Seines and gill-nets with their too-large mesh are poor equipment for 

 collecting shells but sometimes they bring up mud and debris, embedded 

 in which there may be specimens. From such a source have come some 

 interesting species, particularly small round mussels (Musculus nigra 

 obesa), each in its protecting gob of jelly. These came up in a gill-net in 

 Rivers Inlet. Also from a gill-net but off the Point Grey Flats we obtained 

 a fine little Moonsnail (Polinices pallida) and a Bent-Nosed Clam (Macoma 

 nasuta); and in Johnstone Straits a Chinese Hat Snail (Calyptraea jas- 

 tigiata) like a conical limpet outside but with a spiral deck inside. These 

 were attached to kelp holdfasts which came aboard in the net. Here in 

 Jervis Inlet a gill-net inconveniently sank when its floats became water- 

 logged, but to make up for the trouble it caused it brought up our first 

 Cidarina cidaris, pearly little turbans with spiral rows of beading; and 

 several more of the brown lamp shells (Laqueus Jeffrey si). 



Seines have not yielded much: one hairy brown Horse Mussel (Modi- 

 olus modiolus) and from Deserted Bay in Jervis Inlet, a number of long 

 slim Jack-Knife Clams (Solen sicarius). 



Last year a friend gave us a fine big scallop (Chlamys caurina), the 

 only perfect specimen we have of this species. Her son brought it home 

 after working on a bottom-dragger in Hecate Strait several years ago. These 

 shells, much sought after by collectors, are commonly taken, I believe, in 

 trawls but, unfortunately, we do not know nor have we been able to contact 

 any trawlers. 



Shrimp traps catch no bivalves but snails are sometimes attracted by 

 the smell of the bait intended for the shrimps. From traps put down in a 

 depth of nearly 100 fathoms in the vicinity of Cortez Island we had a 

 donation of 9 specimens of Neptunea phoenicia, large handsome brown 

 snails with distinct spiral ribs. And from the same source but taken in Bute 

 Inlet, we obtained one huge Ridged Whelk (Neptunea lirata), bigger and 

 handsomer even than its aforementioned cousin. Shrimp traps in 70 fathoms 

 of water off Shannon Creek in Sechelt Inlet invariably bring up a quantity 

 of Colus morditus and C jordani, more or less evenly divided as to numbers. 

 They are smooth brown snails, one to n/2 inches, usually partially covered 

 with a black growth and rather difficult to tell apart. With them once was 

 the larger, more distinctive Colus herendeeni, with fine spiral lines and a 

 thin olive- brown periostracum. After these aristocrats the take in Jervis 

 Inlet has not been very spectacular, mostly the large hairy Oregon Tritons 

 (Argohuccinum oregonense) with sadly worn apexes from being dragged 

 by their owners over rocky bottom, the lowly black Spindle Shells (Searlesia 

 dira), and a few all-too-common Dog Whelks (Nassarius niendicus). 



Although there is no commercial crab fishing in this Inlet we have 

 tried crab traps for snails but with very indifferent success. We are too 

 near the Skookumchuck and the strong tide fouls the buoy line and finally 

 it breaks thereby losing the trap. The odd times it came safely up we got 

 mostly the same old Spindle Shells and Dog Whelks but it did secure one 

 prize, the lovely little Spotted Top Shell (Calliostoma variegatum), and 



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