284 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



is if held with the spire end up the mouth or aper- 

 ture will be on the right side of its axis. But 

 this one almost invariably turns to the left, it is 

 perverse. Its curious egg cases are often washed 

 up having many capsules filled with eggs or young 

 and these infant shells all turn to the left. Then 

 there are Pyrulas and Melongenas, and Polinices 

 with very curious egg cases, and Crepidulas, 

 shaped like a boat with a seat near the middle; 

 there are lovely Conus, three species of superb 

 Fasciolarias, and several small Olivellas whose 

 polished shells gleam like gems. 



I once had lived on the southwest coast for two 

 years and though every time I collected on the 

 open beach I found shells of the beautiful Oliva 

 litterata they were always dead specimens. I had 

 searched for them in all kinds of situations and I 

 could not imagine where they concealed them- 

 selves. One day when I was on my knees gather- 

 ing minute shells I saw something move in the 

 sand. I reached out and from the end of a furrow 

 pulled out a mass of soft white flesh nearly as 

 large as my palm. It squirmed and contracted 

 until finally I held in my hand a glorious shell of 

 the Oliva which I had so long sought, and into 



