114 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS 
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 oth- 
ers 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 their beauty is apt to be destroyed ; 
hence they can be satisfactorily studied only at 
the seaside. We give a brief description of one of 
the most common species. 
Doris montereyensis, J. G. Cooper, the Mont- 
erey 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 black spots, and the 
surface is sometimes rough tuberculate. The 
branchial rays, or gills, form a crown-shaped ex- 
pansion on the posterior third of the back of the 
animal. It may be often found at low tide, in lit- 
tle pools or among patches of seaweed. 
