DEMINERALIZATION MECHANISM OF BORING GASTROPODS 61 



now being carried on; and biochemical characterization of the ABO 

 secretion is planned. 



Materials and Methods 



Boring Gastropods 



The following species of snails were employed (scientific names 

 of mollusks used in this paper are taken from the nomenclature of 

 Abbott, 1954): 



Family Muricidae. Urosalpinx cinerea follyensis and Eupleura 

 caudata etterae (B. B. Baker, 1951) are large forms of the species 

 found onh^ alons the embavments of the Eastern Shore of Maryland 

 and Virginia. The height of U. c. follyensis ranged from 28 to 45 

 mm; that of E. c. etterae, from 28 to 40 mm. Both species were col- 

 lected in Chincoteague Bay and in Wachapreague Bay in relatively 

 shallow water, where they were plentiful. Most ABOs for experi- 

 mental studies were excised from U. c. follyensis. 



Miirex fulvescens were collected by diving in water ranging in 

 depth from 1 to 8.5 meters below mean low water on a rock jetty 

 inside Shackleford Banks, North Carolina. The largest specimens 

 ranged in height from 9.5 to 12 cm. 



Murex brevifrons, a tropical species, were collected in the vicinity 

 of Boqueron, Puerto Rico, where they were plentiful, and were 

 shipped alive by air mail to us in North Carolina. The height of 

 specimens ranged from 6.5 to 10.5 cm. 



Snails were maintained in our laboratory in running or frequently 

 changed recirculated sea water ranging in salinity from approxi- 

 mately 28 to 32 %o. They adjusted easily to captivity, and fed vora- 

 ciously on small to medium-sized eastern oysters, Crassostrea vir- 

 ginica. 



Family Naticidae. Polinices duplicatus and Sinum perspectivum 

 were collected on the expansive intertidal sand flats of Bird Shoal, 

 Beaufort area. North Carohna, where the former species was abun- 

 dant. The largest specimens of P. duplicatus used were 4.5 cm in 



