22 Marink Shklls of the Western Coast of Florida 



dredge. A float should also be attached to the dredge to mark its 

 location in case the tow rope should break. 



Everything that comes up in the dredge should be carefully in- 

 spected. Starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, hydroids, and seaweeds 

 may be placed in a pail of fresh water for a time — small mollusks 

 that may be upon them will fall to the bottom of the container. Dead 

 shells of Atrina afford lodgment to many chitons and small gastero- 

 pods. Erato is often found in the crevices of compound zooid colonies. 

 Simnia clings to gorgonians and exactly matches them in color. Pteria 

 and Pinctada are attached by a byssus to other shells, or each other, 

 sometimes in large numbers of all sizes together. Aequipecten 

 tnuscosus is covered by a growth of sponge which is firmly estab- 

 lished upon the scaly ribs of the bivalve shell. It is interesting to ob- 

 serve that the brilliant yellow- and orange-colored specimens of this 

 Pecten are generally embedded in sponge of a purple tint. 



It is essential to note and record carefully the locality and depth 

 of water from which specimens are secured, and it is also well to 

 record the date. Specimens which cannot be assigned to a definite 

 locality have no value to a collection. 



Cleaning shells has no fascination comparable to the satisfaction 

 of collecting them, but this work must be done thoroughly if the 

 specimens are to be preserved and enjoyed in a permanent collec- 

 tion. Boiling best accomplishes removal of the soft parts. Many 

 collectors prefer to place specimens in warm water and bring to boil- 

 ing, allowing from two to thirty minutes boiling according to the 

 size of the shells. Highly polished shells should be dropped into 

 boiling water and permitted to remain not more than three minutes. 

 After the shells are sufficiently cool to be handled the soft parts 

 may be removed by gentle traction, taking care not to leave a part 

 of the animal in the apex of a univalve shell; in such event a few 

 drops of 10 per cent solution of formaldehyde left in the shell for 

 a few days will deodorize and harden what soft parts remain. Small 

 specimens may be placed as collected in SO per cent alcohol and the 

 hardened animal tissue subsequently removed from the shell with 

 an appropriate instrument. Small shells may be washed clean and 

 left to dry without removal of the animal parts, or placed in a jar 

 of fresh water shaken well from time to time and the water fre- 



