COWRY. 
585 
the body of the animal is of a consistence between 
the tendinous and the mucilaginous ; of course not 
making any great resistance to its passage through 
the mouth of the shell ; for the foot and the two 
wings, which compose by far the largest part of the 
body, slip out in a moment with the greatest ease. 
This separation of the animal from its shell is not dif- 
ficult to conceive, when we consider how readily the 
lobster quits its crustaceous covering, and the crab 
gets rid of its claw. 
When the cowry has completely abandoned its 
shell, it is quite naked, and exposed to the imme- 
diate influence of the saline element by which it is 
surrounded. From the irritation occasioned by the 
action of the sea, or from some other cause of which 
we are ignorant, the hinder parts of the body again 
begin to furnish the testaceous matter, which is af- 
terwards condensed upon the surface. This secre- 
tion is continued till at length the shell appears of 
the consistence of paper, and the mouth, which at 
this period is very wide, soon afterwards contracts 
to its proper shape. The wings of the animal, folded 
upon its convex surface, thicken and form the teeth, 
which are seen on the edge of the mouth, and 
which are deposited with the enamel that adorns 
the external part of the shell. In this manner is 
produced the opaque and highly polished surface 
which is so eminently beautiful in the full-grown 
cowry, and which, by the colour of its spots or 
stains, contributes greatly towards distinguishing 
the different species of the genus. 
