28 THE HALL OF SHELLS. 



of shattered homes of the Murex t/runcul/us or 

 Tyrian rock shell. 



" The centuries have preserved a pretty 

 story celebrating the origin of this industry — 

 the coloring of purple. It has an idyllic charm, 

 and brings the people of that old city, whose 

 crest was a Purpura shell, near enough to be 

 our kin. A pretty Tyrian maiden, so runs the 

 tale, was tripping along the sea sands ; her pet 

 was a dog that sported at her side ; in his play 

 he took a shell in his mouth and crushed it ; 

 soon the dog's white hair was dashed with the 

 richest purple. The pretty maiden had a lover 

 whom no undertaking daunted ; she showed to 

 him the beautiful color upon the hair of her 

 pet, and begged that she might have a robe of 

 the same rich hue. Not many days thereafter 

 the hero-lover brought the pretty maiden the 

 first robe of royal purple ever worn. 



" Other members of this family have also 

 furnished the purple dye. At one place in 

 southern Greece there is a little ' mountain of 

 shells' of the Murex hrandaris, crushed for 

 their purple. Several of the Purpuras were 

 similarly used. Both Murices and Ptirpwas 

 feed upon mollusks, boring through their shells 

 with their hard-toothed proboscis. They are a 

 numerous family, and at home in all seas. 



