HOUSE-BOAT BUILDERS 129 
this is such a queer shape perhaps you wouldn't 
even think of calling it a foot. It is merely a 
soft cone-like mass of flesh, sticking out between 
the two walls of the house. And in order to 
stand upright the creature is obliged to sink the 
broad end of its dwelling deep into the sand. 
This it is that leaves the curious, weaving deep- 
pocked line which marks her trail. 
“ If you observe this little creature’s house 
closely, you will find that it has an ideal system 
of drainage. In the end opposite the foot are 
two peculiar openings; water comes in at one and 
goes out at the other. This avenue also provides 
for ventilation, supplying all the air the little ani¬ 
mal needs. The outlet is fitted with a very fine 
sieve, which carefully strains out the food the 
creature requires. And a very dainty appetite 
she has! For the food she loves consists of such 
small organisms that human folks can see them 
only with the aid of a magnifying glass. 
“ A startling fact about this creature is that 
she has no head. She can hear a little and smell 
a little by means of nerves. But sight and smell 
as we know them are altogether unknown to her. 
There are teeth, but thev are not located in the 
mouth, and she uses them for a business alto¬ 
gether foreign to the usual purpose of teeth. She 
locks her door with them! And a very depend¬ 
able lock they make. If you succeed in breaking 
