it may be seen crawling about in this vegetation. During storms 

 or rough weather this frail mollusk sinks to the bottom of the sea. The 

 top shells inhabit many parts of the world, the coasts of California and 

 Florida producing several very interesting and handsome species. 



The turban shells include many large and fine shells, a notable 

 species being Turbo marmoratus, the "green turban" of the dealers. 

 This shell is about seven inches in diameter, is of a rich green color 

 outside, and has a pearly inner face. The shell is largely used for 

 mother-of-pearl work and for making pearl buttons. It is said that the 

 early Scandinavian monarchs used this shell as a drinking-cup, and 

 at the present time it is often richly mounted and used for ornamental 

 purposes. In Japan, the animal is used for making chop suey, being cut 

 into little disk-like pieces. Some of the smaller shells of this family are 

 very beautifully colored, as the Turbo peiholatus and the Turbo sar- 

 maticus, or Turk's cap, the latter being much used by dealers in making 

 fancy ornaments. 



The pheasant shells are beautifully variegated with red, black, white, 

 and brown, and are very interesting animals to study alive. When 

 crawling, the left side of the foot moves forward while the right 

 remains stationary, and when the right side moves the left remains 

 stationary. This curious mode of progression has been likened to the 

 canter of a horse. The larger species, with beautifully variegated shells, 

 inhabit Australia, while the smaller species live in the Mediterranean 

 Sea, South Africa, the West Indies, and California. 



The Neritas are very abundant in tropical and semitropical countries, 

 where they live on rocks and stones, near low-water mark. They 

 are said to be nocturnal, and to spend the night feeding on seaweed. The 

 shell of Nerita is solid and heavy, and variously ornamented with ribs, 

 pustules, and color patterns. The columella is modified by several teeth, 

 and the operculum is shelly and provided with a little hook by which 

 it articulates with the toothed columella. The ''bleeding tooth" shell, 

 Nerita peloronta, so named because of the presence of a red spot near one 

 of the columella teeth, is a typical member of this genus. A species 

 living in the Philippine Islands is said to climb trees to a considerable 

 height. What the Neritas lack in color the Neritinas, or little Neritas, 

 fully make up, with their smooth, globular shells, ornamented with 

 bands of various colors. One species, Neritina virginea, which is very 

 abundant in Florida and the West Indies, is so variable that scarcely 

 any two shells are alike. Some individuals are spotted with white 

 on a gray ground; others are banded with white, drab, and red, and are 

 rosy with spots of color mixed in, while many are perfectly plain. The 



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