Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-25

million dollars and not wink, and from his face
and talk you would not know any difference.
They would be just the same though he had
gained million instead Of lost it. Brice ia a
very shrewd business man and he has extraor-
binary ability. FRANK G. CARPENTER
ODDITIES OF MOLLUsKs.
Strange Uses to Which Some Species OF
Them Have Been Put.
SNAILs HAVE NEVER OBTAINED AP-
~ proval as table delicacy in this country.
People in the United States may be educated up
to relishing them some day. Already they arc
very commonly included in the bill Of fare at
fashionable restaurants in our principal cities.
under the name of ''escargots," though tine dish
Is only ordered by foreigners as a rule. These
mollusks are eaten by millions in Europe. They
are reared and fat.ened artihcially in France and
Switzerland, the trade in them being particu-
larly brisk during the season Of Lent, when
good Catholics abstain from meat to q greater
or less extent From the religious point of view
snail flesh Is not meat. Thus, technically con-
sidered. nothing that crawls or swims is meat.
For that reason the flesh of the maine mammal
called the manatee is permitted to be eaten on
Fridays in South America.
the rearing of snaiis, which were regarded as a
dainty. They were kept in Enclosures termed
'cochlearin" or snaieries, and these were par
titioned of SO as to keep different species
separate. There were the white snails, the
African variety. the very large Illyrian kind
and the incomparabIy choice Solitanes. The
creatures were fattened with paste made out
OF wheat meal and other nutritious ingredients.
To grow the biggest snails came to be matter
OF price with the producer. At the present
time the mollusks are prepared for the table
by boiling, frying in butter. stuffing with force
meat and in many other ways which the in
genious French cooks have devised.
TYRIAN PURPLE FROM SEA sNAILs.
The most costly and brilliant dye known to
the anclents--namely, Tyrian purple-was OBJ
tanned from a species Of sea snail. 1t was a
liquor contained in q transparent vessel or vein
on the back Of the animal. This is said to have
been the first color which man was able to FIX
permanently on wool and linen. Its perma-
nency was one of its most marked eharacteris-
tics. 1t was applied in the simplest possible
manner, the fabrics TO be stained being soaked
in it for a great many hours. A great many of
the mollusks were required to furnish enough
Of the dye to color a garment aud so it was
for staining the hangings Of temples and the
robes Of priests and kings. The hue Of the best
resembled that Of coagulated blood. Wool
dyed with this stuff during the reign of Angus
tus sold Tor S1SO pound.
Strict laws forbade any person save the
highest dignitaries to wear this wool. The art
OF applying the dye came at length to be prac-
ticed by few individuals only, who were ap-
pointed BY the state. There ia some doubt as
to which OF several varieties of sea snais pro-
duced the coloring matter employed by the an
clients. At least three kinds secrete a purple
liquor. The difficulty Of obtaining it would
render 1t very costly at this day, but the dis
covery OF the comparatively cheap cochineal
has made 1t vaiueiess. Nevertheless i. might be
found serviceable for the marking oflinen, since
the hue grows brighter by washing and cannot
be removed by any chemical agent. 1t may be
permanently fixed upon linen and cotton by
the most simple application and without any
preparation. The fluid, when first extracted
from the living animal, is cream colored.
When applied to cloth it is first a light green,
then turns to sea green. changes to blue and
finally becomes very deep purple red.
CHANGES THAT MAY BE MADE.
If the cloth is now washed in scalding water
and soaked it comes out bright crimson, which
no subsequent process can change or lessen. II
light is excluded from the freshly dyed fabric
the changes described do not occur. The
stain keeps its pale yellow color for years under
such conditions. Pieces OF linen saturated with
1t have been shut up between the leaves Of a
book for nine years without any visible altera-
ton in respect to tint. On being exposed to
light ut the end Of that period, however. they
were influenced by it in the same way as re-
Gently stained pieces, As readily acquiring the
glowing purple. All along the coast of New
England are to be found the snails which yield
this wonderful dye. Yet the frugal housewives
buy bottled "indelible" inks, not knowing what
superior article for this very purpose is to be
picked up along the beaches.
II seems surprising to find among the mol
curious bivAlve called the "pinna" spins q kind
Of silk which has been woven into articles of
dress, in early times so highly priced As to have
been set aside for the use solely Of royal per-
| sonages. This silk is the ''byssus' of the ami
NAL, by means of which it attaches itself to
rocks. Just as the common mussel does The
threads are extremely fine and OF great
strength. To begin with they are cleaned by
washing in soap and water and by drying and
rubbing with the hands. They are then passed
through combs of bone and afterward through
IRON combs. BY these processes a pound OF the
crude silk is reduced to about three ounces of
| fine thread. When mixed with about one-third
OF real silk it il spun and knit into gloves caps,
stockings. &C., forming . stuff Of a beautiful
browpish- yellow color resembling the bur
nished golden hue on the backs Of certain flies
| ana beetles. 1t was possible few wears ago to
purchase pair Of stockings made out OF this
material for %. The mollusk in question is
native to the Mediterranean
| There is very remarkable species Of spider.
true arachuid, which lives habitually in and
under water. Not being naturally an aquatic
animal, nor able to breathe in that element, 1t
procures for itself a sort Of air-tigh. chamber.
For this purpose it appropriates to its use an
empty shell OF a water snail. Entering the
shell the spider closes the opening with . web
| OF Vanished silk which keeps the water out.
The shell containing the spider is sometimes
found lying at the bottom Of pond; but, rem
dered buoyant by the air within, II often rises
and floats on the surface, and the willy occu-
| pant is in this manner carried within reach of
her prey, which feels no alarm ON the approach
| Of what looks like snail. Two insects nearly
allied to the bee make their nests in the de-
| serted shells Of snails
Stuck on the Girls. a.
n,