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Cone Shells — Part 1

This Australasian species averages about two inches in length. Tryon thinks it "perhaps the most beautiful species in the genus." To be positive on this question is impossible.

The Glory of the Sea (C. gloria-maris, Hwass) is a cone of unusal slenderness, with a high-peaked spire. It is magnificent in finely reticulated orange brown lines, enclosing triangular spaces. Over this network are three unequal bands of deep chestnut, made of small blotches set in somewhat regular order. The length of this species ranges from three to five inches. This is a very rare and highly prized species.

Habitat.--Philippines.

Hugh Cuming, the great English shell collector, loved to tell of his varied and thrilling experiences in the Pacific Islands. The most wonderful event of his life occurred on the Philippine Island of Juena. He was out on a coral reef. Casually turning over a stone he saw three living specimens of the rare and costly gloria-maris before his eyes. "I almost fainted with delight!" he exclaimed in recounting the event. But he did n't. Two were young ones, the third an adult. They are now safe in cabinets; every collector of cones knows just where, and just how rich he ought to be if he hopes ever to buy one.

Cuming made his unexampled "find" in 1838. In a short time an earthquake shook that reef into the sea. There have been no more cones of the coveted species found in that region. Indeed, the whole number known to conchologists is less than a dozen. Most of these are in museums, and are not likely to change hands. I note in the Nautilus of October, 1890, that a specimen secured by a collector in Europe is valued by him at $500. Mrs. Constable of New York has a fine specimen in the admirable conchological collection made by her late husband. The species is practically extinct.

Though no American museum can show a shell of this species, many libraries have Reeve's "Conchologia Iconica." A fine colour plate of a gloria-maris, life size, forms the frontispiece of the first volume.

The Cloth-of-gold Cone (C. textile, Linn.) is stout and heavy, with low-peaked spire. The exterior is covered with longitudinal zigzag lines of dark brown and yellowish blotches arranged to form three broken bands of darker colour on a white ground, divided by brown lines into triangular patches. Altogether the resemblance to some intricate brocaded fabric is striking, and the name is well chosen.

The virulence of the poison of this species is vouched for by good authority. Deaths by gangrene following bites of this species are known to occur. The natives of the South Seas declare that the mollusk spits the poison several inches. Length, 2 to 4 inches.

Habitat.--Red Sea, Ceylon, Australasia.

The Lettered Cone (C. literatus, Linn.) bears row after row of oblong brown characters on its white surface. A yellow under-colour groups these rows into indistinct bands. The spire is flat and in adult shells roughly calcareous and colourless, as if the peak had been ground off and not polished. This is one of the commonest and most striking of the cones. Length, 3 to 6 inches.

Habitat.--East Indies.

The Thousand-dotted Cone (variety millepunctatus of the species above) has the same characters except that the dots are much smaller and more numerous.

The heaviest and stoutest of the cone shells is C. betulinus, Linn. In life it is covered with a thick, reticulated brown coat. Under this the smooth porcellanous substance is yellow, finely cross-banded with rows of dark brown dots. Three or four strong varices occur on the body whorl. The spire is scarcely elevated Length, 3 to 6 inches; breadth of shoulder, 2 to 4 inches.

Habitat.--East Africa to Philippines.

The Virgin Cone (C. virgo, Linn.) is striking in its lack of colour markings so characteristic of the family. The heavy shell is yellowish white with violet stain on the basal part. Fine striations cover the surface. Polished specimens have a white china-like, artificial appearance, but they still preserve the violet colouring. Length, 2 1/2 to 4 inches.

Habitat.--Red Sea to Australia.

The Marbled Cone (C. marmoreus, Linn.), commonly seen in collections, is strongly marked with large white creamy spots, mostly triangular, separated by bands of dark brown, It is one of the showiest species in the genus. The spire is low and blunt, its sutures concave, its ridges set with tubercles. The ground colour outside and within the aperture has a pink flush. The pattern and proportion of colour varies in this species, which gives rise to a few distinct varieties. The typical form is a good sized shell, quite heavy, about "half and half" dark and light, in colours and pattern described above. Intermediate gradations unite all the varieties. The bite of this species is much to be dreaded, as the barbed teeth are charged with venom and inflict severe wounds. Length, 4 to 5 inches.