VIII. and IX. Cypræa argus. (Linn.)
The animal which inhabits this shell is elongated, and is provided with a well-developed mantle, furnished on the inside with a band of tentacles; it is able to fold itself up in its shell in such a manner as to be enveloped all round. The head is provided with two very long conical tentacles, each having a very large eye, in which a pupil and iris can be distinguished. The foot is oval, elongate, and without operculum, and is well represented in Cypræa tigris (Fig. 247). The cowries are found at a little distance from the shore, generally in clefts of the rocky bottoms; but sometimes they bury themselves in the sand. They are timid, shun the light, and only leave their retreats to creep about in search of food, which appears to be exclusively animal. These magnificent molluscs are natives of every sea. One small creature lives in the British Channel; another and much larger species is found in the Adriatic; but the Indian Ocean is the home of the largest and finest species of these shells.
Fig. 247. Cypræa tigris (Linnæus).
Fig. 248. Cypræa coccinella (Lamarck).
As objects of curiosity and ornament these shells have been much in request in all ages. The inhabitants of the Asiatic coast make bracelets, collars, amulets, and head-dresses of them, and use them to ornament boxes and harness. In New Zealand the chiefs carry a rare and choice species, suspended from the neck, as a badge of their rank or sign of distinction. This is Cypræa aurantium. In some parts of India and Africa a very small species of Cowrie passes as current money. These shells are, indeed, extremely numerous, and we can only find room for very brief descriptions of a few of the best known among them.
The Waving and Zigzag Cowries, whose native country is unknown, are beautifully ornamented with waving and broken lines, as we see them in Figs. 249 to 252.
Figs. 249 and 250. Cypræa undata (Lamarck).