THE IVORY SHELLS Genus EBURNA, Lam.
Shell ovate, smooth, ivory-white, spotted with orange-red; epidermis dark; whorls shouldered; umbilical area large, set off 69 The Whelks. Trumpet Shells by a strong rib; apertuie white or tinged with violet; columell. thickened.
Lamarck erected his genus upon a shell which turns out to be Ancillaria glabrata! This slip, however, is overlooked by Tryon, in view of the assemblage of species Larmarck made under this head. There are about twelve species inhabiting Eastern tropical seas.
The Spiral Ivory Shell (E. spirata, Lam.) has a deep channel as the of its whorls. There is an upper and a lower notch in the large round aperture; the white surface bears series of irregular brownish spots. The sharp apex is black. Length, 2 to 3 inches.
Habitat.— Ceylon, Philippines.
The Ivory Shell (E. areolata, Lam.) is ornamented by three regular rows of square brown spots on its swollen body whorl. There is room for but one row on the upper coils. This is the largest and most striking of the ivory shells. Length, 2 to 4 inches.
Habitat.—Ceylon, China Seas.
The Japanese Ivory Shell (E. Japonica, Sby.) lives in sandy mud off the coast of Japan. Women and children gather the mollusks for the markets where they are offered as a staple article of food.
Genus MACRON, H. and A. Ads.
Shell ovate, thick, with dark, tough epidermis; spire elevated; columella wrinkled; callous at posterior end; outer lip thin, with small anterior tooth; operculum ovate. West coast of America.
Habitat.— Southern and Lower California.
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