The inside of the shell is resplendent with iridescent colors, particularly 

 about the region of the huge muscle scar, and when the outside 

 is polished they become objects fit for the palace of a king. A large 

 part of the mother-of-pearl of commerce is furnished by these shells, and 

 a vast number are annually exported for the purpose of making pearl 

 buttons. In England they are called "Ormers," but the correct name, 

 if we translate the generic title, is "sea-ear," or ear shells. To the 

 Chinese, the abalone is an object of great commercial importance, and 

 they gather them in large numbers, dry the animals and use them 

 as food, principally in the form of soup, which is said to be very delicious. 

 The abalone clings to the rocks with terrible power, and many a lonely 

 fisherman has been drowned while gathering these mollusks, by getting 

 his fingers caught between the shell and the rock. A method employed 

 by the Chinese is to take a crowbar, and stealing up to the animal, give 

 it a sudden push before it is aware of danger. This method is generally 

 successful. 



The animal of the Haliotis is no less interesting than the shell, 

 having a broad foot, tapering, slender tentacles, stalked eyes, and 

 a mantle which is fringed with slender, tentacle-like organs. Five 

 different species of ear shells live on the coast of California, all of which 

 are celebrated for their beauty. 



There are three families of shells which are much sought after 

 by conchologists : these are the top shells ( Trocliidce), the turban shells 

 ( Turbinidce) , and the pheasant shells (Phasianettidce). Altogether, they 

 embrace nearly five hundred species, which live from the shore between 

 tides to the lowest depths of the ocean. The shells of the top shells 

 vary to a wonderful degree: some are large, others 

 small; some are perfectly plain and smooth, while 

 others are ornamented by impressed ribs, lines, and 

 granules; some are very thin and delicate, while 

 others are large and massive. Many of the species 

 are richly colored with brown, purple, black, green, Caiiiostoma zizyphi- 



* . num, the common top- 



and yellowish, and all are more or less pearly, shell of the Mediter- 



m-i -IT 1 T r\ j.-\ ranean Sea, as it appears 



Ihey are all vegetable eaters. One or the best when the animal is crawl- 

 known of the top shells is Trochus niloticus, a jjf SSn^C^S^ f 

 large, massive shell, striped with brown, which is 



seen on the mantel of many households. One of the prettiest top 

 shells is the ringed top shell, Caiiiostoma annulatum, found abun- 

 dantly in some parts of California. The surface is marked by several 

 rows of delicate points, and the suture is bordered by a rich line 

 of purple. It lives in the seaweeds off shore, and in pleasant weather 



97 



