disseminated the quartz through the felspar. In front of the granite lie large blocks of unmixed quartz, as if forcibly ejected from the mass while in the act of passing from a state of fusion into its present consolidation.

At the distance of half a mile to the westward of this point, a vein of trap is seen cropping out from the beach, midway between high and low water mark; and this is the only other rock discoverable within miles of the spot.

1938854

APPENDIX.

HINTS TO AMATEUR CONCHOLOGISTS,

BEING SUGGESTIONS FOR THE COLLECTION AND PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS.

By Hugh Cuming, Esq., F.R.S.

LAND SHELLS.

LAND SHELLS are found in many places, such as under stones, in clefts of rocks, on the sides of hills and mountains, under decayed wood and trees, or the trunks or leaves of trees, at the root of trees and bushes, in decayed vegetable matter, dried leaves and moss, on small plants-in fact, almost every situation gives them, except open and exposed places. Look for them diligently when you are out collecting; where you find dead specimens you will soon find living ones. When collected, bring them home and put them in a pail, bucket, or some large vessel, and pour a quantity of cold water upon them, and cover up the vessel for two or three hours, which will cause the animals to come out a little. It is necessary When they are a

to cover them up, or else they will crawl away. little out, run off the cold water, and pour a quantity of boiling hot water on them, so as to cover them well; let them remain a few minutes to cool a little, then take out the animal with a large pin or needle, as you would a periwinkle; when they are all done, take one of your soft brushes and wash off gently all the dirt and filth in clean water, then place them in another vessel of fresh water until all are done, then shake out well the water that is in them, and place them out to dry with their mouths downwards, but not in the sun; in a short time they will be dry. If they are small you can pack them away in small boxes, writing the locality and the situation in which you found them on the cover, for localities must be paid much attention to; but should the shells be rather large, then wrap up cach shell in a paper by

itself,-in fine Chinese paper,-then pack them away in a large box, with their locality and with care, but never put by a box that is not quite full, without putting some cotton or other soft substance to fill up the box, for such tender subjects should not have a play during the transit home from where you collected them.

In the rivers, canals, lakes, ponds, and small streams, you will find many species of shells, which, although not handsome are very interesting, and many of them will prove valuable here in England; therefore, do not leave a single one of them behind, as it may be a cause of regret hereafter. Some of the shells which you will find in the above-mentioned places are of the same form as the land shells, others are like our fresh-water mussel, or cockle they are mostly found in the mud, sometimes in deep water. You will be sure to find dead ones on the banks of the lakes and rivers, and if you cannot procure them yourself, show the natives the dead specimens, and offer them money to bring you a quantity of them; and the same with every other subject of natural history-don't think of a few dollars when you will make pounds of them; but be not too lavish of your money with them— it will alarm their cupidity, and they will seek for more. I am certain that when the natives see that you are collecting these things, they will soon bring them to you, as they love money and do not value the articles you are seeking.

The rivers and pieces of water abound with shells: be diligent in seeking them, and your labours will be most amply repaid.

When you have collected the fresh-water shells, place them in a vessel and pour a large quantity of boiling water on them; they do not require to be put into cold water before the hot water, as the land shells. As soon as the water is a little cool, pour it off, and take out the animal as before mentioned. Wash them, &c., but as the bivalve or fresh-water mussel will open wide as soon as the animal is out, you must tie them close with care before you put them out to dry: if you do not the hinge will break, and make the shell in part valueless. Some of the fresh-water shells, that are like the snails, have a mouth-piece, which you must take great care of, and keep these mouth-pieces by themselves,—that is, cach

species of shell and their mouth-pieces must be packed together, for this mouth-piece, or operculum, is of great service in determining the species. Some of the land-shells have also a mouthpiece those also must be placed with the shells to which they belong. Be most careful in attending to this piece of

information.

When your bivalve shells are tied up and dry, wrap them up each in a piece of soft Chinese paper, and pack one of the small boxes so as they shall not break, for they are generally brittle, and must have care taken of them, and if your box is not full you can put in some other light small pill boxes of shells on them. Do not forget their localities, habitats, &c.

MARINE SHELLS.

These are found in various situations except the deep sea, where they can only be procured by dredging, which can only be done at great expense of time and cash; therefore, I shall confine my observations to the littoral shells.

The best time to collect marine shells on the sea shore is at the new and full moon, for then the tides make greatest ebb; therefore you should be on the spot two hours before low water, with an assistant to help you in turning over the large stones, should there be any, under which you will find many species of cowries, buccinums, tritons, mitras, cones, and several species of bivalve shells also many kinds adhering to the stones, which must be taken off with a knife in a very careful manner. Several species bore into the stone itself, which you must break with hammers to get out the shell; or if the stone be soft, cut it carefully with a hatchet, in doing which you will see many species. Take care when you separate the stone to avoid breaking the shell, and those that may be near it. Be always provided with a light basket with a small box in it, to put the shells into which you collect, for the fine delicate ones must not be placed with the heavy and strong.

The stones which you turn over must be well inspected, as you will find many shells covered with marine matter, which makes them appear like the stone itself. Collect everything you see,

however small and unmeaning in appearance, for amongst them may be new genera and very rare shells, not seen before from such an interesting country as Ceylon.

as the

Amongst other shells which you will find under stones are chitons, which must be taken off in the same manner limpet and other adhering univalves. When you have got the chitons home, separate them from the other shells, and put them into a pail of fresh water, and let them remain there from 12 to 24 hours; by that time they will all be straight and fair, and also the salt of the fleshy substance that surrounds them will be well soaked out; then cut out the animals, and wash them well inside and out from all filth, and throw them into another vessel of fresh-water; there let them remain until you have cleaned the whole, then place them on narrow slips of boards and bind them down tightly, and put them in a shady place to dry, but never in the sun; in three or four days they will be fit to pack, but never do so until you are satisfied they are quite dry. Do not let them be exposed to the rats and mice at night, as they will eat off their edges and destroy them. Should any of the chitons have hairs or spines, it would be well to wrap each specimen in a separate piece of paper to prevent the hairs or spines from being injured. Pray observe when you begin to clean them if the animals contract themselves in a different form: they are still alive, and you should defer cleaning them a few hours longer. These shells are valuable and highly esteemed.

Many stones at the very lowest ebb will have most shells on them, therefore you must not care about getting wet to turn them over, and never leave the place until the tide compels you. In some spots you may find shells of great value in one tide and under the stones. Amongst the rocks, on the sea shore, in the crevices and on them, you will find many species of catellas, chitons, murices, and several others. Make a careful survey of every rock and stone: they will amply repay your trouble. All sheltered coves or little bays are the best places in which to find shells. Take those places in preference. But when they are examined, then look to those in more exposed situations. The