
Page 4 April 1978 No. 241 NEW YORK SHELL CLUB Notgs 
B62 RU 2S I STIG Sa 
SHELLS IN THE EAST RIVER, NEW YORK CITY 
(Some very belated notes) 
Cherita Stark 
1971 issue of NYSC NOTES (No. 177, p.7) there is 
a brief paragraph with the happy title, “Delightful Correction," 
In it, Karl Jacobson (“KJ) and Dr. William K. &merson ( WKE) report 
the finding of live shells on Wards Island under the Triboro Bridge, 
Mrs. Marjorie Bogart had found Mya arenaria, Brachidontes (now Geu- 
kensia) demissus, and Littorina littorea during the summer and fall 
of 1971. The authors refer to page JO of SHELLS FROM CAPE COD 10 
CAPE MAY where they wrote "... the Hast River near Hell Gate, where 
we are sure no mollusks of any kind have lived for generations, ,,," 
and they express pleasure at the new finds. Perhaps I can induce a 
little more pleasure, since I collected live shells a little far- 
ther up the East River in 1960, eleven years earlier than the Wards 
Island discoveries. 
Recently I've been accumulating data for the Long Island Shell 
Club's Monograph on Long Island Mollusks. Among my specimens and 
lists was information about a shelling location on the East River 
in Whitestone, Queens -- Francis Lewis Park at the base of the 
Bronx - Whitestone Bridge. My first shell collected there, Mya 
arenaria, dated October 2, 1960, has the rather informal, begin- 
ning-collector designation, "Whitestone Bridge Park." Six years 
later, on June 11, 1966, I returned and collected live Littorina 
Saxatilis and Mya arenaria (and also dead Littorina littorea and 
Ilyanassa (at that time Nassarius) obsoleta at the small sand and 
rocky beach, After another visit there on October 2, 1968, I re- 
tained only live-collected Littorina obtusata and Littorina saxati- 
lis, not making note of any other shells on the beach that day. 
Then I read the aforementioned article in the NYSC NOTES, and real- 
ized that these very ordinary species which I had collected might 
be worthy of attention because of where they were found, not what 
they were. I decided to return to the spot and then "report in.' 
EP’ Bot" +6 Francis Lewis Park next on September 10, 1972, «and-coiiec- 
ted a few live Species: again Littorina saxatilis, Littorina obtu- 
nate and Mya arenaria, also Polinices heros, Tlyanassa obsoleta, 
ittorina littorea, “Mytilus edulis and Geukensia (then Modiolus) 
emissus. “In addition to the above live Shells, Nassarius trivit- 
tatus, Crepidula fornicata, Crassostrea virginica and Argopecten | 
In the December, 
irradians irradians were also collected in various states of disre- 
he, I never did get to write up my information.) On November 
» 1973, the same location provided three additional, but dead, 
bivalves -- Mulinia lat i i 784 nee Se : 
all joined paleo= aateralis, Tellina agilis and Ensis directus, 
: i 
Tasca veLleobed at the bridge in Whitestone since 1973, and 
pobiee Y much like Be return to provide an update to these lists. 
ae much mulling, I ve decided to get this report made before 
er years of delay might go by. Good Shelling to all of you 
along the 'now fertile! East River, 
Se <8 Se 
DID YOU KNOow 
mee arenaria means "living in sand?" 
hat saxatile means "living on rocks?" 
