On a regular collecting trip it often saves time to accumulate mussels 

 lor 2 or 3 days. In that way one can utilize good weather conditions to the 

 best advantage. After several large lots have accumulated it is advan- 

 tageous to stop at a suitable place for cleaning and labeling the specimens. 

 The animals are most conveniently removed from the shells by boiling. 

 One starts a fire or uses a camp cooker to bring a pail of water to the 

 boiling point. While the water is heating the contents of a sack are spilled 

 on an open newspaper. The mussels are then sorted roughly into a reason- 

 able batch according to the size of the specimens. Large shells should be 

 boiled longer before the adductor muscles relax. It is often most con- 

 venient to place the mussels to be boiled in a sack and then the sack con- 

 taining those specimens is deposited in the boiling water. They should 

 remain immersed until one observes that most of the valves are gaping. 

 The batch is then removed and placed on another clean paper to drain and 

 cool sufficiently so that the animals might be conveniently removed. Should 

 one wish certain specimens for alcoholics it is best to select those before 

 the lot is boiled because in the boiling process the specimens shrink badly 

 and are not suitable for anatomical work. One should also be cautioned 

 against too vigorous boiling should one wish to save pearls which are at 

 times found imbedded in the mantle when the animals are being removed. 

 Boiling water may destroy the quality of a pearl. 



By experience it has been found advantageous to nest the shells of 

 large lots just boiled and from which the animals have been removed. The 

 process consists of simply placing larger shells on the outside with smaller 

 ones nestled within the larger . Small sets are thus made, allowed to dry 

 for a short time, and then each batch is wrapped in a piece of newspaper 

 with an identifying label. These small packages are tied with string so as to 

 keep label and specimens together. The small bundles thus made are then 

 placed into a nail keg putting the heavier parcels in the bottom and the 

 small ones towards the top. Crushed newspaper is placed across the top of 

 the keg, a piece of burlap bag is stretched over this paper, the hoop is nailed 

 in place, a label is written and placed on the container, and the keg thus 

 prepared is sent to its destination. Many such kegs have been sent by Mr. 

 Clench and others who use this method and where the specimens are 

 packed tightly one seldom finds even a single broken specimen. At the 

 nearest railroad station one can freight or express the kegs and thus avoid 

 hazards which attend carrying accumulations of mussels throughout a trip. 



At times only a few mussels are found at a station. It is a waste of 

 time to prepare a pail of boiling water for small series. These can best be 

 cleaned by the use of a thin-bladed pocket knife. If one uses a thick-bladed 

 knife the delicate edges of shells are often broken when the knife is inserted 

 in the central margin of the shell in the effort to cut the adductors. Follow- 

 ing the insertion of the knife one first cuts the anterior adductor muscle and 

 then slits the posterior adductor. The elasticity of the hinge will auto- 

 matically open the shell so that the animal can then easily be removed. 



If one wishes to have the valves of a recently cleaned specimen stay 

 together with the hinge remaining intact it is advisable to tie the valves 



(64) 



