T!u! South Australian Naturalist. 
99 
notes on shell collecting at port willunga. 
* 
The falling tide uncovers for several hours large areas of 
reef at this port, and then the sun-illuminated rock-pools and 
shallows show to advantage their population of marine life— 
Mollusca, crustaceans, echinoderms, chitons, seaweed, fish, &c. 
On the nearer rocks the littoral shells, Monodonta and Bembiciurn 
are in countless thousands, apparently enjoying fully their brief 
sunbath between the tide periods. Nerita may be noticed roosting 
placidly in fissures of tlie rocks that have tumbled from the 
fossil-studded overhanging cliffs. 
Haliotis naevosa (mutton-fish) live under the larger stones 
in shallow water. The writer noticed a lady collect a basket con- 
taining about 100 of these shells in an hour or so. Like the 
Chitons^ they dislike exposure, and lose no time in crawling back 
to the undersides of rock. Their elementary powers of vision 
evidently being sufficient to create a sense of danger in this respect. 
Cypraea angustata, the little brown caurie, is collected oc- 
casionally clinging to the base of flat water-covered stones. The 
young specimen is noticed to be a cylindrical, thin-lipped, spiral 
shell, unlike in general shape to the adult. As is well known, the 
spire is entirely covered, and the toothed and channelled aper- 
ture formed, as the shell progresses toward maturity. When 
taken alive it appears in various shades of orange-brown colors, 
prettily-marked, the animal corresponding. 
Clanculus (fam. Trochidae) arc common at this port. C. 
Dunkeri and C\ limbatus are found well out off the end of the 
reef, quantities of dead shells being thrown up on the beach. 
Several dead specimens of the large C. undatus were picked up. 
This handsome shell measuring about inches across the base 
is of a deep, rich, dark-brown color, covered with small black 
dots. 
The finding of a large living shell engenders pleasant feelings 
in the mind of the collector, as was the case on discovering a 
pair of large Turbo stamineus browsing on the rocky sea floor. 
These solid, heavy specimens, well camouflaged with a moss 
like growth, are thereby somewhat immune from predaceous 
attack, and apparently have a fair chance of long life after reach- 
ing maturity. However, dislodgment and eventual stranding 
by the surf, attacks by sea birds, who collect the Turbos, drop 
them on rocks from a height, enabling them to easily secure the 
animal from the broken shell, all take toll. 
