THE MONEY-SHELL. 17 



A genus of univalve shells, principally worthy 

 of remark for brilliancy of colouring, and suscep- 

 tibility of taking a high polish, and usually desig- 

 nated cowries, has long been used as a medium of 

 currency. The animal living in the shell is a 

 gasteropodous mollusc, and the money-shell be- 

 longs to a species well known in commerce as 

 the Cyprea moneta, or money cowrie. This shell 

 is the money, the current coin in use by the 

 natives of Bengal, Siam, and various parts of 

 Africa. The grand supply comes from the 

 African coast, where the shells are collected 

 by the negresses and exported to various parts 

 of the world. Just as the cowrie is used in 

 other parts of the world as money, so the denta- 

 lium, in North-west America, is applied to a 

 similar purpose. 



The form of the shell, as its name at once 

 suggests, is tooth-shaped; but the tooth, the 

 resemblance to which has given rise to the 

 name, is the long holding or canine tooth of 

 a carnivorous mammal: the holding-fang of 

 the dog may be cited as a familiar illustration. 

 The tenant of the shell belongs to the family 

 Dentaliada3. 



The shell has an orifice at both ends, and the 

 animal inhabiting it is attached to its calcareous 



VOL. n. c 



