Bernard Herald, age 12, of Champaign, I11., for his question:

HOW DID THE CONCH SHELL RECEIVE ITS NAME?

Conch comes from a Greek word meaning shell. A conch is a large, heavy sea snail with a spiral shell. You'll find conchs living in many of the world's shallow seas.

Conch shells have many uses. They can be ground up to make porcelain china or burned to make lime. Some conch shells are used to make buttons and cameos.

The shell of an East Indian species, the Triton's trumpet, is used as a horn.

The egg cases of certain conchs look like leathery wafers strung on a cord. These strings of egg cases are called sea necklaces.

Meat of the West Indian pink conch is used in chowder and salad.

Conchs are in the phylum Mollusca and the class Gastropoda. The conch has a meaty body that can move in and out of the spiral shell. The animal uses a claw on its body to move about.