. West coast shells. A familiar description of the marine, fresh water, and land mollusks of United States, found west of the Rocky Mountains ... edthe aperture with a very insignificant scale, whichseemed to be an apology for an operculum. I picked up the pretty little creature, andscientifically mused somewhat as follows :The Latin name for this mollusk is Oli-vella biplicata, Sby., Ol-i-vel-la bi-pli-ca-ta. The shell is about an inch long,apparently smooth and polished, yet show-ing under the microscope very fine andbeautiful reticulations. The spire is short,the aperture long and narrow, t
. West coast shells. A familiar description of the marine, fresh water, and land mollusks of United States, found west of the Rocky Mountains ... edthe aperture with a very insignificant scale, whichseemed to be an apology for an operculum. I picked up the pretty little creature, andscientifically mused somewhat as follows :The Latin name for this mollusk is Oli-vella biplicata, Sby., Ol-i-vel-la bi-pli-ca-ta. The shell is about an inch long,apparently smooth and polished, yet show-ing under the microscope very fine andbeautiful reticulations. The spire is short,the aperture long and narrow, the canal a mere notch,and the outer lip thin edged. Upon the inner wallof the aperture is a lump of white enamel, and at thebase of the columella are two little folds, which arereferred to in the name biplicata, twice folded. Thecolor of the shell varies much in different specimens;some are almost pure white, others are very dark, butmost of them are dove-colored, with purple trim-mings. They are about the size and shape of theolives of our orchards, and their name has no mysteryconnected with it, but doubtless refers to their PREPARATION OF SHELLS. 41 Well, as I proceeded with my hoeing, my joyincreased, for I found them by the hundred, and Ihad gathered about a thousand before the tide camein so far as to render further work seemed to lie in groups just under the surfaceof the sand, yet wholly concealed from sight. Youmust go at the very lowest morning tides, if youwish to gather them, and search till you find the bed ;for they seem to be active burrowers, and to travelrapidly from place to place. I took some of them home and put them in a jarof beach-sand and sea-water. You will be pleased todo the same if you ever have the opportunity, fortheir movements are very interesting. You will thensee the plow-shaped foot which quickly digs a holein the sand, and the long breathing-siphon whichcurls up through the canal, and reaches through thesand u
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectmollusks, bookyear188
