6 INTRODUCTION. 



city of other animals, but they frequently are assailed by, 

 and fall victims to each other. The serpulee, pholadcs, 

 and anomiae, are celebrated for affixing themselves to, 

 and perforating other shells, in which they bore a small 

 circular hole or aperture, that affords them access to the 

 animal, which they feed upon and finally destroy. 



Shell-fish, though they are the universal prey of ani- 

 mals, birds, and fish, yet, in their turn, have some op- 

 portunity of retaliation, by partially destroying the float- 

 ing habitation of the universal despoiler, Man ; for the 

 pholas and teredo naval is frequently commit such se- 

 rious injury on ships, by boring into their planks, asofteii 

 to endanger the safety of the whole fabric, if not speedily 

 prevented in their depredations. 



Directions for collecting Shells^ and arranging them 

 systematically. 

 With regard to collecting shells, it is necessary to hint 

 to those collectors, who, by a residence on the sea-coast, 

 may have an opportunity of forming collections for them- 

 selves, that the best way is to select those shells wliich 

 have the animals alive in them; for those that are found 

 empty on the beach, are for the most part objectionable, 

 as the shell becomes impaired, and the co-operation of 

 the sun and waters greatly tends to destroy the beauty of 

 the coloring and marking. 



Besides, a double advantage is to be derived from 

 having the animals alive, for, by keeping them a few 

 days (not longer) in sea water, much useful information 

 may be obtained, by an accurate observation of their 

 structure and habits. 



Storms frequently cast up live shells on the beach: 

 such should be collected as soon as convenient, as they 



