124 WEST COAST SHELLS 



weed at low water, looking like little lumps of soft 

 tissue without form or beauty; but when put into 

 a jar of sea-water they will extend their tentacles and 

 expand their flower-like gills and display their fine 

 colors in all their glory. Some are white with scarlet 

 trimmings, others are yellow with brown rings, while 

 still others have brilliant fringes of various hues. 



They are mostly small, even when extended, and 

 usually measure but an inch or two in length. As 

 they cannot be preserved except in alcohol or some 

 similar fluid by which their beauty is destroyed they 

 can be satisfactorily studied only at the seaside. We 

 give a brief description of a very few of the most 

 common species, referring all who desire to study 

 the subject farther to the excellent work of Pro- 

 fessor MacFarland of Stanford University, entitled, 

 "Opisthobranchiate Mollusca from Monterey Bay." 



ArcJiidoris montereyensis (Cooper), the Monterey 

 Doris, has a rather large, slug-like body, sometimes 

 reaching a length of three inches, though commonly 

 much smaller. The color is pale yellowish, with 

 scattered dark spots, and the surface is roughly tu- 

 berculate. The branchial plumes, or gills, form a 

 crown-shaped expansion on the posterior third of the 

 back of the animal. The tentacles are flattened and 

 externally grooved. It may often be found at low 

 tide, in little j)ools or among patches of seaweed. 

 It is said to be especially abundant on the piles of 

 the wharf at Monterey, where it is found in con- 

 nection with the next species. 



Anisodoris nobil'is (MacFarland), the Noble 

 Doris, resembles the last species, and was formerly 



