GASTEKOPODA. 283 



succeeded in dyeing her a garment. The Tyrian 

 purple was perhaps the principal commodity of 

 Tyre when her "Merchants were princes, and her 

 traffickers the honourable of the earth." 



FlG. 222. GRANULATED TROCHTTS. 



The dyeing material is contained in a tube of yellow 

 or cream-colour that runs diagonally across the body 

 of the Murex. If this be cut with a sharp pair of 

 scissors it gives issue to a creamy substance, which is 

 the colouring fluid. When applied over linen with 

 a camel-hair brush, the hue is at first a rich " king's 

 yellow," but changes in a few minutes to a delicate 

 pea-green. In about an hour, if the weather be 

 cloudy, it has become of a yellow grass-green, 

 from which it slowly turns to a blue green, thence to 

 indigo, then to blue a red tinge now becomes appa- 

 rent then violet, then a purple, more or less tinged 

 with red, till at length, after five or six hours, without 

 direct sunlight, it assumes its final tint, a rather dull 

 purplish crimson or lake. The direct beams of the 

 sun greatly hasten the process. 



There have been found on the shore near the ruins 

 of Tyre a number of round holes cut in the solid 

 rock, varying in size from that of an ordinary metal 

 pot to that of a large boiler. Within these, and on 

 the beach, were a great number of shells broken 

 apparently by design. It is hence supposed that the 

 animals were pounded in these mortars for the 



