Fusus

Fusus, or SPINDLE-SHELL, a genus of Gasteropods, usually referred to the Murex family. The elevated spire, the large last whorl, the canal for the respiratory siphon, are familiar in the 'roaring buckie' (F. or Neptunea antiquus), to which, as Wordsworth tells us, the curious child applies his ear and listens for the sonorous cadences of the native sea. This common species is often dredged with oysters, &c., and used for bait, or even eaten. The shell, generally about 6 inches long, is or was used for a lamp in the cottages of the Shetland fishermen. The nests or egg-cases are curious, like those of the Whelk (q.v.). F. colossus is about a foot long: F. turtoni, from Scarborough, is a treasure of conchologists.