The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-05-02
SEA SHELLS.
BEAUTIFUL AND ODD PRODUCTS
OF OLD OCEAN.
Some Shells With Many Horns and
-Others Have Reproductions OF
1he Bars of AIusic-Sheils
Like Human Ears.

There are only few people who know
anything about the beauty Of color and
form in shells, yet Ruskin ranks the nacre
of shells far above the colors of jewels
e-Aepting only the opal in its native
r. Among rare shells the thorny or
-nar1 Sne clam, which is found in nature
-n-ariety Of shades from a rich Grim
son to a pale rose-fushed white, and in
pure white, is one Of the most expensive.
Good specimens in which all the spines
are perfect and the color beautiful,
shaded rich in the shadow and delicate
and tender in the light, bring often S25.
Smaller, less perfect shells are S. and
IS. Sea trumpets notified in shades of
brown are sought after by collectors of
curios and fine specimens readily bring
$50.
"Those strengthening shells with
many horns are sea scorpions" said
shslt desIsr' talking of his wares, ''these
little ones are spider shells. The num-
Der Of horns varies with the place where
shell is found. This one you see has
only six horns while this has eight and
this one seven. They all came from diff
ferent locations. They are worth about
81 each. This shell (holding up an ex-
quisite crumpled SHELF is a murex from
the Mediterranean Ocean. We have
black and white, pure white like this
one, white touched with rose-eolor, and
crimson like this one" He took up last
a beautiful murex shaded in rose-colors
and bringing to mind the roseate purple
dyes which the Syrians obtained from
the liquid secreted by species of this
mollusk.
"Such shells" continued the dealer,
t'are one and two dollars each, accord
ing to their quality. This small whorled
shell is q music shell; if you look at it
closely you will notice q very far repro
duction Of bar of music with notes.
This small shell is in the form of harp
and takes its name from that, and this
specimen IS tent shell; the black and
brown lines on its surface look something
like field of tents. This long-spiked
shell is a pearl oyster from the Mediter-
ranean, and this Is an olive shell. This
is an ear shell, the opening singularly
shaped like the human ear.
The dealer now displayed a number Of
beautiful whorled fat shells of exquisite
mother-of- pearl. Some were cut out and
traced near the opening in a pattern re-
sembling Honiton lace and mounted on
a piece Of shell as a base. ''These," he /
said, ''are nautilus shells. They come /
chiefly from the Indian Ocean and are
brought here by sailors, who sink the
rough shells in any decaying part of the |
fruit that usually forms portion OF their /
cargo, and this fruit acid is strong
enough to remove completely the outside |
coating that lies over its beautiful
mother-of-pearl. The ornamentation of
the shells Is also done by the sailors, who /
cover the surfaces with paste and eteh /
the patterns on and out with acids, some /
times tracing out the air chambers in the |
whorl. gShe undecorated nautilus-shell |
is general preferred by collectors of
curios and makes a beautiful hanging l
basket for a sunny window, where It's |
lovely iridescent colors can be seen in
their full beauty.
0IA4-AA4A lNllAA VI AbAA4A--AA 1AIAA7 a. -
also shown at the shell store. From the |
queen conch, which is shaded in the
loveliest browns and copper reds, shell
canoes are cut There are also many
home-lize, old-time cowry shells, which /
recall the faint rose leaf fragrance Of old |
fashioned parlors, where one OF more Of |
these smooth usually mottled shells al
ways decorated the mantel shelf. There
Is the notified cowry tiger, the marbleized |
and the serpentine cowry and Others
called from their marking. 'Seine Of the !
sea snails in the Indian Ocean produce /
the most beautiful mother of pearl, but /
after all, " said the dealer, sit is difficult
to get good specimens of shells in this
country, and we have to pay high for
them when we get them. London is the
great market for shells, which are brought
there from Zanzibar, Singapore and other
parts under control Of the British Gov
eminent Very beautiful shells are also
sent from Madagascar and all coasts Of
the Indian Ocean and from the Mediter-