262 



WEST COAST SHELLS 



Fig. 260 



page. Figure 260 repre- 

 sents only one of the 

 eight white valves, all of 

 which are wholly con- 

 cealed under the hard, 

 gritty, reddish-brown 

 mantle. These single 

 valves are found much 

 more often than the com- 

 plete animal, and from 

 their peculiar shape they are often called Butterfly- 

 shells. The single valves of other species are often 

 found too, but none of them begin to be as large as 

 these. The whole creature is a huge and heavy 

 afFair, six, eight or even ten inches in length. When 

 properly cleaned and dried the mantle and valves 

 much resemble a toy boat. The Chinese are pecu- 

 liarly expert in curing and preparing specimens, 

 which hnd a ready sale in the curio stores. They 

 have even been made into shades for electric lamps, 

 and are of a rich brown color, quite different from 

 other materials. 



This huge Chiton lives all along the western coast, 

 ranging from Japan to the Santa Barbara Islands. 

 Complete specimens are seldom collected from the 

 shore, for the creature lives just below the lowest 

 tide-mark. 



