THE MUSEUM. 



89 



the field at all the principal points on 

 the coast of California on both sides 

 of the Istlnmis of Darien, vi^., Pana- 

 ma and Aspinwall; in the San Doniin- 

 go and on both coasts of Florida, and 

 •quite likely elsewhere. 



I shall never forget a little tri[) to 

 the coast made by Doctor Newcomb 

 and myself about 1S67. We were led 

 to investigate the neighborhood of 

 Bodega, Calif., and had a tiresome 

 ride one day by stage to the 'Corners' 

 (^Bodega Corners) where we had to 

 stop over night before we could go on. 

 We had an uncomfortable room togeth- 

 er on the ground floor of the only pub- 

 lic house there, so near the bar- room 

 that we were kept awake long after 

 we had gone to bed by the loud talk, 

 wrangling and profanity which sur- 

 passed in volume and unceasing How 

 anything I had ever before experi- 

 enced. The next morning we were 

 both glad to get away from such a 

 'hell-hole,' and after paying our bill 

 the Doctor remarked to the landlord 

 that he had never been in a place 

 where such gross profanity pre\ailed, 

 and he hoped never to have such an 

 „ experience again. 



The landlord was so abashed by my 

 friend's comments and rebuke, that 

 not only he, but some of the rough 

 looking loafers sitting near, really ap- 

 peared to exhibit some shame. After 

 leaving we proceeded by stage to the 

 Head, as the bold granite bluff is call- 

 ed, that makes out into the ocean in 

 this neighborhood, and soon reached 

 the house which was to be our base. 

 Our stay in this region was not very 

 satisfactory. All the time we were 

 there the wind and sea were rough, 

 and it was dreary and chilling in the 

 extreme, and the collecting ground 

 we found to be quite limited. At low- 

 tide we obtained specimens of Macoma 

 nasuta and M. Secta var edulis, also 

 Tapes Pettitti from the same hole and 

 at the same time by digging in the 

 mud, Lasea rubra was also abundant; 

 an occasional red abalone (H. rufes- 

 cens) was met with, and I had the 

 pleasure of finding a few specimens of 



Trivia Californica (which I had pre- 

 viously detected alive at Monterey) 

 among the smaller drift of the beach 

 Near the Trivia, as I had anticipated, 

 I got a few specimens of the stumpy 

 corals that I discovered the Trivia to 

 be parasitic upon at the more souther- 

 ly point. Hut it is not so much for 

 the rehearsing of the "finds," as for 

 another matter, that has led me to 

 mention the Hodega trip. 



While climbing over the bald and 

 rocky Head, which has been roughened 

 all over like a coarse rasp or file, by 

 the weathering out of the softer com- 

 ponents, leaving the harder quartz 

 portion sticking out all over the sur- 

 face in jagged tooth-like projections, 

 hunting for anything in our line and 

 getting nothing but some peculiarly 

 rough speciinens of Littorina planaxis; 

 I heard a cry or call from the Doctor, 

 and on looking up was unable to see 

 him. He was not in sight; but a min- 

 ute or two before he had been nearly 

 at my side. For a moment my heart 

 stopped beating; I thought he had fall- 

 en, or been washed or swept into the 

 ocean. On scrambling over the rocks, 

 I saw him just "picking himself up," a 

 wave of unusual height and volume 

 had struck him behmd as he stood 

 with his back to the sea, and had 

 thrown him forward and down with 

 great force, his hands, which he had 

 extended to save himself as he fell, 

 were badly cut by the sharp points of 

 the quart/, and were bleeding consider- 

 able. It was bad enough as it was, 

 but the shock I received at his momen- 

 tary disappearance on that occasion, 

 has remained as the chief souvenir of 

 our Bodega expedition, which was al- 

 together an unprofitable affair. Though 

 the northerly di.-^tribution of Trivia 

 California was by this visit shown to 

 be a hundred miles further north than 

 before credited. 



As is generally known, many years 

 ago the Newcombian Collection was 

 purchased by lizra S. Cornell, for the 

 Cornell University, at Ithaca, N. Y. , 

 and Dr. Newcomb was retained for 

 many years as custodian. 



