AbalonE

ABALONE, the Spanish name used in California for various 
species of the shell-fish of the Haliotidae family, with a 
richly coloured shell yielding mother-of-pearl.  This sort 
of Haliotis is also commonly called ``ear-shell,'' and in 
Guernsey ``ormer'' (Fr. ormier, for oreille de mer). 
The abalone shell is found especially at Santa Barbara and 
other places on the southern Californian coast, and when 
polished makes a beautiful ornament.  The mollusc itself is 
often eaten, and dried for consumption in China and Japan. 

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Source:  An unnamed encyclopedia from a project that puts out-of-copyright texts into the public domain.
This is from a *very* old source, and reflects the thinking of the turn of the last century.  
-- BryceHarrington