Land and Fresh Water Shells. 



49 



streams, where the various genera of the Strepomatidce abound, no 

 plan is so expeditious as a judicious use of the scoop. In some cases 

 hand-picking must be resorted to, as these creatures live on the under 

 side of stones, in rock crevices, and among the gravel and pebbles at 

 the bottom of streams, where they can not otherwise be reached. 



Gather these all into alcohol. It is not necessary to extract the 

 animals, and if they are taken out, dried and cleaned, as I shall here 

 describe, they will be in prime condition. If to the alcohol a quan- 

 tity of arsenic is added, the larvae of Dermestes and Anthrenus will 

 not afterward infest them. In hunting for fresh- water univalves 

 every kind of station should be explored. In mountain regions 

 springs, creeks, rivulets, small ponds and larger streams will all have 

 their characteristic genera, species and varieties, and all need to be 

 thoroughly worked up. 



For the Unionidce no place is equal to wading into the water, and 

 taking out the specimens alive from their normal stations. Species 

 inhabit all kinds of bottom, pebbly, sandy, muddy and gravelly. I 

 have even found species to prefer narrow crevices in the rocky bottom 

 of streams, as the U. punctatus, in Cumberland river, and U. fascin- 

 anes, in Powell river. The collector who is unwilling, through fear of 

 snakes, rheumatism, or colds, to don an old suit and " wade in," or to 

 strip and dive if necessary, will do well to quit talking about collecting 

 TJnionidai. In many cases they will be found packed so closely in 

 rock}' or gravelly bottoms, as to enable one to soon take out bushels 

 of them. I have so found them in the Ohio, Clinch, Holston, and 

 Tennessee. 



In such cases a potato-hook, or some implement of the kind, gently 

 crowded in among them, will rake out a half-dozen at a pull. The 

 flowing water vt ill wash away the mud, and you can select such as you 

 need. These should be carried out on to the river bank, and cleaned 

 before going home; but if this is not practicable, the operation may 

 be deferred until afterward. As in the case of the land shells, wash 

 them clean, and then drop them into a kettle or pan of boiling water. 

 When the shells gape, and the muscles are loosened, scrape out the 

 soft parts, thoroughly wash out the inside of the shell, and again rinse off 

 the outside. Let the shell dry until all mosture is dried off the outside, 

 and then wrap them close in an old newspaper. Smaller ones may 

 sometimes be nested in the larger ones, on long journeys, where space 

 is desirable and must be economized. But I never do so if I can avoid 

 t. It frequentty occurs that the shells of Unionidce, Strep omatidai, and 



