abalone is an object of great economic 

 importance and they gather them in 

 large quantities, dry the animals and use 

 them as food, principally in the form of 

 soup, which is said to be very delicious. 

 The abalone clings to the rocks with 

 terrible power and many a lonely fisher- 

 man has been drowned while gathering 

 this molkisk, by getting his fingers 

 caught between the shell and the rock. 



There are three families of shells 

 which are much sought after by conchol- 

 ogists, these are the top shells (Troch- 

 idae), the turban shells (Turbinidse) and 

 the pheasant shells (Phasionellidae). 

 Altogether they embrace nearly five hun- 

 dred species which live from the shore 

 between tides to the lowest depths of the 

 ocean. The shells of the top shells vary 

 to a wonderful degree; some are large, 

 others small; some are perfectly plain 

 and smooth while others are ornamented 

 by impressed lines, ribs and granules, 

 some are very thin and delicate while 

 others are large and massive. Many of 

 the species are richly colored with 

 brown, purple, black, green and yellow- 

 ish, and all are more or less pearly. They 

 are all vegetable eaters. 



One of the best known is Trochus 

 niloticus, a krge, massive shell striped 

 with brown, which is seen on the man- 

 .tle of many households. One of the 

 prettiest top shells is the ringed top 

 shell (Calliostoma annulatum) found 

 abundantly in some parts of California. 

 The surface is marked by several rows 

 of delicate points and the suture is bor- 

 dered by a rich line of purple. It lives 

 in the seaweed off shore and may be 

 seen in pleasant weather crawling about 

 among the weeds. During storms or 

 rough weather this frail mollusk sinks 

 to the bottom of the sea. The top shells 

 inhabit many parts of the world, the 

 coasts of Florida and California produc- 

 ing several very handsome and interest- 

 ing species. 



The Turban shells include many fine 

 and large shells, a notable species being 

 Turbo marmoratus, the "green turban" 

 of the dealers. This shell is about seven 

 inches in diameter, rich green outside 

 and pearly inside. It is largely used for 

 mother-of-pearl work and for making 

 pearl buttons. It is said that the early 

 Scandinavian monarchs used this shell 



as a drinking cup. At the present time 

 it is used for ornamental purposes, rich- 

 ly mounted. In Japan the animal is 

 used for making chop suey, being cut in 

 little dice-like pieces. 



The Pheasant shells are beautifully 

 variegated with red, black, white and 

 brown and are very interesting animals 

 to study alive. When crawling, the left 

 side of the foot moves forward while the 

 right remains stationary, and when the 

 right side moves the left remains sta- 

 tionary. This curious mode of progres- 

 sion has been likened to the canter of a 

 horse. The larger species, with beauti- 

 fully variegated shells, inhabit Australia, 

 while the smaller species live in the Med- 

 iterranean Sea, South Africa, the West 

 Indies and California. 



The Neritas are very abundant in 

 tropical and semi-tropical countries 

 where they live on rocks and stones near 

 low water mark. They are said to be 

 nocturnal and spend the night feeding 

 on seaweed. The shell of the Nerita is 

 solid and heavy and variously ornament- 

 ed with ribs, pustules and color patterns. 

 The "bleeding tooth shell" (Nerita pe- 

 loronta), so named from the presence of 

 a red spot near one of the columella 

 teeth, is a typical member of this genus. 

 A species Hving in the Philippine Islands 

 is said to climb trees to a considerable 

 height. 



The family Cerithiidae comprises 

 some very handsome shells which in- 

 habit salt, brackish and fresh water. 

 They are found throughout the world 

 but the finest species live in the tropics. 

 The spire is very long and is composed 

 of many whorls. Some shells are smooth 

 and polished, while others are marked 

 by frills, knobs, spines and ribs. The 

 name Cerithium is from the Greek word 

 ceration, meaning a small born, and is 

 used because of the horn-like shape of 

 the shell. This family has its giants and 

 also its pigmies, the latter being pretty, 

 reticulated shells from one fourth to 

 three fourths of an inch in length, living 

 among the eel grass and other vegetation 

 along the shore. There are over a hun- 

 dred species of these small shells, and 

 some when handled discharge a bright 

 green fluid. 



Whoever visits the seashore is bound 



137 



