Most univalve shells are covered with epidermis, but in some instances the animal, when extended, surrounds the exterior of the shell with its mantle, as do the cowries, and then the outside of the shell is always glazed. Other species keep their shells covered with the mantle, and in these the shell is always colourless.
The body of the head-bearing mollusc is attached to the shell internally by one or more muscles, and if we examine the interior surface we are generally able to distinguish the impressions or scars denoting the points of attachment.
The reader will have observed that the periwinkle, whelk, and other univalves close their shells by a kind of lid when they retract their bodies. This lid is called the operculum, and is constructed of a horny material, often more or less calcified on the exterior, and is attached to the hinder part of the foot. It sometimes fits accurately into the mouth of the shell, but in some species it only partially closes the aperture. The operculum, like the shell itself, often exhibits distinct lines of growth which display the manner in which it was built up. If these lines are concentric we know that the operculum grew by additions on all sides; but if its nucleus is at one edge, and the lines of growth widest apart at the opposite side, the growth must have taken place on one side only. Some, even, are of a spiral form, denoting that the additions were made continuously at one edge, and such opercula may be right-handed or left-handed spirals.
It will be noticed that in the above general description of univalve shells we have introduced a number of technical terms which are printed in italics, and this we have done advisedly, for the employment of these terms is a very great convenience when giving descriptions of individual shells, and we shall use them somewhat liberally in noting the distinguishing characteristics of the families and genera; but before entering into this portion of our work we must briefly note the general features of the bodies of the Cephalophora.
Fig. 157.—Diagram of the Anatomy of the Whelk, the Shell being removed
c, stomach; e, end of intestine; g, gills; h, ventricle of the heart; a, auricle; f, nerve ganglia; b, digestive gland; ft, foot; o, operculum; d, liver
Sometimes these bodies are bilaterally symmetrical, as we have observed is the case with the worms, but more commonly the organs on one side are aborted, while the growth proceeds apace on the opposite side. Thus the animal assumes a spiral form, being coiled towards the aborted side, with the gills and other organs developed on that side only. As a rule this curvature is such that the body takes the form of a right-handed or dextral spiral, as we have already observed in the shells which cover them, the mouth being thus thrown to the right, but sometimes it takes the opposite direction.
When one of these animals is extended and creeping, we observe that it has a distinct head, furnished with a mouth below, and tentacles and eyes above; also, if an aquatic species, the gills are more or less prominent. Further, the exposed portion of the body is covered with a leathery mantle, and the animal creeps on a broad, flattened surface which is called the foot.