132 



THE NAUTILUS. 



obtained a copy of the first two volumes of this work (NAUTI- 

 LUS, Vol. 27, p. 95). In the same volume of THE NAUTILUS, 

 page 107, Mr. George H. Clapp, of Pittsburg, described a copy 

 in his library. The two volumes are bound in one and trimmed 

 to lOf x 13 T 7 ^ inches. The sizes of the bound volumes appar- 

 ently vary according to individual tastes. The size of the title 

 pages in the Society's copy would not admit of trimming; the 

 plates of medals are about 14 x 11 and the explanatory tables 

 llf x 11 inches; the actual size of the paper on which the 

 plates are printed is 11 x 13 inches, but the ruling or "neat- 

 line' 11 surrounding the shells varies between 7 x lOi. The 

 plates are mounted on a heavy blue-gray paper. C. W. JOHNSON. 



NOTES. 



ASTARTE QUADRAN3 AS FOOD FOR FLOUNDERS : While Walking 



along the beach on the ocean side, North of Provincetown, Cape 

 Cod, I chanced to come upon a complete dried skeleton of the 

 common flounder. The flesh had been removed by the beach 

 Crustacea etc, so that no muscle or entrails was visible, except 

 the dried ligaments which held some of the bones together. In 

 the space where the stomach had been, was a pile of Astarte 

 quadrans, eighty-six valves in number, varying in size from the 

 adult 9/20 inch to 3/20 inch, all in good condition and the 

 majority having intact the ligament connecting the valves. 

 Not a specimen of any other shell was present, although in the 

 locality where the flounder lives are found several species of 

 small shells. 



This shows one of three things, viz : that this fish had the 

 ability to discriminate ; or had found a spot where only this 

 shell existed; or an epicurean fondness for "little-neck" As- 

 tarte. J. HENRY BLAKE. 



MR. HORACE F. CARPENTER began in September of 1916 to 

 install his collection of shells in the upper south room of the 

 main building of the Roger Williams Park Museum, Providence, 

 R. I., and at this date upwards of 4,000 species have been placed 

 on exhibition. 



