Page:American Seashells (1954).djvu/76

58 especially if you have waded a long distance out to some small isle at low tide. Tidal currents can sometimes be extremely strong at the narrow mouths of inlets, and swimmers are urged to familiarize themselves with local conditions.

If one were to take into the field the collecting equipment which has been recommended by friends and books, one would certainly resemble a busy Christmas shopper in full knightly armor. Crowbars, bilge pumps, shovels, rakes, sets of screens, hammer and chisels, even water wings and miner’s caps have been suggested. It is true that these and many other pieces of equipment are ideal for very specific and limited purposes, but for general collecting simplicity and lightness of gear are most essential. If at a later date you wish to collect a certain species which lives in rocks, take along that hammer and chisel.

Streamlined collecting in the intertidal areas when it is calm calls for little more than a pair of canvas shoes, bathing suit and a few small cloth bags. Wear shirt and pants if the sun is bright and your tan still underdeveloped. Two or three cotton bags may be tucked under the belt until ready for use. Most shells may be picked up by hand, and the more fragile ones put in matchboxes or thumb-sized vials. When a breeze is blowing wrinkles on the surface of the water, it is impossible to see the bottom, and many collectors use a glass-bottomed bucket or merely a diving mask floated on the surface to clear a view. A square or oblong bucket about a foot each way and ten or twelve inches high may be made of light wood and the glass set in the bottom and held in place with a thin layer of white lead and strips of molding or quarter-rounds. If the inside is painted dull black reflections on the glass will be held to a minimum. For a clearer view wet the inside of the glass occasionally. The water bucket is useful to those who enjoy diving for shells. It not only serves as a friendly support between dives, but may be used as a collecting receptacle. Diving masks or water goggles are indispensible for collecting many species which are normally found in waters down to twenty feet in depth.

A fine-mesh wire screen bought in any kitchen utensil store can be put to excellent use in sandy or muddy areas where many interesting small shells live. Screening for mollusks is a favorite pastime with many collectors, and many types and sizes of screens have been designed. Copper mesh should be used if you plan to screen over a period of a few months.

Forceps are sometimes useful in getting small shells out of rock crevices, but in general it does not pay to search individually for minute shells. Mass screening or taking a large bagful of bay bottom or beach drift home for leisurely sorting in the evenings brings richer rewards. Shaking clumps of seaweed over the screen often gives encouraging results, for many uncommon