LITTLE BOOK OF SHELLS

This gallery of pearl oysters, periwinkles, cowries and many more illustrates how shells can be as delicate as porcelain, coloured with iridescent pastels, or boldly patterned with a glossy sheen. Intricate structures range from the tapering whorls of a triangular nutmeg to the spiral chambers of a nautilus to the frilly ribs of the wedding cake Venus. These distinctive features not only tell us about the genealogy of the animal that made it and lived in it, but also serve as an archive of its life.