YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' UNION. 
years. It should, however, be added that there is naturally 
some uncertainty in the identification of some of the smaller 
species. Even museum collections are not entirely free from 
confusion between similar species ; and none of them are entirely 
complete. It is extremely difhcult to determine whether a given 
specimen is an unrecorded species of a smaller size, or a young 
specimen of a known species. The whole subject requires the 
long and patient labours of a specialist. There is also some 
little doubt about some of the species in Mr. Hey's hst, partly 
owing to differences of nomenclature. He describes, for example 
the familiar Chiton found on these coasts as fuarginatiis, and 
speaks of cinereiis as a species only rarely obtained by dredg- 
ing. But the common species is certainly what is commonly 
known as cinereiis, and the list of marine mollusca pubUshed by 
the Conchological Society identifies the two. and gives onyx as 
the cinereiis of Jeffreys. 
The preparation for a specimen collection at the museum iit 
Hull has begun in earnest. Specimens of sixty-eight species have 
been collected, but setting and arranging is necessarily a work 
of time. The most urgent need, at present, is to enhst workers 
living at or near the coast, who will make visits at different tides, 
and, better still, who would be prepared to do some work in dredg- 
ing. After all, the washing up of shells is only the accident of 
marine life. It is also highly desirable that volunteers interested 
in the subject should make themselves acquainted with the more 
ordinary species of microscopic shells found in the drift, so that 
they may send up for identification and recording, any rarer 
species which they may find. 
Last summer I carefully examined under a lens about a pint 
of drift which I picked up between Goswick and Holy Island. 
It proved to be extremely rich in shells. The species, but for a 
few additional exceptions, were found to be very much the same 
as I have found on this coast, the chief difference being the com- 
parative abundance of what are with us rare species. It should,, 
however, be remembered that the great stretches of almost flat 
sands are extremely favourable for th^ presence of these shells, 
and it is highly probable that very good results might be obtained 
from an examination after a favourable tide of the sand reache 
in the north of Yorkshire. 
Since writing the above I have examined some drift fron 
Scarborough. I found 53 or more different species, among whic 
were two specimens, adult and young, of Rissoa proxima, sever 
of Tornatina mamniillata, and one or more of the rarer species o 
Philina. 
