EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



now growing in popularity, are chiefly use- 

 ful in locating suitable places to dredge 

 rather than for the actual collection of 

 specimens. 



Preserving the Catch 



Specimens of intermediate size 

 should be placed immediately in glass jars, 

 labeled with the date, exact station, na- 

 ture of bottom and other data. Records of 

 the water temperature and depth are impor- 

 tant. A liberal supply of denatured alco- 

 hol in clean containers should be readily 

 available for covering the material in the 

 jars. Immediate attention and storage will 

 prevent material from becoming mixed. 



The smallest siftings or "trash" is 

 extremely valuable in that it often con- 

 tains quantities of small or minute shells. 

 It should be handled with great care, 

 placed in sacks and dried in the sun or 

 close to the engine. Once thoroughly dry 

 this material yields a surprising variety 

 of beautiful forms. The fresh shells stand 

 out with great clarity against the dead 

 fragments alongside them. With the aid of 

 "magnifying spectacles" this material may 

 be sorted over at leisure and is almost 

 certain to contain novelties for the col- 

 lection. 



Every shell enthusiast, with access 

 to the sea, should have some type of dredge 

 constructed and operate from a rowboat or a 

 chartered craft if not from his own. Even 

 a strong colander held in the hand is bet- 

 ter than nothing. The expense and trouble 

 entailed, along these lines, will be richly 

 rewarded. 



The Net 



This is a simple contrivance which 

 is merely a conical bag of netting, prefer- 

 ably bobinette, fastened to a circular 

 piece of strong brass or copper wire which 

 has been coiled. Three additional pieces 

 of small wire fastened to the circular 

 opening serves to hold three attached fish 

 lines; the latter unite and the towing lin° 

 completes the outfit. It is most success- 

 fully used when only a small portion of the 

 circular frame protrudes above thi^ water 

 while being towed. It can only be used in 

 very calm weather. At sunset or on moon- 



light nights many of the wonderful pelagic 

 or surface creatures, such as Janthina and 

 Cavolina, may be obtained in great niimbers, 

 especially a few miles off shore and in the 

 Gulf Stream. It may be advisable to keep 

 the net out for several hours or even all 

 day in the temperate regions where individ- 

 uals are less plentiful. 



Cleaning Shells 



After acquiring specimens the next 

 step is to prepare them for the cabinet. 

 This may be tedious at times, especially 

 after a long field day, but is not neces- 

 sarily a laborious process. 



In field work, especially in the 

 tropics, it is desirable to immediately 

 preserve the catch in spirits. When travel- 

 ing by car or boat a series of jars and 

 bags will be found indispensable. Field 

 notes will prove as valuable as the speci- 

 mens themselves and aid others in further 

 searches. However, upon returning home a 

 certain proportion of the specimens must be 

 prepared for the cabinet. Soft parts in 

 the preserved shells may be removed in the 

 usual manner with a pin or wire. The liv- 

 ing ones should be boiled in sea or fresh 

 water for a few minutes, the time depending 

 upon the size, removal of the soft parts 

 being by the same method. Giant mollusks, 

 like Fasciolaria, may have to Doil for twen- 

 ty minutes or more in a laundry boiler. 

 Large shells like Cassis may be placed upon 

 the ground face up and partially covered 

 with soil or sand. In Florida the Insects 

 will rapidly clean them out. The operculum 

 should be saved whenever present. Very small 

 shells should simply be left to dry out, 

 the operculum being in position. 



Hermit crabs often inhabit dead 

 shells which it may be desirable to retain. 

 They may be drowned in a closed container 

 of fresh water and removed with a piece of 

 bent wire. The hermit crabs are not con- 

 structive and by their constant motion may 

 wear away a portion of the assumed abode. 

 When the shelter becomes too small the crab 

 deserts it for one of larger size. 



The Cabinet 



The most practical type, for both 

 institutions and individuals, consists of a 



