and Laboratory Methods. 23G7 



P. albolabis. It is well to experiment a little at first with a specimen or two of 

 each kind until the proper time is found. Only a few should be boiled at a 

 time, as they " pull " easier while warm. When boiled, the animal should be 

 slowly and carefully pulled out. Too much haste is apt to cause the animal to 

 break apart, leaving the apical whorls still in the shell. The curved points of 

 the collecting forceps are convenient for extracting the animals and hooks of 

 various sizes can be made from safety pins. By tying these on to small wooden 

 handles very effective instruments can be made. A small, tine-pointed dental 

 syringe is indispensable for this work. If the animal cannot be started with the 

 hook, or if it breaks in two, a jet of water from the syringe will usually solve the 

 difficulty. In case very desirable specimens get into this predicament, putting 

 them in alcohol for twenty-four hours will contract the remnant of the animal 

 sufficiently to enable the successful use of the syringe. Many of the species 

 have the aperture so obstructed with teeth, that it is diffiult to extract the animal 

 with the hook. In such case a vigorous use of the syringe will force enough of 

 the body out of the shell to enable the hook to be used. When the animal is 

 completely extracted, the interior should be thoroughly washed out with the 

 syringe. A small piece of sponge on the end of a fine copper wire, which can 

 be bent in any direction, is very useful for removing the mucous, which is apt to 

 adhere to the interior of the shell. This should always be carefully attended 

 to, as it will greatly disfigure the specimen when dried. The exterior should 

 then be thoroughly scrubbed with a soft tooth or nail-brush. No oil or acid 

 should be used on any of the land shells. It is not desirable to attempt to clean 

 the small species by removing the animals. By keeping them for a short time 

 in a dry place, the animal will retire far within the shell. Then they should be 

 put into 25 per cent, alcohol for a day or two. If to be left longer in the alco- 

 hol, the strength should be increased. Twenty-four hours, however, in the alco- 

 hol is all that is necessary. Then they can be dried in the air without leaving 

 any offensive odor. Either before or after drying they can be cleaned by put- 

 ting them in a bottle with some fine, clean sand and shaking them together until 

 all the dirt has been removed by the sand. 



With the exception of the larger species of Fla?iorlns, which are more easily 

 cleaned by boiling, it is practically immaterial whether the ffuviatile univalves 

 are boiled or put directly into diluted alcohol. In either case there is no diffi- 

 culty in extracting the animals. The minute species are treated the same as 

 the small land shells. In the operculate species, it is desirable to retain the 

 opercula of, at least, part of the specimens. These are easily removed from the 

 animal and, after being cleaned, should be put inside the shell and the aperture 

 plugged with cotton. All the foreign matter both inside and outside of the shell 

 should be removed by thorough washing. All the water species are apt to be 

 more or less incrusted with deposits of lime or oxide of iron. These can be 

 removed by immersing them in oxalic acid. Care should be taken not to pro- 

 long the operation, or the texture of the shell may be injured. The Ancyli are 

 always more or less coated in this way, and can easily be cleaned by floating 

 them for a few seconds on the acid, upside down, and then gently brushing them 

 off with a soft brush while held on the tip of the finger. 



