The Ear Shells. Abalones 



creature walks on the under surface of its body. Its grip on a 

 flat surface is astonishingly powerful." 



"What are the holes for?" 



"Through them are thrust long feelers from the mantle. 

 Water which has bathed the gills is thrown out through these 

 openings. The hindermost one is the anal aperture, discharging 

 the waste matter from the intestine." 



"How do some holes happen to be closed?" 



" In young shells there are no open holes. Gradually open 

 ones are added as the shell grows. As new ones are formed, 

 the oldest are closed by deposits from within, always leaving a 

 certain number open." 



"How old is this shell?" 



"Who knows? The holes are not a record of the years it 

 has lived." 



"What does the Abalone feed upon?" 



"Marine vegetation scraped from the rocks by means of the 

 large rasping tongue." 



" Is the shell naturally so highly coloured and polished?" 



"Only inside. The lining, pearly and iridescent and lustrous, 

 is nacre, secreted by certain glands in the mantle. A rough, 

 horny coat covers the shell on the outside, and, by its resemblance 

 to the rocks among which the ear shell lives, protects the mollusk 

 from discovery by its natural enemies, large sea birds and rats. 

 Under the horny layer is usually a calcareous one. The shells 

 may be cleaned of this outer layer by the use of acids and by 

 grinding." 



An abalone shell is one of the handsomest as well as one of 

 the largest cabinet specimens obtainable from North American 

 beaches. It is well named, "the aurora shell" and "the rainbow 

 shell." The finest species of ear shells are found on the California 

 coast. There the euphonious name "Abalone" is universally 

 used. The mollusk is an important article of export. The shells 

 furnish high grade mother-of-pearl. The muscular foot makes 

 delicious soups and chowders, as almost any Californian will tell 

 you. Yet few are consumed in this country in comparison with 

 the vast numbers that the Chinese and Japanese fishermen catch, 

 salt and dry for shipment to China, where this is a staple sea 

 food. We hear tales of luckless "Chinks" drowned by the rising 

 tide, their hands caught and held as in a vise between the rock 



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