47 ® 
Of the Ha- 
bitation of 
fliells, Sec. 
127 
Shells mod 
beautiful 
within the 
tropics. 
iaS 
Shells 
found m 
Afia. 
I!9 
fc Ame- 
rica. 
CONCHGLOGY. 
anti From the great variety and number of land fliells, 
it feevns probable that many of them are yet unknown. 
But let us now take a general view of thofe places of 
the world where different teltaceous animals are moil: 
frequently found. 
It has been alread}'’ obferved, that light and heat have 
very confiderable influence in adding to the fplendour of 
the colours of lhells. The molt beautiful fhells are found 
in countries between the tropics, where they are more 
immediately fubjeft to the direct rays of the fun, and 
a higher temperature. From tliefe caufes the fhells 
produced in thefe countries have a luflre and brilliancy 
which thofe of colder climates never poffefs. 
The fhores of Afia furnilli us with the pearl-oyfters 
and fcallops in great perfection. About Amboyna are 
found the moll beautiful fpecimens of the cabbage-fhell, 
the arrofoir, the ducal mantle, and the coral oyfters, or 
echinated oyfters. Here alfo are found a great variety 
of extremely beautiful muffels, tellinse and volutse 3 
fome few buccinums, and the fhell called the Ethiopian 
croton, in its greateft perfection. The dolia, the mu- 
rices, and the caffandrae, are alfo found on thefe coafts 
in great beauty. Many elegant fnails and fcrew-fhells 
are alfo brought from thence 3 and finally, the fcorpion 
and fpider fhells. The Maidive and Philippine iflands, 
Bengal, and the coaft of Malabar, abound with the moil 
elegant of all the fpecies of fnails, and furnifh many 0- 
ther kinds of fhells in great abundance and perfection. 
China abounds in the fineft fpecies of porcelain fhells, 
and has alfo a great variety of beautiiul fnails. Japan 
furnifhes us with all the thicker and larger bivalves 3 
and the ifle of Cyprus is famous above all other parts 
of the world for the beauty and variety of the patella 
or limpet found there. 
America affords many very elegant fhells, but not 
in fo great abundance or beauty as the fhores of Afia. 
Panama is famous for the cylinders or rhombi, and we 
have befide, from the fame place, fome good porcelains 
and a very fine fpecies of dohum, or concha glolofa, call- 
ed from this place the Panama purple JhelL One of the 
moft beautiful of the cylinders is alfo known among our 
naturalifts under the name of the Panama Jhell. About 
Brafil, and in the gulf of Mexico, there are found mu- 
rices and dolia of extreme beauty 3 and alfo a great va- 
riety of porcelains, purpurae, pe&ens, neritse, bucardiae 
or heart-fhells, and elegant limpets. The ifle of Cay- 
enne affords one of the moft beautiful of the buccinum 
kind, and the Midas ear is found principally about this 
place. Jamaica and the ifland of Barbadoes have their 
fhores covered with porcelains, chamae, and buccina 3 
and at St Domingo there are found almoft all the fame 
fpecies of fliells that we have from the Eaft Indies 3 only 
they are lefs beautiful, and the colours more pale and 
dead. The pearl-oyfter is found alfo on this coaft, but 
fmaller than in the Perfian gulf. At Martinico there 
are found in general the fame lhells as at St Domingo, 
but yet lefs beautiful. About Canada are found the 
violet chamae 3 and the lakes of that country abound 
with muffels of very elegant pale blue and pale 
red colours. Some fpecies of thefe are remarkably 
light and thin 3 others are very thick and heavy. The 
Great Bank of Newfoundland is very barren in fliells 3 
•the principal kind found there are muffels of feveral 
fpecies, fome of which are of confiderable beauty. A- 
beut Carthagena there are many mother-of-pearl fhells, 
2 
Qiao. VI. 
but they are not of fo brilliant colours as thofe of the Of the Ha- 
Perfian gulf. The ifland of Magellan, at the fouthern bltafion of 
point of America, furnifhes us with a very remarkable sllellb St-c. 
fpecies of muffel called by its name 3 and feveral very 
elegant fpecies of limpets are found there, particularly 
the pyramidal. t ^ a 
In Africa, on the coaft of Guinea, there is a prodi- In Africa, 
gious quantity of that fmall fpecies of porcelain which 
is ufed there as money 3 and there is another fpecies of 
porcelain on the fame coaft which is all over white : the 
women make bracelets of the latter, and the people of 
the Levant adorn their hair with them. The coaft of 
Zanguebar is very rich in fhells 3 we find there a vaft 
variety of the large porcelains, many of them of great 
beauty 3 and the nux maris or fea nut is very frequent 
there. Befide thefe, and many other fliells, there. ate 
found on this coaft all the fpecies of nautili, many of 
which are very beautiful. The Canary ifles abound 
with a vaft variety of the murices, and fome other 
good fhells 3 and we have from Madeira great variety 
of the echini or fea-eggs, different from thofe of the 
European feas. Several fpecies of muffels are alfo com- 
mon there, and the fea-ears are nowhere more abundant. 
The Red fea is beyond all other parts of the world 
abundant in fliells, fcarcely any kind is wanting there 3 
but what we principally have from thence are the pur- 
purse, porcelains, and echini marini. ^ 
The Mediterranean and Northern ocean contain 'a In the Me- 
great variety of fhells, and many of very remarkable ele- diterra, 
gance and beauty ; they are upon the whole, however, nean ‘ 
greatly inferior to thofe of the Eaft Indies. The Me- 
diterranean abounds much more in fhells than the o- 
cean. The gulf of Tarentum affords great variety of 
purpurae, of porcelains, nautili, and elegant oyfters 3 the 
coafts of Naples and Sardinia afford alfo the fame, and 
with them a vaft number of the folens of all the known 
fpecies. The ifland of Sicily is famous for a very ele- 
gant kind of oyfter which is entirely white 3 pinnae ma- 
rinae and porcelains are alfo found in great plenty there, 
with tellinse and chamae of many fpecies, and a great 
variety of other beautiful fhells. Corfica is famous, 
beyond all other places, for vaft quantities of the pinnce 
marince ; and many other beautiful fhells are found 
there. About Syracufe are found the gondola fhell, 
the winged murex, and a great variety of elegant fnails, 
with fome of the tuns and nerites. The Adriatic fea, 
or gulf of Venice, is lefs furnifhed with fhells than al- 
moft any of the feas thereabout. Muffels and oyfters 
of feveral fpecies are however found there, and fome 
of the cordiform or heart fhells 3 there are alfo fome 
tellinse. About Ancona there are vaft numbers of 
the pholades buried in ftone ; and the fea-ears are par- 
ticularly frequent about Puzzoli. ( Bonani Recreat . 
Ment. et Ocu/.') 
The ports of Marfeilles, Toulon, and Antibes, are On the 
full of pinnae marinse, mufeles, tellinse, and chamae. coift of 
The coafts of Bretagne afford great numbers of the Dance, 
conchae anatiferae and pouffe-pieds 3 they are found on 
old rotten boards, on fea fubftances, and among clu- 
fters of fponges. The other ports of France, as 
Rochelle, Dunkirk, Breft, St Maloes, and others, fur- 
nifh oyfters excellent for the table, but of the com- 
mon kind, and of no beauty in their fhells 5 great 
numbers of muffels are alfo found there 3 and the com- 
mon tellinse, the onion-peel oyfters, the folens, and 
cenchae 
