THE? CONCHOLOGISTS” = 
EXCHANGE 79 
drying the animal the odontophore may be 
more easily prepared and examined and the 
preparation will get cleaner. And last, but 
not least, the use of alcohol will result in the 
soft parts remaining in the aperture of the shell, 
and not only make it unsightly, but render the 
proper study of the specimens difficult or im- 
possible. In the case of Pupfas and Vertzgos, 
this is very important, as the teeth and folds 
often reach deep in the mouth of the shell and 
should be seen plainly to be studied correctly. 
It may be prevented by keeping the shells living 
dry for a few days, so that the animals may 
lose a part of their moisture and retire deeper 
in the shell; then it is time to kill them, by dip- 
ping them in a strainer or piece of fine muslin 
in nearly boiling water for from 30 seconds to 
one minute. After this they should be dried 
well in a moderate heat to prevent decompo- 
sition of the soft parts, and the development 
of fungi. If the shells are collected at their 
homes it is best to place them, together with 
the moss and dead leaves, in a box. If this 
should be wooden, there will be air enough; 
if tin, the cover should be perforated with 
small holes, but they should not be kept too 
long init. Shells also should never be kept 
in a stoppered via] before they are dry; use cot- 
ton instead of cork. The shells, as found, are 
often covered with slime and dirt, and it is 
necessary to clean them; but most of them are 
too small and too tender to do this by hand. 
A prominent collector has indicated a very 
expedient means: Some fine sand should be 
put in a small glass test tube with the shells, 
and after water is added, the tube should be 
gently shaken until the shells are clean. A 
box or bottle of washed sand should be always 
kept on hand and the portion used may be 
dried for future use. Cleaning in this way 
should be done while the animals are living ; 
when thus treated the shells are less liable to 
get filled with sand. Sometimes it is advisa- 
ble to soak them for a few hours in water in 
which a little soda has been dissolved. 
After drying, the shells should be separated 
by species and put up in vials or tubes, not 
however without a label indicating the place 
where they were collected, and the name, if | 
known. It should be constantly borne in 
| 
mind that the locality is of more importance 
than the name, as the latter can be obtained at 
any time, while the former is more easily for- 
gotten and if lost cannot be supplied. If the 
vial is not full of shells, a piece of cotton wool 
should be added to prevent damage. Shells 
of quite different sizes should be packed sepa- 
rately, lest the smaller ones slip into the larger 
and in many instances be lost. If specimens 
are sent for examination or determination, all 
kinds of about the same size, from one locality 
may be put together. I like this mode best, 
as it at once gives an idea of the malacological 
character of a certain place. 
A collector should try to have as good spe- 
cimens as he can find, but if a number of 
good ones cannot be obtained, poor shells are 
of course, preferable to none. While it should 
be remembered that the modes of collecting 
described in these pages will in most instances 
yield a number of any species living in a certain 
locality, on the other hand, it is not the right 
thing to select only the largest and most beau- 
tiful specimens for the collection, as they 
would not give a true idea of a species or 
variety, and the average form should be well 
represented. It is also a good plan to add a 
few young specimens, in different stages of 
growth, as the smaller species not only form 
very interesting groups, but also present very 
beautiful forms that should be looked for ear- 
nestly. There is no doubt but that quite a 
number of new species and varieties of the 
Pupa and Vertigo group have yet to be found 
in America. Iam making a special study of 
these and shall always be glad to receive min- 
utize for examination and, if desired, for deter- 
mination, and shall, in describing new forms 
give full credit to any contributor. 
STRIAe. 
Changes of P. O. addresses: M. A. Mitchell, 
from Waldo, Fla., to Jasper, Mo.; Rev. A. B. 
Kendig, from 35 Dale St., Boston, Mass., to 
11 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, N. Y.; G. D. 
Harris, from Ithaca, N. Y., to Jamestown, N. 
Y.; Dr. S. Hart Wright, from Lake Helen, 
Fla., to Penn Yan, N. Y. 
