may be syringed out the following morning. Janthinas should not remain 

 in fresh water for more than 12 hours, as a longer immersion will soften 

 the periostracum in an irregular manner and the dried shells will present 

 a blotchy appearance. 



Removal of the body from Xenophora is almost impossible and boiling 

 does not solve the problem. Frequently if the shell is placed with the 

 aperture upward, the animal will thrust a greater part of its body out and 

 it may be quickly removed, but in small specimens of this interesting shell, 

 if a needle or pin is thrust through the body just back of the operculum and 

 allowed to lie crosswise of the aperture, the animal will quickly die; then a 

 small amount of formaldehyde introduced into the shell will preserve it. 



For years it has been thought that no Cypraea should be boiled. It 

 was thought that heating the shell would impair the gloss and the accepted 

 procedure was to allow the animal to die and decay. The odor would be 

 removed with many rinsings and the shell could eventually appear in 

 respectable company. It has been demonstrated that the idea was fallacious 

 and most collectors do not now hesitate to boil a Cypraea, but it has been 

 recommended that the specimens be placed in tepid water and then brought 

 to a boil, thus avoiding any checking of the shell due to sudden change of 

 temperature. It is important after boiling the larger cowries that the shells 

 be shaken vigorously to loosen the body of the mollusk and it should be 

 shaken until the loosened body may be heard swishing about. All moisture 

 should be removed from the shell as any remaining moisture will cause a 

 bluish discoloration in the darker colored species and this discoloration is 

 usually permanent. 



With the larger Cassis, another procedure is necessary and this has 

 been adopted with the larger Fasciolaria, Busycon, and the like. The shell 

 containing the living mollusk is placed aperture side up for 24 hours or 

 longer. The animal has usually become weakened by this time and a 

 greater portion of it lies out of the shell. A stout cord or wire is tightly 

 wound about the body, just back of the operculum, and then is tied to 

 some convenient object so that the shell is suspended with all the weight 

 pulling downward. Gradually the body is pulled from the shell by the 

 shell's weight. A bed of soft material should be placed beneath the shell 

 to prevent breakage and frequently the cord must be shortened from time 

 to time as the body becomes more and more elongated from the constant 

 traction. 



A method of cleaning long in use by the Florida commercial shell col- 

 lectors has recently been published, namely, the use of blow-fly larvae or 

 maggots. This method, while repulsive, is very efficient and after a period 

 of time, vigorous rinsing of the shell is all that is necessary. 



Preservation by means of alcohol is usually adopted with many of the 

 smaller species and many are placed in this preservative immediately, but 

 it is well with the smaller operculate shells that they be allowed to remain 

 out of water until death occurs and then placed in alcohol before decom- 

 position sets in. By so doing, the opercula are preserved in plain sight. 



(13) 



