I keep forgetting which of you collects passages about seashells from
literary works, but here is a relatively obscure one for you.
    From "The Incredible Voyage," by Tristan Jones, pp 74-75:  "There were
thousand of birds nesting on the reef [African Islet in the
Seychelles]--frigate birds and terns, so tame you could actually touch them,
so rarely had man visited the reef.  The number and the variety of the
seashells on the shores of the islet were a marvel, and we spent many
delightful hours collecting them...."
    and..."Without touching our precious boat stores, we lived on fish, fruit
and coconuts."
    Guess they didn't realize how many molluscs are edible!
    By the way it is truly an INCREDIBLE "Incredible Voyage."  I urge you to
read the book.
Stew Jones