Removing Animals from Shells. This is one of the bottlenecks of 

 conchology, especially in dealing with small or delicate shells which are 

 easily broken in handling. The writer has recently come across an idea 

 which might be helpful, and it is offered for what it is worth. 



In dealing with Halocaridae, a group of small, mite-like creatures 

 inhabiting the sea, Dr. Newell of the University of Hawaii "digested" the 

 organic matter by using trypsin which is one of the ferments utilized in the 

 body of man for liquefying food materials in the digestive tract. The tech- 

 nique used is a bit tricky, but with a little patience it might be imitated. 

 He made an artificial pancreatic juice by dissolving 0.2 gram of trypsin 

 powder in 10.0 CC. of 0.5 percent sodium carbonate. This solution is set 

 aside for several hours but must be protected from disturbance by being 

 kept in a larger vessel containing absorbent cotton or blotting paper soaked 

 in toluene. The solution should then be filtered several times, using the 

 same filter paper. The small animals were placed in the solution for periods 

 of from one to three days at a temperature of 40° C. When the body 

 contents have been adequately digested the specimens are wa'^hed in tap 

 water. If protected by an atmosphere of toluene this solution will keep 

 for a month. — Prof. Trevor Kincaid, Min. Conch. Club of S. Calif. 



Sawing Shells. It is sometimes desirable to saw into or halve a shell to 

 show the internal structure. If the shell is completely filled with paraffin it 

 may be sawed without fear of breakage, and the wax may be melted out in 

 hot water. 



Epsom Salts for Cleaning Cones. Make a solution of one teaspoon Epsom 

 salts to one pint of sea water, enough to cover' the shells. Soak for 2 or 3 

 hours, which will cause the animals to come out of the shells, frequently 

 to more than a normal degree. The salts cause them to swell so that they 

 cannot get back into the shell, and now boiling will toughen the flesh so 

 that the entire animal may be easily removed by a wire hook or fine- nosed 

 pliers. This technique works only for cones or other shells with a narrow 

 aperture. — R. W, Hagemeyer, Hawaiian Shell News 



Oysters open of their own accord when placed in carbonated water. 

 Sever the adductor muscle and you have them! Maybe other bivalves also 

 respond to this treatment? 



To Clean Bittium and other small, mud-encrusted shells, place shells in 

 a jar or tube, add large quantities of table salt, enough so that the solution 

 will be supersaturated when the jar is half- filled with water. Shaking 

 vigorously will cause the undissolved salt crystals to cut the dirt from the 

 shells, leaving them in the pink of condition without dam.age. Wash them 

 in repeated changes of water. I have been employing this method for over 

 half a century. — Dr. Paul Bartsch, Min. Conch. Club S. Calif. 



Commercial Cleaning. Commercial collectors uie caustic potash to clean 

 their shells; I have seen barrels of shells in such a solution which cleans 

 them completely in a few hours. I would not suggest this treatment for a 

 fine Cypraea, biu Cerithium, Turritella, atid like species are almost impos- 

 sible to clean otherwise. The household product Dra-no works as well as 

 commercial potash. — John Q. Burch, Min. Conch. Club S. Calif. 



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