40 THE NAUTILUS. 



he found growing in the mud, standing perpendicular, only about an 

 inch being visible at very low tide. They are heavily bearded near 

 the edge, partially covered with a light brown epidermis (which is 

 several shades lighter than the epidermis of this same species which 

 grows in the south), and considerably eroded near the unbones. All 

 the shells living in the mud here are somewhat eroded. These mon- 

 sters have an uncanny look ; they are hermits when they grow old, 

 do not live in clumps or groups as they do when young, or as My- 

 tilus edidis does. Often I have seen a solitary M. modiolus upon a 

 pile or log, which was entirely covered with M. edulis. They grow 

 from T J j inch to 8 inches in a single year. It takes muscle to re- 

 move one of the huge creatures from a rock or pile when it has 

 fastened itself with brown byssal threads, which it spins with its 

 huge tongue-like foot, from a sticky secretion formed at the base of 

 the foot. They are said to live six hundred feet deep down in the 

 ocean. Pupuras are death on mussels. 



Placunamomia macroschisma Desh. is found here in great num- 

 bers. They live upon the under side of rocks which lie wholly in or 

 part in water. A chisel is necessary to separate them from the 

 rock, and even with this the pear-shaped byssal plug is rarely ob- 

 tained entire. The interior of the upper valve is of a lovely sea- 

 green and nacreous. The edges of the valves are thin and crumble 

 at the least touch, which renders them difficult to clean and send 

 away. If they grow upon other shells they are not so easily broken, 

 but are much stronger. I have a fine specimen which I found 

 growing in an old shell of Cardium corbis Mart. I obtained the 

 byssal plug and both valves entire. The shells sometimes grow 

 upon each other ; when thus found, a perfect specimen is more read- 

 ily obtained than from a rock. These shells are often mistaken for 

 an oyster, especially by those unlearned in shell lore; they do re- 

 semble the variety known as 0. e.rpasn, though they are much 

 larger and have the byssal opening and plug, which the oyster does 

 not have. These bivalves are much handsomer than their southern 

 cousins A nomia lampe. The animal is a bright orange, and is quite 

 beautiful. To be prepared for the cabinet they are dipped in very 

 hot water and the animal removed with a tiny steel chisel prepared 

 for the purpose, then gently closed. This shell requires careful 

 handling. 



I saw a Lnnulin lewisii Gld. eating a I'unlium corlns very much 

 larger than itself. I stopped this predatory proceeding, took both 



