104 THE NAUTILUS. 



In the summer of '!)4, while attending the class in conchology at 

 Long Beach, our teacher, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson, kindly 

 planned an excursion to Dead Man's Island, and took eighteen 

 members of her class to 8:111 Pedro the evening before we were to do 

 our collecting. We spent the night at an old seaman's hotel on Timm's 

 Point, and at ?, o'clock A.M., rose to take advantage of the first 

 beams of the sun and the tide, which was to be at the lowest point 

 at about 4.30 A. M. There happened to be a dense fog, and as our 

 ghostly boatman took one boat load after another of our compan- 

 ions away from us across the bay, we were strongly reminded of that 

 other boatman, the Charon of our early studies and the River .Styx. 



However, by the time we were safely landed on our hunting 

 grounds, the mist had risen and we could see to begin work. The 

 most that we found of value was on the mud flats uncovered by the 

 low tide. There we found, under the grass which lay flat on the 

 mud, thus concealing thousand of mollusks which lay below, Ham- 

 inea virescens Sby., and Humi.nea veyicnln Gld. We also found, 

 partly covered with mud, Cardium quadrigenarium Conr., and 

 altogether covered with mud except some tiny points of a < 7/un/x 

 belcher i Hds. What a shout went around when some one called 

 out, " Mrs. White has found a ('horn*," and how eagerly the mud 

 in that vicinity was scanned to see if another could not be discov- 

 ered. But no, I bore off my trophy in triumph alone, for not 

 another one was found. 



On our way home, while walking along the beach, some one, I think 

 Mrs. Williamson, called our attention to some narrow slits in the 

 sand, where, upon digging carefully, we found a dozen Linguli 

 , 1 111,1,1 Hds. 



Later, on a walk to Alamitos Bay, I found Pe.riploma arge>itn-i<i 

 Conr., Petricola carditoides Conr., Lubiosu inuliiluiu Gld., }V<//</ 

 cooper/ and Clidiophorn punctata (?) C'pr. And now 



this account brings us up to the year of our Lord, lcS95, and finds 

 us still enthusiasts in conchology, only waiting for a favorable tide 

 to go again in search of treasures of the sea. We are of those who 

 believe that nature has secrets which she reveals only to those who 

 love her, and we feel that in this kind of communion with her she 

 has fully rewarded us. 



