68 S/it'/Is as evidence of tJic Migrations. 



In his lecture ui)on " Dragons and Rain Gods," which 

 is now in course of pubHcation in the Bulletin of tlie Johti 

 Rylands Library, Dr. EIHot Smith called attention to the 

 fact that tlie American "long-nosed " or elephant-headed 

 god (which represents the Indian /ndja)hcis also the same 

 attributes as the dragon in China and India. Tiie "long- 

 nosed " god is sometimes represented emerging from the 

 shell, like the dragon of the Venables coat of arms. 



Regarding the supposed relations between the moon 

 and shells, the following remarks, given by Johnston, in 

 his " Introduction to Concholog)'," are not without interest. 

 He tells us that "among the earlier naturalists it seems to 

 have been a prevalent belief, that 0}'sters and other bi- 

 valves were fat and in season at the full moon, and lean 

 and out of season at the new moon." On this point, 

 Cicero ("De Div.,'' ii. 14) states: " Ostreis et conch}-liis 

 omnibus contingit, ut cum luna [jariter crescant, pariterquc 

 decrescant." Gellius tells the following story : " The poet 

 Annianus, on his Falerian estate, was wont to spend the 

 time of vintage in a jovial and agreeable wa_\' ; and he 

 had invited me and several other friends to pass those 

 da)-s with him. When we were at supper there, a large 

 (]uantit\' of o\-sters was brought from Rome ; but when 

 they were set before us, they proved, though man}', 

 yet all jioor and thin. The moon (remarked Annianusj 

 is now in truth waning ; and on that account the oyster, 

 like other things, is lean and void of juice. We asked 

 what other things waste when the moon is old ? Do not 

 }oii remember (said he; what Lucilius says ? — 



' Luna alit ostrea, et imjilet echinos, maribu fibras 



l\t pecui addit.' 



Those very things which grow with the moon's increase 



pine awa\' as it wanes ; the eyes of cats also become 



fuller or smaller according to the changes of the moon. 



