152 UTILIZATION OP MINUTE LIFE. 



In Haliotis iricostalis (H. padollus of other 

 authors) the shell is furrowed parallel with the line 

 of perforations. H. tuberculata may be taken as a 

 type of these curious Mollusca. There are seventy- 

 five species of Haliotis, which are scattered widely 

 over the world. A species that abounds on the 

 coasts of the Channel Islands, where it goes by the 

 name of Omer, is cooked, after being well beaten to 

 make it tender ; other species are eaten in Japan. 

 The shell of the larger specimens, taken in the 

 warmer parts of the ocean, is much used for inlaying 

 and other ornamental purposes, for which it is very- 

 valuable . 



We must not imagine that the breeding or culti- 

 vation of snails is a modern undertaking, for Varro, 

 in his " De re Rustica," speaks of the enormous 

 size to which snails may be brought by culture. 

 Pliny, in his Natural History, repeats Varro' s state- 

 ments, and says that the large species of snail was 

 a favourite dish with the Romans, who were in the 

 habit of breeding and fattening them in snail 

 gardens, similar to those now seen on the European 

 Continent (Fig. 15). 



A certain number of Gasteropoda are sought 

 after for the beauty of their shells. The Cowries, 

 certain species of Cyprcea, are still used as money 

 by the Africans, the natives of the Laccadives, and 

 other Indian islands. The Cowrie, properly so called, 



