INTRODUCTION. 7 
should the weeds be examined, but the mud should be 
sifted with the scoop in search of bivalves. 
By the water’s edge the stalks and leaves of flags and 
sedges should be examined for the Succiniw, which are 
amphibious. 
On land, search all moist and shady spots, especially 
during and after rain, under logs, stones, among dead 
leaves and decaying vegetation, among nettles and healthy 
vegetation, on the bark of trees, and at their roots among 
the moss, on old stone walls, and in damp cellars. The 
rejectamenta of rivers, too, yield a fruitful harvest. 
A good plan for dealing with dead leaves and moss is to 
take a quantity home, spread it out to dry, and search the 
siftings. This saves much time, and often yields a good 
supply of Zonites, minute Helices, Pupe, &c. But this should 
be done with judgment—as with the moss the eggs also 
come away, and the habitat is destroyed. 
It often happens that we come across a good shell in a 
likely place, and wherever we find a single individual we 
may be pretty certain that some of his immediate relatives 
are not very far distant. A large, flat stone, log, or piece 
of matting laid over the place will frequently be found on 
examination, after a day or two, to have the desired object 
adhering to its under side. I have frequently set ‘ traps” 
of this nature, which I visited periodically, and which have 
been very productive. 
It may be remembered that sandy or peaty soils yield 
