by William Swainson

“ The inhabitants of the Murices, or Rock Shells, are rapacious; and feed, for the most part, upon animal matter, either living or dead. By the latter instinct they are led to frequent harbours and sea-ports, for the sake of offal, and other animal refuse, thrown from vessels, which they greedily devour. ”

“ In one the animal has an operculum or lid, which closes the entrance of his shell; in the other, the shell itself is more or less enveloped by two large lobes, called the mantle, with which the animal covers his habitation. Nevertheless, these two divisions, as M. Cuvier has fully shown, become insensibly united, and form one natural group. The two principal divisions of the operculated race are represented by Cassis and Murex; the genera of the first have been pretty correctly made out ”