made
for Charley, that should be his own Museum. Don't you think our Charley
was pleased, that his father was so kind to him? When the room was all
finished, uncle Brown, who had, for a long time, a bit of a Museum in
his own house, in the city, brought out, one day, a lot of shells to
begin our Charley's Museum, with. And now I must try to tell something
about these shells, and the creatures who used to have their homes in
them. (But first I must tell you one thing, if you hav'nt guessed it
already, that as soon as Charley began to lisp his words, his kind
mother took him in her lap and taught him to repeat the Lord's Prayer,
and, I can tell you, Charley, as he grew older, never went to sleep at
night, until he had addressed this prayer to the great, good Being, who
made and takes care of all of us. Remember this, boys, for it is of
more consequence than shells, or animals, or anything else.)

[Illustration: MONEY-COWRY.]

The first shell that Uncle Brown gave to Charley, was what is called a
"money-cowry." It is an elegant shaped and beautifully marked shell and
takes its name from the fact, that one species of them is used as money,
both in Bengal and Guinea, two places at a vast distance from each
other. The value of these shells is small, in comparison with that of
gold and silver, three thousand two hundred cowries amounting to a
rupee, which equals fifty cents of our coin.

Next came a shell that Charley thought had a very funny name, "the Royal
Staircase Wentle-trap." However, it was a very handsome shell, that
uncle sea captain brought to uncle Brown from the far off Chinese and
Indian seas, where the animals live. In old times this shell was prized
so highly, that one, two inches long, sold for five hundred dollars.
And, even now, a fine specimen brings from thirty to thirty-five
dollars. This shell Mr. Brown said, belongs to the class Turbo or
Turbinidae. The fisherman call all of this class, whelks.

[Illustration: ROYAL STAIRCASE WENTLETRAP.]

[Illustration: COMMON WHELK.]

After this, came another rather queer-named shell, the animal that lived
in it, being called the "Common Whelk," and belonging to a class of
creatures entitled Buccinidae, from the Latin name for _trumpet_,
because they were thought to look like a trumpet. These animals are very
plentiful all along the British coasts, and are sold like oysters, in
the London markets, besides being exported abroad for food. They have a
sort of prob