itfelf below the perfo¬ 
ration, and efcape the piercer : fo likewife in the cliamae 
and other (hells there is not the lead reafon to apprehend 
a menftruum. 
Lifter lias feveral (hells he calls purpuras, but thele 
more efpecially are his buccina ampullacea, Rumphius and 
Linnaeus place them among the murices. Gualtieri calls 
them.purpuras. Argenville makes his thirteenth family 
purpuras, but gives no definition for them : and Davila 
follows him, except that it is his eighth family, and that 
lie forms two genera of them. The purpuras obtained 
their name from the purple juice or dye the fifli yields, 
which is fo famous in hiftory, by the name of the tyrian 
purple ; becaufe it is imagined that a (hell of this kind 
was firft difeovefed to afford it: but indeed moft turbi¬ 
nated (hells yield a purple liquor. This genus of buccina 
longiroftra contains many fpecies very rare and curious. 
4. Buccina umbilicata ; umbilicated whelks, or thofe 
that have a perpendicular hollow or navel afide the colu¬ 
mella or pillar-lip, on the full or body whirl. This is 
the pofuive charafter of the genus; and all buccina or 
whelks that have a' hollow or navel, rank under it, whe¬ 
ther guttered, wry-mouthed, or beaked, &c. No author 
befides Da Cofta has formed a genus from this fecond cha¬ 
rafter, fo that the (hells herein ranked are generally dif- 
psrfed among the other buccina. 
5. Buccina columella dentata vel plicata; whelks 
with a wrinkled or plaited pillar. The (hells c.f this ge¬ 
nus have the inner or pillar-lip wrought with one or more 
high or prominent tranfverfe ridges or plaits. Thefe 
tranfverfe prominent ridges on the inner or pillar-lip, 
are the ftandard charafter of this genus; for all whelks, 
whether beaked, guttered,'&c. if the pillar is thus plait¬ 
ed, range herein; and there are of all kinds with this 
charafter. However, it is very proper to obferve, that it 
4 
is only the whelks whofe pillars are plaited, that are to 
be arranged in this genus ; for there are other families of 
(hells, as the Perfian crowns, the murices or rocks, &c, 
which have their inner or pillar-lip wrinkled or plaited in 
the fame manner. Thole are to be .placed in their re- 
lpeftive families, and not here, folelyon that account. 
Lifter and Linnaeus are the only authors who have agreed 
with Da Cofta in ranging (hells by this fubordinate cha¬ 
rafter. It is Lifter’s buccina columella dentata : but lie 
has not only arranged the buccina therein, but likewifs 
all other (hells whofe pillars are plaited. Linnaeus has 
done the fame; and from this Angle charafter of columella 
plicaia, he has formed'his genus voluta; in which net 
only .buccina are included, but alfo olives, fome murices 
or rocks, the Perfian crowns, Midas’s ear, and other fliell- 
fifii of different families. 
6. Strombi, or buccina with an exceeding long and ve¬ 
ry taper clavicle or turban. They have a wry-mouth ex¬ 
actly the fame as the fecond genus, which fometimes ex¬ 
tends or turns fo far on the back, as to be like a fpur. 
All (hells fo prodigioufly tapering and long have been ge¬ 
nerally held as a particular family, by the name of Ifrombi, 
or needles, only on account of their taper (liape, and with¬ 
out regard to the contour of their mouth. However, 
Da Cofta has only placed thofe (hells here, which have a 
wry-mouth like the fecond genus ; all thofe that have a 
perfeft round mouth, he has ranked among thefnails, by 
the name of cochlea Jlromblformes. Lifter calls them 
whelks with an extreme lengthened and tapering turban : 
however, he has erroneoufly placed them among the 
whelks with a plaited pillar. Gualtieri and Seba have ar¬ 
ranged all the taper (hells together, and calls them turbo, 
or cochleae with a fmall mouth, and remarkable length¬ 
ened or taper body. The French authors Argenville and 
Davila call them all, turbonnd (trombus (lavis, or /crews\) 
a’nd Rumphius likewife calls them (trombus. Lifter has 
called the olives rhombi or ftrombi; but Linnaeus has 
changed the old name of (trombus, always ufed for thele ta¬ 
per (hells, to others of a quite different form ; his ftrombi, 
except fome few, being winged (hells, or alatae. 
The elder conchologilts ranked in this genus the 
chank (hells, or tritonis of Rumphius, fo much revered in 
Hindooftan, and other parts of Afia. They are called 
fiiankos, or oblation (hells; and are in great requeft with 
the Mahometans, for making bracelets and thumb rings, 
which are made ufe of in drawing the bows. The Hin¬ 
doos employ them to hold oil, to illuminate their pago¬ 
das. Linnaeus, in his (hell-filh, has clafted it under mu- 
rex. It was ufed by the Romans in their earlier days, as 
a trumpet of war .- 
Buccina jam prifeof cogebat ad anna. Quirites. 
This (hell is very common in India, Africa, and on the 
(bores of the Mediterranean fea; where it is (till ufed as 
a trumpet for founding alarms, and giving fignals. It 
fends forth a hollow, deep, ungrateful found. 
i here are fome foffil kinds of the buccina, hitherto un- 
difeovered in their living, ftate. Firft, the buecinum he- 
terolfrophum, or other handed whelk ; becaufe the whirls 
and mouth lie to the right-hanc! inftead of-the left; 
which is the moft ufual manner of turbinated (hells. 
This fpecies belongs to the firft genus, and is found in 
great plenty, in the foffil ftate, in the counties of Efi'ex 
and Suffolk. Another foftil buecinum from France, and 
Hampfhire, is a fpecies of the fifth genus, or with a 
Wrinkled or plaited pillar, but hitherto unknown recent. 
It is in Brander’s Foff. Hanton. The annexed engravings 
exhibit an alfemblage of different fpecies of buccina. 
MUREX, the ROCK-SHELL. 
The murices conftitute the fixteenth and laft family of, 
univalves, according to Da Cofta’s claftification. As” 
they confift of many (hells that have very different fubor¬ 
dinate charafters, Da Cofta forms different genera of 
them ; but the fixed or effential charafter is an oblonsr 
anti 
