MARINE UNIVALVES 141 



gather them, and search till you find the bed; for 

 they seem to be active burrowers and to move rapidly 

 from place to place. 



I took some of them home and put them in a jar 

 of beach-sand and sea-water. You will be pleased to 

 do the same, if you ever have an opportunity, for 

 their movements are very interesting. You will then 

 see the plow-shaped foot which quickly digs a hole in 

 the sand, and the long, breathing-siphon which curls 

 up through the canal and reaches through the sand 

 up to the clear water, like the trunk of a swimming 

 elephant reaching up for air. 



To clean the shells it is simply necessary to spread 

 them in the sunshine for a few hours, when the ani- 

 mal will be found to be dead and loosened from the 

 shell. The soft parts can then be easily removed 

 with a pin. To clean most shells, however, it is 

 necessary to throw them into boiling water. In a 

 few minutes they can be taken out and the animal 

 withdrawn by a little hook or piece of bent wire. 

 Many marine mollusks may be killed readily by 

 simply putting them into a dish of warm, fresh water 

 and leaving them there for a little while. This can 

 be done before boiling them, in any case. 



If only a portion of the body of the animal can 

 be extracted, the shell may be put into a solution of 

 formaldehyde or some other disinfectant for a time, 

 and when dry the aperture may be plugged with cot- 

 ton, to which the operculum may be attached by a 

 drop of glue. They will then appear as if they were 

 living specimens. Much will depend upon one's time 

 and taste for this part of the preparation, but the 



