Common throughout New Zealand, between tide marks, 
and in the laminarian zone. Mount Maunganui. 
TROPHON RUGOSUS (trophe, a turning; rugosus, 
wrinkled; ruga, a wrinkle).—A solidly-built, rather small 
greyish or yellowish-white spiral univalve, sculptured with 
prominent and comparatively large rounded spiral ribs, 
seven on the body whorl, the whorls of the spire having 
one large rib, with two smaller ones above it. These ribs 
are crossed by longitudinal folds, which give rise to rounded 
nodules at the points of intersection. The shell is also 
covered with fine hair-like raised longitudinal lines. The 
spire is sharply pointed; the mouth angled above, and 
drawn out below into an open and moderately long canal, 
curving to the left and backwards. The outer lip is abruptly 
bevelled off to a sharp edge, which is sinuous or wavy, 
corresponding to the ends of the large ribs. The interior 
of the mouth is glossy, and white at the margin, toothed 
within, and rapidly becoming a beautiful rich purple. The 
inner lip is much paler in colour, and sharply defined from 
the body whorl. About an inch and a quarter in length, 
it is found on rocky ground between high and low-water 
marks. 
Bay of Islands; Auckland Harbour; Mount Maunga- 
nui. 
THAIS HAUSTRUM (Thais, the wife of Ptolemy 
Soter I.; haustrum, a scoop).—Seeing these rather homely- 
looking shells for the first time, and none of the Thaisidiz 
are remarkable for beauty, either of colour or form, one 
is inclined to wonder why they should be named in honour 
of the frail and beauteous Athenian whose charms are 
immortalised in the lines ;— 
Lovely Thais sits beside thee, 
Take the good the gods provide thee. 
It is all very well for poets to acclaim the efficiency of 
Wine in stimulating the imagination, but the tang of the 
sea air seems to shed the divine afflatus on all who come 
within its breezy influence. Mariners, ancient and modern; 
fishermen, even scientific conchologists, each and all seem 
powerless to resist the magic spell, and so Romance and 
Poetry flow from them as freely as the water comes tum- 
bling down at Lodore. 
The Thais haustrum, commonly called a Dog Winkle, 
is a large, dark or purplish-brown univalve, about three 
inches in length, with a somewhat square or flattened high 
shoulder to the body whorl. The mouth is large, widely 
71 
Plate VIII 
No.7 
Plate IV 
No.7 
Sea Shells 
of New Zealand 
