CONCH, kink (Lat. concha, Gk. taSyxn, Skt. .•41»kha, shell). • The name of many large univalve mollusks. Originally and proper ly it belongs to the big carnivorous strombs, and especially to he great rose -lined stromb (titrombus gigas) of the West Indies and Flori da Beefs. more particularly 'queen conch.' Shiploads of these shells are sent to Europe and the United States every year to be ground up for porcelain, Mimed into lime, cal cined for medicinal purposes, or used as orna ments; many are perforated at the apex and serve as dinne•-limms on Southern plantations. Cameos of an inferior sort are cut in it and from it are de-rived, especially in the Bahamas, pink 'conch-pearls' of value. It is because many of them made an occasional industry of gather ing these mollusks, and searching for that the poorer sort of people of southern Florida and neighboring islands are called 'Conchs.' The Indians used the columella of this shell as ma terial for fine heads; and their remains. as well as those of ninny other large mollusks, abound in the coastal shell-heaps. In the East Indies the term is applied often to other large spiral especially those of time closely allied fam ily Tritonid:e. These are often perforated and fitted with mouthpiece and finger-holes, and so turned into sonorous musical instruments. This is the shell adopted by artists in representations of sea-my t h " Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea, Or hear old Triton blow his wreatliCd horn."
In the Northern States. `conch' means either of two large. pear-shaped univalves of the Atlantic Coast, Fulgur carica and Sycot !inns eanaliculatus, which frequent the sandy bottoms near shore and are cast up on heal-lies in great numbers. Both are carnivorous and do great damage to oyste•-beds. The former, which has a spiral row of short horns defining the whorls, is more common southward, while the latter• distin guished by the squarish channels between the whorls, is nearly confined to the region between Cape Cod and New Jersey. Both are abundant about Long Island and on the southern New England coast, where they are confused under the name 'periwinkle' or 'winkle.' The 'sea necklaces,' consisting of parchment-like hollow disks apparently strung upon a long cord. which attract attention on beaches in midsummer. are the egg-eases of which have been torn from their attachment to some rock or sea weed and floated ashore. It was from the eolumn of these shells that the Indians made their white wampum. (See NVAmPu.m.) Consult Ingersoll, "Natural History of Economic 'Mollusks of the United States." Cnil«I ,Ntutes Fish commission Bulletin for 1,S,S9.