Collecting American Seashells SI 



It is most surprising how many treasures within arm's reach are lost to 

 the uninitiated. A waterlogged board if kicked aside may be found to con- 

 tain three or four kinds of interesting wood-boring clams; a rock unturned 

 at the end of the beach may still shelter a pair of cowries or a nest of orange- 

 tentacled Lima Clams; or the seafan momentarily admired and cast aside may 

 be the holdfast for a colony of rare, purple Simnia snails. All mollusks have 

 their particular ecological niches or favorite haunts, whether a very limited 

 type of locality or more extensive areas such as mud flats, rocky shores or 

 the open ocean. To be forearmed with a knowledge of where our species 

 live will often bring rich rewards from salt marshes, eel-grass flats, mangrove 

 trees, the backs of other marine creatures, the underside of boats or even the 

 stomachs of fish. The tracks made by gastropods on sand or mud bottoms 

 are characteristic for many species and can aid in hunting down live speci- 

 mens. So, too, holes of certain shapes and sizes in the sand flat are a betrayal 

 of the clam occupant deep below. At times it is worthwhile to know when 

 and where gregarious mollusks gather to breed. Their appearance is often 

 clocked not only by the seasons but often bv tidal conditions and the time 

 of day. Most intertidal species reveal themselves more frequently about half 

 an hour after the tide has begun to rise. A great number of species are more 

 active a few hours after dark, while others are content to wait until early 

 morning before starting on their foraging missions. 



Attention to tides, seasonal moods of the ocean and the effects of winds 

 and currents is put to good use by the expert collectors. September seems to 

 be the most favorable time, for instance, to gather shells on the Carolina 

 strands. During late April and early May there is more likelihood of the 

 Purple Sea Snail, JajJtbma, being washed ashore on the east coast of Florida. 

 After winter gales, some New England beaches may be strewn with millions 

 of large Surf Clams, Spisida. 



Low tide is obviously the best time to collect, and most collectors make 

 long-range plans to catch the spring tides. Local newspapers publish the 

 times of low and high tides, but many serious collectors prefer to use the 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey Tide Tables to plan well in advance for the lowest 

 tide of the month. Tide Tables for the Pacific and Atlantic coasts may be 

 obtained for a fraction of a dollar from the U.S. Department of Commerce, 

 Washington 25, D.C. 



As you may well know, the rise and fall of tides are caused by the at- 

 traction of the moon, and to a lesser extent by the sun. Choose the time 

 of the new and full moon for collecting, for that is when the sun and moon 

 are uniting their forces to give the lowest or spring tides. Low tide lasts 

 for about fifteen minutes, but profitable collecting may be done one hour be- 

 fore or after. It is sometimes useful to know that the tides are about fifty 

 minutes later the following day. Be aware of the dangers of rising tides, 



