Hi, Avril and all:

More on toys:  In Pollack's History of Dolls and Toys, there is a
description of playthings of earliest times, centuries gone
by:  These were natural items and included shells, pebbles, gourds
and the like.  There is a photograph of shells, including a cowrie
and  a spider conch,  and the text mentions that babies might
have played with "two shells interlocked".

This book is published in England. There 's a great bibliography;
Avril, if you'd like me to copy it for you, please e-mail me
your snail mail address

We also have a "superseashells discovery collection" for kids, with
exercises for teachers to do to teach about sea life. Includes a starfish,
sea biscuit, several common Indo-Pacific shells, several worn strombus
pugilis.


Karen