68 THK NAUTILUS. 



ON COLLECTING. 



BY REV. HENRY W. AVINKLEY. 



" I wish I had my life to live over again " is a frequent expression. 

 The writer has no such desire, but I could have done better work 

 formerly if I had had the experience, and I wish I could give my 

 experience to others. 



Dr. Sterki has in a recent article in the Nautilus, mentioned 

 some methods of work. A visit from that veteran worker a few 

 months ago was of great help to me. As a result I have collected 

 more materials this year than I have in any half-dozen years 

 formerly. My outfit is simple. Rubber boots, a net of scrim, frame 

 of steel wire so made that there is one foot straight as a scaping sur- 

 face, a bamboo pole in two joints. A large sieve of fine grain, small 

 bags of kakki and one or two jars. All can be carried on a bicycle. 

 With this outfit I have gone from my home on trips lasting from one to 

 two hours, and returned with from one to two thousand specimens of 

 Pisidium, Planorbis, Amnicola, etc. The same outfit serves for much 

 of the marine work. The importance of "when you're gittin, git" 

 is realized when one returns with one or two thousand specimens and 

 finds two or three very rare forms among them. Mud is my delight 

 in fresh or salt water. It is swarming with life. Eel grass is 

 another rich field. Dip and sift dry and examine with a lens; the 

 tiny chaps are easily overlooked. 



Our work is a labor of love, many of our best collectors have 

 limited means, often limited time. Though the writer has at times 

 employed a sail boat for dredging, and results have been excellent, 

 all the new species turned up in New England during the last twenty 

 years, have been obtained either by trips on foot or from a row boat. 

 It requires hard work to dredge from a row boat, but it can be done. 

 Rare species of Pyramidellidae have all been obtained in that way,, 

 but don't be afraid of mud. A list of Prince Edwards Island species, 

 some new — others not before known in Canadian waters has proved 

 a valuable contribution. I never was anywhere near that island. 

 The materials all came from mud washed from the oyster shells, 

 miles away from their home. At present the writer is busy with 

 marine mud in a sheltered bay. Reports will come later, but rare 

 forms with one species that may prove new, are already before me» 

 New England needs more workers, and it is full of surprises, espe- 



