324 THE SMOOTH NERITA. 



fast another arm. By repeated jerks the cuttle is induced to cling with all its force to the 

 bait, when the fisherman rapidly hauls up the line, and flings the sprawling mollusk on the 

 shore before it is aware of its danger. 



Several of these large Cowries can be successfully employed in the manufacture of 

 cameos, especially when human heads form the subject, as the dark mottlings of the shell 

 can be used with singular effect in expressing the deep warm shadows of wavy tresses. The 

 virions articles of ornament that are made from these shells are too multitudinous even to 

 be enumerated, much less described. About one hundred and fifty species of this genus are 

 known. 



The grooved or wrinkled edges of the lips are well known to every one who has handled 

 a Cowry, and these ridges assume a remarkable development in the Deep-toothed Cowry, 

 a figure of which may be seen in the right-hand bottom corner of the engraving, the empty 

 shell being laid so as to exhibit the opening and the lips. The color of this shell is extremely 

 variable, but is mostly a mottled wood brown, sometimes diversified with bands, and dark 

 inside. It is not a very large species. 



Three examples of the curious Egg-shells are to be seen in the same engraving. The 

 upper central figure represents the Poached Egg-, a popular and appropriate name, as the 

 peculiar shape and color of the shell bears a singular resemblance to the contour and tints of a 

 well-poached egg as it trembles on the toast. Thirty-six species of the Eggs are known, spread 

 sparingly over the greater part of the world. The under surface and opening of these shells 

 are not unlike those of the cowries, except that in the Eggs the inner lip is without the ridges. 



A very curious, elongated shell occupies the centre of the engraving. This is the shell 

 probably known by the name of Weaver's Shuttle on account of its peculiar shape. It is, 

 in fact, one of the Eggs, bur lias the aperture lengthened into a long canal at either end. The 

 foot of this species is narrower than in the other members of the same genus, but is especially 

 adapted for crawling over the steins of the gorgonia, one of the zoophytes on which the 

 mollusk feeds. 



Our third and last example of these shells is the Warty Egg, remarkable, not so much 

 for the tuberculated exterior of the shell, as for the richly-spotted foot and mantle. 



We now arrive at a vast army of shells called the Sea Snails, and distinguished by having 

 the edges of the aperture without notches, the shell spiral or limpet-shaped, and the oper- 

 culum either horny or covered with hard, smooth, shelly matte]-. 



Our first example of this family is the Natica. The mantle of this species is very large, 

 and the front of the foot is developed into a fold, which turns backward over the head and 

 serves as a kind of protection. As the animal is without eyes, this curious structure causes 

 no inconvenience. All the Natica 1 , of which about ninety species are known, are found upon 

 the sandy beds of the sea, and sometimes are taken at a depth of nearly six hundred feet 

 from the surface. They are very predaceous in their habits, feeding principally on little 

 bivalves, which they can assault with their short but strongly armed tongue-ribbon. The 

 eggs of these creatures are very remarkable. They are compacted into a kind of spiral roll, 

 broad and lather short, which is suffered to be flung about at the mercy of the waves, and 

 is sometimes found resting on the sands when the tide has retreated. 



The colors of the Natica) are marvellously permanent, and even in the fossil state they are 

 preserved and retain some degree of their original brilliancy. The species which is here repre- 

 sented is yellowish, and marked with gray bands. 



The Naticella-SHELL is closely allied to the preceding. 



Ax example of another family, the Neritida\ is popularly known by the name of the 

 Smooth Nerita. The font of this animal is moderate, the tentacles are exceedingly large, 

 and the eyes are set on footstalks just behind the base of these organs. The Neritas are all 

 inhabitants of the warmer seas, and are found plentifully within the tropics. 



