158 
CALL’S GEOLOGICAL WORK 
found them, pn being told he asked if on the morrow we would 
go with him to the spot. We were of course overjoyed to do so. 
So, the next morning we led him five or six miles up the river 
and stopped before a large shrub where we began picking off the 
snails much as one would blackberries. In the course of half 
an hour we garnered about two quarts of these shells. Collection 
of a thousand specimens of this rarest of North American snails 
Professor Call opined was a very good morning’s work. The 
rarity of this mollusk suddenly ceased. Its optimum habitat had 
previously been miscalculated. 
On another occasion I had collected a basket full of river 
mussels. Among them chanced to be four specimens over which 
so soon as I showed them Call went into ecstacies. They proved 
to be a very rare Unio Wardii. Of course I at once divided with 
him, as he had only a single example in, his collection. It was im¬ 
mediately decided that we should go on the morrow to the place 
where I had obtained them and look for others. Arriving at the 
spot we soon secured about thirty or more. In cleaning mine 
I noticed that one of theni contained two large and very beautiful 
pearls. A naturalist’s delight at finding a rara avis vanished in- 
stanter with me, and the baser instincts of the savage, which 
are said to be the heritage of every youth, came to the surface 
in the kiddy. Leaving friend Call to content himself with the 
rare shells I went after the gems, to which he paid not slightest 
attention. Before starting for home I had secured more than 
fifty fine pearls of various sizes. 
On reaching the city I found the local jewelers somewhat reluc¬ 
tant to purchase such an assortment of gems from a strange 
boy. But the youngster, reinforced by dad, easily disposed of 
them at what seemed to be very good prices. When finally the last 
pearl had been parted with and something over a thousand dollars 
were added to the high-school lad’s thin exchequer dad suddenly 
visioned great financial prospects ahead for a son of his who could 
wrestle such sum out of home river sands in a single morning. 
Call willingly and joyously passed it all up. 
Several months later when the Des Moines Academy of Sci¬ 
ences, the forerunner of the State Academy, endeavored to raise 
funds with which to publish its first proceedings that same high- 
school lad took keenest delight in having the chance to help 
finance the project by contributing $80.00 of his pearl money or 
