Zoological Illustrations, Volume 1: or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting AnimalsSwainson, William
Science
Zoological Illustrations, Volume 1: or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals
Swainson, William
Animals -- Pictorial works
The figure is less than the natural size, which is nearly that of our
European species. Bill an inch and a half long from the gape, and black.
Nostrils small, basal, round, not sulcated, partially defended by incumbent
hairs; at the angle of the mouth is a row of short, stiff bristles; a black
line commences from the nostrils, passes under the eye, and terminates with
the ears. The upper part of the head, neck, and between the wings, rufous.
The rump and upper tail-covers pale blue: the chin and throat sulphur
tinged with rufous, where an irregular and narrow collar of black crosses
the neck. The remaining under parts yellowish-green. Wings and quills
fulvous green, the latter tipt with black, and all the inner shafts more or
less rufous: the second quill longest, and the lesser quills and
tail-feathers notched at their tips. Tail green, slightly forked; the tips
and under side dusky-black, and three inches and a half long. Wings, when
closed, four inches one line in length. Vent blueish-white.
The females in this genus may generally be distinguished by the two middle
tail-feathers being but slightly or not at all elongated.
* * * * *
Pl. 9
[Illustration]
HELIX auriculata.
_Eared Helix._
* * * * *
GENERIC CHARACTER.
_Testa orbicularis vel globosa. Spira depressa vel paululum elevata.
Apertura integra. Labium exterius marginatum. Operculum nullum._
Shell orbicular or globose. Spire depressed, or but slightly elevated.
Aperture entire. Outer lip margined. Operculum, none.
* * * * *
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
_H. testa depressissima, ferrugineo-marmorata et bifasciata, umbilico
magno, profundo, apertura auriformi; labio exteriore incrassato,
margine interiore dente obsoleto._
Shell much depressed, marbled and doubly-banded with ferrugineous.
Umbilicus large, deep. Aperture ear-shaped. Outer lip thickened,
reflected, with a gibbous obsolete tooth within.
* * * * *
A shell no less remarkable for its form than its extreme rarity. The mouth
bears a most striking resemblance to the human ear; and the only specimen
known in this country is the one here figured, from the cabinet of Ch.
Dubois, Esq., who obligingly favoured me with it for examination; neither
does the exquisite work on the Land Shells, by M. de Ferrusac, now
publishing at Paris, contain this species among the numerous matchless
figures already given of this family.
In the present uncertainty respecting the natural groups of the genus
_Helix_, as left by Lamarck, I have preferred for the present following the
example of Cuvier and de Ferrusac, in placing it with that family, in
preference to adopting the ill-defined and palpably artificial distribution
of them by D. de Montfort, or of forming a new genus for its reception.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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