AMONG THE SHELLS. 2$ 



delight the small, conical shells which they are taught 

 to call periwinkles. Are they periwinkles? Quite 

 different from them are the periwinkles described by 

 Charles Dickens in some of his stories. These are 

 shell-animals which poor people gather at the salt 

 water, and after cooking them, pick out the meat with 

 a crooked pin. 



It would be absurd to say that boys in the country, 

 especially if they are near creeks or rivers, can not 

 find fresh-water clams or mussels. A little wading in 

 shallow water tempered by the sun may be required ; 

 but wading is not a great trial to the average boy. 

 Snails anybody may find. Empty snail shells abound, 

 which may be examined without and within to see 

 how curiously they are wrought. Living snails may 

 be captured in their hiding places. 



With these shell-animals in hand, something may be 

 learned. The oyster and the sea-clam will not perform 

 before their captors, they are so shy. With a strong 

 knife, however, they may be easily opened, if one 

 knows how to do it. The fresh-water clam, if laid in 

 water, will probably open its shell. The snail, when 

 placed in a shallow dish and surrounded by tepid water, 

 will come out of its twisted house. 



Something common to all these animals may now 

 be learned ; namely, they live in hard shells and their 

 bodies are entirely soft. A good way to prove that 

 clams and oysters are soft is to eat them. They could 

 not slip so easily over the tongue if they had bones. 

 Now for these, and for all their soft, shell-covered 

 cousins, we have a convenient word. They are called 

 mollusks. This is a good name for soft things, you 



