The Whelks. Trumpet Shells 



looks and habits. On any sandy beach between Cape Cod and the 

 Gulf of Mexico one may pick up wave-worn shells of both, and 

 their peculiar empty egg cases, always puzzling to the uninformed, 

 who take home a string or two among other sea treasures to ad- 

 mire and wonder at with their friends. Naturally they do not 

 associate the shells with these "seaweeds." 



Sometimes a living shell with its dirty looking inmate is 

 picked up where the tide left it stranded; at low tide they may 

 be found clambering about on the slippery rocks or ploughing their 

 way through the wet sand and gravel, with the muscular foot 

 quite buried. Hollows in the sand are caused by whelks burrow- 

 ing below the surface. The grayish colour, marked with dull 

 brown, protects these mollusks from discovery except when in 

 motion. The extended foot covers the bright red lining of the 

 shell's thin lip. At rest the mollusk retracts the stout foot which 

 closes the .aperture with a deep-set horny door. A formidable 

 series of knobs adorn the shoulder line of the outer whorl of the 

 shell, each marking the end of a period of growth. This is the 

 distinguishing characteristic of the species. 



In Long Island Sound, on rocky shores, the shells never attain 

 the size they do in the open, sandy surf-beaten beaches of New 

 Jersey. Six to nine inches in length the adults range. Juvenile 

 forms are found of all sizes. 



The size and businesslike agility of this gigantic snail may 

 lead you to quote Alice's knight: 



Come, tell me how it is you live, 

 And what it is you do. 



Ask the oystermen along the coast. They gnash their teeth 

 and class the Fulgur among the numerous enemies of the helpless 

 oyster. However, since the starfish and the little "drill" exist 

 in so much greater numbers, ruthlessly destroying the young, the 

 toll of the whelks may be small, though they are able to devour 

 the oldest inhabitant of the oyster bed. They subsist chiefly 

 upon live mollusks of various kinds. 



A small round hole, bevelled as if by a steel tool, is made, and 

 the whelk sucks out the juicy contents of the shell. The helpless 

 bivalve gapes open. Little but tough muscle and ligament 

 remains. 



The long, hollow channel of the Fulgur's shell contains the 



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