Collecting American Seashells 63 



valves are usually the easiest to boil and clean. Allow your pairs to dry in 

 the flat, open or "butterfly" position, as this will permit ready inspection of 

 the hinge teeth for identification purposes. 



There are many minute species which obviously cannot be boiled and 

 picked clean. Shells less than one third of an inch may be soaked in seventy 

 percent grain alcohol, and then placed in the sun to dry thoroughly. This 

 strength of alcohol is also ideal for pickling squid, octopus or the soft parts 

 of other mollusks. Isopropyl alcohol may be used, but it is best to use this 

 at a fifty percent strength. Never use formaldehyde (or formalin) to pre- 

 serve mollusks. The shell turns soft, loses color and often crumbles away in 

 a few months. 



When a shell has been cleaned of its soft parts, it must next be prepared 

 for the collection. Most shells are ready for display and most attractive in 

 their natural state. However, a large number of gastropods, whose beauty 

 is hidden by coral and algal growths, are in need of a certain amount of "face 

 lifting." A stifl" brush, soapy water and diligence will usually suffice. Many 

 collectors soak specimens in a strong chlorine solution for a few hours. This 

 removes a great part of the unsightly growths and will not damage the shell. 

 It will also remove the natural periostracum or thin corneous layer on the 

 outside of the shell. However, when you have several specimens to add to 

 your collection, it is best to keep at least one in its natural state. 



Very few expert collectors use acid in treating shells, since this often 

 gives specimens a very unnatural, although colorful, sheen. It is used occa- 

 sionally to remove limy deposits and to brighten up old specimens. Com- 

 mercial dealers dip the Pink Queen Conch, for example, for five or ten sec- 

 onds in a vat of one part muriatic acid to four parts of water and then rinse 

 in fresh water. Shells may be dipped with forceps in full strength oxalic or 

 muriatic acid for r^vo seconds and then immediately put under running cold 

 water. This may be repeated until the desired effect is obtained, but it should 

 be pointed out that any acid treatment ruins most shells for scientific study. 



Polishing abalone shells and cutting cross-sections of larger shells require 

 special equipment such as electrically run burring wheels and circular dia- 

 mond cutters. A visit to a shell factory will be of profit to those wishing to 

 undertake this interesting hobby. 



THE SHELL COLLECTION 



Although seashells are easy to keep since they do not deteriorate and 

 generally do not fade in color like many insects, they present many special 

 problems in housing because of their many sizes and shapes. There are three 

 general types of collections — the knickknack shelf, the display arrangement 

 and the study collection. 



