32 



NATURAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



Fulgur pyrum. Dillevvn. 



I found this live crawling in the 

 sand on the sand bars in the gulf 

 on the peninsula, Matagorda Is- 

 land and Mustang Island. 



Nassa vibex. Say. 



I found this living on the flats of 

 Espiritu Sancto Bay, and dead 

 shells in Carancahua Bay and Shell 

 Bank, Corpus Bay. 



Oliva litterata. Lam. 



Gulf beach on Matagorda Island, 

 St. Joseph's Island and Mustang 

 Island. On the west end of St. 

 Joseph's Island they are quite num- 

 erous and can be caught the same 

 as the Natica. They leave a trail 

 as if the finger had been drawn 

 through the sand. At the last 

 named place I secured fifty-four in 

 an hour this way. 



Si ro nib us pugilis. Linn. 



I found one live specimen at 

 Pass Cabello and dead shells on 

 Matagorda island and Mustang is- 

 land, gulf beach. 



Cassis inflata. Shaw. 



Gulf beach from peninsula to 

 Cedar Bayou. Have found live 

 ones thrown up by the waves, but 

 never saw it at home. 



Dolium galea. L. 



Gulf, from peninsula to Corpus 

 pass. I dredged it alive in Pass 

 Cavallo and obtained live ones on 

 the gulf beach. 



Natica duplicata. Say. 



Common in Matagorda Bay. It 

 burrows in sand and travels just 

 under the surface of the sand, 

 leaving a trail as if a stick had 

 been drawn along. In low tides 

 and clear water they can be caught 

 by following this trail. 



Sigaretus perspectivus. Say, 



Gulf beach from peninsula to 

 Corpus pass. Most numerous on 

 Mustang Island. I dredged two 

 live ones in Pass Cabello. 



Crepidula fornicala. Linn. 



Matagorda Bay and Espiritu 

 Sancto Bay. Found some very 

 fresh shells but no live ones. 



Crepidula plana. Say. 



Very plentiful in Matagorda Bay, 

 at old Indianola and Pass Cabello. 

 A favorite place for it is inside of 

 the lips of conch shells occupied 

 by hermit crabs. 



Solarium granulatum. Lam. 



All along the gulf beach from pe- 

 ninsula to Aransas Pass. Very 

 numerous on Matagorda Island. I 

 never saw a live one. 



Ianthina communis. Lam. 



Found in Matagorda Bay and on 

 Mustang Island. No live ones 

 found. 



Turritella variegata. Linn. 



I found live young ones in Car- 

 ancahua Bay and fresh dead shells 

 in Matagorda and Espiritu Bays. 



Vermicularia spirata. Phil. 



I found this living on the mud 

 flats at the head of Matagorda Bay, 

 and dead shells occupied by Her- 

 mit crabs in Corpus Bay. 



Serpula dianthus. Verrill. 



I found this living in Carancahua 

 and Matagorda Bays. In the first 

 named place they located on a small 

 oyster bed and in one summer de- 

 stroyed every oyster. They inter- 

 laced their cells over the oyster's 

 mouth and all over it so thick as to 

 starve the oyster out. 



Cerithium variabile. Adams. 



Carancahua and Espiritu Sancto 

 Bays — dead shells only and some 

 occupied by young Hermit crabs. 



Cerithidea Hegewishi. Phil. 



Found living on flats, head of 

 Matagorda Bay also in Carancahua 

 Bay and dead shells at Shell Bank, 

 Corpus Bay. 



Littorina irrorata. Say. 



Plentiful along the shores of 

 Turtle Bay, Carancahua Bay, Kell- 

 er's Bay, Lavaca Bay, Matagorda 

 Bay and Espiritu Sancto Bay. It 

 climbs the stalks of the salt rushes 

 and sucks their juices. 



Modulus modulus. Lin. 



Dead shells occupied by Hermit 

 Crab. Carancahua Bay and Espir- 

 itu Sancto Bay. 



Neritina reclivata. Say. 



Common in some places as Lit- 

 torna Irrorato. It collects in num- 

 bers around the rush stems at the 

 ground. I never found them feed- 

 ing on the rushes. 



Bulla occidentalis. ads. 



Matagorda Bay and Shell Bank, 

 Corpus Bay. Fresh shells but no 

 live ones. 



Haminea antillarrum. Oob. 



I found this live on the flats of 

 Espiritu Sancto Bay. 



Melatnpus flavus. 



I found it living both in the 

 banded and plain variety on the 

 margin of Carancahua Bay. This 

 is really a land shell. It lives in 

 moist places near the shore, hid- 

 ing in the day time under drift 

 wood, sea moss and anything that 

 will keep them from the sun and 



their enemies, and coming out at 

 night to feed. They will also 

 come out on a wet day. I have 

 seen the dead shells in the drift on 

 Port Lavaca Bay and Espiritu 

 Sancto Bay. 



Toredo navalis. L. 



The terror of ship owners; plen- 

 tiful in drift timber everywhere 

 that I collected. 



Pholas Campechiensis. Gml. 



Dead valves on beach, Matagor- 

 da Bay. 



Pholas costatus. Linn. 



This beautiful shell I found in 

 Matagorda Bay on the sand bars 

 near Carancahua Bay. It burrows 

 from 1 6 to 24 inches deep. The 

 first six or eight inches is a small 

 hole one-half an inch in diameter 

 up which the fish thrusts its long 

 neck to reach the water to feed, 

 the balance of the cell is large 

 enough for the animal to move up 

 and down. In time of danger it 

 retires to the bottom and draws in 

 its neck. Both tubes are enclosed 

 in one covering and the incoming 

 tube is armed with cilia to keep 

 out sand and other material not 

 wanted. 



Pholas Iruncatus. Say. 



I have not found this shell living, 

 and have only single valves from 

 beach found on Matagorda Bay, 

 Espiritu Sancto Bay. 



Solen Americanis. Gld. 



I found this shell living in all 

 the bays from Matagorda.to Corpus 

 except Mud bay, in that I found 

 no shell life though I did not search 

 very closely. There may be two 

 kinds, or it may be the location 

 which makes them grow larger in 

 some places than others. Those I 

 found on the south shore of Mata- 

 gorda Bay being about twice the size 

 of those found elsewhere. It lives in 

 a cell about four inches deep, com- 

 ing to the top and sometimes stand- 

 ing half way out of the sand to 

 feed. It disappears quickly at the 

 approach of danger and by a series 

 of quick kicks, can get around 

 quite lively in water. 



Periploma angulifera. Say. 



Single valves on Gulf Beach, 

 Peninsula and Matagorda Island. 



Mactra Brasiliana. Lam. 



Quite common in Carancahua 

 Bay, Matagorda Bay and Espiritu 

 Sancto Bay. It buries slightly in 

 the mud or sand. 



[Continued nex( week.] 



