8 



EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



case containing shallow drawers together 

 with a front door to exclude light and dust. 

 The outer case may be an ordinary packing 

 box or a handsome piece of mahogany. Square 

 drawers or those longer than wide are pref- 

 erable. The depth of the individual draw- 

 ers may be 2-3 inches, in any event of a 

 uniform depth which will make them inter- 

 changeable. The height of the entire cabi- 

 net should be determined with regard to 

 available space. The author's cabinets 

 range from 6 feet high to ceiling height. 



Upon each side of the case are 

 placed galvanized metal runs, bored for 

 screws, at various distances apart to ac- 

 commodate different sized specimens. These 

 runs support the drawers, extending about 

 2 inches horizontally both above and below 

 each drawer, the screw supports being at- 

 tached to the vertical side. With this 

 system it is a simple matter to rearrange 

 the runs at any time to suit the collec- 

 tion. 



With both drawers and paper trays 

 for the individual lots the expansion of 

 the collection proceeds in an orderly man- 

 ner. The writer's drawers are painted a 

 soft green; the trays painted Aull black or 

 covered with black glazed paper. He uses 

 the 2X3 inch size which can be homemade 

 or else procured at a paper-box factory. 

 The larger sizes are multiples of the small 

 trays. Very small specimens are often 

 mounted in circular or rectangular glass- 

 topped boxes which are filled with black 

 wool. Less expensive and also quite satis- 

 factory are the "shell tubes" of various 

 dimensions which are obtainable from glass 

 makers. Imported tubes, marked at the end 

 with the place of origin, should be avoid- 

 ed. The black wool may be used effectively 

 in both the boxes and tubes, corks being 

 usually unnecessary. 



Labels 



These are a problem. The writer's 

 are typewritten upon unruled library cards 

 and separated with a photographic trimming 

 board. Each label should indicate the 

 name, author, locality, collector, and cat- 

 alog number. When enclosed in a tube the 

 reverse side of the label may have been 

 previously painted a dull black in order to 

 furnish a background for the specimens. 



Catalog 



Every collector should keep a rec- 

 ord of his findings and additions. The 

 double entry Is one of several systems used. 

 With this, acquisitions are first entered 

 as received, each bearing a number which is 

 placed also upon the label and when possi- 

 ble upon the specimens themselves. Separate 

 localities are indicated by letters which 

 are added to the numbers. The second book 

 in this system is arranged systematically, 

 according to families and genera, with 

 spaces left for future entries. The num- 

 bers are entered opposite the individual 

 species but of course are not consecutive. 

 A looseleaf book should be employed for the 

 second book. 



Packing and Transport 



Glass jars for shipment should be 

 packed with excelsior. For very small or 

 medium specimens individual containers may 

 be made readily with a small round stick, 

 say half an inch in diameter. Around this 

 may be pasted old letters or blank books. 

 When dry the covering may be removed and 

 the hollow tube cut into short lengths. A 

 bit of cotton in each end will prevent the 

 contents from dropping out. Data may be 

 written on the outside of each paper tube. 



Reference Books 



There is a large amount of litera- 

 ture pertaining to natural history. Many 

 of the molluscan species were described in 

 obscure journals of learned societies and 

 ordinarily are inaccessible to the average 

 student. 



The four best libraries, from the 

 viewpoint of the malacologist, in this coun- 

 try are in The American Museum of Natural 

 History in New York, the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences in Philadelphia, the National Muse- 

 um or Library of Congress in Washington, 

 and the Museum of Comparative Zoology at 

 Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 



The study of mollusks, and kindred 

 subjects, proceeds at such a rapid pace 

 that no Manual or Monograph can possibly 

 present simultaneously adequate descrip- 

 tions of all the 60,000 or more shellfish 



