THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 



iS= 



How I Collect and Study Shells. 



BY LILLIAX DYER THOMPSON', CAMBRIDGE, 

 MASSACHUSETTS. 



For the past few weeks T have been 

 studying the habits of some shells that 

 I have in captivity. Once I would not 

 believe that shells are inhabited by 

 living animals, but now I feel that T 

 am fairly well acquainted for I have 

 watched them eat. walk, lav eeefs, 

 swim and make additions to their 

 homes. 



I wanted to study both land and 

 fresh-water shell-', so I bought two 

 pans from the five and ten cent store. 

 One was the largest roasting pan that 

 they had, and the other was as long 

 as the roasting pan was wide. I made 

 a box as long and as wide as the roast- 

 ing pan and six inches high. Then to 

 prevent my shells from crawling out, 

 T made a cover of wire netting which 

 I fastened to a frame hinged to the box. 

 After putting the bigger pan in the 

 box, I decided to make the pond first, 

 so I put the smaller pan across one 

 end of the bigger one and filled up any 

 cracks with moss. In this pan I placed 

 a shell that I had picked up on the 

 beach, after I had washed it to remove 

 any traces of salt which is injurious to 

 snails. I also put in some fresh-water 

 weeds with their roots so that they 

 could help to purify the water and 

 serve as food for the snails. Roots of 

 grass will do for a short time but they 

 decay and must be changed frequently. 

 When I had partly filled the pan with 

 water, my pond was ready for occu- 

 pancy. 



The home for the land shells was as 

 easy to make, as I covered the remain- 

 ing part of the bottom of the larger 

 pan with earth, moss and bunches of 

 grass containing the growing plantain. 

 I also stuck in a few deaH oak leaves 

 (any kind of leaves will do) so that the 

 shells could rest under them. I left 

 several nooks between the pieces of 

 moss as hiding places for the shells. 

 Then I took a scallop shell (any flat 

 shell will do) and filled it with corn 

 meal and another shell with water. In 

 amongst the moss I put a shell that 

 had been thrown upon the beach, after 

 I had washed it, so that my living ani- 

 mals could get lime from it to increase 

 their own shells if necessary. As a 



finishing touch I arranged a small 

 branch so that the snails could climb 

 from the moss to the roof. 



The little mollusks (for such is the 

 name given to the animals tenanting 

 the shells) are not very particular, I 

 have found, about their food. Mine 

 enjoy their corn meal immensely, and 

 also like lettuce, cabbage and plantain 

 leaves as well as -an occasional carrot. 

 As T live in a place where land shells 

 are not abundant (because there is so 

 little limestone formation that they 

 cannot make shells) I have had to de- 

 pend largely on friends for my speci- 

 mens. Never send shells by mail in a 

 tin box, glass bottle or a tobacco box, 

 for they cannot breathe and the fumes 

 of tobacco kill them. The only safe 

 way in which to send them is in either 

 a pasteboard or a wooden box with 

 some green leaves or grass. 



If you live near a body of water you 

 will find some shells ; no matter 

 whether it is a lake, a pond, a river or a 

 brook, shell life is sure to be there. 

 Turn over every leaf, stick or blade of 

 grass, whether floating or on the bot- 

 tom, and every stone and you will find 

 some form of shell life. If you take 

 along a fine meshed skimmer and with 

 it scoop up some of the muddy or sandy 

 bottom and wash it by gently shaking 

 the skimmer in the water, keeping the 

 top above the surface to prevent any- 

 thing from being washed overboard, 

 you are sure to find shells. These will 

 range from one millimeter in length to 

 an inch or more. Look along the 

 banks and near the water's edge where 

 the stream is running fairly swiftly 

 and the bottom is of gravel and you 

 may see shiny shells lying around. 

 These dead shells have been dug up by 

 muskrats when the shells contained 

 living animals, and have been eaten 

 by them. Look more closely in the 

 brook and see if you do not see little 

 black objects protruding from the sand. 

 Pick them up with your hands or with 

 the skimmer and you will find that 

 they are living shells. 



No matter how little limestone is in 

 vour neighborhood, you are certain to 

 find some land shells. If you are pa- 

 tient and look carefully you will be 

 doubly rewarded by finding the most 

 beautiful little shells imaginable ! 



