148 



POPULAR CONCHOLO&Y. 



the water, and on serene nights feeds on the vegetation 

 which springs np on the shore. 



Haliotis tuherculata. 



The Haliotis is found in New Holland, China, the 

 Cape of Good Hope, the Moluccas, &c. ; one of the most 

 common species, and yet a very beautiful shell, is the 

 Haliotis tuherculata, represented in the figures, which 

 is found in great abundance on the coasts of Guernsey 

 and Jersey, where the animal is used for food ; and the 

 shells are frequently arranged in patterns on the out- 

 side of the cottages, being cemented into the mortar, with 

 the inside exposed: these have a very beautiful appear- 

 ance when the sun shines upon them. They are occasion- 

 ally found upon our coasts ; but as it is only after violent 

 storms, they are supposed to have been brought from 

 the shores of the Channel islands. 



In the islands of the South Seas these beautiful shells 

 are used by the natives to ornament their boats, and to 

 make a kind of musical instrument; they also form the 

 thick left lip of the aperture into fish-hooks. The natives 

 of New Zealand use the shells as spoons. Pearls are some- 

 times found in them. 



Mr. Forbes thus describes the colours of the living 



