I30 



THE OREGOIS NATURALIST. 



EASTERN DEPARTMENT. 



CONDUCTED BY THE ASSOCIATE EDITOR. 



BEACH COLLECTING. 



This is one of the most enjoyable, simple^ 

 and at the same time invigorating kinds of 

 collecting that I have ever tried, and in 

 addition to all these fine points, it furnishes an 

 abundance of specimens as the following papers 

 will show. 



Who is there with so little appreciation for 

 the beautiful in nature that he cannot enjoy a 

 collecting trip on the edge of the ocean, which 

 is, as Hornaday well puts it, "one of the 

 jolliest picnics in the world." 



The tools required are exceedingly few and 

 inexpensive, the only articles necessiry being a 

 pail or two, a fine meshed dipnet and in a few 

 instances a lantern. Perhaps also the collector, 

 especially if he intend to gather shells, had 

 better take along an old case knile and a 

 shovel. 



He must use his own judgement as to the 

 use of each one of these implements but I will 

 give a few general hints. For collecting star- 

 fish, urchins, sand fleas, and some shells no 

 tool is required, while for shriniDS, Physalia, 

 and crabs, which are not apt to take kindly to 

 the eager grasp of the collector's hand (I do 

 not mean to say that they do not usually take 

 to' his hand for some of them "■take' to an 

 alarming extent) a net is very desirable. 



I will specify the cases in which I have found 

 the lantern useful in describing the animals 

 obtained by it. The shovel will be found neces- 

 sary in unearthing some species of shells and 

 also a few other animals which bury themselves 

 in the sand. 



There is one other requisite for this collect- 

 ing which is perhaps the most important, name- 

 ly, a sharp pair of eyes. In walking on the 

 beaches it is necessary to keep a very sharp 

 lookout for specimens in the water and often it 

 is better to wade in the water itself. 



Beach Collesting, then, may be briefly de- 



fined as follows: Walk along the beach and 

 seize upon any animal, which you can see (and 

 catch), as your lawful prey. 



The following descriptions will be of animals 

 which I have found to be common at Wood's 

 Holl, Mass., and also, for the most part, on 

 Rhode Island shores and will inc'utle several 

 different orders. 



CHALINA OCULATA. 



This is the well known Dead-man's finger 

 sponge. It is found both on the beaches, cast 

 up by the waves, and adhering to spiles and 

 rocks and grows to the height of two feet. The 

 color of the living aniinnl is more or less»brown 

 and that of the skeleton, which is easily broken 

 when dry, a light brown sometimes almost 

 white. Its general appearance can be to'.d from 

 the accompanying cut. 



