Trochus. 61 



other, winch is free, you will see coiled in a 

 beautiful spiral manner, within the cavity of the 

 stomach. 



By allowing this tiny thread to stretch itself on 

 a plate of glass, which is easily done by putting a 

 drop of water on it first, which may then be drained 

 off and dried, you will find that it is in reality an 

 excessively delicate ribbon of transparent cartila- 

 ginous substance or membrane, on which are set 

 spinous teeth of glassy texture and brilliancy. They 

 are perfectly regular, and arranged in three rows, of 

 which the middle ones are three-pointed, while on 

 each of the outer rows a three-pointed tooth alter- 

 nates with a larger curved one, somewhat boat-like 

 in form. All the teeth project from the surface of 

 the tongue on hooked curves, and all point in the 

 same direction." 



And with this curious piece of mechanism the 

 little Winkle works away and cuts down swathe 

 after swathe of the minute vegetation, just as a 

 mower does the meadow grass; only the mollusk 

 eats as he goes, and so gets payment for his labour \ 

 the man has it in another and to him more useful 

 form. We might tell a very long story about these 

 Tops and Winkles, which are nearly related to each 

 other, but must now pass on to describe the rest of 



5 



