. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Zoology; Zoology. 68 THREE CRUISES OE THE '' and very pearly. The shallow-water forms may subsist on stony alga? or other plants, but the majority are flesh-eaters, of feed upon the corallines and foraminifers, parts of whose shells are found in their stomachs. While not so brilliantly colored, the deep-water Trochidae are unsurpassed in beauty by their shallow-water allies. They gain in delicacy and iridescence what they lose in depth of tint. One of the handsomest forms is Calliostoma Bairdii Verrill, whose pale, depr
. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Zoology; Zoology. 68 THREE CRUISES OE THE '' and very pearly. The shallow-water forms may subsist on stony alga? or other plants, but the majority are flesh-eaters, of feed upon the corallines and foraminifers, parts of whose shells are found in their stomachs. While not so brilliantly colored, the deep-water Trochidae are unsurpassed in beauty by their shallow-water allies. They gain in delicacy and iridescence what they lose in depth of tint. One of the handsomest forms is Calliostoma Bairdii Verrill, whose pale, depressed, and more delicate southern variety, C. psyche, was first dredged by Pourtales. It is, like many other species of similar range, tinted with pink and straw- color, while farther north it assumes brown and red livery. Even more delicate and pecu- liar in the concave outline of its granular spire and polished base is Calliostoma aurora (Fig. 285), of which only a single specimen is known, — a genus most characteristic of Western America. It seems as if differences of temperature and food were indicated in very similar ways between northern and tropical animals, whether they live in the deep sea or inhabit the land. A real treasure of the sea is Gaza superba (Fig. 286), one of the most beautiful and widely distributed abys- sal shells. Were it not for its lovely iridescent pearly sheen, it might be taken, on a casual examination, for one of our large straw-colored land snails. Other characteristic species, widely distributed, are Mar- garita ceglees and Leptothyra induta (Fig. 287) of Watson, small white shells from deep water, named from examples collected by the " Challenger," and especially illustrating the luxury in vari- ation which has already been referred to, and which has led in Fig. 285. — Calliostoma Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and app
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