PeriivinMe* 53 



PERIWINKLE. 



This is the commonest representative which we 

 have of the family Turbinidce, which comprehends, 

 according to Cuvier, all the species 

 which have the shell completely and 

 regularly turbinated — that is, if we 

 translate the Latin word into English, 

 twisted. The little Periwinkle (here 

 he is) is by no means a handsome mollusk, but 

 some of his relatives are very beautiful, as we 

 shall presently show. He is called by naturalists 

 T. littoreus — from litforalis, belonging to the shore 

 —and is often eaten by boys and girls with great 

 relish ; but he is not very digestible, and sometimes 

 occasions dangerous disorders. The Swedish pea- 

 sants believe that when the periwinkle crawls high 

 upon the rocks, a storm is brewing from the south ; 

 but Linns3us quotes a Norwegian author to show 

 that according to popular belief, it foretells the 

 approach of a land wind with a calm on shore. 

 Man may learn much of elemental changes from an 

 observation of the movements and habits of all 

 living creatures, which are instructed by God to 

 provide for their safety and wants, and often per- 



