gravel or is skipping over the bottom. Sometimes it is next to impossible to dredge downhill, so try in the opposite direction if your dredge is failing to dig in. On dredges with iron bridles it is suggested that one arm be attached to the frame merely by a small cord, so that it will break loose and free the dredge should it snag on rocks or corals.
When hauls are brought aboard they should be screened and washed to remove mud and sand. If this is not convenient, at least the extraneous material may be thrown away and the remainder put in sacks for home sorting. In tropical waters, gloves should be worn to prevent serious stinging by certain kinds of sponges. Be sure to make a record of the depth, location and date of haul.
Fish and lobster men often bring up rare shells in their traps, and this suggests, of course, the possibility of setting one’s own traps. Successful traps may be purchased or built with a little ingenuity, if the entrances are made so that snails can easily enter. Dead fish or spoiled meat will attract the carnivorous gastropods, but to date no magical “catnip” has been found to lure the herbivorous species. Even simpler than the trap is the system of weighting a burlap bag of spoiled meat with rocks near the low-water line. Nassarius Mud Snails, Melongena Crown Shells and a host of other species may be collected nearby the next night.
If you have yet to collect your first live Olive or Terebra shell, wade along the shores of a sandy bay on a quiet, moonlight night, and with the aid of a flashlight follow along the trails in the sand. A dozen daytime visits to the same locality will never compare to one hour of night collecting. Not only are sand-dwelling mollusks on the move, but in rocky regions the cowries, mitras and murex shells are out from under their hiding places and traveling along in full view.
It is perhaps appropriate here to mention the dangers of over-collecting in certain localities. This is to be avoided particularly if certain species have taken several seasons to build up their populations even to a moderate size. By leaving at least most of the immature specimens and perhaps one or two adults, you will assure yourself of good collecting at the same spot at a later date. While it is unreasonable to expect people to roll back the rocks they have overturned, some collectors do this in order to obtain additional specimens on the next visit. Once destroyed by sunlight and air, protective algae and sponges need many months to grow back. However, the blame for extinction of many beautiful mollusks at Lake Worth, Florida, and in many other places rests not with greedy collectors but with super-drainage experiments, city pollution and construction work.
Keeping accurate locality data with specimens you have collected is most essential. Many private collections are eventually left to museums for the enjoyment and use of future generations. Today’s crowded museums
