52 SERF 
SERPOOR, the name of several towns of Hindostan, 
but none of any consequence. 
SERPUCHOV, a town of European Russia, in the govern¬ 
ment of Moscow, on the Oka. It contains no fewer than 
19 churches or chapels, besides several public buildings, 
and has 5700 inhabitants. Its trade is chiefly in corn, 
cattle, butcher’s meat, hides, and honey; also in manufactur¬ 
ing canvas; 62 miles south of Moscow. Lat. 55. N. long. 
37. 2. E. 
SERPULA, in Conchology, a genus of the order testa- 
cea, of which the Generic Character is:—animal aterebella: 
shell univalve, tubular, and generally adhering to other sub¬ 
stances ; often separated internally by divisions qt uncertain 
distances. There are about fifty species included in this 
genus, of which the 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th, 16th and 39th to 
47th, are found in our own country. 
1. Serpula nautiloides.—Shell flattish, minute, conflu¬ 
ent, verrucose, spiral, with very thin semilunar internal 
divisions.—It is found in the seas about Norway, adhering 
to the Madrepora prolifera, is very minute, brownish, or 
white; of an uncertain figure, sometimes rather oblong, 
sometimes more orbicular; the divisions are parallel, the 
aperture very narrow. 
2. Serpula semilunum.—The shell of this is regular, loose, 
glabrous.—It is found in the Adriatic and Red seas, and 
sometimes it is obtained fossile. The shell is scarcely larger 
than a grain of sand, white and yellowish; the whorls are 
pressed close together; the aperture is narrow, and com¬ 
pressed. 
3. Serpula planorbis.—In this species the shell is orbi¬ 
cular, regular/ flat, equal.—It is found adhering to shells. 
The shell resembles a round scale, and when broken hori¬ 
zontally it exhibits the appearance of a spire in minute con¬ 
centric circles. 
4. Serpula spirillum.—Shell regular, spiral, orbicular, 
pellucid, with round gradually decreasing whorls.—It inhabits 
the ocean, on zoophytes, fertularise, and other marine sub¬ 
stances; it resembles the next, which is a native of this 
country, but is much less than it. 
5. Serpula spirorbis.—Shell regular, spiral, orbicular, the 
whorls slightly caniculate above and inwardly, and growing 
gradually less towards the centre.—It inhabits most seas, ad¬ 
hering to fuci and zoophytes. There is a variety; the 
shell is white, without polish, not complicated, but disposed 
singly on the substance to which it is attached ; the aperture 
is circular. 
6. Serpula triquetra.—'The shell of this is creeping, fiex- 
uous, triangular.—It inhabits the ocean, adhering to marine 
substances, stones, and the bottoms of ships; is from half an 
inch to an inch long. The shell is white, pellucid, irregu¬ 
larly twisted, carinate on the back, sometimes denticulate, 
with a narrow circular aperture. 
7. Serpula intricata.—Shell filiform, rough, round, intri¬ 
cately twisted.—It inhabits the European and Indian seas, 
and often on our own coasts, upon shells. The shell is of a 
greenish-white, a little rugged and coarse. 
8. Serpula filograna.—Shell capillary, fasciculate, in 
branched complications, and cancellate.—It inhabits the 
Mediterranean; is four inches long, and forms a beautiful 
kind of net-work. 
9. Serpula granulata.— 1 The shell of this is round, spiral, 
glomerate, with elevated ribs on the upper side.—It in¬ 
habits the North seas, in large masses, adhering to stones, 
shells, &c. The shell is white, and the size of a coriander 
seed. 
10. Serpula contortuplicata.—The shell is angular, rug¬ 
ged, and irregularly entwined.—It is found in the European 
and American seas, and on our own coasts; is from three to 
four inches long ; and sometimes it is as large as a goose- 
quill; the shell is white, cinereous, or yellowish-brown; 
within it is smooth, transversely striate. 
11. Serpula glomerata.—The shell of this species is round, 
glomerate, with decussate wrinkles.—It inhabits the Euro¬ 
pean and Atlantic seas, in large masses. The shell is white, 
grey, or brownish; within it is smooth. 
U L A. 
12. Serpula lumbricalis.—The shell of this is round, flex- 
uous, with a spiral acute tip. There are three varieties of 
this species, which are found in the Atlantic and Indian seas, 
in large masses. The shell is from three to five inches long, 
transversely ribbed and longitudinally wrinkled. 
13. Serpula polythalamia.—The shell of this is likewise 
round, diaphanous, smooth, straightish, with numerous in¬ 
ternal divisions.—It inhabits the Mediterranean and Indian 
seas, under the sand. The shell is outwardly white, trans¬ 
versely wrinkled, and annulate ; the inside is separated by 
imperforated convex and concave divisions, making it appear 
as if it consisted of numerous united tubes. 
14. Serpula arenaria.—Shell jointed, entire, distinct, 
flattish beneath.—It is found in India, and divers parts of the 
coast of Africa. It is probably a teredo, hereafter to be de¬ 
scribed. The shell is white, with pale brown undulate rays, 
or whitish, the outside cancellate, within it is smooth ; spi¬ 
rally twisted: there are about a hundred striae, which are 
sometimes nedulous. 
15. Serpula anguina.—Shell roundish, sub-spiral, with a 
longitudinal jointed cleft.—It inhabits the Indian ocean: 
varies much in figure, being sometimes round and sometimes 
angular; it is more or less flexuous, glabrous or rough, with 
the joints of the cleft often obsolete. There is a variety of 
this species. 
16. Serpula vermicularis.—Shell round, tapering, curved, 
wrinkled.—It inhabits the European seas, and is from two to 
three inches long. The shell is whitish, ending in an obtuse 
point; the inhabitant is of a bright scarlet, with elegantly 
feathered tenlacula, from the middle of which arises a trum¬ 
pet-shaped tube, and a lesser simple one. 
17. Serpula penis.—The shell of this is round, straight, ta¬ 
per, with a dilated radiate larger extremity; the disk is covered 
with cylindrical pores. This is denominated the watering- 
pot. —It is found chiefly in the Indian ocean. The shell is 
white or cinereous, with a faint shade of red; smoothish, ta¬ 
pering, and open at the small end; the dilated margin at the 
larger end terminating in numerous small tubes; the disk is 
convex, and covered with round perforations, with a longi¬ 
tudinal one in the middle. 
18. Serpula echinata.—Shell roundish, flexuous, rosy, 
with numerous rows of prickles, obtuse at the end. It is the 
size of a crow's quill; the aperture is margined. 
19. Serpula ocrea.—The shell of this is roundish, striate, 
brown.—It inhabits the Indian ocean, usually affixed to 
corals. 
20 ., Serpula protensa.—Shell polished, smoothish, with 
annulate plaits, a little tapering towards the end.—It is found 
in the Indian and American seas, and is the size of a quill. 
The shell is ivory, whitish or blueish, either straight or 
partly bent. 
21. Serpula decussata.—Shell round, with decussate 
striae, slightly wrinkled, flexuous, red, within smooth and - 
white. 
22. Serpula proboscideae.—The shell is smooth and white; 
the broader part is straight and transversely plaited. The 
shell is from two to four inches long, white, or of a dusky 
brown. 
23. Serpula afra.—Shell sub-striate, yellowish-brown, 
round, twisted into three whorls, with a central tip.—It is 
found about the coasts of the island of Goree. 
24. Serpula cereolus.—Shell round, smooth, yellowish, 
many times twisted.—It inhabits America. The shell is 
long and narrow. 
25. Serpula cornucopia:.—Shell conic, spirally twisted, 
yellowish, with brown bands; the middle is round and 
twisted; the aperture is orbicular. The shell, as to form, is 
obtuse at the tip. 
26/ Serpula Goreensis.—The shell is round, cancellate, 
yellow, within horned.—It is found at Goree, fixed to 
testaceous substances and wood; if from eight to nine 
inches long, with elevated striae; the longitudinal ones are 
crowded. 
27. Serpula intestinalis.—Shell triangular, twisted, fragile, 
tuberculate, with hollow dots.—This is found on the African 
coast 
