"The Bernicle-goose is so called from a foolish tradition of the middle ages of their being produced from the barnacle-shell, which attaches itself to ships' bottoms and timber floating in the sea."

White-Fronted Bernicle

"The Bernicle-goose is so called from a foolish tradition of the middle ages of their being produced…

A wampum is a Native American belt made from shell beads. The wampum pictured was given to William Penn at the Great Treaty.

Wampum Given to William Penn

A wampum is a Native American belt made from shell beads. The wampum pictured was given to William Penn…

"They select some convenient spot, where they hang themselves up, head downward."

Caterpillars of the Small Tortoise-shell Butterfly (Vanessa Urticae) Undergoing Their Metamorphoses

"They select some convenient spot, where they hang themselves up, head downward."

"To set itself entirely free, the chrysalis alternately lengthens and shortens itself. The old skin gradually pushed upward, until it is considerably shortened."

Chrysalides of the Small Tortoise-shell Butterfly Freeing Themselves from the Caterpillar Skin

"To set itself entirely free, the chrysalis alternately lengthens and shortens itself. The old skin…

"In this early state one recognizes the head, which is then resting on the thorax; the two eyes and the antennae, which are brought forward like two ribbons; the wings are also brought over the thorax, but these are separated artificially in the drawing we have given; and lastly, in the space left between the wings, the six legs and the body of the insect."

Chrysalis of the Large Tortoise Shell Butterfly (Vanessa Polychloros)

"In this early state one recognizes the head, which is then resting on the thorax; the two eyes and…

"It is found in July and September, on the oak, the elm, the willow, and many fruit trees."

Large Tortoise Shell Butterfly (Vanessa Polychloros)

"It is found in July and September, on the oak, the elm, the willow, and many fruit trees."

"They chrysalis, which is angular and of a red tint, is ornamented with golden metallic spots."

Larva and Chrysalis of the Large Tortoise Shell Butterfly (Vanessa Polychloros)

"They chrysalis, which is angular and of a red tint, is ornamented with golden metallic spots."

Resembles the Large Tortoise Shell Butterfly, but is smaller.

Small Tortoise Shell Butterfly (Vanessa Urticae)

Resembles the Large Tortoise Shell Butterfly, but is smaller.

"The caterpillar is often called the vine worm, summer worm, vintage worm, or shell. Almost immediately after they leave the eggs, the little caterpillars hide themselves in the fissures of the vine stocks of the props which support them."

Caterpillar of the Vine Pyralis

"The caterpillar is often called the vine worm, summer worm, vintage worm, or shell. Almost immediately…

The wentletrap is a small, white, spiraled gastropod mollusk.

Wentletrap

The wentletrap is a small, white, spiraled gastropod mollusk.

The common whelk (Buccinum undatum) is a large edible sea snail and a gastropod mollusk.

Common Whelk

The common whelk (Buccinum undatum) is a large edible sea snail and a gastropod mollusk.

Murex is a genus of predatory gastropod mollusks.

Murex

Murex is a genus of predatory gastropod mollusks.

"The Foraminifera are enclosed in minute calcareous shells, early invisible to the naked eye; they are found among the sands of the sea. The, in common with corals, are great agents in helping to form islands, which rise out of the bosom of the deep in the warm regions of the globe."

Calcarina Calcitrpoides (Lamarck)

"The Foraminifera are enclosed in minute calcareous shells, early invisible to the naked eye; they are…

"The Foraminifera are enclosed in minute calcareous shells, early invisible to the naked eye; they are found among the sands of the sea. The, in common with corals, are great agents in helping to form islands, which rise out of the bosom of the deep in the warm regions of the globe."

Fabularia Discolithus (Defrance)

"The Foraminifera are enclosed in minute calcareous shells, early invisible to the naked eye; they are…

"The Foraminifera are enclosed in minute calcareous shells, early invisible to the naked eye; they are found among the sands of the sea. The, in common with corals, are great agents in helping to form islands, which rise out of the bosom of the deep in the warm regions of the globe."

Alveolina Ovoidea (d'Orbigny)

"The Foraminifera are enclosed in minute calcareous shells, early invisible to the naked eye; they are…

"The shell advances beyond this simple type by a process of linear budding, the first cell being spherical, with an opening through which a second segment is formed, generally a little larger than the first. This new growth is followed by others developed in the same way, until the organism attains its maturity."

Dentalina Subarcuata

"The shell advances beyond this simple type by a process of linear budding, the first cell being spherical,…

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. In this case, all the convolutions are visible.

Operculina

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. In this case,…

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. In this case, the external convolutions conceal those previously formed.

Nummulina Perforta

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. In this case,…

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. In this case, the shell is spiral, with the chamber equilateral, with a larger and smaller side.

Cassidulina Laevigata

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. In this case,…

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. In this case, the new segments are arranged alternately on opposite sides of the central line.

Textularia Variabilis

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. In this case,…

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. Some are more or less oblong, each new segment being nearly equal to the entire length of the shell.

Spiroloculina Depressa

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. Some are more…

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. Some are more or less oblong, each new segment being nearly equal to the entire length of the shell.

Rotalia

One group will take the spherical form and produce a shell in the shape of the nautilus. Some are more…

The body is enclosed in a glassy shell composed of flint. The shell is perforated by numerous holes through which the pseudopodia are emitted, and it is usually of extreme beauty, being sculptured in various ways, and often adorned with spines.

Haliomma Hexacanthum

The body is enclosed in a glassy shell composed of flint. The shell is perforated by numerous holes…

"The uppermost figure in the illustration shows the Argonaut in the act of swimming. The extremity of the siphon is seen projecting immediately below the eye, and the reader will at once understand that if the action forcibly ejects water from the tube, the effect will be to drive the animal rapidly in the contrary direction; that is, from right to left, as seen in the engraving. The third figure represents an empty shell, and is given for the purpose of showing the partially spiral and deeply grooved keel, as well as the extreme tenuity of the shell itself."

Argonaut, or Paper Nautlius

"The uppermost figure in the illustration shows the Argonaut in the act of swimming. The extremity of…

"A species after death, when the weapons of death have been rubbed off; that is to say, the bristles. It has been calculated that more than ten thousand pieces, each admirably arranged and united, enter into the composition of the shell of this creature."

Sea Urchin without Spines, Arcocladia Mamillata

"A species after death, when the weapons of death have been rubbed off; that is to say, the bristles.…

"A species after death, when the weapons of death have been rubbed off; that is to say, the bristles. It has been calculated that more than ten thousand pieces, each admirably arranged and united, enter into the composition of the shell of this creature."

Buccal Armature of Echinus Lividus

"A species after death, when the weapons of death have been rubbed off; that is to say, the bristles.…

The grateful citizens of Baltimore presented Colonel Armistead with an elegant silver vase, in the form and of the size of the largest bomb-shell thrown into the fort by the British, during the War of 1812.

The Armistead Vase

The grateful citizens of Baltimore presented Colonel Armistead with an elegant silver vase, in the form…

Illustration showing a conchoid, "a curve, shell-like in flexure (whence the name), invented by Nicomedes in the 2nd century B.C., and used by him for finding two mean proportionals."

Conchoid

Illustration showing a conchoid, "a curve, shell-like in flexure (whence the name), invented by Nicomedes…

An illustration of a hermit crab in a shell.

Hermit Crab

An illustration of a hermit crab in a shell.

An illustration of a Calabash tree and ways to utilize the shell of the fruit it produces. Crescentia (Calabash tree, huingo, krabasi, or kalebas) is a genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to southern Florida, the Caribbean, southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America. The species are small trees growing to 10 m tall, and producing large spherical fruits up to half a meter in diameter.

Calabash Tree

An illustration of a Calabash tree and ways to utilize the shell of the fruit it produces. Crescentia…

A hand grenade is a small hand-held anti-personnel weapon designed to be thrown and then explode after a short time. The word "grenade" is derived from the French grenade, meaning pomegranate, so named because its shrapnel pellets reminded soldiers of the seeds of this fruit. Grenadiers were originally soldiers who specialized in throwing grenades.

American Grenades

A hand grenade is a small hand-held anti-personnel weapon designed to be thrown and then explode after…

<p>A: Bouchon<br>B: Lever<br>C: Bouchon Seal<br>D: Striker<br>E: Spring<br>F: Hinge Pin<br>G: Split Pin<br>H: Split Pin Ring<br>I: Moisture Cap<br>K: Primer<br>L: Priming Powder<br>M: Fuse<br>N: Detonator</p>

Grenade Parts

A: Bouchon B: Lever C: Bouchon Seal D: Striker E: Spring F: Hinge Pin G: Split Pin H: Split Pin Ring…

Instead of a standard bouchon assembly being used this grenade is equipped with a Percussion Plug Assembly, Mark I, containing the striker, primer and standard two inch length Bickford fuse. The grenade is ignited by means of first, removing the percussion cover of cap, then knocking or striking the head of the striker sharply against a hard object or against the body.

Cross-Section of a Grenade

Instead of a standard bouchon assembly being used this grenade is equipped with a Percussion Plug Assembly,…

This grenade consists of three parts: (1) a lemon-shaped, serrated, cast iron body; (2) a special igniter the body of which is a hollow piece of wood fixed in the collar of the grenade by three wooden pins; (3) the charge.

French Grenade (C.F.)

This grenade consists of three parts: (1) a lemon-shaped, serrated, cast iron body; (2) a special igniter…

The internal workings of the English Mills No. 5 hand grenade.

English Grenade

The internal workings of the English Mills No. 5 hand grenade.

This grenade is nothing more than the No. 5 fitted with a rod 5&frac14; inches long screwed into a steel base plug which in turn screws into the bottom of the grenade. To keep the lever of the bomb in place after the pin has been pulled, a ring attachment is fixed to the rifle by means of the bayonet.

Model 23, Mark I (Rifle)

This grenade is nothing more than the No. 5 fitted with a rod 5¼ inches long screwed into a steel…

The wentletrap (Scalaria pretiosa) is gastropod mollusk named after its spiral staircase appearance.

Wentletrap

The wentletrap (Scalaria pretiosa) is gastropod mollusk named after its spiral staircase appearance.

The wentletrap (Scalaria pretiosa) is gastropod mollusk named after its spiral staircase appearance.

Wentletrap

The wentletrap (Scalaria pretiosa) is gastropod mollusk named after its spiral staircase appearance.

"Scale-insect. Oyster-shell bark-louse of the apple (Mytilaspis pomorum); male. a, ventral view with wings closed; b, dorsal view with wings expanded; c, scale (line shows natural size); d, leg; f, antennal joint." -Whitney, 1911

Scale Insect

"Scale-insect. Oyster-shell bark-louse of the apple (Mytilaspis pomorum); male. a, ventral view with…

The scallop (Hinnites pusio) is a marine bivalve mollusk from the Pectinidae family.

Scallop

The scallop (Hinnites pusio) is a marine bivalve mollusk from the Pectinidae family.

Scaphander lignarius is a species of gastropods in the Scaphandridae family.

Scaphander

Scaphander lignarius is a species of gastropods in the Scaphandridae family.

Scaphites equalis is a species of extinct cephalopods that thrived during the Cretaceous period. "A genus of ammonites, or fossil ammonoid cephalopods of scaphoid shape, typical of the family <i>Scaphitidae</i>; the scaphites. The have the early walls regularly involute, but the last whorl detached, and straight for some distance, when it becomes again recurved toward the body." &mdash;Whitney, 1889

Scaphites equalis, Extinct Cephalopod Fossil

Scaphites equalis is a species of extinct cephalopods that thrived during the Cretaceous period. "A…

Scissurella crispata is a species of small sea snails in the Scissurellidae family.

Scissurella

Scissurella crispata is a species of small sea snails in the Scissurellidae family.

The scorpion shell (Pteroceras lambis) is a large sea snail in the Strombidae family of conchs.

Scorpion Conch

The scorpion shell (Pteroceras lambis) is a large sea snail in the Strombidae family of conchs.

The almond is native to Iran, from northwestern Saudi Arabia, north through western Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, western Syria, to southern Turkey. It is a small deciduous tree, growing to between 4 and 10 meters in height, with a trunk of up to 30 centimeters in diameter. The young shoots are green at first, becoming purplish where exposed to sunlight, then grey in their second year. The leaves are 1 cm long and 1.2&ndash;4 cm broad, with a serrated margin and a 2.5 cm petiole. The flowers are white or pale pink, 3&ndash;5 cm diameter with five petals, produced singly or in pairs before the leaves in early spring. The fruit is a drupe 3.5&ndash;6 cm long, with a downy outer coat. The outer covering or exocarp, (fleshy in other members of Prunus such as the plum and cherry), is instead a leathery grey-green coating called the hull, which contains inside a hard shell, and the edible seed, commonly called a nut in culinary terms. Generally, one seed is present, but occasionally there are two. In botanical terms, an almond is not a true nut. The reticulated hard woody shell (like the outside of a peach pit) surrounding the edible seed is called the endocarp. The fruit is mature in the autumn, 7&ndash;8 months after flowering.

Almond Tree and Fruit

The almond is native to Iran, from northwestern Saudi Arabia, north through western Jordan, Israel,…

The Green Ormer (Haliotis tuberculata) is an edible mollusk considered a delicacy.

Green Ormer

The Green Ormer (Haliotis tuberculata) is an edible mollusk considered a delicacy.

The common periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is an edible species of sea snail in the Littorinidae family of the winkles.

Common Periwinkle

The common periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is an edible species of sea snail in the Littorinidae family…

An illustration of a coin shell.

Coin Shell

An illustration of a coin shell.

An illustration of a Club-shell fossil from the Tertiary period. The Tertiary is a an out-of-date term for a geologic period 65 million to 1.8 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and an out-of-date definition of the Quaternary period. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous&ndash;Tertiary extinction event, at start of the Cenozoic era, spanning to beginning of the most recent Ice Age, at the end of the Pliocene epoch.

Shell Fossil

An illustration of a Club-shell fossil from the Tertiary period. The Tertiary is a an out-of-date term…

An illustration of an Ammon's Horn shell, a fossil shell, curved like a ram's horn. A name previously used to classify ammonites.

Ammon's Horn (Shell)

An illustration of an Ammon's Horn shell, a fossil shell, curved like a ram's horn. A name previously…

An illustration of a harp-shell, "the shell of a genus of [mollusks] belonging to the gasteropoda and to the whelk family" (Vaughan).

Harp-shell

An illustration of a harp-shell, "the shell of a genus of [mollusks] belonging to the gasteropoda and…

An diagram of the anatomy of a sea urchin. Sea urchins are small, globular, spiny sea creatures, composing most of class Echinoidea. They are found in oceans all over the world. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from 3 to 10 cm across. Common colors include black and dull shades of green, olive, brown, purple, and red. They move slowly, feeding mostly on algae. Sea otters, wolf eels, and other predators feed on urchins. Sea urchins are harvested and served as a delicacy.

Sea Urchin

An diagram of the anatomy of a sea urchin. Sea urchins are small, globular, spiny sea creatures, composing…

A dorsal view of a chiton, showing the eight shell plates. Chitons are small to large, primitive marine mollusks in the class Polyplacophora. There are 900 to 1,000 extant species of chitons in the class, which was formerly known as Amphineura. Chitons have a shell which is composed of eight separate shell plates or valves. These plates overlap somewhat at the front and back edges, and yet the plates articulate well with one another. Because of this, although the plates provide good protection for impacts from above, they nonetheless permit the chiton to flex upward when needed for locomotion over uneven surfaces, and also the animal can slowly curl up into a ball when it is dislodged from the underlying surface. The shell plates are surrounded by a structure known as a girdle.

Chiton (Dorsal)

A dorsal view of a chiton, showing the eight shell plates. Chitons are small to large, primitive marine…

A ventral view of a chiton, showing p, foot; o, mouth; kr, oval fringe; and br, the numerous ctenidia. Chitons are small to large, primitive marine mollusks in the class Polyplacophora. There are 900 to 1,000 extant species of chitons in the class, which was formerly known as Amphineura. Chitons have a shell which is composed of eight separate shell plates or valves. These plates overlap somewhat at the front and back edges, and yet the plates articulate well with one another. Because of this, although the plates provide good protection for impacts from above, they nonetheless permit the chiton to flex upward when needed for locomotion over uneven surfaces, and also the animal can slowly curl up into a ball when it is dislodged from the underlying surface. The shell plates are surrounded by a structure known as a girdle.

Chiton (Ventral)

A ventral view of a chiton, showing p, foot; o, mouth; kr, oval fringe; and br, the numerous ctenidia.…

An illustration of the dorsal view of a chiton with the shell removed. Showing b, buccal mass; ov, ovary; od, oviduct; i, coils of intestine; ao, aorta; c' keft testine; and c, ventricle.

Chiton with Shell Removed

An illustration of the dorsal view of a chiton with the shell removed. Showing b, buccal mass; ov, ovary;…

"A gastropod of the family Ovulidae and genus Radius, as R. volva, of long fusiform shape, the ends of the lips being greatly drawn out; so called from the resemblance to a weavers' shuttle." -Whitney, 1911

Shuttle Shell

"A gastropod of the family Ovulidae and genus Radius, as R. volva, of long fusiform shape, the ends…

Naticina papilla is a species of naticoid, a predatory sea snail in the gastropod class of Mollusca.

Naticoid

Naticina papilla is a species of naticoid, a predatory sea snail in the gastropod class of Mollusca.

Naticina haliotoides is a species of naticoid, a predatory sea snail in the gastropod class of Mollusca.

Naticoid

Naticina haliotoides is a species of naticoid, a predatory sea snail in the gastropod class of Mollusca.

The shell of a Slit Worm Snail (Siliquaria anguina). The species is a gastropod mollusc that has an eloongated shell with a narrow slit down its length.

Slit Worm Snail

The shell of a Slit Worm Snail (Siliquaria anguina). The species is a gastropod mollusc that has an…