Industrial and Manufacturing Uses of Shells. 277 



antique ; Bacchanals, from a fresco found at Pompeii ; 

 Peace, Medusa, Aurora, Ceres, and other subjects. Giuseppe 

 Tari showed cameos with the figures of St. Paul, St. Peter, 

 Michael Angelo, and Galileo. Luigi Saulini, of Rome, also 

 showed 18 fine shell cameos. At the Naples Maritime 

 International Exhibition, Domenico Pascoli, of Rome, 

 received a first-class silver medal for work on shell cameos. 

 At the Paris Exhibition of 1878, Francati and Sante Maria, 

 of Rome, showed some fine cameos carved on various shells, 

 and paritres and ornaments made from the pink-mouthed 

 conch {Strombiis gigas). A fraud is frequently^'practised by 

 cutting away the engraved part of old shell cameos, and 

 attaching this to a base of agate, by which an appearance 

 of onyx is obtained. 



Solid round beads are turned from the cameo shells 

 and threaded for bracelets. Bracelets and sleeve-links are 

 also made of the polished pearly TrocJms or Venetian shells 

 of commerce. 



The shells of the cowry family next claim our attention, 

 — a most extensive genus, distinguished, if not for their 

 elegance of form, yet for beauty and variety of tints and 

 richness of polish. This polish is preserved by the animal, 

 while alive, enveloping the shell in the mantle or mem- 

 branous fold. They are in general smooth, glossy shells, of 

 great brilliancy of colour, and elegantly marked with dots, 

 zigzag lines, undulations, stripes, and so forth. They are 

 all, excepting the small British cowry, natives of the seas 

 of warm climates. Many of them are very highly prized 

 by collectors, and several are turned to use for ornamental 

 purposes. 



The species of cowries principally used for bracelets, 

 sleeve-links, or brooches and small charms, are Cyprcea 

 uiidata, C. felina, C. asillns, C, ziczac, C. cribarea, and C. 



