and no further attempts at cleaning or polish- 

 ing should be made. The roiigh outside, (epi- 

 dermis), forms a principal character in the shell, 

 and should on no account be remove d ■ the 

 perfection of a shell depends on its being in its 

 natural state. 



Many shells are in themselves such beauti- 

 ful objects, that the traveller should be as expe- 

 ditious as possible in removing them out of sight, 

 for they invariably create in the beholder a de- 

 sire of handling them, which is generally inju- 

 rious to the interests of the possessor. 



We shall now proceed to describe the best 

 methods of packing shells. Pour some saw- 

 dust, or, if that be cot at hand, some sand from 

 the beach, into a chest or beef barrel ; into this 

 the large strong shells may be put, covering 

 them with sand, or sawdust. For the more ten- 

 der varieties, small boxes, about a foot square, 

 and six incl^s deep, should be provided, (which 



