80 THE NAUTILUS. 
MY FIRST YEAR COLLECTING AND STUDYING SHELLS. 
[Report of H. Lowe. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the 
Agassiz Association for 1894 ] 
My knowledge of collecting shells is quite limited as I have only 
studied conchology for about a year. I have collected chiefly at 
Long Beach and San Pedro, but prefer the latter place for collect- 
ing as it offers a great variety of beach, rocks, sand and mud flats. 
At Dead Man’s Id. are to be found rock shells in abundance, the 
Chlorostoma, Monoceros, and Littorina clinging in dark patches on 
the rocks of the breakwater, while among them are bright red star- 
fish and Chitons. 
The Pomaulax undosus are also plentiful, for at one time I picked 
up thirty-five living specimens in one place. On the great pieces of 
kelp which are seen floating in the tide pools, are often found colonies 
of the beautiful Norrisia norrisit with their strawberry colored 
bodies extended from the shell. 
I have found beautiful live specimens of Semele decisa in sand 
between the rocks on the Bay side of Dead Man’s Id. and good spee- 
imens of the Cordium quadrigenarium in the mud flats. Olivella 
biplicata may be found at low tide between Rattlesnake Id. and 
Terminal Id. 
Most of the shells of Alamitos Bay are bivalve, while those of San 
Pedro and Dead Man’s Id. are mostly Gastropods. 
This Summer Neverita recluziana has been quite plentiful for I 
found one hundred and twenty-five in one morning at the Donax 
beds at Long Beach, and I found it quite true as Prof. Keep says, 
that the Natica eat clams for I caught them while boring into 
Donaces. * * * * * Among other interesting relics which I found 
this Summer was the house which the Oedalina subdiaphana Desh., 
builds. It is made of sand and some substance which holds the 
sand together and covers the shell completely except for two tiny 
holes left for the siphons. It is about an inch long, and may some- 
times be seen lying on the mud flats at Alamitos Bay, and resembles 
lumps of sand. The shell of the little mollusk which lives inside is 
pure white and very delicate, the lines of growth are distinct and 
the ligament is internal. 
You may have wondered in walking along the beach, what the 
curious formation of sand, looking like a hone s hoof was. By some 
