THE NAUTILUS. 83 



carefully, and tlien decide to hang around awhile. We are in a per- 

 fect aquarium, a part of it and we are upon the most intimate 

 terms with all the other inhabitants. Great care must be taken to 

 avoid touching the sharp-spined sea-urchins, especially the Diadema, 

 whose purple and black spines are six inches long and as sharp as 

 needles, brittle as glass and poisonous . . . such a wealth of cru- 

 stacea, such beautiful Kolids with green and yellow filagree-work 

 along their backs ; they crawl over one's hands under water like cat- 

 erpillars ; such stealthy Octopi sneaking over the rocks, one recoils 

 from them as from a snake. How fascinating this reef collecting is. 

 Poor Clapp ; if these were only land shells, how much more he would 

 enjoy it. . . ." 



NOTES. 



A CONCHOLOGIST'S DIRECTORY The undersigned intends pub- 

 lishing, on or before January 1, 1912, a Directory of American 

 Conchologists. No charge is made for inserting names and ad- 

 dresses, but if a copy of the Directory is desired, send 25 cents as 

 early as possible. 



Persons ordering in advance may choose a subject and have the 

 same designated after their name. Conchologists should state if they 

 have a collection, the size of the same, and whether exchanges are 

 invited, etc. 



If sufficient interest is shown, the Directory will be published 

 annually until the formation of a national society. Address, 



MAXWELL SMITH, Hartsdale, N. Y. 



TEACHING NATURAL HISTORY So far as I know, this is the 

 only high school in America where an effort is made in the regular 

 zoology classes to teach pupils the systematic collection and naming 

 of our common insects and shells. This may be right or it may not, 

 but the unusual interest manifested in our classes urges me to write 

 this, thinking that it may be helpful to others. I shall speak of the 

 shells only. 



I read to all my classes the peculiar incident told by Mr. Hender- 

 son in his Cuban trip collecting Urocoptis elliotti. It will open the 

 eyes of over 100 boys and girls to see things when they go to Cuba. 



