no 



MOSSY CHITONS. 



Though this species has such an exalted name, 

 still it is somewhat flattened, and the valve area 

 increases from the narrow point to the wide center. 

 The valves are sculptured, and though of a greenish 

 color, they are sometimes marked with patches of 

 red. The mantle-border is wide, more or less 

 roughened, with a slit back of the last valve. The 

 length is from an inch to two inches. This species 

 is found along the coast of California, and also in the 

 more northern waters of the Pacific. 



The mossy Chiton, Mopalia ciUata^ Sby,, sil-i-a'-ta, 

 is shown in Fio^. 98. Under this head belongs M. 



iimscosa^ Gould, now consid- 

 ered as only a variety of 

 ciliata. 



This species can readily be 

 told by its hairy mantle bor- 

 der, which resembles the out- 

 side of a chestnut-bur. The 

 outside of the valves is sculp- 

 tured, but they are often over- 

 grow^n with corallines or moss- 

 like polyzoans so that the 

 sculpturing is obscure. The 

 outside is dull and varies from 

 green to black, but the inside 

 of the valves is light green. This species is common 

 along a great stretch of the Pacific coast. The spec- 

 imens are an inch or two in length. 



And now comes the Giant Chiton, Cryptochiton 

 Stelleri, Midd., Cryp-to-ki'-ton SteF-ler-i. When 

 found whole it is a huge affair, six inches in length 

 and three in breadth. In the last species we saw that 

 the mantle had encroached upon the valves and had 



