Social Notes on a 

 Dime- Sized Clam 



by Juliet Tucker Divine . . . decorations by John Davenport 



A.ONG the sandy shores of Florida, on either coast and espe- 

 cially in March and April, you can find a rainbow to build 

 a house with, eat, or wear. 



This rainbow is a small shell, usually half an inch or less 

 across, called Donax variabilis in the textbooks, and butterfly 

 shell, periwinkle, or coquina by those who hunt it. 



A day's search along the beaches of warm seas will not reveal 

 a busier or more colorful creature. As each wave recedes, the 

 hard-packed sand is sprinkled with these living jewels. Each 

 glitters in the sun a few seconds, sticks a foot out, and disap- 

 pears in the sand until the next wave strikes. 



The rainbow effect comes from lines of different colors ema- 

 nating from the center and crossed by narrow bands. This blaze 

 of color also makes them a hot item in the shell market, and 

 they appear on fancy hand-painted place cards, are strung up 

 for window curtains, and make exceptionally fine bracelets and 

 earrings. 



Coquina rock which is the dead, broken shells welded by 



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