BOOK IX. LI. lOO-LII. 102 



The sea-urchin, which has spines instead of feet, TheeeMmts. 

 belongs to the same genus. These creatures can 

 only go forward by roHing over and over, and 

 consequently they are often found with their 

 prickles worn ofT. Those of them with the longest 

 spines are called echinus cidaris, and the smallest 

 are called cups. They have not all the same 

 transparent colour : in the district of Torone some 

 are boi-n white, with a small spine. The eggs of all 

 have a bitter taste ; they are laid in clutches of five. 

 Their mouths are in the middle of their body, on the 

 imder side. It is said that they can forecast a rough 

 sea and that they take the precaution of clutching 

 stones and steadying their mobihty by the weight : 

 they danot want to wear away their spines by rolhng 

 about. When sailors see them doing this they at 

 once secure their vessels with more anchors. 



In the same family are water and land snails, that Thesnaii 

 protrude out of their abode and shoot out and draAV '^'"^*" 

 in two horns as it were. They have no eyes,*^ and 

 consequently explore the way in front of them with 

 their Httle horns. 



Sea-scallops are held to belong to the same class, 

 which also retire into hiding at seasons of extreme 

 cold and extreme heat ; and piddocks, which shine 

 as if with fire in dark places, even in the mouth of 

 persons eating them. 



LII. We now come to the purples and the Pnrpiesand 

 varieties of shell-fish, which have a sti-onger shell. ^'^^^^T^**"" 

 The latter display in great variety natiu-e's love of 

 sport : they show so many differences of colour, and 

 also of shape — being flat, hollow, long, crescent- 

 shaped, circular, semi-circular, humped, smooth, 

 wrinklcd, serrated, furrowed; with the crest bent 



231 



