New Britain Herald Newspaper, July 28, 1916, Page 10

10 SHELLS AT MUSEUM AROUSING INTEREST ollection at Institute Described ‘Written by Each ell, each crawling inscct important in the plan who framed this scale of be- hold rank which, lost, would reak the in, and leave behind. a | iture’s self would rue. y and singularity of ! r forms, the variety and brillianc; heir colors, shells only yield to The admiration of these deserted | abitations of a very numerous clas: f animals i very genera if not niversal. Scarcely a house in the pnd is without a few shells, and inx‘ hany there are large collections of fhem. Comparatively few persons, owever, view them in connection ith animal existence, for the mass, ey are mercly beautiful things from e Seas and rivers, far and near. 4 little how they grow, how how they breathe, upon ed, or for what use they ted. Every living creature has a history f its own. E has characteristics y which e known frean its lelative: 1 s its ow: terri- its appropri food, and its uties to perform in the economy of ature. The marine shalls, by the immense umbers in which they are produced, erform an important office in ab- racting from the sea water its ex- jess of calcareous matter, and thus iding to maintain its purity. Feeding pon animal or vegetable matter, the flollusca act as scavengers, and in- santly destroy an infinite variety f hurtful or superfluous substance Every acre of the sea is infinitely ore productive than the same quan- ty of the richest land, notwith- anding that these salt water fields re ‘perpetually “‘white to the har- lest.” The soft bodies of the Mol- sca offer the most tempting morsels birds and insects on land and to learly all the inhabitants of the sea, let, protected by their shelly covering ey spread into every nook and brner of the globe, giving birth to ch multitudes of young, that, in pite of all the havoc which thins efr ranks, they flourish in abun- Jance. Even the [Poor patient oyster where it sleeps thin its pearly house,” ithough 1t is the most helpless of L the headless Mollusca, would over- | pread the deep-sea banks if let alone. | Damon says: “If the great mass of 1 the spawn produced by the den- ens of the ocean were not devoured Ir otherwise destroyed, the watery orld would long ago have become b over populated as to be unnavigable Ihd its condition incompatible with he health of the human race.” As articles of food many of the lollusca are most important, and the ible species are cultivated with great hre in various countries, giving em- oyment to hundreds of people. But e have only time to consider the ses of shells. First let us see how ells are formed. Each shell has once been the home ¢ 2 living animal, which was born rapped in a transparent mantle en- owed with the wonderful power of Jctracting lime from the sea water hich it has taken into its body, nting it with beautiful colors, and lullding it up into a solid dwelling lace and citadel combined. The hape, color, and peculiarities of all e different shells come from pe- liarities of the mantle. If is is crumpled at the edge or rawn out in horn-like folds, then he shell will have a crumpled form ke the scallop, or horns like the urex, while the sunlight falling pon the mantle seems to help it in brming the bright pigment with hich it paints its home, so that allow water shells and those of the -opics are more highly colored than hose from the deep sea, or from dull imate; then again in the inside of e shell, if the mantle leaves a oofh layer this will be white, but fhen the film is crumpled in very fine 1ds, these reflect the light in such way as to give the beautiful colors nown mother-of-pearl, while, if e 1 e be irritated at any point, will form a little bead of lime after- ards to be increased into a pearl If the mar of a shell is fractured uring the 1 ime of the animal, the jury will be completely repaired by fhe reproduction hoth of the epider- is and of the outer layer of shell vith its proper color. The forms and colors of shells (as ¢ other natural objects) answer ome particular purpose, or obey some eneral The chief object of the shell is to > de t within, \ough E parently 1e house in 3 h the animal fives is equally that if you urn him out-of-doo o will die. The relation of t shell to the breathing organ is ver timate, in- eed, it may be regarded as a pneu- fio-skeleton, being essentially a cale fea portion of the mantle of W he breathing-organ is at most a spe- 1aliz In its most reduced orm it y a hollow con te, ing the breatk vegetabla £ their shell hnbroken th unnote ims, but if you pick up a shell which notcl n the r in as in a or whelk shell, you may be that its owner fed on -feeders have t round their owry himost certain bther animals, ‘f{ ],«_ h i antle folded righ phon through which the water ls aken in, and the notch in the shell harks the place where the siphon animal matter called the ‘“‘epidermis'” or periostracum, sometimes thin and | transparent, at others thick ané opague. It is thick and olive- | colored in all fresh water shells and in many arctic sea shells (e. g. | cyprina and artarte). The colors of | the land-shells often depend on it, sometimes it is silky (as in helix sericea), or fringed with hairs (as in trichotropis), in the whelk and some species of triton and conus it is thick and rough, like coarse cloth, and in some mondiolas it is drawn out into long beardlike filaments. In the cowry and other mollusks with large mantle lobes the epidermis is more or covered up by an additional layer of shell deposited externally. The epidermis has life but not sen- sation, and it protects the shell against the influence of the weather and chemical agents, it soon fades or i destroyed after the death of the ani- mal in situations where, while living, | | | | it would have undergone no change. | Who would imagine a cuttle fish | or an octopus had any connection with the helpless oyster or timid peri- | winkle? Yet so it is, only while the | oyster is onc of the lower and feebler | forms, the cuttle-fish, the octopus, the argonaut, and the nautilus, are mon- archs of the molluska, and stand undoubtedly at the head of one great plan of life, as the ants do at the head | of insects, or man at the head of the vertebrates. Shells are said to be external when the animal is contained in them, and | internal when they are concealed in the mantle as in the cephalopyds. The internal shells support the flesh, fulfilling the office of skeleton. The home so carefully prepared 1§ often shared by some less fortunate creature. The oyster-crab so well known, finds shelter within the oy- ster shell, and many other delicate | forms of life seek shelter in various shells. Aristotle relates that the pin- na keeps a guard to watch for her this he calls pinnophylx, (pinn zuardian), and describes as a little fish with claws like a crab. To this description the Greek poet Oppianus | was indebted, when he sa “The pinna and the crab together dwell, For mutual succor, in one common shell, They both to gain a livelihood com- bine, That takes the prey, when this has given sign, From hence this crab, above his fel- lows famed, By ancient Greeks was pinnotores named.” (Similar species infest the mussels and anomiae of the British coast). Old shells of nassa, buccinium, natica, littorina, and other spiral shells are carefully selected by the hermit-crab. He is truly the home- less gamin of the shore, “being sent into this breathing world,” as Rich- ard of Gloucester savs, arce half made up.” - In other words, while a portion of his body has a shelly cov- cring, the rest has no protection, and the first work of his life is to find, e, hold and defend some cmpty shell in which he may protect hin self from the hungry sea anima's about him. Most spiral shells have a horny or carcous disk or door, called op culum, which is fixed to the posterior part of the foot, and which closes the entrance of the shell, when the ani- mal retires into it. This operculum is convex on one side and flat on the other and, when drawn in by the | animal shuts the opening of its she like a valve, perfectly air and water | tight, but for this provision of a door of stony hardness, the little helpless mollusk would be destroyed by the thousands of hungry mouths that sur- round him in his ocean home. MINIUM WAGE FOR WOMEN New York Legislature to Be ‘Asked to | Establish Smallest Pay for Females Similar to Bay State Plan. New York, July 28—The New York legislature of 1917 will be asked to. consider the report of the Massachusetts ~Women's Clothing ‘Wage Board, which recommends a minimum wage of $8.75 for exper- ienced women workers and a mini- mum wage of $6 a week for girls. There are thousands of women and girls working in New York for less than this, and the lawmakers wiil be asked to remedy the condlition in the manner in which the Bay State has tackled the problem. The Massachusetts board has just de its preliminary report, and hearings will be given by the Massa- chusetts Minimum Wage commission, beginning August 3, before the final draft of the report is made. The pre- liminary report not only fixes the minimum wages that should be paid women in order that they may live decently, but also gives advice to the workers as to how they should spend what they earn. The report says: The Women's Clothing Wage Board | has the following minimum wage de- | terminations to report as the result of its study and deliberations: 1. The wage to be paid to anj female employe who, after reaching | the age of 18 years, has had one and . half years' experience in the wom- s clothing industry shall not be than $8.76 per week. The wage for inexperienced fe- male workers who are 18 years or older shall not be less than $7 per week. 3. The wage for female workers under 18 years of age' shall not be less than $6 a week. 4. These rates shall be put into operation on or about Feb. 1, 1917, 5. The rates are for full-time work, by which is meant the full number of hours per week required by employers and permitted by the laws of the Commonwealth, 6. Where workers are paid by the plece rates shall be such as to yield the minimum hereinbefore set forth for a week of full-time work. The report says that the findings were unanimous. The hearings otrudes. o ve an outer coat of Astarted on Feb. 3, 1916, Surest Way to Man's Heart Is | Pray help more suffrage states to win, NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD, FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1916. SUFFRAGISTS LURE MALES WITH CANDY Via His Stomach New York, July 28.—Committees | representing the woman suffrage | party wooed the New Yor commuter by distributing suffrage leaflets and of candy at all railroad | stations in the city. The suffragists | said they had made the candy them- selves and could vouch for its good- ness. There were twelve pieces of | | candy in each box, one for each of | & 1he suffrage states. Each box alsa | | centained the following verse: ¥ Within this box are suffrage sweets, heir number I pray you note; | A stick for every suffrage state, Where women have the right to vote, Wyoming first set women free, Then Colarado, Idaho, And Utah followed, and then came These states, all in a suffrage row: Nevada, California, Kansas, far off Washington, Arizona, Illinois, Montana and then Oregon. If these confections then you like, So that will take a larger box, To put our suffrage candies in.” DETAINED IN ENGLAND Lecturer at Cambridge University Not Permitted to Come to America for Course at Harvard. London, July 28, 12:30 p. m.—Ber- trand Russell, who recently was fined for issuing pamphlets criticising the manner in which the gpvernment treated conscientious objectors to military service and who later was deprived of his lectureship at Cam- bridge University, has been refused a passport to visit America. He had been invited to lecture at Harvard | University. Russell's wife was for- merly Miss Alys Smith of Philadel- phia. MERID! TEAMSTERS STRIKE, Demand Increase in Wages and Rec- ognition of Union. Meriden, July 28.—Teamsters and helpers of the H. T. Smith Express | company, numbering between forty and fifty, struck today for higher wages and recognition of the union. Similar demands made on propri- etors of livery stables, garages and trucking concerns by thelr employes recently have been generally refused, with one exception. Whether the strike declared today would spread to other concerns was regarded as un- certain. JUANITA IS SAFE. Driven Far Out of Course by Tropical Storm. New Orleans, July 28.—The Span- ish bark Juanita, more than one hun- dred days out and given up for lost, crossed the bar at the mouth of the river here early today. The vessel was in the path of the recent tropical hurricane and was | driven far from her course. She cleared in water ballast from Valen- cla, Spain, April 17, for New Orleans to load staves for Barcelona. ED WALSH A HERO. White Sox Pitcher Saves Two Girls From Drowning. Chicago, July 28.—Ed Walsh, pitcher for the White Sox, is being congratulated today on his ability as | a life saver. While bathing in Lake Michigan at the foot of Fiftieth street last night he rescued two girls who had fallen into deep water from a raft which was overturned. Walsh first swam to shallow water with one girl, then returned and rescued the other as she was sinking a second time. FIELD MEET IN MEXICO. Headquarters Punitlve Expedition, Mexico, July 28.—Arrangements were completed today for a field meet next Saturday at the fleld base. There will be a 100 yard and 220 yard dash, a tug of war, rescue race, shoe race, officers’ jumping contest and Mexican mule race, for which $215 will be distributed in prizes. D. & K. Shows. The Dorman & Krause shows, con- ceded to be the cleanest and most up to date carnival organization en tour are going to exhibit in this city all next week at Shuttle Meadow avenue show grounds, and there will be plenty of good, moral amusement for all. Among the various attractions to be found on the midway will be “Orvetta,” the show beautiful, which will no doubt jump into immediate favor with the ladies. And say, they have one of those “whips” that whip the blues out of you and make you laugh till your sides ache. This company is entirely different from the old style of carnival or street fair, and there has never been in our city anything to equal it, according to the word of the press agent, and everything is moral and caters to Jadles and children as well as gentle- men. “Up-High Billy Xlein” furnishes the feature free attraction, making his sensational dive twice daily. Professor Sturico's Royal Itallan band w{l glve concerts on the streots dalily, afternoon and evening, playing all the latest popular 3 The show will arrive here Sunday on its own special train.—Advt, ARE YOU GOING TO BE MARRIED? Y -7 It’s a personal question of course but we have a purpose in asking it and you will gain by answering it. LISTEN--HERE'S THE DOPE The “Herald” is a necessity in every home. You simply can’t get along without it. Of ¢~ :> there’s a time when cvcn a newspaper is not thought of. We are going to think of it for you. WELL CVE “Herald” Starting now every couple married in New Britain, or expecting to live here after the honeymoon, will be presented with a three months’ real New Britain paper free. WE WANT TO START ‘stion to the YOU RIGHT. EIE After the three months are up you will be given an opportunity to subscribe—NOT BEPORE. So send to the Herald office your future home address, to which you wish the paper delivered, together with the date of your start at housekeeping and get the news every evening. S Do You Want Our Wedding Present? IT’S EASY TO GET