PREFACE. 
Tue changing greens of the ocean, the wim. 
ple of its waters when at peace, abide among 
the pleasantest memories of my early childhood. 
Glimpses into the sea, as pictured by Fouqué, 
still have fascinations surpassing fact or fiction 
of these later days. 
This little book is published with the hope 
that it may lead to a fuller study of some of 
the most interesting and most beautiful crea- 
tions in Nature. Books upon marine shells, 
either not too expensive or too learned for com- 
mon use, are few; hence it is hoped that this 
little volume may help to awaken an interest 
in the sea and its treasures, which can but grow 
with the years and afford an ever-widening and 
deepening source of delight and of profit. 
Pearls let slip from their broken string, led 
—in the story—to the hidden casket. So may 
X1 
