. Shells and sea-life. THE STORY OF THE PECTEN. 67 I grew rapidly, getting my food from littleplants and animals that abound in sea-water, andas I kept enlarging my pretty shells, they neverfailed to cover me when I wished to be alone. Ihave heard that our shells have been used formany purposes by men and women, and of coursethe children al-ways love to findthem, and usethem for spoonsand dishes. An old crabtold me that oneday he found abook lying openon the rocks. Ofcourse he couldnot read it, for itwas not writtenin crab language,but he did lookat the pictures, and he declares that one of th
. Shells and sea-life. THE STORY OF THE PECTEN. 67 I grew rapidly, getting my food from littleplants and animals that abound in sea-water, andas I kept enlarging my pretty shells, they neverfailed to cover me when I wished to be alone. Ihave heard that our shells have been used formany purposes by men and women, and of coursethe children al-ways love to findthem, and usethem for spoonsand dishes. An old crabtold me that oneday he found abook lying openon the rocks. Ofcourse he couldnot read it, for itwas not writtenin crab language,but he did lookat the pictures, and he declares that one of themwas of a pilgrim with a shell like ours in his hat. He also saw pictures of needle-books and pin-cushions with scallop-shells on the sides. Youknow that some people call us scallops, though wereally prefer to be known as Figure 25, 68 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. But the funniest thing of all was told me by anoyster, who said his grandfather had heard afisherman say that sometimes the meats of oystersare mixed with cracker-crumbs and butter andbaked in large scallop-shells, and so when theyare brought to the table they are called escallopedoysters. And he said, too, that lately the cooks leave outthe shells (for which I am very thankful), butkeep the name, though somewhat shortened, andso they are called scalloped oysters, even if theyare baked in an earthen dish. And a sea-gullonce told me that he had seen shells like ourscarved in marble or fine wood and used for beau-tiful decorations. I feel that I am growing old, and that in a littletime nothing but my shells will be left; so I havebeen asking carefully about my ancestors and mykindred, for I want to know who have gone be-fore me. I find that my family is a very old one, andthat we have colonies all over the world. Ourflesh has ahvays been esteemed
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