In the deeper waters that I love, there are miles and miles of soft,
blue mud, that to a Dolphin is far more luxurious and enjoyable than the
thickest of velvet or the most closely, evenly plaited straw could be.
But when, after a long, delightful journey, I visit the regions of
shallower waters, ah, the beautiful things I could bring you, were there
a tunnel, a car, or an air-shaft to convey me safely to land!

What are these shining, many-colored things I see lying about, with all
kinds of fishes sailing around and playing with, as a child plays with
blocks or cards?

Shells! all kinds and shapes, many of them rough outside but smooth and
glossy as glass inside.

What is a shell? You know the word "marine," called ma-_reen_, means
belonging to the sea, so shells are marine curiosities, for they are
always found in or near the sea. And they are really the hard, outer
covering of some sea-animal or other.

But how can I describe shells such as I have looked upon a thousand
times? You have seen some kinds, I know, but they would not even pass as
samples of the splendid shapes and tints that lie scattered around my
floor. A few Folks have made a study of the different kinds of shells
that have floated or been carried to the shore, and have been able to
tell the class of sea-animals to which they have belonged. They once
were the coats or outside garment of a swimmer or a clinger of the sea.

One day a mother-Dolphin missed her boy-Dolphin, and as he was quite a
young fellow, she felt much distressed. Away she sailed, peering amidst