254 WEST COAST SHELLS 



the lack of salt has destroyed life and the muscles 

 have lost their contractilit}', the animal may be un- 

 bound, the viscera removed with a sharp knife, and 

 the parts to be preserved may be placed in a flat 

 position to dry. Sometimes it is best to ht in a piece 

 of wood, the size of the parts removed, to prevent 

 shrinking while the mantle is drying. 



There are very many species of Chitons found on 

 this coast, many of which are seldom collected, and 

 it is quite beyond the scope of this work to attempt 

 to describe them all. The best work to consult for 

 full descriptions is the Manual of Conchology, pub- 

 lished by the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ences, Vols. XIV and XV. A score or more of the 

 most common species will now be mentioned, with 

 descriptions of the ones that will most likely be col- 

 lected. It should be remarked that some species are 

 very small, less than h^lf an inch in length, while 

 others are two or three inches long, and the giant of 

 the class is known to attain a length of nearly a foot. 

 The figures were all drawn so as to represent good- 

 sized specimens of the species which they illustrate. 



Lepidopleurus tiexus, Cpr., the Joined Chiton, has 

 a small, ashen-white shell, with valves gothic arched. 

 Its length is 7.5 mm., and it was dredged near Cata- 

 lina Island. 



Lepidopleurus internexus^ Cpr., the Inter-joined 

 Chiton, has a shell similar to the last, but it is smal- 

 ler, and the valves are orange-colored. Its length is 

 4.5 mm., and it comes from Santa Barbara. 



'^onicella lineata^ Wood, the Red-lined Chiton, 

 is shown in Figure 252. This species is a beautiful 



