35 CONCHOLO'G Y, 
fhells which hr, ve the appearance of a vulva; crofiers, mi- 
-tres, papal crowns, Perflan and Ethiopian.crowns, tower of 
'Babel, &c. ate very beautiful and coftly fiiells, bearing fimili- 
- tude to the orders from whence they take their name. The 
tiger, the bear’spaw, the crane, the duck’s foot, the fpur, 
the lpoon-hinge, the tun, the bafon, the acorn, green 
peas, the barnacle, the knife-handle, the gaper, the 
plough, the cock’s-comb, the lwallow, the melon, the 
helmet, the cylinder, the needle, the ribbon, the furbe¬ 
low, the grimace, the malic, the olive, the cone, the poach¬ 
ed egg, the fig, the turnip, the harp, the gold-mouth, the 
filvei-mouth, the dolphin, are all fhells merely defigna- 
tive of the things after which they are named, and where¬ 
in are formed iome kind of refemblance. The buccina 
and mu rices are many of them (hells of fuch drange fi¬ 
gures, that they have given rife to appellatives equally 
itrange and vulgar; fuch as devils, fpiders, hump-backs, 
devil’s-claws, prongs, fkeletons, the grubs, the thorny 
woodcock, See. Hence it is evident that trivial names 
may be applied, to (hells as far as the fpecies go, or as that 
the fanciful imagination and invention of man can pofii- 
bly extend. 
The aflimilation of the names of (hells to fo many com¬ 
mon objefts, is fiappofed to have fir ft introduced to the in¬ 
genuity of man, the notion of (hell-work ; many elegant 
fpecimens of which are to be feen in the colleftions of 
concholcgifts ; in ornamental devices in noblemen’s (eats; 
in hermitages, and in grottos. One of the molt magni¬ 
ficent decorations of this kind in England, is the grotto 
at Goodwood Park in Sulfex, called Carneus feat, or grove 
of Apollo, executed with (uperior judgment and talte by 
the delicate hand of the late duchefs of Richmond. 
Of COLLECTING, CLEANING, and PRESERVING, 
SHELLS. 
Conchologifls who are judicious in the choice of fiiells, 
and who value them in proportion to their firmnefs and 
elegance of decoration, always endeavour to obtain fuch 
as have been fifiied up alive ; for it is found that iive (hells 
only bear the full glow of their natural colours. All 
fpecies of (liell-fifh, like other animals, have their parti¬ 
cular reforts; fome are pelagian, or inhabit only the deeps 
of the lea; others keep in lefs depths; fome in (hallows 
and in bays; and fome- are littoral, or inhabit the very 
(hores. However, let their reforts be where they may, 
all fiiells fliould be procured from the deepeft parts of 
thofe reforts, and immediately after dorms on the fea 
beaches and (hores ; becaufe, if much expofed to the fun, 
their colours fade, and they are liable to other accidents 
that injure, them. In order to kill the fi(h, without in¬ 
jury to the (hell, Da Coda advifes to give them a quick 
dip in boiling water, and when they are cooled, to lay 
them in cold water till they are cleaned; and in this 
operation they fliould not be touched with aquafortis, or 
any other acid, nor expofed to the heat of the fire and fun. 
The art of polifiiing ihells has but lately arrived at its 
prefent high (fate of perfefition ; and as the tafte for col- 
lebting fea-flieils is become lb general, it may not be dis¬ 
agreeable to the reader to find fome inliru&ions in exe¬ 
cuting fo pleafing a method of adding fco their natural 
beauty, the rules for which are at prelent little known, 
though the etfeft be fo much efieemed. Among the im- 
nxenle variety of ihells which prefent themfelves to our 
refearch, fome are taken out of the fea, or found on its 
Ihores, in all their native perfedfion and beauty; their 
colours being all fpread upon the furface, and their natu¬ 
ral polifti (uperior to any thing that art could give. Where 
nature in herfelf is thus perfedl, it were madnefs to at¬ 
tempt to add any thing to her charms ; but in cafes where 
the beauties are latent and covered with a coarfer (kin, 
art is to be called in, and the outer veil removed, that all 
the internal beauties may appear. 
Among the (hells which are found naturally polifiied 
are the porcelains, or cowries; the cafiides; the conclise 
globolic, or tuns; fome buccina, the volutes, and the cy- 
4 
linders, or olives, or, as 'they are often, though impra- 
perly, called the rhombi ; excepting only two or three, as 
the tiara, the plum, and the butter-tub rhombus, where 
there is an unpromifing film on the furface, hiding a great 
(hare of beauty within. Though the fiiells of theie ge¬ 
nera are taken out of the fea in all their beauty, and in 
their utmoft natural polifli, yet there are feveral other ge¬ 
nera, in which all or moft of the fpecies are taken up na¬ 
turally foul, and covered with an epidermis, or coarfe 
outer (kin, which is in many very opaque and rough. 
The teilinas, the mufcles, the cochleae, and many others, 
are of this kind. Rigid naturalifts infill upon having ail 
fiiells in their native and genuine appearance, as they are 
found when living m theffea; but the judicious concho- 
logiit contrives to have the fame fiiells in different fpeci- 
mens both rough and polifiied ; becaufe, by this means, 
befides knowing the out fide of the (hell, he becomes’ bet¬ 
ter acquainted with its internal ffrudture, and has the 
additional pleafure of comparing the beauties of the (hell, 
in its wrought date, to the coarfe appearance nature lias 
given it. How many elegancies in this part of the crea¬ 
tion would be wholly lolt to us, if it were not for the 
abidance of an art of this kind l Many fiiells in their 
native date are like rough diamonds; and we can form 
no juft idea of their beauties, till they have been polifiied 
and wrought into form. 
Though the art of polifiiing (hells is evidently a valu¬ 
able one, yet it is very dangerous to the fiiells; for with¬ 
out the utmod care, the method ufed to polifli and beau¬ 
tify a (hell, often dedroys it. W hen a (hell is to be polifiied, 
the firlt thing to be examined is, whether it have natu¬ 
rally a lmooth furface, or be covered with tubercles or 
prominences. A (hell which has a fmooth furface, and a 
natural dull polifii, need only be rubbed with the hand, 
or with a piece of chamois leather, with fome tripoli, or 
fine rotten done, and it will become perfectly bright and of 
a fine polifli. Emery is not to be trufied on this occafion, 
becaule it wears away too much of the (hell. This opera¬ 
tion rtquires the hand of an experienced perfon, that 
knows how deiicate the work mud be, and where he is 
to ltop ; for in many of thefe fhelis the lines are only on 
the furface, and the wearing away ever fo little of the 
fhell defaces them. A diell that is rough, foul, and cruf- 
ty, or coveied with a tartareous coat, mud be left a con- 
iiderable time fieeping in hot water ; when it has imbibed 
a large quantity of this, it is to be rubbed with rough 
emery on a dick, or (craped with a-knife, in order to get 
off'the coat. After this, it may be dipped in diluted aqua¬ 
fortis, fpirit of (alt, or any otier acid ; and after remain¬ 
ing a few moments in it, be again plunged into common 
water. Tiiis will add greatly to the Ipeed of the work. 
After this it is to be well rubbed with linen cloths, im¬ 
pregnated with, common ioap ; and, when by thele means 
it is made perfectly clean, the polifhing is to be finifhed 
with fine emery and'a hair-brulh. If after this the fhell, 
when dry, appears not to have lo good a polifti as it ought, 
it mud be rubbed over with a (olution of gum arabic; 
and this will add greatly to its glofs, without doing it the 
(mailed injury. The gum-water mud not be too thick, 
and then it gives no fenfible coat, only heightening the 
colours. The white of an egg anfwers this purpofe. alio 
very well; but it is fubjedf to turn yellow'. If the (hell 
has an epidermis which will by no means admit the po¬ 
lifti, it is to be dipped feveral times in diluted aquafortis, 
that it may be eaten off; and then the fhell is to be po¬ 
liced in the ulual way with putty, fine emery, or tripoli, 
on the hair of a fine brufli. When it is only a pellicle that 
hides the colours, the fiiells muff be deeped in hot water, 
and after that the (kin worked off by degrees with a fmooth 
file. This is often the cafe with feveral of the cylinders, 
which have not the natural polifli of the red. 
When a (hell is covered with a thick and fatty epider¬ 
mis, as in feveral of the mufcles and tellinae ; in this cale 
aquafortis will do no fervice, as it will not touch the (kin ; 
then a rough brufli and coarfe emery are to be uled; and 
if 
