THE BANDED VENUS. 431 



belief ; and I have frequently seen more than would load a donkey collected in one 

 tide by the children of a single cabin. They form a valuable and wholesome addition 

 to the limited variety that the Irish peasant boasts at his humble board ; and afford 

 children, too young for other tasks, a safe and useful employment." 



This mollusc frequents sandy bays, and remains about low-water mark, burying 

 itself in the sand by means of the powerful foot, which also enables it to leap to a 

 surprising height. 



IN the front of the opposite engraving is seen the common HEART-COCKLE, and on 

 the left is the remarkable SPIRAL HEART-COCKLE, notable for the boldly spiral umbones. 

 In the illustration, the partly-opened valves permit a portion of the animal to be seen, 

 including the two orifices of the siphon, through which water is injected and expelled, 

 and the foot, which is seen protruding in a tongue-like fashion shortly below the siphon. 



This animal is in the habit of burrowing in the sand, leaving only the openings of 

 the siphon above the surface. These organs are also represented in the figure of the 

 TUBERCULATED COCKLE, where the double ends of the siphon are shown projecting to- 

 wards the left hand, and are at once recognizable by their fringed edges ; and the large 

 foot is seen below, carrying the superstructure along. Even when taken out of the 

 water, the Cockles are very lively ; and if placed in a pan or basin they tumble about 

 with great energy, knocking their shells against each other and the sides of the vessel 

 with remarkable activity. 



BRITISH CYTHEREA.-C^Aerea chloae. 



BANDED VENUS-SHELL.- Venus tasclttm. 



WE now come to a group of these shells where the siphons are extremely long. The 

 first family is represented by the BANDED VENUS-SHELL, so called on account of its 

 beautiful colors and elegant form, and the bands which traverse its surface. All the 

 Venus-shells are handsome, and have well deserved their name. The shells are ex- 

 tremely hard in texture, thick, and smooth, and are mostly found in the warmer seas. 



It is from one of these shells that the American Indians make the well-known 

 wampum. They examine the sea-coast, pick/ up the fragments of Venus-shells that 

 have been broken and battered by the waves, shape them rudely into form, bore holes 

 through them, and thread them on slender thongs of raw hide. Nowadays, however, the 

 metallic coinage of the European has superseded the wampum of the red man, just as the 



