IANTHINA.—TRITONIA. 39 
fragile things that sails the seas. Its thin, 
pellucid, gossamerlike shell can not bear the 
rough handling of the waves. The snail that 
lives in this amethystine house swims by means 
of an air float secreted by and attached to its 
foot. To the under side of this float the egg 
capsules are securely fastened, and here the 
baby Janthina is ‘ born to the purple.’ 
“Your trumpet shell 1s a Zrdtonza, and in- 
stead of sounding for a banquet, mythology 
says the Tritons who lived in a golden palace 
at the bottom of the sea often blew it at com- 
mand of Neptune to soothe the restless waves.” 
“J have read that the largest of these 
trumpet shells are used as tea kettles by the 
people of the Typinsan Archipelago,” said Mr. 
Bremely. “The shell has a wire or thong at- 
tached to each extremity, and is hung upon a 
hook above the fire. The operculum is the lid 
of this artistic tea kettle, while the spire serves 
as its spout.” 
“We might imagine sea gods resenting this 
common use of their ‘wreathed horn,’ and 
“To the smooth, bright sand beguiled, 
raising a ‘tempest in the tea kettle,’ ” laughed 
Miss Bremely. 
“On the contrary,” replied her uncle, “I 
