8Q Beautiful SJiells, 



translate into a pleasant or agreeable cake, tlie sliell, 

 it will be seen, is round like a cake, and its smootli- 

 ness and regularity of form render it agreeable to 

 look upon. Tliis species_, too, comes from tliG 

 Indian Seas, wliere it is taken on sandy bottoms. 

 The American Spiny Oyster, or S^^onclylus Amc- 

 ricanus, brings us into anotlier family, tkat of tlie 

 Water Clams, called by naturalists Sj^ondi/Udce ; 



vX , C\ -r^ 



Tvitli tlie spines stuck out every way, and no way in 

 particular, it looks like a bead of liair greatly in 

 need of tlie assistance of one of its ijedinated 

 relatives. The specific name of tbis curious sbell 

 explains itself; tbe generic name comes from tbo 

 Latin S^ondylis — a kind of serpent. 



Passing over tbe family MalleidcSj or Hammer 

 Oysters, we come to tbe MeleagrinidcBj or Pearl 

 Oysters, of wbicb Fig. 1, Plate YIII. is an example. 



