i88 



THE MUSEUM. 



known in the United States, and fully 

 two-thirds of them are peculiar to 

 southern waters. Alabama was cred- 

 ited with 260 kinds in 1876. No one 

 knows how many may be found in- 

 Georgia as no effort has been made to 

 make a thorough search for them. 

 These shells are of every possible 

 shape, some long and slender, others 

 wide, thick and thin, smooth and 

 rough, warty, knobby, and even hav- 

 ing horns on the sides like the very re- 

 markable kind before mentioned, that 

 lives in the Altamaha River. They 

 are of all possible shades of color, both 

 outside and inside, all the tints of the 

 rainbow are shown in the pearly inter- 

 ior, and when cleaned the exterior is 

 usually beautifully marked. Some 

 species are very minute, growing no 

 larger than the linger nail, while oth- 

 ers get to be as large as a dinner plate. 

 Some have .heavy teeth by the hinge, 

 others with very light teeth or none at 

 all." 



HOW TO PREPARE THEM. 



"Place the live shells in boiling 

 water until they open, when the ani- 

 mals may be easily removed, and then 

 tie the two valves together with 

 thread. Do not bother to clean the 

 dirt from those sent to me — I can do 

 that myself. If you desire to prepare 

 some for your own collection give 

 them a bath in warm water, to which 

 has been added one part of Muriatic 

 Acid to three parts of water. Or if 

 the surface deposit be of iron and very 

 black, use a weak solution of O.xalic 

 Acid. Do not let them remain in but 

 a moment, unless very heavily coated, 

 for the acid will soon blister the epi- 

 dermis, and spoil its beauty. After 

 tht acid bath allow them to dry in the 

 sun — then rinse in water, using a stiff 



scrubbing brush — then dry again, rub 

 them well outside and inside with a 

 cotton rag, moistened in a light finish- 

 ing oil, to bring out the colors and 

 brighten them up, and their great 

 beauty will astonish you." 



"Never send a dead shell, that is 

 one that was found without the ani- 

 mal in it, unless it has so recently 

 died that the shell is still per- 

 fect and bright, and the two sides 

 (valves) connected by the hinge or lig- 

 ament. " 



•'j|@=Look out for pearls when 

 taking the animals out. Many valu- 

 able finds have been made in this way. 

 A lady in Louisiana wrote me a few 

 days ago of one that was found by a 

 colored man, who sold it for $90. In 

 New Jersey a fisherman took a mussel 

 for bait, and when adjusting the fleshy 

 part upon the hook, felt something 

 hard; it proved to be a pearl of rare 

 beauty and size and was sold for 

 $2,000. Gently pass each animal be- 

 tween the thumb and finger, as it is 

 taken out, and if pearls are there, they 

 will be felt. Sometimes valuable ones 

 are found loosely attached to the shell 

 though the best ones are in the fleshy 

 mantles of the animal." 



HOW TO PACK THEM FOR MAILING. 



"Wrap each specimen in thin paper, 

 slender ones can be placed inside of 

 stronger ones, and little ones in larger 

 ones, with cotton or moss to separate 

 them and prevent breaking. Use 

 plenty of cotton in the angles and a 

 layer in the bottom and top of the box 

 and stuff it in the angles and between 

 the shells. Use old cigar boxes or tin 

 cans. Number two specimens of each 

 kind you have and keep one. I can 

 then name them for you by the num- 



