330 



CHAPTER XLVI. 



" niv" and "s-now." "Snail," old English "snaegl," 

 is connected with " sneak." 



The Ligurian fowls are as fond of snails as their 

 masters. We used to gather double handfuls of that 

 very small spindle-shaped species which covers the 

 tops of posts and railings. These the hens swallowed, 

 shell and all. 



Associated with the remains of those prehistoric 

 giants in the Mentone caves, shells among other 

 ornaments have been found. It is remarkable that 

 these shells do not occur in the Mediterranean. 

 Some of them are from the Atlantic coast, others 

 belong to a fossil species from Switzerland. A 

 graceful necklace (Fig. 109) is supposed to have been 

 formed by the shells of Nassa neritea combined with 

 the vertebrae of a fish and teeth of a deer. 



Venus' Ear (Fig. 110). These beautiful perfo- 

 rated shells abound at Antibes and at Villefranche. 

 The mollusc is eaten in Japan. I do not think that 

 they are large enough on this coast to take the place 

 of the oyster. 



The nacreous ornaments sold in Nice are mostly 

 cut from the shell of Turbo rugosus. 



Fig. 111. BULIMUS DECOLLATUS. 



