4 INTRODUCTION. 



strombi, wliich, after having had the apex, or extreme 

 tip broken off, become excellent substi^Jtes for a trum- 

 pet or horn, and are frequently used by the New Zea- 

 landers for that purpose. 



The famous Tyrian dye, which did formerly, and per- 

 haps does at present, give the luxuriant purple color to 

 the robes of royalty, is an extract from a common shell- 

 fish of the genus Murex, and commonly known under 

 the appellation of purpura, or purple-fish. An interest- 

 ing account of the method of using it in marking linen, 

 &c. is given by Mr. Mawe in his Travels through the 

 Gold and Diamond Districts of Brazil, 2d edit. p. 70. 



Enemies to Shells and Shell-fish. 

 It appears that shell-fish, besides providing food for man, 

 are destined to supply other creatures with nourishment 

 also. It is said that monkies are particularly fond of some 

 species of bivalves, and the mode they take to catch them 

 is as follows ; At low-water the monkey repairs to the 

 shore, and searches for oysters and muscles that have 

 been left by the tide; the fish, for want of water, gene- 

 rally have their shells partly open ; the subtle animal, 

 foreseeing the danger of trusting his paws between the 

 shells, artfully drops a stone or two into them, which en- 

 tirely prevents their being closed by the fish ; the con- 

 sequence is, he is enabled to extract his prey without 

 danger or difficulty, and devours it at his leisure. 



Tortoises and turtles consume great numbers of shell- 

 fish, and the strength of their jaws (as reported) is such, 

 as to macerate the strongest and roughest shells with the 

 greatest facility. 



Birds also (sea-fowl especially) are great devourers of 

 shell-fish; and when they cannot penetrate the shells by 



