138 



THE MUSEUM. 



pack quite a large number of land and 

 fresh water shells in a package weigh- 

 ing lo ounces and which can now be 

 sent for lo cents to most any part of 

 the world. 



We also advise collectors to post 

 themselves on the special postal regu- 

 lations with the Central American 

 countries and some of the islands ad- 

 jacent thereto, which are very favor- 

 able to the sending of specimens by 

 mail. We recently sent a shipment 

 of material weighing lOO pounds by 

 mail ro Central America at a cheaper 

 rate than it would have cost by 

 freight. 



As stated at the beginning of these 

 remarks the writer will be glad to 

 identify specimens where possible and 

 to aid collectors with information in 

 any way possible. Always enclose 

 stamp for reply when writing for in- 

 formation and in sending shells for 

 names always collect live specimens 

 and remove the soft parts, etc , be- 

 fore sending. Do not send dead spec- 

 imens found on the shore or beach, 

 unless no others can be found. 



We hope these directions may be 

 the means of starting many collectors 

 to studying the shells to be found 

 about them. The number of species 

 of land and fresh water shells in the 

 United States is enormous and well 

 worth your study. It will be found 

 quite as fascinating as collecting in 

 any other branch of natural history. 

 Walter F. Webb, 



Albion, N. Y. 



Hunting Abalones. 



From an exchange we clip an inter- 

 esting note as to the manner the Cali- 

 fornia Abalones are secured by the 

 Chinese. 



"The Santa Catalina Islands are the 

 headquarters for this industry, the 

 methods of which were observed by 

 the writer at San Clemente. A crude, 

 high-pooped junk, with a big eye for- 

 ward, was the source of supply, and 

 had landed a band of ten men on the 

 island, which, is forty or more miles 



from San Pedro. She had deposited 

 another band at San NicolaF, sixty 

 miles distant, and was now running 

 between these islands and the main- 

 land, providing the men with provis- 

 ions and carrying the shells to the 

 coast. The men were in camp on a 

 little bay, and near by were a great 

 many sacks of abalones ready for ship- 

 ment. Every morning the hunters 

 started out, some armed with a long 

 pole, on the end of which was an 

 implement like a chisel, intended for 

 prying off the shells from the rocks. 

 The majority of abalones are found 

 just below tide water, some in water 

 ten feet deep, and in a sea way they 

 are difficult to secure. The men are 

 sometimes bruised by being thrown 

 against the rocks, and an occasional 

 death by drowning has been known. 

 Boats working in a heavy sea are of- 

 ten hurled upon the rocks and the 

 men injured. 



"The shells when found are relieved 

 of their meat, the latter being dried 

 and sold in the local Chinatown, or 

 shipped to China, where it is consider- 

 ed a delicacy. In the hotels of the 

 California coast abalone chowder is a 

 popular dish. To the uninitiated its 

 preparation is a mystery, as no amount 

 of cooking has any effect upon it until 

 it has been thoroughly pounded with a 

 hammer or hatchet, breaking the 

 leathery muscle, when the meat be- 

 comes tender and appetizing. 



"The shell itself is in great favor 

 both in this country and Germany. 

 In the latter it is made into cheap 

 jewelry, buttons and various articles, 

 which are reshipped to this country. 

 It is also employed for inlaying furnit- 

 ure and various fancy objects. The 

 dust is utilized, and some of the pol- 

 ished shells are sold as curiosities. In 

 polishing the shells much skill is exer- 

 cised to produce the best effects in 

 the white, black, red and green mark- 

 ings, especially in the black and silver 

 abalones, the cutter or polisher often 

 producing a perfect cross of black 

 against a surface of white, which shell 



\ 



Mm 



