322 
LITTLE FOLKS 
ingenious theories come to nothing when some one watches him at 
work and finally sees him boring out his house with the sharp file- 
his shell. He uses his shell as you would use a brad 
like edges of 
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awl, turning it half around one way, and then half around the 
other way. Naturalists have proved that it could be done, by 
taking the empty shell in their hands and boring a hole thus, but 
one gentleman who kept them in confinement, and watched them 
at work, has actually seen them do it. There's another thing that 
proves this to be true, and that is the fact that when the rock is 
soft and easily worked, the animal — having an easy time making 
his home — grows the largest, and most perfect, while those unfor- 
tunates who having hard gritty rocks to bore into, wear their shells 
off smooth and are small in size, dwarfed by overwork. As soon 
as the Pholas has completely buried himself his work is done, and 
from that time he lives in peace, sticking the tube-like part of his 
