168 Kansas Academy of Science. 



SOME SEA SHELLS FROM LA PUSH, WASH. 



By Albert B. Reagan, La Push, Wash. 



T N a picturesque little spot on the Pacific coast about thirty- 

 J- six miles southeast of Cape Flattery, Washington, is the 

 Indian village of La Push. To the northwest of the village, ex- 

 tending up the coast for many miles, are series of islets, 

 reefs and shallow ocean patches. Facing the village to the 

 southwest and south is Quileute bay, partly inclosed on the 

 southeast by a series of islands, called the Giants' Graveyard, 

 and on the northwest by James island. This bay is small and 

 is exposed to the southwest storms in winter. It was along 

 the shores of this bay and the shore extending northwestward 

 from James island that most of the shells listed below were 

 collected. 



The collecting of the shells extended over a period of two 

 years, 1905-'07, but most of the specimens were collected in 

 1906. The severe weather of January, 1907, killed many of 

 the species; so but few shells were found on the beach this 

 year (1907). 



An examination of the shells shows that they are very vari- 

 able, both in color, shape, size and sculpture, and seem to 

 occupy an intermediate position between the shells of the 

 Alaskan coast and those of the California coast to the south. 

 This variable condition is probably due to the exposed con- 

 dition of the coast, to the winter storms, and to the fact that 

 the Japan current washes the shore-line here. 



The shells were collected by the writer and his wife. Prof. 

 Trevor Kincaid, of the University of Washington, classified 

 them, and the drawings from 1 to 71 were made by Messrs. 

 Gordon B. Hobucket and Frank L. Bennett. The remaining 

 drawings were made by the writer and his wife. 



The number of each drawing here given is the number of 

 that respective shell in the writer's collection. 



Duplicate specimens of the shells given below are to be 

 found in the museum of the Kansas Academy of Science. 



Echinarachinus excentricus. Sea biscuit. 



Plate IV, fig. 15. 



This species is not found in the waters at La Push, but on 

 the sandy beaches towards Neah bay and Cape Flattery. The 



