4? THE NAUTILUS. 
ings” and no data can be gathered in reference to what seems a work 
of chance. When a heavy gale ploughs up the home of mollusks 
and huge breakers land them, by the incoming tide, on the shore, no 
collector can fore-tell when such a phenomenon may occur, nor 
what conchological rarities may follow in the wake of such a storm. 
Rare shells are sometimes washed ashore, then years may elapse 
before they again make their appearance. Sometimes shells con- 
sidered as belonging to the fauna of a different latitude are found 
among the drift in such small numbers as to raise a quéstion as to 
their introduction by artificial means. During a violent storm 
mollusks travel great distances before they are cast upon the shore. 
This is especially noticeable in pelagic organisms which are often 
cast upon the beach when some ocean current buoys them inward 
toward the shore. All these facts combine to make it impossible 
to collect working data, but one cannot doubt that a study of collec- 
tions as the result of unusual conditions of Neptune might be con- 
ducted with some satisfactory results. A diary of the atmosphere, 
tides, daily physical conditions of the ocean with lists of shells found 
during the same period, if followed any length of time, might be 
resultant in adding a few facts that would be interesting, even 
though not very valuable. High and low tides would influence 
“finds” atany time, but some “low tides” are much richer in 
molluscan forms than others. 
As a rule each region has its own fauna; when this fauna is dis- 
turbed and carried outside the range of its own normal environment 
it must be due to unusual conditions in the surrounding water ; 
shells from the laminarian and inner corallines zones found strewn 
upon the beach are the effect of some cause. To a physicist, a study 
of the storm that stranded rare forms upon-the beach, would surely 
be as interesting and important as the shells found in the drift! 
The study of oceanic phenomena in connection with conchological 
acquisitions might be valuable to the collector in many ways; 
although of no value to the scientifie world in these days of applied 
science, with hydrographers collecting data, and with all the modern 
appliances furnished to ships sent out on scientific explorations. 
We narrow our horizon by failing to observe and study that which 
is near at hand. There are environments that afford more than 
ordinary facilities for study, but only a few are so favored, and only 
a small proportion of these utilize their opportunities. 
