. . orsmall, handsome or ugly, the modest little money cowry sur-passes any in point of economical importance. Feank Collins Bakek. MARINE SHELLS Among ilie best known of the marine snails are the Tri-tons, a family of mollusks living in tropical seas. Theirshells are generally large and highly colored and variouslyornamented with short spines and knobs. Another shellfamiliar to those who have visited Florida is the Fasciolariaor banded snail, which attains a length of three inches andis very prettily banded and dashed with color. A
. . orsmall, handsome or ugly, the modest little money cowry sur-passes any in point of economical importance. Feank Collins Bakek. MARINE SHELLS Among ilie best known of the marine snails are the Tri-tons, a family of mollusks living in tropical seas. Theirshells are generally large and highly colored and variouslyornamented with short spines and knobs. Another shellfamiliar to those who have visited Florida is the Fasciolariaor banded snail, which attains a length of three inches andis very prettily banded and dashed with color. A near rela-tive of this species is the giant banded shell (Fasciolariagigantea), which is the largest of all marine snails, grow-ing to a length of nearly two feet. A genus of mollusks with light horn colored shells, andinhabiting the cold waters of the Arctic seas, is the Buc-cinum, or Whelk. The whelk is used economically, both forfood and bait. A related genus, the Xeptune shells (Nep-tunea), is also eaten by the poorer people, and makes agood codfish Cypraea pantlnrina Re Vol Ltillia f:igaiilea (Califonn THE SHELL TRIBE 23 The Nassas of France are very destructive to the oysterbeds of that nation, an adult borer being able to per-forate the shell of a large oyster in a single night. Of the many varieties of tropical shells, few exceed theVolutes, or bat shells, in beauty or variety of coloration. On the sandy shores of sub-tropical beaches certaingraceful and polished animals bury themselves from sightin the sand. These are the olive shells (Oliva), whose brightcolors and highly pohshed surfaces rival even the gaudyvolute in beauty. Probably no more distinct family of mollusks exists thanthe ConidcB, the family of cones, their beautifully decoratedshells and the large number of species making them a favor-ite with collectors. The ne plus ultra of mollusks to the colleclor is withoutdoubt the genus Cypnea, comprising the cowry shells. Cameos were at
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