Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-21
All About Sea Shells.

fhoF. BICkMoRE'S INTERESTING LECTURE TO
THE SCHOOL TEACHERS.
From the New York Times 18th
Prof Bickmore talked in the dark to 500
city school teachers yesterday in the American
Museum of Natural Histry about univalye
shells, and particularly their manner of say
ing and protecting their young. Every lee
lure OF the course attracts more hearers than
the preceding one. With the aid of magnifed
panoramic pictures Prof Bickmore searched
the sea shore for beautiful specimens of con-
cnoiogy, from the sun-warmed waters of the
south Pacific islands to the bleak rocks border
ing upon frozen seas. Prof Bickmore gently
ended the school teachers for talking to him
about animals that "inhabit" shells 1t would
De e as tGorrec he said to say that human beings
parcel OF the animal structure.
Inc lecturer picked up and exhibited to the
hte;a an who In Imagination travelled with
him, some beautiful specimens of sea ears, rich
IN color and delicate in structure. Great num-
. Ders OF them were found, he said, along the
warm coast OF Southern California and in the
tropics. The schOOl-teachers all said "Oh y,
Wnen they were shown some of the lovely den
talium, or tooth shells, which abound in the
Columbia They filed the room with a chorus
of "My!' when Prof. Bickmore, in speaking of
Indians, said that they fastened them on cloth
ana placed them on the faces Of their dead SO
That the departed spirits might not want forthe
grounds The lecturer explained in detail every
hump, every ridge, and every crease found on
the curiouS-lOOking animals inside the shells
when the hard outer covering was removed
Inc teachers shuddered when the entire screen
was nlIed with the picture of hideous probes.
CTS or slphOn with which the creatures fished
around IN the deep sea mud for food
Prof. Bickmore exhibited what from a dis
lance looked like string of white bone buttons
which he said people who went to Coney
Island every summer frequently brought him
under the impression that they had found a
treasure. 1t was the sacks containing the eggs
OF the pyrula, a shell very common Rereabonf.
The sacks We're threaded together on a string
one end of it anchored in the mud to nreven}
the sacks from washing high on shore and ner
1shlng In the sun. Frequently people WALKING
along the beach at low tide found these sacks
sucking out OF the wet sand and carried them
on In talking about conch shells Prof Rick-
more showed some beautiful specimens of the
Queen conch, used for cutting canoes which
qulslte salmOn-colored tints found on the in
side He tourneyed along the coral reefs and
picked up some choice forms of cowry. which
changes its form so mysteriously in growing
from infancy to old age. He exhibited q sneci,
men OF the rare Orange-colored cowry which
are always presented to chiefs of tribes by ma
yves, who lind them in the South Sea Islands
In the murex he found the origin of the ia
nous nous purple dye, royal color among the
This completed the list of sea shells. and
frol. BickInore spoke Of the numerous varieties
OF sna1ls found on land. He showed the school
Dul1mus, a good-looking snail found In South
America and in central portions of Africa. The
lecture next Saturday will be on 1.-THE Nautilus
and the ArgOnautS"