The animal life of our seashore With special reference to the New Jersey coast and the southern shore of Long Island . rom the stomach of a singlefish. Eventually these shellsmay become the habitations ofone of the numerous species ofhermit crab. Indeed, on theNew England coast it is rathera rarity to meet with a fresh , „ ^ , T-v . , . , . Egg-capsules of whelk. shell ot the Buccmum which isnot already tenanted by a hermit. Cast your eyes for a moment from the glisteningsands towards the mud-flats and tide-pools whichhave been left by the retreating waters. Here, inthese quieter realms, you a
The animal life of our seashore With special reference to the New Jersey coast and the southern shore of Long Island . rom the stomach of a singlefish. Eventually these shellsmay become the habitations ofone of the numerous species ofhermit crab. Indeed, on theNew England coast it is rathera rarity to meet with a fresh , „ ^ , T-v . , . , . Egg-capsules of whelk. shell ot the Buccmum which isnot already tenanted by a hermit. Cast your eyes for a moment from the glisteningsands towards the mud-flats and tide-pools whichhave been left by the retreating waters. Here, inthese quieter realms, you are almost sure to meetwith a number of interesting molluscan forms,among which are two or three near cousins of thewhelk. They are small snails, w^hose shells barelymeasure three-quarters of an inch in length. Theyare figured on Plate 1, Figs. 5,11, 6, and are knownas dog-whelks {Nassa triviiiata, Nassa vibex, andNassa obsoleta). It will be seen that, while theshells diflfer considerably from those of the truewhelk, they still have much the same general char-acter, especially noticeable in the form of the aper-. 22 THE SHELL-FISH OF THE COAST. ture, and its direct truncature; but the base of theinner side of the aperture shows more or less of afold, which is wanting in the whelk. These activecreatures of the tide-water pools, whose long andslender foot constitutes so marked a feature oftheir anatomy, offer an interesting study to thelounger on the sands, and even if their habitat is alittle pair of rubbers will readily bring youto them without discomfort. Observe them glidingalong the surface of the mud, furrowing the softbottom with their extended foot. A few, possi-bly, are floating, with the foot directed dog-whelk is decidedly predaceous in its habits,boring rapidly through the shells of other mol-lusks in quest of animal food, and creating gen-eral havoc in its neighborhood. Indeed, it feedsnot only upon live flesh but upon dead flesh aswell, acting t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectmarineanimals, bookye
