104 UNIVALVES. 



must devour a prodigious quantity of these mol- 

 lusks, which early in the morning ascend the 

 short hlades in quest of food. Some very small 

 Turbines, are found abundantly on old walls 

 amidst moss. 



TURBO Littoreus* 



PERIWINKLE. 



Specific Character. Shell strong, suboval ; 

 body-whorl large, the others, four or five in num- 

 ber small and nearly flat, separated only by a 

 fine line : aperture suborbicular, outer lip thin, 

 inner flat and thick. When full grown, this 

 shell is nearly smooth and of an uniform brownish 

 colour, but the younger shells are more distinctly 

 striated and variously marked with purple, white, 

 yellow, or red bands ; size, about three quarters 

 of an inch long, and nearly equally broad. 



The Periwinkle is extremely abundant on the 

 shores of Great Britain ; it is often sold in our 

 seaport towns, and when boiled, eaten by the 

 poorer classes. It is found on rocks usually 

 above low water mark. The Swedish peasants 

 affirm, that when the animals of this species 

 ascend the rocks, it is a sure sign of an approach- 

 ing storm, for that, prompted by instinct, they 



* Littoreus is derived from the Latin word littus, ashore. 

 The littoral species are those which burrow in the sand, or 

 adhere to the rocks when left dry by the receding tide. 



