64 THE NEW METHOD 



quarters through, and looks as if it had been highly- 

 polished. The apex is large and rounded, and 

 around it for about one-quarter of an inch there is a 

 little white silky skin. The shell of the red acorn is 

 thicker than that of the white oak, and will not 

 shrivel up. If we cut off the shell, we find, by pinch- 

 ing a little, a crack by which we can pull apart the 

 meat, and we find that the two parts are connected at 

 the bottom by a hinge. When the acorn sprouts in 

 the ground, this hinge forms either the trunk or the 

 roots of the tree. The cup is composed of little 

 scales which are pressed in so hard as to present a 

 very smooth appearance. It is of a reddish-brown 

 color and quite shallow. The inside of the cup is of 

 a brown color. On the bottom there is a little 

 cushion, which is what the acorn rests on. It 

 is white and brown. The inside of the cup is 

 very smooth, and around the edges it is of a bright 

 orange color and is full of little cells like honey- 

 comb. This orange-colored line is the inside of 

 the scales. The stem is very short and rough, but 

 quite thick." 



The Strombus Lam bis 

 " The Strombus lambis is a very curious and beau- 

 tiful shell, but entirely unlike any other species of 

 Strombus we have ever studied. It is of a reddish- 



