156 THE OREGON NATURALIST. 



EASTERN DEPARTMENT. pecten irradians. 



The common scallop which is very much in 



CONDUCTED BY DR. c. c. PURDUM. demand as an article of food and highly prized 



by epicures. The quickness with which these 



Begin to classify, overhaul and record your animals can push through ihe water by rapidly 



collections of the past six months, and after opening and shutting the two valves of their 



they are safely stored away in your cabinet, shells is remarkable. It was found in muddy 



write up what you have been doing and let us marshes where "eel grass" was plentiful, 



know about them. modiola plicatula. 



An event which has long been anticipated This mollusk was locally common. They 



by the children took place in the editors house- inhabit marshes, especially those in which the 



hold last week. The family cat is now proudly water is sii<;htly blackish, and live in the mud 



strutting about with the lofty mieu of a mother l^uried to the deptli of one or two inches, 



offive kittens and all the more proudly because mactra solidissima. 



one of the kittens has no paws upon its forward Often when walking along the shores with 



leg?. Children delighted! Cat misty fied! Kitten bare feet I have found this mollusk by tread- 



with the air of "a sacrifice to science" pursues ing on it. This, by the way, is a plan, 



the even tenor of its way which consists of commonly adopted, to obtain these animals, 



remaining upon the cotton at the bottom of its They are valued as a food product and make 



box and disposing of large quantities of milk the famous "quahoj^ chowder" for which 



and cream. Rhode Island is famous. 



MYA ARENARtA. 



BEACH COLLEC'ITNG. n , i , u i • .1 



Probably the clam is the most miportant 



food mollusk in America. At any rate int- 

 (Continued from Page 131. ■ ■ j j 1 



^ o J w^wji" quantities are devoured e.ich summer at 



ARBATIA PUNCTULATA. ^j^g various shoie lesorts, each of which caters 



Occasionally this species is met with on the ^^ ^^.^^^ ^^^ ,q ^^^ thousand people daily, and 

 rocks, and in some places where the tide ^^^ ^^e gathering of this supply gives employ- 

 rushes through a shallow ''canal", from the ^^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^^ number of men. 

 sea, into a salt water lake or marshy if there teredo navalis. 



are any rocks in this canal they are liable to g^j^^^ ^f ^^^^ qI^i ^^(er soaked timber which 

 have Arbatias on their under sides. ^^^,5 j,^ f,.Q„^ ^^jj o(,g^,, j^ fiHej ^ith the tubes 



STRONGYLOCENTROTIIS DROBACHIENSIS. of this destructive creature. 



As one might infer from the name, this j^ j^ difficult to procure perfect specimens as 

 urchin is larger than the preceding. I have ^Y^e\x tubes run through the wood in every 

 never found this species but mention it because direction and somehow the wood seems never 

 on the coasts farther north ii is common. Its ^^ y^^ j,^ ^^g ^^y you wish it. 

 color is green. There are but few worms which I think can 



And now we come to the molluscs which I j.gj,,jy ^^ pbced under the head of Beach 

 have never studied to any extent and, with the Collecting. The collecting of marine worms 

 exception of a few common forms, never ^^(^^^^ entirely from real beach collecting 

 collected. although many species are found in the mud 



Beach collecting, however, afTords fine ^^^ ^^^^ j^g^r the shore. Perhajis at some 

 opportunities to the conchologist provirled he fyjure date I may give some idea of this, 

 can "get on" to the localities where shells another kind of Marine Collecting, 

 abound. I will note a few of the most 

 common shore molluscs. 



