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Cowries — Part 3 — Part 2

These cowries hide from the sun among the coral masses in shallow water. When a specimen is discovered by the collector it is seen with its shell entirely swallowed up in the dark mottled and curiously tufted mantle, which has the peculiarity of changing its intensity of colour at the will of the mollusk. Touching it with a stick causes the mantle to withdraw quickly into the shell, exposing the polished back and sides. To clean a shell one must first let the animal parts decompose. It is impossible to remove the body by force when still fresh. Length, 3 to 5 inches. Indian and Pacific oceans.

The rat cowry, the serpent's head, the rhinoceros and stag cowries are named for some fancied resemblance to these animals. The panther, lynx, leopard and cat cowries have colouring and markings suggesting these fur-bearers.