140 The Catskill Fatrtes.

land: there were shops, squares, and palaces; and the wall was
thickly crusted with oysters and barnacles, like a ship which has
been in the water a long while. On closer inspection Snow-
drop discovered the difference: the avenues were sand, the rows
of buildings large shells. It would be easy to find the residence
of a friend here if one was a stranger. There was a street com-
posed wholly of cowries, another of clam-shells, another of scal-
lops, a fourth of periwinkles, and so on, through all the king-
dom of shells. Snowdrop was not surprised, therefore, to read
on sign-boards—* Clam-shell Terrace,” “ Cowry Place,” or “ Peri-
winkle Avenue.” She walked dry-shod through the streets, but
she noticed that the inhabitants darted about swiftly and noise-
lessly, for they all had fish-tails. The city was very bright,
almost as if illuminated with gas, and Snowdrop discovered that
this light was shed from a sun-fish hung on a pole in a large
park of sea-weeds. The sun-fish was phosphorescent, and at
night the watchman was obliged to draw a blind over it, in
order that the people should sleep a wink.

“In the centre of this sea-weed park was a building made of
the bell of a jelly-fish, which was like the most beautiful crystal,
or blown-glass, with pink-and-blue tints on the walls. Snow-
drop could see people moving about inside this palace, and she
approached it. Two sword-fish policemen hovered about the
entrance.

“« This is a prison,’ they said, very fiercely.

“Snowdrop ran up the steps, and entered the first hall, where
a group of mermaids were playing on coral harps with draped
sea-lettuce. One of these took Snowdrop’s hand—‘I caught

you, little maid, and I shall keep you for a pet” The second