Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-16
QUEER KINDSOFS
Freaks of the Sort Found in the Ma.
tional Museum.
g U r P RISIN SN AILS.
Also Bivalves and Univalves Of strange
Degrees A Half.Bred shell - Lies
About the Chambered Nausilus-The
Argonaut and the AbaIone.

he most astonishing curiosity that has
~ reached the National Museum for many
u long day was sent hther recently by .
HEFrenchman named Csillaud. who has de-
~ voted his life to the study Of shells.
There is in France a creature called the wine
snail, which inhabits the vineyards and grows
20 about the diameter Of Q silver half dollar,
tts shell resembling in all material respects that
Of certain very common water snails. OF
course, however. water snsils are OF infinite
variety, and q certain sort Of water snail most
common Of all bears no particular resemblance
% far as shape is concerned. to the vine snail
mentioned But NJ Caillaud, being of an in
q1iring mind, took q number OF vine snails and
proceeded to denude them Of their shells, TAX
ing the utmost care not to injure the animals.
The latter he inserted into empty shells Of the
common water snails spoken OF, accommodate
ing the hinder parts OF the land snaiis as well
Is possible to the convolutions Of the new
dwellings they were intended to occupy.
Il is not surprising that majority Of the
vine snails thus treated should have died.
Their new shells did not fit them at ALL being
OF a spiral shape. instead of nearly round, and
this enforced moving must have come very hard
with them. However, few, being wrapped in
damp moss and deposited in q moist cellar. not
only survived but grew and thrived healthily.
As they grew they must needs m AXE their shells
larger. and this they did by adding on to the
strange shells they occupied deposits OF their
own proper shell matter. For obvious reasons
10 did not suit them to follow out the structural
plan o; their adopted tenements-they pre-
ferred to make additions to their dwellings af-
ter the architectural pattern recommended by
their ancestors.
ARTIFICIAL "FREAK."
Hence was accomplished the construction OF
Q shell-a perfect specimen of it is now de-
posted in the National Museum-which exhi-
bits a structural combination of the land snail
shell and the water snail shell. One-half of
the shell, beginning at the peak is after the
water snail pattern and the remaining half
after that of the land snail. the latter material
simply continuing the former as one kind Of
stone might unite with another stratum. Not
only Is the material and colorlDg OF the land
snail part different i'll those respects from the
water snail part, bat the structure of the addi-
ton Immediately takes the new vine snail form.
Thus by artihce has been produced the most
remarkable freak OF natural history, in its way,
SO far known to the world
Among other interesting snails in the Ma
tional Museums collection is one SO valuable
that poor and broken specimen of the same
kind was sold the other day at auction for $500.
Its distinctive peculiarly is long slit in the
shell material which accommo dated the gills
Of the animal. Prototypes of this creature
were plentiful among the earliest living forms
found among the remains of a geological epoch
however, there are so few such in existence
that only three or four are known to collectors.
The Smithsonian Institution has plenty of
specimens OF the snail which Roman gourmets
used 10 eat and sometimes train Tor races. Just
as the Chinese nowadays employ for racing
purposes tOrtoses and cockrOaches. One Of
tie most interesting shells in the Smithsonian
collection is the tar-famed chambered nautilus,
II only for the reason that so many untrue
stories have been circulated regarding it. For
AltOuathqr uularsfnod
and others have confused it with the argonaut
OF the eastern seas and have told how 1t rises
70 the surface and goes a sailing for fun in calm
weather. The argouaut does float upon the
surface of the sea in its boat-like and papery
shell, padding itself along with little tentacles
extended over the side Of its craft, but the
chambered nautilus is an altogether different
concern and has no such powers of navigation.
NAUTILUS AND ARGoNAUT.
The ehambered nautilus resembles outwardly
o big snail shell coiled As it grows the ami
NAL slides out of the compartment it has occu-
pied for a season and builds a wall Of pearl be-
hind 1t. Each spring, when moving time
comes. 1t changes its room in this way, each
time building the pearly wall behind il. until
the entire interior of a full grown shell is COM
posed OF a series of compartments, the animal
itself inhabiting only the outermost one close
TO the mouth or opening of the shell The
shell, when the outer parts are removed, eX-
hlbIts the most beautiful structural arrange
ment imaginable. OF chambers of pure pearl,
such as any diminutIve mermaid princess might
be proud to live in. As for the empty cham
beers. they connected together by a pneu-
matte tube OF pearl by which the animal can
exhaust and supply air, so as to either descend
10 the bottom OF the ocean rise from the
depths toward the surface. Such are the facts
Regarding the storied nautilus.
As for the arGonsut it is the only shell fish
IN existence that has no attachment to its she'll
The female Is the one that is found sailing: the
male has no shell at all. Such specimens of
the chambered nautilus as are secured are al
most all caught IN the Indian ocean with baited
traps.