Page:Beautiful·Shells·of·New·Zealand-Moss-1908.pdf/28

 shell ring. From this it is known as the ring shell. In some places the lips, bleached to a perfect whiteness, come ashore in great numbers, the more delicate body of the shell having been broken to pieces among the rocks. These rings are sometimes seen strung together as ornaments. The lip does not form till the shell has attained its full growth, and though the shell is fairly common in the North Island, it is rare in the South. It is edible, and much esteemed by some people. The Maori name is Kaikai karoro, which is also the name for the Chione costata (Plate VIII, Fig. 26), and the Mactra aequilatera (Plate VIII., Fig 10). It is also called Tote rere.

STRUTHIOLARIA VERMIS (Plate IV.).—Fig. 5 is smaller than the Struthiolaria papulosa, which it resembles in its habits of growth. It is a pale brownish or yellowish shell, usually without nodules; and on the edge of each whorl nearest to the spire is a groove, as shown in the plate. The best Struthiolaria papulosa are found in the clean sandy margins of tidal channels, but their burrowing habits make them difficult to detect. I have never found the Struthiolaria vermis except cast up on ocean beaches, and it is comparatively rare. The Struthiolaria family, which derives its name from Struthio, an ostrich, as its mouth is supposed to be shaped like an ostrich’s foot, is found only in New Zealand, Australia, and Kerguelen’s Land. The Maori name is Takai.

EUTHRIA LINEATA (Plate IV.).—Fig. 6 (late Pisania lineata) is a solid, heavy shell, varying from grey to brown, and the lines shown in the plate are almost black. It is sometimes one and a-half inches long, and is found under stones and rocks. The colours vary very much, and the lines, in number and breadth, vary even more.

EUTHRIA FLAVESCENS (Plate IV.).—Fig. 9 (late Pisania favescens) is a whitish or orange variety, with very pale markings, and much smaller than the Euthria lineata.

EUTHRIA VITTATA (Plate IV.).—Fig. 10 (late Pisania vittata) is a yellowish-brown shell, with broad brown bands. Another variety of the Euthria is somewhat like the Cominella lurida (Plate IV., Fig. 7) in shape and size. Another, the Euthria littorinoides, is an orange-brown shell, but the interior of the aperture is a pale flesh-colour. In other respects, it is like the Euthria lineata. It is very difficult to draw any distinct line of demarcation hetweon the varieties of this variable shell.