A word, too, should be said on behalf of the very small chitons. Not 

 only are the youngest stages of growth frequently quite different in appear- 

 ance from the adult condition, and very insufficiently known for most of 

 our species, but many forms are of small size even when fully grown, and 

 some of these are so difTicult to recognize with certainty in the field that 

 the collector can not go amiss in saving every specimen encountered. I here 

 refer simply to the little fellows which are commonly to be found in com- 

 pany with the adults of the same or different species, yet the extremely 

 minute post-larval stages are likewise of interest. Collecting these requires 

 somewhat special methods, which will quite likely not be found exactly 

 similar for all species. Through the courtesy of both the parties concerned 

 I repeat a quotation in my former paper of an instructive paragraph from 

 a letter on this subject written to Mr. Emery P. Chace by Dr. Harold Heath 

 whose experience has been large in this field: "I have collected hundreds 

 of small chitons, many of them not over 1/50 of an inch in length, in the 

 following way: In pools and from cliffs where adult and fairly well grown 

 chitons abound I chisel off bits of stones, corallines, mussels supporting 

 worm tubes, etc., and place these in a bucket or glass jar and place it in a 

 dark cool place. Do not let any water remain in the bottom of the vessel; 

 merely keep the specimens moist with the water that clings to them. After 

 24 hours or so the chitons will wander out from cracks they occupy and 

 can be located with a hand lens. At first I found this pretty slow work 

 owing to scarcity of materials, but since I have located rich districts and 

 can find at least 100 in every bucketful." 



SHORT NOTES ON CHITONS 



For the smaller varieties of chitons, nothing better can be found on 

 which to stretch them while in the process of drying, than the common 

 wooden tongue depressor found in every physician's office, though some 

 collectors favor the use of narrow strips of glass, maintaining that the 

 chiton slips into the desired position more easily by reason of the smooth 

 surface. These collectors usually use narrow strips of cloth instead of cops 

 to bind the chiton to the glass. For larger chitons, lath or other flat wooden 

 pieces should be employed, and it is not well to remove the specimens 

 until fully dried. If it is desired, the bodies may then be removed from the 

 shelly plates. In some instances, the bodies of the larger chitons are 

 removed as soon as the specimen is taken, using a sharp knife, and the 

 specimen is placed at once upon the stretching board. In case this is im- 

 practical, as soon as the collector can conveniently do so, the living chiton 

 should be placed in a vessel of sea water and set aside. 



Eventually, most specimens will uncurl and they may be placed upon 

 the stretcher and tied firmly with string. The smaller chitons may be 

 brought back in vials of sea water and mounted on the stretcher at the 

 collector's convenience. Smaller chitons may be removed from the rock 

 with the blade of a small pen knife but with the larger ones, a heavier 

 knife is necessary. If the collector is observant, he may determine which 



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