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THE

NAUTILUS.

A MONTHLY JOURNAL

DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF

CONCHOLOGISTS.

VOL. IX.

MAY, 1895. to APRIL, 1896.

PHILADELPHIA :

Published by H. A. PILSBRY and C. W. JOHNSON. ~

WGN FA. SY

INDEX Fy

a E. NAUTILUS WOOL, BA.

INDEX TO TITLES AND SPECIES DESCRIBED.

Acanthochites Matthewsi at St. Vincent’s Gulf, South Yorke

Peninsula .

Along the Peisariecotta - ,

Ancylus peninsule Pilsbry and Mixcon, n. Sp.

Ancylus eugraptus Pilsbry, n. sp. .

Annotated List of the Mollusca Eeind i in the eet of

Clearwater, Wright Co., Minn. .

Aulacopoda, a Primary Division of the Monotremate Jand

Pulmonata .

Bulimulus exilis in eaten

Bulimuli, sculpture of the apical Beintis, a new SP aaracick

for distinguishing groups of .

Bythinella palomasensis — Hysp. .

California LC a —

Chiton Bednalli Bisbee, 0: sp. 7a

Collecting in Southern California. .

Curious Chinese use of shell fish. .

Day on the Spoon River in Illinois .

Dispersal of shells . a

Dolabella Ei for nics Stearns . . .

Dolichostyla Pilsbry n.n. for Preps Alb. preoceupied

Dorcasia Gray, the earliest ma OME at ity sd°- 3

Editorial correspondence .

Epiphragmophora californiensis var. Po iivacoshal Bilal.

Epiphragmophora Remondi Tryon. .......

Fulgur canaliculatum, a remarkable monstrosity of. (IL

Maernted) 9. 2.

Voaetl4+

110

140

138

137

. 87, 125

109

112

120

102

108

1V THE NAUTILUS.

Gastrodonta (Pseudohyalina) patuloides Pllsbry, n. sp... 15

Gastrodonta collisella Pilsbry,n.sp.. .. . ae 123

Goniobasis virginica in the stomach of A isenicae Golden

Bye 0a. i

Gundlachia of Austr alia ik notes on Bineriodn feral ae

lustrated) . al... 61

Haliotis, West Coast species af. a 129

Felicesin Wilinois., 2 0. . . . ee 2 28

dolopoda.. .°. 4. Re ie

Holospira, synopsis of ne subdivignime od some , relned

Senekace.. kc. Bee 50

How to pack specimens a3 mailing es 132

Index to the “ Conchologists Exchange”. . . . 43, 57

Isaac Lea Department of the A gassiz Be ciation’ 6, 19, 34,

oo;09, (6, 102, 117,128 . . ae). 139

soannisia,note on the genus. . . Bees. .. / eee 78

Lepidopleurus in New Zealand. .... . Me A 8 108

Limnea stagnalis dredged in Lake Mesenn ae 3

Limneea desidiosa var. De oa Streng, n. var. (Illustra-

ted) . cane Marte 128

Macoma, neh new species ia the pair of Mexico ee 32

Macomalimula:Dallinisp.. . . ee... |. eo ee 32

miscoma: Mitchelli Dall, n»sp.. . Ge. <<. > eee 38

Macoma leptonoidea Dall, n. sp. . gages. 201 33

Marine shells on the-coast of Maines. . . ..... o4

Marine shells:of Puget Sound .. . Gis 2.) Oe 38

Meretrix Simpsoni Dall, n.sp.. . . Rarity 0%: 10

Michigan Fish Commission, a month ih ee ae 2

Mollusks as purifiers of water... . Se 36

My first year collecting and studying Brel . ACA pF 80

Wewr Publications. ......— . meee. 11,22, 81, 96, 105, 144

New forms of American Peniilce and i aTieides ot eae 14

Notesand News. . . .:. .. . veal, 35, 88, 94, 107, T2Q5eee

Notes ony California shells)..... . . Baameo™ "(5 ).0 ue 69

Notes of a conchologist in Japan . Mp... 2. 86

Notes on collecting shells in China. . . . 24 ee 100

Notes on Washington Ue ol and Pisidia, sai déscHiined

of new species. . . . MEARE. 97

Ocinebra circumtexta var. aurantia Pleas: Hvar pees 16

Omphalina Andrews: Pilsbry, -n. spp) (2

THE NAUTILUS.

Omphalina Andrews montivaga Pilsbry,n. var... . . .

Opalliostyla Pilsbry, n. n. for Hudoxus Alb., preoccupied .

Patulastra ? [Punctum ?] pugetensis and Pyramidula? Ran-

dolphii, generic position of, with suggestions for the

classification of American Zonitide .

Pholas truncata from Revere, Mass. .

Pisidia, description of new .

Pisidium Walkeri Sterki, n. sp. .

Pisidium politum Sterki, n. sp. .

Pisidium milium Held from Michigan .

Pisidium idahoense from Seattle, —

Pisidium ultramontanum .

Pisidium Randolphii Roper, n. sp.

Pisidium trapezoideum Sterki, n. sp. .

Planorbes, notes on the smaller American .

Planorbis bicarinatus var. aroostookensis in orichigan ie

Planorbis Sampsoni Ancey from Illinois .

Planorbis centervillensis . A.

Planorbis callioglyptus Vanatta, n. sp. . Sa cite

Planorbis opercularis var. oregonensis Vanatta, n. var. .

Planorbis costatus De Tarr and Beecher .

Planorbis umbilicatellus, the geographical Mei ution of :

- Pleurodonte Bainbridgei and other Jamaica shells .

Pleurocera subulare in water mains .

Plover caught by a Pinna.

Polygyra (Stenotrema) stenotrema dpilata Pitshey) 0. n. var.

Polygyra cereolus sanctijohannis Pilsbry, n. var. .

Pyramidula alternata and Gastrodonta ligera reversed .

Pyramidula strigosa reversed .

Raising baby snails .

Reversed American Helices, new SF ts

Ryder, Dr. John A. (Obituary with portrait) .

- Ruschenberger, Dr. W.S. W. ee

Scala, some new species of .

Scala (Sthenorhytis) Mazyckii Dall, D. sp.

Scala ranellina Dall, n. sp.

Scala Mitchelli Dall, n. sp. . ;

Shells of Seattle, King Co., W: ashiaiieon

Shells of DP inderhead Ma IN. C. 4 cha

Small Land Mollusca from New Mexico .

108

Aon

—

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Oo Ol

—

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vi THE NAUTILUS.

Solariide, description of two new Eocene .

Solarium elaboratum Conr. var. bimixta Aldr. n. var. “(Pl

Lge Di2na le

Shine fLeWonns ‘Addpia n. sp. (Pl i, 4, is 8)

Sora caught by a Mussel. (Illustrated) .

Spheria, on. certain abnormal. ... .

Spherium Primeanum,S. Raymondi, ete. .

Study of fossil shells ..<.... . (ewer F

Teinostoma Hidalgoana Pilsbry, n. sp. .

Thelidomus aspersa . . i

To conchologists .

Trochomorpha fuscata Hes, note on .

Unio borealis Gray in Michigan. . .

Unio bursa-pastoris Wright, n. sp. (PI. IIT, fan 1, 2).

Unio ellipsis and U. tenuisimus from Grand Rapige Mich.

Unio Friersoni Wright, n. sp. (Pl. LI, figs. 3,4)...

Unios in city reservior (Phila.). . ... .

Unionide, some notes on the genital organs with copes

to systematics . eae

iiinios: the siza of .:°. lise.6. . .. eG

nies, new Florida :..0.,. . .Waaey . |...) eee

Unio Hartwrightii Wieighe: n. Sp. (Pl. IL, fis 4, 5, i

Unio Oscari Wright. (PI. I, figs. 1, 2, ae :

Unionidae, new American .

Vallonia, North American species oer

Visit to a vessel that was loaded with shells .

Vitrea Johnsoni Dall, n. sp. .

Vitrina limpida in Western Pennsylvania

With a dredge [Southern California] .

o° Sa, Cees ieee

INDEX TO CONTRIBUTORS.

Aldrich, T. H. .

Clapp,Geo. H.. .

Sacrerel!, 7. D. A... .

aS Ss

Drake, Mrs. Marie. .

Gardner, A.H... .

Hedley, C... .

Henderson, John B. fe:

Johnson, C. W..

Keep. dosiah......

Pieory, H. A... .

sed DS

Meneoinh, PLB... .

oper, foaw. W..... .

Ruggles, Mrs.T. EK... .

Sargent, H. E. .

Shepard, Ida M. .

Simpson, Chas. T. . .

Soper, Mrs. E.C.. .

Steams, RoE. C.. .

pee, Dr VY... .

pireno, ti... .

cirage, Dr: W.S. . ..

Vanatta, E.G. .

Walker, Bryant . .

Wentworth, Mrs. E. P.

Wetherby, A. a

White; Mrs.G. W.. .-.

Williamson, Mrs. M. Burton. .

Wrieot, Berlin H.... .

]

30, 94

; 120

10, 97, 2,00; 06; 111

119

80} 100

_ 14, Wigee2, 63; 7B, 90, 109, 112, 123

107

101

LOE OO, aT

BuO Tle

Orr: 16

16, 74, Sieeilo. 124

123

PS 28. tS

eee, alee

. 6, 19, 69, 78, 102, 117, 128

Biot 133

(vil)

THE NAUIMGUS, UX. Pd.

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ALDRICH—New Eocene Solariidze.

sh ee

rue N&UTILUS.

VOL. Ix. MAY, 1895. No. 1

DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW EOCENE SOLARIIDZ FROM ALABAMA.

BY T. H. ALDRICH.

Solarium elaboratum Conrad vir bimixta. Plate I, figs. 1, 2, 3.

Shell elevated, peripheral margins minutely beaded, flattened,

acute; umbilical rib very small and placed close to suture, umbili-

cal carina prominent and beaded. Base very finely striated with a

strong beaded rib close to the periphery. Spiral ornamentation ap-

proaching Solarium cupola Heilpr. Max. diam. 15 mm., alt. 7 mm.

Locality: Matthews’ Landing beds near Rosebud, Wilcox Co.,

Ala.

This variety, while belonging to the acutum-elaboratum section,

has a combination of characters approaching other sections. The

drawings executed by Dr. McConnell, of Washington, show this

form so beautifully it is scarcely necessary to describe it.

Prof. W. H. Dall, in Trans. Wagner Free Inst. Science, Vol. 3,

part 2, p. 323, Dec. 1892, has divided the Eocene Solariums into

four sections, and, by letter to me, has lately added a fifth, viz.:

Section Dinaxis Dall. “Spire flattened, with the circumference

of shell forming the periphery ; the umbilicus wide, nearly funicu-

lar, with thread-like spiral ribbing or none, the umbilical carina

simple or finely granular, forming the base of the shell.” This new

section includes S. alabamense Dall, and the following new species.

2 THE NAUTILUS.

Solarium planiforme n. sp. pl. I, figs. 4, 5, 6.

Shell flat, whorls six, apical one smooth, the balance with a

beaded spiral boundary followed closely by a smaller spiral likewise

beaded, two faint spirals near suture; lines of growth fine, coarser

nearer aperture, the side of the body-whorl forming an acute angle

with the top and nearly aright angle with the base; the side is

slightly convex, with a granular raised line immediately below the

periphery and two fainter ones near the base; the basal keel

beaded ; umbilicus wide, marked with two or three beaded lines.

Aperture wedge-shaped, narrower at junction with body-whorl.

Max. diameter 19 mm., elevation 6 mm.

Locality: near Rosebud P. O., Wilcox Co., Ala., in Matthews’

Landing beds.

A MONTH WITH THE MICHIGAN FISH COMMISSION.

BY BRYANT WALKER, DETROIT, MICH.

In 1893, the Michigan Fish Commission, in co-operation with the

University of Michigan, inaugurated a systematic biological exami-

nation of the Great Lakes, with special reference to the work of the

Commission in replenishing the rapidly decreasing fisheries of the

State. The headquarters of the field-party for 1894 was established

at Charlevoix, the well-known summer resort, on the east coast of

Lake Michigan, and formerly a fishing station of considerable mag-

nitude. Through the kindness of Prof. Henry B. Ward, the

Director-in-charge, the writer was invited to spend his vacation

with the party as conchologist. In addition to the usual methods

of collecting along the shore and from small boats, considerable

dredging was done in the deeper waters of both Lake Michigan and

Pine Lake. A three days’ trip to the Beaver Islands at the north-

ern end of Lake Michigan, was one of the most interesting episodes

of the summer, and one most fruitful in its results, as it was, un-

doubtedly, the first time the islands had been visited for scientific

purposes. The unusual facilities enjoyed by the expedition in the line

of deep water dredging, have afforded many noteworthy additions

to the fauna of the State in all classes of the invertebrata and es-

pecially in the mollusca; and, at the suggestion of the editors of

THe Navutivuvs, the following summary of the results obtained has

THE NAUTILUS. 3

been prepared in advance of the formal report of the summer’s

work,

Owing to the sandy nature of the soil, so characteristic of that

portion of the State, and the long-continued drought which pre-

vailed during last summer, terrestrial mollusks were not so numer-

ous, either in species or individuals, as might naturally have been ex-

pected. The characteristic feature was the occurrence of many spe-

cies, especially of the Zonitidae, peculiar to the northern region. Thus

Zonites ferreus Mse., binneyanus Mse., and exiguus Stimp., Vitrina

limpida Ged., and Helix harpa Say, are not found in the southern

part of the State. Patula asteriscus Mse. and Strobilops virgo Pils.,

also northern forms, were interesting additions to our fauna. The

local and rare (in this State) Helix sayii Binn., an essentially north-

ern form, also occurred, indicating its probable range across the north-

ern part of the State, as all the examples heretofore known to the

writer have been from the counties bordering on Lake Huron. A

few specimens of the albino variety of Patula alternata Say, were

found associating with the typical form. Two forms of Helix albo-

labris Say were noted, occurring side by side, the one quite typical

in shape and color, but rather below the average size and with a

very thick and broadly-reflected lip; the other larger and much in-

flated, with a thin, dark purplish brown shell, having the narrowly

reflected lip more or less deeply tinged with purple; a very beauti-

ful form, not seen elsewhere. The only Pupa found was P. con-

tracta Say, while Vertigo was represented by four forms, V. ovata

Say, bollesiana Mse., ventricosa elatior Sterki, and pentodon Say.

In addition to the universally-distributed Succinea obliqua Say and,

avava Say, was found the elongated form of S. ovalis Gld., com-

mon in the northern part of the State, which has been doubtfully

referred to the S. higginst Bld. (see Nauritus, VII, p. 127). In

all, thirty-one species of land-snails were found, of which two were

new to the fauna of the State.

Among the fresh-water pulmonates, many interested forms oc-

curred. The most noteworthy of them was a single example of a

deep water form of Limnea stagnalis L., dredged from ten metres

depth in Lake Michigan, at High Island Harbor in the Beaver

Islands. It is about 23 mm. in length, exceedingly fragile, of a pure

translucent white, and, though somewhat larger and differently pro-

portioned, appears to be analogous to the var. Bottnica of Clessin

from Sweden. At the same locality occured a small globose form

4 THE NAUTILUS.

of the same genus which may be new. Also a small white Physa

which is provisionally referred to P.gyrina Say. A small elongated

Limnea of the refleca group from the same locality, seems to be

the L. lanceata Gld. No less than seven different species of Lim-

neeidae, six of operculates, and many Pisidia were brought up by

one haul of the trawl from this prolific locality. In a small lake

near the south end of Beaver Island, which was simply swarming

with animal life, were found the finest specimens of Limnea ampla

Migh. yet seen from Michigan. The largest example collected

measured 283 mm. in length and 19 mm. in breadth, the aperture

being 19 ? mm. long and 13 mm. broad.

The Limneidae of Pine Lake, which empties into Lake Michigan

at Charlevoix, were also extremely interesting. The bottom of the

lake is composed almost wholly of marl, except where it has been

covered by a thin coating of sand washed in from the shores, and,

as a consequence, both plant and animal life exist under very un-

favorable circumstances. The level of the lake seems to have been

lowered by the canal made by the U. S. Government to connect it

with Lake Michigan, and the former lake terrace is now largely ex-

posed, and, in many places, quite dry. In the numerous pools, how-

ever, which are left along the shore, the Limnea catascopiwm Say is

found in great abundance and almost infinite variety. It varies in-

shape from the comparatively slender form usually found in the

Great Lakes to the globose form described as L. pinguis by Say, and

seems, in many cases, to run very close to that of L. ample Migh.

The Pine Lake examples have usually a very thick, solid opaque

shell, and a large proportion are more or less distorted, the most

common effect of their unfavorable environment being apparently

to induce a very abrupt and rapid expansion of the outer lip, which,

in most cases, is accompanied by a heavy callous deposit all round

the aperture. The dredge also brought up from the marl of the

bottom some other curiously distorted forms of Limnea, whose

specific position has not yet been satisfactorily determined. The

curious Planorbis multivolvis Case also occurred here, rarely alive,

but in great abundance among the dead shells along the shore.

There is reason to suppose that these shells came largely from the

marl deposits under the lake. It also seems probable that this

species will prove to be only a form of P. campanulatus Say, pecu-

liar to localities where the marl is found. At any rate, all the lo-

ealities in this State, from which it is now known, are alike in this

THE NAUTILUS. 5

respect, and specimens were found in places where the marl was less

abundant, which seem to connect the two forms.

Along the Lake Michigan shore, among the stones, Physa ancil-

laria Say occurred, exhibiting a very heavy, solid, opaque shell.

The same form is found plentifully at Mackinac Island, and seems

to be one of the most characteristic forms of the region. A heavy

malleated form of Limnea emarginata Say is associated with it in

both localities. Limnea desidiosa Say and Physa integra Hald.

were found plentifully in similar localities.

In one of the smaller inland lakes near Charlevoix,.the dark red

form of Planorbis exacutus Say, recently distinguished as var. ru-

bellus by Sterki, was found. The typical form of the same species,

as well as P. bicarinatus Say and parvus Say, occurred abundantly

in the deep-water dredging at High Island. The great similarity

of the Limneid fauna of northern Michigan to that of Maine was

again manifested in the discovery, ina small mill-pond near Charle-

voix, of the ecarinate form of P. bicarinatus recently distinguished

by Mr. Pilsbry as var. aroostookensis. The only species of Aneylus

met with was the A. parallelus Hald., which was common among the

lily-pads in all the smaller lakes. Among the operculates there was

little of special interest. Goniobasis livescens Mke., as usual in the

lake region, was abundant everywhere, and in Lake Michigan was

found in thirty feet of water. Valvata tricarinata Say and sincera

Say were also abundant in deep water, and the latter species from

High Island was unusually large and fine, and might be referred to

the form described as V. striata by Lewis. The Campolomae were

also abundant. The slender northern form described by Lea as C.

milesii, however, was found only in one lake on Beaver Isiand. The

Lake Michigan form was C. decisa Say. ‘The Amnicolae were ex-

ceedingly abundant, the two larger forms A. limosa Say and lustrica

Pils. occurring everywhere. A. grana Say was found at High

Island only, as was also a single specimen of Bythinella obtusa Lea.

One of the few disappointments met with was the failure to find the

deep water form, A. sheldoni Pils., originally found in the deep

water of Lake Michigan, at Racine, Wis. The only novelty among

the Unionidae was the occurrence of Unio borealis Gray, in a small

lake on Beaver Island. This is another addition to our fauna, and,

I believe, the most western locality yet cited for the species, which,

as Mr. C. T. Simpson, to whom I am indebted for the identification,

suggests, is apparently only a form of Unio luteolus Lam. The

6 THE NAUTILUS.

Anodonte occurred with their usual abundance and perplexing

variety so characteristic of the inland lakes of Michigan. Possibly,

owing to the unprotected character of the shore near Charlevoix,

but few were found in Lake Michigan. A. footiana Lea, however,

was found at Fisherman’s Island near Charlevoix and also at St.

James’ Harbor, Beaver Island, where A. subcylindracea Lea and

ferussaciana Lea also occurred. But it was among the Corbiculidae

that the most interesting finds of the expedition were made. Both

species and individuals were exceedingly abundant. Indeed, there

can be no doubt that the smaller Pisidia form one of the most im-

portant portions of the food of the whitefish. The Sphaeria were

most abundant in the inland waters where S. simile Say and stria-

tinum Lam. were found in profusion nearly everywhere. 8S. rhom-

boideum Say and the beautiful little S. rosacewm Pme. also occurred

in one of the smaller lakes. <A fine, new species, about the size of

S. occidentale Pme. was dredged from 25 metres off Grand Traverse

Bay. A larger form not yet satisfactorily determined was brought

up from a lesser depth off the south end of Beaver Island. The

Pisidia are now in the hands of Dr. V. Sterki, who has kindly con-

sented to examine and determine them, so that the entire list can-

not be yet given. But I am enabled to state that there are, at least,

twelve species represented, of which seven are new to the State, in-

cluding four species new to science. At High Island Pisidia were

particularly abundant. A fine triangular form, as large as P. vir-

ginicum Begt., proves to be the P. idahoense Roper. At the same

place, Dr. Sterki’s recently-described species, P. punctatum, also

occurred. A most interesting find was that of a form which Dr.

Sterki informs me cannot be distinguished from the P. milium Held.,

of Europe. This, I believe, is the first instance in which a species

of this family has been proved to be an inhabitant of both conti-

nents. The other species found were P. variabile Pme., abditum

Hald., compressum Pme., rotundatum Pme. and ventricosum Pme. In

all, ninety-three species of mollusca were obtained, of which eleven

species and three varieties were new to the fauna of the State, one

species new to this country, and five species new to science.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz

Association by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson.]

The Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Association is

THE NAUTILUS. 7

a corresponding chapter. It is composed of men and women inter-

ested in the study of shells. It also has a juvenile section composed of

boys and girls. It isa working chapter, or society, asevery member

is expected to send an annual report of work done by him. ‘These

reports and such papers as the members may furnish are known as

the transactions of the society. Hach year the volume of transac-

tions, in manuscript, is forwarded from one member to auother

until each member has read the book, but as some time must neces-

sarily elapse before all the members of the chapter can receive it,

the editor of Tar Navutitus has kindly consented to allow space

for extracts from the transactions in THe Navurinus each month.

Each member in this way can have a copy of the annual reports to

himself.

The Chapter is officered as follows:

President, Prof. Josiah Keep, Mills College, Cal.

General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton, Williamson University, Los

Angeles County, Cal.

SECRETARIES OF SECTIONS:

Section A.—Marine shells of the West Coast, Prof. Keep, Mills

College, Cal.

Section B.—Marine shells of the East Coast, Mr. A. H. Gardner,

Box 84, Fort Hamilton, N. Y.

Section C.—Land shells east of the Rocky Mountains (Sec. not

yet chosen).

Section D.—Fresh water shells east of Rocky Mountains, Dr. W.

S. Strode, Lewiston, II].

Section E.—Land and fresh water shells west of Rocky Mount-

ains (Secretary not yet chosen).

Section F.—Fossil shells, Hon. Delos Arnold, Pasadena, Cal.

as G.—Juvenile Section, Mrs. Mary P. Olney, Spokane,

ash.

Section H.—Microscopic shells (Secretary not yet chosen).

A STUDY OF FOSSIL SHELLS.

Report of Josiah Keep. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Conchological

Chapter of the Agassiz Association for 1894.

Two years ago last summer, as I was returning to California from

the Atlantic Coast, I had occasion to stop for a number of hours in

the city of Cincinnati. By far the cheapest and most satisfactory

8 THE NAUTILUS.

way to explore a city is to get on a street car and ride until you are

told to get off, and then try another line in like manner.

Acting on this principle I hailed an electric car and was soon

hurrying along the streets, up one hill and down another, and then

over level stretches till I arrived at the “ Burnett Woods” park. I

did not need to be told to get off here, for the condition of things

was evident, and this was, without doubt, the best place to spend

the hot hours of mid-day. I was delighted with the place at once.

What grand old trees were there, beeches and oaks and walnuts,

majestic specimens with huge trunks and great spreading limbs.

Strolling across the little hills and valleys which make up the

park, I came at last to a huge excavation where a new street was

being cut out and an old one widened. A gang of prisoners, under

the eye of armed guards, were working there in the hot sun. Some

were shoveling away the loose soil, others were breaking up hard

strata with their picks and bars, while still others were down to bed-

rock, and were drilling holes for blasting.

The rock looked interesting, and I drew near to a cliff which had

been partly carried away, and was delighted to find that the rock

was full of fossils. In some places it was literally made up of shells

and corals, and, so perfectly were they preserved, that you might

trace every mark of sculpture on the shell, and observe its outline

as perfectly as if it had just been brought up alive from the ocean.

Most of the shells were those of brachiopods, a class of mollusks

that now exist but sparingly, though in ancient times they must

have been as thick as the leaves of a forest.

How I longed for increased facilities for transportation on that

July day. I wanted to take away at least a barrel of the fine speci-

mens! They lay all around me, and it almost broke my heart to

leave some fine pieces of stone studded over with those choice relics.

But when I lifted one of those pieces and found that it weighed

many pounds, I was reluctantly compelled to carefully put it down

and content myself with a few fragments that were not too large for

my coat pockets. One of these fragments is before me as I write.

What a story these old relics tell to one who is able to interpret

their language. How many ages have passed away since each pair

of these shells contained a living occupant, a creature without gills,

indeed, but supplied with a pair of feathery arms which it stretched

out and waved in the warm waters of the Silurian sea. When its

little life was over, the shell sank down in the mud and was quickly

filled and covered with the soft ooze.

2 —_

= — ee’

es, *

Re =

THE NAUTILUS. {)

All this took place when the ocean rolled over what is now the

State of Ohio; before there was any coal, long before there were

any Appalachian Mountains, and so long before the creation of

Adam, that the time since the first man seems but a little while in

comparison.

Century after century went slowly by, the land gradually rose,

and the ocean slunk away.

Then came a time when uncouth monsters ranged over the soil ;

then a period of ice and desolation ; then the age of man. But through

all these uncounted millions of years, one little shell was quietly

waiting—waiting a thousand thousand years, until the blast of the

convict gang threw it up to the surface, and the sun shone down

upon it, and a human being rejoiced to find it there. Could it speak,

how it would inquire what had become of the ocean. Simple little

shell, you have had a long sleep, but the world has been awake and

astir all the time.

Perhaps this paper seems little like a conchological report, but,

during the past year, most of my work with shells has been, not with

modern species, but with fossils. JI have been arranging a geologi-

cal cabinet, and have been putting into their places molluscan

species, from the little Zingula cuneata of the Lower Silurian rocks,

down to those species which are now living along the coast.

How important it is for any one who desires to understand the

noble science of geology, to first learn as much as possible of its

handmaid, conchology. ‘The shells of mollusks are the most endur-

ing of fossils. ‘They are the seals impressed upon the stony docu-

ments of the distant past, by which the scholar can tell you, often

in a moment, the age in which those documents were written, and

what of value you will be likely to find therein.

It may not be scientific, but I love to imagine that the mollusks

which secreted these shells are alive once more. I question them

concerning the past, concerning their contemporaries and their sur-

roundings. I open the Devonian drawer of fossils and ask those

revived mollusks to tell me concerning the “Age of Fishes.” The

little Pupa vetusta of the Carboniferous Age tells me a story of its

life in the “ dim watery woodlands” of the Coal Period.

Ammonite and Hippurite discourse concerning the“ Age of Chalk;”

the giant Ostrea details the quiet story of Tertiary times, and,

finally, a little Olivella, such as now sports in the sands of the beach,

tells me how it came to be buried in a little hill that has evidently

been raised from the ocean in comparatively recent times.

10 THE NAUTILUS.

And so the great story of life is narrated; a story so wonderful,

so interesting, so full of suggestion of a great and wise Creator, that

I take up the burden of life once more, encouraged, instructed,

broadened, helped !

THE AnnuAL Reports PRESENT A VARIETY.—As the mem-

bers of the Isaac Lea Chapter are found from Maine to San Diego,

Cal., and while some live on the sea coast, others dwell near lakes

and rivers, while others again reside far from any body of water,

the annual report of work done by each member is varied. Some

members have had years of experience, while others, perhaps, give

us their first years’ experience in collecting and studying molluscan

forms of life; but each report is interesting, and, from month to

month, we hope to give one or two reports of the members of our

Chapter. This month our members will be interested in Professor

Keep’s paper on fossil shells. After reading it, our juvenile mem-

bers will be glad to learn that Professor Agassiz, in his ‘“ Geologi-

cal Sketches,” tells about the Silurian fossils of Cincinnati, Ohio,

and what he says about the fossil beds adds new interest to the re-

port of our President.

University P. O., Los Angeles Co., Cal.

AN UNDESCRIBED MERETRIX FROM FLORIDA.

BY WM. H. DALL.

Meretrix simpsoni n.s.

Shell small, plump, concentrically grooved, but somewhat irregu-

lar in sculpture, smoother toward the beaks; varying in color ex-

ternally from pure white to livid bluish overlaid with streaks or zig- —

zag brown lines, the interior from pure white to deep bluish purple ;

the most common color variety much resembles Sowerby’s figure of

C. hebrea Lam. (Thesaurus, pl. 134, figs. 143-4), but with the pos-

terior end more rounded, the hinge teeth more compressed and

smaller, and with a well-developed pallial sinus reaching to the ver-

tical of the beaks; the lunule is smooth, long-ovate, marked off by

an incised line, but not differentiated by color or otherwise from the

adjacent parts of the shell; the escutcheon is obscure.

THE NAUTILUS. rl

Alt. 15°0; lon. 18°0; long. of post-umbonal part 11:0; diam. 8:0

mm. Habitat from Curacao and St. Thomas, West Indies, to Cedar

Keys, Florida, from low water to 26 fathoms; Chas. T. Simpson

and other collectors, in the U.S. Nat. Museum.

This is probably the species which has been identified by Antil-

lean collectors with Circe (Lioconcha) hebreea (Lam.) Sowerby, but

it is asmaller shell and a true Meretrix, represented by specimens

- from seven localities in the Museum collection and noted in Bull.

37, U.S. N. M., p. 56, No. 285 in 1889.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Unio ELLIPsis AND U. TENUISsImuS.—I have never seen Unio

ellipsis Lea and tenuissimus Lea noted from Grand Rapids, Mich. I

wish to report the finding of 25 specimens of ellipsis and 24 of tenuis-

simus in Grand River, about two miles south of the city ; they were

taken by me last summer.—W. MILER, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Mr. Wm. B. MarsHatt, formerly on the zoological staff of the

N. Y. State Museum, at Albany, is now in Washington as an assist-

ant in the Dept. of Mollusks.

Dr. Wa. H. Datu leaves Washington on the 16th of May to

spend the summer in Alaska in field work.

Messrs. UsetMA C. SmirH AND Roserts LEBourTILLIER, of

Philadelphia, have returned from a naturalizing trip to Jamaica.

GONIOBASIS VIRGINICA Gmel. occurred in considerable numbers

in the stomach of a specimen of the American Golden Eye ( Claucion-

etta clangula americana) from a Philadelphia market, which I ex-

amined March 28.—H. W.Fow ter, Phila.

Mr. Epw. W. Roper, of Revere, Mass., has returned from

Jamaica, where he has spent the winter. Good success in collecting

shells and ferns is reported.

NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Mission SCIENTIFIQUE AU MEXIQUE, etc., Etudes sur les Mollus-

ques Terrestres et Fluviatiles, par MM. P. Fischer and H. Crosse (Vol.

II, pt.7). The present part contains the remainder of the Unionide

ty THE NAUTILUS.

and the Cyrenide (Corbiculide). Like those which have preceded,

the execution of the plates is superb, and the text is prepared with

the attention to detail and accuracy characteristic of its authors.

Many species of Unionide described by Morelet are herein for the

first time illustrated, as well as those of Crosse and Fischer. This

part completes the work, but one more will be issued containing

additions to the fauna, being supplementary to the entire work.

In the Proc. Linn.-Soc. N. S. Wales, VIII, Mr. Charles Hedley

describes a new species of Cecum (C. amputatum) from Sydney

Harbor, Australia, and gives an interesting paper on Gundlachia.

The latter we will reprint in a future number.

ListE SYNONYMIQUE ET BIBLIOGRAPHIQUE DES MOLLUSQUES

Terrestres et Fluviatiles de la Nouvelle Zélande. By Henry Suter,

with preliminary note on the affinities of the New Zealand mollusk

fauna by H. Crosse. The land mollusk fauna of New Zealand has

received much careful study during the past few years, and this cat-

alogue of 86 pages, embodying the results of the studies of Hurron,

SuTeR, HepLEy, Piussry and others, is a complete epitome of

progress to this time. It is prefaced by a note from the experienced

pen of Crosse, contains copious references, and a plate illustrating

some interesting forms. ‘The work is well-done and of great utility.

MonoGRAPH OF THE GENUS StRopHIA, by C. J. Maynard (Con-

trib. to Science II, Nos. 3 and 4). Mr. Maynard prefaces his de-

scriptions by some interesting observations, inter alia, that Strophia

is found in the Bahamas only on islands and keys where palms grow,

and does not occur on any that are not, or have not been inhabited

by man. The descriptions of many new species follow. The care-

ful and exact record of localities for each species and subspecies, is

a most commendable feature of the work. There can be no doubt

that the forms are in many instances extremely local in distribution,

a fact which we owe to Maynard’s researches. The localities given

in former works on the genus are in a large number of cases wholly

untrustworthy. Maynard proposes a new subgenus Multostrop hia,

type S. eximea n. sp., for shells with small Maynardia-like tooth and

very fine striations. Among the figures we notice that that of S.

cinerea (p. 119) has the axial lamella on the outer lip, doubtless an

error of the engraver.

eae NAUTILUS.

VOL. IX. JUNE, 1895. No. 2

PLEURODONTE BAINBRIDGEI AND OTHER JAMAICA SHELLS,

BY EDWARD W. ROPER.

It was the writer’s good fortune, during a recent trip to Jamaica,

to stumble on the metropolis of the large and interesting land shell,

Pleurodonte bainbridgei Pfr.,at Mandeville. The locality, a heavily

wooded hill near the hotel, had been neglected until many hills

more remote were searched, without revealing more than an

occasional dead shell. The numerous low piles of limestone frag-

ments upon the summit were turned over with great success, the

prizes including several white specimens. The common run included

black with splendid purple lip, dark brown with purple or brown

lip, and light brown with lip of the same color. The largest speci-

men was 56 and the smallest only 42 millimetres long. Only two

or three specimens were over 50 millimetres long, and the lot

averaged smaller than those in other collections examined by the

writer. There was no variation in shape, all being low depressed

conical, with finely granulated surface, and all were banded, even

the white shells being encircled with a very fine semi-transparent

line. This does not correspond with the typical white form, var.

pretiosa, which is proportionately much more elevated. The Man-

deville white shells differ only in color from their black and brown

fellows. All variations of color are liable to be found under the

same rock heap, so that environment is not responsible for the col-

14 THE NAUTILUS.

oration. Indeed, it is uncertain which is the type color. The vet-

eran Jamaica conchologist, Mr. Henry Vendryes, believes, with

Bland and others, that pretiosa is the type and the dark shells

varieties. The genuine Bainbridgei is said to have come from

Demerara, but this question of disputed nomenclature the writer

will not attempt to solve. Associated with Pleurodonte bainbridget

at Mandeville were other interesting shells, including Plewrodonte

peracutissima, P. anomala, Stoastoma pisum, the giant of the genus

and the little Guppya epistyliulum.

At Port Antonio, Plewrodonte acuta, in shape near the type,

acutissima Lam., but very black even to the lip, was found associa-

ted with P. valida. A form almost equally black, but with light

lip, was found at Manchioneal. These shells were strikingly differ-

ent from the varieties of P. acuta found in other parts of the island.

Bulimus exilis, a very common West Indian shell, but not pre-

viously reported from Jamaica, was found abundantly at Castleton

not far from the botanical gardens. It was probably imported on

plants.

On the hills at Mandeville, a dagger-leaved plant, which retained

a considerable quantity of rain water in the axils of its large leaves,

was much frequented by Thelidomus aspera. The mollusk was often

found with its body touching the water.

NEW FORMS OF AMERICAN ZONITIDA AND HELICIDE.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.

Omphalina Andrewse n. sp.

Shell allied to O. inornata Say in general characters and size.

Rich chestuut colored above, opaque buff below; the surface bril-

liant, polished. Whorls 43, slightly convex, slowly widening, sep-

arated by moderately impressed, margined suture ; spire small, very

low-convex, its width less than half that of the shell; last whorl

very wide, depressed, rounded at periphery, evenly flattened-con-

vex beneath; convex around the deeply indented umbilical perfora-

tion. Aperture slightly oblique, elliptical-lunate; interior lined

with a heavy white callus which thins out and disappears a few

millimetres from the lip-edge; the latter thin, sharp; columellar

margin concave, expanded in a minute triangle slightly impinging

on umbilicus. Alt. 8, greater diameter 16, lesser 13°2 mm.; width

of spire 7 mm.

= aes oN

THE NAUTILUS. 15

Under plants on the summit of Thunderhead Mountain, (Mrs.

Geo. Andrews, June, 1894.)

With the general aspect of O. inornata, this species is even more

polished, with somewhat rounder aperture and notably narrower

spire. This last difference is very perceptible on comparing the

upper surfaces of the two species. O. andrewse is also in the Acad-

—emy collection from Macon Co., Georgia, collector unknown. The

name must not be coufused with Zonites andrewsi, which is a species

of Gastrodonta, a genus belonging to quite a different division of the

Zonitide. O. rugeli is a more capacious shell with wider spire than

andrews. |

0. Andrewse montivaga n. v.

Like the type in the shining surface, etc., but with five whorls,

chestnut above, slightly paler and subtranslucent below ; last whorl

more widened toward the aperture, more sloping. Aperture quite

oblique, wider and shorter than in andrewse, the upper and basal

margins sub-parallel ; baso-columellar lip very gently curved, not

deeply rounded as in andrewse. Interior without white lining,

having only a narrow white rib within the lip. Alt. 87; diam.,

greater, 17; lesser, 13°5 mm.; width of spire 8°5 mm.

Same locality and collector. The very much straighter basal lip

and lack of white lining differentiate this from preceding species.

Gastrodonta (Pseudohyalina) patuloides n. sp.

Shell about the size and form of Pyramidula striatella Anth.; |

light green, hardly transparent; irregularly but closely rib-striate

above, below and in the umbilicus, the first 14 whorls smooth.

Whorls 43, slowly increasing, convex, with impressed sutures; last

whorl rather tubular, rounded at periphery and below; aperture

about the size of umbilicus, round-lunate, flattened above, lip sim-

ple, the upper margin flattened down and arched forward, as in Sele-

nites or Gastrodonta elliotti; retracted at insertion. Umbilicus large,

showing all the whorls very plainly. Alt. 2°5, diam. 5:1 mm.;

aperture, alt. and width about 1°8 mm.

Thunderhead Mountain, under bark of a rotten log with P. alter-

nata (ribbed), P. perspectiva, Gastrodonta elliotti, ete. (Mrs. George

Andrews, June, 1894).

Two adult specimens collected. It is much smaller than G. elli-

ott. Redf., with far larger, open umbilicus and heavier sculpture,

recalling a Pyramidula.

16 THE NAUTILUS.

Polygyra (Stenotrema) stenotrema depilata n. v.

Globose-conie, the spire much elevated ; surface completely lacking

hairs or their scars, showing sparse oblique short wrinkles above

(hardly seen without a high power lens), the base with the luster of

silk, or like the bloom on a grape, and showing indistinct spiral

sculpture. Parietal tooth smaller than in the type, further from the

basal lip, and not connected by a raised callus with the upper ter-

mination of the lip. Notch of basal lip rather shallow and wide.

Alt. 8, diam. 10 mm.

Thunderhead Mountain (Mrs. Andrews), with typical P. steno-

trema of the usual depressed-globose and hirsute form.

A NEW VARIETY OF OCINEBRA CIRCUMTEXTA STEARNS,

BY R. E. C. STEARNS.

A very pretty variety of Ocinebra cireumtexta has recently been

detected on the coast of Los Angeles County, by some of the local

collectors. It is of a pale orange color; the bands, which in the

typical form are dark, sometimes almost black, in the variety here-

in described are of a deeper orange. I have named it var. aurantia.

It is noteworthy, the prevalence of the orange hue, pale or dark,

in many of the species of Ocinebra of the west coast.

This color is frequently met with in various shades in Purpura

crispata of the Puget Sound and Alaska region.

Los Angeles, Cal., May 10, 1895.

NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF VALLONIA.'

BY DR. V. STERKI.

Private inquiries and publications appear to make it desirable to

give a few notes on our Vallonia, in this place. As far as known,

at present, there are the following species in North America:

Group of V. pulchella. Not ribbed; peristome with strong lip.

1. V. pulchella Mull. (=V. minuta Say), North America, east of

the Rocky Mountains; west of them at least scarce. All Europe,

and adjoining parts of Asia and Africa.

2. V. excentrica Sterki. Northeastern North America from

Maine and Quebec to Washington, D.C. All Europe. It is con-

stantly distinct from V. pulchel/a, and, when once known, can not

1 Conf. Observations on Vallonia, in Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc., Phila., 1893, p. 234.

ee ee

THE NAUTILUS. 17

be mistaken. Generally smaller; somewhat elongate in outline,

and so is the umbilicus; the spire is smaller, lower, and the suture

less deep; the peristome is not everted, as in pulehella, but only

- slightly expanded.

Group of V. costata. Ribbed; peristome with strong lip.

3. V. costata Mull. Eastern North America to the Mississippi

Valley, but less common than pulchella, though numerous in some

localities. :

4. V.albula Sterki. Quebec, Manitoba to British Columbia.

Larger than costata (2°7-2°8 mill.), whitish, with fine, crowded,

membranous ribs; quite unlike any costata from Europe or North

America. Also jaw and radula show differences, and so it was to be

regarded as distinct, the more so as it has been found in company

with costata at Quebec.

5. V. gracilicosta Reinh. Utah to Dakota. Differs from costata

by the stronger and more oblique ribs on the shell, and small or no

membranous appendages on them; the Jast whorl and the aperture

are more angular at the periphery, and more flattened above; the

color is grayish, and the lip porcelain white, while in costata it is

somewhat glassy transparent.

6. V. parvula Sterki. Illinoisto Nebraska and Indian Territory.

Smaller than costata (diam. 2 mill.), the spire flat, the last whorl not

descending.

Group of V. cyclophoreila. Peristome without a lip.

7. V. cyclophorella Ancey. Rocky Mountains. Ribs very fine

and crowded ; shell thin, grayish or whitish ; last whorl ascending

and descending; aperture transversely elongate; peristome thin,

without a lip; diam. 2°7 mill.

8. V. perspectiva Sterki. Appalachian Mountains, in Tennessee

and Alabama; also in Iowa. Membranous ribs rather fine and

crowded ; spire low; last whorl descending; peristome continuous

without a lip; shell thin, pale horn to colorless ; diam. 2°0 mill.

ON THE GENERIC POSITION OF PATULASTRA? [PUNCTUM ?] PUGETEN-

SIS AND PYRAMIDULA? RANDOLPHII, WITH S'GGESTIONS

FOR A CLASSIFICATION OF AMERICAN ZONITIDE.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.!

Specimens of the two species named above preserved in alcohol

by Mr. Randolph, of Seattle, Washington, and kindly forwarded

1 These species were described in NAUTILUs for March, 1895, p. 130.

18 THE NAUTILUS.

to the writer by Dr. Wm. H. Dall, have furnished preparations of

the teeth enabling us to fix the the generic positions of these inter-.

esting little species. P. pugetensis proves to be a Zonitid, with the

dentition much like that of Pseudohyalina minuscula and milium,

perfect laterals 4, as in minuscula, while miliwn has 2 or 3. The

jaw, imperfect in my preparation, looks like that of minuscula.

P. randolphii has the characteristic dentition of Punctum, and

with pygmeum (vy. minutissimum) and conspectum it makes three

species of this genus for America. There are two in Europe, pyq-

meum Drap. and massoti Bet., and one in Africa, eryophilum Mar-

tens. Some other minute Patuloids will doubtless prove to belong

to Punctum when their dentition is examined. P. randolphii has a

narrower umbilicus than our other species.

So ambiguous are the shell characters of these genera of small

Zonitide and Endodontide that, as the event has proved, Dall was

fully justified in the liberal use of question-marks in his provisional

generic references. The moment -their soft parts come under the

microscope, broad distinctions between the groups appear, leaving

no uncertainty as to the limits of the genera and families. The

difficulty is to get the animals of ves liliputian races alive or suit-

ably preserved for dissection.

The classification of the numerous groups and genera of Zonitide

is still in an embryw condition. The forms with well-developed

spiral shell inhabiting North America fall into groups as follows:

a. 9 System bearing a long dart-sack surmounted by one or more

coronal glands, and usually containing a slender, curved

dart. Subfamily ARIOPHANTIN & Pils.

b. Caudal mucus pore present; shell without opaque color-

markings, Genus GASTRODONTA.

ce. Shell with internal teeth or a layer of callus on the floor

of last whorl, s.-g. Gastrodonta.

ce. No internal teeth or callus. | |

d. Surface polished, s.-g. Zonitoides.

dd. Surface conspicuously striate or costulate,

sg. Pseudohyalina.

bb. No caudal pore; shell with streak, band or flame markings,

Genus PascILozonireEs.

aa. 9 System lacking dart-sack, ¢te.

Subfamily ZONITIN & Pils-

THE NAUTILUS. 19

b. No noticeable shell-lobes developed ; mucus pore present.

ce. Shell small, depressed and glassy; lower part of vas

deferens not enlarged, Genus VITREA.

ec. Shell larger, smoky ; lower part of vas deferens greatly

enlarged, Genus OMPHALINA.

ece. Shell smoky, Vitrina-like ; vas deferens not enlarged,

Genus VITRINIZONITES.

bb. Right shell-lobe developed ; no caudal pore,

Genus VITRINA.

The positions of the genera Pristiloma and Conulus cannot be

decided until their genitalia are investigated. The latter may

prove to belong with Microcystis and Guppya in asub-family Micro-

cystine, characterized by obsolescence of the sessile spermatheca.

The Ariophantine are well represented in the Orient by Ariophanta,

Xesta and other genera. The Zonitine by Zonites (restricted),

Rhysota, Trochomorpha, etc. Although the grooves above the foot-

edges are present in all Zonitide, the tail pore is absent in various

members of each prime division, such as the genera Pecilozonites,

Trochomorpha, etc. The greatest defect in our knowledge of Ameri-

can forms is in respect to the Zonitoides and Vitrea groups, the

shells of which offer no diagnostic genera features ; and the nomen-

clature cannot be settled until the presence or absence of a dart-

sack is ascertained in all the small species. The animals should be

drowned, as ordinary alcoholic specimens of these minute forms are

almost impossible to manipulate.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz

Association by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

The outlook for the Isaac Lea Chapter for this year is very en-

couraging ; new members are coming in, and all our members are

enthusiastic in regard to the possibilities of the Chapter. With THe

NavtTILus as our official organ, we hope for a brilliant future for

the Chapter. This little corner of Tare Nautiuus will always con-

tain articles from the pen of beginners, as well as from those of more

advanced students of conchology.

A DAY ON THE SPOON RIVER IN ILLINOIS.

Report of Dr. W.S. Strode, Lewistown, Ill. From the Transactions of the Isaac

Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Association for 1894.

Owing to sciatic rheumatism, the writer, during the past summer

and fall, has been unable to do much active work in the collecting

20 THE NAUTILUS.

field. But one trip was made to the Illinois River, and, unfortun-

ately, the stream was on a “ high,” and the conditions unfavorable

for collecting. Excepting the dredging up of some fine Pleurocera

lewis Lea, nothing of interest was obtained.

However, a trip was made to Spoon River at Bernadotte, twelve

miles from Lewistown, on October 20, which was more fortunate.

The river was at a low stage, and everything favorable for collect-

ing. My partner was Dr. J. M. Maguire, whose hobby was not

shells, but birds. Yet, as is the case with all lovers of nature, when

once within the pale of her magic influence, all her animate crea-

tures met a responsive thrill in the kindly heart of the good doctor,

and I found in him an enthusiastic and efficient helper in my search

for molluscan treasures.

Procuring a boat we pulled up the river to Island No. 1, five

miles from the village. There at the limit of back water from the

mill-dam, we expected to find some shells; nor were we disappointed,

for in the shallow water above and below this island, and on the

banks under clumps of willows where they were carried by the

minks and muskrats, we obtained quite a number of the following

Unios: capax Green, coccineus Hild., cornutus Bar., ebenus Lea,

elegans Lea, lachrymosus Lea, luteolus Lam., levissimus Lea, occt-

dens Lea, parvus Bar., pustulatus Lea, pustulosus Lea, rubiginosus

Lea, trigonus Lea, Margaritana complanata Barnes, Anodonta

inbecilis Say, decora Lea, edentula Say.

Landing on this little island, which covers only about one acre of

ground, we ate our lunch, and the doctor collected two or three each

ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets, that were busily seeking

a dinner in the willows, and we then turned our boat’s head down

stream on our return voyage to the village. Every half mile or so

we would come upon a flock of the beautiful moon ducks or dab-

chicks, and, in the trees along the banks, were many red squirrels,

and when one was particularly saucy, the crack of the doctor’s gun

would fetch him tumbling into the river. When the village was

reached, we determined to try our luck in the shallow water along

the rocky banks a half mile or so below the mill-dam.

The water-gates of the mills had just been shut down, and this

would give us six inches less water to work in than when they were

open. We soon descried an unexpected advantage from this fact.

A half mile down the river, just above a place called the “ deep

hole,’ we found a large number of Unio donaciformis Lea and

Pleurocera elevatum Say. In thirty minutes we picked up 200 of

yi ee ea? 6. be ae ES | -- Ee ONT

THE NAUTILUS. 21

the little Unios, and over a pint of the univalves. They were evi-

dently making their way up stream, excited to do so by the strong

millrace current. Many of them were busily working their shells

out of sight in the coarse sand, and if we had been an hour or so

later, perhaps none would have been visible.

Having collected all we desired of these two species, we went be-

low the deep hole, and, in water from one to two feet deep, collected

all we cared to haul home of the following species :

Unio alatus Say. <A few.

Unio anodontoides Lea. Very plentiful and fine, ranging in size

from full grown ones seven inches long to the very small young ones

an inch in length; and both varieties, the plain brown colored and

the beautifully rayed ones.

Unio occidens Lea. Some very good ones.

Unio gibbosus Barnes. Only a few found, along with its cousin,

the anodontoides, and U. rectus Lamarck, a half-dozen.

U. gracilis Barnes. Quite plentiful.

U. lachrymosus Lea. Some nicely marked ones.

U. ligamentinus Lam. More numerous than any other mussel in

this locality. Specimens 5 to 7 inches long, were nicely rayed and

but little eroded on the beaks.

Unio multiplicatus Lea. Four or five of the gigantic ones, 7 to 82

inches long and a foot in circumference.

U. plicatus Lesueur. Plentiful, and all sizes.

U. tuberculatus Barnes. Plentiful, and all sizes, from 7 inches

down.

Margaritana rugosa Barnes. <A few adults found.

M. complanata Bar. Very plentiful and very fine, all sizes, from

the beautifully-rayed young specimens, to the full sized adults pecu-

liar to this river. One lying before me as I write, is 83 inches long

and thirteen inches in circumference.

This water was too swift and the bed of the river too rocky for the

Anodons, and only a few edentula Say and grandis Say were found.

Having loaded our boat with only the finest ones, and as many as

we could get in our buggy, we pulled back up to the town, loaded

up and departed for home, well satisfied with our day’s outing.

A Visit To A VESSEL THAT WAS LOADED wiTH SHELLS.—This

winter I was much interested in a vessel which came into the port

of Boston loaded with nothing but shells. I obtained a beautiful

specimen of Spondylus, pink with white spines, and I can find noth-

22 THE NAUTILUS.

ing like it in the museums here nor near Boston. Also a specimen

of Oliva, beautifully marked. I visited the vessel three or four

times, and was kindly allowed to visit the hold of the vessel, which

had to be entered on hands and knees. Tellinas, Conus, Myas and

other shells by heaps and bushels was a sight to behold and never

forget. ,

I have taken great interest in the Isaac Lea Conchological

Chapter, and have obtained much assistance in my work through

it, and by coming in communication with the other members of it.

—Extract from the Transactions of the I. L. C. C., for 1894, by Mrs.

T. E. Ruggles, Milton, Mass.

NEW PUBLICATIONS.

A MownoGraPpi OF THE LAND AND FRESHWATER MOLLUSCA OF ©

THE BritisH Isues. By John W. Taylor, F. L.S.—We have in-

dicated the scope of this long-expevted work in a former issue (Dee,

1894, p. 96). The first part is now before us, and well sustains the

expectations excited by the prospectus, the fact that Mr. Taylor has

been devoting the study of years to the subject, and by the knowledge

that a number of excellent observers were co-operating with the

work, and most of the members of the Conchological Society -of

Great Britain have contributed data for its pages.

An Anisopleurous Pulmonate Gastropod, Helix aspersa v. zonata Mog.

The present fascicle of 64 pages treats of necessary elementary

facts of the science of conchology ; the broader principles of classifi-

cation ; primary divisions of Mollusca; of nomenclature, synonyms,

etc. The shell, its composition, structure and forms are then con-

sidered, and here are defined the terms used in technical descrip-

tions of mollusks, “ turreted,” “ fusiform,” “ depressed,” “turbinated”

and so on, each explained briefly and illustrated by a figure in the

text. This is an extremely valuable feature, for it makes perfectly

clear to the beginner in conchology the whole jargon of descriptive

terms, and, by a well-chosen illustration, fixes it in the mind.

THE NAUTILUS. 23

A reniform Bivalve, Unio nargaritifer v. sinuata Lam.

The parts of the shell and their names are similarly depicted.

Section through the shell

of Clausilia laminata

(Mont.) x 2, showing the

nearly straight columella.

Pyriform univalve, Clau-

silia laminata (Mont.).

The questions of species and varieties are

then discussed at length. The definition of

“species” is good; but that of “ variety ”

seems to us to beg the question entirely.

Thus, in one paragraph, a variety is said to

be an incipient species ; in another, “ varie-

ties may be individual, that is, occurring

only in a more or less isolated and sporadic

way, or they may be a sexual character,”

etc. American naturalists, at least, do not

regard such deviations as this as “varieties,”

but use that term for what Mr. Taylor calls

“a sub-species, geographic variety or race.”

We believe that sexual and “random”

variations should have no place in specific

nomenclature. It is also unfortunate that

Mr. Taylor (in common with Mme. Paulucci and others) uses the

term “ mutation ” to express a slighter modification than “ variety,”

as it has a very different significance in paleoftology, expressing

the successive stages of a specific form, or genetically related series

of specific forms, in successive formations.

In treating of the causes of form-modification in shells, Mr. Tay-

lor states that fluviatile species tend to develop a lengthened shell

under the influence of a steady and rapid current, and short forms

of otherwise elongated species in lakes and other large bodies of

water.

24 THE NAUTILUS,

Excellent illustrations are scattered freely throughout the text,

illustrating at every point the statements made or the peculiarity

mentioned ; and this is a new departure in conchological treatises

3 =~ or-8,

An Equivalve, Inequilateral Pelecypod Unio pictorum (L.). a. s. anal or

excurrent siphon; br. s. branchial or incurrent siphon; f. foot.

which can hardly be too warmly commended. The illustrations

herewith shown are examples, and in beauty and fidelity to nature

they speak for themselves. One would be critical indeed to ask for

anything better than the figure of Unio margaritifer or Planorbis

corneus. Thespecies will be illustrated with colored plates, of which

one accompanies this part. It is a really superb piece of color-

printing. 3

\, FY j

Vertigo antivertigo Planorbis corneus vy. albina Helix nemoralis

(Drap.). Mog. L.

Malacologists will look with interest for the succeeding parts; for

that before us leads us to hope that Mr. Taylor will break with the

time-honored but woefully antiquated system of generic and family

classification of former English manuals of land and fresh-water

mollusks, and adopt a nomenclature and classification abreast of

the science. The work will doubiless prove of great utility to those

interested in British malacology, especially on account of the ex-

haustive treatment of variation and distribution contemplated ; and

the features noted above will, moreover, render it useful to conchol-

ogists generally.

me 1 HE NAUTILUS.

VOL. IX. JULY, 1895. No. 3

A REMARKABLE MONSTROSITY OF FULGUR CANALICULATUM.

i Fulgur canaliculatum is one of the most conspicuous Gastropods

of our coasts from Long Island to the Chesapeake. It occurs less

abundantly as far south as Florida (east coast) and northward to

Cape Cod.

ES EP SES Ae Soe a na oe SY

Fic. 1. F. canaliculatum, deformed.

In the Tertiary series, F. canaliculatum appears in the Pliocene of

North and South Carolina (Wacamaw and Croatan beds) ; and pass-

26 THE NAUTILUS.

ing downward, we find in Fulgur coronatum var. rugosum Conrad,

from the Miocene of St. Mary’s, Md., its probable ancestor.

F. canaliculatum exhibits but little variation in the recent fauna,

except in point of size, southern specimens becoming much smaller.

Thus, at St. Augustine, Florida, the largest shells found are not

over half the dimensions of the largest from the New Jersey coast.

The typical form of this species is shown in fig. 2. Mr. James A.

Harkins, of Atlantic City,

has called our attention to

a remarkabledeformed

specimen, which he found

at that locality, illustrated

in fig. 1. Itis an adult of

average size, in which the

basal canal is twisted to

the left at a right angle to

the axis of the shell. The

growth-lines are every-

where unbroken, no evi-

dence of an early fracture

being visible, either outside

or within the aperture.

There is an abnormal lump

or callus upon the upper

part of the columella, prob-

ably deposited to fill some

space left by the altered

position of the soft parts

in the cavity.

It is difficult to say how

a monster of this sort was

produced. The unbroken

sweep of the growth-strize

Fic, 2. Fulgur canaliculatum Say. from body-whorl upon the

canal indicates that the present canal was formed entirely after the

abnormal condition set in, and is not a case of shell fracture and

subsequent “ patching” of the pieces, such as is often found. It is

probable that the columellar side of the canal in the half-grown

individual was injured, both soft and hard parts being affected ; the

mantle lining of the outer lip and base of canal being unhurt.

eS ee ee a

THE NAUTILUS. 27

The specimen has been presented by Mr. Harkins to the collec-

tion of the American Association of Conchologists.

C. W. J. & H. A. P.

DESCRIPTION OF A NEW VITREA FROM PUGET SOUND.

BY W. Hea.

Vitrea Johnsoni n. s.

Shell small, pale waxen-white or translucent, of three and a half

whorls, rather rapidly enlarging, smooth except for delicate radial

lines of growth which are occasionally visible; suture distinct,

slightly impressed ; spire hardly elevated but not flattened ; periphery

rounded, base convex, imperforate, the pillar lip strongly reflected

close to the axis; aperture semilunar, sharp edged, the peristome

hardly flexuous, the upper edge a little in advance of the lower;

resting stages indicated internally by one or two narrow whitish

streaks where the shell is slightly thickened, but which do not pro-

ject internally. Height of shell 1, major diam. 2, mif™r diam.

15 mm. ;

This differs from V. indentata by the absence of the impressed radial

grooves and by its much smaller size for the same number of whorls;

from V. subrupicola Dall by its more rapidly enlarging last whorl

and more ample aperture in specimens of the same size. The latter

species has one whorl less in the same diameter, and attains, when

fully developed, a much larger size, besides having a peculiarly flat-

tened appearance both above and below.

V. Johnsoni was named in honor of Prof. O. B. Johnson who has

done so much to promote interest in the mollusk fauna of the Puget

Sound region. It was collected under chips with Vitrea pugetensis

near Seattle by Mr. P. B. Randolph.

It may be mentioned that the original types of V. subrupicola

were collected at Clinton’s Cave, Utah, by Dr. Packard; while

much larger specimens, though with the same number of whorls,

were collected later at Cave City, Calaveras Co., California, by

Hemphill. After careful study I have found no characters except

size to separate these from the Utah specimens, but in view of this

difference the former may take the varietal name of spelea. Neither

form can be confounded with V. indentata by any one who critically

compares good specimens. A specimen of V. subrupicola with four

28 THE NAUTILUS.

whorls has a major diameter of 2°7 mm.; one of the variety, with

exactly the same number of whorls; measures 4:0 mm., and my

largest specimen 5°5 mm.

HELICES IN ILLINOIS.

BY W. S. STRODE.

In the Spoon river region of central Illinois, Polygyra multilineata

is probably the most numerous of all the Helices. In the heavily

wooded districts bordering the banks of the stream, where rotten

logs, decaying leaves and vegetation are in the greatest abundance,

they attain the largest size. Further back near the bluffs they are

much smaller, not being more than one-half the size of those found

near the river’s bank. ‘This difference which is due probably to

environment, has given rise to the so-called multilineata major and

minor. Not long since while driving across the bottom a mile from

the river, I noticed many snails in the wagon track and crawling

across the road. Just on my left was a tract of swamp prairie land

containing several acres. The previous season this had grown up

with tall prairie grass two or three feet in height, but a day or two

before it had burned over. Going over to it I found the ground

thickly strewn with multilineata which the fire had killed. Wher-

ever a bit of grass, log or rail had escaped the fire, live ones could

be picked up by the handful. It was the most extensive snailery

I had ever seen. Thousands of them dead and alive, but not an

albolabris nor a profunda nor a Hela of any kind except the multi-

lineata; and in coloration from those that were almost albinos to

the rubra with scores of lines, and all were the minor variety.

Pyramidula alternata is the next species in relative abundance.

Taking both upland and lowland it probably will outrank the mui-

tilineata. Then comes the appressa, which in some localities is quite

abundant. PP. hirsuta, profunda, mitchelliana and albolabris will

rank in the order in which I have placed them. On the overflow

land of the Illinois River a snail is rarely tobe found. Further back

near the foot-hills and on the margins of creeks tributary to this

stream, they are quite common and fine. In these localities are to

be found a few Polygyra elevata Say, quite rare in the Spoon River

region.

THE NAUTILUS. 29

DR. JOHN A. RYDER.

Dr. John Adam Ryder, Professor of Comparative Embryology at

the University of Pennsylvania, and one of the most eminent em-

bryologists and histologists in the world, died at his residence in

Philadelphia, March 26, after a short illness, at the age of 43 years.

The immediate cause of his demise was a complication of nervous

troubles, which brought on gastric symptoms. Dr. Ryder was a

very hard student, and his death was doubtless caused largely by

over study.

JOHN A. RYDER, PH. D.

Dr. Ryder was born near Loudon, Franklin County, Pennsy]-

vania, in 1852. He received a common school education and en-

tered an academy, where his educational course was interrupted by

financial reverses to his father. He then adopted his life work

30 THE NAUTILUS.

teaching, and entered as a Jessup scholar, under an endowment held

by the Academy of Natural Sciences of this city. He speedily

showed great interest in scientific study and pursuit, and immedi-

ately began original research which has made him prominent in

scientific circles. His mind was stored with a vast accumulation of

facts which he so aptly used afterwards in illustrating his lectures.

Early in life he began the publication of those original investiga-

tions that soon stamped him as one of America’s foremost biologists.

Later he was called, by the late Professor Spencer F. Baird, to the

position of Embryologist to the United States Fish Commission.

The succeeding years, up till 1886, were spent in investigating

the development, habits and breeding grounds of the oyster, stur-

geon and other fishes, and in elaborate investigations bearing on

these. His published papers on the oyster number about fifteen,

and contain suggestions whose economic value is only now beginning

to be recognized. His works and papers on the sturgeons and on

propagation of the salmon are the most exhaustive upon these par-

ticular lines of study extant. These have been published in the

bulletins of the United States Fish Commission, and have attracted

the attention of American and Kuropean scientists. By means

of Professor Ryder’s method, the great fresh water lakes are now

annually stocked with many thousand young sturgeon.

Dr. Ryder, four years ago, made an extended investigation of

oyster culture at Sea Isle City, and the results of these studies are

expected to revolutionize oyster culture.

He proved that oysters could be cultivated by artificial methods

by starting with the egg, and, under conditions which can be con-

trolled, and within a prescribed area and cost, that oysters could be

raised by persons possessing the proper knowledge. He also wrote

extensively upon the development of cetaceans and other mammals,

and the thoughts and ideas advanced by him and the line of inves-

tigation opened up have been seized with avidity by scientists.

In 1886, he was invited to take the Professorship of Comparative

Embryvlogy at the University of Pennsylvania, and thereafter,

although actively engaged in undergraduate and graduate teaching,

he still was busy with his pen. The Proceedings of the Academy of

Natural Sciences, of the American Philosophical Society, the Ameri-

can Naturalist, as well as the most prominent of European journals,

were enriched by his contributions. Dr. Ryder was a strenuous

opponent of the Weissmanian school of biological thought, believing,

‘

THE NAUTILUS. 31

as he did, that all phenomena of living organisms could be explained

by the laws of mechanics. He was one of the foremost of mechanical

evolutionists.

His chief writings and papers embrace “ ‘The Inheritance of Mod-

ifications Due to Disturbances of the Early Stages of Development,

Especially to the Japanese Domesticated Races of Golden Carp ;”

“Dynamics in Evolution ;” “ ‘The Mechanical Genesis of the Form

of the Fowl’s Egg ;” “A Physiological Hypothesis of Heredity and

Variation ;” “ The Origin of Sex Through Cumulative Integration,

and the Relation of Sexuality to the Genesis of Species ;”’ “ On the

Mechanical Genesis of the Scales of Fishes ;” “ The Sturgeons and

Sturgeon Industries of the Eastern Coast of the United States, ete. ;”

“The Development of the Common Sturgeon ;” “ Evolution of the

Specialized Vertebral Axes of the Higher Types;” “A Physiologi-

eal Theory of the Calcification of the Skeleton,” and ‘“ The Origin

and Meaning of Sex.”

Dr. McFarlane, speaking of Dr. Ryder, said: ‘“ He was, undoubt-

edly, one of the three greatest embryologists. His true worth was

not known by the public, but the scientists with whom he was asso-

ciated readily appreciated his great genius. His relations with his

friends, colleagues and students were marked by a simplicity, earn-

estness and straightforwardness of purpose that endeared him to all.

He enjoyed a profound reputation in Europe, and the news of his

death will call forth the deepest sympathy from friends of science

everywhere.”

DR. W. S. W. RUSCHENBERGER.

~ Dr. William 8. W. Ruschenberger, the eminent naval surgeon

and scientist, died March 29, at his home, 1932 Chestnut Street,

Philadelphia, in his 88th year.

Dr. Ruschenberger was one of the most widely known members

of his profession in this country. He was born in Cumberland

County, New Jersey, September 4, 1807. After receiving an

academic education in Phisadelphia and New York schools, he en-

tered the medical service of the United States Navy as a surgeon’s

mate, August 10, 1826.

He was commissioned a surgeon in the navy April 4, 1831, and

from 1835 to 1837 was Fleet Surgeon to the East India Squadron,

with which he cireumnavigated the globe. In 1840-42, Dr. Rusch-

32 THE NAUTILUS.

enberger was attached to the naval rendezvous in Philadelphia.

From 1843, he was Superintendent of the United States Naval Hos-

pital at Brooklyn, and, during his term of service there, organized

the Naval Laboratory, for supplying the service with pure drugs.

He was again Fleet Surgeon of the East India Squadron from 1847

to 1850; Fleet Surgeon of the Pacific Squadron from 1854 to 1857,

and of the Mediterranean Squadron from August, 1860, to July,

1861, having served in the intervals between cruises at Philadelphia.

In 1871, he was commissioned Medical Director on the retired

list, with the relative rank of Commodore.

Dr. Ruschenberger has been best known in Philadelphia, per-

haps, for his scientific labors, and particularly for his efforts in be-

half of the Academy of Natural Sciences, which bestowed on him

the highest honors within its gift.

He was elected Vice-President of the Academy in January, 1869,

and President in December of the same year, serving in the latter

office until 1881, when he was succeeded by Dr. Joseph Leidy. At

the time of his death he was one of the curators, and Director of the

Conchological Section.

Dr. Ruschenberger won considerable reputation by the results of

his scientific observations during his various cruises, which he pub-

lished at different times. Some of his works were: “ Three Years

in the Pacific,’ “A Voyage Round the World,” “Elements of

Natural History,” “ Lexicon of Terms Used in Natural History,”

‘“Notes and Commentaries During a Voyage to Brazil and China.”

Besides these, he wrote “A Notice of the Origin, Progress and Pres-

ent Condition (1852) of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila-

delphia,” and various other pamphlets.

Dr. Ruschenberger’s works on Natural History were among the

first American treatises on this subject, and were largely instrumen-

tal in creating an interest in zoology in this country. One of the

most eminent entomologists in America, in speaking of Dr. Rusch-

enberger, said that he had first learned the orders of insects from

Ruschenberger’s Natural History.

THREE NEW SPECIES OF MACOMA FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO.

BY WILLIAM H. DALL.

Macoma limula, n. s.

Shell small, long and narrow, moderately inflated, anterior end

rounded, longer; the posterior end subrostrate, bent to the right ;

Las

THE NAUTILUS. 33

the pallial sinus deep, reaching more than half way from the verti-

eal of the beaks to the anterior adductor; one bifid cardinal tooth

in the left and two in the right valve, without laterals; ligament

short, strong; exterior with nearly smooth beaks and no radiating

lines, but most of the valve covered with low elevated concentric ir-

regularly broken lines, which are irregularly swollen or granulose

minutely in a longitudinal sense ; color of the shell pale lemon-yel-

low or white, without distinct epidermis. Alt. 6:0, lon. 13°0, poste-

rior end 6:0, diam. 3°5 mm.

Gulf of Mexico west of Florida in 26 fathoms ; off Cape Lookout,

N. Carolina, in 22 fathoms; Barbados in 100 fathoms.

This curious shell is distinguishable from any other American

species by its peculiar surface. It grows twice as large as the meas-

urements given above.

Macoma Mitchelli, n. s.

Shell small, thin, polished, pinkish-white, moderately inflated ;

teeth as in M. limula but more feeble; valves closely resembling

Tellina versicolor Cozzens, but without the lateral teeth, less solid,

the pallial sinus more distant from the anterior adductor, the pos-

terior dorsal slope less arched and not quite so long, the muscular

impressions less impressed and the anterior end somewhat broader ;

in M. mitchelli the surface is mostly smooth, but near the ventral

margin, especially in front, there are impressed, somewhat distant

and inconstant, concentric lines in harmony with the lines of growth

or nearly so. Alt. 8:25, long. 15:0, post. end 6:0, diam. 4:0 mm.

Habitat, Matagorda Bay, Texas, (I. D. Mitchell).

Macoma leptonoidea, n. s.

Shell very thin, high, short, polished, smooth or with fine silky

concentric striule under a thin iridescent epidermis; hinge very

feeble, teeth as in M. limula ; pallial sinus irregular, reaching about

two-thirds the whole length, backward from the front edge of the

valves ; outline of valves leptonoid, the anterior slope longer and

more rounded, the posterior shorter and more direct but not ros-

trate, though there are two obscure ridges radiant backward from

the beaks but not modifying the posterior margin ; the shell is some-

what compressed but not flattened. Alt. 13-0, lon. 16, lon. of post.

end 6:0 diam.6:(0 mm. Matagorda Bay, Texas, (Lloyd.).

This little shell looks curiously likea Lepton. Its outline, though

larger, differs little from that of Lepton longipes Stm. The types of

34 THE NAUTILUS.

the above mentioned species are in the National Museum, being re-

spectively Nos. 95,619, 124,686 and 125,532.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz

Association by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson.

MARINE SHELLS ON THE COAST OF MAINE.

Report of Mrs. EK. P. Wentworth. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Concho-

logical Chapter of the Agassiz Association for 1893.

During the past two years I have been much interested in con-

chology and have devoted my spare hours to collecting and study-

ing mollusks.

I have collected marine shells from the Damariscotta River,

Long Creek, near Portland, Peak’s Island in Casco Bay, and Old

Orchard and Higgin’s Beaches, all these localities being in Maine.

At Peak’s Island the following shells were found in great abund-

ance: Mytilus edulis, Modiola modiolus, Macoma baltica, Mya are-

naria, Saxicava aretica, Buccinum undatum, Nassa obsoleta, Nassa

trivittata, Purpura lapillus, Littorina rudis, L. litorea, L. palliata,

Lacuna vincta, Natica heros, Acmea testudinalis. Occasionally

there would be found hidden in the crevices of the rocks or thrown

upon the beaches, Crepidula fornicata and Anomia uculeata.

The Damariscotta River, some forty or fifty miles east of Port-

land, is somewhat sheltered ; and it contains mollusks which might

once have been plentiful all along the coast of Maine, but which are

now not often found so far north. Among these shells are the

Odostomia bisuturalis Say (if I have made no mistake in the identi-

fication), of which the extreme northern limit is Massachusetts

Bay, according to Bulletin No. 37, U.S. National Museum. Uro-

salpine cinerea is very common in Damariscotta River, and the fol-

lowing shells are also found there: Rissoa minuta, Mya arenaria,

Modiola plicatula, Crepidula conveza, Alexia myosotis, Purpura la-

pillus, Littorina palliata, etc. There are many old shells of Ostrea

virginica and Venus mercenaria buried along the banks of the river

and some of the people who live near by say that within their re-

membrance there were many oysters and quahogs in the river and

ma.

THE NAUTILUS. 35

that they have been killed out by the sawdust from the mills above.

On this river are the celebrated Damariscotta shell heaps composed

almost wholly of oyster shells, and varying in depth from a few feet

to more than sixty feet. Some of the oyster shells from these heaps

are more than a foot in length.

At Old Orchard and Higgin’s Beaches the shells are very differ-

‘ent from those found on Peak’s Island or in the Damariscotta

River. Here are found, on the sand, between high and low water

mark, Cyprina islandica, Tellina tenera, Ensis Americanus, Siliqua

costata, Mactra solidissima, Nassa trivittata (very fine specimens), Ly-

onsia hyalina, Scala greenlandica, Bela harpularia, Periploma ( Coeh-

lodesma) leanum, Modiola modiolus, Mya arenaria, ete. Clinging to

the seaweeds thrown up by the surf, I found Trachydermon ruber,

Anomia glabra, Anomia aculeata. Also found at Higgin’s Beach, a

very fine Petricola pholadiformis.

GENERAL NOTES.

THE collection of Dr. P. P. Carpenter, the well-known authority

on West Coast shells, has been purchased by the Field Columbian

Museum of Chicago.

DispersaL oF Suetis.—In his book on the “ Dispersal of

Shells,’ Mr. Kew mentions floating pumice-stone as a_ possible

means of dispersal as pointed out by Mr. Bates and Sir C. Lyell.

As a slight contribution to dispersal, or possible dispersal, by this

means, I may say that on November 18th last I picked up a piece

of porous blast-furnace slag, about 8x6x2 inches, that contained 17

individuals of Zonites nitidus Mill., radiatulus Alder and arboreus

Say, all hibernating. This slag was lying among drift on the bank

of the Ohio River and the nearest point from which it could have

come is at least 10 miles above the point where it was found. As

the slag is very light and floats high in the water, it would prob-

ably travel a considerable distance before the shells were all drowned

and thus a colony of Z. nitidus, a northern shell, might be started a

considerable distance down the Ohio.—Gero. H. Cuarp, Pittsburgh,

-36 THE NAUTILUS.

Pror. H. E. SARGENT has left Woodville, Ala., to spend the sum-

mer in Clearwater, Minnesota.

ProressoR THomas H. Hux.ey, the most famous of English

biologists, died at 3.35 P. M., June 29, at the age of seventy years.

Dr. W. D. Hartman, of West Chester, is publishing an Illustra-

ted Catalogue of the Mollusks of Chester Co., Pa.,in The Village

Record, West Chester.

PLANORBIS SAMPSONI Ancey, described from Sedalia, Mo., and

hitherto recorded from no other locality, is in the collection of the

Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., from Athens, Illinois, collected by E. Hall.

PLANORBIS CENTERVILLENSIS Tryon.—This very distinct species

seems to be quite widely diffused on the Pacific slope, but most west-

ern collectors call it vermicularis Gld., judging from the labels of

numerous lots before us. It is a small, brown shell, with high

whorls, flat top, concave in the middle, and narrow umbilicus, while

the true vermicularis is a flat, corneous shell, very similar to parvus

or small deflectus, and doubtfully distinct from eastern forms.

Mr. 8. N. Ruoaps has returned from a collecting trip through

Tennessee, from the Mississippi to Roan Mountain. Land shells,

Unionide and Pleuroceratide were found abundant. Io spinosa was

rather scarce in the Tennessee, Nolachucky and Holston Rivers

under boulders in swift water. Vitrinizonites was taken at Roan

Mountain, as well as Polygyra andrewse aud major, with other fine

and local species. Helicina occulta Say also turned up in east Ten-

nessee. Mammals were scarce throughout the State, except at Roan

Mountain.

Mo.uuusks As PURIFIERS OF WaTER.—Charles Hedley, in the

Journal of Malacology, says: “A use, novel to me, of pond snails by

the Chinese silk-growers, is described in an official work which

caught my eye by chance. ‘This waif of malacological information

is so certain to escape recorders that I transcribe the passage: ‘The

water used for reeling silk is taken from mountain streams, as being

the cleanest ; the water from wells is never used, and if mountain

water cannot be had, river water is taken, which is cleaned by put-

ting a pint of live shell-fish to one jar of water. There is a special

kind of shell-fish, called the pure-water shell-fish (probably Vivipara

chinensis Gray), found everywhere in ponds, wells and creeks.

They first of all sink to the bottom of the jar, and then by degrees

make their way up its sides, consuming gradually all impurities in

the water within half a day or so. After the clean water has been

drawn from the jar, the shell-fish are cleansed and put to the same

duty again.’ ”

mee NEUTILUS.

VOL. Ix. AUGUST, 1895. = No. 4

PLEUROCERA SUBULARE IN WATER-MAINS.

BY CHAS. T. SIMPSON.

The U.S. National Museum has recently received from the Han-

nibal Water Co., of Hannibal, Mo. (through Mr. Chas. T. Lewis), a

number of dead shells of Pleurocera subulare Lea, taken from the

mains and pipes of the company in that city.

Mr. Lewis states that they accumulate at the cocks and faucets,

and seriously retard the flow of the water, putting the company to

considerable expense to remove them; also, that none have been

found in their reservoirs or settling-wells, and they have never seen

them in the Mississippi River.

The specimens taken in the company’s pipes are always dead, and

are only found in a space of perhaps 12 to 15 blocks, and not all

the pipes in this area are infested.

‘This species has been found as far west as the White River, Car-

roll Co., Arkansas, and in the Mississippi River at Davenport, from

which localities specimens were obtained that are now in the Na-

tional Museum Collection, though the range of this form is mostly

to the eastward of these localities. It is probable that the eggs or

very young entered the mains through the strainers and took up

their abode in certain favorable localities in the pipes, where food

was brought to them by the currents, or existed in abundance, and

that a more careful search would disclose them in a living state in

the service pipes.

38 THE NAUTILUS.

The existence of mollusks in water pipes is no new thing, though

it is always interesting, and this is the first instance I have heard of

in which any of the Pleuroceridw have such a habitat. M. Locard

found 44 species belonging to 13 genera in the water-mains of Paris,

and that they possessed certain peculiarities, no doubt the result of

their environment. These were a diminution in size and decrease

of coloration on account, perhaps, of the want of light; a more

slender form, as this would make the least resistance to currents and

enable the mollusks to cling more securely to the pipes. The speci-

mens of Plewrocera sent by Mr. Lewis did not specially differ from

those in the Museum Collection from Davenport, but, as the species

had only been noticed at Hannibal a few years, it is probable that

there has not sufficient time elapsed in its new environment to pro-

duce any important changes.

Many other cases of mollusks living in water pipes are known,

notably that of Dreissensia polymorpha, introduced into England

from the Aralo-Caspian region, and it has proven a serious nuisance

in the mains of London, Birmingham and Manchester.

MARINE SHELLS OF PUGET SOUND.

By Mrs. Marie Vrake. From the Transactions of Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter

of the Agassiz Association for 1894.

I have a Glycimeris generosa Gld. which I got from Dr. Pomeroy

of Vashon Is. It weighed 73 lbs. when alive, and was dug from a

depth of three feet. Its length is 73 inches, width 4% inches. Its

longest circumference is 13} inches. It gapes widely at both ends ;

rarely meets when alive. Its edges are covered with a yellowish-

brown epidermis. The pallial sinus, though not very deep, is from

} inch to 2 inch wide. Its distinct concentric grooves or lines are

slightly irregular. ‘The valves of this shell are strongly bulging.

This shell is commonly called “ Goe-duck,” because it is so deep a

burrower. The Indians esteem this shell-fish a great delicacy, and

ornament their houses and yards with the shells. It is highly es-

teemed as an article of food, though quite difficult to obtain; one is

said to furnish food for a whole family. Star-fish are also found by

the hundreds at low tide on the mud flats, and of every hue—bright

scarlet, peacock-blue, sea-green and paler tints.

1 See NAUTILUS, Sept., 1894, p. 59.

iene aS

THE NAUTILUS. 39

I have found three species of Purpura here and many varieties,

but the handsomest one is Purpura erispata Chemn. In my mind,

the finest shell belonging to Puget Sound is this Purpura when

banded orange and white. ‘This shell usually does not see the light

of day. Some persons prefer the deep orange variety. Both live

under the water on the under side of stones or in rocky places, and

are either obtained by dredging or at very low tide. Purpura lac-

tuca Esch. is not found in so deep water, hence its white color ; it is

exposed to the rays of the sun sometimes. About September Ist,

you can notice a great many purpuras closely packed together,

clinging to rocks laying their eggs, which are in little capsules and

resemble yellow oats stuck on end thickly over parts of the rock.

Each capsule contains three or four dozen eggs, which require about

four months to hatch, if they are not doomed before by some star-

fish hungry for an egg dinner. You can find a few egg cases almost

any time of the year, but most of the eggs are laid during the

months of August and September. Purpura lives on mussels, limpets

and barnacles, or, if food gets scarce, it will eat dead fish. But the

Purpura are not always victorious, for, when a crab wants a “ pur-

ple tea,” he shows no mercy to the destroyer of other homes, but

inserts his strong claws under the operculum of the Purpura and

digs him out and devours him.

One June morning, at Point Defiance, I saw three Calliostoma

costatum eating a sea-weed breakfast. They looked so dainty and

seemed to enjoy the bright sunshine so thoroughly, that it was with

some regret that I placed them in my basket.

One of my friends dug up a fine Priene oregonensis Redf. It was

five inches long and covered with a heavy dark brown epidermis.

When the epidermis is removed, the shell is white. It has a strong

epidermis. I have found a few specimens of Bittiwm filosum Gld.,

under stones at low tide, and several Margarita pupilla. robin

dorsata Brod. I have found by the hundreds growing on the shells,

especially upon Placunanomia macroschisma Desh. The Littorina

are very plentiful and are large. I have searched for Chrysodomus

dirus Rve., but have seen no traces of it. Perhaps it is found only

on the ocean beach, and does not care for the Sound.

Modiola modiolus L. (Modiolus capax Conr.?) grows to an enor-

mous size in the vicinity of Puget Sound. My husband brought me

several from Henderson Bay; the smallest measured 7 inches in

length, the largest 9 inches, and was 4 inches in diameter. These

40 THE NAUTILUS.

he found growing in the mud, standing perpendicular, only about an

inch being visible at very low tide. They are heavily bearded near

the edge, partially covered with a light brown epidermis (which is

several shades lighter than the epidermis of this same species which

grows in the south), and considerably eroded near the unbones. A1l

the shells living in the mud here are somewhat eroded. These mon-

sters have an uncanny look; they are hermits when they grow old,

do not live in clumps or groups as they do when young, or as My-

tilus edulis does. Often I have seen a solitary M. modiolus upon a

pile or log, which was entirely covered with M. edulis. They grow

from +s inch to 8 inches in a single year. It takes muscle to re-

move one of the huge creatures from a rock or pile when it has

fastened itself with brown byssal threads, which it spins with its

huge tongue-like foot, from a sticky secretion formed at the base of

the foot. They are said to live six hundred feet deep down in the

ocean. Pupuras are death on mussels.

Placunamomia macroschisma Desh. is found here in great num-

bers. They live upon the under side of rocks which lie wholly in or

part in water. A chisel is necessary to separate them from the

rock, and even with this the pear-shaped byssal plug is rarely ob-

tained entire. The interior of the upper valve is of a lovely sea-

green and nacreous. The edges of the valves are thin and crumble

at the least touch, which renders them difficult to clean and send

away. If they grow upon other shells they are not so easily broken,

but are much stronger. I have a fine specimen which I found

growing in an old shell of Cardium corbis Mart. I obtained the

byssal plug and both valves entire. The shells sometimes grow

upon each other; when thus found, a perfect specimen is more read-

ily obtained than from a rock. These shells are often mistaken for

an oyster, especially by those unlearned in shell lore; they do re-

semble the variety known as O. expansa, though they are much

larger and have the byssal opening and plug, which the oyster does

not have. These bivalves are much handsomer than their southern

cousins Anomia lampe. 'The animal is a bright orange, and is quite

beautiful. To be prepared for the cabinet they are dipped in very

hot water and the animal removed with a tiny steel chisel prepared

for the purpose, then gently closed. This shell requires careful

handling.

I saw a Lunatia lewisii Gld. eating a Cardium corbis very much

larger than itself. I stopped this predatory proceeding, took both

THE NAUTILUS. 41

home in my basket, and, after cremating the bodies, placed both

shells in my cabinet. Both these shells are abundant on the Sound,

and are easily obtained by digging in the sand and mud. The

Macoma family thrives here. I have not found M. secta, but M.

nasuta and M. inquinata are prized by the Indians as food, and M.

inconspicua is found by the hundred, the exterior slightly eroded by

the mud in which it dwells, but the inside of the shell is of a bright,

rich, shiny pink; pale yellow and pure white are also found. The

shell is about the size of a finger-nail.

I was surprised to find upon the rocky beach at Brown’s Point a

living specimen of Lyonsia californica Conr. It was moving about

in a pool of water among pebbles and rocks. It seems marvelous

that its thin, delicate little shell could remain uncrushed an instant ;

but it seemed to enjoy life as well here in the rugged, stormy north

as it does in the warmer waters of the “land of sunshine and blue

skies.”

Cardium corbis is more hardy, though, unlike most of our north-

ern shells, it is smaller than its southern cousins CO. quadragenerium

and Liocardium elatum, but it is much more numerous than either

of these species.’

Pecten hastatus Sby. is called by many our “ prettiest shell,” and

with the thousands of little spears (hastatus), toothed edges and deli-

cate coloring, it is indeed a lovely shell. I saw one for the first time

(living) at Point Defiance during the month of April. It was

caught on the top of a rock by becoming entangled by a piece

of sea-weed ; it opened and closed its shell rapidly, making a curi-

ous sound. The orange color of the animal shone and glittered in

the sun. The circulation could be seen and the working of the

heart and other organs. This Pecten is a deep-water species, swims

about freely in the water and moves about at the same angle as a

kite does in the air. It lives among sea-weeds and is found in great

abundance at Fox Island in the spring of the year. The lower

valve is bleached by the sand. It lives in the water and is never

exposed to the rays of the sun, hence the delicacy of the color. This

shell-fish has black eyes, and can tell when a hand or a bird comes

to grasp it. I have seen Amusium caurinum in deep water, but

have never succeeded in capturing one, as it is obtained only by

dredging in very deep water. It is brown outside, white within, and

has 20 ribs, and is not so handsome as P. hastatus.

2 And is also a much heavier shell than the southern Cardium. M. B. W.

49 THE NAUTILUS.

Mya arenaria L. is highly prized here as food, and grows six inches

long. Machera patula Dixon is sold in our markets. Psammobia

rubroradiata Nutt. is more abundant and larger than in the south,

It is found 5 inches long, here, partially covered with dark brown

epidermis. Tapes and Saxidomus are well represented, and, though

not so prettily marked, are very much larger and stronger (coarser)

than those growing in the warmer waters of the south. They are

almost always to be found in the markets.

Zirphea crispata L. was recently described in one of our Tacoma

daily papers by one of our Government surveyors as “a new clam.”

“We have found a new shell unknown to science,” etc. We

were greatly amused, and sent an article to the paper the next day

saying Zirphea crispata (“a new clam”) is found in abundance on

oth sides of the Atlantic, and was named by Linnzus long ago.

Limpets I have found in great abundance and of great size. I

‘have several specimens of Acmea patina Esch. found here in the

“* Narrows,” measuring 2} inches in length and 1? inches across.

Many of this species have bands of translucent tints on their inte-

rior, and are beautifully marked outside.

A. pelta is regularly marked with stripes from the apex, seals § is

often corroded, in adult specimens, to the base. This is a most

pleasing shell; is a sort of hermit, lives alone, often easily obtained ;

strong, not easily broken; often pure white inside, sometimes banded.

I have one with a bright yellow band inside, embossed. Large

specimens measure 13 inches in length, 17 inches wide, 14 inches

high. I have not found A. spectrum Nutt. nor Lottia gigantea Gray,

here. Fine specimens and many variations of A. scabra Nutt. are

abundant. I have found more of A. persona than of any other spe-

cies. At Brown’s point, we find at one spot a variety having a

gray interior with beautiful translucent bands. This is a new var-

iation to me. A. asmi Midd. is found here, and many I have not

been able to classify.

I have one specimen of Fissuridea aspera Esch. 2% inches long,

13 inches wide and nearly 14 inches high.

Limpets are sometimes used for picture frames by setting them

deep in wood and fastening with glue. I saw one valued at fifty

dollars here.

THE NAUTILUS. 43

INDEX TO CONCHOLOGISTS EXCHANGE. j

AN INDEX TO THE ‘‘ CONCHOLOGISTS’ EXCHANGE.”

—

The publication of this magazine was commenced by Mr. Wm.

D. Averill, of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, in July, 1886. The

first number was printed on a postal card. The August number

(No. 2) consists of four pages, without pagination, size 5} x 62

inches. ‘The September number contains six pages, without pagina-

tion. October number contains eight pages, which are numbered,

the first being page 11; the last page (18) is blank. November

number contains six pages. December number, eight pages and

the last page is blank. January and February numbers (1887)

each contain eight pages. March and April (Nos. 9 and 10) were

printed together as a “ double number,” which consists of twelve

pages. The May and June numbers each contain twelve pages and

are a little larger, 53 x 7 inches. Vol. I, complete, contains 84

pages.

Vol. I, Nos. 1 and 2 (July and August, 1887) each contain 16

pages. September number contains 12 pages, and with this num-

ber there was another increase in size to 52? x 73. October and

November numbers each contain 16 pages. December number, 12

pages. January (1888) number, 12 pages, plus a cover (pp. i-iv)

of the same kind of paper. February number contains 8 pages and

a cover (pp. i-iv). March and April were printed together, but as

one number (No. 9); this contains 12 pages and a cover (pp. i-iv)»

and this was the last number published. Vol. II, complete, con-

tains 120 pages, exclusive of cover pages. No index to either vol-

ume was issued. The “ Exchange” contains many new generic or

subgeneric names, with other important changes in nomenclature,

and some new species. ‘The Index herewith given has been ar-

ranged to aid conchologists who have not access to a complete copy

of the original publication. It has been cut into short pages in

order that those who have the Conchologist’s Exchange may bind

this Index with it—H. A. P. & C. W. J.

44 THE NAUTILUS.

il INDEX TO CONCHOLOGISTS’ EXCHANGE.

INDEX TO GENERA AND SPECIES IN THE CONCHOLOGISTS’

EXcHANGE, Vo3s. I anp II.

Amnicola porata, A. limosa, A. cincinnatiensis, A. parva,

Anatina papyracea Say,

Anceyia Pilsbry, n. subg. (Pristina Ancey being preoe-

cupied in Vermes),

Ancylus fuscus Adams; Ancylus paralellus Hald.,

Angasella Ancey, n. subg., ave Helix iia: Pfr. ;

Australia,

Angitrema armigera Say, A. verrucosa Raf,

Angrandiella Ancey, n. subg., type Helix angrandi

Morelet ; Andes of Peru,

Anodonta gibbosa Say and A. couperiana Lea,

Anodonta edentula Say, ;

_ Anodonta ferussaciana Lea,

Anodonta imbecilis Say ; Anodonta grandis Say,

Anodonta plana, A. corpulenta, A. suborbiculata,

Arion subfuscus and Helix hispida var. fusca in York-

shire, : :

Atlantica Anecey, n. subg. , type Helix semiplicata Pfr. ;

Madeira, .

Averellia Ancey, n. subg. ,—Ceelospira Ancey non ‘Hall,

Bathyaxis, Ancey, n. subg., type Celiaxis Layardi Ad.

& Angas; Cape Colony,

Bermudia, Ancey, n. subg., type Helix Burmudensis

Pfr.; Bermuda, :

Bertia, Ancey, n . subg., type Nanina cambodjiensis

Reeve ; Indo-China, :

Brazieri, Ancey, n. subg., type Helix velata Hombron

et Jacq ; Caroline Isls., A

Bulimini found in Central Asia,

Burtonia Bourg.,

Bythinia tentaculata Linné,

Bythinella obtusa Lea,

Calostropha, Ancey, n. subg., type Helix oust sl

Canefri ; New Guinea,

Campeloma subsolida, C. exilis, and C. ‘rufa,

ET, 91

| OW Ss

I, 26, 54

Ir; 2

II, 38

II, 93

I, 20

I, 27

II, 20

eet

II, 21

II, 36

Big

L, 54

I, 54

II, 39

L, 53

“T, 53

Il, 22

If, 5

JI, 22

_ II, 80, 114

TE8i

II, 38

II, 66

Carychium exiguum Say, . ; L 65 ; II, 92, 115

eye

THE NAUTILUS.

INDEX TO CONCHOLOGISTS’ EXCHANGE.

Cavicola, Ancey, n. subg., type Streptaxis C) cavicola

ili

Gredler ; China, II, 39

Ceronia arctata Conrad, ; II, 89

Chalepotaxis Ancey, n. subg., type Nanina ® infantilis

Gredler ; China, , ; AD. OZ

Chelidonura Rochebrune non Adams, ; Il; 22

Chelidonopsis Ancey, n. gen., Chelidonura Rochebrune

being preoccupied, : II, 22

Chrysodon Ancey, n. subg., type Helix auridens Rang. ;

Martinique, : I, 54

Ceelospira Ancey, n. subg., type Helix Macneili Crosse :

Costa Rica, ‘ L 20, 26,.54

Conomitra found living in the West Indies, PEs 9

Corbula contracta Say, 161

Coxia Ancey, n. subg., type Helix Macgregori Cox;

New Ireland, LS

Crystallopsis Ancey, n subg., :, types H. Hunteri ‘Cox;

H. Allasteri Cox, ete.; Solomon Is., . LE, 22

Cumingia tellinoides Conrad, . F IT, 89

Cyprea, a list of the rarer species, : II, 54

Cytherea Sayii Conrad and Cytherea (Gouldia) mactra-

cea Linsley, : 1 st 2

Ensatella americana Gould, II, 34

Entodina Ancey, n. subg., type Helix Reyrei Souverbie ;

Ecuador, ; f. .64

Eurystyla Ancey, n _subg., types Helix cerina a Mor. ; lnk

viridis Desh., 3 So

Gastrodonta multidentata Bey: var. umbilicaris An-

Gey im, Var.), T, 54

Gundlachia ancyliformis Pfr. in Plorida, II, 96

Goniobasis costifera Hald., II, 94

Helicina Durangoana Mouss. TE.

Helicina hanleyana Pfr., i ap

Helicina orbiculata Say, Pee 2 Fy

Helicina subtropica Jan. [Error tor H. tropica Jan. , I, 8, 26

Helix nemoralis in a new locality (Great Skellig Island), 1,2

Helix commutanda Ancey (n. name for Trivdopsis Har-

fordiana W. G. B., non Helix een vet

Cooper), es A gS ee

46 THE NAUTILUS.

lv INDEX TO CONCHOLOGISTS’ EXCHANGE.

Helix (Polygyra) unguifera Mouss. (H. acutedentata

W.G. Binney), : 79

Helix salmonensis Tryon having priority over H. com-

mutanda Ancey, ‘ : i : y D148

Helix verrilli Ancey, n. sp. ; Mexico, II, 68

Helix Levettei Bland, var. Thomsoniana Ancey and

var. orobcena Ancey (n. vars.), . : IT, 64

Helix armigera Ancey, ; ; ; II, 64

Helix Dschulfensis Dubois, . : |

Helminthoglypta Ancey, n. subg, types Helix arrosa

Gld., H. ramentosa Gld., ete. . I, 76

Lejeania Ancey, n. subg., types Helix Darnaudi Pfr.,

; H. Isseliana Mor., H. Jickeliana Nevill, Pike

Abyssinia, I, 75

Limneea reflexa Say and L. desidiosa Say, : : ; II, 103

Limnea zebra Tryon and L. caperata Say, , f II, 104

Limnea humilis Say ; L, parva Lea; L.casta Lea, . II, 110

Liogyrus Lehnerti Ancey, Nn. sp., Washington, D. C., . IT, 79, 1138

Lioplax subcarinata Say, , II, 66

Lithasia obovata Say, ; : , I, 56, II, 98

Lyogyrus Gill (lL. pupoides Gila), ; : II, 113

Lyonsia hyalina Conrad, : Ea

Macoma fusca Say, : TT-101

Mactra solidissima ; Mactra lateralis, : . : II, 78

Margaritana complanata ; M. rugosa Barnes, : II, 5

Margaritana confragosa, M. deltoidea, M. sei ‘ EL, 20

Margaritana Hildrethiana Lea, . . IJ, 114

Mastus chion Pfr., M. polygyratus Pfr., ‘ete., : : hh

Melongena fusiformis Blainv. > : ; I, 83

Mesodon dentiferus Binney, : : : ashe I, 55

Mesopleura centralis Say, : : : , : : II, 46

Mesorhytis, . LD aoa

Microphysa Ingersolli ‘Bland, var. convexior Ancey

(n. var.), ; II, 64

Mitra Fergusoni Sby., and Mitra Rivoli Dall, : ; ee

Modiola tulipa found at Cape May, N. J.,_ . ; 122

Moéllendorfia Ancey, n. subg., types Helix trisinuata

Mart. ; H. Hensaniensis Gredler ; H. Kastlakeana

Mélldé. ; China, ; , : eae I, 64

THE NAUTILUS. 47

INDEX TO CONCHOLOGISTS’ EXCHANGE, Vv

Mya arenaria Linné, . . , II, 47

Mytilopsis leucopheata Conr., attached to Unios, ; I, 27

Natica Fordiana Simpson, n. sp.; Florida, . ; El, Gt

Nevra pellucida Stimp., II, 61

Nesobia Ancey, n. subg., type Bulimus Helence Q. et

G.; St. Helena, IT, 39

Oligospira Ancey, n. subg. , types H. Waltoni Rve. ; ; H.

Skinneri Rve. ; Ceylon, Boll & Pp).

Ophiosphila Ancey, n. subg., types Helix Kuhni Pfr. ;

H. andicola Pfr.; H. catenifera, ete., I, 64

Pandora trilineata Say, II, 62

Parmacella valenciennii Webb & Van Ben., var pune-

tulata Cockerell; var. maculata Cockerell ; and

var. olivacea Cockerell (new varieties), . ; LY, 68

Patula strigosa Gld., var. Bruneri me : : II, 64

Periploma Leana Conrad, : ; : iS Dy a4

Petricola pholadiformis Bani. #2 4 ; Z ; : TL 101

Pholas trunzata Say, . ‘ ' , ; i 650119

Pholas costata Linn., . Aaa,

Physa solida Phil. syn. of P. “heterostropha Say, : I, 20

Physa (“Paludina,”) scalaris Jay a Planorbis (Heli-

soma ), Eats

Physa gyrina Say ; = L. heterostropha Say ae ; iB aes wk

Pilsbrya Ancey, n. subg., in place of Poecilostola An-

cey, preoccupied, I, 54

Pisidium compressum Prime; P. variabile Prime, . II, 49

Pisidium eequilaterale Prime, : ; Ti50

Planorbis dilatatus Gld., in England, : s I, 63

Planorbis lens Lea, : ; : : elle ace eerie

Planorbis havanensis Pfr. ; P. tumidus, ; | aad 9 al 2 leans |

Planorbis exacutus Say, : : 15-76

Planorbis deflectus Say ; P. dilatatus Gld., say iE

Planorbis hirsutus Gld., 3 E78

Planorbis parvus Say; P. J enksii H. F. Carpenter

n.sp.), EES 2

Planorbis umbilicatellus Cockerell new name for P. um-

bilicatus Taylor, non Miller, . II, 68

Planorbis trivolvis Say, : Tat

Planorbis (Helisoma) scalaris J = (Physa scalaris J ae II, 113

Pleurocera subulare Lea, . ph kh 8d a4

48 THE NAUTILUS.

vi INDEX TO CONCHOLOGISTS’ EXCHANGE.

Pleurocera alveare; P. undulatum; P. moniliferum;:

P. canaliculatum ; P. troostii; P. lewisii; P. ele-

vatum; P. neglectum, II, 94

Pleuroxia Ancey, new name for Angasella, which is

preoccupied i in marine shells; type Helix cyrto-

pleura Pfr.; Australia, ; II, 38

Peecilostola Ancey, n. subg., type Helix Farrisi Ping

Andes of Peru, . T, 20, 26, 54

Polygyrella polygrella Bld. & Cooper, v var. montanensis

Ancey (n. var.), : : i II, 80

Pomatiopsis lapidaria Say, . [091

Pristina Ancey, n. subg., types Hyalina Stearnsi Bid;

H. Lansingi Bld.; North America, I. 20; 26

Pristiloma Ancey, n. subg., in place of Pristina Ancey,

and Anceyia Pilsbry, non Anceya Bourguignat, . I, 54

Pseudiberus Ancey, nu. subg., types Helix tectum-sinense

Mart.; H. zenonis Gredler; H. plectotropis

Mart.; and H. mataiensis Nevill; China, I, 76

Pupa corpulenta Morse, var. parietalis Ancey, var. nov. ;

Utah, 4 II, 80

Rhysotina Ancey, n. subg., type Helix Welwitschi Mor.,

and H. hepatizon Gld.; Island of Sao-Tome, [538

Rhyssotopsis Ancey, n. subg., type Helix Haughtoni

Benson ; Andaman Isls., : : : . I, 64

Saxicava rugosa Linn., ; fhb42

Segmentina Wheatleyi Lea, I, 20

Segmentina armigera Say, . : 1:2

Sheldonia Ancey, n. subg., types Helix Trotteriana

Bens.; E. phytostylus Bens.; H. natalensis Pfr.

and perhaps cotyledonis Benson ; S. Africa, [53

Siliqua costata Say, and Solecurtus gibbus Spleng., II, 85

Somatogyrus subglobosus Say and_.S. depressus Tryon, . II, 90

Spherium suleatum Lam.; 8. solidulum Pr.; S. striati-

num Lam.; 5S. Jayanum Pr. II, 48

Spheerium truncatum Linsley; 8. occidentale Pr.; S.

transversum Say, II, 49

Sphincterochila Ancey, n. subg. types H. filia, Mouss. ;

H. Boissieri ae near the Dead Sea and N,

Arabia, ; ; ; : i T2383

( Zo be concluded in September number.)

i 2a =

mee WN ANITILUS.

VOL. IX. SEPTEMBER, 1895. No. 5

A SORA CAUGHT BY A MUSSEL.!

When hunting in the marshes in this vicinity, September 3, 1894,

Mr. Joseph D. Clark noticed a Sora (Porzana carolina) hopping

along and trying hard to fly. Hisdog finally captured the bird. It

had a “ fresh-water clam” attached to one toe, being firmly caught

by the bivalve. The poor bird, in its efforts to release itself, had

broken the bone of the toe and nearly severed it from the foot. Mr.

Clark kindly presented me with his rare find, and a photograph,

from which the accompanying cut was made, was taken at once.

The mussel was 2.92 inches long and 1.61 wide.—Jwno. H. Saaz,

Portland, Conn., in The Auk, July, 1895.

_ 1We are indebted to the editor of The Auk for the illustration of this

article. This mussel is evidently Unio complanatus Sol.

50 THE NAUTILUS.

SYNOPSIS OF THE SUBDIVISIONS OF HOLOSPIRA AND SOME RELATED

GENERA.

BY W. H. DALL.

Genus Hoxospira Martens; type H. pilocerei Pfr.

Subgenus Holospira s. s.

Axis large, with an internal fold in the penultimate whorl and

with a parietal, basal and peripheral lamina projecting into the

lumen of that whorl. Besides the type, this includes H. goldfussi

Menke and H. goniostoma Pfr.

Section Bostrichocentrum Strebel & Pfeffer, 1880.

Axis moderate, with a continuous plait, except in the last part of

the last whorl; no lamine. Type H. tryoni Pfr. H. veracruzianus

Dall belongs here.

Section Haplostemma Dall, 1895.

Axis moderate, with, in the penultimate whorl only, a short,

stout axial lamina extending about half a gyration, but no other

lamine. Type H. mearnsii Dall, New Mexico.

Section Hudistemma Dall, 1895.

Penultimate whorl with a parietal and a short axial lamina only,

axis moderate. Type H. arizonensis Stearns.

Section Distomospira Dall, 1895.

Penultimate whorl with a basal and a short, strong axial lamina

only, axis moderate. Type H. bilamellata Dall, New Mexico.

Subgenus Metastoma Strebel & Pfeffer, 1880.

Axis smooth, without plaits, penultimate whorl without internal

lamine. Type H. remeri Pfr. This includes also H. pasonis Dall,

H. coahuilensis Binn., H. semisculpta Stearns, H. pfeifferi Menke, H.

remondit Gabb., H. crosset Dall, H. pilsbryi Dall.

Subgenus Celostemma Dall, 1895.

Axis vertically ribbed as in Celocentrum, shell otherwise as in

Metastoma. Type H. elizabethe Pilsbry.

The internal characters of the following species are unknown:

H. gealei A. Ads., H. imbricata Martens, H. cretacea Pfr., H-micro-

stoma Pfr. and H. teres Menke.

THE NAUTILUS. 51

Genus CasLocentrruM Crosse & Fischer, 1872.

Shell decollate, axis pervious.

Subgenus Celocentrum s. s.

Axis vertically ribbed internally. Type C. turris Pfr. This in-

cludes nearly all the known species.

Subgenus Spartocentrum Dall, 1895.

Axis as in Bostrichocentrum, not ribbed. Type C. irregulare

Gabb., Lower California.

Genus EucaLopium Crosse & Fischer.

Shell resembling Celocentrum, but large, with a solid axis.

Section Eucalodium s.s. Type E. ghiesbrechti Pfr.

Axis sinuous and folded its whole length, except close to the aper-

ture; transverse series of teeth on the radula long (65°1°65 in the

type).

Section Oligostylus Pilsbry, 1895.

Axis straight and smooth; radula narrower (36°1°36 in the type).

Type E. blandianum Crosse and Fischer.

Columna ramentosa J. G. Cooper, which might, from the shell, be

assimilated either to Berendtia, Rhodea, or some of the above-men-

tioned groups, proves, from the anatomy, to be merely a section of

Bulimulus closely related to Leptobyrsus. ‘The genuine Rhodea very

probably bears an analogous relation to Otostomus. It is vivipar-

ous, but the Lower Californian species is not. If the latter be

deemed worthy of a sectional name, Pseudorhodea might be used for

it. The new species of Holospira mentioned above are described in

a report on the mollusks of the late Mexican Boundary Survey

(1892-4), by the writer, which will appear, properly illustrated, in

the report of the Commissioners of the Survey.

My special thanks are due Mr. H. A. Pilsbry for kind assistance

rendered during the preparation of the report.

The anatomy of a curious cylindrical Austrian land snail, Pupa

obtusa Drap., has recently been investigated by Mr. A. Protz and

Professor von Martens. It proves to be no Pupa, but a member of

the Helicide, closely allied to the chalky Helices of Europe known

as Helicella or Xerophila.

52 THE NAUTILUS.

A NEW TEINOSTOMA.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.

Teinostoma Hidalgoana n. sp.

Shell orbicular, depressed, solid, bright, bluish-white. Spire very

low, wide-conic, the apex acute. Whorls 23, hardly convex, the

last large, rounded at periphery, depressed beneath ; on its latter

third the periphery descends toward the base, and immediately

behind the lip is decidedly pinched into a short rounded keel. Sur-

face closely engraved throughout with spiral lines of close, fine

stippling or punctation. Aperture oblique, rounded, except for the

straight parietal wall; peristome continuous, the outer lip thick,

blunt, strengthened outside by a heavy rib or collar a short distance

behind the edge; parietal wall bearing a low nodule or tooth near

its upper termination. Parieto-umbilical callus heavy, deeply and

coarsely pitted all over, forming a rounded lobe over the umbilical

tract and a band in front of the parietal edge uf peristome proper.

Alt. 2, diam. 3°2 mm.

Singapore (Dr.S.Archer!). This exquisite species is respectfully

dedicated to Dr. J. G. Hidalgo, of Madrid, author of numerous valu-

able contributions to malacological science.

One specimen of the type lot is much smaller than the others Siam:

2 mm.), but in all other respects exactly resembles them, and has the

lip of a fully mature shell.

NOTES ON THE SMALLER AMERICAN PLANORBES.

BY E. G. VANATTA.

Including the species put in the sub-genera Menetus and Gyraulus

by Binney in “ Land and Fresh-water Shells of the United States.”

The smaller species of Planorbis are, as a general rule, found on

leaves and sticks in small ponds and springs.

The Western Slope species are centervillensis, opercularis, opercu-

laris var. oregonensis and callioglyptus.

P. alabamensis Pils. has so far been found only in Woodville,

_Alabama, and Grove, Cooper River, 8. C.

P. sampsoni has been found hitherto only in Pettis and Henry

Co., Mo., and Athens, II.

es |

—

“

THE NAUTILUS.

P. umbilicatellus occurs in Manitoba and Montana.

The other species mentioned below are more or less widely dis-

tributed over the United States, except Airsutus, which is restricted

to the northern tier of States.

I think any normal specimen can be identified by the following

key:

I. PERIPHERY ACUTELY KEELED.

a. Shell bi-convex.

b. umbilicus broad, shallow, deflectus Say.

bb. umbilicus small, deep.

c. lip simple, aperture extremely oblique, exacutus Say.

ce. lip thickened within, aperture less oblique,

alabamensis Pils.

aa. Upper surface flat, lower convex.

b. lip thickened within, spiral sculpture distinct,

oregonensis N. V.

bb. lip thin, spiral culture absent, or very indistinct.

ce. umbilicus broad, shallow, exacutus Say.

ec. umbilicus small, deep.

d. shell very small, radially ribbed below,

cristatus Drap.

dd. shell rather large, smoothish, operculuris Gld.

II. PERIPHERAL KEEL BLUNT OR ABSENT.

a. Radially ribbed below, cristatus Drap.

aa. spiral sculpture distinct.

b. umbilicus broad, shallow ; surface with spiral rows of hairs,

hirsutus Gld.

bb. umbilicus small and deep.

ce. shell rather large; aperture oblique, broader than

high, keel indistinct, callioglyptus.

ec. aperture small, nearly vertical, of equal width and

height, periphery more angular, sampsoni Ancey.

aaa. Surface smooth or nearly so.

b. umbilicus broad and shallow

ce. aperture oval, whorls rounded, parvus Say.

ec. aperture broader than high, whorls angular,

deflectus Say.

54 THE NAUTILUS.

bb. umbilicus small, deep.

c. lip thickened within, centervillensis Tryon.

ce. lip simple, thin.

d. whorls angular above the middle, d/atatus Gld.

dd. whorls rounded or angular below the middle.

€. spire sunken in center, deflectus Say.

ee. spire level, apex not sunken.

umbilicatellus Ckll.

Planorbis callioglyptus n. sp.

Shell thin, yellowish corneous. Upper side flat, only a trifle con-

cave in the middle; lower side convex; periphery very bluntly in-

distinctly angular, and midway between periphery and suture there

is a slight angle; but both angles are obsolete at aperture; base

often spirally malleated. Surface with a beautiful sculpture of fine

spiral incised lines, crenulated by fine growth-lines. Whorls nearly

4. Umbilicus nearly a third the shell’s diameter, deep and funnel-

shaped, its edge bluntly angular. Aperture ovate truncate, mod-

erately oblique. Lip not thickened inside. Alt. 3, diam. 8 mm.

Freeport, Washington, collected by H. Hemphill.

Planorbis opercularis var. oregonensis n. v.

Shell light yellowish, opaque. Upper surface flattened, slightly

convex, the apex sunken; periphery keeled with a slight groove

above the keel. Surface finely spirally striated. Umbilicus rather

small and deep, its edge slightly angular. Aperture approaching

vertical, lip thickenad within. Alt. 2, diam. 6 mm.

Salem and Portland, Oregon. This looks very much like typical

opercularis, but may be distinguished by the beautiful spiral sculp-

ture and thickening within the lip. It differs from callioglyptus in

having a decided keel around the nearly flat upper surface and a

distinct thickening within the aperture. I have not seen any typical

P. opercularis from Oregon. There are none in the collection of

the Academy of Natural Sciences.

SYNONYMS.

P. billingsit Lea = parvus Say.

P. brogniartiana Lea = exacutus Say.

P. buchanensis Lea = exacutus Say (fide Simpson).

P. circumstriatus Tryon = parvus Say.

P. concavus Anth., M.S. == parvus Say.

P. costatus DeTarr & Beecher = P. nautileus var. cristatus Drap.

ede

a eee bat os i

THE NAUTILUS.

P. dilatus Hald. = dilatatus Gld.

P. elevatus Adams = dilatatus Gld.

Paludina hyalina Lea = exacutus Say.

P. lens Lea = exacutus Say.

P. lentieularis Lea = exacutus Say.

P. obliquus DeKay == deflectus Say.

P. planulatus Cooper = opercularis Gld.

P. umbilicatus Taylor (not Mill.) = umbilicatellus Cockerell.

P. vermicularis Gld. = parvus Say.

P. virens Adams = dilatatus Gld.

P. hirsutus Gld. differs from the European albus Mill. in having

the hairs longer and in fewer rows.

P. costatus DeTarr & Beecher, never having been reported from

any locality but Michigan, is very likely introduced specimens of

P. nautileus var. cristatus Drap., with which it seems identical.

P. alabamensis Pilsbry shows light spiral striations under a lens.

In P. sampsoni Ancey, the spiral striation is quite distinct.

GENERAL NOTES.

WE have taken advantage of the mid-summer number when

Conchologists, like everybody else, avoid all the desk-work they can,

to insert an Index to the Conchologist’s Exchange. This will afford

malacologists an opportunity of ascertaining the contents of that

periodical, now rare and out of print. We had hoped to reprint the

Exchange in full, but a sufficient number of subscriptions has not

been received to justify us in the outlay.

SEVERAL years ago I collected two young specimens of a delicate

bivalve in a mud bank at Revere, Mass., and put them away labeled

Zirphea crispata. I lately discovered that they are Pholas truncata;

which shell has not, to my knowledge, been previously reported from

north of Cape Cod—Epwarp W. Roper.

Mr. A. A. HInKuey, who has been for some time in Rockford,

Ill., has returned to DuBois, III.

THE Chicago Academy of Sciences has recently purchased of Mr.

John Walton, of Rochester, his collection of Cypreide. It has also

purchased one of the collections of California and Mazatlan shells,

prepared by Dr. P. P. Carpenter, and numbering some 3000 species.

56 THE NAUTILUS.

Curious CHINESE UsE oF SHELL-FISH.—The Chinese have been

students of the habits of animals for many thousand of years, and

the influences of this study have manifested themselves in their art

and their architecture, so much so, that one can readily recognize

the common form of their animal life through its resemblances to

the objects and pictures with which we are familiar.

One of the most interesting is what is known as the “joss-shell.”

Every one has noticed the pearly luster of the bivalves of our rivers

and ponds, fresh-water mussels, they are called. These mussels are

lined throughout with the same kind of material as the pearl-oyster,

and, indeed, pearls of value are often to be found in them. In

China and Japan, these mussels grow to great size, in the latter

country being oftentimes seven to ten inches in length, and in China,

fully as large as a small saucer. The shrewd Chinese are aware’

that the pearly nacre is a protection of the animal, which has thus

the smoothest of substances against its sensitive skin, and they know

also that any grain of dirt or roughness will be quickly coated with

pearl if it should lie under the mantle. They therefore catch the

animal, and oblige it to make such designs as they desire. These are

usually little josses, images of some one of the Chinese Gods, which

are formed in clay and slipped between the mantle and the shell of

the mollusk. The latter, as soon as it is put into the water again,

begins to cover the model with a coat of pearl, and at some time,

when the process has been carried far enough, the animal is killed

and the shells preserved with their pearly josses and sold as curiosi-

ties. They are, however, very rare in this country, being on exhi-

bition only in a few of the larger museums. It is said that upwards

of one thousand of the Chinese made their living by this industry,

and that they will, on order, insert in the shells models of the

initals of any one’s name, which, after a wait of a year and a half,

will be ready for delivery.— The Happy Thought, July 15, 1895.

Pror. Grrgert D. Haruis, of Cornell University, has returned

from a geological trip through Mississippi and Alabama, and is now

spending two weeks at the Academy of Natural Sciences, studying

the “ L2a Collection” of Eocene fossils.

PoLyGyRA CEREOLUS SANCTIJOHANNIS n. var. Shell having the

characters given in Man. Conch. IX, p. 73 for P. cereolus septemvolva,

but periphery pinched out into an excessively acute keel. It is

extremely abundant along the middle St. Johns River, Fla., from

the Lake George region to L. Monroe at Sanford. I have seen

nothing like it from other parts of the State. The shell is very

thin, having very little lime in its composition, never enough to

give a whitish color.—Pilsbry.

THE NAUTILUS. 57

INDEX TO CONCHOLOGIST’S EXCHANGE, vil

Succinea lineata W. G. B. in Nebraska, : ; ‘ I, 65

Succinea obliqua Say, and Succinea totteniana Lea, . II, 23

Tellina tenera Say ; T. modestus Verr.; T. tenta Say, . II, 90

Teredo, Notes on, : I, 19, II, 84

Tetrodontina Ancey, n. subg. types Helix yantaiensis,

tetrodon and Houaiensis ; N. China, . I, 64

Thompsonia carinifera ey a synonym of Planorbis

scalaris Jay, . ; : II, 113

Thracia Conradi Couthony, . | Il, 62

Thracia truncata Migh. & Adams, : II, 63

Tottenia gemma Totten, II, 109

Traumatophora Ancey, n. subg., type Helix triscalpta

Mart.; China, . I, 59

Trihelix Anecey, n. subg., type Helix horrida Pfr. :

Mts. of Laos, f I, 64

Triodopsis Harfordiana W. G. B., ‘ , 9,4 13

Triton Swifti Tryon, from the Bermudas, : ; I, 65

Unio parvus and U. gracilis from Texas, . ; : bes

Unio anodontoides; U. esopus; U. alatus; U. arctior;

U. asperrimus ; U. capax; : I, 42

Unio coccineus ; U. cornutus; U. Gaidens - U. dona-

ciformis ; U: Dorfeueillianus ; OP ebenus ; U. el-

lipsis; U.elegans, . : b : : : I, 43

Unio graniferus; U. gibbosus; U. gracilis; U. Hig-

ginsii; U. levissimus; U. ligamentinus, . : I, 50

Unio luteolus; U. lacrymosus; U. monodontus; U.

metanever ; U. occultus, 4 A ; ‘ I, 51

Unio multiplicatus ; Gl; mississippiensis ; U. occidens ;

U. pustulosus ; wv. pustuls U. plicatus; U.

parvus, ; 62,

Unio pressus; U. rectus, ; ‘ ‘ ; : : I, 63

Unio rubiginosus; U. solidus; U. spatulatus; U.sub-

ovatus, . ‘ : : : A ‘ : I, 74

Unio securis; U.schoolcraftii, . : , : : Fai)

Unio tuberculatus; U. anal U. tenuissimus; U.

undulatus, : : : : : : Il, 4

Unio ventricosus; U. zigzag, Lh

Unio anthonyi; U.aheneus; U. amygdalum ; U. an-

gustatus; U. arctatus, J : . LI, 67, 105

58 THE NAUTILUS.

Vill INDEX TO CONCHOLOGIST’S EXCHANGE.

Unio Buckleyi; U. Buddianus; U. Blandingianus; U.

coruscus,

Unio cacao Lea ; Unio Cunninghami B. H. Wright (n.

Bp.) su: floridensis Lea; U. Jayanus Lea,

Unio eranulatus Lea in Fla., ;

Unio Jewettii ; U. Kleinianus ; U. -Tepidus; U. minor ;

U. modioliformis, : : :

Unio Liebii in Lake Erie, ,

Unio papyracea Gould in Lake Ashby, Fla., :

Unio monroensis Lea; U. fuscatus Lea ; U. paludico-

lus Gld., : : : : :

Valvata tricarinata Say and V. vicarinata Lea,

Valvata mergella Westerlund, only a striate variety of

V. sincera Say, . . :

Venus mercenaria Linn.,

Vivipara intertexta; V. ‘subpurpurea ; Vv. contectoides,

Voluta Gouldiana,found i in 150 to 200 fathoms off Be

Rock Light, Fla.,

Zirpheea crispata Linn.,

INDEX TO CONTRIBUTORS AND TITLES.

. IT, 95, 105

II, 105

II, 112

I, 26

I 81

I, 27

II, 80

II, 113

II, 102

II, 65

II, 9, 10

II, 34

Titles in brackets are the general subjects of notes placed under

“‘ Correspondence.”

Ancey, C. F. Pingo of a few subgenera in Helici-

ree ; I, 20

Descriptions of new genera or subgenera of Hel-

icidee, : ; I, 58, 64, 75, II, 22, 38

[Notes on new subgenera, and some American

Helices] . I, 54

A Catalogue of ‘the Bulimini found in Central

Asia, . 2 TE 5

On the generic name ofa remarkable bivalve shell

found in the Congo, II, 22

Description of North American shells, II, 53, 79

Baker, F.C. [A collecting trip to Onset Bay, Mass. ], II, 119

Beauchamp, Rey. Wm. M. Erosion of fresh water

shells, ‘ 5 5 3 I, 49

Notes on American Shells, II, 114

THE NAUTILUS. 59

INDEX TO CONCHOLOGISI’S EXCHANGE. ix

Brown, Dr. J. J. Notes on the mollusea of the Baha-

mas, . ; : ; ; ; ‘ 1.12

Carpenter, Horace F,. The shell-bearing mollusca of

Rhode Island, _ I, 76, II, 2, 18, 34, 46, 61, 77, 89, 101, 109

Cockerell, T. D. A. The Gibraltar and Tangier forms

of Parmacella, . ; 3 Il, 67

[Note on Planorbis umbilicatus Taylor], II, 68

Cooper, Rev. Ebenezer V. Andrew Garrett (obituary), .

Dall, Wm. H. [Notes on some rare West Indian Shells], E39

Ford, John. A day among the mollusks, . i 21

Helices in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, : EN rs

The Succinea obliqua Say of Fairmount Park,

Philadelphia, with some remarks regarding the

relationship of Succinea Totteniana Lea, . : 123

The fresh water mollusks of Fairmount Park, . 1,39

Some remarks on the migration of mollusks, : ET -7

Hinkley, A. A. Record of a collecting trip in White,

Hardin and Gallatin Counties, Ill.,. I, 56

Notes on the Strepomatide of Ill, — . IF, 93

Jones, J. Matthews. The Conchologist in Bermuda, . IT, 118

Keep, Josiah. Cabinet Notes, . : i : d i107

Loofbet, Adam. A suggestion to our young friends, . I, 80

Marsh, Wm. A. Brief Notes on the land and fresh wa-

ter shells of Mercer Co., Ill., I, 42, 50, II, 4, 20,

| 36, 48, 65, 80, 90, 103, 110

Michael Jr., Geo. W. [Shells on the coast of San Luis

Obispo Co., Cal.], : II, 68

On collecting and preserving Chitons, : ‘ RO:

Obituaries and notices of deceased conchologists and

scientists. Prof. Daniel ee Sheldon, : I, 4

Dr. Isaac Lea, . aM, oT Bes ae

Dr. Ezra Michener, . ; : : TEL

Prof. Spencer Fullerton Baird, : ‘ II, 26

Dr. J. C. McCormick, , " II, 54

Prof, Ferdinand Vanderveer Hayden, A , Tf. 3]

60 THE NAUTILUS.

x INDEX TO CONCHOLOGIST’S EXCHANGE.

Andrew Garrett, Reith = Vip 2) heey 4

Geo. W. Tryon, Jr., i Gy ae | as Wa

Wm. L. Mactier, II, 103

Pilsbry, H. A. Notes on some New Orleans fresh water

shells, : iL; 20

[Notes on Ancey’s new w subgenera of Helices], I, 26

Lyogyrus Gill, and other American shells . II, 113

Rogers, Thos. Planorbis dilatatus Gould in England, I, 63

Roper, Edw. W. [Pholas truncata og at Scarboro,

Me. I, 65

Rush, Dr. Wm. H. [Notes ¢ on deep sea dredging], II, 24

Shimek, B. Margaritana Hildrethiana Lea, ; II, 114

Simpson, Chas. T. Record of a two- “days ein:

cruise in Tampa Bay, Fla., I, 44, 52

[Notes on Melongena fusiformis), I, 83

Succinea lineata in Nebraska, . I, 65

On the distribution of land and fresh water shells

in the tropics, ; ] : : LL 37; 50

Blacklist them, . L410

A new Floridian Natica w. Fordiana), II, 51

Shell collecting, : II, 52

The dredge, TT, ae

Gundlachia ancyliformis Pfr, in Florida, II, 96

Singley, J. A. New localities for Unio parvus and U.

gracilis, . : J, 21

Sterki, Dr. V. Collecting shells in drift, I, 45

[Pupz found in the vicinity of ‘New Philadel-

phia, Ohio], I, 54

How fo collect small land shells, J, 67

The Faunatic dependence of the Mediterranean upon

the Atlantic, j O «

The strength of snails (Helix aspersa),_ I, 34

Trombley, Jerome. [Note on Unio Liebii], I, 26

Vitality of mollusca (Nassa obsoleta), I, 35

Wright, Dr. S. Hart. [New localities for Unionide], I, 27, 51

Wright, Dr. S. Hart, and Berlin, H. Notes upon the.

Unionide of Southern Florida, : . IT, 67, 95, 1023s

mre NAUTILUS.

VOL. EX. OCTOBER, 1895. No. 6

ON THE AUSTRALASIAN GUNDLACHIA.!

BY C. HEDLEY, F.L.S.,

With note on American forms

BY H. A. PILSBRY.

The eccentric shell of Gundlachia, one part shaped like a knife-

sheath, or rather a spectacle-case, plastered askew upon another

part like the shell of an ordinary fresh-water limpet, the creature’s

external likeness and internal unlikeness to Ancylus, and the re-

markable, discontinuous, geographical distribution of the genus,

combine to tempt a naturalist’s curiosity. For a chance to satisfy

such curiosity I am indebted to several friends who have liberally

assisted me with all the material and information at their command,

and without whose kindly aid I should have had to relinquish, un-

profited, the study of the subject. Prof. Tate has kindly loaned me

the actual types of G. petterdi, and given me examples of that

species collected by himself at Mt. Lofty near Adelaide, S. Aus-

tralia. Mr. W. F. Petterd has liberally communicated a large

series of Gundlachia, including the actual type of his species G.

beddomei. Mr. C. E. Beddome has supplied me with a collection

of Gundlachia from various localities. Mr. H. Suter has convinced

1 From Vol. VIII (Series 2nd) of the ‘‘ Proceedings of the Linnean Society

of New South Wales” (November 29th, 1893). We have omitted Mr. Hed-

ley’s descriptions of the Australian species of Og and his Bay illus-

_ trating them.—ED.

62 THE NAUTILUS.

me of the method by which the primary shell is transformed into

the adult by presenting me with a series showing the passage from

stage to stage collected by him in New Zealand. To Mr. R. H.

Pulleine, of the Adelaide University, who guided me to the spot

and procured me several specimens, I am particularly obliged for

the pleasure of viewing Gundlachia alive at Henley Beach near

Adelaide.

The genus Gundlachia was instituted by Pfeiffer in the Zeits.

Malak., vii, 1849, p. 98, for the reception of immature specimens of

G. ancyliformis Pfr., sent to him by his correspondent, Dr. J.

Gundlach, from Cardenas in Cuba. Troschel supplemented his

friend’s description by an account of an animal which had dried in

the shell. From the dentition he classed the puzzle, not, as Pfeiffer

was inclined to do, with Navicella and Neritina, but with its real

kin the Limneidz. Though not recognizing it as such, he dis-

tinguished the jaw as a brown, semitransparent arch, convex in

front and extending from eye to eye. Further remittances from

Gundlach enabled Pfeiffer to describe and figure (op. cit. 1852, p.

180, pl. I, ff. 1-16) the adult and immature shells and to add some

information from the collector of its habits and appearance when

alive. From this species Bourguignat carved (Spicil. Malac., 1862,

pp. 82-87) a new genus, Poeyia, type P. gundlachioides, and two

other species, G. adelosia and G. poeyi; all of which, so Crosse tells

us (Journ. de Conch., xxx, 1890, p. 262), are but stages in the de-

velopment of G. ancyliformis.

In Trinidad the genus occurred to Guppy in the form described

by him (Proe. Sci. Assoc. Trinidad, Dec., 1872) as G. crepidulina,

and figured Am. Journ. Conch., vi, 1870, pl. xvii, ff. 10 and 11.

From Mexico the genus is doubtfully indicated by Gibbons (Journ.

of Conch., iii, p. 267).

An undetermined species was recorded (Am. Journ. Sci. (3), xxiil,

p. 248) by Cook from the State of New York:

On the banks of the Potomac River Stimpson discovered G.

meekiana, which he figured and described (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat.

Hist., 1868, p. 249). This account, the best of the genus that has

appeared, was transferred by W. G. Binney to the pages of “The

Land and Freshwater Shells of North America,” Pt. i.

In California the genus is represented by G. californica Rowell,

whose description is also reprinted, with additional figures, by Bin-

ney, from the Proc. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1868, iii, p. 21.

THE NAUTILUS 65

As a fossil, Gundlachia occurs in 8. Carolina in a quarternary

marl containing mastodon bones (Cook, /. ¢.).

[In addition to the records of Gundlachia in North America,

compiled by Mr. Hedley, we may instance the finding of numerous

specimens in ponds near Greenport, Long Island, N. Y., by Mr.

Sanderson Smith, recorded in the Annals of the Lyceum of Nat.

Hist. of N. Y., ix, 1870, fig. 6. The specimens differ sufficiently

from G. meekiana to be considered by Smith a distinct species,

which he names G. stimpsoniana.

A Gundlachia, closely allied to, if not identical with, G@. meekiana,

Fig. t. Fig. 2.

Gundlachia from Rock Island.

occurs abundantly in a lily-covered pond near Rock Island, [linois.

Specimens are drawn in the illustrations here given (figs. 1, 2), fig.

1 representing a shell with small accessory cap, the other figure

showing one with it large. All intermediate sizes occur. With

these, are found numerous specimens of like asymmetrical contour,

but lacking the accessory shell! ‘These are, as far as the shells are

concerned, merely Ancylus. They live with the true Gundlachias

on the lower surfaces of the lily-pads, grazing on their watery pas-

ture like little sheep dotting a hillside. Professor B. Shimek has

found something very similar to these near Lincoln, Nebraska (see

Nautiuus, August, 1890, p. 48).

Still another record of Gundlachia is given by Dr. Victor Sterki,

who found it at New Philadelphia, Ohio (see Nauriuus, Jan., 1895,

p. 107).— Pilsbry]. |

Boettger has ventured to name an immature fossil from the May-

ence Basin—G. francofurtana (Fischer’s Manuel, p. 505).

A defective monograph of the genus, by Clessin, appeared in 1882

in the Conchylien Cabinet, Bd. i, Abth., 6, pp. 1-5.

The existence of this genus in Australasia was first announced by

R. M. Johnston, who, in March, 1877, laid before the Royal Society

of Tasmania an account of G. petterdi, from the vicinity of Launces-

64 THE NAUTILUS.

ton in North Tasmania. In the first of two plates attached to

“Critical Observations on Recent Contributions to our Knowledge

of the Fresh-Water Shells of Tasmania,” Pt. i, Proc. Roy. Soc. Tas-

mania, 1888, p. 84, but which Mr. Johnston, perhaps critically omit-

ted to number or explain, are drawings 2a, 2b, 2c, presumably of this

species. Appended to this paper is a table in which, under “ Gen-

eral Remarks,” a Gundlachia beddomei is mentioned as described

“since 1881” by Petterd, which'form is asserted to be “ undistin-

guishable from Gundlachia petterdi.” I believe that I am correct

in stating that no species has ever been described under this title.

The Quarterly Journal of Conchology contains, in Vol. iv, p.150, a

notice of a new and nameless molluse by W. F. Petterd, dated Nov.,

1883, and evidently relating to the form written of by Johnston.

Prof. Tate recorded (Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasmania, 1884, p. 216) G.

petterdi from the hill streams of the Mount Lofty Ranges near

Adelaide.

Finally, in a paper I have had the honor of communicating to

you this evening, Suter declares the existence of an undetermined

and probably new species from New Zealand.

The broken range of Gundlachia has attracted the attention of

several conchologists: Petterd (Journ. of Conch., i, p. 399), Fischer

(Manuel, p. 251), Tate (Rep. Austr. Assoc. Adv. Sci., 1887, p. 525),

Spencer (op. cit. 1892, p. 96), and Suter (N. Z. Journ. Sci. iii, p. 252)

have each commented thereon. The fluviatile mollusca of Southern

Australia have, strange to say, a stronger likeness to those of New

Zealand than to those of the northern part of this continent... Amphi-

peplea, Potamopyrgus and Gundlachia are confined to Tasmania and

to the south-east fringe of Australia; they all reappear in New

Zealand, but the Vivipara and Melania characteristic of tropical

and subtropical Australia have failed to accompany them there.

The extension of Potamopyrgus, Gundlachia, and, according to Tate,

perhaps Amnicola, with another Australian genus, Mycetopus, to

America is even more remarkable.

To explain similar instances, Mr. H. O. Forbes (to whose courtesy

I am indebted for a copy of this very interesting paper) has lately

revived the theory of an Antarctic continent, and supports it by

several weighty arguments, notably the presence in the Patagonian

Eocene of marsupial remains nearest allied to those now existing in

Australia. A strip of land, with a mild climate, extending across

the Pole from Tasmania to Tierra del Fuego, would have afforded a

se ee ee a ee

THE NAUTILUS. 65

possible route’ for the migration from America to Australia of these

Tertiary marsupials. But such a land could not have been con-

nected with New Zealand, or the marsupials would have wandered

there also. A great southward extension of Tertiary New Zealand,

considered probable by Sir J. Hector,’ would, however, have availed

to people the latter with much of the fauna and flora of the suppo-

sitious Antarctic land, in the way that European plants are

believed to have reached the Azores.

This theory of the origin of Australian marsupials would also

account for the discontinuous distribution of Gundlachia.

The Australasian members of the genus known are G. petterdi

Johnston, G. beddomei Petterd, MS.,and G. sp. undetermined, and

probably new, from New Zealand.

At present G. petterdi appears to be known, as adult, from only

three localities: a small, shallow, stagnant pool near the First Basin,

South Esk River, Launceston, Tasmania (Johnston and Petterd) ;

a hill stream at Mt. Lofty, S. A. (Tate), and a chain of shallow,

stagnant ponds behind the sandhills at Henley Beach, near Ade-

laide, S. A. (Adcock, Pulleine and Hedley). In this latter locality

they were associated with Planorbis, Bulinus and Ancylus, the

latter only determined by the shell. Their habit was to cling

to drowned leaves and sticks, or to the submerged leaves and stems

of water plants. So closely do they resemble Ancylus that a careful

observer may, in the field, easily mistake one for another.

The precise mode of the growth of the shell does not seem to have

been related by any writer. Johnston says (Proc. Roy. Soc. Tas-

2 Had the alternative route advocated (‘‘ Island Life,” 2nd ed. p 497) by

Wallace, “over what is now the Java Sea,” been used by the marsupials, then

Timor and the South-Eastern Austro- Malayan Islands should, as Forbes log-

ically remarks, have preserved some remnants of the migrants amid surround-

ings so like Australia (Vol. ili, p. 22, Supplementary Papers, Royal Geo-

graphical Society, 1893). Spencer has demonstrated (Rep. Aust. Assoc. Ady.

Sci., 1892, p. 118) “that the diprotodonts had their origin in the Euronotian

region,’ which also seems to me, though not to him, to indicate the south

rather than the north-west as the point of marsupial ingress into Australia.

In his latest paper Prof. Zittel says (Geol. Mag., Nov , 1893, Vol. x, p. 512):

‘< For its [7.e., Australia’s] connection at one time with South America, the

abundant occurrence of fossil marsupials in the Santa-Cruz beds of Patagonia

is valid evidence.’”’ See also Lydekker, ‘‘ Nature,’’ May 5, 1892, Vol xlvi,

pp- 11-12.

3 Address to the Geological Section of the Aust. Assoc. Adv. Sci., Adelaide,

1893.

66 THE NAUTILUS.

mania, 1878, p. 24): ‘In the young state the shell is simple and re-

sembles the common Ancylus in the same neighborhood.”

From the fact that Ancylus woodsii (op. cit. p. 23) is omitted by

its author from his last catalogue (op. cit. 1890, p. 145) I infer that

he now considers that name to be a synonym, and further that he

considers it a synonym of G. petterdi. If so, it is a matter for re-

gret that Mr. Johnston has withdrawn his species in a manner to

confuse a student of his writings.

The published figures of the juvenile shell only represent the

stage at which the septum is completed and the secondary growth

is about to occur. Thanks to a series of specimens collected by

Mr. Suter in New Zealand, which probably represent the fry of an

undescribed species, I am enabled to detail the process. My friend

supposes that in unfavorable circumstances a septum is never

formed, a view which his American experience had already sug-

gested to Gibbons. If this be the case, and Gundlachia sometimes

continues to regularly enlarge the ancyliform shell, then only an

anatomical examination could distinguish between the genera; and,

although several supposed species have been named, and more or

less adequately described as Australian, yet this hypothesis would

require proof of the existence of Ancylus in Australia.

The first deviation shown by young Gundlachia from Ancylus

consists of a fold appearing at the posterior end of the aperture.

No increase occurs round the rim of the ancyliform shell until

the fold is built into a septum flooring half or two-thirds of the

original shell. This septum is flat and grows asymmetrically, the

right margin advancing before the left. At this stage the shell

-has much resemblance to a spectacle-case, and has been well figured

by Pfeiffer. Vigorous growth now occurs; in front, but in an

altered plane, the margin of the ancyliform shell is continued out-

wards, behind, the shell is spread beneath the septum floor to form

the roof of the secondary shell, then leaving the septum it is ab-

ruptly bent downwards. A slight inclination to spiral growth is

shown by the increase on the right exceeding that on the left.

Stimpson suggests “that the Gundlachia commences its life as an

Ancylus, . . . it passes the first summer and autumn of its

existence in this smaller shell, and that the septum, which afterwards

partially closes its aperture, is formed during the period of inaction

which ensues during the winter. This septum would, in some de-

gree, serve as a protection to the molluse during this period, in the

Pay, -

THE NAUTILUS. 67

same way as the epiphragm of the Helices. In the following spring

—the period of greatest activity in growth with all the fresh-water

Pulmonates—the animal throws forth its newer and larger shell,

retaining the older one on its back for the protection of its more

tender viscera.”

I regret that I can give but a meagre account of the soft parts.

My only material was some specimens procured at Adelaide, which

died on the voyage to Sydney, and were hastily and badly preserved

on board the steamer. * * * Part of the liver and the herma-

phrodite gland are pinched off into a sort of tail, which occupies

the primary shell. With this exception, as Gundlach and other ob-

servers have remarked, there is no difference from Ancylus. The

form and disposal of the stomach and intestines seemed, as well as I

could ascertain, to agree with those of Ancylus figured by Moquin-

Tandon.

Jaw extremely minute and frail, about # the length of the radula,

very narrow, composed of a great number of separate imbricating

plates, which appear to be arranged two deep, in contact but un-

attached ; each is oblong in shape and serrate at one end, resem-

bling somewhat the scales on some butterflies’ wings.

The difficulty of observing this tender and incoherent organ will

account for the uncertainty that prevails regarding it. ‘T'roschel

saw it, described it, and then unfortunately concluded that it was a

piece of hardened skin. Stimpson failed to find it. Johnston

noticed it in G. petterdi. In Latia Hutton asserts (Trans. N. Z.

Inst., XIV, p. 156) that no jaw exists; it has more probably been

overlooked.

Radula a narrow parallelogram, very small, measuring about 5

<1 hundredths of an inch. Formula, 70 rows of 8:12:1:12: 8.

Each half row straight, meeting at a low angle in the centre.

Rachidian with a long, slender basal plate, rounded and slightly

expanded posteriorly ; reflection about a fifth of total length, bi-

cuspid. Laterals with broad basal plates, emarginate at the prox-

imal posterior corner, sloping away from the rachidian, reflection

somewhat pyriform, the wide end proximal, set aslant on the basal

plate and armed with a large proximal and two minor distal cups.

Marginals more upright, with reflection of same pattern, but extend-

ing almost the length of the basal plate.

SONCLUSION.—The genus Gundlachia contains four American—

G. ancyliformis, meekiana, californica, crepidulina—and two Aus-

68 THE NAUTILUS.

tralian species—G. petterdi and beddomei. It is nearly allied to

Ancylus, from which it differs anatomically by a distinct pattern of

radula, and conchologically by its compound shell. The existence,

variously affirmed and denied, of a jaw, is now demonstrated by fig-

ures. It has been suggested, but not proved, that in unfavorable

circumstances the shell never attainsits compound development, but

remains simple. From an Ancylus of the same size the subcentral

nucleus and regular elliptical outline distinguish young Gund-

lachia.

A fuller knowledge of the development and structure of the

genus is very desirable.

The nearest, in phylogenetic array, to Gundlachia are probably

the New Zealand Latia and the Tasmanian Ancylastrum. Should

Hutton’s Latiide win acceptance, which seems doubtful, it might

include these.

The distribution of Gundlachia agrees in part with that of the

recent marsupials, and the theory of a Mesozoic or older Tertiary

migration to or from Australia across the south pole, when a lost

land with a mild climate united Tierra del Fuego to Tasmania,

would explain its present position.

A NEW MEXICAN BYTHINELLA.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.

Bythinella palomasensis.

Shell small, ovate, rapidly tapering above from the periphery of

body-whorl to a blunt apex ; composed of four very convex whorls,

the last about five-sixths the entire length of the shell, well rounded

out. Surface showing faint growth-wrinkles only. Aperture ovate,

subangular above, its longest axis about half the length of the shell ;

peristome thin, continuous across the parietal wall and nearly

straight there, although not appressed to the body-whorl. Umbili-

cus minutely perforated. Color whitish corneous and somewhat

translucent.

Alt. 2°75, max. diam. 1°80 mm. Longer axis of aperture 1°36 mm.

Two specimens from Lake Palomas, northeastern Mexico, col-

lected by Dr. E. A. Mearns, U.S. A., of the International Boundary

Commission. One of the two specimens has the latter third of a

THE NAUTILUS. 69

whorl free from the body, as in Lyogyrus, a somewhat common

pathologic condition in species of this and allied genera; but in the

other and evidently normal specimen the peristome is quite free from

the adjacent body-whorl, not appressed thereto. Neither example

retains the operculum or dried soft parts, and therefore the generic

reference cannot be verified by examination of the dentition, but the

figure of the shell is that of a Bythinella rather than of an Amnicola.

It is a stumpier species than 3B. binneyt Tryon, and has far less

inflated whorls than B. brevissima Pils., but these two species are

conchologically its nearest allies among United States species. Of

the short-spired Mexican forms, A mnicola orizabensis C. & F. is totally

diverse, although the figures in Crosse & Fischer’s work (pl. 50,

fig. 4, a,b) look somewhat like this species. A. guatemalensis C.

& F. is larger, with relatively smaller aperture.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz

Association by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

Every week the General Secretary receives letters from the mem-

bers of the Chapter telling of the benefits of Chapter membership.

A good rule to follow in exchanging specimens is this: ‘“ Give a

little more than you receive.” ‘The one who exchanges merely to

add to the number of shells in his own cabinet, loses one of the

great pleasures in life—the blessedness of giving pleasure to others.

NOTES ON SHELLS.

{Report of Mrs. E. C. Soper. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chap-

ter of the Agassiz Association for 1894. |

My enjoyment in studying shells is greatly lessened by the fact

that tu obtain good specimens I must collect those that are

“alive,” and then go through the intensely disagreeable operation

of killing the helpless animals. Though, as we are told, they are

not so sensitive to pain as the higher organisms, yet the poor, writh-

ing, quivering creatures appeal to my pity in a very great degree.

However, men’s cruelty, perhaps, does not surpass or equal that of

the winds and the waves, and of the stronger animals that prey upon

70 THE NAUTILUS.

the weaker; but, until I overcome my repugnance to the killing

and dissecting of molluscs, I shall take more enjoyment in studying

their homes than in getting acquainted with the inmates themselves.

Being a new member of this Society, and also a novice in concho-

logical lore, I can hardly hope to write anything of much interest

to the older members, but, perhaps, the younger ones may care to

hear about some of my most interesting (to me) “ finds.’ * * * *

I shall never forget an expedition, taken in the early part of this

year (’94), to Long Beach, in company with a friend, when our

enthusiasm for collecting had just begun. Leaving Long Beach a

short time before noon, we started to walk to Alamitos Bay, neither

of us knowing the distance. We picked up so many shells that, be-

fore we were half way there, we were very tired; but determined to

reach our destination, we pressed on, were caught in a shower, and

finally reached the bay more dead than alive, judging from our

feelings. We found nothing very valuable, but we fairly staggered

under the load of shells we carried home, which place we did not

reach until after dark. We were told the distance was five miles

each way, and we believed it.

Last summer, during atrip taken with the Chatauqua Assembly

School in Conchology, I picked up a shell near a fisherman’s cot-

tage on Tim Point, which proved to be a small specimen of Siphon-

alia kelletti Fbs. While cleaning it, I noticed, about two inches

from the lip, on the inside, a rusty looking spot, through which the

water trickled. After using quite a quantity of acid to take off the

accumulation of foreign matter on the outside which nearly hid the

form of the shell, I discovered opposite the rusty spot, and imbedded

in the hard shell, a tiny mussel, half an inchlong. I thought I had

made a discovery ; but, alas! on turning to “ West Coast Shells,” I

found that these little mussels grow sometimes in large shells. I

think it is Adula stylina Cpr., but so small and delicate! How

did it carve a home to fit it so perfectly ?

I have taken a good deal of pleasure in rude attempts to draw

and paint some of the more simply formed shells, but I find it is

difficult to reproduce them faithfully.

When in San Francisco, I had the privilege of a day in the

Academy of Sciences, of looking at Tryon’s magnificent work,

which was beautifully illustrated in eolors. I also had the pleasure

of visiting Mill’s College and the University at Berkeley, and of

seeing the collections of shells at both these institutions, and I shall

THE NAUTILUS. 71

always remember the courtesy shown to me, and the kindly interest

taken in my growing desire to know something about conchology

by those who have long made it a study.

Mrs. Mary P. Darina has collected, at the various beaches in

Los Angeles County, and reports “one hundred and eighty-three

species; among them are a live Calliostoma splendens and a dead

Nassa insculpta.”

WITH A DREDGE.

[Report of Miss Ida M. Shepard. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Conchologica!

Chapter of the Agassiz Association for 1894. |

I have added a number of specimens to my collection during the

year, and had the pleasure of dredging in the bay, with very good

results. It is with impatience we wait the dredge to fill, after drop-

ping it over the stern of the boat; and when it comes up filled with

mud how we watch and exclaim over some treasure we see as the

mud is being washed out. But often we find nothing, and often

many good and rare specimens. I will tell you of what a few

dredges contained. After the dredge is pulled up and the mud

washed out, the contents, if any, are-dumped into the tub, and we

look it over, and find nothing but a stone or two and a few Olivella

boetica, Tornatina culcitella, and young Rictaxis pwnctocaelatus.

After the dredge was dropped over again, I picked up a small stone

and looked it over, and soon gave an exclamation of delight, for, on

one side, snugly in its nest, was a fine, large Lima orientalis Ad. &

Rve. It did not take long to cut the nest from the stone and put it

into a jar of sea-water, and before we reached the shore the Lima

came out of the nest and swam around the jar. I wish I could give

a good description of what a beauty it was swimming. Will do the

best I can. About # of the length of theshell the tentacles are of a

bright rose color, the rest pure white, and, as it swam around, its

beauty can be imagined. The tentacles are about + inch in length.

It would put out its foot at times to help it along.

Another dredge brought up a fine, large Clidiophora punctata

Cpr., and it gave an exhibition after being put into a cup of sea-

water and sand. Other dredges gave live Dentalium hexagonum

Sby., Scala hindsii Cpr., Eulima micans Cpr., Mangilia variegata

Turbonilla tridentata, Macoma yoldiformis, and the pretty Tellina

variegata Cpr.

72 THE NAUTILUS.

Besides dredging comes the collecting of fine Lunatia lewistt,

Fissuridea aspersa, Acmea pelta var. hybrida, Acmea pelta var. nacel-

loides, Diplodonta orbella and nests; Lacuna carinata and two finds

of over 150 Terebratella transversa. Then dead specimens, in good

condition, of Cadulus fusiformis, Parthenia armata, Rissoina in-

frequens, Felania sericata, with quantities of rich drift, not yet

sorted, which doubtless contains many rare specimens new to my

cabinet.

GENERAL NOTES.

Mr. Cuarues W. Jounston left Philadelphia, September 24, for

an extended geological trip in the Eocene regions of Louisiana and

Texas.

Dr. Wn. H. DA. has published a resumé of the results of his

systematic studies on Mactride and Mesodesmatide in the last num-

ber of the Proc. Malacological Society of London.

Pror. GILBERT D. Harris has been spending some time in

Philadelphia studying and remounting Lea’s type collection of

Claiborne Eocene fossils.

ACANTHOCHITES MATTHEWS! Bednall & Pilsbry, described in THE

Navutiuus for February, 1894, from “South Australia,” was found

by me in St. Vincent’s Gulf at Giles’ Point, south Yorke’s Penin-

sula, at an unusually low tide.—E. H. Matthews.

EPIPHRAGMOPHORA CALIFORNIENSIS VAR. CONTRACOSTH. —

Smaller than var. diabloensis, but of the same depressed form ; light

yellowish straw-colored, with or without a dark band; surface

rudely striate and cut by irregular spirals into small granules; not

malleated or slightly so. Whorls 52; outer lip thickened, hardly

expanded, white, basal lip expanded and a trifle impinging on um-

bilicus, which is deep and rather widely open, somewhat as in Poly-

gyra kiawaensts. Locality, Byron Hot Springs, Contra Costa Co.,

California.— Pilsbry.

EprIrPHRAGMOPHORA REMONDI Tryon.—This species is, as Cooper

and von Martens have lately recognized, quite distinct from carpen-

tert. Ancey’s H. verrilli (Conch. Exch.) is a synonyn of Tryon’s

species, Ancey having been misled by the misidentification of

Rémondi, which has prevailed since the publication by Gabb of his

Lower California finds.—Pilsbry.

Tue NAUTILUS.

VOL. Ix. NOVEMBER, 1895. No. 7

ON DOLABELLA CALIFORNICA STEARNS.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.

The genus Dolabella has long been known as an inhabitant of

the Indian Ocean and Polynesia, but it had not been reported from

American waters until Sowerby described the shell of D. guayaquil-

ensis, from Guayaquil, in 1868.

In 1879 Dr. R. E. C. Srearns described a D. californica from

Mulege Bay, Gulf of California, but unfortunately the shells only

were available for his study. They were found by Mr. W. J. Fisher

“in pools left by the tide” at the locality named.

Part of the specimens collected by Fisher were secured by Mr. W.

N. Lockington, and presented to the Academy, in alcohol; so I am

enabled to give below a description of the animal of this interesting

addition to the West Coast fauna, which proves to be nearest allied

to A. tongana and ecaudata, Polynesian species.

“The dentition of Dolabella is excessively peculiar, and together

with the unusual position of the genital orifice, necessitates the for-

mation of a new subfamily, Dolabelline, for this genus.

D. californica Stearns.

Description of alcoholic specimens:—Length 12 to 14 cm.

Oblong-ovate, broadly rounded behind, Aplysia-like in front. Buc-

cal tentacles ear-like, short and folded about at the middle, not pro-

duced toward the mouth; tentacles conic and slit; the very minute

74 THE NAUTILUS.

eyes in front of them and more separated. Mouth a vertical slit in

a papillose disk. Swimming lobes arising at or behind the middle

of the animal’s length, contiguous. | Posterior subcircular area de-

fined by a groove with smooth, raised anterior edge, and enclosing a

cord. Mantle having a large shell-foramen and a long posterior

siphonal fold. Genital orifice under the back part of the gill.

Color (in alcohol) dark olive, or dull brown with more or less

black maculation. In life it is said to be “a dark brown and the

surface covered with warty papille.”

Shell solid, with a brown cuticle. Apex with a roughened

, reflexed callus, continuing along the dorsal margins as a reflexed

border over the cuticle.

In external appearance, this species seems nearest to D. ecaudata

and tongana, but the posterior area is defined by a far less conspic-

uous frill, which does not extend to the edges of the dorsal slit.

Dolabella gquayaquilensis, a species known by the shell only, is stated ~

to have the margins ‘“‘scarcely reflected, callus small, narrow, not

continued upon the margins,” while in the present species the mar-

gins are bounded by unusually broad reflexed callous bands. Traces

of sparsely scattered wart-like papille are visible on some specimens,

mainly posteriorly, but these are not very distinct in the aleoholic

examples. Two of the original lot collected by Fisher are before

me, the smaller one being drawn in my figure, and another specimen

of a dark olive color collected by Dr. W. H. Jones on the “ West

“coast Of Mexico,” has also been examined.

DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW PISIDIA.

BY DR. V. STERKI.

In looking over more than 20,000 specimens of Pisidiwm, during

the last twelve months, the writer came across numerous new forms,

and many of them will prove to be new species. But, as some of those

already published are not fixed beyond a doubt, owing to insufficient

descriptions and figures, and lack of reliable originals, and as new

forms are constantly coming in, it will be advisable not to hurry

with publications. Yet a few of these new species were seen from so

many different places, and come to hand again and again that

it is too unsatisfactory to return them without or only with MS.

THE NAUTILUS. 75

names. Besides, they are not doubtful species, being well defined

and distributed over wide areas. Mr. EK. W. Roper having examined

specimens wished the writer to publish these species.

The descriptions will not be exhaustive, especially as to the

hinges, leaving that, as well as figures, for a monograph, but they

will be sufficient for recognition of the species.

_ P. WALKERT n. sp. Mussel of medium size, elongated, rather in-

flated, resembling P. abditum, but is smaller than good sized exam-

ples of that species ; it is also more elongated, and the smaller and

moderately prominent beaks are more posterior; thus the anterior

part is comparatively very long, with the end rounded, the posterior

quite short, truncated at the end; scutum and scutellum well

marked. ‘The shell is very thin, translucent, the surface very finely,

and sharply striated, often somewhat scaly, dullish, or with a silky

gloss; color grayish, along the margin more or less yellowish horn.

Hinge moderately strong, of the same type as in Pis. abditum ; car-

dinal tooth of the right valve moderately curved, its posterior part

thickened and with a deep furrow; below this tooth, there is a deep

groove formed by the inferior edge of the hinge list raised; and the

same formation is in the left valve below the deep groove between the

two cardinal teeth; ligament comparatively strong.

Long. 4°5, alt. 3°7, diam. 2°8 mill.

In outline, our species has some resemblance with P. virginicum,

by its elongate shape, the beaks situated posteriorly, the long and

below somewhat sacciform anterior part. But it is much smaller,

its shell quite thin, the hinge finer, the striation finer and the beaks

are much smaller.

P. walkeri is quite a characteristic and beautiful species which

cannot be mistaken for any other. It has a wide geographical dis-

tribution but seems to live not in great numbers together, as e. g. P.

abditum, compressum and others do. For the first time I found it

in a lot of Pisidia from Kent County, Michigan, in the collection of

Mr. Byrant Walker—in whose honor it has been named—, and in

another from Utica, Mich. Later it was seen from Grand- Rapids,

Mich. (L. H. Streng), Columbia, Pa. (Bryant Walker), Mohawk, N.

Y. Gin E. W. Roper’s collection, from E. R. Mayo); Clearwater and

Mississippi rivers, Minn. (H. E. Sargent).

P. poLiruM n.sp. Mussel of medium size, well inflated, rather

high, beaks slightly posterior, rather high and prominent, not full

but well rounded ; scutum and scutellum slightly marked. Supe-

76 THE NAUTILUS.

rior margin rather short, rather strongly curved; inferior well

curved, more so in front than behind; posterior margin distinctly

truncated, with a well marked angle where joining the superior, and

a less marked, rounded angle where joining the inferior margin ;

anterior end forming a slight but distinct angle situated rather high

up. Surface very finely, irregularly striated, polished; whitish or

straw colored, often leaden-grayish on the beaks, or even all over.

Shell moderately thick, nacre whitish ; muscular insertions not very

distinct; hinge of essentially the same type as that in Pis. abditum.

Long. 4:0, alt. 3°4, diam. 2°4 mill.; 4:7: 4:0: 2°9 mill. from another

place.

Pis. politum is rather variable in size, and more so in color as

noted above, but so markedly constant in its several habitats that a

number of different local forms, or varieties could be described. It

has some resemblance with Pis. abditum Hald. and Pis. variabile

Pr.; from the former it is different by its being somewhat smaller,

comparatively shorter and higher, the beaks being less full, the

surface finer striated and more polished ; from the latter it is distin-

guished by its smaller size, the beaks being less full, the antero-

superior margin less straight, and the angle at the anterior end being

situated higher up; the shell is thinner and the hinge less strong,

the coloration different. | With all these differences appearing only

gradual, our Pisidiwm is a good species beyond a doubt and will

always be recognized.

It was found, in May a. c., in the outlet of a small peaty swamp

near New Philadelphia, Ohio, about 200 specimens, in company with

Pis. abditum, varibile and compressum, all, when fresh, being of a

remarkably uniform color and appearance; Philadelphia, Pa.

(Morris Schick); Grand Rapids, Mich. (L. H. Streng); Joliet, Ill.

(Jas. H. Ferriss) ; Clearwater River,and Dallas Lake, Minn. (H. E.

Sargent).

P. mitium Held. This is not a new species, but new to our

country. A number of specimens from East Twin Lake, at Charle-

voix, Michigan, dead shells but in perfect condition, in the collection

of Mr. Bryant Walker, were, after careful comparison, found to be

congruent, in shape and appearance, as well as in the hinge char-

acters, with one of the larger forms of Pis. miliwm from England, so

that there can be no doubt in their identity.

New Philadelphia, Ohio, Oct., 1895.

— is -

THE NAUTILUS. 77

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Natchitoches, Louisiana.

October 6, 1895.

My first work was two miles below Mabelvale (12 miles southwest

of Little Rock, Arkansas) along Fourche creek; an outcrop of

Eocene limestone of the Midway or Clayton stage occurs here, con-

taining Enclimatoceras ulrichi, Ostrea pulaskensis, Cucullea micro-

donta, Cytherea sp., Venericardia planicosta, ete., etc. Most of the

fossils consist of casts only, and are difficult to obtain from the hard

limestone. The situation was very favorable for Jand shells, how-

ever, and the heavy rain of the day before had caused the snails to

start from their hiding places and I found them very abundant,

crawling over the rocks and leaves. Helicina orbiculata, Polygyra

thyroides var. bucculenta, Polygyra inflecta and large fine specimens

of Zonites friabilis were particularly common, while a search brought

to light Polygyra stenotrema, Polygyra divesta, Selenites concava, and

Pyramidula alternata var. mordax. The whole bluff was strewn with

dead shells, and in turning over a log one of the enemies of the

Helices was found, a large beetle of the genus Cychrus.

At White Bluff on the Arkansas River, in Jefferson Co., Arkansas).

is a bed of Upper Claiborne. The principal fossils collected were

Venericardia planicosta, Nucula ovula, Cytherea discoidalis, Corbula

nasuta, C. oniscus, Turritella arenicola var. branneri, Turritella

clevelandia, Pseudoliva vetusta, Levifusus branneri, Volutilithes

petrosus, Solarium bellastriatum, a fine series of Mazzalina inaurata,

and many others, altogether probably 25 or 30 species.

At Vince Bluff on the Saline River in Cleveland Co., Arkansas, is

a small exposure of the Jackson bed from which about thirty species

were obtained. The river was very low and in many places paved

with Unios. As it was getting late, and a drive of eleven miles was

before me I had very little time to collect ; but upon cleaning the

“catch” next morning, found I had the following species: Unio

pyramidatus, U. crassidens (?), U. trigonus, U. camelus, U. turgidus,

U. pustulosus. U. near castaneus, U. plicatus, U. cornutus, U. metan-

ever, U. trapezoides, U. securis, U. hydeanus, U. aberti, U. tubercula-

tus U. near satur, U. gracilis, U. purpuratus. The first five species

were abundant and many of the others would prove equally so with

more thorough collecting. It is an ideal spot for a “ Uniologist.”

Campeloma subsolidum Anth. and Pleurocera elevatum were also

abundant, and among the former J find one specimen of Vivipara

subpurpurea Say.

78 THE NAUTILUS.

My next collecting was done at Mt. Lebanon, Bienville Parish,

Louisiana. This is the locality discovered by Mr. T. Wayland

Vaughan, and through his kindness in giving me the exact position

of the bed, I was able to find it, after considerable digging, as the

banks had caved down. I succeeded in getting a very interesting

lot of fossils, including fine specimens of Anomia ephippoides.

While waiting for a train as Shreveport I took a stroll along the

Red River and a small tributary (“ Lake”) to the north of the city.

Nothing was to be found along the river except quantities of dead

Helices, etc. among the flood-debris, but which have practically no

value, as their habitat may have been Arkansas, Texas, or Indian

Territory. Along the shores of the “ Lake” I found some beautiful

specimens of Unio alatus and U. anodontoides ; and Campeloma sub-

solidum and Vivipara subpurpurea were quite plentiful. Although

the Red River was extremely low, the ever-changing bars and the

freshet-swept shores are unfavorable situations for mollusca;

while in the smaller rivers and tributaries they are abundant.

CHARLES W. JOHNSON.

NOTE ON THE GENUS JOANNISIA.

BY W. H. DALL.

In the Transactions of the Wagner Free Institute of Science vol’

III, p. 545, April, 1895, I proposed the name of Joannisia for

Cyrenella oblonga Sowerby and another Philippine island species

which had been referred to Cyrenella (or Cyrenoida Joannis) as the

hinge of these species is quite different from that of the original type

of Cyrenella (or Cyrenoida). The Marquis de Monterosato kindly

calls my attention to the fact that in 1888 he had used the name

Joanisia for a genus typified by Tylodina citrina Joannis (Nom.

Gen. Con. Medit., p. 149).

I would therefore modify the name as applied to the Philippine

bivalve to Joannisiella.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

Before the November issue of Tar Nautiius each member of

Chapter will have received a copy of our new printed list of mem-

bers. A number of new names appear upon the list.

THE NAUTILUS. 79

Please bear in mind that our Chapter reports are due next month

(December). It is expected that our volume of Transactions will

be very large this year. Write only on one side of paper eight by

ten inches in size. Leave a margin of one and one-half inches at

the left. very member is expected to send in a report. A short

one will be better than none.

The election of officers for the Chapter also occurs in December.

The President and General Secretary, who also acts as Treasurer,

are the officers to be elected. Those who have not paid dues in

advance will please bear them in mind. |

RAISING BABY SNAILS.

[From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter. ]

Prof. Keep once inquired, in the Popular Science News, “ Did

any one ever raise baby snails?” I copy from an old note book:

“May 24, 1886, Mesodon thyroides deposited fortyethree eggs. All

hatched between 4 P. M., June 8 and noon June 9. June 23 found

fifty-seven eggs.” They were in two nests, and I probably removed

the mother before her day’s work was done, as I found fourteen

more immediately after, making seventy-one. “ July 11, sixty-nine.

July 20, forty-seven.” Whole number deposited in four days less

than two months by one snail, 230.

_ Those hatched June 8 show, on July 1,small umbilicus, 23 whorls,

and on July 8, three full whorls. July 23, four whorls, umbilicus

partly covered. Shell so thin it is almost impossible to handle.

The following January, nearly five whorls, lip thickening and

slightly everted. Callous on the body-whorl, but no tooth.

If any one interested in the study of mollusca could raise young,

from any or all species in their vicinity, it would not only be in-

structive, but would save time and patience, when an undeveloped

shell is found, in trying to find out what it is. The tiny youngsters

have sometimes very little resemblance to an old one. Iam rarely

without one or two colonies.

80 THE NAUTILUS.

MY FIRST YEAR COLLECTING AND STUDYING SHELLS.

[Report of H. Lowe. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the

Agassiz Association for 1894 ]

My knowledge of collecting shells is quite limited as I have only

studied conchology for about a year. I have collected chiefly at.

Long Beach and San Pedro, but prefer the latter place for collect-

ing as it offers a great variety of beach, rocks, sand and mud flats.

At Dead Man’s Id. are to be found rock shells in abundance, the

Chlorostoma, Monoceros, and Littorina clinging in dark patches on

the rocks of the breakwater, while among them are bright red _star-

fish and Chitons.

The Pomaulax undosus are also plentiful, for at one time I picked

up thirty-five living specimens in one place. On the great pieces of

kelp which are seen floating in the tide pools, are often found colonies

of the beautiful Norrisia norrisii with their strawberry colored

bodies extended from the shell.

I have found beautiful live specimens of Semele decisa in sand

between the rocks on the Bay side of Dead Man’s Id. and good spec-

imens of the Cordiuwm quadrigenarium in the mud flats. Olivella

biplicata may be found at low tide between Rattlesnake Id. and

Terminal Id.

Most of the shells of Alamitos Bay are bivalve, while those of San

Pedro and Dead Man’s Id. are mostly Gastropods.

This Summer Neverita recluziana has been quite plentiful for I

found one hundred and twenty-five in one morning at the Donax

beds at Long Beach, and I found it quite true as Prof. Keep says,

that the Natica eat clams for I caught them while boring into

Donaces. * * * * * Among other interesting relics which I found

this Summer was the house which the Oedalina subdiaphana Desh.,

builds. It is made of sand and some substance which holds the

sand together and covers the shell completely except for two tiny

holes left for the siphons. It is about an inch long, and may some-

times be seen lying on the mud flats at Alamitos Bay, and resembles

lumps of sand. The shell of the little mollusk which lives inside is

pure white and very delicate, the lines of growth are distinct and

the ligament is internal.

You may have wondered in walking along the beach, what the

curious formation of sand, looking like a horse’s hoof was. By some

THE NAUTILUS. 81

people they are called “sand dollars.” I was greatly puzzled over

them till this summer when I learned, at the Conchology Class of

the Chautanqua Assembly what they were. They arethe egg cases

of the Natica and are full of microscopic eggs mixed with the sand.

Sometimes on top of the egg cases are found the eggs of the Nassa

lying in long rows.

NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

ON THE STRUCTURE AND AFFINITIES OF SOME NEW SPECIES OF

Mo.u.uscs FROM Borneo.—By W. E. Collinge and H. H. Godwin-

Austen, P. Z. 8., 1895.—This interesting paper gives descriptions

and many figures of three new slugs collected by Mr. Everett in

Borneo. ‘The fact is brought out, that the slugs of Borneo resem-

ble in their anatomy some of the shell-bearing forms of that island,

rather than the Indian slugs to which they show more outward

similarity. The first species is placed in Damayantia Issel, for all

that it hasa shell. The suggestion that Issel was mistaken in sup-

posing that his genus was shell-less is probably correct ; the present

writer had in Ann. Mag. N.H., Jan., 1891, p. 100, suggested a doubt

as to the validity of this character by quoting it within inverted

commas. Some remarks are given as to Tennentia, which is said to

be “ probably synonymous with Issel’s genus,” but immediately be-

low is correctly shown to be equivalent to Mariaella. It is probable

that the authors meant to say that the so-called Tennentia philip-

pinensis is a Damayantia, but not that Tennentia= Mariaellais Dam-

ayantia! If the latter synonymy held, Mariaella would of course be

the name of the genus, having long priority. The statement that

Dekhania G.-A. is the same as Mariaella and “ must be suppressed ”

comes rather late in the day, since the present writer had suppressed

it, with all due pomp and solemnity, in 1891 (t. c., p. 103-104),

and again in the check-list of 1893. The other two species are

placed in Microparmarion, a genus or subgenus lately instituted by

Simroth for a species from Java. Curiously, in making comparisons,

Africarion pallens is said to be from South India, whereas it was really

from Abyssinia, vide Godwin-Austen, Moll. of India, 1883.

Simroth’s division of the Javan slugs into Parmarion and Micro-

parmarion may be justified, but a new name is apparently required

82 THE NAUTILUS.

for what he calls Parmarion. If we admit that the Javan slugs are

not Girasia nor Ibycus, then they are assuredly not Parmarion ; for

that genus was founded by Fischer on four slugs, one of which is a

Mariaella one a Girasia (Indian), one an Ibycus (Indian), and the

other a Hyalimaz !

In conclusion, we may cordially echo the author’s wish that fur-

ther Bornean material may be obtained by them, for they have cer-

tainly only obtained a glimpse of the undoubtedly rich slug-fauna

of that region.—T. D. A. CocKERELL.

REVIEW OF OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE MOLLUSCAN

FAUNA OF MicuiGan, by Bryant Walker (address delivered before

the Michigan Acad. Science, Dec. 27, 1894). Michigan has a long

Malacological history, for a Western State, beginning with Dr.

SAGER, in 1839, who had worthy followers in MiLEs, CURRIER and

DeCamp, successive historiographers of the rich mollusk-fauna of

that great State. Other Michigan naturalists—McNEIL, STRENG,

LatHrop et al—have made large additions to our knowledge of the

mollusca, not to mention the Eastern authors Conrad, Anthony, Lea,

Tryon and others, who described material collected by the ardent

and enthusiastic band of Michigan naturalists. All of this is most

interestingly related by Mr. WALKER, in this survey of the history

of Michigan Malacology. In the notes accompanying his tabular

enumeration of all species reported from the State, from all sources,

(284 entries), much valuable information is given, but so condensed

that no useful abstract is possible. A full bibliography of Michigan

conchology concludes the paper.—H. A. P.

A CaTALOGUE OF THE Martne MOLuiusks OF JAPAN has been

issued by Messrs. Frederick Stearns and Henry A. Pilsbry. It is

a handsome volume of 204 pp., and 11 plates. Suitable notice of

the contents will be given next mouth.

MOoLLUSQUES DE LA BAssE CALIFORNIE, recueillis par M. Diguet-

déterminés par M. Jules Mabille (Bull. Soc. Philomathique de Paris,

(8) vii, pp. 54-76, 1895). This annotated list comprises both mar-

ine and inland mollusks, and many supposed new species. In most

cases exact localities are not given. . The forms described or men-

tioned as new are: Octopus digueti Perrier & Rochebr. ; Fissurella

(Cremides) pluridentata and digueti, Patella enigmatica, Crepidula

nebulata Mabille; Plewrobranchus digueti and Doris umbrella

Rochebr.; Planorbis mysarus, Helix indigena, steganella, imveeta,

digueti; H. (Polygyra) solidens, triangularis; Bulimulus (Lepto-

THE NAUTILUS. &3

byrsus) lapidivagus, dentifer, subspirifer, dismenicus ; B. (Scutalus)

‘acholus, cosmicus, cacotyeus ; B. ( Thaumastus) digueti; B. (Globulus )

recognitus ; Berendtia digueti, minorina; Barbatia nova, digueti ;

Perna recognita; Anomya [sic] simplex Mabille; Plicatula spondy-

lopsis, ostreivaga, Chama parasitica, digueti Rochebrune. The

diagnoses are not accompanied by comparisons with known species,

nor are figures given; and the work as a whole, instead of adding

to our knowledge of Lower Californian conchology, quite appreciably

darkens the subject. There are unquestionably some misidentifica-

tions, or possibly mixture of specimens from other localities, among

the marine shells; and numerous typographical errors mar the

paper. There should be a petition in the litany of all good con-

chologists against this sort of dilettante trash.

DE L’ EXISTENCE DU GENRE BERTHELINIA CROSSE A L’EPOQUE

ACTUELLE, par Ph. Dautzenberg (Bull. Svc. Zool. France 1895).

In 1875 a peculiar, very small, Capulus-like shell was discovered in

the Paris Basin Eocene, and named by Crosse Berthelinia elegans.

It was supposed to be a univalve; but later another was found, and

proved to be a left valve of the species, which was then transferred

to the bivalve family Aviculide. ‘The genus has also been surmised

to be an embryonic bivalve, analogous to Sinusigera in Gastropoda.

Now a living representative of Berthelinia has been found, and

named by M. Dautzenberg B. Schlumbergeri, in honor of the dis-

coverer. It is Jess than a millimeter long, white, with spiral beaks

like Isocardia cor; the interior is not pearly, but mat, so that Coss-

mann is probably right in referring Berthelinia to Prasinide rather

than to the pearl oyster group. It was dredged in sand at the island

Nossibé, near Madagascar.— H. A. P.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Dr. Wm. H. Dat, Honorary Curator of the Department of

Mollusks, U.S. Nat. Mus., has returned from a prolonged sojourn in

Alaska, where he has been engaged in an examination of the coal

resources of the country.

Mussexts In A City Reservior.—During the cleaning of the

East Park Reservoir, 33d St. and Columbia Avenue, Philadelphia,

Mr. J. E. Ives observed numerous Unio complanatus in the muddy

sediment in course of removal. Specimens presented to the Academy

_of Natural Sciences by him are well-grown and normal. The water

&4 THE NAUTILUS.

supply of this reservoir is pumped from the Schuylkill, where this

species is abundant; and it was doubtless introduced in the state of

free-swimming embryos, which found in the muddy bottom of the

reservoir, a suitable station.—H. A. P.

PYRAMIDULA ALTERNATA AND GASTRODONTA LIGERA, RE-

VERSED.—In the collection of the late Ropert Watton, of Rox-

borough, Philadelphia, which was presented by his father to the

Academy of Natural Sciences, a reversed specimen of each of these

species occurs, both taken in the vicinity of Philadelphia. In a

former issue we have announced a reversed Z. cellarius found by

the same ardent conchologist.

Another sinistral specimen of P. alternata has been presented to

the Academy, a finely developed shell of the size of ordinary

adults in this locality. It was found by Mr. Jonn Forp in the

West Park (Fairmount) some years ago, in a locality now destroyed

so far as snails are concerned.

It would seem that sinistral individuals occur more frequently in

Pyramidula (Patula) than in our other groups of American

Helices. Binney records a reversed alternata (Man. Amer. L. Sh.

p. 257) in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. I have seen a

fine reversed specimen of P. strigosa, in the collection of the late

Dr. Fr. Stern, of Indianapolis, Ind. I believe that no sinistral

specimens of American species of this genus other than those men-

tioned above, have been put on record, but it is not unlikely that

others exist in collections, unrecorded. If so, we would be pleased

to hear from their possessors, and to record the occurrence of such

sinistral Helices as may come to our knowledge.—Epbs.

Tue Eprror has had the pleasure of very pleasant calls from

Dr. THEODORE GILL and Pror. A. E. VERRILL, whose attendance

at the meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, of which they

are distinguished members, brings them to this City of Brotherly

Love.

ConcHoLocists who do not already possess a copy of Tryon’s

“STRUCTURAL AND SysTEMATIC ConcHOoLoGy” should procure it

now. ‘This work is indispensable to the collector who wishes

to gain an intelligent idea of the affinities or structure of shells, or

to classify a collection. The plates illustrate thousands of species

representing all of the genera and subgenera, and the text contains

interesting chapters on geographical and geological distribution,

structure, classification, etc. It is the most complete text book on

the subject in the English language.

WHE NAUTILUS.

WOL,.1X. DECEMBER, 1895. No. 8

NOTES OF A CONCHOLOGIST IN JAPAN.

BY JOHN B. HENDERSON, WASHINGTON, D. C.

It was my good fortune to accompany the Hon. John W. Foster

on his diplomatic mission to Japan and China last winter. Official

duties and the disabilities placed upon me by a suspicious military

guard prevented me from doing very much collecting, although I

eagerly seized such few opportunities that came my way to gather

in the tempting array of mollusks that generally seemed near at

hand.

There can be no more delightful country in the world to collect

in than Japan. The natives are always pleasant and courteous and

often show a disposition to assist. Even my solemn escort at times

_ 80 far forgot pride and dignity as to remove their swords and wade

In the muddy rice fields to capture the “ dobukai.” Land and fresh-

water shells are abundant almost anywhere. The mountain sides

are especially rich in that variable Helicid group of Eulota (Ku-

hadra) luhuana, its many forms and varieties. Clausilias cluster

together in old stumps, and the rice fields fairly swarm with Oorbi-

cula, Vivipara and Melania. One rainy day at Nikko, a coolie

brought me a branch of mulberry, upon which seventeen fine speci-

mens of Kuhadra brandti were crawling.

The only marine collecting I could do was at Shimonoseki, and in

the neighborhood of Nagasaki. Both these localities are delight-

So. THE NAUTILUS.

fully rich in marine forms, especially the latter point, where a larger

number of the true Indo-Pacific species occurs. At Nagasaki crowds

of fisherwives and their children go out every day at low tide

and gather Tapes philippinarum Rv. for the markets. These are

found in great abundance on the pebbly beaches of the bay, an inch

or so under the surface. At a little fishing village called Mogi, on

the Gulf of Simibara, where a small stream meets the sea, I spent

two days in a conchological paradise. I shall not soon forget the

thrill at my first sight of those splendid Indo-Pacific species alive

and moving along, that I had only seen before in collections and

figured in books. Here at low tide an exposed stretch of rocky reef

was covered with Monodonta labto L., Purpura tumulosa, Chloros-

toma lischkei Pils., Chil. turbinatum Ad., Chl. rustica Gmel., Turbo

coronatus Gmel., and an occasional Turbo cornutus japonica Rve.

In the crevices of the larger boulders, hidden from the light, Euthria

ferrea Reeve clings to the rough surfaces of the granite, and Litor-

ina sitchana Phil. must be sacrificed at every step. In the little

pools of clear water left by the receding tide, myriads of Umbonium

glisten in the sunlight like gems, along with the more dingy Potam-

ides. Under the stones are hidden all manner of nice things—the

usual Tapes and a quantity of small species ; occasionally a pretty

Calliostoma consors Lisch., and now and then a fine, large, spiny

Murex (M. axicornis /)

A sand- and mud-bank at the mouth of the little river is most

interesting. Among a wealth of species and a profusion of speci-

mens I stood dazed and excited. Fusus (two large species), with

their brilliant scarlet-red bodies made furrows in the soft sand, and

Siphonalia kellettii seemed quite as abundant. The large, fine

Polinices ampla and Eburna japonica Sowb. thrive in the half mud

half sand. Scattered along the shore and washed in from the deeper

waters of the bay I found good specimens of Hemifusus, Rapana

bezoar, Runella lampas, Triton tritonis, Fascolaria trapezium, Siphon-

alia cussidariaeformis and longirostris, Cassis pyrum Lam., and

Astralium modestum Rve.

Among a number of bivalves remember, in particular, Solete/lina

boeddinghaust Lisch., Tellina praetexta Marts., Arca subcrenata Lisch.,

Cytherea lusoria, Caecella chinensis Desh., Dosinea japonica, Mactra

veneriformis Pecten japonicus and laqueatus.

While collecting at this charming spot, I was assisted by a swarm

of naked children, who vied with each other in finding specimens,

THE NAUTILUS. 87

and whose little, black, oblique eyes could almost see around corners,

The market places usually offer a number of the more common

species, among which one can often pick out rarer and more desir-

able forms. Hburna japonica and a large Cardium seemed the most

favored as articles of diet.

ANNOTATED LIST OF THE MOLLUSCA FOUND IN THE VICINITY OF

CLEARWATER, WRIGHT CO., MINNESOTA.

— - -——_————

BY H. E. SARGENT, WOODVILLE, ALA.

PART FIRST—LAND SHELLS.

Having the past summer at our disposal, and needing rest, our

plans were laid gastronomically to enjoy the fruits of the old home-

stead garden, the pride of our octogenarian parent; socially, to re-

new the acquaintance of relatives and friends of former years, and,

scientifically, for our own gratification and perhaps that of our

fellow conchologists, to work up as fully as possible the molluscan

fauna of the immediate vicinity of our sojourn. The two first de-

sideratze of the vacation were a pre-eminent success, and our friends

may be our judges as to the latter.

Clearwater, Wright Co., Minnesota, is situated on the Clearwater

River, at its junction with the Mississippi, some 60 miles above the

famous Falls of St. Anthony.

The Mississippi, at this point is, at times, deep, rapid and filled

with loose logs for the Minneapolis saw-mills. At the time of our

investigations it was shallow, quiet and free from logs, thus greatly

aiding in our search. Its bed being in the glacial drift, contains but

little, if any, lime-rock.

Fine granite is quarried from the outcropping of the Archean

rocks at St. Cloud, only 15 miles above.

The several islands which occur at this point are low and densely

overgrown with willows, elms, vines and rank weeds.

Being protected from fires, the undergrowth is a perfect tangle of

dead limbs and living weeds. The portions which are overflowed in

high water are cleared and more open.

The Clearwater River, a small stream easily crossed dry shod in

summer, is from 8-10 miles long, and the outlet of Clearwater Lake.

_ Except in the most rapid portions, it is muddy under its banks, with

an occasional muddy slough connected.

88 THE NAUTILUS.

Clearwater Lake is a beautiful sheet of water. It is 10 or 12

miles long, from a few rods to 3 or 4 miles wide, and very irregular

in outline. Over most of its bed it is pebbly or rocky and quite

shallow, many acres in its centre being less than two feet deep. The

surrounding timber is quite heavy, and furnishes good retreats for

land mollusks, while the maples, elms and oaks, by their abundant

shade, keep the soil somewhat moist. «

Belle and Heath Lakes, situated two miles west from Clearwater,

are small, deep, weedy and muddy, and are typical of several other

lakes visited, of which no further mention will be made.

Their floors, at margin, are covered with fine, marly mud deposit,

and are heavily overgrown with rushes and white lillies. Beyond

the water’s edge, the shores are boggy and overgrown with rank

grass. The surrounding country is rolling and sandy; timber,.

scrub-oak, poplar, birch, and other small shrubby trees—and to still

further render it unfit for molluscan habitation, it is frequently

overrun by forest fires. No shells were found away from the imme-

diate vicinity of the lakes.

Land species were collected at the following stations:

Station B. Belle Lake. Among grass roots on crowns of bogs,

unless otherwise designated.

Station C. Clearwater Lake. Sifted from leaf-mould taken from

banks of small spring rill.

Station I. Islands in Mississippi River at Clearwater.

Station R. Rockford, Minn., 20 miles south of Clearwater.

Station D. Drift in Mississippi River at Bellevue, Ia.

Station E. Vicinity of Bellevue, Ia.

Valuable assistance has been rendered in verifying and identify-

ing by Dr. Sterki.

1. Selenites concava Say. D.

2. Pseudohyalina milium Morse. C.

3. Pseudohyalina minuscula Binn. R, under chips at water’s.

edge of Crow Creek. B, D.

4. Zonitoides nitida Mull. C, under boards among the reeds at.

lake margin. I, very abundant under fine bark chips at water’s

edge. E, crawling among weeds near creek.

5. Vitrea radiatula Ald. Common at B and C.

6. Vitrea radiatula Ald. (albino), very closely resembling H.

binneyana. <A beautiful variety found at both B and C, together

with the typical specimens.

THE NAUTILUS. 89

7. Vitrea arborea Say. C, B, I, R.

8. Conulus fulvus Drap. Very plentiful at B and C under de-

eaying logs. I, R.

9. Strobilops virgo Pils. C, specimens perfectly colorless. D, R-

10. Strobilops virgo Pils. (dark brown variety). At C, in com-

pany with, and at B, without typical specimens.

11. Punetum pygmaeum Drap. C, B.

12. Pyramidula striatella Anth. B,C, I, R.

12a. Pyramidula striatella catskillensis Pils. Clearwater Lake.

13. Pyramidula alternata Say. Under decaying logs:at C, I, D.

14. Helicodiscus lineatus Say. Very numerous and rather under-

sized at C, D.

15. Polygyra (Triodopsis) multilineata Say. I, E, island in

Mississippi River near Bellevue, Ia. At both stations mature shells

were very thin and delicate.

16. Polygyra (Tridopsis) clausa Say. D.

17. Polygyra (Stenotrema) hirsuta Say. D.

18. Polygyra (Stenotrema) leai Ward. I, under drift ; E, bogs on

banks of creek; B.

19. Vallonia perspectiva Sterki. I and R.

20. Ferussacia subcylindrica L. OC, B,I, R.

21. Pupa pentodon Say. B, D.

22. Pupa edentula Drap. C.

23. Pupa contracta Say. B,C, D.

24. Pupa holzingeri Sterki. C, D,I.

25. Pupa curvidens Gld. C, D.

26. Pupa corticaria Say. C, under bark of decaying log.

27. Pupa armifera Say. B, on sandy hillside; D.

28. Pupa procera Gld. D.

29. Vertigo ovata Say. B,C.

30. Vertigo ventricosa Morse var. elatior Sterki. B.

dl. Vertigo tridentata Wolf (1 example, 4-dentate) D.

32. Vertigo milium Gld. D.

33. Suceinea ovalis Gld. C,B, R. Crawling on slough grass.

34. Succinea obliqua Say. I, very fine specimens among under-

brush and weeds; C, E, on island in Mississippi River.

35. Suceinea avara Say. I, very abundant under pine bark chips

at water’s edge.

36. Carychium exiguum Say. C, B.

387. Carychium exiguum Say. var. R, C.

90 THE NAUTILUS.

38. Carychium exile H.C. Lea. D,C.

The aquatic species will be enumerated in a second paper.

DESCRIPTION OF A NEW AUSTRALIAN CHITON.

BY H.. A. PEESE RY.

Chiton Bednalli n. sp.

Oblong, strongly elevated, with acute dorsal keel and straight side-

slopes. Cream-white, with a small flesh-pink spot at each beak, and

a sparce mottling of same on lateral areas, the central areas clouded

with green. Girdle flesh-tinted with green bars.

Median valves acutely beaked, the beaks hardly projecting on

the straight or concave posterior margins of valves, which, at the -

sides, are regularly serrated. Central areas with a narrow, smooth

band along the ridge (wider and triangular in valve ii), the pleura

with 12 narrow, strong, rounded, longitudinal ribs on each side,

separated by flat grooves wider than the ribs; tnner one or two ribs

not reaching to anterior margin of valve. Lateral areas well raised,

divided by a median groove (doubled on some valves), which widens

at intervals, forming a series of triangular pits; traces of somewhat

similar pits appear along the diagonal slope, and the posterior border

has a series of transverse undulations corresponding to the denticles

of the sutural margin. Valve i with about 20 radial narrow grooves,

also pitted; and, like the grooves of lateral areas, these do not extend

to the beak, which is surrounded by a smooth area. Valve viii with

central projecting mucro, the slope behind it very concave; anterior

area ribbed, posterior area with pitted radial grooves.

Interior white, blue on the valve-callus. Girdle clothed with

convex imbricating scales, rounded in contour, and measuring about

two-fifths of a millimeter in width, faintly striated toward inner

edge of girdle, blunter and smoother toward outer edge.

Length 25, breadth 11 mm.; angle of divergence 98°.

Yorke’s Peninsula (W. T. Bednall).

This species resembles C. Covi somewhat, but differs in the pecu-

liar pit sculpture of the lateral areas. Its nearest ally is a still un-

described South Australian species collected by Mr. Bednall. The

coloration described will probably be found subject to variation, as

usual.

THE NAUTILUS. 91

SOME NOTES ON THE GENITAL ORGANS OF UNIONIDE, WITH REFER-

ENCE TO SYSTEMATICS.

BY DR. V. STERKI.

It is generally known that in a group of Uniones comprising a

great part of our species, such as ligamentinus Lam., rectus Lam.,

subovatus Lea, parvus Barnes, nasutus Say, rangianus Lea, alatus

Say, ete., the females have the posterior part of their outer branchie

peculiarly transformed into “branchial uteri,” and also that in con-

sequence of this, in almost all instances the shells of the female

specimens are distinctly and decidedly dilated downward at the

posterior end, so as to be distinguished from the males at first glance.

‘The degree of difference between the sexes is, however, very differ-

ent among the several species, but it is constant. For convenient

reference in the following, this group is designated as A. There is

another group, say B, in which all four branchie are charged in

their totality with embryones, as already shown by Lea for some

species,’ but do not show such marked transformation and change

in colors as those of the former group, and cause also no such strik-

ing differences in the shape of the mussel, according to the sexes.

Examples of this group are: U. subrotundus Lea, pustulosus Lea,

aesopus Green, undulatus Barnes.

_ There are some facts of peculiar interest in connection with this

grouping. The first is that the animals are propagating at certain

seasons quite different for the two groups, as the writer has ascer-

tained by examining thousands of specimens during the last four or

five years. In group A the branchial uteri are charged with embry-

ones from late summer to the beginning of winter, and probably in

most through the winter, while in early summer they are empty, the

embryones having been discharged. At that time the ovaries of the

females are charged with ova, and the testes of the males with sper-

matozoa, while the latter are missing, or quite scarce, in the time

from late summer to winter, in which time the embryones attain

their maturity in the branchiz.

In group B, just the reverse is true. During the fall, z.e., about

from August, and probably winter, the branchie are empty, con-

taining no embryones, while the ovaries are filled with ova, and the

'Yet Huxley, in his valuable ‘“‘ Man. Anat. of Inv. An.,” says: “In Unio

and Anodonta the young are hatched in the outer gill pouches of the parent

”)

92 THE NAUTILUS.

testes with the white, creamy sperma (rarely of a different color.)

During early summer, the branchiz will be found filled first with

developing ova and then with embryones, which are discharged

about in July; at that season the ovaries and testes are sterile.

There are slight variations as to the time, but the general rule is as.

stated.

This radical difference in the season of producing ova and sperma,,.

and maturing the embryones, coincident with the differences of the

location and formation of the uterus sacs is highly interesting, the:

more so as they are in harmony with the differences in the shells,.

and thus seem to furnish systematic characters of a high order. In

group A the mussels are generally more or less elongated, or at least.

longitudinal, that means with a small angle of torsion of the axis,”

the hinge-teeth are moderately strong, and the epiconch is of a.

vivid color, as a rule, with numerous rays. In B, the mussels are,

as a rule, shorter, the axis-torsion is more considerable, the hinge

and hinge-teeth are stronger and of a different shape, and the epi--

conch is generally of a more uniform, dusky color.

Yet there seem to be some real or apparent exceptions, and dissi--

dent members of both groups. In U. lens Lea and ellipsis Lea the-

propagating organs are of exactly the same type as in group A, and:

also bound to the same season. Inthe former. which has often been.

mistaken for U. circulus Lea, the male and female mussels are very

different, the latter being strongly dilated downward posteriorly—

Lea’s figure represents a female specimen well; the shell is also not

heavy. In U. ellipsis the female mussel is also dilated and more

full posteriorly, though not so marked, yet, as a rule, recognizable ;

the lighter color and green rays of the younger approaches it to:

group A, and more so, in the writer’s opinion, the formation of the

posterior mantle edge, which is of the same appearance as in the:

other species ranging under A.

On the other hand, two species, with an elongated mussel, U.

cuneatus Barn. (niger Rat., crassidens v. C. Lam.) and gibbosus

Barn. range with group B, as to their generative organs, and also in

the season, while they at least show no downward dilatation of the

female shell (in cuneatus it seems to be decidedly higher in general)

and their shells are comparatively heavy, the epiconch is of a uni-

form deep brown or black, though having some green rays when

young, as do also U. subrotundus, coccineus etc.; the shell is very

2 More about this feature will be said in another place.

THE NAUTILUS. 93

heavy in crassidens, and the teeth very strong and of the same type

with the other species of group B, while the decided downward

curvature at the posterior end in old specimens approaches both

species to the same, and removes them decidedly from A.

In U. multiplicatus the female was found November 1, with evi-

dently mature embryones filling the uterus sacs, which are of rather

the same appearance as those of U. alatus, and occupying the most

posterior part of the outer branchiz. Also, otherwise this species is

quite different from U. undulatus Barn., in spite of the similar ap-

pearance of the old mussels, as already pointed out by Say.

A few words about U. alatus Say, laevissimus Lea and gracilis

Barn. may be added. Of all three the branchial uteri were found

filled late in October, in the former evidently discharging the em-

bryones, and of a rather different formation from that in the two

others, while the young mussels of the two former species are very

much alike. It is known that in U. alatus the female mussel is

markedly produced downward, and more so in gracilis, while in

laevissimus it is scarcely distinct from the male.

Besides these two main, and, as it seems, most numerous groups,

there are some species of quite different types. In order not to let

this article become too lengthy, they, together with Margaritana and

Anodonta will be considered later.

It is probably known to most conchologists that during the first

two or three years of life, the genital glands are not developed at

all. Yet the specimens are still rather small and young when they

begin producing ova and sperma, and the assertion that the presence

of embryones is a criterion of maturity of the parent is as far from

truth here as it is for the Cycladide. In group A the filled uterus-

or embryo-sacs increase in numbers as well as in size with advancing

age of the mother animal. In U. subovatus Lea, e. g., 18, 25,28, 40

have been counted on a side, in specimens of different sizes, and

these are probably not the lowest and highest numbers to be found,

and correspondingly so in other species. For every one of them

there is, however, an average number the rule for an adult, and

these numbers are very different for the different species.

The embryones, or glochidia, of many species have been exam-

ined and figured long ago, especially by Lea, and they prove to be

of rather different forms. Very probably they would be found more

or less uniform in the several groups, and with the latter show

differences which may also be of value for systematics. Although

94 THE NAUTILUS.

having examined some of them, and their development, the writer

is not prepared, as yet, to speak in a general way about them.

New Philadelphia, Ohio, Nov., 1895.

NOTES AND NEWS.

New Recorpbs or Reversep AMERICAN Heticrs.—I have my-

self found three reversed Helices. First, reversed thyroides. This

specimen I sent to the late John G. Anthony for the Cambridge

Collection. Second, reversed multilineata. This also I sent to

Anthony. I now have another reversed thyroides in my collection.

I also know of a third one, collected near Cincinnati, by the late

Mr. Stannage, and also of a reversed mitchelliana collected by Prof.

F. W. Bryant near Cincinnati.

This makes a list of six reversed specimens of Mesodon, which I

have seen. Dr. Lewis had a reversed albolabris in his collection.

This does not indicate that Patu/a has much the start.

—A.G. WETHERBY, Magnetic City, N. C.

VITRINA LIMPIDA IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.—The last time

I saw you I promised to send you some living Vitrina limpida Gld.

if my “colony” had not died out, so I send you a dozen and trust

they will reach you in good shape.

Last year I only found 12 alive, so feared the “ colony ” had died

out, and, up to to-day, had not found a single specimen this year.

It has been exceedingly dry this season, the deficit in rain-fall being

nearly 11 inches up to November 1, but yesterday we had a steady,

soaking rain; so to-day I started out for Vitrina and collected 95

in two hours, so you see, the “ colony ” is still flourishing in spite of

the drought, and burning off the “drift” under which they lived.

I think I told you that this “ colony” came down the river in the

flood of February, 1891, as that was the time the drift lodged in the

hollow where they are found, and the Signal Service records show

that the ’91 flood came from the headwaters of the Allegheny. This

is a good example of “dispersal by water,” and one that has prac-

tically been proved.

To-day was cold and raw, with slight snow-spits (Signal Service

record for November 10 show maximum temperature 39° F., mini-

mum 386° F.), so V. limpida has the same habits as its European

THE NAUTILUS. 95

cousin pellucida, i. e., out in cold weather. [I noticed one or two

eggs among the rotten leaves.

As to the habits of Vitrina limpida, they were very hard to find

yesterday [Noy. 17], as it was much dryer than a week ago, and

most of the shells had crawled into the curled-up leaves. One

specimen was busily engaged in making a meal off of the shell of a

deceased brother or sister, eating right through the shell as is the

habit of the Zonites.—-Gro. H. Ciapp, Pittsburg, Pa., in letters.

THE Stearns Loan CoLiection IN tHE DerrRoit MuseuM oF

Art.—tThe citizens of Detroit, Michigan, are to be congratulated

upon the addition to their facilities for scientific and esthetic edu-

cation, of the great collection of archxological and ethnological

material of Mr. FREDERICK SrEarns. We quote the following

from the Detroit Evening News, of November 1:

“The occasion which last night emphasized the significance of the

gathering at the Detroit Museum of Art is one which the whole

Detroit public ought to recognize. It was the formal dedication to

the public use of the additional gifts lately made to the museum by

Frederick Stearns. The archeological and ethnological collection

which Mr. Stearns placed in the museum last night is in itself valu-

able enough to entitle the donor to public gratitude, but when it is

considered that the presentation of last night’s collection was but an

incident in Mr. Stearns’ past relations to the institution, the event

places Mr. Stearns among the foremost of Detroit’s public benefac-

tors. The very presence in a community of a goodly number of

persons of Mr. Stearns’ tastes and artistic discrimination is a refin-

ing influence, but when such a man is willing to contribute not

only his technical acquirements and skill, but his pecuniary sub-

stance for the common good, the fact goes a long way to negative

the current notions about the crime of being rich and refined in

taste. The reception of last evening was a recognition in part of

the public’s appreciation of its indebtedness to Mr. Stearns’ munifi-

cence, but the best and real recognition will be given from day to

day by the individuals who are edified and profited by their visits

to the museum. ‘The News tenders its acknowledgements to Mr.

Stearns of all the benefits which he has conferred upon Detroit

through his generosity to the Museum.”

We understand that Mr. Stearns is preparing a series of Mollusca

for exhibition in a special hall of the Museum of Art.

96 THE NAUTILUS.

NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

DESCRIPTION D’UNE NOUV. ESPECE DE Mopro.a (Feuille des

Jeunes Naturalistes, May—June, 1895), M. gallica, Dautzenberg, from

the ocean coast of France.

ON THE VALIDITY OF THE GENUS MARGARITANA. By Charles

T. Simpson (Amer. Nat., April, 1895). The author maintains that

Margaritana is not a natural genus, but is of polyphyletic origin,

the species having arisen from various diverse groups of Uniones.

ScrenTIFIC RESULTS OF EXPLORATIONS BY THE U. S. FisH

CoMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. Report on Mollusca and Brach-

topoda dredged in deep water chiefly near the Hawatian Islands, with

illustrations of hitherto unfigured species frem Northwest America.

By William Healey Dall. Eight hauls of the dredge were made

by the Albatross in between 300 and 400 fms., on approaching Hon-

olulu, securing a number of very interesting new forms of the genera

Scaphander, Pleurotoma, Mangilia, Spergo (a new group) Polinices,

Solariella, Emarginula, Dentalium, Euciroa, Lyonsiella and Pectun-

culus. The anatomy of Euciroa, Halicardia and a new Lyonsiella

is discussed by Dall at some length, and the important point that

the foliobranch type of gill exists in certain members of groups in

which most genera have the reticulate type, is brought forward and

amply fortified by figures. Moreover, the branchial septum is shown

to be of diverse origin in some allied genera, being made up in part

of a reflected nephridial lamina in Halicardia and Lyonsiella. The

facts developed tend strongly to break down the primary division

of Lamellibranchiata based upon the modifications of the gill, as in

the classification of Pelseneer. Euciroa is shown to be different

from Verticordia, of which it had formerly been considered a sub-

genus, and a new family, Euciroide, is furmed for it. In gill strue-

ture it seems to be intermediate between the foliobranchiate and the

reticulate types. “ The discovery of this type may be said to prac-

tically complete the series uniting the foliobranch with the reticu-

late gill, and give the quietus to the classification based solely on

the divergencies of the ctenidia.”

The examination of the soft parts of Mytilimeria flexuosa shows

that form to constitute a new genus now described as Halicardia.

The second part of the paper gives additional information on

Northwest American species of Buccinum, Chrysodomus, Trophon,

ete., described in Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1891, with good figures

of many interesting forms. A valuable essay on the north Pacific

Brachiopods concludes the article.

—< =~ ee

mae NAUTILUS.

Vol. Ix. JANUARY, 18986. No. 9

TO CONCHOLOGISTS.

We regret the necessity which compels us to start the new year

with an editorial of this nature; but it is nothing new to hear that

the NAUTILUS must struggle for existence. This struggle has con-

tinued since the Jura, until now we have but a few species, three or

four in the Indo-Pacific and one in the United States. Do you in-

tend that the only recent Nautiitus in North America shall be-

come extinct? We are willing to supply the care, but not the en-

tire environment. It needs feeding once a month in order to add

another septum. You are asked to assist in this important function

once a year; and when you see a slip of paper which reads, “ Inclosed

please find $1.00,” it means that it has come your turn to “ chip in.”

We hope that you will no longer neglect these little reminders.

They mean that your subscription is due. We cannot wait until the

end of the year—we must have it in advance.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year.

Hebe eve Ee eC W.. ad;

NOTES ON THE WASHINGTON SPHERIA AND PISIDIA, WITH DE-

SCRIPTIONS OF NEW SPECIES.

BY EDWARD W. ROPER.

The great State of Washington has been lightly touched by col-

lectors of freshwater shells, but enough is known to indicate that

when its hundreds of lakes and rivers are scientifically explored,

large and interesting cullections will be made. The researches of

98 THE NAUTILUS.

Mr. P. B. Randolph at Seattle, and Mr. Henry Hemphill in several

localities, have brought to light a goodly array of Spheria and

Pisidia, and regarding these the following notes may be of interest.

Spherium primeanum Clessin. This shell, described in the Mon-

ograph of the Cyclades, is so little known to collectors that a brief

description will be useful. Shell large, equilateral, dark brown or

black with lighter beaks, shining. Outline rhomboidal, a little

more elongated and the ends more rounded than Sph. rhomboideum

Say, but the dorsal aspect very much like that of the species. The

fuil, rounded beaks make the vertical section broadly cordate. One

specimen, chestnut colored and with yellow border, is so close to

Sph. rhomboideum as to be held in doubt. That species has been

found in northern Idaho, and may naturally be expected from

Washington. S. primeanum was found in Lake Washington, Seattle.

S. dentatum Hald. Handsome, bright green shells, differing only

in color from brownish Oregon specimens, are doubtfully referred

to this species. Collected at Spokane Falls by Mrs. Mary P. Olney.

Sph. nobile Gould. Identified by Dr. J. G. Cooper. It isa large,

shining, dark brown shell, resembling Sph. dentatum Hald., but less

inflated. The young shells are thin and smooth, while in S. den-

tatum they are more heavily striated than the adult. Abundant in

small streams, Seattle. ;

Sph. occidentale Prime. Found at Spokane Falls by Hemphill.

Sph. raymondi J. G. Cooper. Small specimens abundant in

streams at Seattle. Larger ones in Lake Washington. Beautiful

specimens from Spokane Falls and Chehalis River (Hemphill).

Also found in Idaho and Vancouver’s Island. The species was

found originally by Mr. Wm. J. Raymond in Tuolumne Co., Cal.,

at an altitude of 8700 feet, in 1889.

Pisidium idahoense Roper. First found by Mr. Henry Hemphill

at Old Mission, Idaho, in 1890. Found abundantly in streams at

Seattle by Mr. Randolph, and much larger than the types. One

fine specimen has the following dimensions: Long. 0°45 inch ; lat.

0:39 inch; diam. 0°30 inch. This is certainly the largest known

species of Pisidium.

P. variabile Prime. Streams at Seattle. Unusually large.

P. compressum Prime. Green Lake, Seattle.

P. abditum Hald. Common in water courses at Seattle.

P. ultramontanum Prime. Unusvally robust specimens from Seat-

tle. As nearly every Pisidium found on the Pacific Slope has been

THE NAUTILUS. 99

sent out under this name, it may be well to say that this shell is

somewhat triangular with rounded margins, nearly as large and

solid as the average P. variabile, horn colored shading to yellow at

the borders, some specimens with dark blotches or stripes near the

basal margin. The California types were described as having

“valves shallow in the cavity,” but the northern shells are more full

and rounded.

P. randolphii n. sp. Shell rounded oval, moderately inflated ;

anterior end elongated and perfectly rounded, no angle indicating

the junction of the anterior and basal margins; posterior margin

sloping abruptly from the very short hinge margin; beaks decidedly

posterior, fairly prominent ; surface very finely and evenly striated,

polished, of a most peculiar greenish-yellow color, different from

other Pisidia, but much like some Corbiculas. ‘This of itself makes

it easy to separate from P. abditum and P. variabile, associated spe-

cies. Long. 0°18 inch; lat. 0°14 inch; diam. 0°10 inch. Found at

Seattle. Dr. J.G. Cooper says the shell most nearly resembling

thisis P, harfordianum Pr.,a species practically unknown to collect-

ors, and of which he has only a young specimen.

iF. ?n.sp. A rotund, orbiculate, dull yellow Pisidium,

with prominent beaks and projecting scutellum, was collected by

Mr. Hemphill in Patten Lake, Whatcom County. Dr. Sterki con-

siders it identical with a species apparently common in the region

of the Great Lakes, to which he has applied the name P. scutellatum.

(in letters). A deep water form is supposed to be P. abyssorwm Stimp.,

but as Dr. Stimpson’s manuscript was destroyed by fire, and his

types mixed, this can never be certainly known. Figures and more

minute descriptions of this and P. randolphit may be expected in

Dr. Sterki’s coming monograph. Additional specimens are urgently

desired of this and other species of the Pacific Slope, which are, at

present, deplorably scarce.

_ I believe it is safe to say that P.insigne Gabb., P. harfordianum

Prime and P. angelicum Rowell are unknown, except from the

original lots. P. occidentale Newcomb seems to be only a form of

P. abditum Hald. Additional specimens may confirm that view or

prove the contrary. The most experienced collectors disagree re-

garding the identity of the Sphzria. This tangle need not long

remain if sufficient material can pass under the eye of a competent

conchologist. Pacific coast collectors have generally given their

attention to marine and land shells, and it would seem that a field

for discovery is open among the freshwater species.

100 THE NAUTILUS.

NOTES ON COLLECTING SHELLS IN CHINA.

BY JOHN B. HENDERSON.

When I saw Mr. Schmacker’s splendid collection of Chinese

mollusks in Shanghai, and looked over Pére Heude’s Unios at Sic-

away, I was laying the foundation for a bitter disappointment when

I took to the field myself. The great alluvial plains extending from

Peking and the Gulf of Pechelli on the north to Shanghai and the

lower Yangtsze on the south, are not particularly rich in species.

My good friend, Mr. Schmacker assured me that “the hills” fairly

trembled with molluscan life; but the hills were far away, the sea-

son unfavorable, so I continued my search along the muddy banks of

the rivers and the slimy waters of the canals near Shanghai, with from

fair to poor success, it being then too cold (January) for land shells.

The bulk of Chinese Unios that so closely resemble our Missis-

sippi forms, live almost entirely in the upper waters uf the great

rivers and their tributaries that flow through the high lands of the

interior provinces. In the neighborhood of Shanghai, Unio mur-

chisonianus and Anodonta woodiana were the only naiads I met

with, but these were generally abundant. Corbiculas and the two

Viviparas, chinensis Bens. and quadrata Bens. are plentiful in the

canals. I secured the services of one, Ah Sin, a bland and suave

celestial, to collect for me. Ah Sin brought me, day by day, num-

bers of Cyclina sinensis wrapped in endless papers, that he assured

me were rare and highly desirable Unios from the inaccessible

Thibetan frontier. So Ah Sin proved a failure.

Upon a three days’ journey in a house-boat from Tientsin to

Tungchow (on the Pei-Ho River), I did not observe a single shell

of any kind. From Tungchow to Peking, about 15 miles, I

gathered quantities of Vivipara, Unio and Corbicula in the canal,

and in the dried pools by the roadside many Limnea. The walls of

Peking swarm with Cathaica pyrrhozena ; | even gathered a number

of them in my bed-room, where they clung to the ceiling. This

species has a wide distribution throughout China, as well as Bith-

inia striatula Bens. which I gathered in the canals about Tientsin.

Unfortunately, I had no opportunity to try the good marine col-

lecting of the southern China coast, my only attempts for marines

being in the immediate vicinity of Shanghai and at Che Foo and

Taku on the Gulf of Pechelli in the north. The fauna of this

region is not particularly interesting, consisting only of a limited

THE NAUTILUS. 101

number of boreal forms, some of which can be traced along the

Aleutians to Alaska and down as far as Vancouver.

These northern waters of the Yellow Sea on the Chinese side and

the Gulf of Pechelli are not conducive to molluscan life on ac-

count of the immense quantities of mud poured in by the Yangtsze

and the Hwang Ho Rivers. The amount of this deposit is almost

incredible. The shore line from the mouth of the Yangtsze, several

hundred miles north, is a great mud bank that is rapidly extending

out and filling up the shallow sea. The few Pelecypods that rejoice

in such surroundings must keep awake to avoid being ‘“ snowed

under.” They are exceedingly difficult to obtain, and especially

when the icy winter winds blow as they do in that inhospitable re-

gion. From such stations I secured an Arca, a Solecurtus, Cyclina

sinensis and a Solen.

At Che Foo, where the shore is more bold and rocky, a few Mon-

odonta labww and Lxttorina sitchana rewarded a diligent search at low

tide.

I made a desperate attempt to take advantage of the excellent

collecting in the island of Formosa, but the circumstances of my

visit to that most beautiful spot was such that I found it dangerous

to venture out. Some natives, however, brought me quantities of

beach worn shells, out of the lot of which I selected a few fairly

good specimens of Chlorostoma argyrostomum, Patella testudinaria,

two Haliotis, and Cyprea isabella.

The collector in China must be of a patient-and amiable disposi-

tion to endure the throng of gaping fools that follow and ply him

with a thousand questions. The quick tempered man is sure to get

into trouble and get no shells.

SHELLS OF SEATTLE, KING CO., WASHINGTON.

BY P. B. RANDOLPH.

The following species I have collected within the city limits dur-

ing the past year:

Selenites vancouverensis Lea. | Zonites arboreus Say.

Selenites sportella Gld. Zonites pugetensis Dall.

Selenites sportella hybrida Anc. | Zonites johnsonii Dall.

Zonites lucidus Drap. (intro- | Conulus fulvus Drap.

duced). Pristiloma lansingi Bld.

102 THE NAUTILUS.

Pristiloma stearnsi Bld. _ Margaritana margaritifera Linné-

Punctum conspectum Bld. | Sphaerium nobile Gld.

Punctum randolphi Dall. _Sphaerium raymondi J. G.C.

Epiphragmophora fidelis Gray. | Sphaerium primeanum Cless.

Epiphragmophora fidelis minor. Pisidium compressum Prime.

Epiphragmophora fidelis albino. | Pisidium idahoense Roper.

Polygyra (Mesodon) townsendi- Pisidium ultramontanum Prime.

ana Lea. | Pisidium variabile Prime.

Polygyra (Mesodon) columbiana | Pisidium abditium Hald.

Lea. _ Pisidium randolphii Roper.

Polygyra (Mesodon) devia Gld. | Physa gabbi Tryon.

Polygyra (Stenotrema) germana Limnea tryoni Lea.

Gld. | Limneea palustris Linn.

Vertigo simplex Gld. 'Limnea humilis (introduced)

Vertigo binneyana Sterki. > Say.

Succinea oregonensis Lea. _ Planorbis trivolvis binneyi Try.

Succinea nuttalliana Lea. _Planorbis callioglyptus Vanatta.

Carychium occidentalis Pilsbry. | Planorbis vermicularis Gld.

Anodonta californiensis Lea. | Ancylus fragilis Tryon.

Anodonta oregonensis Lea. | Valvata sincera Say.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

{Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. |

Next month we will be able to announce the result of the annual

election of officers for the Chapter.

This has been a year of activity along conchological lines in our

chapter, and plenty of good reports are sure to follow enthusiastic

work. |

The fraternal spirit expressed by the members of our Chapter

reveals the goodwill of each member, and is a pleasant feature in

work of the Association.

COLLE-TING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

[Report of Mrs. G. W. White. From the Transactions of Isaac Lea Conchological

Chapter of the Agassiz Association for 1894.]

My interest in the science of conchology dates from the summer

of 1893, when Prof. Josiah Keep, of Mills College, taught this sub-

THE NAUTILUS. 108

ject during the Chautauqua Assembly at Long Beach, Cal. Though

unfortunately, not a member of his class, some of my friends were

enthusiastic students under him, and through them, the enthusiasm

or “ craze,” as we somtimes call it, was communicated to me, and |

very shortly became as eager a student and collector as my circum-

stances would allow. Happily for me, my husband shared my in-

interest, and most of our collecting has been done together, and

many of my choicest treasures were found by him in places I could

not venture—in places where the waves dashed too high for my

courage, or under rocks too heavy for my strength to lift. So this

report must be understood as a record of our joint work. :

In the winter of 93 and 94, we made a number of visits to Long

Beach and San Pedro, going as far as Alamitos Bay in one direc-

tion and nearly to the old wharf beyond Times’ Point at San Pedro.

We collected quantities of shells, but as it would be impossible and

unprofitable to mention them all, I will speak only of the rarer ones.

Under the rocks at Dead Man’s Island, we found, on our first

trip, a number of specimens of each of the following varieties:

Volvarina varia, Terebratella transversa, and Lazaria subquadrata.

We also dug a number of fine fossil pectens out of the bank. One

of the choicest shells found by us that day has never been fully iden-

tified by me. By some it is called Cerostoma foliatum, by others

Murex trialatus.. At any rate it isa rare and interesting shell, and I

have never seen another like it. On another trip up the beach above

San Pedro we found, by digging in the sand with a trowel, some

fine specimens of Stenoradsia magdalenensis, the largest Chiton on

this part of the coast.

We also found several Hinnites giganteus Gray, Cumingia califor-

nia Conr., Lucapina crenulata Sby., and a fine old Mitra maura

Swains., two iaches in length, of which we are justly proud. In the

spring of °94 we were on a visit in Ventura County, and when our

friends proposed a trip to the beach, we interposed no objections.

They drove to Punta Gorda, meaning Point of Rocks, most ap-

propriately named, for I have seldom seen such a bed of rocks jut-

ting out so boldly into the sea. ‘They were literally covered with

the largest species of mussels, many of them being nearly, if not, six

inches in length. In the sheltered places in these rocks we found

quantities of Purpura saxicola Val. and Monoceros lapilloides Cour.

Our patient search in the rock pools was rewarded by our finding

Opalia crenatoides Cpr.

1 The shell proved to be Pterorhytzs eae Sby.

104 THE NAUTILUS.

In the summer of 794, while attending the class in conchology at

Long Beach, our teacher, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson, kindly —

planned an excursion to Dead Man’s Island, and took eighteen

members of her class to San Pedro the evening before we were to do

our collecting. Wespent the night at an old seaman’s hotel on Timm’s

Point, and at 3 o’clock A. M., rose to take advantage of the first

beams of the sun and the tide, which was to be at the lowest point

at about 4.30 A.M. ‘There happened to be a dense fog, and as our

ghostly boatman took one boat load after another of our compan-

ions away from us across the bay, we were strongly reminded of that

other boatman, the Charon of our early studies and the River Styx.

However, by the time we were safely landed on our hunting

grounds, the mist had risen and we could see to begin work. The

most that we found of value was on the mud flats uncovered by the

low tide. There we found, under the grass which lay flat on the

mud, thus concealing thousand of mollusks which lay below, Ham-

mea virescens Sby., and Haminea vesicula Gld. We also found,

partly covered with mud, Cardium quadrigenarium Conr., and

altogether covered with mud except some tiny points of a Chorus

belcheri Has. What a shout went around when some one called

out, “ Mrs. White has found a Chorus,” and how eagerly the mud

in that vicinity was scanned to see if another could not be discov-

ered. But no, I bore off my trophy in triumph alone, for not

another one was found.

On our way home, while walking along the beach, some one, I think

Mrs. Williamson, called our attention to some narrow slits in the

sand, where, upon digging carefully, we found a dozen Lingula

albida Hds. .

Later, on a walk to Alamitos Bay, I found Periploma argenteria

Conr., Petricola carditoides Conr., Labiosa undulata Gld., Yoldia

coopert and Clidiophora punctata(?) Cpr. * * * * And now

this account brings us up to the year of our Lord, 1895, and finds

us still enthusiasts in conchology, only waiting for a favorable tide

to go again in search of treasures of the sea. We are of those who

believe that nature has secrets which she reveals only to those who

love her, and we feel that in this kind of communion with her she

has fully rewarded us.

THE NAUTILUS. 105

NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TeRTIARY FAUNA oF FLoRIDA. TRANS-

ACTIONS OF THE WAGNER F Ree INSTITUTE OF ScrENcE.—Vol.

III, part 3. By Wm. H. Dall, A.M. This forms an introductory

chapter to Prof. Dall’s work on the Tertiary Pelecypoda of Florida,

and contains a new classification of the Pelecypoda, with an enum-

eration of the differential characters of the Orders, Suborders, Super-

families and Families, a statement of their range in geological time,

and an enumeration under each family of the chief generic groups

believed to be referable to it. The paper is prefaced by a brief dis-

cussion of the features of the Pelecypod organization chiefly avail-

able as diagnostic characters. Continued study of this group has

confirmed the author in the opinion that in its general features the

classification which he proposed in 1889 (founded largely on the

characters of the hinge, see Amer. Jour. Sci., XXX VIII, 445), and

has now revised, comes nearer to meeting the requirements of the case

than any other which has fallen under his notice. In describing

the ligamental characters the term “resilium” is proposed for the

so-called “cartilage” or “internal ligament.” The Steinmann

Formula, based on the teeth, sockets and resilium, is thoroughly ex-

plained. The Pelecypoda are divided into three orders — Prionodes-

macea, Anomalodesmacea and Teleodesmacea. ‘The first order con-

tains thirty-four families, leading factors being Solemyide, Nucu-

lide, Arcide, Pteriide, Ostreidw, Unionide, Trigonide, Pectenide,

Anomiide and Mytilide. Each of the above and of the following

families being the typical representatives of a Superfamily. The

second Order contains fifteen families, typical ones being Anatinide,

Clavagellide, Poromyide. ‘The third contains forty-seven families,

such as Pleurophoride ?, Astartide, Cyrenide, Carditide, Chamide,

Hippuritide, Lucinide, Leptonide, Cardiide, Tridacnide, Isocar-

diide, Veneride, Tellinide, Solenide, Mactride, Myacide and

Pholadide. ‘The paper is concluded with some timely notes on

nomenclature.— C. W. J.

CATALOGUE OF THE MARINE MOLLUsKs OF JAPAN, COLLECTED

BY FREDERICK STEARNS. By H. A. Pilsbry. Detroit: F. Stearns,

1895. 8vo, 214pp. and 11 plates.

Every one interested in geographical distribution, or in the fauna

of eastern Asia, will be grateful for the liberality of Mr. Stearns,

who obtained, and the care of Mr. Pilsbry, who has enumerated and

identified, the large collection here treated of.

106 THE NAUTILUS.

Not content with the labor of naming and cataloging Mr. Stearns’

shells, Mr. Pilsbry has searched the literature and made a catalogue,

not only of the shells collected by Mr. Stearns, but of all the species

described from or assigned to Japan by earlier authors, thereby pro-

ducing a most handy list which no student of mollusks can afford to

be without. Notwithstanding the care with which the Monographs

of Dunker and Lischke were made, the present catalogue enumerates

about 20 per cent. more species than the latest of them. In addition

to the list of marine mollusks and brachiopods, the land and fresh-

water shells collected by Mr. Stearns are catalogued, and also a

supplementary series of Loo Choo Island species, obtained by a

native collector in Mr. Stearns employ. The plates and presswork

are excellent, and the work, as a whole, is creditable to all concerned

in its production, and cannot fail to be useful to students.

—W. H. D.

PRELIMINARY CATALOGUE OF THE MARINE MOLLUSKS OF THE

Paciric Coasy OF CANADA, with notes on their distribution. By

Rev. Geo. W. Taylor, Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada,

Vol. 1 (2d series), pages 17 to 100. This catalogue is very complete

and full of interesting notes on distribution, etc. The number of

species recorded is 284, to which is added a list of 67 land and fresh-

water species, making the total number of British Columbian Mol-

lusca at present known, 351.

BULLETINS OF AMERICAN PALEONTOLOGY, Vol.I, No. 3. N&o-

CENE Mouuusca OF TExas, OR FossILs FROM THE DEEP WELL AT

Gautveston. By G. D. Harris. In this Bulletin, 19 new species

and 5 new varieties are described and figured, together with notes

and figures of other species. Most of the specimens were obtained

from a depth ranging from 2100 to 2920 feet. Up to this date no

other marine Neocene fossils are known from the Gulf slope west of

the Mississippi. The Bulletin contains 32 pages and 4 well executed

plates.

MOLLUSQUES KECUEILLIS SUR LES COTES DE LA TUNESIE ET DE

L’ALGERIE, par Ph. Dautzenberg (Mém. Soc. Zool. de France,

1895, p. 363). List, with descriptions of some new varieties of

Mediterranean shells, and full information on the occurrence of

Meleagrina iv the Mediterranean Sea.

ON SOME PLIOCENE FRESH-WATER FossILs OF CALIFORNIA.

On LAND AND FRESH-WATER SHELLS OF LOWER CALIFORNIA,

No, od:

THE NAUTILUS. 107

On West Mexican LAND AND FRESH-WATER MOLLUSCA.

CATALOGUE OF MARINE Suetts * * * Lower CALIror-

nia. By J. G. Cooper (Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., IV, V).

In the first of these papers, Margaritana subangulata is described

and figured as new, and the following species are figured: Anodonta

decurtata Conr., Ano. nuttalliana var. lignitica Coop., Limnea con-

tracostee Coop., Planorbis pabloanus Coop. and Amnicola yatesiana

Coop.

In the second, land shells collected about 25 miles north of Cape

St. Lucas are considered. Bulimulus decipiens being described as

new. ‘The generic name Plicolumna ‘is proposed for Rhodea var.

ramentosa Coop.; it is therefore equivalent to Dall’s Pseudorhordea

(Nautilus, Sept., 1895). The Melaniella eiseniana J. G. Coop. is

referred to Strebel’s genus Psewdosubulina, a group of Glandinide,

on evidence of the dentition, which has been worked out by Dall.

In his paper on West Mexican Land Shells, Cooper announces

the presence of the northern forms Conulus fulvus, Hyalinia inden-

tata, Lamneea columella, Spherium partumeium var. truncatum, from

Tepec, south of Mazatlan, as well as other species belonging to the

Mexican fauna.

The last paper enumerates marine shells collected mainly by Mr.

W. E. Bryant, including some interesting forms, but no new species.

NOTES AND NEWS.

PLoverR Caucur BY A Pinna—The article in the September

number, “A Sora Caught by a Mussel,” recalls a similar incident

which J observed at New Pass, Sarasota Key, Fla. It was after a

heavy storm, and there was a large number of Pinna muricata

washed ashore. On my return to the boat after collecting some

shells, I observed a Killdeer Plover that seemed very tame, but on

a closer examination I found that it was caught by a Pinna. In

this case it was caught by the bill. Its tongue was bleeding and

the bill was indented by the sharp edges of the shell. It was with

some difficulty that I removed the shell and let the Plover go re-

joicing on its way.— FE. J. Post.

Mr. Cuas. LERoy WHEELER has been appointed Curator of the

Lackawanna Institute of History and Science, Scranton, Pa. They

desire to obtain more material in all branches of natural history,

108 THE NAUTILUS.

and any assistance from older institutions or their members will be

sincerely appreciated. |

LEPIDOPLEURUS IN NEW ZEALAND.—Some months ago we re-

ceived numerous specimens of a Lepidoplewrus from Mr. H Suter,

collected by him in Auckland Harbor. The species seemed to us

to be a new one; but on requesting Mr. E. R. Sykes of London to

compare with the types of certain forms in the British Museum, he

found it to be identical with Reeve’s Chiton inquinatus—a result

wholly unexpected. The species was described from Tasmania, but

South Australian specimens we have seen (collected by Mr. Bed-

nall) agree in all respects with those found by Mr. Suter in New

Zealand.—H. A. P.

THE Earuiest PuBLICcATION OF Dorcasia GRaY.—In examining

the appendix of James Edward Alexander’s Expedition of Discov-

ery into the Interior of Africa (London, 1838), I find on p. 268 of

volume II, a description by Gray of the genus Dorcasia and the

species D. alexandri. This group has hitherto been dated from its

publication in the Zeitschrift fiir Malakozoologie, 1845. Helicodonta

sculpturata Gray (== Sculptaria sculpturata) is also described, with

(on p. 269) two alleged Bulimi, B. hottentota and B. eulimoide. All

were collected by the expedition about the Great Fish River in

Great Namaqualand. JB. eulimoide apparently belongs to the Steno-

gyra group. This publication seems to have been unknown to

Pfeiffer and other writers on African land snails.—Pilsbry.

On THE NAMES OF CERTAIN SUBGENERA OF Helicostyla.—For

some inscrutable reason, the writer, when considering these groups in

the Manual of Conchology, neglected to ascertain the fact that the

names Prochilus and Eudoxus of Albers have long been preoccupied.

They may stand in future as follows:

Dolichostyla n. n. (= Prochilus Alb., 1860, not of Illiger, 1811,

Mammalia, nor of Brullé, 1835, Orthoptera, nor of Cuvier, 1817,

Pisces).

Opalliostyla n. n. (= Eudoxus Alb., 1850, not of Kirby, 1837,

Coleoptera). The types and limits of the groups remain as stated

in Man. Conch. (2), ix, pp. 229, 231.—Pilsbry.

SrnisTRAL PaTuLa stRicosa.—My brother, L. M. Cockerell,

took a sinistral P. strigosa at Norwood, Colorado. It was in my

possession for a long while, but is now in the British Museum.

—T. D. A. Cockerell.

mHe NAUTILUS.

Vou. Ix. FEBRUARY, 1896. No. 10

THE AULACOPODA: A PRIMARY DIVISION OF THE MONOTREMATE

LAND PULMONATA.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.

If the foot of a living or properly preserved Helix or Polygyra

be compared with that of a Zonites, Pyramidula (Patula) or Ario-

limax, a conspicuous point of difference becomes apparent. In the

latter three genera a groove or furrow may be seen running the

whole length of the foot, a short distance above and parallel to its

edges; while no such structure is present in the first named genera.

These furrows are the pedal grooves. They rise slightly at the

tail, and meet above it; and at this point there is often a local

deepening of the groove, and a greater development of the mucus-

secreting cells lining it. This is the “caudal mucus pore,” conspic-

uous in Zonites, Ariolimax, etc. There is vast variation in the

degree of development of this pore,—from a barely visible widening

of the united pedal grooves, to a deep slit or a triangular pit sur-

mounted by a fleshy horn; andin some forms it is extremely difficult

to say whether a pore exists or not, so nicely graduated are the stages

of its development. Consequently, we find genera very closely

allied in other characters, differing in this one. Such are Pecilo-

zonites, without pore, Gastrodonta with it; Ariolimax with pore,

Prophysaon without it; and many similar cases.’ In spite of all the

instances of this kind, the tail pore has been a great bugaboo to the

systematists, while the pedal grooves, of which this pore is merely an

1 Compare also, in this connection, Cockerell’s remarks in Journal of Malacol-

; a ogy (The Conchologist), Vol. ii, p. 118.

110 THE NAUTILUS.

occasional extra development, have been very generally ignored.’

Even “families”? have been based on the presence or absence of the

caudal pore; but it need hardly be said that such groups are

violently unnatural.

It is now proposed to unite all of the groups having the pedal

grooves developed, into a superfamily to be called AuLAcoPopa,

equivalent in value to the AGNarua (so-called, including Seleni-

tide), or to the group composed of Helicide, Bulimulide, Cylindrel-

lide, Pupide aud Achatinide, which may be called HoLopopa.

The American Aulacopoda may be tabulated as follows:

I. Marginal teeth with narrow, lengthened basal-plates, either uni-

cuspid and thorn-like, or bicuspid by elevation of outer on

middle cusp.

a. Foot-margin wide; shell more or less spiral; ovotestis

imbedded in liver, ZONITID A.

aa. Foot-margin narrow; shell a flat internal plate, not

spiral ; ovotestis free from liver; slugs, LIMACcID#.

II. Marginal teeth with short, wide and squarish basal-plates with

one or several cusps, the outer cusp never elevated on middle

cusp.

a. Shell spiral, usually wholly external, ENpopoNnTID=

aa. Shell non-spiral, internal, more or less obsolete or want-

ing; slugs. |

b. A vestigial shell present; mantle small, anterior,

ARIONID#.

bb. No shell; mantle covering the whole upper sur-

face, PHILOMYCID A.

Most of these families contain genera with, and genera without a

caudal mucus pore. The Limacide and Arionide@ are degenerate

so far as the shell is concerned, and have doubtless descended from

the ancestral Zonitide and Endodontide respectively.

North American Genera.

ZONITIDH comprises Omphalina, Vitrinizonites, Vitrea, Gastrodonta,

Pecilozonites, Guppya, Conulus, Pristiloma and Vitrina. See Nav-

TILUS, June, 1895, p. 18.

2 Exceptions need not be noted here; but I cannot refrain from mentioning

that the importance of the pedal grooves has been fully recognized by a_bril-

liant Australian malacologist in dealing with the Charopa group.

THE NAUTILUS. 111

Limacip&, Limax only.

Enpovontip&, Pyramidula (alternata, perspectiva, ete.), Pune-

tum.

ARrtonrp™, Arion (imported), Ariolimax, Prophysaon, Hemp hil-

lia and their immediate allies.

Puitomycip®, Philomycus (Tebennophorus), Pallifera.

The systematic position of the Selenitida, with a revised catalogue

of the species and varieties, will be considered in a future article.

ON SOME NEW SPECIES OF SCALA.

BY W. H. DALL.

Scala (Sthenorhytis) Mazyckii Dall.

Shell solid, stout, rapidly enlarging, with (on the last whor! six)

stout rather carinate varices which increase in size successively, the

last being very heavy, its anterior face sloping backward from the

nearly circular aperture; outer margin of the varix even, rounded,

slightly winged on the axial side ; whorls smooth except for a single

faint revolving rib encircling the base at about the level of the top

of the aperture of the succeeding whorl; specimen decollate, prob-

ably with four or five whorls when complete, the spire probably

short and acute. Height 31°5, diameter 28 mm. in the decollate

shell.

Miocene, Cainhoy, South Carolina, W. G. Mazyck.

This fine species differs from S. pernobilis, S. Stearnsii and others

of the group by its small number of distant rapidly enlarging

varices. The type is in the collection of Mr. W. G. Mazyck, of

Charleston, who collected it, and to whom it is respectfully dedicated.

Scala ranellina Dall.

Shell of five or more whorls, rather rapidly increasing, spirally

ribbed with ten or twelve rather feeble flattish ridges which are ob-

solete or absent above the shoulder ; basal area projecting, strongly

marked, overrun by the varices which are angulated and prominent

over the keel; varices of two sorts, one set large, thin, wide set at

the half whorl, continuous up the spire on each side like the varices

of Ranella pulchra, their profiles rounded, the aperture circular,

112 THE NAUTILUS.

the axial edge narrower, not perceptibly angular; the other varices

are much smaller and less prominent, about seven to twelve on each

half whorl between the larger series, sharp edged and subequal.

Height of (decollate) shell 33, max. diameter 23 mm.

Zeuglodon bed of the Jacksonian, near Cocoa P. O., Alabama,

Burns and Schuchert.

This fine species is related to S. octolineata Conrad, which is found

in the same horizon, but has the large varices less conspicuous and

irregularly distributed. SS. octolineata is also a smaller, more cylin-

drical shell. The present species is readily recognized by its pecu-

liar flattened aspect recalling Ranella.

Scala Mitchelli Dall.

Shell rather large for the genus, thin, with rounded rather com-

pact whorls, well marked suture and elongated spire; the color is

yellowish white, the basal area and a band somewhat above the-

periphery dark reddish brown; surface with numerous low spiral

ridges with wider interspaces covering the whorl, crossed by about 18.

distant rather irregular low varical threads, slightly angulated just

in front of the suture; the young whorls show a tendency to periph-

eral angulation; basal area well marked, bordered by a low keel,

its spiral sculpture feeble but the varical ridges unchanged; axis.

imperforate; aperture higher than wide, the peristome interrupted

over the body, the pillar lip strongly reflected, the outer lip narrow,

inconspicuously reflexed ; shell decollate but showing eight whorls,

and originally supplied with three or four more at least; height of

(decollate) shell 36, max. diameter 14, apical diameter at the decol-

lation 1°5 mm.

Found on the beach of Matagorda Island on the Texas coast by

Hon. J. G. Mitchell, to whom it is respectfully dedicated ; the type

is in his collection. This is the finest recent species from shallow

water yet reported from the Gulf coast, and needs no comparison

with any other, as no American or exotic species has been figured’

which is at all closely related to it. Ina general way it is somewhat.

like S. acuminata Sby. from Japan.

SCULPTURE OF THE APICAL WHORLS, A NEW CHARACTER FOR DIS-

TINGUISHING GROUPS OF BULIMULI.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.

The elassification of the American Bulimoid snails has been an

extremely intricate problem, but much has been done by Binney,

THE NAUTILUS. 113

Strebel and Pfeffer, von Martens and Crosse and Fischer, toward a

better understanding of it.

With all of this good work, there has remained a vast amount of

confusion. ‘Thus authors almost universally separate Orthalicus as

a family distinct from Bulimulide; but, in reality, it constitutes

merely a generic group of that family. No anatomical or shell

character can be shown, of greater than generic value, between

Orthalicus and Drymeus.

Again, the genus “Bulimus” of all authors contains forms belong-

ing to two families—Helicide and Bulimulide.

The forms generally grouped under the name Buliniulus have

been shown by von Martens to fall into two groups, based on the

character of the jaw: Bulimulus and Otostomus. Crosse and

Fischer have made the same division, calling the two groups Ortho-

tomium and Goniognathmus. These correspond to the two Martens-

ian groups, the first having a vertically plaited jaw, the second has

the plates angularly converging toward the middle.

Binney has shown that there exist two styles of teeth, and these

correspond to the two forms of jaw, and constitute a far more useful

character, as the jaw forms intergrade pretty completely.

It has not hitherto been noticed that there are certain characters

in the shells, and especially in the sculpture of the apices, by which

the two groups, or genera, may be distinguished.’

In the following synopsis, the leading sections are enumerated,

arranged as they fall into groups according to the sculpture of the

apices. Of course it is not proposed to base a classification on this

single character.

Certain rectifications and substitutions demanded by the law of

priority, and by the proper restriction of the subgenera to species

allied to their types, have been made.

Genus Bulimulus Leach, 1814.

The species of Bulimulus are terrestrial snails, estivating or hy-

bernating in the ground, crawling on the ground or on plants in

damp weather. There are three distinct types of apical sculpture,

as follows:

1 The only especial notices of the apical sculpture of Bulimuli which I have

noticed are by the writer, Nautilus, viii, 1894, p. 35, and by Dall, Proc. U.S.

Nat. Mus., xvi, 1893. Martens also figures a few apices on the last plates of

the ‘ Biologia.”

114 THE NAUTILUS.

A.—Apex irregularly wrinkled or wrinkles dislocated, broken into

granules. Subgenus BuLIMULYs s. str.

All the species are South American and West Indian.

Bulimulus s. str., type B. exilis = guadeloupensis.

Leptomerus Alb., type B. limneeoides.

Rhinus Alb., type B. heterotrichus.

Plectostylus Beck, type B. peruvianus.

Scutalus Beck, type B. proteus.

Nesiotes Alb.. type B. nux.

.—Apex with vertical regular riblets. Subgenus ORTHOTOMIUM.

Species of Lower California and Northern Mexico, extending

into U.S.

Sonorina Pils., type B. spirifer (Leptobyrsus C. & F., 1875, not

Leptobyrsa Stal., 1873).

Orthotomium C. & F., type B. sufflatus (Rabdotus part, Alb.,

not Rabdota Dej., 1833; Globulinus C. & F., 1875, not Globu-

hina Orb., 1826. Thaumastus Auct. not Alb.)

Plicolumna Coop., type B ramentosa.

C.—Apex smooth, rather mamillar. Subgenus Bosrryx.

Species South American, mainly of Ecuador, Peru and Chili.

Inssoacme Pils., type B. erythrostomus.

Atazxus Alb., type B. umbilicaris.

Bostryx Trosch., type B. solutus.

Peroneus Alb., type B. pupiformis.

Geopyrgus Pils., type B. turritus (Pyrgus Alb. not Hubner).

The only group of Bulimulus extending into the United States is

Orthotomium. This includes schiedeanus, dealbatus, baileyi, monte-

zuma, sufflatus, pilula, alternatus and their allies. It is very char-

acteristic of the Sonoran life-area, as originally limited by Merriam.

It is somewhat remarkable that in each of the three subgenera of

Bulimulus, narrow, pupiform species have been independently de-

veloped.

Genus Drymeus Alb., 1850.

(= Goniognathmus Cr. & Fisch.; Otostomus Martens).

Arboreal snails, never found on the ground when living. Apical

sculpture an extremely fine grating formed of vertical and spiral

strive intersecting at right angles. Radula peculiar.

THE NAUTILUS. 115

A.—Lip expanded or flaring.

Zaplagius Pils., type D. navicula (= Otostomus Martens not

Beck & Gray; Navicula Spix not Blainv.).

Semiclausaria Pfr., type D. semiclausus.

Drymeus s, str., types D. xanthostoma and hygrohylseus Orb.

Neopetreus Mts., type D. altoperuvianus.

B.—Lip simple, arcuate.

Mesembrinus Alb., type D. virgulatus Fér.

Eudioptus Alb., type D. pseudosuccineus.

(.—Apical sculpture not distinctly grated.

Leiostracus Alb., type D. vittatus (not Liostraca Burm.).

The genus Drymeus is represented within our limits by D. serper-

astrus in Texas, belonging to the restricted section Drymeus, and in

Florida D. dormant and marielinus represent a section perhaps re-

quiring anew name. D. multilineatus belongs to Mesembrinus.

A certain number of Brazilian and Venezuelan forms, of which

D. vittatus, the type of Albers’ group Leiostracus, is an example,

have superficial vermiculate wrinkles on the upper portion, exces-

sively fine, often indistinct, spirals on the lower portion of the second

apical whorl. ‘This is quite different from the usual evenly grated

sculpture. It is often very indistinct.

THE SIZE OF MUSSELS.

BY W.S. STRODE, M. D., LEWISTOWN, ILL.

Some time since, in conversation with an aged naturalist, I in-

formed him that I had found a valve of Unio alatus Say, in Spoon

River, Ill., that was nine inches long. He expressed surprise and

said that he never saw a mussel of any kind over six inches in

length, and, old as he was, he would walk five miles and go into

water up to his neck to get a specimen above that size. Feeling a

little taken back by his assertion, I determined to go home and make

some measurements of my largest species of Spoon River Uniones.

I was certain that I had several varieties that were above six inches

in length. The following is the result of my measurements :

U. anodontoides Lea, length 7 in., circumference 9 in.

U. ligamentinus Lam., length 7 in., circumference 102 in.

116 THE NAUTILUS.

U. multiplicatus Lea, length 82 in., circumference 123 in.

U. rectus Lam., length 7 in., cireumference 8 in.

U. tuberculatus Barnes, length 72 in., circumference 9? in.

U. plicatus Les., length 6% in., cireumference 92 in.

U. gracilis Bar., length 7 in., circumference 11 in.

Ano. grandis Say, length 8 in., circumference 12 in.

Marg. rugosa Bar., length 7 in, circumference 8 in.

Marg. complanata Bar., length 83 in., circumference 13 in.

These were all from Spoon River, I.

Ano. stewartiana Lea, Ripley’s Lake, Tex., 7: x 9.

U. rotundatus Lam., Ask Bayou, Tex., 51 x 83.

SMALL LAND MOLLUSCA FROM NEW MEXICO.

BY DR. V. STERKI.

A few days ago, Mr. Theo. D. A. Cockerell kindly forwarded me

some small and minute shells of Mollusca collected in drift on the

Rio Grande, at S. Marcial, N. M., with the request to publish a list

of them with notes. The species were the following:

Hyalinia minuscula Binn.

Helicodiscus lineatus Say. One example.

Vallonia costata Mull. One example; this find is of peculiar in-

terest.

Vallonia cyclophorella Anc. Rather small form; a few examples.

Pupa fallax Say.

Pupa arizonensis (Gabb.) W. G. Binney.

Pupa hordeacea Gabb. Rather small; variabie in size and color.

Pupa procera Gould. One example, light colored.

Pupa hordeacella Pilsb. Light colored to glassy transparent.

Pupa pilsbryana Sterki. One example; slightly more striated

than those previously seen.

Pupa blandi Morse. <A few; light color to colorless.

Vertigo ovata Say. Two specimens, rather typical.

Besides these, there were a few examples of Limneza and Plan-

orbis.

New Philadelphia, Ohio, December, 1895.

THE NAUTILUS. 117

THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF PLANORBIS UMBILICATELLUS.

BY E. G. VANATTA.

This species was first described by Mr. J. W. Taylor in the Jour-

nal of Conchology, 1883-85, Vol. IV, p. 351, under the name P.

umbilicatus ; but since Miiller had previously described a P. wmbili-

catus in 1774, Cockerell renamed Taylor’s shell P. wmbilicatellus in

the Conchologist’s Exchange, November, 1887, p. 68.

It is now known from the following localities :

Manitoba: Brandon and Birtle, R. M. Christy ! Original locality.

Minnesota: Dallas Lake, Wright Co. H. E. Sargent! Coll. A. N.S. P.

St. Michael’s, H. E. Sargent! Coll. A. N.S. P.

Iowa: Near Davenport, H. A. Pilsbry ! Coll. A. N.S. P.

Montana: Mingusville, H. Squyer! Naut. VIII, p. 65.

Colorado: Davidson’s Ranch, Boulder Co., J. D. Putnam! Coll. A. N. S. P.

From these localities it seems to have a wide range through the

northwestern States, the extreme points being Birtle, Manitoba ;

Mingusville, Montana; Davenport, Iowa, and Boulder Co., Col-

orado.

The shell is grayish-white, with a flat spire and a deep umbilicus.

It may be easily distinguished from P. parvus Say by its deeper and

narrower umbilicus and fewer whorls, and from P. deflectus Say by

the flat spire, lack of blunt keel at periphery and the heart-shape of

the aperture; deflectus having a rounded aperture.

No doubt this species will be found well represented in the col-

lections of many western conchologists, unidentified or under the

name “‘ deflectus.”

TRANSACTIONS OF THE ISAAC LEA CHAPTER.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

The annual election for officers occurs on the last Wednesday in

December, and as Christmas for 1895 occurred on the same day, our

election was postponed for one day. All the members of our Chap-

ter residing in California were invited to be present at the home of

the General Secretary on Thursday, December 26, to elect officers,

as provided for in Article V of our Constitution. As our President,

Professor Keep, lives five hundred miles from Los Angeles, he was

118 THE NAUTILUS.

not able to be present, much to the regret of those present on that

day. The Honorable Delos Arnold presided. A letter from the

President was read, also one from Dr. M. L. Leach, one of the

founders of our Chapter. It was hoped that Dr. R. E. C. Stearns,

of the National Museum who is at present in Los Angeles, could

meet with us, but his health would not permit him to be present.

Mr. Arnold exhibited a fine Pecten (Janira) floridus Hinds from

Santa Catalina Island, also, Zonites milium Morse from his own

garden. They are the first reported from Los Angeles County.

The Secretary canvassed the votes sent in by mail, as well as those

cast by the attending members. The result was as follows:

For President, Professor Josiah Keep, Mills College, California.

For General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson, University,

Los Angeles Co., California.

Before this number of THE NaAutiius shall have been received,

the volume of Transactions will be on its annual round to the mem-

bers of our Chapter. Excerpts will, however, be published monthly

in THE Navri.us, our Chapter organ.

Rules for the identification of shells were published in THE Nav-

TILUS some years ago, but many of the members of our Chapter may

not have seen them. ‘The following are the rules in substance: Ist.

The number of species in one sending is limited to12. 2d. The

sender is to pay all expenses of transportation, and the specimens are

to become the property of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phil-

adelphia. 3d. Each species must be numbered, so that identifica-

tion may be given by number.

_These same rules apply when identification is made elsewhere than

at the Academy, only in this case they become the property of the

one who names them. In sending shells for identification to the

Secretaries of the various Sections, please bear these rules in mind.

Label two sets of shells with the same numbers, retaining the dupli-

cate set for reference when those sent for determination are reported

to you.

We hope to have the best volume of transactions this year that

the Chapter has compiled. A number of fine manuscripts are

promised. The Chapter is in excellent condition as a working

Chapter. This is the case because each member is in earnest, and

because each one feels an interest in the welfare of the Chapter.

THE NAUTILUS. 119

DREDGING IN LONG ISLAND SOUND.

[Report of Mr. A. H. Gardner. From the Transactions of Isaac Lea Conchological

Chapter of the Agassiz Association for 1893. ]}

Of the species of bivalve mollusca given as dredged in Long

Island Sound, all are common to the waters of New York Bay with

the exception of Pecten irradians and Modiola modiolus. Nucula

proxima has so far only been found by the writer in the curve of

Sandy Hook Bay, the remaining species are more abundant in the

bay than in the sound.

It must be remembered that the portion of the sound dredged in

only constitutes a small section of it contiguous to New York City.

The Odostomia given as bisuturalis and trifida are probably one

and the same thing; the distinguishing character being insignificant.

The specimens dredged in Lloyd’s Harbor are rather smaller than

others, and apparently have a few more revolving lines. The calmer

waters of the sound seem to favor the growth of many small species

of univalve shells, uncommon in New York Bay, where their place

is probably supplied by the larger species of Natica and Fulgur,

which species are taken in almost every haul of the dredge in the

bay, and are not found commonly in the sound.

List of localities and Mollusca dredged in Long Island Sound,

July 15 to 22.

Hempstead Harbor, 2 to 4 fathoms, mud:

Eupleura caudata Say, 3; Pandora trilineata Say, 2; Mulinia

lateralis Say, 9; Arca transversa Say,1; Nucula proxima Say, 12;

Yoldia limatula Say 5.

Matinicock Point, 3 fathoms, mud:

Astyris lunata Say, 3; Tritia trivittata Say, 1; Pandora trilineata,

3; Nucula proxima, 34.

Plum Point, Oyster Bay Harbor, 8 to 4 fathoms; oyster beds:

Tornatina canaliculata Say 2; Astyris lunata, 8; Urosalpinx

cinereus Say, 4; Fulgur canaliculatum Say (young), Eupleura cau-

data 7; Solen americana Gould (young), Pandora trilineata, 4;

Arca transversa, 7; Nucula proxima 21; Pecten irradians, 1.

Lloyd’s Harbor, 2 fathoms; mud and eel grass:

Tornatina canaliculata, 35; Bittium nigrum, 29 ; Odostomia trifida,

36; Turbonilla elegans,1; Anachis avara Say, 7; Astyris lunata,

abundant; Nassa obsoleta, abundant; N. vibex, 2; Urosalpinsx cin-

ereus 1; Eupleura caudata, 15; Pandora trilineata, 1; Mulinia

lateralis, 12; Lyonsia hyalinia Say,2; Tellina tenera, 1; Arca

transversa, 3; Nucula proxima, 34; Yoldia limatula, 1; Pecten ir-

radians, 2.

120 THE NAUTILUS.

Huntington Harbor ; shore:

Littorinella minuta,2; Litorina rudis, abundant; Odostomia bi-

suturalis, 46.

Lloyd’s Point, 5 fathoms, sand :

Iunatia triseriata, 1; Tritia trivittata,2 (young); Pandora tri-

lineata, 8; Mulinia lateralis, 4; Arca transversa (young), Nucula

proxima, 56; Yoldia limatula, 5.

Portchester Harbor, shore:

Arca pexata, 1; Modiolus modiolus, 1; Crepidula convexa, 2 ;

Inttorinella minuta, 1; Odostomia bisuturalis, abundant ; Urosalpins

cinereus, abundant.

NOTES AND NEWS.

TTROCHOMORPHA FUSCATA Pease. This species was listed in

Man. Conch. (2), LX, but, so far as I know, no description has ap-

peared. It is allied to nigritella and contigua, but the umbilicus is

smaller than either (one-eleventh to one-twelfth diam. of base) ;

spire slightly-convex conic, the apex much more pointed than in

contiqua; base flattened as in contigua. Alt. 82, diam. 112 mm.

Color uniform blackish-brown, or clear honey-yellow. It is from

Ponape, or Ascension Island, near the Caroline group.

CaLirorniA Situcs.—Mr. Edw. M. Ehrhorn has lately sent me

some slugs from California, which may as well be put on record. A

box from Mountain View contained a number of Amalia gagates

(syn. hewstont) and one Agriolimax campestris, both, in my opinion,

native species. A lot from San Jose, Sta. Clara Co., consisted

wholly of introduced species, namely, Agriolimax agrestis, heavily

mottled forms, and Limaz maximus, young and old. ‘The three

adult J. maximus in the box were all different, one being of the

form marmoratus Ckll., one moquint Ckll., and the other an ill-

defined form nearest to czernaevii Kal. These forms are like those

which occur commonly in the southeast of England.

—T. D. A. CocKERELL.

SHELLs OF THUNDERHEAD Mr1., N. C—I went to Thunderhead

again last June, and I found two more specimens of G'astrodonta

patuloides Pils., and more of the other new forms I had taken the

year before [see Nautitus, p. 14]. I found, this time, what I think

is a banded form of Mesodon andrewsti W.G.B. I have never seen

this variety before. A few of the long-looked for Mes. christy: were

found also, but they are very rare.

—Mrs. Gro. ANDREWS, in letter.

THE NAUTILUS, IX. ; ‘id Oa

i i i ie i ol |

WRIGHT—New Unionidz.

mere NAUTILUS.

VOL. Ix. MARCH, 1896. No. 11

* NEW FLORIDA UNIOS.

BY BERLIN H. WRIGHT, PENN YAN, N. Y.

Unio Hartwrightii sp. nov. PI. II, figs. 4, 5, 6.

Shell smooth, elliptical, inflated, pointed or subbiangulated pos-

teriorly, well rounded anteriorly, inequilateral; rather thin and

hard, slightly thicker in front; beaks very prominent, with two or

three obscure wide undulations in one series; epidermis dark chest-

nut-brown with faint green rays, more or less disposed in fascicles

over the entire disk; growth lines barely distinct ; umbonial slope

raised into an abrupt high ridge on the upper half, and rounded

and flattened below; dorsal area wide, carinate, nearly cordate and

usually with numerous heavy wrinkles or sharp folds; cardinal

teeth double in the left and simple in the right valve, divergent,

crested, rather short and subcompressed ; lateral teeth long, striate

and thin; nacre pinkish-purple and in concentric zones towards the

margins, highly iridescent, and especially so on the posterior half;.

cavity of the umbones rather deep; posterior cicatrices confluent,

anterior ones distinct, and the dorsal ones few and in a short line

under the hinge plate.

Hab., Lake Beresford, Florida.

Types in the collection of the author, cabinet of Mrs. Geo. An-

drews, Knoxville, Tenn. and Museum Acad. Nat. Sciences, Phila.

12? THE NAUTILUS.

REMARKS.—Some fifteen specimens of this shell were taken in

1887, showing quite a disposition to variability, the sharp umbonial

angle being more or less depressed, and the wrinkles less numerous

and prominent. It does not group well with any species, but has

some characters which, perhaps, suggest an affinity with U. Anthonyi

Lea, under which name it has been sparingly distributed, but differs

in being more rounded behind, rayed, in the color of epidermis, loca-

tion of point of greatest diameter, prominence of umbones, elevation

of umbonial ridge, and in the greater cavity of the shell and beak.

The specimen in the cabinet of Mrs. Geo. Andrews is a magnifi-

cent one, and was collected in Florida by the late Mr. F. Rugel. I

dedicate this rare and beautiful species to my father, Dr. Samuel

Hart Wright, A. M., Ph. D., who shared the delights of my Florida

collecting tour, and whose counsel in the study of the Book of

Nature, has always been an inspiration.

Another Florida Unio was given this name by the late Dr. Wes-

ley Newcomb, but it was never published, its specific value being

doubted.

Unio Oscari B. H. Wright. PI. II, figs. 1, 2, 3.

The original description of this species may be found in NauriLus

March, 1892, p. 124.

Habitat: A creek from Lake Osceola, at Winter Park, Florida.

Collections of G. W. and O. B. Webster, B. H. and Dr. S. H.

Wright, Museum Academy Natural Sciences, Phila., and National

Museum.

Over 100 specimens of all ages of this well marked and _ beautiful

species were taken by the Messrs. Webster and submitted for exam-

ination. They are remarkably uniform in character and most

nearly related to U. aheneus Lea, from which it differs in having a

smoother and nearly polished epidermis, cavity of the shell very

much deeper and the lateral teeth shorter, heavier and wider. This

shell has been needlessly confounded with U. Hazelhurstianus Lea

of the Satilla River, Ga. from which it differs in being more

roughly furrowed (sides deeply grooved near the umbonial ridge

with concentric rounded furrows) more inflated, thinner, more pointed

behind and more sharply angled on the posterior umbonial angle

and in having a reddish-brown epidermis instead of black, and the

teeth are much slenderer.

This species is here figured for the first time.

Mira aie yen... »

THE NAUTILUS. 123

A NEW VARIETY OF LIMNZEA.

BY L. H. STRENG.

obo ru $a

Limnea desidiosa var. De Campi.

Shell oblong, subconie, pale horn color, subdiaphanous, very finely

striated. Whorls about 5, rapidly enlarging, very convex and flat-

tened; suture very deeply impressed, forming a considerable shoul-

der. Aperture about equal in length to the spire, not dilated,

elliptical; subumbilicate. Labium but a small portion appressed to

the body whorl, and the callus very light ; sinus of the fold not very

prominent. Length 5 mm., breadth 23 mm. :

Inhabits Brook’s Lake, Newaygo Co., Mich.

Remarks: ‘The shell is rather slender in

appearance, its main features being the rapid

enlarging of the whorls and the shoulder. It

m is most closely allied to L. destdiosa Say, ex-

cept in the prominent shoulder, and it is a great

deal smaller shell. It was discovered by Dr.

De Camp several years ago, and has lain in our

collection ever since. I name it after my

friend Dr. DeCamp, who has done so much for the furtherance

of our knowledge of the Molluscan fauna of Michigan, especially

the western part of the State.

Nov. 22, 1895.

DESCRIPTION OF A NEW GASTRODONTA.

BY H. A. PILSBRY.

Gastrodonta collisella n. sp.

Shell rather solid, minutely perforate, above elevated and some-

what dome-shaped, below rather flattened, the periphery rounded.

Surface glossy, especially beneath, the base being radially finely

wrinkled, and with faint traces of spiral striation in the slightly ex-

eavated umbilical region; upper surface sculptured with irregular,

arcuate wrinkle-riblets in the direction of growth-lines, and stronger

toward the sutures. Whorls 72, slightly convex, separated by very

shallow sutures, which, under the lens, seemed margined below by

the partial transparence of the shell.

124 THE NAUTILUS.

Aperture mainly basal, lunate, with a lining of white callus a

short distance within, heavier and bearing a small tooth on the

columellar slope, and a rather short white lamella toward the outer

part of the base. Lip-edge thin and acute, suddenly expanded at

the columellar insertion, half covering the umbilical perforation.

Alt. 7, diam. 84 mm.

Alt. 53, diam. 83 mm.

Described from thirty-four specimens, from Knoxville, Tenn. -

Citico, Monroe Co., Tenn. (A. G. Wetherby); Knox Co., Tenn.

(Mrs. Geo. Andrews), and Nashville, Tenn. (G. A. Lathrop).

Variation is observed in the height of spire and the degree of de-

velopment and length of the basal lamella. It is most nearly allied

to G. ligera and G. cerinoidea, being smaller than the former, with

different aperture armature, and larger, duller and more elevated

than the latter.

My attention was first called to this form by Mr. A. G. Weth-

erby, although specimens from Nashville had long been in the collec-

tion of the Academy of Natural Sciences. It seems to be a fairly

common species, probably confined to the ‘‘ Cumberland Subregion ””

of Binney.

In describing this form, it is a pleasure to add that so competent

an observer as Mr. Wetherby agrees with me that it is a new spe-

cies; for I suppose no living naturalist is more experienced than he

in dealing with the shells of the beautiful mountain region it in-

habits.

NEW NORTH AMERICAN PISIDIA.

BY DR. V. STERKI.

Pis. trapezoideum n. sp.

Mussel of moderate size, rather much inflated, irregularly quad-

rangular in outline; beaks slightly posterior, rather large and prom-

inent, more or less distinctly flattened on top ; superior margin little

curved, with the scutum and scutellum well developed and marked

by distinct angles where joining the posterior and anterior margins ;.

the former truncated perpendicularly, and with an obtuse, rounded

angle where passing into the moderately curved.and comparatively _

long inferior margin; antero-superior margin little curved or

straight and meeting the inferior in a well marked somewhat

a on

THE NAUTILUS. 125

rounded angle situated rather inferior. Surface with irregular,

rather fine striz, slightly shining; color of epiconch pale or grayish

horn ; shell moderately thick ; nacre whitish-glassy ; hinge rather

stout; cardinal teeth lamellar, the right moderately curved, not

reaching the inferior edge of the hinge plate, with a rather deep

groove below; the left anterior cardinal tooth moderately or rather

strongly curved, the posterior oblique, moderately curved, with a

deep groove between them ; lateral teeth rather strong, finely crenu-

lated or rugulose, those of the left valve strongly, those of the right

valve slightly projecting over the valve edge, and the latter also

into the cavity of the mussel ; ligament strong.

Size: long. 4°2-4°7, alt. 2°5-3:0, diam. 2°5-3 mill.

Habitat. The species has a wide geographical distribution ;

Michigan, many places in the Upper and Lower Peninsula; south-

ern Minnesota; Pedan River, Canada; Philadelphia, Pa.; Adams-

ville, N. J.; Comal Co., Texas.

It is surprising that such a well characterized Pisidium has not

been noticed before this. Careful comparison with the earlier de-

scriptions of T. Prime shows that it cannot be identical with any of

those species.

Pis. trapezoideum is somewhat variable in size and shape; the

angles at the scutum and scutellum are more rounded in some forms,

and so the superior margin is more curved, the beaks are more or

less flattened on top, sometimes almost imperceptibly.

New Philadelphia, Ohio, February, 1896.

(To be Continued.)

ANNOTATED LIST OF THE MOLLUSCA FOUND IN THE VICINITY OF

CLEARWATER, WRIGHT CO., MINNESOTA.

BY H. E. SARGENT, WOODVILLE, ALA.

Part Second—Aquatie Species.

In searching for aquatic specimens a ten quart tin pail and a wire

gauze dip net were the implements made use of. Sediment and

specimens were dipped into the pail and washed by repeated stirring

and decantation. By this means the most minute specimens were

retained for future sifting and sorting.

126 THE NAUTILUS.

The stations searched have been fully described and located in

the first part of this article. They will be hereafter referred to by

letter as follows :

Station B. Belle Lake.

Station C. Clearwater Lake.

Station D. Mississippi River at Bellevue, Ia.

Station F. Clearwater River.

Station H. Heath Lake.

Station M. Mississippi River at Clearwater, Minn.

Station R. Crow River, Rockford, Minn.

Station S. A dry meadow at St. Michaels, Minn.

Station T. Among damp moss in tamarack swamp at Clearwater,

Minn.

39. Pleurocera subulare Lea. M.

40. Bythinella obtusa Lea. M.

41. Amnicola lustrica Pils. B,C, H,in all cases feeding upon

weeds.

42. Amnicola limosa Say. B, C, F, R, M, H.

43. Amnicola limosa Say var. porata Say. M.

44. Amnicola cincinnatiensis Anth. R.

45. Valvata tricarinata Say. B, F, M, H, R, T, C.

46. Valvata tricarinata Say var. bicarinata Lea. B, F, H, R, T,

C. |

47. Vulvata tricarinata Say var. simplex Gld. C.

Notes.—Typical specimens occurred alone in the Mississippi River

only. Of 132 specimens taken from there, none show any tendency

toward the varieties. The carinze are very prominent ; specimens

mostly large and dark colored. At all the other stations, specimens

were much smaller, light in color and only in exceptional cases hav-

ing three distinct carine. In most cases the middle one is entirely

wanting. The few specimens taken at Clearwater Lake are about

equally divided among the three forms.

48. Lyogyrus brownet H. F. Carpenter. B, F, in muddy bot-

tom.

49. Campeloma rufum Hald. F,M. 3 sinistral specimens of

this species were taken.

50: Campeloma subsolidum Anth. D. Adult specimens are

curiously depressed, closely resembling Vivipara subpurpurea Say

with which it is found.

51. Vivipara subpurpurea Say. D.

Pen

THE NAUTILUS. lyf

5Y. Vivipara intertexta Say. D.

53. Limnea megasoma Say. The only station for this species in

this vicinity, so far as known, is a small lily-pond in the bed of the

Mississippi River just below St. Cloud. Is was discovered here a few

years ago by Prof. Hubbard of the St. Cloud State Normal School.

The snails are to be seen floating on the surface or feeding upon the

lily-leaves. They are shy, sinking almost instantly when alarmed.

54. Limnea stagnalis L. C,H, B, feeding upon weeds. R,

found putrifying at the roots of grass in slough near the river.

55. Limnea emarginataSay. C. Two quite distinct varieties of

texture were taken. One corneous, translucent and rather thin in

both young and adult specimens; the other nearly white, opaque

and heavier, with much thickened margin. Both forms were plen-

tiful and neartogether. One was found on the pebbles, the other on

the sandy bottom.

56. Limnea gracilis Jay. After finding dead specimens of this

beautiful species in Belle Lake, I was told by Prof. Hubbard that

he took it alive in Heath Lake the previous fall upon the under

side of lily-leaves. Later a thorough search was made for them in

the same original locality, but only two dead specimens were found.

Query—where do they keep themselves in summer ?

57. Limnea reflera Say. C, B,S.

58. Limnea reflexca zebra Tryon. B.

59. Limnea columella Say. R.

60. Limnea catascopium Say. M.

61. Limnea caperata Say. S.

62. Limnea palustris Mull. R, on slough grass; D.

63. Limnea humilis Say. C, B, M, F.

64. Limnea desidiosa Say. C, B, M, F.

65. Aplexa hypnorum L. RB, T,S.

66. Physa gyrina Say. D, F, B, M.

67. Physa integra Hald. St. Cloud, Minn.; D.

68. Physa oleacea Tryon. D.

69. Physa vinosa Gld. F.

70. Planorbis campanulatus Say. Abundant everywhere.

71. Planorbis bicarinatus Say. Abundant everywhere.

72. Planorbis trivolvis Say. Abundant everywhere.

73. Planorbis exacutus Say. C, B, R, F, H.

74. Planorbis hirsutus Gld. C, B, T, F, H.

75. Planorbis umbilicatellus Ck. B.

128 THE NAUTILUS.

76. Planorbis parvus Say. B, T, F, D.

77. Segmentina armigera Say. Everywhere abundant.

78. Ancylus (sp.?). M, D.

79. Spherium sulcatum Lam. 5B, F,H. Mississippi River at

St. Cloud. Specimens extra large and fine.

80. Spherium striatinum Lam. R, F, D, M.

81. Spherium transversum Say. D.

82. Spherium truncatum Linsley. R, F, 8, B, F.

83. Spherium rhomboideum Say. B,H. Mississippi River at

St. Cloud.

84. Spherium solidulum Prime. M, F.

85. Spherium Jayanum Prime. Marshes near Clearwater.

86. Spherium securis Prime. H.

87. Pisidium virginicum Gmel. F.

88. Pisidium abditum Hald. F,H, B,T,C. Spring at Belle-

vue, Lowa.

89. Pisidium Walkeri Sterki. F, M.

90. Pisidiwm politum Sterki. F, B.

91. Pisidium variabile Prime. F, C, H.

92. Pisidium compressum Prime. F, M, C.

93. Pisidium ferrugineum Prime. F, M, H.

94. Pisidiwn rotundatum Prime. B. T.

95. Unio oceidens Lea. M.

96. Unio rectus Lam. C, M, F. Red River of the North, Fargo,

N.2D,

97. Unio luteolus Lam. C.

98. Unio ligamentinus Lam. M.

99. Anodonta footiana Lea.

The Pisidia enumerated above are certified to by Dr. Sterki; the

Spherium by Mr. E. W. Roper; and such other species as there

was any doubt concerning by Prof. H. A. Pilsbry.

TRANSACTIONS OF THE ISAAC LEA CHAPTER.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

Owing to the delay of some of our reports the volume of Trans-

actions was not started promptly on its annual round, but we hope

our members will make allowance for the delay. The volume will

‘ ne

a en ey

23, + Saf

THE NAUTILUS. 129

be found interesting and suggestive. Extracts from the Transac-

tions will be found in this department of THe Nautiius each

month.

A member who has joined our Chapter during the year, writes

the following when forwarding her report for 1895; “I did it

only because I understood that was the one thing that would insure

me the privilege of reading the ‘ Transactions’ forthe year. I have

read those of 1889 and 1891, and am willing to do anything in my

power for the pleasure and profit of reading another volume.”

Please bear in mind that one week is the limit of time allowed for

the retention of the volume of Transactions.

The Secretaries of Sections for our Chapter have been appointed,

as provided for in Section 1, of our By-Laws, and are as follows:

Section A.—Marine shells of the West Coast, Prof. Keep, Mills

College, Cal.

Section B.—Mrs. E. P. Wentworth, Portland, Maine.

Section C.—Land shells east of the Rocky Mts. (Secretary not

yet chosen).

Section D.—Fresh water shells east of Rocky Mts., Dr. W. S.

Strode, Lewistown, III.

Section E.—Land and fresh water shells west of Rocky Mts.

(Secretary not yet chosen).

Section F.—Fossil shells, Hon. Delos Arnold, Pasadena, Cal.

Section G.—Juvenile Section, Mrs. Mary P. Olney, Spokane,

Wash.

Section H.—Microscopic shells, Mrs. T. S. Oldroyd, Los Angeles,

Cal. .

Section I.—Marine shells of the S.-Eastern Coast, Mr. J. J.

White, Rockledge, Florida.

The Executive Committee consists of the ‘“ President, General

Secretary and one other member” (Art. IV). The Honorable

Delos Arnold has been appointed a member of the Executive Com-

mittee.

WEST COAST SPECIES OF HALIOTIS.

[Report of the President, Professor Josiah Keep. From the Transactions of Isaac

Lea Chapter for 1895].

The recent revision of the genus Haliotis and the changes of some

specific names since the publication of my little book on West Coast

130 THE NAUTILUS.

Shells, make it proper to place the matter anew before the members

of our Chapter. Those who have the opportunity of consulting

Vol. XII of the “ Manual of Conchology,” will find a full discus-

sion of the subject ; but as there are some who cannot consult that

excellent authority, I propose to use some of the statements of Prof.

Pilsbry in connection with this report.

There are six species of the genus in question to be found upon

our Western Coast, only three of which, however, are sufficiently

abundant to be called common. The first of these species, and

probably the best represented in respect to the number of specimens,

is Haliotis Cracherodit Leach. This is the common “black aba-

lone,” so called on account of the dark color of the outer layer of

its shell. The ‘ Manual” gives the limits of locality as “ Fallarones

Is. to San Diego.” Probably the Farallones Is. off San Francisco

are meant, a natural mistake having been made in the spelling, but

I think the species reaches much farther to the northward than the

latitude of these islands. I should like to have my suspicions con-

firmed or refuted by those who have made northern observations.

One morning during the last summer I took advantage of the low

tide and explored the granite rocks that form the promentory be-

yond the Point Pinos lighthouse near Montery. The waves have

been breaking for ages over those venerable cliffs, and the results of

their work are distinctly seen. Out in the water, quite far from

Jand, you get glimpses of sunken rocks, the very bones of the ancient

cape. Nearer are a series of small and precipitous islands, most of

which you can reach at low tide. Strewn all over the bases of the

cliffs are masses of granite, some of them loose boulders, while others

are the seamed and weather-worn outcroppings of the underlying

ledges. Many of the rocks are covered with a thick mat of sea-

weed, but others are gray and bare.

Venturing out as far as safety would allow, I was amazed to find

the available roosting on some of the cliffs almost literally covered

by young specimens of the species under consideration. The shells

averaged, perhaps, three inches in length; a few were twice that

size, but many were much smaller. Their keen instinct teaches these

animals to seek the least exposed positions, a deep and narrow cleft

in the rock being the favorite retreat, and there, away from danger,

they congregate in great numbers. As the tide came in I was ob-

liged to leave them, and so could not continue my observations, but

I fancy that when they were well covered with water they loosened

, oa

THE NAUTILUS. 131

their firm hold upon the surface of the rock and began to move

around in search of food. It is evident that this species is very

prolific, and though large specimens are not so common as formerly,

there seems to be no danger that the species will soon become ex-

tinct.

The next species is the red abalone, H. vufescens Swainson. This

animal hasa much larger shell than the last, some of them reaching

the length of nine or ten inches, possibly more. They were for-

merly very common about Pacific Grove, but they have been so

persistently collected that adult specimens are rarely found. They

live at a somewhat lower level than their black brothers, and are

not often seen on the rocks above the water, even at low tide. The

Chinese fishermen cruise around in their boats at such times armed

with a hook on the arm of a long pole, with which they secure the

coveted prize. The large shells are mostly collected from the more

unsettled parts of the coast, and there is danger that the supply will

soon become seriously diminished. Last summer I saw a two-horse

wagon loaded with these shells, which had been drawn up to Pacific

Grove from a point some thirty miles down the coast.

The third species, named from its beautiful internal color the

“green abalone,” has generally been known to scientific circles as

Haliotis splendens. It was given that very appropriate name by

Reeve in 1846, but it has been found that in 1845 it was named by

Philippi A. fulgens, and so the latter name must stand. This

beautiful shell abounds in southern waters, but as I have never had

an opportunity to study its habitat, I cannot report upon its pros-

pective decrease. ‘The only live one I ever saw was an aged speci-

men which was found upon the rocks near Cypress Point. Monterey

Bay seems to mark its extreme northern location, and even then I

have never found a specimen in the Indian shell-heaps, though

rufescens and Cracherodii are found by the thousands in all stages

of decomposition.

H. corrugata Gray, does not come so far north as the last species.

A fine specimen before me from San Pedro, Cal., measures 63 in. in

length, 53 in breadth, and 23 in convexity. The shell has strong

ridges upon its back, and there are four large open holes. I have

never seen a living specimen, and know very little concerning its

habits.

H. assimilis Dall, is now considered to be a distinct species. The

Manual reports it from “ Monterey to San Diego in deep water.” A

ay THE NAUTILUS.

specimen before me from San Diego is 4 inches long and 34 inches

wide. It has seven open holes. The exterior of the shell is marked

by many threads like Brussels carpeting, and the spire is short but

distinct. The interior is smooth, silvery, and without visible muscle-

scar. The shell is tolerably thick, and appears very compact and

solid.

The last species to be noticed is Haliotis gigantea Chem. var.

Kamtschatkana Jonas. The large typical form of this species be-

longs essentially to Japan, but the variety seems to have come

around with the warm current past the Aleutian Is., and down the

coast, at least as far as the middle of California. My best speci-

mens I purchased in Victoria, B. C., where I was told that they

were gathered on the west coast of Vancouver Island. My largest

specimen is 5 inches long, 32 inches wide, and 13 inches high. In

shape it appears long and narrow when compared with other spe-

cies. The shell is thin, the edge sharp, the spire quite prominent,

the surface uneven, and the open holes are four in number, large

and surrounded by high walls. A deep channel runs under the

line of holes. The interior is very iridescent, light color prevailing,

The muscle-scar is not distinct.

Concerning at least half of our species there is need of further

information respecting the habits of the living animals, as well as

observations concerning localities where specimens are to be found.

In the gathering of information of this kind, even about our more

common species, I believe the members of our Chapter may be able

to do much good work. Whilea few great men may do the import-

ant work of determining the correct names and classification of the

species, each one of us in our more humble sphere may make obser-

vations and collect information which will help to swell the total

amount of knowledge concerning the molluscan world. I shall per-

sonally be grateful for any further information concerning any of

our species of the genus Haliotis.

How To PACK SPECIMENS FOR MAILING.—Three times within the

last few days I have received small sendings in which the specimens

were crushed to powder. It is too unsafe to send shells in a letter,

simply packed up in paper or a paper tube, or weak quill. Strong

turkey quills are better, especially when double, 7. e. one tightly

stuck into another, and fastened in the bottom of the envelope.

Also a piece of thick pasteboard, or a slice of cork is suitable, with

a hole in the middle, and paper pasted on both sides.—It is a pity -

how often valuable and even unique specimens are lost by careless-

ness in packing.—Dr. V. STERKI.

ies ae Ay “7

e bimaad Bet

7 a

ote

Kae s

prea)

wean

PLATE Ii

THE NAUTILUS, IX.

Unio bursapastoris Wright.

Wright.

lersoni

Unio Fr

lersonl,

Unio Fr

Unio bursapastoris Wright.

= > 1,

HE NAUTILUS.

VOL. IX. APRIL, 1896. No. 12

NEW AMERICAN UNIONIDZ.

BY BERLIN H. WRIGHT, PENN YAN, N. Y.

Unio bursa-pastoris sp. nov. PI. III, figs. above and below.

Shell rough, disposed to be both nodulose and pitted, very inequi-

lateral, rounded evenly in front, umbonial ridge nearly obsolete,

dorsal margin arcuate, ligament long, thick and much elevated,

epidermis reddish-black, rayless, except when very young; sub-

stance of shell thick ; cavity of shell shallow and uneven, with a

wide flattened area extending from beak cavities to the posterior

angle; cavity of the beaks very deep, compressed and very wide;

pallial impression very rough and deep; greatest diameter of shell

over the anterior edge of the cardinals; cardinal teeth low, thick

and rather smooth ; lateral teeth short, thick and widely separated

from the cardinals; dorsal plate long, wide and usually notched

near the cardinals. Terminal cicatrices distinct ; dorsal cicatrices

numerous, shallow and under the posterior cardinal. Nacre white

and usually much blotched with smoky spots; occasionally with a

shade of pink in the center of the cavity.

Size, length 2°5 inches, width 5°6, diameter 1:25.

Hab. Powell River, Virginia.

My Cabinet, National Museum and Mus. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.

Remarks.—This species belongs to the group of which U. argen-

teus Lea is typical. It differs from that species in having a darker

134 THE NAUTILUS.

epidermis, an obsolete umbonial ridge and deep, compressed beak-

cavities. It differs in much the same manner from U. Lesleyi, which

has greater shell cavity. Compared with U. abacus Hald., it is pro-

portionally much wider, deeper and with more compressed beak-

cavities, and has not the checker-board markings of that species.

Old specimens resemble U. Pilsbryi Marsh, interiorly, but without

alation or undulations. In old specimens the base becomes emargin-

ate, and there is more or less biangulation behind, and the teeth be-

come almost obsolete, and of a dull smoky tinge. Thirty specimens

were received.

Unio Friersoni sp. nov. PI. III, figs. right and left.

Shell smooth, triangular, inflated, nearly equilateral, obtusely

pointed behind ; sides swollen not constricted, rayless or obscurely

radiate when very young; substance of the shell uniformly rather

thick and solid. Beaks angular to the tips and with three or four

close undulations which form parallel V-shaped ridges with the

angle pointing down the umbonial angle, and the long straight arms

of which extend diagonally across the beaks. Ligament very short,

thin and of a lighter red than the epidermis, which is a dark-chest-

nut color, with minute striz and with coarse growth-lines. Um-

bonial slope obtusely angular. Posterior slope rounded on the

margin and with a raised ridge line from beak to posterior end,

forming there, generally, a slight biangulation. Dorsal area wide,

cordate. Cardinal teeth large, erect, with furrowed sides, the ante-

rior branch in the left valve being very thin and broad and with a

long striate edge. Lateral teeth short, slightly curved, the outer

one being the thinner. Anterior cicatrices distinct with a secondary

cicatrix above, and running under the cardinal tooth. Posterior

cicatrices distinct. Dorsal cicatrices few and under the posterior

cardinal. Cavity of the sheil very deep, and quite uniformly hol-

lowed out. Cavity of the beaks broad, roomy, the apex within

being nearly a right angle. Nacre usually white, with a tint of

blue, and iridescent at posterior end ; sometimes the nacre is entirely

pink.

Animal always white. Size, width 2 inches, length 1°75, diameter

1:38.

Habitat Bayou Pierre, an arm of the Red River in De Soto

Parish, Louisiana.

My Cabinet, U. S. National Museum, Academy of Natural

Sciences, Phila. and cabinet of L. S. Frierson.

THE NAUTILUS. 135

Remarks.—This species belongs to the group of which U. trigonus

Lea, may be considered the type, although differing much from that

species in outline, beaks and in the uniform roundness of the sides.

It also has certain characters indicating a relationship with U.

Ridellii Lea, U. Chuniit Lea and U. cuneus Con. It differs from the

first in having the posterior apex lower and more or less biangul-

ated; the posterior margin rounded, instead of straight ; posterior

margin without the hip peculiar to U. Ridellii; the cardinal teeth

are heavier and not pyramidal; and differs most remarkably in the

character of the beak undulations. From U. Chunii Lea, it differs

in having a greater depth of cavity; more massive and higher um-

bones and swollen sides without depressions ; much shorter poste-

rior extension; base not emarginate; entire absence of rays and

the same difference in beak undulations that distinguishes it from

U. Ridelliit Lea. It differs from U. cuneus Con. in being smoother ;

lighter colored epidermis; much larger opening to the umbonial

cavity ; cavity of the shell much deeper and more uniformly rounded ;

lateral teeth more slender and the species never attains the extreme

size of U. cuneus, the declivity of the posterior slope is much steeper ;

the ligament shorter; without the anterior subtruncation, and it is

never cuneiform.

The peculiar undulations of the beaks amply distinguish it from

_any other known species.

Some twenty-five specimens have been critically examined which

maintain a remarkable constancy in all the characters.

It is named in honor of Mr. Lorraine 8. Frierson of Frierson

Mill, La. who is a zealous student and collector of Unionide.

ON CERTAIN ABNORMAL SPHERIA.

BY BRYANT WALKER, DETROIT, MICH.

The peculiar characteristics of the hinge-teeth of the American

species of Spherium and Pisidium have been almost totally ignored

by Prime and.the earlier writers in their descriptions of the various

species which they established. With the exception of some of the

descriptions of the more recently described species, nothing but the

most general remarks upon the subject are to be found in the Amer-

ican literature upon these genera. Among the European concholog-

136 THE NAUTILUS.

ists, however, more attention has been given in this direction, and

while perhaps some have gone to the other extreme and have

accorded too great importance to the hinge characters, there can be

no doubt, but that a careful and conservative study of our Amer-

ican species in this regard would be in many cases a valuable assist-

ance to the determination of the relations and specific validity of

many of the at present poorly defined and ill-understood forms.

In examining some specimens of the common Spherium striatinum

Lam. recently, I was struck in several instances with the occurrence

of an abnormal arrangement of the hinge teeth, and was thereby

iuduced to go further and ascertain if possible to what extent such

irregularities were present.

My observations thus far have been confined to two species,

Spherium striatinum Lam., and 8: simile Say. Of the former

species one hundred specimens from twenty-four localities, were

chosen at haphazard, the number from each locality varying from

one to eleven. Of these, all the specimens from sixteen local-

ities, forty-six in number, were normal. Of the remaining fifty-four

specimens from eight localities, ten were abnormal. In only one

instance, did more than a single abnormal individual occur in any

one locality, and in that, three out of nine specimens were abnormal

and all in the same particular.

Of Spherium simile Say, sixty-four specimens from nineteen

localities were examined, the number from each locality varying

from one to six. Of these, ten individuals out of thirty from eight

different localities were abnormal. While in those from eleven

localities, represented by thirty-four specimens, no variation occurred

In both species the number of abnormal specimens seems surprisingly

large, amounting to ten percent in S. striatinwm and to nearly

sixteen per cent in S. simile. In no case was any attempt made to

pick out unusual specimens and, indeed, no external variation in ap-

pearance was noticed as being coincident with the abnormal arrange-

ment of the hinge.

The normal arrangement of the hinge-teeth of a Sphzrium is as

follows :

Right valve Cardinal 1 Ant. laterals 2 Post. laterals 2.

Left valve Cardinals 2. Ant. lateral 1 Post. lateral 1.

The variations noticed consisted in the reversing of the position of

one or more pairs of these teeth. :

THE NAUTILUS. 137

Of the seven possible variations from the normal arrangement,

but four were noticed. Inno case were the cardinals alone reversed,

but invariably a reversal of these teeth was accompanied by a

reversal of either one or both pairs of laterals. Neither were the

cardinals and posterior laterals alone, nor both pairs of laterals

alone reversed in any case. The following table gives the details of

the different variations observed and their relative frequency.

Normal Spherium—cardinals $ Ant. Lat. ? Post. Lat. ?.

Abnormal S. striatinum Lam.

No. of specimens 22: Cardinals $ Ant. Lat. 4 Post. Lat. 7.

No. of specimens 32: Cardinals ? Ant. Lat. 4 Post. Lat. 7.

No. of specimens 22: Cardinals 2 Ant. Lat. 4 Post. Lat. 3.

No. of specimens 32: Cardinals} Ant. Lat. 2 Post. Lat. 3.

Abnormal S. simile Say.

No. of specimens 52: Cardinals 2? Ant. Lat. 3 Post. Lat. 2.

No. of specimens 382: Cardinals ? Ant. Lat. 3 Post. Lat. 3.

No. of specimens 22: Cardinals 4 Ant. Lat. ? Post. Lat. 3.

NEW AMERICAN ANCYLIDE.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.

Owing doubtless to the difficulty of distinguishing species in this

group, but little work has been done upon the United States forms

since the publication of Haldeman’s monograph in 1842. Clessin,

in the “Conchylien Cabinet,” has added nothing of value to our

knowledge of United States species, his A. oregonensis from Salem,

Oregon, of which I have “ topotypes,” being doubtfully distinct from

Tryon’s A. fragilis. A. caurinus is also, as Tryon states, a synonym

of fragilis.

In naming a series of Illinois mollusks for the Illinois State Lab-

oratory of Natural History, my attention was directed to this genus.

The species of Ancylus fall into two groups, not, I suppose, of

much importance systematically, but of considerable interest in a

broad view of the conditions of mollusk life. One group, which

may be termed the “ petrophilous”” Ancyli, live on rocks and shells

in rivers, and usually have a rather highly conic shell. The other

group, “ phytophilous”’ Ancyli, live on water plants; some deeply

submerged, as on the “leaves of grass” (to use a Walt. Whitman-

ism), streaming upward from the bottom ; others inhabit the round

138 THE NAUTILUS.

under-world of floating lily-pads ; sometimes they are found on dead

leaves in the water. The species of this group are mainly more

fragile and depressed than those of the first group, and sometimes

they are modified to correspond with their stations, as A. parallelus,

living on narrow stems. It is evident that this difference of. station

means also more or less difference of food ; and it will be interesting

to find whether there exists any corresponding divergence in the

dentition. The importance of full information on the station of

every lot of Ancylus collected, will be evident from the foregoing.

Nearly all specimens when collected, are more or less coated with

foreign matter, sometimes calcareous, but generally ferruginous.

This must be removed before the color and finer sculpture can be

observed. By floating the shell a short time on the surface of a

weak solution of oxalic acid, rinsing it in water and then brushing,

it may readily be cleansed. Nearly all North American species

are then seen to be a clear corneous-white tint; most of them have

growth-lines only, a few have radial strize. Most of those species

which have been described as dark colored, such as A. obscurus

Hald., owe their color entirely to foreign matter, the shell itself

being very pale.

Exhaustive comparisons with specimens of all North American

species, and the types or author’s examples of most of them, con-

vince me of the novelty of the following species.

Ancylus peninsule Pilsbry & Johnson, 7. sp.

Shell thin and fragile, with much depressed; broadly oval contour,

the obtuse, rounded summit somewhat to the right of and behind

the middle. Anterior, posterior and right slopes of the low cone

nearly straight; left slope slightly convex. Color light horny

brown, with a suggestion of olive when cleaned, usually with a very

light brownish coating in a state of nature. Surface with slight,

fine growth-lines and close, fine and conspicuous radial striz.

Length 7, width 5, alt. 1-7 mill., often larger.

St. John’s River and other localities in Florida, usually in creeks,

living on the foliage of aquatic plants.

Somewhat like the northeastern A. fuscus, but readily known from

all other species of the United States by its large size, broadly oval

and depressed form, blunt apex, and the dense radial striation.

Several Antillean and South American species are somewhat similar

to this, but these large and depressed forms have the apex far more

excentric. —

THE NAUTILUS. 139

This is by no means rare in collections of fresh-water shells from

Florida, but is generally labelled “A. filosus Conrad,” probably on

account of the conspicuous radial sculpture. Conrad’s filosus, how-

ever, is a stout, very steeply conical species with coarser radial rib-

lets than any other known American form, and totally different from

the low and delicate A. peninsule. It is from the Alabama River,

where it is found living on Melanians. This fact, together with the

texture and form of the shell, indicate that fi/osus is a typical rock

Ancylus, like rivularis ; while the form from Florida is a true weed

dweller.

The types of A. peninsulew were collected by the editors of this

journal in Salt Creek, one of those sparkling streams of ‘‘ sulphur

water” so characteristic of Florida, arising from great brimming

springs and feeding the St. John’s and other rivers, Salt Creek is

the northernmost stream flowing into Lake George on the west side.

The Ancylus lives on long water-grass, and is abundant.

Ancylus eugraptus Pilsbry, n. sp.

Shell rather fragile, oval, the right side less arcuate than the left ;

rather elevated, the apex slightly behind and to the right of the

middle, somewhat obtuse, with an indistinct apical depression or

scar, posterior and right slopes straight, anterior and left feebly

convex. Translucent horn colored and glossy when cleaned, with

a blackish coating when collected. Surface with faint growth-lines

and very fine, somewhat irregular radial strize, more distinct toward

the periphery. Length 6, breadth 4, alt. 1:8 mm.

Illinois River at Havana, III.

Types are no. 67791, coll. A. N.S., Phila., from lot no. 18542,

coll. Ill. State Lab. Nat. Hist.

This species, while resembling A. obscurus and ie fuscus some-

what, differs from both in the sculpture. The apex is far more ex-

centric than in A. borealis or A. ovalis, both of which are very small

species. A. filosus is far rounder, more steeply conic, and has

stronger radial riblets. In A. rivularis the apex is much more

strongly recurved, and the slope behind it notably concave.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

{Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

One of our new members in a letter to the General Secretary

writes as follows in reference to collecting Mollusks in Winter in

140 THE NAUTILUS.

California: ‘I have discovered that the sunshine has much to do

with finding shells, as they come up much more readily on a warm

day than on a cold cloudy one. Even these little creatures appear

to love the sunshine.” Is this the experience of other collectors

during the winter?

ALONG THE DAMARISCOTTA.

[Report of Mrs. E. P. Wentworth. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Con-

chological Chapter for 1895. ]

The banks of one of the loveliest rivers in Maine have been the

principal scene of my “shelling trips” this year, and I shall make

these trips the basis of my report. The first warm days in May

found me taking advantage of the low tides. I was not sanguine

enough to hope to find new species, and the object of my search was

merely to lay in a store of Natica heros var. triseriata, Nassa obsoleta

(large uneroded specimens) and to find, if possible, the Skenea plan-

orbis which so far, has eluded my diligent search. Armed with a

wooden tooth-pick, collecting bottle and tin dish, I advanced upon

the unsuspecting mollusks. I found quantities of Naticas under-

neath the sea-weed, crawling on the surface of the mud which coated

the rocks covered by the sea-weed, and thousands of Nassas crawl-

ing on the mud near the low water mark. The Nassa in the water

were waving their siphons in the air as if signaling to one another,

but I knew they were only feeding in their own peculiar fashion.

On turning over some small flat stones near low water mark my

cup of joy ran over, for there, clinging to the edges and under sides.

of the stones, were the long looked for Skeneas and associated with

them many of the graceful little Rissoa minuta.

At this period of my search the wisdom of taking a wooden tooth-

pick instead of a larger and more dangerous weapon was impressed

upon me, for it was the most convenient instrument imaginable for

transferring these tiny mollusks to the collecting bottle. Before the

tide turned I had hundreds of specimens, but, better than the shells

was the consciousness that now I knew where to find Skeneas. I

also found an Acmea testudinalis Mill. clinging to an old bone, and

although it was only moderate size and so fragile that I broke the

edges in dislodging it, I carried it home in triumph, for.it was the

first one I had found in this river.

THE NAUTILUS. 141

In July, my husband (who shares my studies with me) and f

went up the river to a rocky point a short distance beyond the place

where I found the Skeneas and here we tried our hand-net. Our

efforts were rewarded by alive Lyonsia hyalina Conr, Our surprise

and delight were unbounded. Never before had we even thought

of Lyonsia as living so far from the sea (15 miles or more), and on

a muddy bottom. This added another species to the many we had

already found in this river. Repeated dredgings with the hand-net

brought us no more Lyonsias, but on a careful examination of a

small patch of mud at low water mark, covered with a hairy green

sea-weed we discovered the hiding place of the fragile Haminea

solitaria Say, and our diligent search resulted in our finding six of

these transparent dainty shells. These the first we ever found alive,

although in the bay at the headwaters of the river two miles away, I

have found quantities of the deed shells. I am not aware that

Haminea solitaria has ever before been found in Maine. It is a

southern species and is not found in boreal waters. Its presence

here along with several other distinctively southern species is

regarded as evidence that the water bathing the coast of Maine was

once much warmer than now, and these mollusks are the survivors

of a fauna now nearly extinct in Maine.

On another trip, a short distance down the river, our net brought

up a dead shell of Nassa trivittata Say.

As a result of this Summer’s work along the salt water I have

added four species to my list of Damariscotta River shells: Lyonsia

hyalina Conr., Acmeea testudinalis Mull, Skenea planorbis Fabr. and

Nassa trivittata Say.

But the river banks are not the only localities in this vicinity rich

in molluscan treasures. On a trip toa brook in South Newcastle

we found forty-one specimens of Alargaritana arcuata Barnes. A

second visit to the same locality gave more Margaritanas, Spherium

partumeium Say, Ancylus rivularis Say, and one Limnea which

I have not yet determined. While waiting for our train we found

a number of fossil shells in clay which had been unearthed by men

who had been getting gravel for the railroads. The shells found in

this clay were all bivalves, and did not seem to be at all like the

shells common to this period or locality. One shell somewhat re-

sembled Lyonsia hyalina but it had numerous teeth in the hinge

like the Arca.

142 THE NAUTILUS.

Picture to yourselves a wide, shallow brook bordered on either side

with tall, beautiful flowering grasses, the brilliant cardinal flower

and delicate lavender flowered mints, and you will have some idea

of the scene of loveliness which awaited us, after our nine mile drive

to South Jefferson, one fine day in August. The brook, which is called

Dyer’s River, is rich in Molluscan life, and quantities of Unio com-

planatus were to be found there. The dead shells of Margaritana

arcuata were strewn along the banks, where they had been left by the

pearl hunters. After collecting all the Unio complanatus we desired

we used our hand-net with good success and the following shells

were the result of the dredging: Campeloma decisum Say, Pisidium

equilaterale Pr., P. rotundatum Prime, var. torquatum Sterki, P. abdi-

tum Hald. \ tranceete limosa Say.

My bese hunting ground for land shells this Summer has been

the crevices of an old ledge, and an old cellar where trees grow out

of the cellar floor. In the cellar and on and near the ledge I found

Pupas, Vallonias, Succineas, Patulas and Zonites. Under some

bricks near a building on my own place I have for several seasons

found Vertigo pygmea Drap. but the find in land shells which I value

most is Vallonia costata, which I found under rocks near our old sea-

wall. These I have found in quantities since the tenth of November,

finding some as late as the 27th of December. I believe this i is the

first time Vallona costata has been found in Maine.

The report of the year’s effort and pleasure in the conchological

line would not be complete if I did not mention our trip to Old

Orchard Beach and Saco, Maine, one day last October. After

reaching the beach it took us but a short time to realize that our

find would be small that day, and, after three hours gleaning, we

had a dozen or two Siliqua costata, one Astarte castanea, three Pert-

ploma cochlodesma and a few other common shells; so, after eating

our lunch and giving a few parting glances to the beach, we decided

to take the electric car for Saco, and call on the Rev. Henry W.

Winkley, whose interesting articles we have read in THE Nav-

Titus. We had never met the gentleman, but our faith in the

kind-heartedness of all true lovers of Nature gave us confidence,

and surely this confidence was not misplaced. Mr. Winkley wel-

comed us most cordially and inviting us into his library gave us the

exquisite pleasure of closely examining the finest collecting of New

England shells we had ever seen. Mr. Winkley has been dredging

for several seasons and the many rare deep water shells in his

THE NAUTILUS. 143

cabinet testify to his success. We gazed with admiration upon the

many rare and beautiful shells we had many times read about, but

never seen, and were allowed the pleasure—not granted except to

members of the guild, I suspect,—of actually handling these spec-

imens.

After carefully examining the New England marine shells we were

shown a fine collection of land shells, gathered from every country

and every clime, and their various colors, forms and markings were

of the deepest interest to us. But all things come to an end all

too soon, we had to bid our good friend adieu and hurry to the

railroad station (we were to return home by the steam cars). As

we reluctantly took our departure from Mr. Winkley’s home, where

the latch string always hangs out invitingly to every conchologist,

we felt that better than the grand collection of shells we had just

seen, was the simple, generous, kindly spirit which Nature inspires

in all her true disciples.

NOTES AND NEWS.

A SEcTION oF ConcHoLoey has recently been formed in connec-

tion with the Michigan Academy of Science, the following gentle-

men being members: W. H. Sherzer, Ypsilanti; A. H. Boies, Hud-

son; C. A. Whittemore, R. J. Kirkland, M. D., W. Miller, Charles

Miller, Jr.,and L. H. Streng, Grand Rapids; F. E. Wood, Bay

City ; L. T. Schurrer, M. D., Lakeport ; C. D. McLouth, Muskegon ;

Chas. A. Davis, Alma; Jerome Trombly, Petersburg; John M.

Miller, Escanaba; Bryant Walker, Detroit.

The formal organization will not take place until the next regu-

lar meeting of the Academy, but an interesting programme of work

has been planned, which will doubtless lead to substantial additions

to the knowledge of Michigan conchology.

PRESERVATION OF MARINE MoLtusca.—Those who were inter-

ested in Mr. Hornell’s paper on formalin (Nat. Sci., vol. VII, p.

416), may like to learn that this fluid has been tried for the preserva-

tion of Aplysia and Pleurobranchus. In both cases, however, a con-

siderable amount of coloring matter was dissolved out of the integu-

ment. Dr. J.D. F. Gilchrist, who contributes this observation to

Professor Herdman’s report, also records a method of killing Aplysia

in an expanded condition, which he says is the only one that can be

144 THE NAUTILUS.

depended upon with certainty. ‘“ A few drops of a 5 per cent. solu-

tion of cocain were mixed with the water in which the Aplysias

were. After a time they expanded fully. They were then left in

the solution (twelve hours or more) till no contraction took place

when removed and put into weak alcohol. If contraction took place,

they would be put back into the cocain solution when they again

expanded. ‘This was repeated till no contraction took place, when

they could, after a time, be put into stronger alcohol.”—Natural

Science, March, 1896.

NEW PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

A. List oF THE SPECIES OF AMPHIDROMUS ALBERS, WITH CRIT-

1cAL Nores AND DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME HirHERTO UNDESCRIBED

SPECIES AND VARIETIES. By Hugh Fulton (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.,

January, 1896). The species of this difficult genus of Bulimi are

arranged according to their affinities in groups; the synonymy is

thoroughly overhauled, and several new forms are described. Mr.

Fulton has done good service in reducing to varietal rank a large

number of nominal species, which have caused collectors endless

pains and confusion ; his treatment of the perversus group being espe-

cially commendable. Three excellent lithographic plates illustrate

new or previously unfigured species and varieties.

RECOLTE DES MOLLUSQUES; CONSEILS AUX VOYAGEURS, par A.

Bavay. Instructions for collecting mollusks, land, fresh-water and

marine, with quite full information on where to find them.

CATALOGUE OF THE SPECIES OF CORBICULIDH IN THE COLLEC-

TION OF TEMPLE PRIME NOW FORMING PART OF THE COLLECTION

OF THE MusEuM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY AT CAMBRIDGE, MAss.

—By Temple Prime, 1895.—The species are arranged geographic-

ally and under each species are arranged by letters, the synonymy

aud the various localities represented. Of the genus Corbicula there

are 58 species; Batissa 8; Velorita3; Cyrena 42 recent, and 25

fossil ; Spheriwm 23 recent and 2 fossil; Limosina 10; Pisidium 31

recent and 2 fossil.

BULLETIN OF THE Cutcaco ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, Vol. II, No.

11, 1895.—Preliminary Outline of a New Classification of the

Family Muricide, by F. C. Baker.

ie:

NAUTILUS.

A MONTHLY JOURNAL

DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF

CONCHOLOGISTS.

VOL. X.

MAY, 1896, to APRIL, 1897.

PHILADELPHIA :

Published by H. A. PILSBRY and C. W. JOHNSON.

INDEX

mee INAU TIEOUS, VOL. X.

IXDEX TO TITLES AND SPECIES DESCRIBED.

Achatinellidze, description of two new species . . .. . 31

Agriolimax campestris in the Pecos Valley, N.M. . . . 35

Amastra aurostoma, n. sp. . Re ee ees 31

American Association of Bonchologens <A ai le lia 94

Amunicolide, note on the genera of South ees alot elf

memetus(?) Stearnsianus Pilsbry,n.sp. .........- 41

Arion hortensis in green-house, Seattle: Wash. nani CRI 70

_ Aspergillum giganteum Sowb.. . .. . 23

Bahia, Brazil, list of mollusks collected io Dr. cen von

Ihering . . . 6 eee 12

Bulimulus hypodon Eyisbry, D. Spee Sgt ae 102

@aumuluelamellifer Pilsbry,n.sp.. ....... a 108

Bulimus, a new species of. . ...... 41

Bulimus galericulum Mouss., on the generic pocivion of 109

Bulimus Hanleyi and B. coronatus, noteon ..... . 46

Callista varians Hanley in eastern Florida .... . 70

Callistochiton decoratus var. punctocostatus Pilsbry, n. var. 50

Campbell, Meme tt memoriam, ©. |)... . 116

Campeloma Poin bay, reversed mame. ee. 118

mumpeinamrextic, MOLE ON . . . 2 2 ee ele 12

Casco Bay Notes ... . ate, . es 73

Chitons, notes on some West “Ameen ive ee. 49

Chondropoma (Ctenopoma) Bahamense Shutt at Key West 96

Cochlicella ventricosa Drap. near Charleston, S.C. . . . 105

Mee timothy Abbott... 2... .... wean. 110

Cuttle fishes washed ashore in San Pedro Bay . . . . . Cal

Cyrenoidea caloosaensis Dall,n.sp.. . . As oc aaee 52

Cyrenoidea floridana (Dall, MS.1889) n.sp.. . . . . . 52

Cyrenoidea, on the American speciesof . . .. . al ila 51

lv THE NAUTILUS.

Draparnaudia Montrouz’ . . . eee : oo oa 110

. Editorial correspondence ... . | agama) .5 9 eae 53

Endodonta (?) tenuiscripta Ancey,n.sp......... 90

Ervilia concentrica ‘Gould... . (ee ke: coe 26

Ervilia maculosa: Dall, n. sp.. .@ameee or 26

Ervilia-nitens (Mont.) Turton . . ae...) eee 25

Ervilia, the American species of | ge) .’ =) 202 yea 25

Ervilia subcancellata Smith. . .“aa) ..4 29) 0 26

Extracts from a-nete book. .. \( 2 ly an 82

Fossils:of Dead, Man’s Island. <ae. >.< 2 2) eee 140

Fossil shells of San Pedro Bay (2). . . 2 2 33

Goose Fair Brook (4 p0.5.)>> - : ae 15

Helicina plicatula var. cinistophadl aby. nce Vary coe 118

Helix alternata, influence of environment upon the form

and colorof i... .:..... Saas. | .)0ss ee 63

Helix nemoralis at Lexington, Viaage..-. - 1 soe 142

lanthina ~. . sy gee 133

Isaac Lea Dovarinent aE Rene Meeeation, 10, 33, 43,

56, 68, 81, 92, 106, 112, 123, 140

Ischnochiton scabricostatus Cpr. . . . 49

Land and fresh water shells collected by Dr. Wits if Hush

in Uruguay and Argentina . . . 76

Land mollusca from the rejectamenta of fie le Granae |

IN. Dieta aoe 41

Land shells of Diss City AY diggnt: tes ON 4 whet 98

Large Decapod® 3.3 3. a0)... . SARS oe 108

Leda caelata Hinds, note on. @aghn oo... eo 70

eda cellulita Dally niap.:.. ..... Qaee ia -> 1

Leda conceptionis Dall, n. sp. . 2g...) ee 2

Leda from the Pacific Coast, new species Ae »/ a oe 1

Beda leonina‘Dall,n: spay... 2) Se pyc 2

eda pontonia Dal... ... eee, oo 2) See 2

Lepyrium Dall, n.gen. . .. ...... Seer Sst - oe ee 15

iia; note ons]. Sj cel ey 47

Limnea bulimoides Bes. eee Aaaieht . ee 96

Mactra, note on. . . SEP tS 47

Mactrella [heringi Dall, n. sp. ae oe gee 123

Marine shells on the southern Calan oe 9054 56

Melania vatensis Ancey,n.sp..... . A aay ne 90

Methods, chapter on 2 ./>./ .. SIRs ha tal ae 43

THE NAUTILUS. Vv

PMICEMMOUIG ss . . wee ee ee 59

Sursenry, i MeMoriam .. . .:... . ws ee 128

umeminorcata OPT... | ee ee 49

SS 46

Meeritina coccinea Ancey,n.sp..........°%.. 91

Neritina Showalteri Lea, note on. . . . 13

New or rare species of marine mollusca recently find in

British Columbia . . . 16

New publications received. . . 2, 23, 35, “47, 60, 70, 120, 131

New Hebrides Archipelago, new ales Tom thecsy 3. 90

mites ama mews .«. ... . 22, 34, 47, .59, 70, 96, 108, 117, 130

Notes on collection of shells in museums of Paris, Berlin

a Sr 61

Mummers rotidn Mollusca... . 2... es 40

Notes on mollusks of mrorida . . ane 27

. Notes on new species of Amnicolidz ellected Be ie Bish

are es ee 86

Notes on some Ontario Frais . MI ete onus 10

Mecorafsnails. .... ht ea a 84

Olvia, some references to ihe. genus faViastrated) age 5)

meridia heterostropha Kirtland;..... ....... . 23

MEMOEIMEiMyecIGeNi . . . . . eee. ee 31

DeeeeeemnOeS ON. |... 8

Meimiupoceeripiions Of new. . .. 2... ee ee 20

Reieiatax Sterkl,.n. sp... 060. 2 6 eee 20

Pisidium pauperculum Sterki, n. sp... ....... 64

Seiatum seutellatum Sterki,n.sp..... . 2.0... . 66

Pisidium vesiculare Sterki,n. sp... ..... 21

Planorbis nautileus L.in America. . .... . arta 130, 139

@omatiopsis Hinkleyi Pilsbry, n. sp......-.. =... ot

Postage on specimens of natural history. . . ... . - 127

Peers Mew Genus . . 2. 6 ke me 86

Potamolithus bisinuatus n.sp. . . SPIEISOVAS: J. EM. 88

Potamolithus bisinuatus Epcoletual mroveames 1. tert lt) Wik 88

Bemamolithus dinochilus n.sp.. .cye. 9. . 5. 1. 87

Seemmounne cracilisnsp. 2. . 2.) 2 vir ek. 88

Poramolithus gracilis viridis, n. var. . 2.0... 0.0. 02s. 89

Seeamoninns Widaleoi,nisp.. . ic. . ec... wo 87

Poramobiusfhermgi,n.sp.. 2 si 6. hii en 87

Potamolithus lapidum supersulcatus, n. var. . . ... . . 88

vi THE NAUTILUS.

Potamolithus microthauma n; sp. (gue. . <=) ee : 87

Potamolithus Orbignyi, n.sp.. . .apeterioone een 88

Potamolithus Rushii Pils., n.sp. . ¥e.>. «2». ee 87

Potamolithus Sykesii,n.sp. . . . .. . re

Pseudopartula.Pirs 2). . .. . Sie .. a tie

Puget Sound, notes on some shellsfrom. ...... . 68

Punctum conspectum var. pasadene Pilsbry,n.var.. . . 21

Pupa, anew form of ).... ... [aE Sigs 143

Purpura lapillus.var. umbricata 29 . 0. 0) eee 85

Pyramidula strigosa, young. ...) 9am «0s nee 119

Sehmacker B: (obituary)... .| Sag. . | 5... 72

Shells of Maryland’). >: .-<. . \RRRRMMoc- 2 eee 23.

sinistral land, shells,» 2... Se. . 2a 104

Snailery, my . . os ee 113,

Some land shells e Bieiiean . i. >) 84

Sphaeria, a word about. . . . . 29

Sphyradium (Pupa) edentulum Drap es ihe systematic p posi-

POM MOLE eye Oe. 5 fe. ae 75

Sulcobasis, anatomy of . . . . “gems «enn 119

Synapterpes, n.gen. . . —a 46

Trachydermon Sharpii Pilebey, Ve: a 50

Tray of shells from Denmark. 29365)... |). eRee 124

Unionids, descent and distributiom@i.. . . . )) ee hint

Unio Askewi Marsh, n. sp., pl. I,figs3,4 ... . . . apes

Unio Brimley Wright, n. sp. . eek... ei ee 138.

Unio Burtehianus Wright, n. sp. [gare 2) >) Ae 137

Unio Kirklandianus Wright, n. spage., — -: -. eee 136

Unio. Lehman Wright, n.sp. - 238... -) ae 1388

Unios, the; muscle scars. of . . Sia’ . ./- Se 29

Unio Pinkstonii Wright,n.sp.. . . fea 136

Unio superioriensis Marsh, n. sp., pl. I, es 1, 2, oe . o! ediQeeeeae

Unios of Illinois River . . . 106.

United States Unionide, contribumean = a lenowloden su 136

Vallonia pulchella in Pittsburgh Saget. =. . io ee 143

Van Nostrand, Henry D. (obituamy aes...) 93.

Vertigo coloradensis and its. allies)... ..- <teeue 134

Vitrea cellaria, Mull., notes on .. sgib.2in- +) 142

Weicht and size of shells’. .: ., Sepa. 1 fi 38

Zonites glaber Stud. and Zonites lucidus Baan in green-

houses, Seattle, Washingtomgame «|... . - eae 70

- ———e

. is

INDEX TO CONTRIBUTORS.

Ancey,C. F. .

Arnold, Delos .

Baldwin, D. D. . . ;

ee a

Bradshaw, Mrs.

Brooke, Mrs. John M.

Campbell, Mrs. E. D. G.

mean, Geo. H.. . ~

Cockerell, T. D. A.

Dall, Win. ET...

90,

33,

ee 35 4/194:

Bie 132-25: 31, 70,

Drake, Mrs. Marie ; .

Ford, John. .

Gardner, A. H. er...

Hanham, A.W. .

Henderson, John B. a,

Johnson, C. W.

Keep, Josiah .

Lemon, James H.

Lowe, Ae a

Marsh, Wm. yo

Mazyck, Wm. G..

Newcombe, C. F. .

Olney, Mary P. .

Ormsbee, GC. C.... .

Belcory, U.A. . . .

Randolph, P.B.. . .

Roberts, S. Raymond

Roper, Edward W. .

Rush, Wm. H.

Simpson, Charles 7 ae

Smith, H.

Soper, Miss C.. .

Stearns, R. E. C. ; ;

Sterki, Dr..V. .

Beene iH...

Strode, Dr. W. S.

Taylor, Geo. W.

Walker, Leon

White, Frank A.

Willcox, Joseph.

ihc maor: Mrs. M. Burton

Winkley, Henry W.

Wright, Berlin H.

Wright, S. Hart .

an 110,

-. 53, 61, 128.

91,

84,

_ 21, 37, 41, 46, 49, 76, 86, 102, 109,

19957.

Oe one ays

Pip: 32, Sip.

106

139

142

pars

123

15, 38, 47, 73

AF Sey 5

(vi .

136

PLATE 38.

eer menne

BULIMULID.

1s,

+ eo

74 vm

a wa eee ec is . .

' > J de -y x we

s , I « ‘

> # t , . ‘ S

= ’ . * ‘

= * 4 a “a

2 ¢ -

= ne A

. : ~ y P

i - 2 = ~ .

LJ s } - -

. vi x

‘ é = ’

e -

‘3 4

e >

a : ;

s = oo:

h e ~ > od

r ; j ' F. . : 4 a “

. F *

4 . <

> id 2 ‘

P a . 5

‘ -

THe NaAuwtTILus.

VoL. x. MAY, 1896. No. 1

NEW SPECIES OF LEDA FROM THE PACIFIC COAST.

BY WM. H. DALL.

The species of Leda from the littoral zone north from Panama

are not numerous, though individuals are plenty in suitable locali-

ties. Leda hamata Cpr. is only known from the Sta. Barbara

Islands. Leda celata Hinds ranges from Bodega Bay to Lower

California in 6 to 60 fms. Leda fossa Baird is known from Bering

Sea to Puget Sound. Leda cuneata Sby., from Panama to Mon-

terey and also in the Atlantic. Leda minuta Fabr., a circumpolar

species, reaches south as far as Puget Sound on the Pacific. Omit-

ting some Arctic and abyssal species, the above-mentioned five spe-

cies include all hitherto recognized from the western coast of the

United States. I am now able to add three well defined species to

‘the list.

Leda cellulita n. s.

Shell solid, with a dull olive-gray epidermis, moderately convex,

with subcentral, not prominent beaks, base profoundly arcuate, an-

terior dorsal slope rounded, posterior straight or slightly concave ;

posterior extreme bluntly pointed ; escutcheon large, transversely

striate ; lunule not differentiated but similarly striate; sculpture of

fine sharp, concentric grooves with wider interspaces, less arcuate

than the incremental lines; chondrophore small, triangular, not

projecting, with 22 anterior and 16 posterior hinge teeth on the

cardinal border. Height 10:5; diameter 7:2; length 15°5 mm.

Puget Sound near Port Orchard, dredged a the Young Natural-

sts’ Society of Seattle, Wash.

id THE NAUTILUS.

This species is less inflated, less polished, with finer grooving and

less recurved rostrum than L. celata. It is heavier, more inflated,

and with a coarser hinge plate and larger teeth than L. confusa

Hanley (ZL. pella Sby. non Lin.) from Japan.

Leda leonina n. s.

Shell rather thin, compressed, with the low beaks at the anterior

third ; base slightly arcuate, anterior end rounded, posterior dorsal

slope concave, lunule and escutcheon narrow, elongate, strongly im-

pressed, smooth, with the valve margins elevated ; rostrum broadly

and a little obliquely truncate; sculpture of thin sharp concentric

lamelle strongest on the rostrum, epidermis dull olive-gray, dehis-

cent; hinge with 22 anterior and 28 posterior teeth, the chondro-

phore small, inconspicuous. Height 11; length 23°5; diameter

5:25 mm.

Off Sea Lion Rock, Coast of Washington in 477-559 fathoms,

mud, U.S. Fish Commission.

This species bears a distant resemblance to L. tenuisuleata but

cannot be confounded with it.

Leda conceptions n. s.

Shell elongate, smooth, polished, compressed, with the beaks in

the anterior third ; base arcuate, prominent below the beaks ; ante-

rior dorsal slope slightly rounded, posterior slope straight, rostrum

narrow, pointed, obliquely truncate, cardinal margin elevated be-

tween the halves of the narrow impressed, almost linear lunule and

escutcheon ; beaks very small, low, the prodissoconch conspicuous ;

hinge with 18 anterior and 33 posterior small and delicate teeth ;

the chondrophore narrow, produced posteriorly, interior of the ros-

trum without a longitudinal septum. Height 10°5; length 27:5;

diameter 4°5 mm.

From Sannakh Islands, Alaska, to the Santa peers Channel

in 200-500 fathoms, especially off Point Conception, Cala., in 278

fathoms, U.S. Fish Com. 3 }

This is nearest to L. platessa Dall, from off Rio Janeiro, but that

species is smaller, with much fewer teeth and has a strong septal

ridge dividing the interior of the rostrum.

Leda pontonia Dall, originally described from 812 fathoms off

the Galapagos Islands, has since been dredged in 822 fathoms off

San Diego, California, thus adding another to the rapidly increas- 7

ing list of species which occur off the coast of West America in both _

hemispheres. ;

THE NAUTILUS. vo

SOME REFERENCES TO THE GENUS OLIVA.

BY JOHN FORD.

Of all the marine univalves the Olives are perhaps among the

most difficult to define specifically. It is true that the most irregu-

lar forms can in some instances be readily determined and properly

placed by expert concholoyists, for however greatly they may differ

from the accepted types, certain characters, proving a common ori-

gin, are always perceivable. This is especially the case with such

species as O. inflata Lam., O. maura Lam., and O. peruviana Lam.

(Fig. 1).

To other species, however, many shells have been assigned which

are apparently devoid of characters necessary to sustain the rela-

tionship claimed for them. In this group may be included O. ara-

neosa Lam., O. irisans Lam., O. ispidula Linn., and O. reticularis

Lam. So variable both in form and color patterns are many of the

shells assigned to these four species, it is not at all strange that they

have been hunored with scores of specific names. That a majority

of these names are synonymous there is no reason to doubt, but it

seems equally apparent that quite a number of the shells, the names

of which have been thus subordinated, are really specifically dis-

tinct from the types with which they are associated.

Fig. 1. | Figs. Fig. 3

O. peruviana Lam. O. erythrostoma Lam. O. porphyria Lam.

Among these may be noted O. ornata Marratt and O. julietta

Duclos, which some recent writers have determined to be varieties

only, the former of O. irisans, the latter of O. araneosa. If there

4. THE NAUTILUS.

is an affinity between these so-called varieties and the species men-

tioned, I have failed to discover it, though in possession, perhaps, of

every form of the shells in question known to science.

Certain writers also ciaim that the difference between 0. irisans

and O. textilina Lam. is merely varietal. Possibly this may be

true; still, the facts do not appear to favor any such conclusion.

On the contrary, the characters exhibited by large numbers of each

clearly show them to be specifically distinct.

It is just possible that intervening forms linking the two together

are known, such for instance, as those uniting the typical O. irisans

with its admitted varieties O. zelanica Lam., O. tremulina, Lam.,.

and O. erythrostoma Lam. (Fig. 2), but if so they are certainly ab-

sent from the several large collections of Olives belonging to mem-

bers of the American Association of Conchologists and the Phila-

delphia Academy of Natural Sciences. These are but a few samples.

of the difficulties at present barring the way to a thorough com-

prehension of the specific relationship of the various members of

the genus. The presence of such obstacles, however, should be to

the earnest student more of a pleasure than an annoyance, since

any effort for their removal will surely give him ample opportunity

to exercise both his judgment and powers of observation. Despite

the individual vagaries referred to, the genus is a thoroughly at--

tractive one, many of the species, indeed, being unsurpassed in.

Fic. 4 O. cryptospira Ford. ; Fig. 5.

ae |!

THE NAUTILUS. 5

richness of color and perfection of form by even the more preten-

tious members of the genus Cypria.

-_ Among the most charming of the 55 or 60 accepted species, O.

porphyria Lam. (Fig. 3) may be safely reckoned. These are the

“tent shells” of the amateur collector, being so-called from the

peculiar patterns which often cover the surface in such profusion as

to suggest a large military encampment, including the marquees

supposed to be necessary for official comfort, ete.

The ground color, on which these tent-like figures appear, is of a

deep chocolate hue and exceedingly brilliant. Add to this the

graceful form of the shell and we may readily see that the combina-

tion presents a picture of the utmost beauty.

O. cryptospira Ford (Figs. 4, 5) is smaller and less charming in

appearance than O. porphyria, but the callus-covered spire and

enamelled body whorl make it a very interesting species. The

type of this is in my own collection. There is, however, a fine suite

of typical specimens in the Phila. Acad. Nat. Sciences, and, I

think, a similar set in the U. S. National Museum at Washington.

DESCENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF UNIONIDZE.

BY BERLIN H. WRIGHT, PENN YAN, N. Y.

It must be admitted that the Unionide are under the same

natural laws, and occult forces, that have operated for vast ages on

all animal and vegetal life. Fossilized Unios are found in several

geological formations, and all living Unios are their descendants, or

else they are new creations. But no evidence sustains the theory

of successive creations. On the contrary, we behold everywhere

successive new but related forms of descent on divergent lines.

Nowhere is this astonishing fact better exemplified than in the nu-

merous species of Unionide. But what causes the new forms? If

not direct creations—a baseless theory—they are the outcome of

changed conditions of life or varying environments.

Geographical distribution furnishes such environments. The

young fry of the Naiads have a byssus which generally disappears

early and with this appendage they can and do attach themselves

to the legs of ducks, wading birds and floating objects. They are

then easily transported by the semi-annual bird migration, from

_ river to river, and from lake to lake, and eventually to very remote

6 THE NAUTILUS:

regions. New habitats, with new climates, and with changed

chemical qualities of new waters, and with new food materials,

_ must disturb the usual and normal lines of descent. A change in

the activity of functions of organs, affecting the physiology of the

animal must result.. Over stimulation of some functions, and de-

pressed activity of others, must change the tenor of life, ultimately

evolving new shell characters, and minimizing old ones, or even re-

ducing them to a rudimentary state—all being effected by change

of environment.

The dispersion of species is scarcely affected by mountain ranges,

but oceans are potential barriers. Distribution eastward or west-

ward is very slow, owing to the fact that the migrations of water

fowls and birds, is mainly from north to south and vice versa. The

spawn, fry or seeds being carried in these migrations, causes a great

mixing of fauna and flora, on the lines of migration.

The paucity of Unionide west of the 100th meridian is probably

due to the fact that since the laying of the cretaceous beds there

and the destruction of the once numerous forms of Naiads that

swarmed in that region, by the great upheavals of the country—

there has not been sufficient time to repopulate. There are signs,

however, of adventive Naiads, even from Europe, there. Margari-

tana (Unio) margaritifera L. and Anodonta cygnea L. from Europe,

neither of them fully divorced from their Old World progenitors,

seem to have somehow got a lodgement in California and Oregon,

though Drs. Lea and Gould did not detect it. Mr. Simpson suggests

that the Californian A. cygnea is the parent of the “tramp” A.

extlior Lea, found from Southern California to Mexico and Central

America, where it resents having relatives in Europe.

The most common Unios are those most subject to variation, as

seen in U. complanatus Sol., whose progeny are clamoring for “ sov-

erign rights” and recognition, which some Uniologists grant, and

others deny. On the other hand Naiads vigorously resisting varia-

tion, such as U. cylindricus Say, and others, have no near relatives,

and are generally rare and with very restricted distribution.

In living plants, secessions from a given and normal type are

readily traceable, and in fossil types, floral and faunal, the grada-

tions of differences are well marked. “ Connecting links” may be

absent, when we seek to trace and run down a species, through the

long eons of geologic time. But if along line of visible road be

crossed by a chasm, we cannot resist the conviction that the road

was once continuous.

1. Sed

THE NAUTILUS. 7

There are no inherent tendencies in a species to depart from it-

self, but when estrangements do oceur, they are effected by ulterior

causes, natural or artificial, Where color markings are bleached

out in mature shells in clear streams, they are retained in the same

species in muddy waters. Shells thin and fragile in cold, limeless,

pure water, become thicker and coarser in dirty streams. Spinose

and verrucose shells are found in rapid waters, with a maximum de-

velopment of spines and warts, while the same species in sluggish

waters have these characters minimized or even absent. ‘The thin

edentate Anodontas of ponds or lakes, need no teeth to, keep their

valves in place, and hence have none. Nature’s argument for an

organ or an accessory is the need of it, which is furnished by a pro-

cess of slow development the heavier species showing rudimentary

teeth.

Mr. Darwin, in “ The Origin of Species,” shows that in a genus

having many species, if it has not reached a maximum de-

velopment, many other species are still forming in it. This is con-

firmed in Unio and Anodonta, and we may reasonably expect new

species will be discovered in them.

Departures of a Unio from its parent stock, when seen as features

of whole colonies, entitle it to specific distinction without hesitation,

provided the habitats differ, and to varietal distinction where found

in company with or near its next in affinity. On such a basis spe-

cific recognition is accorded in other branches of zoology, and also

in botany. Plenty of land and marine shells, are specifically sep-

arated, only by the most minute or microscopic differences of the

shells. We would not advocate such peering minuteness in the

Unionidz where the tendency to variation is much greater, and

where expert comparative anatomists are unable to find distinguish-

ing generic or specific differences in the soft parts.

In the Unionidae, the constants of nature are few and the differ-

entials many. How then shall a rule be formulated by which we

can confidently say a given Unio is distinct from another? The

hiatus necessary for the founding of a new species must be such an

aggregation of differences of character, such an estrangement from

its next in affinity, that the gap will be large enough to justify a

specific separation of the two. A substantial agreement in the out-

line of two Unios may be a fact, and yet other distinctive characters

easily and unmistakably separate them. A process of differentia-

tion must be applied in uniology but with extreme care. But just

8 THE NAUTILUS.

here we are confronted with the fact that all differential observa-

tions are more or less affected with the variable “ personal equa-

tion ” among observers. The measure of conclusions is more or less

in error, and the elimination of the variable is not a mathematical

possibility. It follows, therefore, that a definition of the word sPE-

CIES is almost an impossibility, the judgment of a naturalist being

a controlling factor. This is a serious and unalterable fact. The

most unselfish and conscientious naturalists will often radically dis-

agree on the validity of a species. Others without a surplus of con-

science, candor or brains, will go on making species ad libitum, to

the end of time.

Ags a result of such diffusiveness, the birds, fishes, insects, shells,

and plants, have generally been named three or four times over.

This condition is discreditable to science, and Congresses of scientists

are not able to remedy the evil. An epidemic of this sort is raging

in Europe, and the “ New School ” mills are grinding out species by

the hundreds.

The animus of species mongers is often visible, and not praise-

worthy. Posing as scientists, they grasp nomenclature and bandy

names about football fashion, with a nonchalance that takes away

the breath of astonished beholders and raises the hair on end. The

vocation of such gentry is that of the “ Bulls and Bears,” tearing

down what others labored hard to build up, and raising standards

which a later litter of “ Bears” will demolish.

A FEW NOTES ON PISIDIA.

BY DR. V. STERKI.

It is hoped that our fellow conchologists will not feel chilly when

reading this title, but kindly excuse the writer for coming again

with Pisidia. The Cycladide@ are in order at present, and the season

for collecting is at hand. Many conchologists in the East and West,

North and South of our country are prepared to do vigorous collect-

ing, and many others not yet enlisted will probably join them, so

that, in all probability, more will be done in this line than at any

previous time. And there is no doubt that the results will be highly

satisfactory. Almost every sending coming in from the compara-

tively few places where collecting has been done so far, brought up

some new form or forms which may prove to be new species, or

varieties, by comparing them with more materials from other places.

ee ae a

THE NAUTILUS. Y

By the perplexing variability of some members of this group, it is

too unsafe to establish new species upon a few specimens coming

from a single locality.

The headquarters of these smallest Bivalves, and so probably of

Spherium, are the region of our great lakes, which, in fact, seems to

be the richest on the globe. And here, too, a serious difficulty is

aided to the one already lying in the embarassing richness of forms

itself. The deep water mussels are decidedly different from the

shallow water and shore forms, reduced in size, and less character-

istic in shape, striation, color, hinge formation, etc., hence the double

difficulty in ascertaining their true relations with the shallow water,

river, pond and shore forms on the one hand, and among themselves

on the other. Such is the teaching of the materials brought up so

far from some deeper places of the lakes, mainly by the efforts of

the Michigan Fish Commission, as I understand, upon the encourage-

ment of Mr. Bryant Walker. There also is a field for successful

work; the use of the dredge.

Another point may as well be mentioned here. It isan open ques-

tion how far Cycladide are able to exist in brackish water, of rivers

and creeks emptying into the sea, and in salt marshes. Conchologists

having chances to collect in such places are invited to pay the matter

their attention. The researches may be extended to other fresh

water mollusks at the same time.

A few hints must be added for those collecting and sending

Pisidia (and Spheria). 1. Not even the smallest specimens should

be overlooked, as some forms are very minute, and the young of all

are of interest and value. 2. It is not only annoying, but really

perplexing and deceptive, to examine lots where a part of the spec-

imens had been picked out previously. Thus the larger, mature

and characteristic examples of one or several species may be want-

ing, while the younger and poorer are represented in the remnants.

Whole suites only can afford a true conception of a species, variety

or local form. Mixed lots, however, are the most desirable for

examination, separated only for considerable differences in size of

the specimens. _

Several conchologists lately have sent living Pisidia, which arrived

alive and could be kept alive for some time, observed and examined

for the soft parts. I would solicit the sending of more such. They

should be packed up with damp moss, or other similar material, in

receptacles admitting air, not in tightly corked vials.

10 THE NAUTILUS.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

During the first quarter of the year the following new members

have been added to the chapter: Mrs. H. A. Zeck, Los Angeles,

Cal.; Mrs. E. H. King, Napa, Cal.; Mrs. E. A. Lawrence, 2024 E.

Second St., Los Angeles, Cal. ; and, in the Juvenile Section, Master

James H. Porter, New Wilmington, Pa. The California members

will belong to Sections A. and F., the first section ‘‘ Marine Shells

of the West Coast,” is under Professor Keep’s instruction, and,

Section F, “ Fossil Shells,” is directed by the Hon. Delos Arnold.

NOTES ON SOME ONTARIO SHELLS.

[Report of Mr. James H. Lemon. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Con-

chological Chapter for 1895. ]

During last Summer I was able to do very little work in the con-

chological line, as my time was mostly occupied with botany. This

report, therefore, will have to deal with work done in former years.

As far as lam aware about 147 species of land and fresh water

shells have been found in the Province of Ontario, fifty-five species

being land shells, and ninety-two fresh water; but as very few

localities in the Province have been diligently searched it is very

probable that in the future several more species will be added to

the list. Of the 147 species, quite a number are extremely common

all over the Province. Others, although widely distributed, are

comparatively rare. Others, again. are rather plentiful in some

parts, but entirely wanting in other parts. Of our rarer species

mention might be made of the following:

Selenites concava Say. This shell has been found in sev eral parts

of the Province of Ontario, but nowhere abundantly. I, myself,

have found it in Eastern Ontario, and it is reported from around

Ottawa. | ;

Omphalina fuliginosa Griff., has been found, as far as I am aware,

only near the city of Hamilton, in §. Ontario, and even there is not

a common shell.

Omphalina inornata Say, has been found around Ottawa, but I

have not heard of its being taken elsewhere in the Province.

Gastrodonta intertexta Binn. 'Thisshell has not been found, to my

knowledge in Eastern Ontario, but several specimens have been

~iee

THE NAUTILUS. 11

collected around Hamilton. I also collected a few specimens near

Brantford.

Pyramidula perspectiva Say, is another species which seems to be

confined to the southern portion of the province. I have found it

around Hamilton, and, also in Brant County, but it is not abundant

in either place.

Polygyra (Mesodon) Sayii Binn. has been found in several parts

of the Province, but is by no means a common species. I have

never been fortunate enough to find any live specimens, but have

found dead ones.

Polygyra (Triodopsis) palliata Say, and T. tridentata Say, are

both comparatively common in parts of Southern Ontario, I have

not heard of their being found in the Northern or Eastern parts.

Pupa fallax Say, has been found very abundantly around Hamil-

ton, especially in sandy places, but I have not found it elsewhere.

It is chiefly among our Fresh Water species that additions to the

list are to be expected. Ontario abounds in lakes and streams,

which when diligently explored will no doubt yield a number of

species new to the Province. Many additions may be expected

among the Unionide and Cycladide (Spherum and Pisidium),

although over 30 of our 92 Fresh Water species belong to the

Unionide.

During the coming summer I hope to have more time to devote

to the study of Conchology, and will endeavor to get as complete a

list, as possible, of those shells found around Toronto.

CUTTLE FISHES WASHED ASHORE IN SAN PEDRO BAY.

[Extract from the reportof H. Lowe. Fromthe Transactions of the Isaac Lea Con-

chological Chapter for 1895].

In June, while I was out collecting one morning, I was surprised

to find a number of cuttle fishes which had been washed ashore.

They were all dead, excepting one, which I carried home and kept

in water for a day or two. The length of the entire mollusk was

about four feet, and, weight about twenty pounds. It was covered

with a very thin paper-like skin, so thin that the bloodvessels could

be seen beneath for it has, unlike most other mollusks, red blood.

The head was surmounted by ten arms with powerful suckers, two

of these arms were much longer than the rest, being about two feet

long. Where the ten arms radiated was the mandible, shaped like,

12 THE NAUTILUS.

and much resembling, the beak of a parrot. This mandible was

partially enveloped in a tough white muscle and was connected with

the digestive organs by a muscular gullet. On each side of the head

was a large eye about two inches in a diameter. The crystalline

lens, when dried, were clear and bright and closely resembled large

solitaries (I have seen the lenses used for settings). The gladius, or

internal shell was about eighteen inches long, composed of shining

white cartilage, and shaped like a large quill-pen, with the pen point

towards the tail. I found about fifteen of these mollusks, but have

been unable to identify them and would be pleased if some one

could give me the probable name.

GENERAL NOTES.

Notre oN CARYCHIUM EXILE (C. B. ApAms).—This Jamaican

species was originally described in Adams’ Contributions to Con-

chology, III, p. 38 (Oct., 1849) as Pupa exilis; and Pfeiffer retains

the species in Pupa in the Monographia Heliceorum III, p.556. It

is omitted from the Monographia Auriculaceorum. Bland in Journal

de Conchyliologie, 1872, p. 46, first refers the species to Carychium.

In this genus the name is preoccupied by H. C. Lea for a species of

the United States described in 1841. The Jamaica form will, there-

fore, stand C, exile Lea, var. jamaicensis Pilsbry (see Nautilus VIII,

p. 63, figs. 15, 16), although some would probably consider it dis-

tinct from the United States species. P. exilis Ad., C. ewile Bland,

becoming a synonym of the variety described by myself.—H. A. P.

NEW PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

I. Tae Unionip# oF THE Onto River. II. THe StREPoMa-

TID# OF THE FALLS OF THE On10.—By R. Ellsworth Call, from

Proceedings Indiana Academy of Science, No. TV, 1894. Published

Nov., 1895. Brief comparative reviews. The writer states that

“the literature of the subjects reveals some sixty species ” of Union-

idee found in the Ohio River. “The Strepomatid molluscan fauna of

the Falls of the Ohio is one that is very rich in numbers, but rather

poor in species,” the total number being but ten species.

ON THE OCCURRENCE OF ALECTRYONIA UNGULATA IN S. E.

AFRICA WITH A NOTICE OF PREVIOUS RESEARCHES ON THE CRETA-

crous ConcHoLocy oF SoutH Arrica.—By R. Bullen Newton

(from the Journal of Conchology, VIII, 136-151, Jan., 1896).

BuLuETIN OF THE U.S. GEoLoGiIcaAL SurvEy, No. 133; Con-

TRIBUTIONS TO THE CRETACEOUS PALEONTOLOGY OF THE PACIFIC

coast; FAUNA OF THE KNOXVILLE BeEps. By T. W. Stanton.

This Bulletin, which contains 132 pages and 22 plates, is a very valu-

able addition to our knowledge of the Cretaceous Mollusca. Pre-

ceding the descriptions of species, is a thorough discussion of the

geological features of the region. There are enumerated 77 species

of invertebrates, 50 of which are:described as new; all but 7 of the

species are mollusks.

i i

mae NAUTILUS.

Vou. xX. JUNE, 1896. No. 2

NOTE ON NERITINA SHOWALTERI LEA.

BY WM. H. DALL.

In February, 1861, Dr. E. R. Showalter of Alabama sent four

small shells without opercula or soft parts to Dr. Isaac Lea. They

were obtained ten miles above Fort William, Shelby Co., Alabama,

from the Coosa River. Three of these specimens are now in the

National Museum, with the original labels of Showalter and Lea.

The species was described under the name of Neritina Showalteri by

Dr. Lea, who observed that it was the first instance of the discovery

of true freshwater Neritina, like those of Europe, in our southern

waters. The note in which the description is embodied was read

Feb. 12, 1861 and published in the Proceedings of the Academy of

Natural Sciences, vol. xiii, p. 56, March 19, 1861, and also separ-

ately.

- Since that time for many years no notice of thespecies as collected

has come to my knowledge and I began to suspect that Dr. Showalter

had been imposed upon by some one who had given him, as obtained

from the Coosa River, some specimens of Neritina fluviatilis of Eur-

ope, to which these shells bear a marked resemblance, except that

they are smaller and without any dark markings upon the olivaceous

surface. It seemed very curious that a species of the section Theo-

doxus, to which Neritina fluviatilis is now referred, and which is not-

ably profuse in individuals when occurring at all, in Europe, should

be found only in one small stream in our Southern States and very

sparsely there. Of numerous collectors on the Coosa River since

14 THE NAUTILUS.

1865, none seemed to have found it. Dr. Lewis in his Freshwater

and Land shells of Alabama (Geol. Sur. Ala. Rep., p. 25, 1876)

gives no further information but states that in the absence of the

operculum it is uncertain whether it should be referred to Neritella

(=—Neritina). Binney was not able to add any further information

in his Land and Freshwater shells of North America. I find in one

of my books a manuscript note by:a very competent conchologist

which declares under date of 1884"that this shell is the young of

Anculosa ampla Anth. Under Neritide in the Manual of Concho-

logy (vol. x, 1888) Mr. Tryon observes that it has not the char-

acters of Anculosa, on the contrary it more nearly resembles Neritina

crepidularia, though the coloring of the epidermis is more like that

of Anculosa than in the other fluviatile speries of Neritina.

For some years I have used every opportunity to seek further in-

formation about this species but without success, until lately Mr.

Bryant Walker of Detroit informed me that he had found, among

shells collected on the Cahawba River in Alabama, by Prof. R. E.

Call, a single specimen which he had referred to Lea’s species.

This he was kind enough to send me for examination and on com-

parison with the types it proved identical, thus establishing the

correctness of the American habitat of the shell which had been so

long in doubt. The specimen had also the operculum, which was

not that of a Neritina, but the soft parts had been removed.

A comparison was then made with the young of all the species of

Anculosa in the National collection, which resulted in confirming Mr.

Tryon’s opinion that it could not be referred to that genus. Dur-

ing this search, under the head of “ Anculosa ampla, very young”

were found three additional specimens of the so-called Neritina,

received under that name from Dr. Lewis, who in turn had received

them from Mr. T. H. Aldrich who had collected them from the

Cahawba River, Alabama, thus fixing a second locality for the

species. The smallest of Dr. Lewis’s specimens fortunately contained

the operculum and dried remains of the soft parts which were put in

soak and boiled in potash finally revealing an extremely minute

rhipidoglossate radula, in general not unlike that of Neritina but

not like that ot any species of Neritina yet figured. The differences

are such as would ordinarily be regarded as generic and, taken into

consideration with the operculum, it becomes evident that, while the

species is related to Neritina (and not to Anculosa), a new genus

must be instituted to receive it.

THE NAUTILUS. 15

Genus Lepyrium Dall.

Shell neritiniform, small, thin, unicolorate; with a broad smooth-

edged pillar lip; the operculum shaped like that of Neritina but

without any calcareous layer or projecting processes ; the dentition

comprising a very wide rhachidian tooth with a short finely denti-

culate cusp, the median denticle hardly larger than the others and

on each side of it a small obliquely set lateral, a broad major lateral

with finely denticulate short cusp, and a short series of spatulate

uncini much longer than the median teeth. Formula x.2.1.2.x.

Type Lepyrium Showalteri (Lea, as Neritina), from rivers of the

Appalachian drainage in Northeastern Alabama. Types, numbers

29,016 and 102,851, U.S. Nat. Museum.

The specimen from which the radula was obtained was very small

and the radula so minute, and its long uncini so tangled, that it was

impossible to make a complete description or enumeration of them.

The rhipidoglossate character, however, was evident, and the form

of the cusps of the middle part of the radula could be clearly seen.

They differ from those of Neritina by having a very wide and short,

finely denticulate rhachidian tooth, instead of a small quadrate one

with simple edges; one instead of two oblique minor laterals; in

the broad and simple quadrate form of the major lateral, and the

relatively smaller number and larger size of the uncini. Anculosa

has a teenioglossate radula with the formula 3.1.3, so it is evident

that this form is not in any way related to Anculosa.

The Oligocene of the Southern United States contains several

species of Neritina, but none, so far as known, having a close resem-

blance to Lepyrium; which is, however, probably an offshoot from

Neritina. The fluviatile fauna of the Coosa region contains several

unique or isolated types of mollusks and the present species adds

another to the list.

THE GOOSE FAIR BROOK.

BY REY. HENRY W. WINKLEY.

A curious brook, with an odd name, the origin of which I do not

know. For some years this stream has formed the boundary be-

tween the city of Saco and the town of Old Orchard. The portion

of it known to the writer is the last five or six miles of its course.

16 THE NAUTILUS.

It flows for a distance through meadow land in a valley ; here mol-

lusca are seldom found. The next portion continues through a val-

ley thickly wooded, with alders overhanging the water and covering

the narrow belt of marsh; beyond these the steep banks and upper

land are covered with pine growth. Land shells occur rarely along

this area: Succinea ovalis, Patula striatella, Strobilops labyrinthica,

Zonites exiguus etc., have been found here. The brook has a fine

lot of Margaritana margaritifera of large size and fine specimens.

Pisidium variabile, abditum and adamsii occur in the mud, the last

of these in an area of a few feet, but having some fine examples.

Planorbis and Physa also occur sparingly. The third area is a mile

or two of tide marsh ; here one may study the problem of salt and

freshwater distribution. The writer gave an afternoon to this work

a few days ago with the following result: In the upper quarter of

the marsh Pisidiwm occurs more or less abundantly, and Ammnicola

is to be found in great profusion ; following the windings careful

siftings were made. Pisidiwm disappeared after the first quarter of

the distance to the sea; [ am quite sure that salt water has little or

no influence here. Amnicola was met with where Pisidiwm had

disappeared, but only for a short distance. The portion following

this in the second quarter was entirely wanting in shells, but grad-

ually salt water forms showed themselves, 1. e., Macoma and Litorina.

The marsh itself now gives an interesting field of study. Plant life

is very rich, but that is not our subject. Pot holes now reveal the

presence of multitudes of Latorinella minuta living on the thread-

like marine plants. The Goose Fair Brook enters the sea in the

middle of a long beach, generally known as Old Orchard beach.

Its marine shells are chiefly Litorina littoria and Macoma, the latter

often badly eroded. I have seen living specimens with the animal

exposed in places where erosion had destroyed the shell. Not far

from the shore there must be beds containing Tellina tenera, Cero-

nia arctata and others, as specimens are washed up by storms. I

trust that these few observations may help to settle the question of

the distribution of marine and freshwater forms. At any rate this

is one point in the evidence.

SOME NEW OR RARE SPECIES OF MARINE MOLLUSCA RECENTLY

FOUND IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.

The following note may be of interest to collectors of West Coast

Mollusca. It adds sixteen species to our fauna not hitherto reported

THE NAUTILUS. 17

from British Columbia (though some have been found in neighbour-

ing seas), and four species are new to science. My best thanks are

due to Dr. Dall for kindly determining new and doubtful material,

and species so identified are marked in the accompanying list by an

asterisk.

It will be noticed that the range of several Californian species

receives a considerable extension,:as in the case of Diala marmorea

Cpr., Eulima falcata Cpr., Ischnochiton radians Cpr., Lepidopleurus

rugatus Cpr., Chrysallida cincta Cpr., Phasianella pulloides Cpr.,

Tornatina harpa Dall, and Turbonilla stylina Cpr., ete.

Of northern species the southward range is extended of Buccinum

plectrum Stimps. (now first established as living in our waters) of

Trichotropis borealis Br. & Sby., and of Sipho verkriizeni Kobelt.

The two last mentioned species occur at Alert Bay in company with

an unusual abundance of boreal and circumpolar species such as

Buceinum cyaneum Brug., Bela violacea M. & A., Margarita helicina

O. Fab., Cryptobranchia concentrica Midd., Lepidopleurus cancellatus

Sby., Crenella decussata Mont., ete.

Of the four new species, three belong to genera new to our waters ;

viz. Rissoina, Molleria and Phasaniella. ‘The fourth species belongs

to a subgenus (Mumiola) of Odostomia especially Japanese in its

recorded species.

Most of the following additions are of small shells, of which, how-

ever, we are still far from having on record anormal proportion.

The stations quoted in the following lists are arranged in their

order passing from the south towards the north.

Station 1. Near Victoria, Vancouver Island, in 60 fathoms, fine

clean sand. Collected by the Natural History Society of B. C.

March 14, 1896.

Station 2. Near Alert Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, northeast of

Vancouver Island, 20 fathoms, small gravel. Collector, C. F. N.

July, 1895.

Station 3. North side of the entrance to Cumshewa Inlet, Queen

Charlotte Islands, 10-20 fathoms, small broken shells and sand.

Collector, C. F. N. Sept., 1895.

Station 4. East end of Skidegate Inlet, Queen Charlotte Islands,

sand and mud. Collector, C. F. N. August, 1895.

Station 5. Dawson Harbour, west end of Skidegate Inlet, Queen

Charlotte Islands, 20 fathoms., broken shells. Collector, C. F. N.

Sept., 1895.

18 THE NAUTILUS.

List of Species.

* Admete Couthouyi Jay. Cumshewa Inlet, living.

Angulus variegatus Cp. Victoria, Station 1.

* Bela fidicula Gld. “ variety approximating B. scalaris ae

Alert Bay, Station 2.

* Bela tabulata Cpr. A remarkably slender variety occurred at

Station 2 with the last.

* Bela violacea Migh. & Ads. Not uncommon at Alert Bay,

Station 2. |

* Bittium quadrifilatum Cpr. At all stations in the Queen Char-

lotte Islands. A Californian shell new to B. C.

* Buccinum cyaneum Brug., var. Mérchianum Fischer. Very fine

and plentiful, living at low water near Station 2, Alert Bay. Not

reported from any other locality.

* Buccinum plectrum Stimpson. Two dead and a few living spec-

imens at Station 1, Victoria. Dead specimens have before been

recorded since 1878 as B. polare var. compactum Dall, and as B.

percrassum Dall. It has also been found at Rivers Inlet, B. C. (C.

F. N.) and in Queen Charlotte Sound by Dr. G. M. Dawson.

Cadulus aberrans Whiteaves. Several specimens at Station 1,

Victoria. Only once taken before in B. C.

* Cecum crebricinctum Cpr. Living in great abundance at Sta-

tion 3, Queen Charlotte Islands. Only a single dead specimen

before noted. |

* Cancellaria modesta Cpr. One dead specimen dredged in 15

fathoms, near Victoriain 1894, the first reported in B.C. It measures

33 mm. in length and is the largest species of its genus here.

* Cancellaria unalaskensis Dall. A few found at Stations 3 and

5 in the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Chrysodomus rectirostris Cpr. Three living specimens of this rare

shell at Station 1, Victoria.

Chrysodomus (Sipho) Verkriizent Kobelt. Three young living

specimens dredged near Alert Bay by Mr. W. Harvey in 1894.

* Crenella decussata Mont. Abundant at Station 2 near Alert Bay.

Dentalium pretiosum Nuttall. A single living specimen at Station

5, Dawson Harbour, Q. C. I.

Dentalium rectius Cpr. A few living at Station 1, Victoria.

Only noted here once before.

* Diala marmorea Cpr. At Station 5, Dawson Harbour, Q. C.I.

New to these waters.

THE NAUTILUS. 19

Doridium Adelle Dall. Clayoquot Sound, B. C., and near Victoria.

Taken in 1893, by C. F. N. Not hitherto recorded from B. C.

* Fulima falcata Cpr. At Station 2, near Alert Bay. Also taken

at low water. A rare Californian shell not on our lists, but prob-

ably identical with the form recorded as L. distorta and E. incurva.

* Halistylus pupoideus Dall. Very abundant, living at Station

3, Cumshewa Inlet.

Ischnochiton interstinctus Gld. On rocks at low water near Station

4. A Californian species new to our Province. Sixteen specimens

of various markings. |

Lazaria subquadrata Cpr. Dead shells and single valves at Sta-

tions 3 and 5 in the Queen Charlotte Islands, the northern limit of

this species so far as known.

* Leda acuta Conr. A few living and many dead specimens at

Stations 3, 4 and 5, Q. C. I.

* Leda fossa Baird. A few specimens at Station on 3, Cumshewa

Inlet. In 1894 I dredged three living specimens near Victoria.

* Lepidopleurus rugatus Cpr. Under rocks at low water near

Victoria, April, 1894, C. F. N.

* Macoma yoldiformis Cpr. Stations 3 and 4 in the Queen Char-

lotte Islands.

Mactra falcata. Station 3, Cumshewa Inlet.

* Molleria Quadre Dall, sp. nov. A few living and dead spec-

imens at Station 3, Cumshewa Inlet.

* Mumiola tenuis Dall, sp. nov... Station 3, with the last.

* Odostomia ( Chrysallida) cincta Cpr. In 30 fathomsnear Victoria,

March, 1896. New to B. C.

* Phasianella (Eucosmia) lurida Dall, sp. nov. Station 5, Skide-

gate Channel. Encrusted with a polyzoan.

* Phasianella pulloides Cpr. Station 5, Dawson Harbour. Ski-

degate with the last, and in shell sand from Nootka Sound.

* Rissoina Newcombei Dall sp. noy. Station 8, Cumshewa Inlet,

Queen Charlotte Islands.

* Tellina inflatula Dall. Stations 3 and 4 in the Queen Charlotte

Islands. The northern limit so far as known.

Tonicella submarmorea Midd. Not rare at low water at Station

2, Alert Bay, and quite plentiful at Station 4, Skidegate Inlet.

~ * Tornatina harpa Dall. Not rare at Stations 3, 4 and 5, Queen

Charlotte Islands. The northern known limit.

Trachydermon (Cyanoplax) Raymondi Pilsbry. Not rare at Sta-

tions 2 and 4, Alert Bay and Skidegate, Q. C. I.

20 THE NAUTILUS.

* Trichotropis borealis Br. & Sby. Station 2, Alert Bay. New

to this Province.

Turbonilla chocolata Cpr. Both at Stations 2 and 4. |

*Turbonilla stylina Cpr. Cumshewa Inlet, Q. C. I., at Station 3.

A Californian shell, new to B. C.

* Turbonilla torquata Gld. With the last.

* Turbonilla tridentata Cpr. At Station 38, Cumshewa Inlet.

Though found in Puget Sound many years ago, it has not before

been reported from British Columbia. |

* Venericardia borealis Conr. At stations 2 (Alert Bay) and 4,

Skidegate Inlet.

C. F. NEWCOMBE.

DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW PISIDIA.

BY DR. V. STERKI.

Pis. fallax n. sp.

Mussel rather small; it is of the same type with Pis. compressum

Pr. but smaller, more rounded in outline, the upper margin is less

strongly curved, not angular, the ridges on the beaks are compara-

tively larger and situated less high up; the striation is finer,

crowded, somewhat irregular and sharp; the color commonly green-

ish or yellowish-horn in the younger, more yellow in older speci-

mens; the hinge is strong, more regularly curved than in compres-

sum, the hinge plate broad, the cardinal tooth of the right valve

more oblique, the lateral teeth strongly projecting inward ; nacre

more glassy-whitish ; ligament strong.

Size: long 3-2, alt. 2°9-3, diam. 2:1.

Habitat: Tuscarawas River and Sugar Creek, Ohio.

It was first noticed in October and November, 1891, when hun-

dreds of specimens were collected, and so every year since, in com-

pany with Pis. compressum, cruciatum and punctatum. Also found

in the stomach of the “ Buffalo Sucker” (fish) with Pis. erucvatum

and other molluscan shells. It is decidedly and constantly distinct,

not a variety or depauperate form of Pis. compressum. The latter

has been collected in this vicinity in many places and in very differ-

ent forms. Old specimens of Pis. fallax are almost always badly

eroded, and covered with a thick, blackish coat, while Pis. compres-

sum from the same places, were intact and clean.

THE NAUTILUS. 21

Pis. vesioulare n. sp.

Mussel small, ovoid, very inequipartite, somewhat oblique, strongly

inflated ; beaks very posterior, moderately prominent; margins all

well rounded, or the scutum forming a very slight angular projec-

tion ; color yellowish to brownish-horn ; surface slightly striated,

polished, often with a few coarser lines of growth; shell thin, trans-

lucent ; nacre rather glassy, colorless; hinge rather small, markedly

short; cardinal teeth lamellar, the right moderately curved with its

anterior end thicker ; anterior left distinctly directed upward, curved,

often angular, posterior oblique, moderately curved ; groove between

them narrow and deep ; lateral teeth situated very close to the car-

dinals, short, especially those in the left valve abrupt, high; liga-

ment short.

Size: long 2°3, alt. 1°9, diam. 1:7 mill.

Habitat. Michigan.

More than fifteen hundred specimens were seen during the last

year, collected at Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Mr. L. H. Streng

about ten years ago, and all were remarkably uniform in shape and

appearance. Yet I hesitated to announce the form as a new species,

thinking it might be a variety of P. ventricosum Prime. But later

it has been seen from various other places, as Lake Michigan, Hess

Lake, “ Michigan,” in one instance named “ P. rotundatum,” from

which it is very different by its beaks situated posteriorly, while in

rotundatum they are almost in the middle.

P. vesiculare can be mistaken only for P. ventricosum Pr., from

which it differs by the following characters: it is longer, less oblique;

more regular in form, being more regularly though less inflated, the

beaks are much less prominent; the surface shows less coarse and

irregular lines of growth. It is somewhat variable in size, measur-

ing 2°1-2°7 millimetres in length, and in being slightly more or less

inflated.

A NEW VARIETY OF PUNCTUM.

BY H. A. PILSBRY.

Punctum conspectum var. pasadene n. var.

Shell resembling P. conspectum Bld., but more widely and openly

umbilicated, and without spaced riblets, or with them very slightly

_ indicated.

29 THE NAUTILUS.

Light chestnut colored, rather opaque. Contour about that of P.

conspectum, the spire very low-conic, apex obtuse. Whorls 3 to 4,

convex, separated by impressed sutures, the last more or less descend-

ing in front. Umbilicus open, easily showing all the whorls, its

width contained 3% to 3} in diameter of shell. Surface with close,

fine, irregular growth-strie, sometimes showing slight traces of wide-

spaced stronger striz, and very densely, minutely spirally striated-

Aperture rounded-oval, quite oblique, the lip thin; columellar mar-

gin brought far forward and expanded. Alt. 1:15, diam. 2 mm.

Numerous specimens of this small species were found by Hon.

Delos Arnold crawling upon a cement walk in front of his residence

in Pasadena, California, and were communicated to the writer by

Mrs. Julia E. Campbell.

In typical P. conspectum the umbilicus is smaller, contained 4% to

4% times in diameter of base, and the riblets are prominent, although

subject to considerable variation. .The dentition of the Pasadena

shells is similar to that of conspectum. The other species of Punc-

tum now known from America are P. pygmeum var. minutissimum

Lea, and P. Randolphii Dall.

GENERAL NOTES.

Proposep BroLoGicaL Srarion.—Professor T. D. A. Cockerell,

of Las Cruces, New Mexico, has it in view to found in New Mexico

a Biological Station, and health and holiday resort for scientific per-

sons, teachers and kindred spirits.

Three years experience in this country gives the writer the high-

est opinion of the value of the climate for persons in the earlier

stages of phthisis; while the abundance of new and interesting forms

of life, especially among the insects, is remarkable. Many inter-

esting general problems, such as those of the life-zones, can also be

studied in New Mexico to great advantage.

A beginning will be made this summer if students can be found.

Prof. Cockerell will be glad to hear from any who are interested in

the matter, and especially from those who might be inclined to work

with him for longer or shorter periods during the present summer.

Proressor H. E. SARGENT is now in Deteroit, Michigan (Detroit

Museum of Art), engaged in preparing for public exhibition the

Stearns collection of Mollusca.

a _ —— e

THE NAUTILUS. 23

ASPERGILLUM GIGANTEUM Sowb.—This species, the largest of

the genus, was figured in Stearns’ and Pilsbry’s Catalogue of Japan-

ese Marine Mollusks, pl. ili, fig. 1. We have lately noticed that

it was renamed (in 1889, Le Naturaliste, p. 121) by M. Ménégaux,

who curiously enough proposes anew the specific name given by Sow-

erby in 1888. The specimen is said to be from “ les mers de la Chine.”

PALUDINA HETEROSTROPHA KirRtTLAND.—I consider this shell

only as an abnormal production of Campeloma decisum Say. Com-

paratively few are found here. About ten years ago, I gathered

quite a lot of them, and among the young of them which were not

delivered yet, I found this abnormal form, and as near as I could

guess, [ found about one of this form in two or three hundred; and

so came to the conclusion above stated —L. H. SrrENG.

SHELLS OF MAaryYLAND.—In a recent sending of land shells from

Cumberland, Maryland, from Mr. Howard Shriver of that place, we

find four species not before recorded from the State: Omphalina

fuliginosa Griff., O. inornata Say, Gastrodonta intertexta Binn., and

Polygyra profunda Say. The latter two are western species, prob-

ably at or near their (in this latitude) eastern limit. None of these

were recorded in Pilsbry’s Mollusks of the Potomac Valley, Proc.

Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1894, p. 11. Polygyra fraudulenta Pils. is a

particularly abundant species at Cumberland, and the specimens of

Pyramidula alternata are decidedly keeled.

NEW PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

On THE MississtppPr VALLEY UNIONID® FOUND IN THE Sr.

LAWRENCE AND ATLANTIC DRAINAGE AREAS (AMER. Nar., 1896,

p. 379). 2. DescripTions oF rouR New Triassic Unrios FROM

THE STAKED PLaiNs OF Texas. 3. THE CLASSIFICATION AND

GEOGRAPHICAL DiIsTRIBUTION OF THE PEARLY FRESHWATER

MusseEts (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVIII, 1896), by Charles T.

Simpson. ‘The first of the above papers considers the origin of such

Lake and Atlantic drainage forms as Unio liebi, canadensis, borealis,

hippopeus, Anodonta footiana, subangulata, benedictii, undulata, etc.,

all of which are claimed to be altered Mississippi drainage types,

which found their way into the Lake drainage during the period

when the lakes drained into the Mississippi, and subsequently trav-

elled eastward when the St. Lawrence outlet became established.

Their advent is thus about coeval with the Glacial period. Unio

radiatus, ochraceus, heterodon, tappanianus and Marg. undulata are

believed to be older inhabitants of the eastern country.

24 THE NAUTILUS.

The third paper mentioned above is already so condensed that

any abstract is difficult to make. It deals with the questions of

classifications, mutual relationships of the genera, and geographic

distribution. Margaritana is merged in Unio, as the species are

believed to have lost the lateral teeth by degeneration or disease.

It is an error, however, to give U. margaritifer (not “margaritiferus’’)

as type of Unio; and it should be noted that in having a series of

small muscle-sears in the middle of the disk, M. margaritifera, mon-

odonta, etc., differ from any Unios as well as from the M. undulata,

rugosa group, which is more properly called Alasmodonta. ‘These

groups seem to be as valid genera as Castalina, which Simpson re-

tains. Simpson, in common with other recent authors, recognizes

two families, Unionide and Mutelide. The former containing gen-

era Unio, Anodonta, Prisodon, Tetraplodon, Castalina, Burtonia,

Arconaia, Cristaria, Lepidodesma, (new genus for U. languilati of

China), Pseudodon, Leguminaia, Solenaia. Mutelide contains

Mutela, Chelidonopsis, Spatha, Pleiodon, Brazzea, Glabaris, Ihering-

ella, Monocondylea, Fossula, Mycetopoda. Each genus is discussed

in a separate paragraph, and a careful reading inclines us to place

great reliance upon Mr. Simpson’s conclusions. <A full synonymy

of each genus would have been a useful addition, for there are some

generic names not mentioned in the text, probably because ey

prove to be mere synonyms.

The geographic provinces indicated by Unionide and Mutelide

are: Palearctic, including all Europe, Africa north of Sahara (ex-

cept the Nile), all northern Asia, and the Pacific drainage of North

America. Ethiopian. Oriental, including southern Asia to Japan,

Philippines, Malay Archipelago and to the Solomon Is. Australian,

Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Mississippian, the Gulf

drainage, spreading to N. C. and Central America. This region is

the richest in species in the world. Atlantic, Atlantic drainage from

Florida to Labrador. Neotropical, the whole of South America.

Central American, Panama to Mexico and Cuba. <A map presents

the areas of distribution graphically. In conclusion Mr. Simpson

discusses the geological history of the groups. Students of the

Uniones will find this paper crowded with important facts and care-

ful reasoning from them, in the main very reliable. Our experience

with other groups leads us to believe, however, that more import-

ant points will follow an anatomical study of the Uniones than have

yet been developed.

ne NAUTILUS.

VOl.. X. JULY, 1896. No. 3

ON THE AMERICAN SPECIES OF ERVILIA.

BY WM. H. DALL.

Very little attention seems to have been given to the genus Ervi-

lia, which is composed of small, rather solid shells which are, in the

recent species, frequently brightly colored, concentrically or radially

striated orsmooth. The soft parts are still unknown though the typ-

ical species appears to be common in the West Indies, and the largest

known species is found in British and Mediterranean waters. In the

forms which are normally concentrically striate or grooved it often

happens that some of the specimens have the umbonal portion nearly

smooth, the normal sculpture appearing only when the shell is half

grown; there are also light modifications of the outline, coming

within the range of individual variation. In examining the recent

forms of North America and the West Indies for comparison with

the fossils, the following were recognized, though the small size of the

shells and their general similarity of form renders it necessary to

study them under a magnifier with the greatest care and attention in

order to grasp the distinctive features.

Ervilia nitens (Mont.) Turton.

This species has the valves somewhat compressed, coarsely,

evenly, concentrically grooved, with faint, radial striations on the

dorso-posterior surface, both ends somewhat attenuated, the posterior

longer and more attenuated, the base evenly arched, the anterior

end shorter, higher, with a steeper dorsal slope; the shell rather

solid with a robust hinge; the pallial sinus narrow, angular in

26 THE NAUTILUS.

front, and reaching beyond the vertical of the beaks, anteriorly. In

general the shell is yellowish or bright pink, with occasional

brownish rays. It seems to be confined to the Antilles and the

southern Florida Keys.

Ervilia subcancellata Smith.

Valves much compressed, both ends somewhat attenuated, the

base arcuate and prominent in the middle; the surface concentric-

ally striated and covered with fine, distinct, radial striz ; the pallial

sinus reaching to the vertical of the beaks, rather wide, anteriorly

rounded; shell solid, hinge moderately strong; lon. 8; alt. 5°5;

diam. 3 mm.

This species is differently shaped, rather more compressed and

with a different hinge and pallial sinus from the E. nitens. The

specimens I have seen are white or brownish and were obtained at

Bermuda by Dr. Goode. .

Ervilia concentrica Gould.

Shell solid, plump, with a robust hinge ; the surface with strong,

even, concentric riblets and narrower, even grooves between them ;

there are few very faint or no radial striz; the posterior end is

slightly the longer and more attenuated, the anterior shorter and

higher ; pallial sinus narrow, almost angular in front, just reaching

the vertical of the beaks; the color is generally white, rarely pink-

ish or yellowish.

This species is common in moderate depths from Cape Hatteras to

Key West and Pensacola, Florida. It is smaller and more lozenge

shaped than E. nitens. Several specimens from the Mediterranean

are in the Jeffreys collection under the name of the young of £.

castanea or E. nitens. It is represented in the Postpliocene of North

Creek, Little Sarasota Bay, Florida, by a variety less strongly stri-

ated and which seems to form the transition to the Pliocene species.

Ervilia maculosa Dall, n. s.

Shell almost perfectly oval, very thin, compressed, and almost

translucent; closely, sharply, finely, concentrically striated without

radial stris ; posterior end higher, rounded, longer than the ante-

rior; beaks low and calyculate; hinge very feeble; pallial sinus

wide and rounded, falling short of the vertical of the beaks ante-

riorly ; surface mottled with brown streaks and patches on a trans-

lucent ground. Lon. 4°5 alt. 2°7 mm. }

This quite distinct form was obtained off Cape Lookout, N. Caro-

‘lina in 22 fathoms by the U. S. Fish Commission. It is recognizable

i es A i

THE NAUTILUS. 27

at once by its very oval, compressed and translucent shell with very

fine and sharp concentric groovings. So far I have not found it in

the fossil state.

NOTES ON MOLLUSKS OF FLORIDA.

BY JOSEPH WILLCOX.

In Tue Nautitus for November, 1894, the writer referred

to the habits of many species of mollusks which he observed on the

west coast of Florida. The present paper has been written in con-

tinuation of the same subject.

It is an interesting matter, for personal observation, to witness the

persistent and relentless warfare of the molluscan forms upon others

of the same family in their quest for food.

In the ease of the oyster their enemies are not confined to members

of the mollusea. In Florida waters they are preyed upon by num-

erous enemies which ply their predaceous vocation during the

twelve months of the year.

_ Among the fishes the drum and the sheephead are the chief con-

sumers of the oyster; the former devouring those of moderate size,

while the latter confine their attention to the destruction of young

oysters. :

In the vicinity of the oyster beds nearly all the sheephead fish are

found with ragged and freshly-cut lips caused by the sharp edges of

the young oysters which they break loose from the clusters. So per-

sistent are the sheephead, in the destruction of the young oysters,

that single individuals of the latter are comparatively rare; and the

survival of the species, in some localities, is, in a great measure, due

to their protective habit of living in clusters.

Coextensive with the destruction of the oyster by the fishes, refer-

red to above, their consumption appears to be as great by their

molluscan enemy the Melongena corona.

Every oyster bed, on the west coast of Florida, from Cedar Keys

to Cape Sable, is infested by these ostreeophagi, which persistently

prey upon the oysters as the chief article of their diet.

Their method of attack and subsequent destruction, from which

there is no escape for the victim, is exceedingly ingenious, and is

probably not unaccompanied by some measure of discomfort and

even pain on the part of the aggressor.

28 THE NAUTILUS.

The first effort in the assault, onthe part of the Melongena, is the

insertion of its beak or rostrum between the open valves of the

oyster, when the latter is feeding. The valves, of course, are imme-

diately closed upon the beak of the assailant, which is round and

tough, resembling in form and color a leather shoe-string.

At this particular juncture the oyster appears to have the best

position in the struggle for life; and if it could maintain its exist-

ence, without relaxing its muscles, the Melongena would, in time,

starve to death while held in its grasp.

The position of affairs just described is probably continued for a

long time, until the oyster, exhausted with the strain in the contrac-

tion of its muscles, is obliged to open its shells.

This is the opportunity which the Melongena has been patiently,

or impatiently, awaiting; and its beak is immediately thrust further

between the oyster shells.

It is only a question of time when the beak of the Melongena

reaches the muscular portion of the oyster; and then the process

of devouring it begins.

Early in the progress of this struggle for life other Melongenas

assemble at the prospective feast, and insert their beaks between the

shells of the oyster, and then await their opportunity for engorge-

ment.

The writer has picked up an oyster in Little Sarasota Bay, in

Florida, from which 14 Melongenas were dangling, suspended by

their long beaks, which were held in the closed shells of their victim.

A cluster of oysters was found, at the same place, between the shells

of which were inserted the beaks of 22 Melongenas.

The Sigaretus is enabled to destroy the oyster by enveloping it

in its folds, and in that manner smothering it. In the same manner

the Fulgur perversum kills the oyster by enveloping it in its foot.

The Melongenas successfully attack and destroy large specimens

of Fulgur perversum. They crowd on and around the operculum of

the latter, and when it is opened for the admission of water for res-

piration, the beaks of the Melongenas are ruthlessly inserted be-

tween it and the shell; and the same method of attack is pursued as

in the case of the oyster.

It is surprising to see how skillfully the Melongenas can arrange

themselves, in order that the greatest number may occupy the space

at their disposal at the feast.

The writer has seen a Melongena corona devouring a shrimp, and

also a Solen americanus.

THE NAUTILUS. 29

The ouly mollusk, seen to destroy the Melongena, was a Fascio-

daria gigantea which enclosed it in its folds.

On one occasion a dead king-crab was found, lying on its back,

on which many Fasciolaria tulipa were crowded and eating it.

An abundant food for the Fasciolaria distans is the Vermetus,

( Petaloconchus) nigricans, into the tubes of which the former inserts

its beak. :

A WORD ABOUT SPHERIA.

BY EDWARD W. ROPER.

Among thousands ot Spheria examined during the past year

several unique forms have been found. For example, a robust,

rounded shell less than one-fourth inch long, with prominent beaks,

from near Tallahassee, Florida. This is quite distinct from any

species yet seen from the Gulf states. Again a very dark brown

shell from southern Ohio, of the group of S. occidentale, but thicker

and with more prominent beaks. From an unknown locality came

a single specimen resembling a small S. transversum but with a less

angular outline. Lastly from Minnesota and other neighboring

states, may be mentioned a thin, orbicular, gray or light olive shell

with calyculate beaks, often regarded as 8. truncatum, but probably

different from the New England shell described by Linsley. These

forms have mostly come from single localities in very small numbers,

and in view of the great variation among species in this genus, it

would be unsafe to consider them new on such slight evidence. The

writer would like correspondence with collectors having unique and

doubtful Spheria in their possession.

THE MUSSELS SCARS OF UNIOS.

BY CHAS. T. SIMPSON.

In some comments on my recent paper on the classification and

distribution of the Naiades in THe Nauritus for June, 1896, I

notice the statement that in having a series of muscle scars in the

middle of the disk Margaritana margaritifera, monodonta, etc. differ

oO: THE NAUTILUS.

from any Unios; and this seems to be the character on which the

writer would separate Marguritana generically from Unio.

In the former species these little muscle scars or points of attach-

ment of the mantle are sometimes a set of round, deep punctures in

the nacre, but more often they consist of slightly indented dashes,

which radiate from the umbonal cavity. They vary in number from

a very few to 50 or more, and are often entirely wanting. In some

examples these scars are more or less aggregated into a sort of lon-

gitudinal row along the middle of the disk, looking like a strongly

developed pallial line.

In Margaritana monodonta they appear usually as deep punctures,

and vary from many to none and the same thing is true of Unio hem-

belt. I have not found them in U. decumbens or U. laosensis.

In 1830 Isaac Lea described Unto trapezoides in the Transactions

of the American Philosophical Society, Volume IV, page 69, and

called attention to the fact that this species possessed a strongly.

developed muscle scar near the center of the disk, which he then

named the ventral cicatrix. It is present (sometimes double) and

well developed in most spesimens, feeble in others, or it may be found

in one valve and wanting in the other, or absent altogether. The

same is true of most of the species of the plicate group of Unntos,

which are all nearly related; N. multiplicatus, undulatus, perplica-

tus, etc., but I have never found these scars in the nearly allied U.

sloatianus Lea, of Georgia, which is so close to U. trapezoides that

Call has placed it in the synonymy of that species. In U. trape-

zoides there may be one or two anterior pedal scars and they are

often widely separated.

A wonderful degree of variation is also found in the number and

position of the dorsal scars of many species of Unios, and in the

degree of development of the scars in the pallial line. In Mr. B.

H. Wright’s new Unio,—U. bursa pastoris, from Tennesseee, the

pallial line is generally composed of deep, strongly marked scars,

to which the mantle is attached ; in Unio ventricosus it is often so.

faint as to be scarcely discernable. J know of no character more

variable and wholly unreliable as a means of classification in the

Unionide than that of the muscle scars and my studies lead me to

believe that it is seldom a mark of even specific value.

1Tr. Acad. Sci. St. Louis, VII, No. 1, p. 54.

na? gr wtlag +

THE NAUTILUS. 31

DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES OF ACHATINELLIDE

FROM THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

BY D. D. BALDWIN.

Partulina Hayseldeni n. sp.

Shell sinistral, minutely perforated, rather solid, ovately conical,

apex subacute ; surface shining, marked with delicate incremental!

strie, and under a lens exhibiting very close, minute, decussating

spiral lines; embryonic whorls faintly cross: lined. Color generally

of a uniform reddish-brown ; sometimes the coloring of the middle

portion of the whorl shades into white on the apical whorls, and in

some examples a white line revolves below the suture. Whorls 53,

slightly convex, narrowly margined above, the last carinated or

angulated at the periphery, the angle becoming almost obsolete to-

wards the aperture ; suture distinctly impressed and often margined

above by the continuation of the peripheral keel. Aperture oblique,

subovate, white within with a pinkish tinge ; peristome white, rather

obtuse, thickened within, the basal and columellar margins slightly

reflexed ; columella terminating in a strong, flexuous, white fold.

Length 172; diam. 10 mm.

Habitat, Island of Lanai.

Animal when extended in motion longer than the shell. Mantle

slate color with a brown band encircling the outer edge. Foot above

and below almost white with a yellowish tinge. Tentacles white

tinged with slate.

This species is allied to P. semicarinata Newe. which is found in

another district of the same island. The latter is a light straw-

colored, more conical, and invariably dextral shell. Theanimals of

the two species are somewhat similar, but sufficiently different to

warrant the separation.

We take pleasure in dedicating this handsome shell to Mr. Walter

H. Hayselden, the young. naturalist who discovered both it and the

following species.

Amastra aurostoma n. sp.

Shell dextral, imperforate, solid, elongately ovate, spire conical,

apex subacute; surface lusterless, striated with somewhat irregular,

coarse growth striz ; the embryonic whorls finely, radiately sulcated.

Color light brown, apex dark chestnut; the lower whorls covered

with a black, fugacious epidermis which is generally dense on the

last whorl and more sparsely distributed on the other whorls.

32 THE NAUTILUS.

Whorls 63, somewhat convex ; suture well impressed. Aperture

ovate, a little oblique, of an orange yellow color within; peristome

simple, acute, not thickened within, extremities united by a thick,

orange tinted, parietal callosity ; columella orange-yellow, flexuous,

abruptly terminating in a thin, slightly curved lamellar plait.

Length, 25; diam. 12 mm.

Habitat, Island of Lanai.

Animal when extended in motion as long as the shell. Mantle

dark slate, margined on the outer edge with reddish-brown. Foot

above and below very dark-brown, the sides studded with large

patches of darker hue, the posterior portion tinged with red. The

head above and tentacles covered with almost black granulations.

The prominent features of this shell are its elongate form and

orange colored aperture.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

The first week in May, the vol. of Transactions crossed the Rocky

Mountains on its way east. Our members in the Eastern States

have been very patient in awaiting its arrival. The address of Mr.

James H. Lemon has been changed from 134 Grange Ave., to 270

Markham 8St., Toronto, Canada.

In the January number of THE Nautivus the Editors noted the

publication of the Reverend George W. Taylor’s, “ Preliminary

Catalogue of the Marine Mollusks of the Pacific Coast of Canada,

with notes on their Distribution.” This Catalogue will not only be

found helpful to members of our chapter residing on the Pacific

Coast, but useful to all members interested in the Molluscan faunz

of the coast. The bulletin shows great care in bringing the nomen-

clature up to date. The classification adopted by Dr. W. H. Dall

in his “ Marine Mollusks of the S. E. Coast of the United States,”

has been followed by Mr. Taylor. The Catalogue is for sale by

John Durie & Son, Ottawa, and The Copp Clark Co., Toronto,

Canada.

Another new name is added to our membership roll, Mr. Leon

Walker, Chelsea, Mass. Members will please notice that additions

———————S

THE NAUTILUS. 33

to our membership are now published in Tur Navuritus. Our

Chapter is so large that the small amount charged for dues, for one

member, is consumed by the time the new one has been introduced

by postal card to all the members of the chapter. Tue Naurrius

is our chapter organ and no member can afford to be without it.

The Juvenile Section is reported in The Observer, Portland,

Coun., May number page 265, under the title “ Notes from Young

Conchologists.”

AN INTERROGATION REGARDING THE FOSSIL SHELLS OF

SAN PEDRO BAY.

[An Extract from the Report of the Hon. Delos Arnold. Fromthe Transactions of

the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter for 1895].

It is probable there are many species of shells undiscovered in the

hidden recesses of our extended shores, that will be reveaied from

time to time as our facilities for systematic collecting are increased.

This feature of the question cannot but inspire the devotees of con-

chology—both old and young—with a keen interest. The possibility,

not to say strong probability, of being instrumental in adding new

forms to the accumulating list is an ever present incentive to earnest,

careful and intelligent observation. To lend color to the idea of the

existence of undiscovered species in this region, is the fact that

among three hundred or more species and varieties of Quaternary and

Tertiary marine fossils that have been discovered in the rocks and

raised beaches in the vicinity of San Pedro Bay there are many

that are supposed to be extinct in this locality, and yet, the same or

nearly allied species are known to be living along the shores of

Alaska and Washington, and some even as far south as the northern

shores of California. Among there are; Machera patula Dixon,

Priene Oregonensis Redf., Pecten hastatus Sby., Nassa Californica

Conr. and others.

There are several species, also, that are occasionally found alive

at Santa Cataline Id. and possibly in the water in San Pedro Bay,

whose scarcity excites the suspicion that they are “in the course of

ultimate extinction,” or at least, in the line of departure. Among

these are:

Chrysodomus tabulatus Baird.

Fusus Barbarensis Trask.

ot THE NAUTILUS.

Surcula Carpenteriana Gabb. -

Surcula Tryoniana Gabb.

Venus (Chione) gnidia Brod. & Sby.

Pecten (Janira) floridus Hinds.

Lucina acutilineata Conr.

_ Nassa inseulpta Cpr.

Henicardium biangulata.

It would hardly be safe with our limited knowledge of the mol-

lusea of this region, at this tine, to assert with positiveness that any

of the supposed extinct species, are really extinct species, and yet,

the fact is apparent that even those species that are occasionally

found living here bear a very small relation, so far as numbers are

concerned, to those that existed in the past. The fact is further ap-

parent that along the northern shores of the Continent these same

species are found in great abundance; this might suggest a probable

migration.

Still the uncertainty of the matter, and the possibility of disprov-

ing the theory of extinction by an actual discovery of the living in-

dividuals here add interest and a stimulus to collectors and scien-

tists.

If, after an exhaustive search for these missing species, it shall

appear that they have really disappeared, then the interesting ques-

tion arises as to the reason of their departure. :

What were the conditions surrounding this locality in the Quater-

nary and Pliocene periods that made it possible for these forms to

exist then, that are now so changed as to render it impossible for

them to exist at present, and why are they still living along more

northern shores ?

The study of these questions may lead us somewhat out of the line

of conchology and into other branches of scientific investigation, but

as knowledge is what we should all covet, it might not be time mis-

spent to look into the subject.

NOTES AND NEWS.

AMERICAN PALEonTOLOGY.—For some time past we have been

considering plans to increase the scope-of our present publication,

“ Bulletins of American Paleontology,” in several ways, the details

wi f

THE NAUTILUS. 3)

of which it is not necessary here to enumerate. In order, however,

to ascertain what material suitable for a purely paleontological pub-

lication may be available, we have concluded to offer a prize $50.00

for the best American (North, Central or South) paleontological

article presented for publication, as a separate Bulletin, before May

1, 1897. The article must be a well written original monograph or

report upon some special problem studied in the field or laboratory

or both, i. e., not a mere compilation from books. This report may

contain from 50 to 200 pages and from 5 to 10 full page plates of

the size of our Bulletins. It may be written in any language using

Roman characters. The judges named below shall have the power

to divide the prize in two equal parts in case of doubt between the

merits of two excellent articles, or to withhold the prize in case no

suitable articles appear.

JupGes: H.S. Williams, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. ;

T. W.Stanton, U.S. Geol. Surv., Washington, D.C.; G. D. Harris,

Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.

Address all communications to G. D. Harris, Department of

Paleontology, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.

AGRIOLIMAX CAMPESTRIS IN THE PEcos VALLEY, N. M.— When

recently at Roswell, N. M., I found a few specimens of Ag. campes-

tris. ‘This is only the second locality for the species known in New

Mexico, and is the first record of any slug from the drainage-area

of the Pecos River.—T. D. A. CocKERELL, Mesilla, N. M.

Tue Eprror acknowledges receipt of living West Coast Helices

from Mrs. E. P. Gaylord and Mr. Fred L. Button. They are en-

joying life in the vivarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

NOTICES OF PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

A Stupy oF THE UNIONID OF ARKANSAS, WITH INCIDENTAL

REFERENCE TO THEIR DISTRIBUTION IN THE MIssissIpPpl VALLEY.

By R. Ellsworth Call.—(Tr. Acad. Science of St. Louis, VII, 1895).

Under the above title the author has published a catalogue of the

Unionide of the state of Arkansas, with partial bibliographic refer-

ences and copious notes. The species are arranged in alphabetical

36 THE NAUTILUS.

order, for convenience of reference, no doubt, for Mr. Call has else-

where acknowledged and used the natural system of placing allied

forms in groups. A number of the species, especially those of La-

mark, are illustrated by carefully drawn wood cuts, the original and

additional descriptions are given.

Lamarck’s types were only briefly described by him in the

Animaux sans Vertébres, and were not figured, and as he had but a

limited amount of material on which to base these descriptions, and

many of his localities were erroneous much of his work naturally rests

under a cloud. Lea examined most of what were believed to be his

types of Naiades, and it is on his testimony that our identifications

of the species of the great French Naturalist, for the most part, rest.

The determinations of the Lamarckian species given in this paper

agree with those of Lea.

Mr. Call has long been known as an extensive collector and a

careful student of the North American Unionide, and is deservingly

considered a high authority on the subject. The only criticism on

his paper that occurs to the writer of this review is that one or two

errors are made in identification, and that he has placed rather too

many species in the synonymy. Uno brevidens is not the male of

what Lea afterwards described as U. arceformis, for although closely

allied it is perfectly distinct. The former in its younger stages is

more compressed, and the remarkable swelling in the posterior region

of the female is always full and. distinct, projecting below the base

of the shell. NN. arceformis is always greatly inflated, is more

strongly angled posteriorly, and the swelling of the female shell is

not so distinct, nor does it usually project below the ventral line.

It is not colored like U. brevidens.

Unio venustus Lea is a solid shell, with broad, distinct, green rays,

and is probably only a heavy form of U. spatulatus, while U. pleasi

Marsh, is more delicate, and has indistinct, wavy hair-line radiations

of dull green, and a general reddish tint thoughout the shell.

In general the synonymy is quite correct, and Mr. Call has made

a good move in the direction of checkiug the enormous multiplica-

tion of specific names that are founded on mere variations or insuf-

ficient material. The paper isa valuable and welcome addition to

the literature of the North American Unionide.—C. T. Simpson.

At a special meeting of the trustees of the Detroit Museum of

Art, held June 25th, a bronze medal was presented to Mr. Frederick

‘Stearns, in recognition of his valuable gifts and untiring efforts on

behalf of the Museum during the past twelve years.

mae NAUTILUS.

VOL. x, AUGUST, 1896. No. 4

A NEW SPECIES OF POMATIOPSIS.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY.

The genus Pomatiopsis is peculiar to North America. All of the

species occur in the temperate portion of the continent, and the

whole United States, excepting perhaps parts of the Rocky Mount-

tain region, still but imperfectly explored for small shells, is occupied

by the various forms. The best-known species P. lapidaria Say, is

as much a terrestrial mollusk as most of the Succineas. They can-

not live for any length of time immersed in water, and I have

drowned specimens, just as land snails may be drowned, by confin-

ing them in a vessel full of water. Information upon the other

species is less definite, but P. cincinnatiensis at least seems to be of

aquatic habits.

The genus is much more distinet than most genera of Amnicolide,

the dentition being, as William Stimpson first pointed out, strikingly

characteristic of the group. The shells vary from the high, turrited

Bythinella form, to nearly as short as some Amnicolas.

The species described below is the third from the Eastern States,

and the fourth species of the genus, the others being P. lapidaria

Say, P. cincinnatiensis Lea and P. intermedia Tryon.

Pomatiopsis Hinkleyi n. sp.

Shell perforate, turrited, decidedly stouter in figure than P. lapid-

aria, but less compact and widely conic than P. cincinnatiensis.

Olive-brown. Surface with growth-lines about as in P. lapidaria.

Whorls 6, very convex, separated by a deep suture. Aperture

38 THE NAUTILUS.

slightly exceeding one-third the length of shell, ovate, the outer lip

strongly arcuate above, columellar margin flattened above; per-

istome continuous, the adnate parietal portion longer than in P.

lapidaria. Alt. 6, diam. 33 mm.

Black Falls, above Florence, Alabama (A. A. Hinkley, 1894).

The species is somewhat intermediate between P. /apidaria and P.

cincinnatiensis, but more like the former, from which, however, it is

very easily distinguished on comparison. The form is stouter, the

aperture larger, the outer lip more strongly curved above, and the

color duskier. The apex is somewhat eroded in all of the well

grown specimens. ‘The dentition is similar in general characters to

that of P. lapidaria.

I am indebted to Mr. Bryant Walker for the specimens, which

were collected by Mr. Hinkley. Upon inquiry, my correspondent

quotes as follows from Mr. Hinkley’s letter: ‘‘ Most of the distance

from Florence to the last lock of the canal there is a steep rocky

bank ; a few rods from the water of the river over this bank anid out

of it are several small streams and springs of clear water. The

species under consideration was seen at most of these small streams

but was not numerous except at the two falls from which they were

taken. Three forms of Goniobasis were taken from the same streams-

Now, while the Goniobasis were in the water, the others were not.

They were taken from moss and decaying vegetation but were kept

damp by the spray of the falls or by the dripping water under the

rock back of the falls and the saturated moss. As I madea hurried

trip the day I collected these shells, they were not examined closely,

but I took it for granted they were feeding in the decaying vegeta-

tion. None of them were found beyond the reach of the spray but

still they might have been hidden under the rubbish.”

From this the new species appears, as Mr. Walker remarks, to be

clearly Pomatiopsine in habits. In choosing a specific term for the

form, I have acted upon the suggestion of Mr. Walker that the name

of one of our best collectors be associated with this interesting

species.

THE WEIGHT AND SIZE OF SHELLS.

BY REV. HENRY W. WINKLEY.

With the assistance of Mr. D. E. Owen, teacher of Physics in

Thornton Academy, the writer has weighed a few species of minute

shells. The results are given as follows:

THE NAUTILUS. 39

Twelve specimens of <Astyris lunata from Wood Hole, Mass.

weighed 0.095 gms. This would make one specimen weigh about

0.008 gm. Reducing this to avoirdupois weight we have one shell

weighing 0.000282 oz.

The next example is Cerithiopsis Greenii—being the first. of the

species found in Canadian waters, i. e. from Prince Edwards Island.

Ten specimens weighed (0.023 gm. or in ounces one specimen would

weigh 0.000081 oz.

Two sets of Odostomia seminuda were compared. The one being,

like the above, the first found at Prince Edwards Island. The

others came from near Woods Hole, Mass. It was found that the

Canadians weighed each 0.000048 oz. while those from Mass. weighed

each 0.000105 oz. The difference in size is noticeable without

weighing. This proves that Mass. is a better place to live than

Prince Edwards Island. The most interesting of all is New Eng-

land’s conchological elephant, Skenea planorbis. The set weighed

was found near Saco, Me. The average weight of a specimen is

0.000018 oz. At this rate it would require 56,700 to make an ounce,

907,200 to the pound, and a ton would require 18,144,000,000. At

the rate of five cents each, a pound would be worth $45,360.00. I

am sorry to say I cannot supply them by the ton, or pound.

After weighing, the writer became interested in size comparisons,

and two species from the same region, i. e. Saco, were compared.

‘The largest shell in my New England cabinet is Mactra solidissima,

and the smallest Skenea planorbis. The Mactra weighs 177 oz. It

would require 1,004,250 of Skenea to balance the one Mactra. The

surface of the Mactra was reduced to a flat as near as possible,

divided into small squares, and the Skenea was placed on the small

square to estimate the comparative size. Dividing an inch into

sixteen squares, Skenea would find room enough for 25 on each

square, or 405 to the square inch. On the total surface of the

Mactra (including both sides) there would be space enough for

30,000 individuals of Skenea to rest comfortably. The above species

are all marines and hence the comparisons are more interesting

since conditions of life are similar. Much larger forms occur in other

waters but the specimens selected represent the extremes of the New

England area. I need hardly say that in commercial life these

extremes are avoided and the medium sizes are of more economic

value and popularity.

40) THE NAUTILUS.

SOME NOTES ON FLORIDA MOLLUSCA.

BY FRANK A. WHITE.

Just before the middle of March I went on a trip to the head-

waters of the Halifax river, which is one of the coast-wise waters of

Florida. On that trip I had the pleasure of picking up two shells

of Argonanta argo var. americana. I found them on the Atlantic

Beach about thirty miles north from Mosquito Inlet.

During the past winter and spring there have been over a hundred

of these shells picked up in this vicinity. I never heard of but.

seven having been found on this beach previous to this season.

I also found Cyrenoides floridana Dall. These animals were alive

and in apie health, about one hundred feet from the creek and

from % to + inch below the surface of the soil. The land was low

and at the time of finding was wet from a copious rain. I also.

came across a locality where Physa pomilia Conr. are found, in

abundance in running water.

In January, 1895, I spent some time at Crescent Beach about

twelve miles south of Cape Canaveral. One day I walked south

about two or two and a half miles to “the rocks” and found a large

live Cyprea exanthema although it differs very much in contour and

spots from the “ C. exranthema” in my collection. Thinking per-

haps some of the measurements might interest the readers of the -

Nautiuus I submit the following :

Length 113, width 602 mm.; height when lying with aperture

down, 46 mm.; aperture at the widest place 19 mm.; spire not

covered, and shows five volutions, dental plications on lip 40; plica-

tions on columella 34; lip only slightly inflexed having the inner

side of lip all visible.

When found the entire shell was a rich dark brown externally ;

purple inside where visible. The outside showed no trace of band,

spot, or growth-lines but it has faded much although kept in the

dark most of the time, and now shows growth-lines more than half

way round, across the back it shows three light bands and near

both lips light spots. In the summer of 1881 I found one somewhat

smaller of the same rich brown color and in just about the same

place. I have never known of any of this species being fount alive

any farther north than “the rocks.”

ee Oa

THE. NAUTILUS. 41

A NEW SPECIES OF BULIMUS.

BY H. A. @eESBRY.

Anctus (?) Stearnsianus n, sp.

Shell narrowly umbilicate, subulate, tapering, rather solid but not

thick ; covered with an opaque dark olivaceous-brown cuticle, indis-

tinetly and irregularly streaked obliquely, and wanting on the

fleshy-whitish earlier whorls. Surface shining, with close, fine

growth-wrinkles and very minute, close and superficial spiral striz.

Spire tapering regularly from the last whorl to the obtuse apex,

which is smooth (but somewhat worn) in the specimens. “Whorls7,

hardly convex, with linear sutures, the last not deflexed.

Aperture contained about 2+ times in alt. of shell, long-ovate,

dull purplish within, somewhat oblique; peristome white, obtuse, a

trifle expanded at the edge, the margins in a plane and brought for-

ward to the level of the front of the body-whorl ; columellar margin

expanded ; parietal callus rather heavy.

Alt. 19, diam. 7; alt. of aperture 8 mill.

Alt. 193, diam. 7%; alt. of aperture 83 mill.

Sierra de la Ventana, Argentina (U.S. F. C.).

A peculiar species, not agreeing well with others of this group,

but so far as I can see not referable to any section of Bulimulus. In

my opinion, Anctus is to be grouped with Odontostomus, Tomigerus

and Anostoma, not with the true Bulimuli.

The first whorl in this species is truncated pyramidal, with the

earlier third depressed, rapidly ascending; a comma-shaped apical

pit passed into the suture. The whorl just back of the upper angle

of the aperture, is somewhat flattened, recalling the condition so con-

spicuous in Plekocheilus Taylorianus Rve. It is named in honor

of my friend R. E. C. Stearns, who some years ago transmitted to

me for identification specimens collected by the “Albatross.”

LAND MOLLUSCA FROM THE REJECTAMENTA OF THE RIO GRANDE,

NEW MEXICO.

BY T. D. A. COCKERELL.

A few weeks ago I collected a quantity of small land shells in the

rejectamenta of the Rio Grande at Mesilla, and sent them all to Dr.

Sterki, who has kindly identified them as follows:

42 THE NAUTILUS.

(1.) Hyalinia minuseula Binn., Nineteen examples.

(2.) H. leviuscula Sterki. Thirteen.

(3.) Zonitoides arboreus Say. One, immature, weathered.

(4.) Helicodiscus lineatus Say. Five. —

(9.) Vallonia perspectiva Sterki. One; small, whorls scarcely

over three.

(6.) V. gracilicosta Reinh. (probably). Three.

(7.) V. eyclophorella Ancey. One.

(8.) Buliminus (“ Pupa”) fallax Say. Fifteen.

(9.) Pupa blandi Morse. Eleven. “ Very variable in altitude;

a few smaller specimens are scarcely or not distinguishable from P.

triplicata Studer, from the eastern continent, except in color, which,

in P. blandi and other species of the group, is very variable.”

(Sterki.)

(10.) P. arizonensis (Gabb) W. G. B. Three. With distinct

ribs.

(11.) P. hordeacea Gabb. Eighty-four. ‘“ Rather variable in

size; one specimen is of considerably smaller diameter than the

average.” (Sterki.)

(12.) P. hordeacella Pilsbry. Thirteen.

(18.) Vertigo ovata Say. Twelve. Two are lower than the rest,

with the base somewhat truncate.

(14.) Cionella lubrica Mill. One.

(15.) Carychium exiguum Say. One.

Mesilla is much lower down the river than San Marcial, whence a

rejectamenta-collection was formerly recorded. Yet the types

found are largely boreal. I was particularly surprised to come

across the Cionella, which must surely have floated a long way.

There was no vestige of any Holospira. Limnea, Planor bis (parvus

Say, and two others) and Physa occurred with the above land-shells,

but there were not any traces of Spherium or Pisidium, nor of any

operculates,

Further Records of Land Shells from New Mexico.

I am now able to offer two more lists of New Mexico shells, all

identified, as before, by Dr. V. Sterki, who has been most kind in

attending to them.

(1.) Shells from the rejectamenta of the Rio Grande at Rincon,

N. M. Thisis between Mesilla and San Marcial. They were with

much juniper debris.

14 Hyalinia minuscula Binn. 3 Vertigo ovata Say. “One albino ?”

THE NAUTILUS. 43

10 Hyalinia lerviuscula Sterki. 2 Suecinea avara Say.

2 Helicodiseus lineatus Say.

1 Vallonia costata Mull.

17 Buliminus fallax Say. Some apparently albino.

12 Pupa hordeacea Gabb.

1 Pupa procera Gld. “ Light colored or possibly albino.”

18 Pupa hordeacella Pilsb. “ Very variable in altitude, as usual.”

3 Pupa blandi Mse. “One quitesmall, and like triplicata Stud.”

There were also 9 Planorbis parvus Say, and 2 Planorbis sp. Dr.

Sterki had not before seen Pupa procera from so far west.

(2.) Shells from debris at Lone Mountain near Silver City, N.M.,

about 6000 ft. alt. They may have been washed two or three miles,

but no great distance, certainly.

6 Hyalinia minusewla Binn. 37 Pupa hordeacea Gabb.

22 Hyalinia leviuscula Sterki. 1 Pupa hordeacella Pilsb.

1 Vallonia perspectiva Sterki. 6 Pupa pentodon Say.

1 Vertigo ovata Say.

The range of V. perspectiva is extended.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

Members of our Chapter who have not received the Transactions

will be glad to learn that before many weeks the volume will have

gone the rounds of the chapter. With two or three exceptions,

members have promptly forwarded the volume after retaining it but

one week, and the General Secretary desires to thank members for

their promptness in notifying her when forwarding the reports.

A CHAPTER ON METHODS.

[From the report of Mr. A. H. Gardner.. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea

Chapter for 1895.]

Not the smallest object to the collector and conchologist is sym-

metry in thearrangement of the cabinet. Nothing can appear worse

than an untidy heterogenous array of specimens, which too frequently

reflects the spirit of its author.

44 THE NAUTILUS.

Efforts in this line do not necessarily entail expense, but, they do ,

call for more care and work than some people like to give. Per-

haps the first thing the collector thinks about after he has his spec-

imens and has determined them, is of some arrangement whereby he

can secure the safety and identity of the separate species, and on this

account he casts his eyes around for trays or the bottom parts of

boxes. Now there is abundance of boxes to be found but a scarcity

of those that will suit his purpose, and so he frequently takes the

best he can find and proceeds to form his collection with the original

lot as a basis of supplies.

This was at least, my experience. I tried druggists sundries

houses and dealers in these supplies but I could never get the size,

shape or color I desired, until I made up my mind to make them

myself and in this way satisfy my requirements, to my own satisfac-

tion. As several people have frequently commented on their neat

appearance, and as the process is comparatively easy, I conceived

the idea that it might be of use to others, in our chapter, I herewith

give the modus operandi.

My trays are all one half inch in depth, in width multiple of one

half inch, viz.; 13, 3, 6inches, which I have found the largest size

required ; in length, they run as follows 1,12, 2,22, 3, 4 and 6 inches.

They are made from what are called 8-ply blanks,—a fine white

smooth card board which I purchased cut to the various sizes from

the Hasting Card Company, Beekman St., New York, at very nom-

inal prices. ‘The first operation is the gouging of the corners thus:

(In this report, Mr. Gardner has three simple cards glued on his Ms.,

they are all 23 by 2 inches, and, are numbered 1,2 and 3. One half

inch from the edge of the card numbered “ 1,” there are four corners

marked in ink, making four right angles, these indicate the four lines.

to be scored with the knife, M. B. W.). Then with a sharp knife I

score the lines from edge to edge half through, (No. 2) then cut out.

the corners and turn up the sides, the long ones first, (No.3). The

short sides are scored a trifle irregularly that they may lie evenly in

the finished box and maintain the required size. (On each of the

short sides allowance is made in order that they may stand up within

the longer sides and make a perfect tray the same size top and

bottom. The difference is about equal to the thickness of the card-

board).

~ I then rule a sheet of white paper with lines 3 inch apart in width,

and 1 inch in length, fasten it with four pins to a board, and cover

THE NAUTILUS. 45

its ruled surface with gum arabic laid on smoothly with a brush.

When dry it is cut into gummed tags } inch wide and 1 inch long

with which the sides of the trays are fastened together on the out-

side. Of course this is a little tedious and I found it best to set my-

self the task of making one dozen a day, and very soon accumulated

several gross of assorted sizes, and it is an easy thing now when [am

short of any particular size, to replenish the stock.

The cards to make the size of boxes given in this report should be

cut to the following sizes 232, 4x23, 4x3, 4x33, 4x4, 4x7, and

7X7. They will give an appearance of uniformity to the drawers

and save a great deal of space. I usually place a card 3 inch in

width to just fit the inside of each tray, ruled on the top and bottom

red lines, this is for the name, authority, and locality of specimens,

and other data. All shells whose size will admit of it I enclose in

glass vials, square at the bottom and with no neck, they are about

23 inches long so that the cork takes up the balance of the space in

the tray, and of a width to enable them to hold such specimens as

Helix tridentata. For the smallest boxes the vials are 14 inches long

and about + inch in thickness. Here, in New York, they can be

bought for about 50 to 70 cents a gross.

For the reception of the smallest species, Vertigo Pupa, ete., and

in order to bring the characteristics of these minute shells promi-

nently before the observer, I adopted the following plan: Equidistant.

from the sides of a 3)<1 inch slip of card board I punched a hole with

a die, made for the purpose; and then gummed this slip to another

of equal size on which the surface beneath the whole was covered

with black paper. The specimens were then mounted with gum in

this depression and the whole covered with one of the ordinary 31

inch glass slips used by microscopists, those with rough edges pre-

ferred. The whole thing was then bound around its edges with slips

of gummed paper 8 inches long by about + wide and the edges trim-

med with scissors when dry. This plan also protected the shells from

dust and worked capitally when examining their apertures under a

low microscopic power, a very necessary proceeding when determin-

ing or explaining to others the difference in the various species.

The gum I found best adapted for mounting the shells was picked

gum arabic—a saturated solution in water mixed with an equal quan-

tity of glycerine, then filtered and a few drops of acetic acid added,

this never cracks, nor shows any objectionable gloss. Want of space

has compelled my relinquishing this plan, for the smallest size trays

and vials, which, however, I have never found as convenient.

46 THE NAUTILUS.

NOTE ON BULIMUS HANLEYI AND B. CORONATUS. ©

BY H. A. PILSBRY.

The two Brazilian species mentioned above are thin, unicolored,

‘glossy shells, with the spire long, suture crenulated, columella simple

and foldless, and the outer lip thin and acute. B. Hanleyi Pfr. was

(with B. recluzianus Pfr.) placed in a new subgenus, Oxycheilus,'

by Albers in 1850; but von Martens in 1860 referred it to Orphnus.

B. coronatus Pfr. was placed by Albers in Leptomerus, but von

Martens transferred the species to Peroneus, where it has been re-

tained by subsequent authors.

The characters of the apical whorls show at once that the refer-

‘ence of the species to Leptomerus (a section of Bulimulus) is errone-

ous; while the structure of the columella and the texture of the shell

equally remove the species from Peroneus. ,

The texture of the shell is that of such South American Stenogy-

roid species as B. calcareus Born and B. cuneus Pfr., ete. which have

been called Obeliscus, but for which the name NEOBELISCUS? Is now

proposed. These, however, have a bulbous, more or less costulate

apex, without apical dimple.

For B. Hanleyi and B. coronatus, we suggest the name SyNAP-

TERPES, the former species being the type. The conchological feat-

ures of the new group are: an oblong-turrited, thin, glossy, more or

Jess vitreous shell with crenulated sutures, rather obtuse (but not

bulbous) nuclear whorl with comma-shaped apical dimple, the aper-

ture long-ovate with thin, sharp outer lip and simple columella, not.

truncate below, its edge narrowly reflexed above.

I do not know that any species except the two mentioned belong

to this group. Its systematic position, if we judged by shell char-

acters, would seem to bein the Achatinide near Neobeliscus; but if

Binney’s identification’ is correct, the jaw and dentition are consider-

ably like those of some forms of the genus Strophocheilus, and, there-

fore, as far as their testimony goes, indicate a position for the group

in the Helicide.

1 Not Oxychilus Fitz., 1833, nor Oxycheila De}., 1825.

2 Obeliscus was restricted by Gray in 1847 (P. Z.8., p. 176) to B. obtusatus

Gmel., a Madagascar species for which the name C/avazor was proposed in 1860.

Humphreys had previously used Ode/zscus in another sense.

3See under Orphnus Hanleyi Pfr., in Annals of the N. Y. Acad.. Sci., II,

p. 115, pl. xi, fig. D (jaw and dentition).

THE NAUTILUS. 47

NOTES AND NEWS.

Messrs. 8. H. SrupaAkorr anv Geo. H. Ciapp gave a lecture

on shells at the regular monthly meeting of the Academy of Science

and Art of Pittsburgh, held in the lecture room of the Carnegie

Library, Pittsburgh, on Friday Evening, June 5th. It was illus-

trated by specimens from the collections in the Museum, and wall

charts. After the lecture an adjournment was taken to the Museum.

The lecture is the first of a series arranged with the idea of populariz-

ing the Museum, which occupies spacious rooms in the Carnegie

Library.

Nore on Lia, ALBERs.—The names Jia and Leia being pre-

occupied, Schaufuss proposed the term INL1AcuLus for this Jamaican

group of Cylindrellide, in the first edition of Petel’s Catalogue

(Molluscorum Systema et Catalogus. System und Aufzaihlung sim-

mtlicher Conchylien der Sammlung von Fr. Paetel, 1869, p. 15).

This will take precedence over Vendryesia Simpson (Proce. U.S. Nat.

- Mus., xvii, 1894, p.430). Fauxutus Schauf. is proposed for Faula

H. Ad., a South African group of Pupide, and new names are also

brought forward for Parthenia, Cantharidus, Orphnus, Acicula,

Rupicola and some other groups. Most of these changes are un-

necessary, but they seem to have escaped general notice.

Note on Macrra.—In the Saco market, a few days ago, a spec-

imen of Mactra solidissima was opened, and found to have another

of the same species in the gill cavity; the sizes in inches were:

1. 32X23X1%.

2. 18X13 X?.

The size of the smaller leads me to snspect that it had been some

time in the larger, not as a parasite, but as partner—Henry W.

WINKLEY, Saco, Me.

Mr. CHar.eEs W. JOHNSON, junior editor of the Nauriius, sailed

on the 13th of July for Liverpool. He will spend the summer in

studying the Museums of England, France and Germany, returning

in September.

Mr. FREDERICK STEARNS, of Detroit, Mich., has departed upon

an extended tour in South America. .

NOTICES OF PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

DIAGNOSES OF NEW SPECIES OF MOLLUSKS FROM THE WEST COAST

or America, by W. H. Dall (From Proceedings of the U. S. Na-

tional Museum xviii, 1895, pp. 7-20).

48 THE NAUTILUS.

Calliostoma iridium, West Mexico.

Calliostoma turbinum, Santa Barbara Is., 100 fms.

Anaplocamus (new genus) borealis, S. of Unimak Isld., 61 fms.

“This very remarkable shell recalls a fresh-water genus at once

and would easily be overlooked amid a quantity of Anculosa dila-

tata. * * * [tis probably referable to the family Trichotro-

pide.”

Solariella nuda, off Lower California, 298-455 fms.

Solariella ceratophora, off La Paz.

Rimula (?) expansa, Gulf of Panama.

Emarginula flabellum, Lower California.

Cloristes carpenteri, Gulf of Panama.

Benthodolium pacificum, Gulf of Panama.

Phos cocosensis, Gulf of Panama.

Cominella brunneocincta, Gulf of Panama.

Fusus (?) rufocaudatus, Gulf of Panama.

Tractolira sparta, Gulf of Panama to Acapulco.

This new genus seems to be a degenerate form of Volutide.

Scaphella benthalis, Gulf of Panama.

Cancellaria centrota, Gulf of Panama.

' Cancellaria io, Gulf of Panama.

Pleurotoma aulaca, off Acapulco.

Pleurotomella castanea, E. from Galapagos Is.

Fucula iphigenia, Gulf of Panama.

Limopsis compressus, Gulf of Panama.

Philobrya atlantica, Off Argentina.

Callocardia stearnsii, Off Washington, near Tillamook.

Callocardia lepta and gigas, Gulf of California.

Callocardia ovalis, Gulf of Panama.

Callogonia angulata, Gulf of Panama.

Periploma stearnsii, Gulf of California.

Periploma carpenteri, Gulf of California.

All the species are from considerable depths; and many of them

being of considerable interest, figures will be very acceptable. The

Philobrya is the first marine form in which a glochidium stage, com-

parable to that of the Unionidae, has been recognized. We have in

a former issue referred to the important light on the morphology of

the gill supplied by the Callocardia stearnsit.

ae ”* Ae

mae §=NAUTILUS.

VoL. x. SEPTEMBER, 1896. 3 No. 5

NOTES ON SOME WEST AMERICAN CHITONS.

BY H A... PILSBRY.

Among some interesting small Chitons from San Pedro, Califor-

nia, collected by Mr. T. S. Oldroyd, which I have lately examined

(through the kindness of Dr. Dall), the following call for especial

notice, as they offer differences from the types figured in the Manual

of Conchology.

Mopalia imporcata Cpr.

The single specimen measures 9 by 18} mm., and is somewhat

more elevated than the type of the species; color pale olivaceous,

white towards the girdle, speckled on the ribs of lateral areas with

brown, and with a brown patch on each pleural tract. The teeth

are very distinctly thickened along the outer edges of the slits, as in

the typical Callistochitons. Sculpture typical.

The color is different from that of the type, and the specimen is

larger.

Ischnochiton scabricostatus Cpr.

Lateral areas with four (on one side of valve ii, five; on one side

of valves iv and v, three) radial riblets, which are very weakly,

hardly perceptibly, granose. Sutures very feebly crenate. Anterior

and posterior valves with 9 slits each. Color reddish (but not at

all. of an orange cast), with a few inconspicuous white spots on

some of the lateral areas.

50 THE NAUTILUS.

The typical specimen of J. scabricostatus was orange with some

dark sutural dots, and the lateral areas are three ribbed, some low

pustules on the ribs. It was described from Catalina Island.

Both this species and the last are excessively rare in collections.

Il.

A series of Chitons received from Miss Ida M. Shepard, of Long

Beach, Cal., contained specimens of a Callistochiton, which, while

allied to C. decoratus Cpr. of Lower California, yet differs in im-

portant respects.

Callistochiton decoratus var. punctocostatus n. v.

Similar to C. decoratus in sculpture of end valves and lateral

areas; but the central areas have no wide, smooth triangle at the

ridge, such as types of decoratus have (Man. of Conch., xiv, pl. 58,

fig. 18); being somewhat irregularly pitted toward the beaks, and

with rows of pits on each side of a small oblong smooth tract at the

ridge; most valves pitted also on the ridge anteriorly.

Ill.

Finally, with numerous other interesting species collected by Dr.

Benj. Sharp in Alaskan waters during the summer of 1895, there

were two specimens of a new and unusually distinct form, which we

dedicate to that accomplished zoologist.

Trachydermon Sharpii n. sp.

Shell oblong, elevated, carinated, the side slopes somewhat convex.

Surface to the naked eye smooth ; lustreless ; slightly soiled white,

with some faint and ill-defined brownish spots on the lateral areas,

the girdle gray.

Anterior valve smooth, with some indistinct concentric grooves;

the anterior slope shorter than the posterior edges; hind margin

emarginate. Intermediate valves wide and short, with slightly

arcuate margins at junction with girdle, hind margins emarginate,

Central areas very minutely roughened by diverging wrinkles;

lateral areas slightly raised, with a few arcuate faint grooves in the

direction of growth-lines. Posterior valve highest at its anterior

margin, the subcentral mucro but slightly projecting, the slope be-

hind it about straight.

Interior white; valve callus strong; sinus concave and shallow,

not defined at the edges ; sutural lamine but little projecting, broadly -

rounded, invading the sinus. Insertion plates hardly longer than

THE NAUTILUS. Hl

the narrowly channelled and solid eaves, sharp and smooth. Slits

in valve i, 16; valves ii to vii, 1-1 or 2-1 or 2-2, the larger num-

ber prevailing on the more anterior valves; in valve viii, 13. Pos-

terior tooth in the median valves square and well developed.

Girdle rather unevenly covered, with convex, pebbly, coarse

scales, those toward the outer margin elongated, and there is a

copious marginal fringe of stout hyaline spinules.

Gill-row three-fourths the length of foot, with 21 plumes on each

side.

Length about 14, breadth 8 mm.

Unalashka (Dr. Benj. Sharp !).

The number of slitsis unusually great, and they are doubled in

some valves; the girdle scales are coarse, the marginal fringe con-

spicuous. These characters, together with the general smoothness

of the valves externally, and the undefined, concave sinus, will

readily distinguish the species. In view of its numerous slits,

solid leaves and coarse girdle-scales, it is aberrant for a Trachyder-

mon; but the girdle is not that of Trachyradsia nor Ischnochiton,

and the gill-row is short, extending forward only three-fourths the

length of the foot, asin the true Trachydermons. It has not the

spongy eaves and sinus of Spongioradsia.

The slitting of the intermediate valves is variable, but mainly

Radsioid In valve ii there are 2-2 slits; valves iil, iv, v, 2-1;

valves vi, vii, 1-1 slits, in the type specimen.

ON THE AMERICAN SPECIES OF CYRENOIDEA.

IBY. W Sees Ly,

The genus Cyrenoidea was published in June, 1835, by de Joannis,

in the Magazin de Zoologie; by a typographical error, apparently,

the Latin form, which was used only once in the article, was printed

Cyrenoida. A little later in the same year, Deshayes reclaimed the

genus for his manuscript name of Cyrenedla, which had been read to

the Société Philomathique in December, 1834. The first published

name, corrected as above, has been adopted, in spite of the objection

_ to its formation as a Latin name with a Greek suffix.

The original type, C. Duponti Joannis, is from the Senegal River,

West Africa, and it seems that his specimen was defective, since in

pz THE NAUTILUS.

Senegambian specimens I find the hinge quite different from Joannis’

figure, and essentially similar to that of American species.

The first of the latter was described by Morelet in 1851, from

Porto Rico, under the name of C. americana. It differs from the

African species by its smaller and more delicate shell, its more

quadrate form and proportionately shorter ligament. Some species

reported from the Philippines by Sowerby I have shown to have a

different hinge and separated under the name of Joannisiella.

The first continental American species was obtained by Hemphill

in the marshes of southwest Florida (Marco, Boca Ceiga Key, and

the Everglades) where it affects brackish, or even tolerably salt

water, indifferently. This I named in manuscript C. floridana (cf.

Bull. 37, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1889, No. 217, p. 50). Lastly a fine

Pliocene species was obtained by Mr. Willcox and myself from the

marls of the Caloosahatchie River in south Florida.

Diagnoses of the two latter follow.

Cyrenoidea floridana (Dall, MS., 1889) n. s.

Shell rounded, small, thin, very delicate, whitish or translucent

with a pale, silky, yellowish, dehiscent epidermis ; surface smooth,

or sculptured only by incremental lines; interior margin smooth,

polished ; the visceral area with a dull, more or less punctate sur-

face; pallial line indistinct, often broken, not sinuous; ligament

short, brownish, external ; hinge as in C. duponti but more delicate.

Largest specimen, lon. 13°5, alt. 12°5, diameter 8°0.

The range of the species, as far as known, is from Brunswick

Georgia, south to the Everglades on the east, and, on the west, north

to Charlotte Harbor and vicinity. ;

The animal is distinctly Lucinoid, the foot is long, slender, filiform

and with an ovate, swollen distal termination.

Cyrenoidea caloosaensis n. s.

Shell large, thin, resembling C. floridana, but coarser, with ruder

concentric sculpture, sometimes approaching undulations; more in-

equilateral, the anterior part relatively smaller and shorter, the

anterior left bifid cardinal tooth proportionately much shorter than

in either of the other species of the genus. Lon. of shell 30°9, alt.

27:0, diameter 17°5 mm.

The shell is known, so far, only from the Pliocene marls of south

Florida.

All the species are very similar to one another, and differ only in

minor details of form and hinge. They would, as a rule, be taken

for Diplodontas except for the differences of the hinge.

THE NAUTILUS. 53

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE,

Lonpon, August 11, 1896.

The providential occurrence of a rainy day gives me the oppor-

tunity to make good my promise to write something about the mu-

seums and collections of England before my departure next Saturday

for Paris.

The main collection of shells in the British Museum (Natural

History) occupy a room (or gallery, as it is called) about 140 feet

in length and 40 feet wide. The shells are arrayed in 52 beautiful

mahogany cases, about 8 feet long and 4% feet in breadth. They

extend longitudinally in pairs, making four rows. The cases are of

the horizontal type, with inclosed drawers below. ‘The specimens

are mounted on wooden tablets, which are covered with blue-gray

paper, the smaller and fragile species being in glass-covered boxes

which are also placed on tablets. On each side of the room are

four smaller cases, which contain special collections, viz., some of

the economic uses of shells, the pearl-bearing mollusks, eggs and

egg-capsules of various species, Brachiopoda, some groups of the

Cephalopoda, etc. At the entrance of the gallery there are two

table cases, the one on the left containing pathologic monstrosities

produced by disease and the reparation of injuries, the other sections

of shells showing the internal structure and mode of growth, also

specimens of rock and coral illustrating the boring power of mol-

lusks and several kinds of wood perforated by various species of

boring mollusks. Near the latter, against the wall, are four upright

cases, two on each side; these contain the specimens too large for

the cases containing the general collection. In one of these, pro-

tected by a glass cover, you see the great Pleurotomaria adansoniana,

from Tobago. This shella friend of mine saw in an office in Tobago,

being used as a paper-weight! but, when we wrote for it, “the bird

had flown.” They are evidently not made for paper-weights. Two

large valves of Tridacna gigas, 36 inches in length and weighing

310 pounds, also greet you on entering this magnificent room, and,

if it was near dinner-time, they would probably increase your appe-

tite (since they have become the trade-mark of one of our leading

restaurants) ; but you would soon forget the “inner man” when you

got among some of the conchological gems. I have spent many

hours going over the great collection, and hunting up some of those

old rarities we have read about since boyhood: Cypraea princeps

54 THE NAUTILUS.

(=C. valentia Perry), C. leucodon Brod., C. broderipi Gray, C.

marginata, Conus gloria-maris and many of the beautiful Volutes ;

and looking at those strange forms obtained by the “Challenger”

expedition : Guivillea alabastrina (Southern Ocean, 1600 fathoms),

Provocator pulcher (105 fathoms off Kerguelen), Volutolithes abyssi-

cola (150 fathoms off S. Africa, a genus so common in the Eocene),

Columbarium pagodoides (410 fathoms off Sydney, Australia), Lyria

lutea (275 fathoms off western New Zealand), Oocorys sulcata, and

others. A shell that interested me very much was Fulgur coarctatum

Sowb., two specimens from the Gulf of Mexico. It is undoubtedly

a dextral Fulgur perversum. It reminds one of F. rapwm from the

pliocene of Florida, except that it has a prominent row of. small,

spine-like tubercles at the periphery. Like the few specimens of T.

carica that are sinistral, we may only see such forms once in a life-

time. To describe the beauty and extent of the collection of land

shells space would not permit, even if I could. The groups from

the Philippines seem to be perfect, while the collection of Amphi-

dromus recently monographed by Mr. Hugh Fulton, and which now

contains his types, is a grand sight ; one can hardly imagine the ex-

quisite coloring of some of the species. Equally fine are the groups

representing the African, South American and West Indian faunas.

The Nudibranchiata are shown by an elegant series of glass models,

while throughout the entire collection are wax, glass or alcoholic

representatives of the soft parts of many of the principal genera.

But this is not the only collection of shells. ‘The alcoves round

the central hall, five on each side, are devoted to the Introductory

or Elementary Morphological Collection, designed to teach the most

important points in the structure of the principal types of animal

and plant life, and the terms used in describing them, all of which

should be known before the systematic portion of the collection can

be studied to advantage. This has been called the ‘ Index Museum.’ ”

The Mollusca are in aleove No. VII; here is arranged an elegant

series of anatomical preparations, a large series illustrating the forms

of shells, and other series showing ornamentation, specific variation,

muscular impressions, the hinge-teeth, opercula, ete.

The north end of the central hall is known as the Gallery of

British Zoology. Here is a large collection of the Mollusca of the

British Isles, occupying five of the horizontal and one upright case,

the latter containing the large specimens.

I cannot close this brief description of the collection of Mollusca

in this great Museum without giving you some idea of the vast col-

THE NAUTILUS. 55

lection of fossil mollusks. The Cephalopoda occupy a room one-half

the size of the shell gallery and containing 16 horizontal cases ar-

ranged transversely, while around the entire room are large wall

cases. The Gastropoda and Pelecypoda occupy one-half of a room

the same size as the shell gallery, including large wall cases along

the side (the other half of the gallery being given to the fossil

Arthropoda, Echinodermata, etc.). Then there is another gallery

the size of this devoted to the Cephalopoda, that contains special

collections of historical interest, or collections including a large

number of types described and figured in standard monographs.

The principal ones are the collection formed by William Smith, the

pioneer of geology in England, the Searles Wood collection of Crag

Mollusea, the Edwards collection of Eocene Mollusca, the Davidson

collection of Brachiopoda, the types of Sowerby’s “ Mineral Conch-

ology,’ and specimens belonging to the collection of Sir Hans

Sloane, which was the nucleus of this great Museum.

There is also a very large collection of fossil Mollusca at the

Museum of Practical Geology, which contains the material obtained

by the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom, and here I wish

to express my sincere thanks to Messrs, E. A. Smith, B. B. Wood-

ward and the officials of the British Museum generally, as well as to

Messrs G. F. Harris, E. R. Sykes and others, who did so much to

make my visit to London both pleasant and instructive.

I spent a few very pleasant hours in Cambridge with Rev. Prof.

H. M. Gwatkin, who took great pleasure in showing some of his

rare forms of radule. I cannot describe this collection, and one can

only wonder at the time and careful work involved in making so

many beautiful slides. It is undoubtedly the largest and finest col-

lection of radulz in the world. While at Cambridge, I also had the

good fortune to meet Mr. A. H. Cook, of Kings College, who kindly

showed me the “MacAndrews Collection.” This is a collection that

one could spend hours over, instead of the few minutes hastily spent

in glancing at some of the important groups. The large suites

showing the shell in all stages of development is a very noticeable

feature, and shows what a good selection was made of the large

amount of material evidently obtained by MacAndrew in his exten-

sive dredgings. Another collection which the museum at Cambridge

has recently obtained is the “Saul Collection,’ made by Miss Saul,

of London. The collection is noted for its beautiful Cypreeas.

Here we see all of those mentioned as being in the British Museum,

56 THE NAUTILUS.

except Cyprea leucodon ; while it contains such rarities as Cyprea

barclayi, C. saule, two specimens of C. guttata, large suites of C.

scotti, C. thersites, C. umbilicata and very large and handsome series

of the more common species. Both collections are still in cabinets

of drawers and not publicly exhibited.

The collection of shells on exhibition in the Liverpool, or Derby

Museum, as it is called, although not large, is exceptionally fine, and

represents a great deal of care in its selection. A few species or

genera of fossil forms closely allied to living mollusks'are incorpora-

ted with the latter. Very interesting features of the museum are its

aquaria, where both fresh water and marine mollusks may be seen

alive. Through the kindness of Mr. Joseph A. Clubb, Assistant

Curator, I spent several very pleasant hours in going over these col-

lections.

Cuas. W. JOHNSON.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. |

The summer vacation is finding a number of our members engaged

in collecting and taking notes. We anticipate some fine reports

next December.

The residence of Mrs. Laura N. Trowbridge has been changed

from Whittier, California, to National City, San Diego County, Cal.

MARINE SHELLS ON THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST.

[Extract from the report of Mrs. EK. D. G. Campbell. From the Transactions of the

Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter for 1895.]

My collecting has been done in San Pedro Bay and vicinity.

Mr. Campbell hunting where I had not strength to go.

During January and February at Dead Man’s Island have found

a few fine specimens of Astralium (Pomaulax) undosus Wood and

Pteronotus festivus Hds.

Upon the breakwater connecting Dead Man’s Island with Termi-

nal Island, Aemea scabra Nutt., A. spectrum Nutt., Littorina planaais

Nutt. and L. scutulata Gld. were very plentiful. At extreme low

tide in the drift, on the sandy beach along the northern part of the

ert

THE NAUTILUS. 57

breakwater, I found numerous bright, perfect (dead) specimens of

Calliostoma gemmulatum Cpr., Modiola recta Conr., Scala hindsii

Cpr., Siliqua patula Dixon (small specimens), Solen rosaceus Cpr.

and Fisswrella volcano Rve., while the occasional finding of a pretty

Calliostoma gloriosum Dall, Erato vitellina Hds., Mitromorpha filosa

Cpr. or Actwon (Rictaxis) punctocelatus has marked the day.

During the low tides of the last month (November), alive upon

the rocks at White’s Point we found a few fine specimens of Mitra

maura Swains., and Gadinia reticulata Sby. The under side of

some of the large stones there were covered with Astyris gausapata

Gld. var. carinata, which little animals would move off at such rapid

pace that it required lively movements to capture them. With the

Astyris were a few Scala Hindsii.

In the vicinity of Laguna near Three Arches, among Mytilus cali-

fornicus Conr., Purpura lima Mart. var. emarginata Desh. were

very plentiful, some of them larger than I had seen before. There

was also one nice living Cyprea spadicea Gray. Upon the beach

sand were several bright, large specimens of Trivia solandri Gray.

These were dead, as were all but one of Muricidea incisa Brod.,

which were quite plentiful. Macron lividus A. Ad. was there, too,

living upon the under side of large stones.

At Catalina on the Main, upon the beach, were several specimens

of Chrysodomus (Kellettia) Kelletti Fbs., which had been brought in

by fishermen. But the “find” which I appreciated most was that

of a “ baker’s dozen ” of living Semele rupium Sby., upon the rocks

above extreme low tide, at a place about one mile and a half west of

Laguna.

NOTES ON THE PARVUS GROUP OF UNIONIDZ AND ITS ALLIES.

BY CHAS. T. SIMPSON.

Mr. R. Ellsworth Call, so well known as an able student of the

American Unionide, has recently published a revision and synon-

omy of the Parvus group of Unionide,’ and I wish to call attention

to certain points in the paper.

The Parvus group is, in general, well characterized, consisting of

small Unios, with brownish to blackish epidermis, rayless or feebly-

1 Proc. Indiana Acad. Science for 1895, pp. 109-119, plates I-VI.

58 THE NAUTILUS.

rayed posteriorly, usually somewhat pointed behind, the females dis-

tinguished from the males by a well-developed basal swelling, and

the beak sculpture consisting of parallel, curved ridges, which are

drawn in towards the hinge-line posteriorly, and are more open

anteriorly. The cardinals are usually compressed, often torn and

reflected upwards, and the nacre is generally brilliant bluish-silvery,

becoming richly iridescent behind, but it is sometimes purple. The

peculiar beak sculpture, much like that of the Tetralasmus group,

is one of the best characters when not eroded away.

Mr. Call is right in his criticism on my paper on the Unionide of

Florida, in which I placed Unio trossulus Lea and U. lepidus

Gould in the Parvus group. At the time of writing that paper I

had carefully examined all of Lea’s material, all the general collec-

tion of the National Museum, much of B. H. Wright’s, Mrs. George

Andrews’, Wm. A. Marsh’s, Rey. A. Dean’s and my own collection

of Florida and Georgia Unios of this general type, but had not

found a specimen old or young that showed the beak sculpture.

Recently, in examining some specimens of U. amygdalum in Mr. A.

G. Wetherby’s collection, from Clear Lake, Florida, I noticed that

the beak sculpture was perfect, and consisted of a double loop, hence

they cannot be placed in the Parvus group. I may remark, in

passing, that having seen Gould’s type of U. lepidus, I should un-

hesitatingly pronounce it the same as Lea’s amygdalum.

Unfortunately, Mr. Barnes’ description of Unio parvus’ is very

brief and imperfect, and the only figure he gave of it is an outline.

Much confusion exists concerning this species, and it is often con-

founded with Unio texasensis ; in fact, Mr. Lea himself has placed a

lot of specimens of the latter species from northern localities among

the parvus in his own collection. Unio texasensis certainly extends

into southern Indiana and Illinois, and well north into Missouri and

Kansas. In general, U. parvus is smaller than U. texasensis, is more

inflated and cylindrical, rather more elongated, and has a much

more evenly rounded posterior region. The latter is almost always

distinctly pointed behind.

I cannot agree with all of Mr. Call’s synonomy. I have all of

Lea’s types of this and related groups before me. U. marginus Lea,

and U. cromwelli Lea, are probably the same, and are, no doubt,

members of the Parvus group, but are widely different from U. par-

vus, in which he places the former, as they are shorter, less inflated,

2 Am. Jl. Science and Arts, VI, 1823, p. 174, pl. XIII, fig. 18.

ee ee

}

THE NAUTILUS. 59

and have a copper-tinted nacre. U. paulus Lea and N. corvinus

Lea are very likely the same species, but I should not place them in

the synonomy of U. parvus as Mr. Call does.

U. visicularis Lea, of which I have before me the two original

Specimens on which the species was founded, is certainly not U.

parvus. Both these specimens are dead shells, very badly eroded

and in poor condition, but they are nearer to U. amygdalum than

any of the Parvus group, and probably are merely a somewhat

heavy, light-brown variety of that species. Unio singleyanus is a

smooth, shining, yellowish or waxy-brown shell, sometimes tinted

and rayed with green, and very different from U. parvus. .-And U.

minor seems to me to be more nearly related to U. vesicularis than

to U. parvus, under which Mr. Call places it.

Unio halevanus Lea is not noticed in this revision of the Par-

vus group, although it should undoubtedly be placed with that

assemblage. It is the largest of the species, one of Lea’s specimens

before me being 2 inches long by 12 high, and is nearest to U. texas-

ensis, but is a less heavy species.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Mexican Lanp SHEt1s.—Professor T. D. A. Cockerell has sent

to me a few land shells collected at San Rafael, Jicaltepec, Vera

Cruz, by Professor C. H. T. Townsend. The species are:

Helicina flavida Mke. Wonderfully variable in color. Some are

uniform yellow with red apex; others uniform reddish; others

whitish with the spire red, or whitish below, red above, while some

specimens are girt with a reddish band above the periphery, on a

whitish ground. ‘The size also varies considerably.

Glandina? <A species of the decussatus group, not adult.

Volutaxis similaris Strebel. Somewhat larger than the type, alt.

7 mm.

Praticolella griseola Pfr.

Praticolella ampla Pfr. This Helix looks a good deal like simi- |

laris Fér.

Bulimulus sulphureus Pfr. Besides the ordinary unicolored form,

there is one example with five reddish bands, the umbilical and basal

continuous, those above interrupted into squarish spots at irregular

intervals. This color-form has not before been noticed.—H. A. P.

60 THE NAUTILUS.

MARYLAND SHELLS.—In the Nautius, Vol. X, p. 28, you men-

tion some shells not before recorded from Maryland, inter alia, H.

intertexta Binn. I find, however, this is recorded from that State by

Binney in his Terr. Moll. U.S., II, p. 207—G. K. Gude.

Messrs SimpsON AND WALKER have been making a vacation

journey in North Carolina and Georgia. They report the rivers too

high for successful clamming.

Mr. E. G. Vanarra is spending the summer at Chestertown, Md.

NEW PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Mr. G. K. Gupe describes a new Corasia from Luzon, C. laure,

in Science Gossip for August. It is a pale-blue shell, another of the

beautiful H.regine group. The following Philippine and Marianne

Island Helices are figured: Ganesella catocyrta, G. apex with var.

apiculata, Endodonta quadrasi, Charopa fusca and Trochomorpha

boettgert Mildff. & Quadras; also Pyramidula omalisma “ Bet.”

Fagot, from near Barcelona, Spain. These species have not hitherto

been figured.

I. A Revision AND SYNONYMY OF THE ParRvus GROUP OF

Untonip&. IL. Seconp ConrrisuTion 1o A KNOWLEDGE OF

Inp1AnA Moxuusoa. III. Inprana Univ. Biou. Sra. Report on

Mo.uuusca (From Proc. Indiana Acad. Science for 1895). By R.

Ellsworth Call. In the Unio parvus group, Professor Call recog-

nizes four species: U. parvus, U. texasensis, U. glans, U. amygdalum.

Alleged synonyms of U. parvus are: U. paulus, minor, marginis,

corvinus, vesicularis of Lea and U. singleyanus Marsh. From this

extraordinary synonymy it will be seen that our author belongs to

the extreme “lumper” class. Some other points in the paper are

equally ill-taken, but it is not worth while to criticise in detail where

nearly everything is wrong. Six plates of characteristic, though

rather crude figures, illustrate the forms.

The second and third papers continue Prof. Call’s very praise-

worthy efforts to record the distribution and variations of Indiana

Mollusks, and do not admit of abstract here; but those interested in

the detailed mapping of the areas of our species will be grateful for

Call’s good work in this field, as well as for the similar service he

did in cataloguing Kansas shells.

THe NAautTILus.

Von. X. OCTOBER, 1896. No. 6

SOME NOTES ON THE COLLECTION OF SHELLS IN THE MUSEUMS OF

PARIS, BERLIN AND AMSTERDAM.

BY C. W. JOHNSON.

The collection of shells in the Museum of Zoology, Jardin des

Plantes, Paris, is one often referred to as being the only collection

in which you can see the recent and fossil species side by side. One,

therefore, naturally imagines what such a collection should be, and,

as usual under such circumstances, one is somewhat disappointed.

The collection is distributed as follows: Around the entire outer

portion or railing of the first gallery, in a case about two feet in

width, are arranged the Pelecypoda, while on the second gallery

around the entire wall, in a wide, slanting case or shelf (with corals

above and a series of eight drawers beneath) are arranged the Gas-

tropoda. ‘This necessarily scatters the collection to a great extent,

and makes it very inconvenient. A collection of the recent and

fossil species arranged together is very interesting and instructive,

but it should be a special collection of such forms as can be readily

traced back through geological time, and which anyone would con-

sider to be the prototypes of the recent species; in other words, the

primary object of such a collection should be to show the evolution

of species and genera. The study of recent and fossil mollusca is

now divided into well-defined specialties; no one person can cover

with success more than a few closely related groups, faunz or

formations; so it seems to us that a large collection should be ar-

ranged accordingly. The paleontologist must be a geologist, also ;

62 THE NAUTILUS.

he cannot ignore stratigraphy; therefore, the collection most con-

venient to him is one arranged geologically ; again, he is making

a special study of the tertiary mollusca, and has, for instance,

a collection of Paris Basin fossils, he would not want to travel

two or three hundred linear feet, on two or three different gal-

leries to determine his material. Neither would the collector of

recent shells want to delve among the overwhelming mass of fossils

to name his collection. -I think that we can therefore lay aside this

plan (which is advocated by many) as being entirely inconsistent

with our present system of investigation. ‘The specimens in the

Museum are mounted on tablets, the recent on white and the fossil

on yellow, the label being pasted on the lower edge of the tablet.

The collection of mollusca in the Museum of Natural History of

Berlin, presents many features of interest. It occupies one-half of

a large room, that is divided into small alcoves by tall, upright

cases. All of the alcoves open into a passage-way along the side of

the room, leaving three sides for the display of specimens. Each

alcove is about 20 x 30 feet, and in the center of each is a long hori-

zontal case, with drawers beneath, containing an exhibit of the land

and fresh water shells of Germany, and the mollusea of the North

and Mediterranean Seas. The latter are arranged longitudinally in

a series, the one above the other. The conditions of the two seas

being so different, the two collections form a very interesting com-

parison. The general collection is arranged in the upright cases in

cardboard trays, above which the printed label is held by a small

card holder. In the upper part of the cases are a series of enlarged

drawings of the animals, radule, jaws, darts, etc. On top of the cases

is a light iron framework, on which are hung excellent charts of the

“‘Weichthiere,’ showing the anatomical features of the leading groups.

Throughout the entire museum great emphasis is placed on geo-

graphical distribution. At the entrance to the rooms is a large chart

of the world, each faunal region having a different color. Under

each chart is a series of the labels used in the museum, the labels

having a wide colored border to indicate the different faunz. Small

charts are also placed among the specimens, the areas inhabited by

certain species being colored.

In the Zoological Garden at Amsterdam, are two museums of

natural history. The one devoted to the fauna of the Netherlands

contains a very good collection of the shells of Holland. . The other

occupies the second floor of a long building, extending each side

THE NAUTILUS. 63

from a central hall. Around the walls of these two rooms are ar-

ranged the birds and mammals, while in the center in two longi-

tudinal rows of table cases is a splendid collection of shells, a collec-

tion that any museum should be proud of. One can get an idea of

the space occupied by the following figures: Each case was about

23 x 4 feet, and of these there were 144. In hastily going over this

collection, certain families and genera were represented by magnifi-

cent specimens, and seemed almost complete, the most noticeable

being the Pectinide, Veneridz, Cardiide, Crassatellide, etc. Among

the Volutids and Conidz were many of the rarer species, while the

Cypraea were graced by the presence of C. princeps and: C. guttata.

Very interesting in showing color variation was the very large suite

of Nanina citrina. But my time was too limited to do justice to

these grand collections, and, at the time of my visit, the curators

were either on vacation or absent for the day. Our readers will

therefore please pardon the incompleteness of these brief descrip-

tions.

INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT UPON THE FORM AND COLOR OF

HELIX ALTERNATA.

BY C. C. ORMSBEE, MONTPELIER, VT.

The Helix alternata is one of the most abundant of the larger

forms of New England land shells, and, in its distribution, it extends

over nearly the whole of the United States. Yet, owing to its hab-

its, it is not as familiar as many of the more rare species. It is sel-

dom, if ever, seen crawling upon the ground, after the fashion of

other so-called snails, but nearly, or quite, always found snugly

hidden in some old log or stump, or piece of rotten wood, which, by

the way, forms its food.

It is extremely nocturnal in its habits, feeding during the night

and never stirring during the day time, unless disturbed, in which

case it will crawl to the nearest place of concealment and resume its

slumbers. It never ventures from its home except during the breed-

ing season, and hence, when one is found, others may generally

be found near by. In color the H. alternata is one of the most

beautiful shells, being striped by alternate bands of light and dark

of different shades, from which fact the common name of “ tiger-

snail” has been given to it.

64 THE NAUTILUS.

Its favorite location is between the bark and wood of a decaying

log or stump, and it always selects a cool, shady and rather moist

spot. It prefers maple, elm or ash. I have never found it in con-

nection with any of the resinous varieties of wood. .

Now, different kinds of wood in decaying, form products of vary-

ing shades of color. Thus decayed maple is almost black; elm is

dark brown; ash is light brown; beech is still lighter, and birch has

a reddish tinge. It is no less true that the shells of the H. alternata

differ in shade and resemble that of the wood in which they are

found, and which forms a part of their food. Thus those found in

maple are almost black; those in elm are dark brown; those in ash

are light brown; those in beech are stil] lighter, and those in birch

have a reddish tinge. I have shells in my collection extending

through almost every gradation of color, from black to ashy-white.

In some the black stripes predominate and almost obliterate the ~

white ones. In others the black stripes are almost wholly wanting,

and in a few they are replaced by reddish colored stripes, indicating

in every case the nature of the hiding-place of each individual.

Again, the bark of decaying trees clings much more tightly under

some conditions than under others, and this has a marked effect

upon the upper surface of the shell. I have one shell which is al-

most as convex as the H. albolabris.. I recollect that it was found in

a cavity where its upper surface could never be touched. Another

was found in a narrow crevice, where it had barely room to squeeze

itself, and its upper surface is perfectly flat, and it might well be

taken for a subspecies, Between these extremes every variation of

angle may be found, all seeming to result from a greater or Jess de-

gree of pressure. Or, rather, having been governed by the height

of the crevice in which they developed.

Theoretically, the supposition may have one or two slight objec-

tions which it is not necessary to mention, but it is based upon

several hundred observations, and I believe it to be correct.

TWO NEW PISIDIA.

BY DR. V. STERKI.

Pisidium pauperculum n. sp.

Mussel of moderate size, rather oblique, moderately to rather

strongly inflated; beaks slightly posterior, moderately large and

prominent, rounded; scutum and scutellum slightly marked; edges

THE NAUTILUS. 65

acute or acutish, not pinched; superior and inferior margins mod-

erately curved, posterior well rounded or slightly truncated, joining

the inferior without any marked angle; antero-superior margin

sloping, oblique, slightly curved, meeting the inferior at an angle

situated rather inferior, more distant in the adult than in younger

examples; surface very finely striated, polished ; color pale or yel-

lowish to greenish-horn, sometimes whitish or straw in old speci-

mens; shell thin, translucent; hinge moderately strong; cardinal

teeth of the right valve moderately curved, its posterior end thick-

ened, those of the left valve lamellar, almost equal, the superior

rather short, slightly oblique and little curved ; lateral teeth rather

strong ; ligament short, thin.

Long. 3:2, alt. 2°7 ; diam. 1°9 mill., in the average.

It has a wide geographical distribution, and is one of the most

common Pisidia, having been seen from Massachusetts : Winchester

(E. W. Roper); New York: Mohawk, Herkimer County, Erie

Canal (E. W. Roper, A. Bailey, Dr. Jas. Lewis); Hudson River

(R. E. C. Stearns) ; Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, in different waters

(M. Schick); New Jersey: White Pond, dredged (Pilsbry and

Rhoads); Michigan: Ann Arbor, High Island Harbor in Lake

Michigan ; East Saginaw, Pine Lake, dredged (Br. Walker) ; Grand

Rapids (L. H.Streng); Wisconsin: Fox River (Geo. T. Marston) ;

Minnesota: Clearwater and Mississippi Rivers, Heath Lake (H. E.

Sargent) ; fossil, at White Pond, N. J. (Pilsbry and Rhoads).

Our species is one of modest appearance, and yet somewhat

unique. Being so common, it has evidently been overlooked, or

taken for younger specimens of some others, owing to its want of

striking features; hence the name given to it. Almost always the

mussel is more or less coated with a blackish or rusty substance in

a rather characteristic way, especially over the beaks and upper

part, even when found in company with other Pisidia not thus

coated, so that this is a feature of the species, usually independent of

the habitat. Yet sometimes all specimens in a place are found clean,

e. g., those (dredged) from White Pond, New Jersey. Dead shells

are of a rather characteristic plumbeous-gray color.

The species is variable, though being more constant in each place.

There are marked differences in size and shape, prominence of the

beaks and color. Especially notable is a form from Michigan, with

less curved superior and inferior margins, the posterior end more

abrupt, obliquely, so that the outline of the mussel resembles an ob-

66 THE NAUTILUS.

lique parallelogram; others, from Michigan and Minnesota, are

very high, the altitude equalling or even exceeding the length.

Some of these local forms may prove to be true varieties.

This Pisidium has caused considerable trouble, correspondence

and controversy for a long time. Almost two years ago it was

recognized as a well-defined species, and given its present name.

Then Mr. E. W. Roper obtained a type specimen of Pis. ferrugi-

neum Prime, from the Museum of the Boston Society of Natural

History, which he kindly sent me for comparison, and we were both

satisfied at once that it was identical with the present species.

Several examples, of T. Prime's own hand, also named P. ferrugi-

neum, from “ New York,” in my collection, probably none of them

mature, are of the same species. After this, the present name was

suppressed, although it was evident that all these Pisidia were very

far from being congruent, as to size and shape, with the author’s de-

scription and figures of Pis. ferrugineum, in Mon. Pis. and Mon.

Corbiculadae. Among the thousands of specimens seen from New

England and New York, none could be referred to these descrip-

tions, and so necessarily the question arose: What, and where, is the

true P. ferruginewm of Prime’ Last winter, Mr. Roper received sev-

eral lots of Pisidia from Cambridge and Waltham, Mass., and from

Maine, and obliged me by forwarding them for examination.

Among them there was undoubtedly the long sought for Pis. ferru-

gineum, in every particular conforming with the author’s description

as well as the figures in Mon. Pis. (Pl. XII, figs. 8, 9,10). Now we

knew also that Pis. pauperculum was distinct and deserving a name

of its own. The mixing up of the two species by Prime, is ex-

plained by the fact that both of them are usually covered with a

dark or blackish “ ferruginous ” substance, in the same way, giving

them the same outward appearance, the more so as in some forms or

specimens of Pis. pauperculum the beaks are rather high and promi-

nent, though rounded, and not “tubercular,” without ridges (Conf.

the figures cited above). Under the impression that they were iden-

tical, the author could say that P. ferrugineum was one of our most

common species, while properly restricted, it seems to be rather rare.

Pisidium scutellatum n. sp.

Mussel of medium size, rather high, oblique, markedly protracted

downward in its anterior part, well rounded, rather strongly in-

1The author himself could not be consulted, since he had given up, long

ago, the study of these mussels.

THE NAUTILUS. 67

flated ; beaks much posterior, rather large, prominent rounded ;

superior margin short, little curved, or almost straight, scutum and

scutellum well marked, forming projecting angles; the other mar-

gins well curved, or the posterior very slightly truncated, anterior

end well rounded, or with a slight indication of an angle; surface

polished, with irregular striae and some coarse lines of growth ; shell

thin, transparent, of a yellowish-horn to amber color, often grayish

or brownish-horn in old specimens, and whitish on the beaks; nacre

glassy, inner surface microscopically rugulose; hinge fine, short,

cardinal teeth lamellar, the one in the right valve moderately

curved, its posterior end thicker; the inferior in the left valve

curved, the superior little so or almost straight; lateral teeth very

short, very abrupt, pointed, thin, little projecting into the cavity of

the mussel ; ligament small.

Long. 4:0, alt. 3°6, diam. 2°8 mill.

Long. 3°3, alt. 2°8, diam. 2°4 mill. or less (deep water form).

The center of its distribution is in the region of the Great

Lakes, where it seems to be common, especially northward, in the

great and small Jakes and rivers. It has been dredged from deep

water in different places: Pine Lake, 5-11 meters; Lake Michigan,

off New York Point, 24 meters; also taken from the stomachs of

white fish of Lake Michigan. These deep water forms, almost all

dead shells, were first seen among materials sent by Mr. Bryant

Walker, in 1894. Later, fresh specimens in lots from different

places in Michigan were sent by Mr. Bryant Walker, L. H. Streng

and Geo. T. Marston; from different waters of the Mississippi drain-

age, in Minnesota, by Mr. H. E. Sargent. A few specimens, in two

identical lots, in Br. Walker’s and Roper’s collections, from Shen-

don, Montana, at an elevation of 9000 feet, have much resemblance

with our species, yet differ in some points, and it will take more

materials to ascertain whether they are identical or not.

This is one of our most characteristic Pisidia, distinguished, beside

its surface features, color and the configuration of the hinge, by its

oblique shape and the much larger anterior part. This character it

has in common with Pis. virginicum Gmel. and walkeri ; the former

of these is out of the question; the latter species is much more elon-

gated, its beaks are much smaller, the outline is more angular, and

the surface dull, from microscopic lamellae, but even.

Pis. scutellatum is somewhat variable: the largest specimens seen,

from Orchard Lake, Mich., are 4°5 mill. long. Those from deep

68 THE NAUTILUS.

water are the smallest and most inflated, and their beaks are com-

monly more prominent ; some of them have crowded striae of growth.

New Philadelphia, O., Sept., 1896.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

NOTES ON SOME SHELLS OF PUGET SOUND.

[Extract from the report of Mrs. M. Drake. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea

Conchological Chapter for 1895. ]

In January, I went out to Gig Harbor, but the tides were not

good and I got few shells. About seventy Pterorhytis foliatus were

found at Point Richmond, some of them quite large with rich brown

bands. We find this shell at quite low tide, clinging to the rocks

in much the same way as Purpura crispata, and its operculum is

very much like that of the Purpura, only it is of a deeper brown

and stronger. A horn is on each one of its three wing-like varices.

As it grows in strong currents, its shell is heavy and not easily

broken. |

I also collected (dredged) some young Pecten hastatus which are

plain in color, and without the lovely spines of the adult. We

found them attached to kelp. The young are attached to kelp by

their byssus, while the larger ones are free swimming, and can move

quite rapidly through the water. We take most of them in several

feet of water, with a dip-net, at low tide.

We find four species of Saxidomus, they are Saxidomus nuttalli,

S. squalidus, S. aratus and S. brevisiphonaria. As the last name

indicates, that species has short siphons, and it is more rounded,

shorter and has a stronger shell. I found two species of Cardium

at Brown’s Point, one being in somewhat deeper water than the

other, with a rougher, heavier and plainer shell. The animal is also

different. By the way, how can conchologists be sure of the differ-

ences and resemblances of closely allied shells without studying the

living animals?’ I am sure I could not have seen so much beauty

1 Here is where we amateurs may add to the general knowledge by studying

the animal in its habitat while it is yet alive—M. B. W.

THE NAUTILUS. 69

in shells had I not studied the animals in them and learned of their

friends and their enemies, their food and manner of reproduction.

I have also learned that when we find certain species we may expect

to find there certain other species, either because both like the same

conditions of life, or one may prey upon another.

Lepeta concentrica was one of my new finds in April. It was

dredged from 100 feet of water and was clinging to stones, to which

Waldheimia pulvinata and the eggs and young of Placunanomia

maeroschisma were also attached. Placunanomia macroschisma

grows to a large size here, four inches across, and of a lovely green

tint inside. The animal is a bright orange in color, and is good

eating.

During March and April we collected several thousand of the

finest Purpura crispata I have ever seen—pure white, orange, brown,

striped and banded, smooth and foliated, huge and infantile, one can

hardly tell how variously beautiful they are. I have given two entire

drawers in my cabinet to them. I have one in color exactly like a

violet snail.

During May we found several live Acmea mitra, whose ‘ white

caps” had a most decided green color. They are larger than the

southern ones. I got five shells, which were new to me, from

Lemon’s Beach, on the Narrows—Eulima rutila, a shell of rare

beauty both in form and color, being pure white at the apex and

bright rosy pink at the base; Hulima falcata, pure white and larger

than E. rutila; Axinea intermedia, larger than described in west

coast shells; one Lucina, unknown at Washington, and some fine

Semele rubroradiata which live in the little sandy pit-holes of a hard

cement reef which is bare at low tide. Here, too, we found many

live Psammobia rubroradiata. Both kinds of these red-rayed clams,

especially the latter, told us where they lived by spouting up small

streams of water at intervals.

In company with a friend I went to Fort Defiance where we found

Acmea digitalis living in the crack of a granite rock. We found

Cryptochiton stellert and an unknown Chiton, whose shell is salmon-

colored on the inside. Cryptochiton is very abundant here at

certain times, when they come ashore to breed. We have collected

several hundred of them at a place, and a month later not one was

to be seen. Our largest was thirteen inches long. Most of them

are brown, but some are almost white. We found them on rocks

and flat on the pebbly beach at extreme low tide. We found them

70 THE NAUTILUS.

quite hard to clean properly. The Indians are fond of the sole-

like strip which protects the insides, and are fond of the eggs which

are very numerous. These animals look so much like the rocks on

which they cling, that few of the frequenters of the beach knew the

animal when we showed it to them.

NOTES AND NEWS.

GREEN-HovseE SHELLS.—This spring I found some Zonites glaber

Stud. in one of the green-houses of this city. It was identified for me

by Dr. W. H. Dall. Arion hortensis Fér. was found at the same

place and identified by Mr. H. A. Pilsbry. Zonites lucidus Drap is

found in all the green-houses of the city.

P. B. Ranpo.pg, Seattle, Washington.

Nore on Lepa caELAtTa Hinps.—This species was described by

Hinds in the Geology of the Voyage of the Sulphur, p. 64, pl. 18,

fig. 138, 1844, and Proc. Zool. Soc. London for 18438, p. 99. But

Conrad had already described a fine species of Leda from the Clai-

borne sands under this specific name, in the Am. Jour. Sci., Vol.

XXIII, p. 348, Jan., 1833. This, in December of the same year,

was renamed brogniarti by Lea, Contr. to Geology, p. 82, pl. 3, fig.

61. Consequently the species of Hinds requires a new specific

name. As there is already a D. hindsti of Hanley, I propose to

substitute for coelata the specific name of taphria, while Leda brog-

niartt Lea must retain the prior name of Conrad.—-W. H. Datu.

CALLISTA VARIANS HANLEY, IN EASTERN FLORIDA.—Mr. J. J.

White, of Rockledge, Fla., reports the finding of numerous speci-

mens of this species ine-Lake Worth, on mud flats near the Inlet.

This seems to be the first finding of this West Indian species in

Florida.

NEW PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

DIAGNOSES OF NEW MOLLUSKS FROM THE SURVEY OF THE MExI-

cAN Bounpary, by W. H. Dall (Proc. U.S. N. Mus., xviii, pp. 1-6).

Patula strigosa var. concentrata, New Mexico; a small race, further

southward than any other reported.

Epiphragmophora arizonensis, near Tucson, Arizona.

Epiphragmophora hatchitana, Hachita Grande Mt.

Epiphragmophora arnheimi, California:

THE NAUTILUS. (ai

Polygyra chiricahuana, Arizona,

Polygyra mearnsii, New Mexico.

Holospira crossei, pilsbryi, bilamellata, mearnsii, veracruziana, all

from New Mexico and Mexico.

Unio mitchelli Simpson, a Texan species collected by Hon. J. D.

Mitchell.

Cerion pineria, Isle of Pines (S. of Cuba).

List oF DuPLICATES OF JAPANESE SHELLS COLLECTED BY

FREDERICK Stearns (Detroit, 1896). <A list for purposes of ex-

change, which may be obtained on application by those having

shells, echinoderns, corals, etc., to offer for Japanese shells.

Draenoses OF New Tertiary Fossits FROM HE SOUTHERN

United States. By W. H. Dall (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., XVIII,

pp. 21-46, 1895). This paper deals mainly with new or misunder-

stood species of Bulloid Tectibranchs, of Terebra and of Conus. A

new section of Bullina, Abderospira, is proposed for a new Chipola

species; and Wakullina is a new subgenus of Cantraine’s genus

Carolia. A general discussion of the Terebridz of our tertiaries

precedes the descriptions of new forms. The preliminary remarks

under Conus have a vastly wider application than to the particular

genus under discussion, and cut at the root of a false method in

much paleontologic work of both hemispheres. We refer more

especially to this paragraph. The italics are our own: “ The gen.

eral rule that local faune are derived from pre-existing faune of the

same general region 1s a good guide, and a careful comparison of the

fossils with the recent types will often assist materially in determin-

ing the relations of fossil forms. The identifications which travel to

distant faune for representatives—as, for instance, the Indo-Pacific

fauna for Haitian fossils—are usually wrong, and all Gabb’s identi-

fications of this sort will be modified by further and more careful

study. Analogous characteristics are often purely dynamic in forms of

different lineage, subjected to similar conditions, in widely separated

localities. Where modern faune differ in the races of any genus

which they contain, the antecedent fossils in the same regions are

not likely to be much more nearly related.” We have, for some

years, been endeavoring to persuade our German friends of the

truth of this general doctrine as applied to their tertiary land snails,

but without much success thus far ; so that it is peculiarly refreshing

to find an acknowledged master stating the result of his broad experi-

ence in other groups, in diction so unequivocal as the above extract.

72 THE NAUTILUS.

OBITUARY—B. SCHMACKER.!

A letter just received from Shanghai, China, announces the death

of B. ScHMACKER, Esq, of that city, in Yokohama.

Mr. Schmacker was a most enthusiastic conchologist. It was his

aim and purpose to close up all his business affairs next winter and

devote the balance of his life to his shells. During his long resi-

dence in the far East he had collected extensively in China, Japan,

and the islands of the coast, and had, at the time of his death, prob-

ably the finest private collection of oriental land and fresh-water

shells in the world.

From time to time, as his business engagements permitted, he

published papers upon various conchological topics. I can now

only recall certain pamphlets upon Formosa shells, Chinese Clau-

siliae, Chinese Helices, and, I believe, a paper upon the Molluscan

fauna of the island Hainan.

Much of his literary work was done in connection with Boettger

and von Mollendorff. He told me a year ago that it was his purpose

to write a comprehensive work upon Chinese land and fresh-water

shells, and that it was to that end that he had made such extensive

collections in China and the neighboring islands. I doubt if any-

one could have been better qualified for this undertaking.

Personally, Mr. Schmacker was a most charming man. He was

kindness itself, and his greatest happiness seemed to be to give others

pleasure. He had a keen sense of humor, and was a most agreeable

conversationalist. Unfortunately, he was somewhat deaf; but I be-

lieve it was only the disagreeable things he could not hear.

He was manager of the great German trading firm of Carlowitz

& Co., of Shanghai, and was a man of some wealth.

His death will be mourned by a host of friends in Asia and Eu-

rope, and his loss will be felt by the brotherhood of conchologists

all over the world. .

JOHN B. HENDERSON, JR.

Bar Harbor, Me., Sept. 17, 1896.

1 We take the liberty of publishing the above letter from Mr. John B. Hen-

derson, Jr., bringing us the sad news of the death of one of the most capable

of Oriental conchologists. During a short visit to Philadelphia some years

ago, Mr. Schmacker became known to us; but it is not alone as an excellent

conchologist, but as a man of rare and attractive personal qualities that we

have valued his friendship and regret his untimely death.

THe NAUvTILUS.

Von. x. NOVEMBER, 1896. No. 7

CASCO BAY.

BY REV. HENRY W. WINKLEY.

The two most famous collecting grounds on the coast of Maine

are Eastport and Casco Bay. The writer having spent several sum-

mers at Eastport, devoted his energies this year to Casco Bay. From

the city of Portland to Cape Small the distance is perhaps thirteen

miles. From the mainland to the outer islands is some six miles.

This area is said to contain 365 islands. A fortunate location was

secured on one of the outer islands, in a central position as regards

the longer axis of the Bay. The naturalists of the expedition were

the writer and his two enthusiastic and constant companions Frank

H. and Robert L. Winkley aged 10 and 72 respectively. The shores

are for the most part rocky, affording occasional tide pools rich in

animal life. The bottom is of every variety, giving opportunity for

any taste the mollusca may display. Land shells abound on the

outer islands. Singularly they find a favorite home here while on

the main land they are exceedingly scarce. We visited, for land

shells, Eagle, Brown Cow, Jewells, inner and outer Green and Cliff

Islands; on all but outer Green we obtained good results. The most

curious of this group is the famous Brown Cow. In the midst of

rough ledges,—an out post fronting the open sea,—this mere spot, rises

with perpendicular cliffs to a height of at least fifteen feet. The ap-

proach must be made in calm weather, and at low tide. We hada

half hour’s visit and such a harvest! The top of the island is one half

covered with grass, the other half is a clump of bushes. Helix hor-

74 THE NAUTILUS.

tensis covered the leaves and branches of these bushes, the varieties

being the yellow and five banded. On the ground Pyramidula

alternata, Polygyra albolabris and Succinea obliqua were abundant.

We obtained the famous wine colored variety of P. albolabris, and

among the specimens discovered a set banded with fine lines, like

P. multilineata. Time was precious and we collected expedi-

iously as the tide was coming in. We escaped from the island with

a slight ducking from the surf, but happy are the results. On Green

island a few specimens of H. hortensis were found, among them

two full grown forms, which had for some reason started to grow

again; extending from the finished lip was a continuation of the outer

whorl, but of a dirty cream color and rough with ridges. On one

of the islands Frank discovered the home of the albino P. alternata,

a valuable prize. Shore collecting gave us a beautiful series of the

various varieties of Purpura lapillus, and some of the specimens were

the largest we have seen. Wealso found Buccinum, Skenea planorbis,

Turtonia minuta, Rissoa aculeus, Lacuna vineta, and the common

shore varieties. Considerable time was given to dredging in depths

from seven to twenty-five fathoms. One summer is far too short to

exhaust this region, but many localities were dredged with good

results. A dozen to fifteen new forms were added to the cabinet,

and at least fifty duplicate sets, to represent the Bay, found places in

the collection. Five species of chitons were found, including Amicula

Emersonii ; a few fine specimens of Pecten magellanicus were dredged,

among them one that had received an injury and in repairing had

turned the edges of both valves upward so that they grew at right

angles to the natural plane. The interesting genus Bela revealed a

half dozen or more species, harpularia being the most abundant.

Brachiopods were fount occasionally, and sponges, shrimp, echino-

derms and other invertebrates were abundant, but with much regret

at not having the means to care for them they were returned to the

sea. A list of results would contain all of the common forms. The

more rare species included the genera Thracia, Astarte, Nucula,

Modiolaria, Crenella, Cylichna, Margarita, Odostomia, Lunatia,

Velutina, Astyris and others.

Since the above article was written I have read with much interest

the article on “ Helix alternata” by Mr. Ormsby. I do not wish to

take anything from his statements, but to add one or two concerning

that species. The islands of Casco Bay are good to stand a man on

his head, figuratively if not literally, for he meets with circumstances

THE NAUTILUS. 75

which upset his former ideas. Land shells are very scarce in the

state of Maine, at least in the parts I have visited. Asa rule two

or three specimens of the larger species, would be all one would find

after a careful search, not so, however, on the small islands. Pyra-

midula alternata occurs in great profusion. Polygyra albolabris and

Helix hortensis are also abundant. PP. alternata occurs on one island,

some distance from any trees, just above high water mark, its only

shelter being rocks and small raspberry bushes. In this location

some two hundred, including the albino, were found. On another

island it occurs in the woods but crawling on the ground, so numer-

ous is it, that one can hardly step without crushing the shells. Fur-

thermore it was found feeding on animal matter, dead crabs and

shells left by the crows were covered with hungry individuals.

THE SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF SPHYRADIUM (‘‘ PUPA’’)

EDENTULUM Drap.

BY DR. V. STERKI.

For some time, it has been my opinion that this species (= Vertigo

simplex Gld.) has not its proper place under Pupa. The shell,

though Pupa-like in its general aspect, shows two marked differences

from all groups of that genus as well as all Pupide. In the first

place, its aperture is radial, while in the Pupide it is lateral, or tan-

gential, from the columellar wall being prolonged to the periphery

of the penultimate whorl, or even beyond it. In the second place,

the peristome in Pupide is more or less everted, generally with a

more or less distinct lip, or at least the margin is “ finished up,” in

mature specimens, while in edentulum the peristome is straight and

simple, and the margin always thin and sharp, as it is in Patula,

ete., and in the Zonitide.

This view is now confirmed by the examination of the radula.

The teeth are small, comparatively, and the cusps of all are very

short and smajl. There are r+21 (20) in a transverse row, and

116-127 such rows were counted. The centrals are tricuspid, the

laterals all bicuspid, except the last which is a minute nodule; in

the others there is no difference of laterals and marginals but that

the plates of attachment become shorter towards the margins, and

76 THE NAUTILUS.

evanescent in the outer teeth. The radula is 0°55 mill. long, 0°14

wide, and so one tooth measures about 0°0045>0°0035 mill.

This is so radical a difference from the Pupide that our species can

no longer be placed under that family. It comes nearest Punctum

pygmeum Drap.,’ the radula being of the same type, and also the

jaw is of the same formation, being quite low and composed of dis-

tinct plates.

As to the generic name, Sphyradium Charp. 1837(—Columella

West., Edentulina Cless., both 1876, teste Westerlund) must be

used.

An interesting analogue is “ Pupa” neozelanica Pfr., with much

the same form of shell, which Mr. H. Suter, a few years ago, has

shown to be no Pupa, but a Charopa.

It may be added that the American form is absolutely identical

with the palzarctic, even showing the same wide range of variation.

There is no need, then, to name it Sph. “edentulum simplex.” Just

so, to mention it by the way, Punctum pygmeum Drap. is identical

on both continents, and so it is equally useless to name it P. pygmeum

minutissimum.

LIST, WITH NOTES, OF LAND AND FRESH WATER SHELLS COLLECTED

BY DR. WM. H. RUSH IN URUGUAY AND ARGENTINA.

BY HENRY A. PILSBRY AND WILLIAM H. RUSH.

In presenting this list of land and fresh water shells from Uru-

guay and Argentina, perhaps it will be well to state precisely the

localities at which collections were made, especially so from the

Uruguay River, which region seems to have been omitted from the

report of D’Orbigny. The U.S. S. Yantic, to which the writer

was attached, arrived at Montevideo, Uruguay, in January, 1892.

The public park, El Prado, of the city proved to be the richest re-

gion near by; the suburbs of the town were rich in Helix lactea, as,

indeed, were many places in Uruguay and Argentina; several large

tracts are preserved for the cultivation of them for the supply of the

Italian markets. The Cerro, which is quite a prominent hill ona

\ Tn the radula of one specimen of P. pygmxum r+17 teeth were counted in

a transverse row, r+16 in another, and 80 (78) rows were found. The laterals,

except the last one or few, were bicuspid. (Conf. E.S. Morse, Pulmonifera

of Maine, p. 27, pl. 8, fig. 71.).

——— ee

THE NAUTILUS. i |

small peninsula opposite the main city, and from which Montevideo,

“The mount, I see,” derives its name, contained nothing special,

but the plain back of it yielded several land species, and the small

runs and creeks many fresh water forms, in some of which, when

dry, the whole bottom was found to be covered with dead Planor bis.

Maldonado Bay is about 20 miles nearer the sea, in Uruguay, and

was the only place in which the dredge was used with good results

as showing the extreme southern limit of several West Indian spe-

cies. Gorriti Island, in that bay, was a treasure for H. lactea, and

was abundantly supplied with Strophochilus lutescens King and

Bulimulus gorritiensis Pils. Near the small town of Maldonado,

was found Amphidoxa costellata D’Orb. in a small grove of native

trees, about the only one met with. Most of the trees of any size in

the immediate neighborhood of Montevideo and Buenos Ayres, are

the introduced eucalyptus. Upon the visit to Buenos Ayres, Ensena-

da, etc., the only thing noticeable was the extreme abundance of

Ampullaria canaliculata Lam. and its varieties, in all stages of

growth from the egg upward. The Rio Parana, upon which the

ship went as far as Rosario in Santa Fé province, did not yield

much, principally for the reason that the ship was there during a

revolution, when excursions always have an element of danger, as all

the hoodlums of the town are turned loose with Winfield rifles. It

was only when theship went up the Uruguay River as far as Paysan-

du that things began to be interesting, but the time was tuo limited,

This region proved to be extremely rich in undescribed Potamo-

lithus. The collecting was easy, as all that was required was to

pick up any stone at extreme low water and scrape the specimens

off with the right fore-finger into the collecting basket. The first

visit to the water’s edge at Paysandu, resulted in finding P. Rushii

Pils., which was found to be unfigured in D’Orbigny, and so few in

number that one or two trips more were taken especially to find

them, but only with limited results, so it can be considered scarce.

Nearly all the other forms were abundant. The means of living

there are so easy that it was found a hard matter even to hire the

amphibian small boy to collect Unionide. <A trip, by a well-organ-

ized party, up the river to its source, would yield valuable results.

Only three specimens of Vaginulus were found, and these among the

ruins of an old hide building in Maldonado. The plain back of

Buenos Ayres did not yield such an abundant supply as one would

expect from D’Orbigny’s remarks, but possibly that was owing to

the extreme dryness of the season while we were there.

78 THE NAUTILUS.

HELICIDz.

Helix aspersa Mill. British cemetery at Buenos Ayres, Argen-

tine Republic.

Helix lactea Mull. Gorriti Island, Maldonado Bay. Cultivated

for food. This species was already abundant in Uruguay when

d’Orbigny was there in 1826, and the date of its introduction could

not then be ascertained.

Strophocheilus oblongus Brug. var. Fray Bentos. The apex is

blunter than in typical oblongus, more as in S. capillaceus Pfr.

Strophocheilus lutescens King. Gorriti Island, Maldonado Bay.

Originally described from Maldonado. The eggs vary in size,

especially in length, measuring from 6°5 x 9:2 to 6:2 x 7°6 mm.

BuULIMULID.

Bulimulus gorritiensis Pils., n. sp. Gorriti Island, Maldonado

Bay, under stones.

Bulimulus Rushii Pils., n. sp. Montevideo, plain back of Cerro,

on thistles.

PuPIDz.

Odontostomus dentatus Wood. Montevideo, Uruguay, on thistles

and close to ground, on plain back of the Cerro.

ENDODONTID&.

Amphidoxa (Stephanoda) costellata d’Orb. A small grove of

native trees near Maldonado, Uruguay. Abundant.

SUCCINEIDE.

Omalonyx unguis @Orb. Locality not noted.

Omalonyx convexa Mart. Creek in Prado, Montevideo.

VAGINULIDZ.

Vaginulus solea d’Orb. Near Maldonado, Uruguay,

PHYSID.

Physa Sowerbyana d’Orb. Creek in Prado, Montevideo.

CHILINID.

Chilina fluminea Maton. San Gabriel’s Island, in the Rio de la

Plata, opposite Colonia, Uruguay.

Chilina Rushii Pilsbry, n. sp. Uruguay River, at Fray Bentos,

Uruguay. Distinguished by its angular shoulder.

1See Man. Conch. (2), XI for description and figure of this and the next

species. The other new forms will be described in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.

Phila. and the next number of NAuTILus, space being lacking in this number,

THE NAUTILUS. 79

LIMN IDA.

Limnea viator V’Orb. Montevideo: creek in the Prado.

Planorbis heloicus d’Orb. Montevideo, back of Cerro. The

typical and a large less shining form, diam. 10 mm.

Planorbis peregrinus d’Orb. Montevideo, back of Cerro.

Planorbis paropseides d’Orb. (?). Creek in Prado, Montevideo.

Agrees well with d’Orbigny’s description and figures, but on ac-

count of the locality may be a different species.

Planorbis castaneonitens Pils. & Van., n. sp. Near Maldonado.

ANCYLIDZ.

Ancylus obliquus Brod. & Sowb. San Gabriel’s Island, on stones

in Rio de la Plata.

The specimens vary considerable in degree of curvature of the

apex, but are apparently all referable to this species, which was

originally described from Chili.

AMPULLARIIDZ.

Ampullaria neritoides d’Orb. La Plata River, San Gabriel’s

Island, Uruguay; Uruguay River at Paysandu. Specimens with

the interior pure white as well as the usual purple form.

Ampullaria canaliculata Lam. Rio de la Plata at Buenos Ayres,

Palenno and Ensenada; Parana near Rosario and at Paraiso. The

specimens vary from true canaliculata to the varieties insularum and >

australis.

Ampullaria sp. A small form, not determined, occurred in the

creek in the Prado, Montevideo.

Ampullaria Roissyi d@’Orb. Parana River near Rosario, Santa

Fé province, Argentina.

Ampullaria Spizit d’Orb. Parana River near Dos Hermanos

(“ Two brothers”) Island.

AMNICOLID&.

Littoridina australis d’Orb. Creek in the Prado, and in a small

spring back of the Cerro, Montevideo. We follow the usual identi-

fication in this case, although not at all sure of its correctness. The

larger specimens measure as much as 8} mm. alt.

Littoridina charruana d’Orb. (?). San Gabriel’s Island.

Tittoridina Isabellet d’Orb. (?). San Gabriel’s Island, with the

preceding.

80 THE NAUTILUS.

Potamolithus Rushii Pilsbry,n. sp. Uruguay River at Paysandu,

Uruguay.

Potamolithus Iheringi Pilsbry, n. sp. Uruguay River at Pay-

sandu, Uruguay.

Potamolithus microthauma Pilsbry, n. sp. Uruguay River at

Paysandu, Uruguay.

Potamolithus Hidalgoi Pilsbry, n. sp. Uruguay River at Pay-

sandu, Uruguay.

Potomolithus dinochilus Pilsbry, n. sp. Uruguay River at Pay-

sandu, Uruguay.

Potaumolithus Buschi ‘ Dkr’ Ffid. Uruguay River at Paysandu,

Uruguay ; Rio de Ja Plata at San Gabriel’s Island.

Potamolithus tricostatus Brot. Uruguay River at Paysandu,

Uruguay.

Potamolithus conicus Brot. Uruguay River at Paysandu, Uru-

guay.

Potamolithus Orbignyi Pilsbry, n. sp. Uruguay River at Pay-

sandu, Uruguay.

Potamolithus lapidum @Orb. Fray Bentos.

Potamolithus lapidum v. supersulcatus Pilsbry. Rio de Ja Plata

at San Gabriel’s Island.

Potamolithus Sykesvi Pilsbry, n.sp. Uruguay River at Paysandu,

Uruguay.

Potamolithus bisinuatus Pilsbry, n. sp. Uruguay River at Pay-

sandu, Uruguay.

Potamolithus bisinuatus v. obsoletus Pils.

Potamolithus gracilis Pilsbry,n.sp. Uruguay River at Paysandu,

Uruguay.

Potamolithus gracilis v. viridis Pils. Uruguay River at Fray

Bentos.

CYRENIDE,

Corbicula limosa Maton. San Gabriel’s Island.

Corbicula coloniensis Pilsbry, n. sp. Rio de la Plata above Colo-

nia, Uruguay. A larger, more trigonal form than the preceding

species.

Spherium sp. undet. Creek in the Prado, Montevideo.

Pisidium sp. undet. és « «“ «

Pisidium sp. undet. ‘< Pt “ 8

UNIONID&.

Unio parallelopipedon Lea. Rio de la Plata at Colonia, Uru-

guay.

THE NAUTILUS. 81

Unio charruana @Orb. Lake Potrero, near Maldonado, Uru-

guay,

Unio variabilis Maton. Uruguay River at Fray Bentos.

Unio pereformis Lea. Rio de la Plata at Colonia. The rugze on

the posterior slope mentioned by Lea as perhaps inconstant, are

present in the specimens collected.

MUTELID.

Monocondylea Pazi Lea. Colonia, Uruguay.

Monocondylea lentiformis Lea. Colonia, Uruguay.

Glabaris siriones d’Orb. Rio San Carlos, Uruguay.

Glabaris latomarginatus Lea var. felix Pils. Colonia, Uruguay.

Glabaris rubicunda Lea. La Plata River at Colonia, Uruguay ;

Uruguay River, Paysandu.

Glabaris lucidus d’Orb. La Plata River at Colonia, Uruguay.

Glabaris trapesialis var. eygneiformis Pils. Pond and a small

ereek near Maldonado.

Glabaris trapesialis var. exoticus Lam.

Anodonta exotica Lam. An.s. Vert., vi, 1819, p. 87; Delessert,

Rec. de Coq,., pl. 13, f. 1 (figure of type).

Anodon scriptus “ Fer.” Sowb., Conch. Icon., pl. 4, f. 9 (1867).

It is narrower than G. trapesialis, long, the anterior end very nar-

row, angled at end of hinge-line; posterior muscle-scar quite near

the sinus at edge of hinge ligament, connected therewith by a short

impression. ,

Rio San Carlos, Uruguay. Rather small specimens, but agreeing

with the figure of type in Delessert’s Recueil.

Glabaris Forbesianus Lea. Rio de la Plata, Colonia, Uruguay.

Lea’s figure was from a deformed shell, and the specimens would

hardly have been recognized as Forbesianus had it not been for the

kindness of Mr. Simpson, who compared with the types.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

Members of our Chapter will please bear in mind the fact that

the annual reports are due in December. We anticipate some fine

papers this year as our members have been enthusiastic in their

study of shells.

82 THE NAUTILUS.

Yearly dues are payable in December, and promptness in this re-

spect will be appreciated by the officers of the Chapter.

The annual election of officers occurs on the last Wednesday in

December. Officers to be elected are the President and General

Secretary. Write the names of your choice for these two officers,

and send them to the General Secretary. The present incumbent

for the last named office declines re-election, and would suggest that

the office be filled by a member east of the Rocky Mountains.

EXTRACT FROM A NOTE BOOK.

[Extract from the report of Mrs. M. F. Bradshaw. From the Transactions of the

Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter for 1895. |

A pleasant ride through beds of wild flowers, sweeping miles of

barley, or golden avenues of mustard, brought us to the seashore at

Newport, Orange County, California. Here begins a peninsula of

several miles in length, and in width but a narrow strip of sand,

formed by the bay, intv which empties the Santa Ana River. Our

destination was down this strip some three miles from the little

town.

The road was on the bay side, and low sand dunes, covered with

wild flowers we had never seen before, lay on one side, on the other

the muddy shores of the bay, literally covered with Cerithidea cali-

forniea.

In the afternoon we drove down the hard beach on the ocean side

of this narrow peninsula for a mile or more, then crossed over the

low dunes to a little “lake” made by the receding tide leaving the

sand, or rather mud, dry all around this little depression. Here

was our hunting ground. We proceeded to dig in the mud for live

shells and, to my surprise, brought out not only clams and scallops

but Naticas and Muricide. And here I found my first Nassa tegu-

la. While Cerethidea laid high and dry and apparently dead,

acres and miles of them, the Nassas kept under the edge of the

water, walked about quite lively, and when disturbed went quickly

down into the soft mud and out of sight.

Chorus belcheri had been taken out of that pond in numbers, but

M.S. had exhausted the supply before we came. There were a

THE NAUTILUS. 83

dozen or more Pteronotus festivus, about three inches long, and they

were in the bottom of the pond, under two or three feet. of water.

Monoceros engonatum and Conus ealifornicus were raked out of

the mud near the edge, though not in great numbers.

I had always thought Muricide were rock shells, and I won-

der what they were doing here in this vile mud. Conus I have

found in pools among the rocks, but only one in a place and never

but four.

Which is their home, the muddy bottom of a bay, or the clear

pure pools among the rocks? I confess to being disappointed in

the creatures I found living in such a degraded way. Yet they

had beauty of color and of form; perhaps are more pleasing than

the same number of the prettiest shells I could select from those I

got amung the rocks.

Crepidula rugosa was there in great numbers, built into towers

and knots upon some old valve of a Pecten, or even upon an old

shell of their own kind. ‘They are not a very dignified mollusk,

but I had never found any alive before, so was glad to find them

and learn their mode of’ co-operative house-keeping, of which I was

in ignorance. Doubtless every shell friend I have knew this habit

of the Crepidula, knew it so well as never to think of mentioning

it, though freely giving me the shells.

* * * A friend has awakened my interest in “ strays,” so I will

mention two which came under my observation on this trip. One

was a Fusus, three or more inches long, which Mr. S. picked up on

the ocean beach near the wharf. It was yellow but had been white,

I think. }

The other was a large Arca, which a lady who lives where we

were stopping picked up on the bay shore. It was dead, but the

two valves lay close together ; was quite perfect but the epidermis

was all worn away. It measured 8% inches in circumference one

way, and nine inches the other way, and the straight hinge line was

2 inches. I have nothing like it, so do not know its name. This

lady had lived there for years but had never found any other like:

it. She was quite ignorant of habitat, so had no idea she had found

anything of peculiar interest.

At Arch Beach I have found two or three small Arca valves

among the drift, and this past summer found one valve about an

inch long, which is similar to an Arca fasciata from Australia.

84 THE NAUTILUS.

Pecten hastatus is now occasionally found at Newport, on the

ocean beach. All I have seen are far more brilliant in color than

those from Puget Sound. They are the richest shades of rose pink

and crimson, both valves alike or nearly so.

SOME LAND SHELLS OF MICHIGAN.

[Extract from the Report of Mr. H. Smith. From the Transactions of the Isaac

Tea Conchological Chapter for 1895. ]

I live on the bank of the St. Joseph River, about 25 miles from

Lake Michigan. I find here Helix thyroides Say, Helix elevata Say,

HI. multlineata Say, H. leai Ward, H. hirsuta Say, Patula solitaria

Say, P. alternata Say, Pups armifera Say, Planorbis trivolvis Say,

P. bicarinatus Say, P. exacutus Say, Succinea ovalis Gould, Selenites

concavus Say, Campeloma integra Say, Hyalina electrina Gould,

Pomatiopsis cincinnatiensis Lea. I am indebted to Prof. Pilsbry for

aid and encouragement. He identified a good many of my shells

for me, and advised me where to get literature on the subject.

Prof. Keep also helped me and sent me some specimens. |

I found what might be called a “colony” of Patula alternata on

a big stone pile, they seemed very plentiful at that place, and I did

not see them anywhere else. The stone pile is gone now, and I

shall have to look elsewhere for the pretty shells. The Helix ele-

vata I found in a colony on the steep river bank, under the bushes

among the leaves.

ODOR OF SNAILS.

It may not be known to every conchologist, that some of the

Helices have odors peculiar to them.

We find here, Mesodon ptychophorus, Patula strigosa, P. solitaria,

Triodopsis mullanti var. olneye in the same locality. The Patula

solitaria has so strong an odor, like Mephitis mephitica, that I sup-

posed at first they fed on Ictodes (Symplocarpus) fetidus. Always

the same odor and at all seasons.—Mary P. OLNEY.

mee. NAUTILUS.

VoL. X. DECEMBER, 1896. No. 8

PURPURA LAPILLUS, VAR. IMBRICATA.

BY R. E. C. STEARNS.

Nearly sixty years ago I detected in the interstices between the

granite blocks that formed the seawall on the outerside of Harrison

Avenue in Boston, where said highway touches the waters of the

South Cove in the immediate vicinity of the South Boston bridge

(as it then existed), numerous specimens of Purpura lapillus; the

entire surface of all the specimens was evenly and beautifully im-

bricated, and the specimens were of a dingy white color.

Here was a colony quite distinct in sculpture from the usual ex-

amples, as seen at numerous places along the coast in the neighbor-

hood of Boston. I compared them at the time with the series of

this species, as exhibited in the table cases of the Boston Society of

Natural History; at that date the museum of said society contained

no examples with the above sculpture characteristics, nor have I

seen any since among the hundreds of specimens I have collected

and handled. I made pen and ink drawings at the time, but both

shells and drawings have long since passed from view and went,

perhaps, to what Mr. Mantalini called the “ demnition bow-wows.”

It is not at all uncommon to find P. lapillus, its varieties and allied

forms, imbricated, more or less, but the specimens referred to and

contained in my museum when I was a boy, were closely and evenly

_imbricated throughout, over the entire surface.

86 THE NAUTILUS.

NOTES ON NEW SPECIES OF AMNICOLIDZ COLLECTED BY DR. RUSH

IN URUGUAY.

BY H. A. PILSBRY.

Full descriptions of the new forms collected by Dr. Rush will

appear as soon as illustrations can be prepared. Meantime, the

following notes on the Amnicoline species may be of service.

The South American fresh water Hydrobioids fall into three or

four genera: PoTAMOPYRGUs Stimpson, apparently confined to the

extreme northern border of the continent, and perhaps to be re-

garded as astraggler from the Antillean and Middle American

fauna. Lirrortpina Eydoux & Souleyet, a characteristic South

American genus of slender, acute shells, usually called “ Paludes-

trina,” “ Hydrobia”’ or Heleobia Stimp. Lyropes Doering, possi-

bly a group subordinate to Potamopyrgus. LiraociypHus of

authors, stout of figure, thick and strong, the American forms

with the lip expanded or having an external varix, or contracted

by a callous deposit within the posterior angle in fully adult exam-

ples. These seem to me to differ conchologically from the Euro-

pean types sufficiently to call for generic distinction, and the new

term .

PoTAMOLITHUS

may be applied to them. Type P. Rushii.

The genus Cochliopa Stimpson, with two Central American spe-

cies, C. Rowelli Tryon and C. Tryoniana Pils., is like Potamolithus in

the solidity of the shell, but it is heliciform and umbilicated. Lacu-

nopsis and Jullienia, two Cambodian genera, are evidently near akin

to the South American Potamolithus (see Journ. de Conchyl. 1881,

ed).

i The peculiarly striking modifications of the species of this genus

are scarcely paralleled in recent fresh water prosobranchs outside of

Lakes Tanganyika or Baikal. They cannot well be appreciated

without the aid of figures, which the writer intends publishing as

soon as practicable. Until then, the species may be discriminated

by the following diagnoses, which for more ready reference have

been cast into the form of a key. The characters of previously

known species are much abridged.

I. Columella with a longitudinal groove or pit; outer lip with a

strong varix.

THE NAUTILUS. 87

a. Depressed ; periphery with a strong, cord-like keel ; back

of body whorl gibbous below suture; umbilical area mod-

erate or large, bounded by a keel. Alt. 5:2, diam. 6 mm.

P. RUSHII n. sp.

aa. Globose, without keels; periphery rounded ; no ridge or

hump on the back; umbilical area small, with angular

edge; yellowish or olivaceous-brown, unicolored or with

subsutural and superperipheral green bands. Alt. 5, diam.

5°4 mm. P. IHERINGI 0. sp.

II. No groove on face of the columella.

a. With 5 or 6 spiral keels, all, or the upper two with acute

tubercles ; operculum with several whorls. Alt. 8-9, diam.

10 mm. P. MULTICARINATUS Mill.

aa. Shell carinated or angulate, without tubercles.

b. Peripheral keel visible on the penultimate as well as

the last whorl ; lip expanded or varixed.

ce. Trochoidal, with acutely, straightly conic spire,

compressed median peripheral keel, a small sub-

sutural carina, and a basal keel defining a very

large umbilical tract. Aperture much contracted,

the lip varix very high, recurved above periphery,

the highest point of recurved lobe connected with

lip-edge by a short oblique rib. Alt. 5:2, diam.

6 mm. P. MICROTHAUMA D. sp.

ce. Trochoidal, with high conic spire and flattened

base and acute peripheral keel; surface smooth

above and below the keel, whorls flat above, the base

slightly convex ; umbilical area very narrow, in-

conspicuous ; lip varix narrow, near the lip edge.

Alt. 5, diam. 5 mm. P. HIDALGOI 0. sp.

ccc. Elevated turbinate, with an acute peripheral

keel, convex above and below it; lip expanded.

Alt. 5, diam. 5 mm. P. PERISTOMATUS Orb.

bb. Peripheral keel or angle concealed on the penultimate

whorl.

ce. Lip varix very strong, recurved above ; periphery

hardly angular, base convex, back of body whorl

with a spiral rib below the suture ; aperture much

contracted ; no columellar area defined. Alt. 5,

diam. 53 mm. P. DINOCHILUS I. sp.

88 THE NAUTILUS.

cc. Varix, expansion or contraction of the lip rather

weak or inconspicuous.

d. Keeled or angular at the basal periphery,

rounded or flattened above the keel.

e. Columella wide and heavy; alt. 4°6,

diam.44 mm. P.Buscui‘ Dkr.’ Ffid.

ee. Columella narrow; alt. 43, diam. 3-2

mm. P. conicus Brot.

dd. Body whorl squarish, the angles rounded ;

columella rather wide; umbilical crescent

defined by a carina; lip with a narrow

varix. Alt. 5. diam. 42 mm.

P. ORBIGNYI Nn. sp.

ddd. A carina at the basal periphery, and two

approximate keels on the back above.

P. rricostatus Brot.

dddd. Periphery and base well rounded; a wide

shallow sulcus or two low carinz on the

back above. Alt. 5°5, diam. 4°8 mm.

P. LAPIDUM SUPERSULCATUS ND. V.

aaa. Whorls rounded, without spiral keels, angles or sulci.

b. Globose or globose-conic ; peristome not nicked or sin-

uous. |

c. Not banded; last whorl rounded; aperture

slightly contracted P. LAPIDUM Orb.

cc. 8-banded: lip and columella thin.

P. PETITIANUS Orb.

bb. Ovate, the outer or basal lip sinuous or nicked.

c. Outer lip expanded or flaring, its face thickened,

with two or three nicks or sinuses. Alt. 5, diam.

4:3 mm. P. SYKESII nN. sp.

ec. Outer lip thin, unexpanded.

d. Outer lip produced in a broad tongue or

lobe, a deep rounded sinus above and

below. Alt 5, diam. 4 mm.

P. BISINUATUS DR. sp.

dd. Similar, but the upper sinus obsolete.

P. BISINUATUS OBSOLETUS D. V.

ddd. Much more slender ; outer lip retracted at

insertion above, sinused at base. Alt. 4°6,

diam, 3:1 mm, P. GRACILIS 0. sp.

le ee ie

THE NAUTILUS. 89

dddd. Similar, but with a rounded sinus in the

outer lip above; green.

P. GRACILIS VIRIDIS 0, v.

The operculum of P. multicarinatus Miller has more whorls than

those of the other species, and may eventually be placed in a new

genus.

P. bisinuatus might be regarded as an immature stage of P.

Sykesit were it not that until the lip expansion of the latter is fully

developed no trace of sinuation occurs, the sinuses being developed

in the thickened margin beyond the expansion.

The variety of P. lapidum described and figured by Strobel

(Mater. Malac. Argent.) from a single shell, does not seem to have

sufficiently tangible characters for recognition as distinct from typi-

cal lapidum.

P. dinochilus closely resembles P. microthuuma in characters of

the lip varix and aperture, and it may possibly prove to be a form

of that species when extensive series of each are collected; but the

other features of the shells are so strikingly different and so con-

stant in the series before me, that their union would not be justified

with present knowledge.

Certain forms of P. Bushii have two weak keels on the back and

offer an approach to P. tricostatus, and the two may prove to be

specifically the same, although proof is lacking that this is the case.

In P. Buschti the keels or sulcus on the back are weaker when

present, the umbilical crescent is larger and angular, and the form

less elevated.’

1 Since the above table has been in type, I have received Mr. E. R. Sykes’

notes on certain species which he was so kind as to compare at my request,

with d’Orbigny’s typesin the B. M. “ Potamolithus lapidum. Compared with the

typical series your shells differ a bit in the aperture being somewhat pyriform,

while those of the museum series are more rounded. Still they are, I think,

the same species. There is only one tablet, and this contains one of your var-

lety [sefersulcatus| mingled with the rest, as also one specimen which is not

the same species but may be Pedztiana.

“P. Sykesit, J think that this is only a form of Petitiana; there are how-

ever only two specimens, both immature, of this Jast species in the museum.”’

[I had supposed d’Orbigny’s shells were mature, and therefore separated

Sykestt on the ground of its peculiar peristome. It remains to be seen whether

adult Petitzana will prove to have the same characters, but I agree with Mr.

Sykes that it is likely].

P. gracilis. This is distinct from pecéwm, which is a thinner and slighter-

built species, [and does not show the same apertural characters. ]

90 THE NAUTILUS.

DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME NEW SHELLS FROM THE NEW HEBRIDES

ARCHIPELAGO.

BY C. FosANCEHY:

Endodonta (7) tenuiscripta Anc.

Shell much depressed, lenticular, very sharply keeled at the peri-

phery, thin, not much shining, of a somewhat silky appearance,

openly but very widely umbilicated. Spire convex, apex obtuse,

with 5 regularly and slowly increasing whorls, barely convex and

furnished with a linear and appressed suture, the last one slightly

impressed above and below the very acute keel, slightly convex

above, more so beneath. Umbilicus circular, exhibiting all the volu-

tion (12 mill. wide), surrounded by a very obtuse angle. Aperture

rather oblique, securiform, somewhat sinuous, very much angular at

the end of the carina, not deflexed in front. Margins distant

scarcely connected by a very thin shining deposit. Sculpture very

fine, consisting of oblique and very fine crowded lines of growth.

Color fulvous, with numerous fine and irregular stripes of a brown

tint, larger on the last whorl.

Greater diam. 63, less. 6, height 3 mill.

Island of Mallicolo, New Hebrides (E. L. Layard).

This shell is evidently related to my Patula Glissoni, described

several years ago from the same group of islands. According to

Mr. Pilsbry’s new arrangement, this should perhaps be rightly located

in Endodonta with the species now considered, unless it may eventu-

ally prove to belong to Flammulina. E. tenuiscripta is a very

beautiful little shell, recalling the Hawaiian £. lamellosa which is

very much like it, but wanting internal lamine. It looks likea

small Trochomorpha and especially Pararhytida on a very small

scale, but is perhaps nearer to Crosse’s Helix trichocoma, from New

Caledonia.

From its ally, Patula Glissoni, found in the island of Vate, New

Hebrides, it may be easily distinguished from its larger size, much

more acute keel, different style of color, planulate whorls and other

differences.

Melania vatensis Anc.

Shell imperforate, turrited, somewhat shining, rather solid, fulvous

with irregular and more or less interrupted longitudinal brown

stripes and dots and lighter suture on the two last whorls. Ground

color frequently more obscure at the base. Spire long, pointed,

—————— ll Ct

THE NAUTILUS. 9]

entire, conic, with very regular outlines. Whorls 12-15, convex,

regularly increasing, furnished with small warts, becoming obsolete

at the base of each whorl and disappearing on the two last ones and

sculptured with fine incised spiral sulci more crowded towards the

_ base of the shell. Suture impressed, canaliculate on the last volu-

tions. Body whorl broadly oval, rounded, often more convex below

its middle. Aperture oval, angular above, not much effuse nor

oblique, scarcely sinuous, livid within. Columellar edge thick,

regularly arched. Operculum as usual in the genus.

Long. 30, breadth 10, height of aperture 9 mill.

Island of Vate, New Hebrides (E. L. Layard).

This has been submitted for identification to Dr. A. Brot, the

regretted author of many papers on Melanians and he wrote me that

he received the same shell from Dr. W. D. Hartman under the

erroneous name of Melania mariet Gass. He was unacquainted

with the shell from Vate and thought it may prove to be an un-

described species, so that I venture to give a name to it, under Dr.

Brot’s undisputed authority.

Neritina coccinea Anc.

Shell solid, oblong, not shining, reddish-yellow, without markings,

tinged with orange near the aperture, finely striated, not spirally

sculptured, convex but not globose. Spire distinct, obtuse, lateral,

entire, consisting of two whorls only, very rapidly increasing, the

last one very large, transversely oval. Suture linear. Aperture

oblique, with the superior edge long and elliptical connected with

the basal by a large flat and thick callosity of a dull whitish or livid

color. Margins not remote. Outer margin acute. Septal area

without teeth. Operculum red, thin. |

Diam. 62, height 5, do. of aperture 43 mill.

Island of Vate, New Hebrides (E. L. Layard).

This very pretty little species is quite different from any one I

know of. It may perhaps be allied to Pease’s rubida, from Tahiti,

but is very much larger.

NEW AMERICAN UNIO.

BY WM. A. MARSH, ALEDO, MERCER CoO., ILLINOIS.

Unio Askewi, new species.

Shell smooth, subrotund, somewhat inflated, inequilateral ; sides

slightly constricted, rounded before, subtruncate posteriorly, with

99 THE NAUTILUS.

or without ravs, rays obscured. Substance of the shell thick and

solid; beaks small, with a few rather coarse, concentric undulations ;

ligament rather long and dark brown; epidermis reddish-brown ;

growth lines rather coarse and slightly raised; umbonial slope

obtusely angular; posterior slope angular, with a raised ridge

from beaks to posterior end, slightly biangulated; cardinal teeth

large, erect, compressed and corrugate; lateral teeth short and

slightly curved; anterior cicatrices distinct and deep; posterior

cicatrices distinct; cavity of the shell deep; cavity of the beaks

moderately deep ; nacre white or rose-color; soft parts unknown.

Habitat: Village Creek, Hardin Co., Texas; Sabine River,

Texas.

This shell seems to be between U. beadleianus Lea and U. chicka-

sawhensis Lea, and bears some resemblance to U. chunii Lea. It is

more triangular than U. beadleianus, and more solid, with a differ-

ent epidermis and teeth ; it is much more inflated and more angular

posteriorly than chickasawhensis, and it differs in being less heavy

in the beaks and in the outline of the shell.

One specimen was received many years ago from Mr. A. G.

Wetherby, from Village Creek, Hardin Co., Texas, and many speci-

mens, lately, from Mr. H. G. Askew, of Austin, Texas, who is an

earnest worker in this family of shells, and in whose honor I name

this shell.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

Kindly bear in mind the fact that this is the month when our re-

ports are due, also annual dues and election of officers, as noted in

the November issue of THe Nauritus. The tardiness of some of

our members in reporting last year delayed the issue of our volume

of Transactions. Some of our members are always prompt in re-

porting, and the General Secretary appreciates their readiness to

conform with the rules of the Chapter.

[From the report of Miss Nelson. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Conch-

ological Chapter for 1895. ]

My interest in shells dates as far back as I can remember, when

my brother and I played on the banks of the stream at our old

THE NAUTILUS. 93

home, and gathered a good many varieties of fresh-water and land

shells which I have always kept.

Ill-health has prevented my doing much collecting the past year,

and my attempted exchanges have been unfortunate in almost every

ease. However, I do not consider a “collection” the most import-

ant part of any study, though I must confess it adds pleasure to it.

Last July I very much enjoyed the class in conchology taught by

Mrs. Shepard, and found profit also.

I spent one afternoon capturing what mollusks I could besiege in

their homes in the sand and mud at the mouth of the river above

Alamitos, stopping long enough at “ Devil’s Gate” to waylay with

a hatchet a few of the inhabitants of the soft rock, such as Phola-

didew penita Conr., and Platyodon cancellatus Conr. Nassa tequla

Rve., Cerithidea sacrata Gld. were enjoying a promenade on the

mud, and it seemed a pity to end their happiness, unless I accept

the belief of Agassiz, Cuvier and others in the immortality of

animals.

I noticed a good many small holes in the sand, some with little

mounds around them, like those made in the earth by some of the

insect world, and, I found, on excavating them, that some of my

little mollusean friends were at the bottom of the contrivance for

breathing. I brought to light Donaw flexuosus Gld., Liocardium

substriatum, Lyonsia californica Conr. and Heterodonax bimaculatus

D’Orb.

HENRY D. VAN NOSTRAND.

It is with regret that we record the death of Mr. Henry D. Van

Nostrand, which occurred at his residence in Glen Ridge, N. J., on

the morning of the 8th of October.

Mr. Van Nostrand was born in New York City about 73 years

ago, and was long actively engaged there in mercantile business as

a member of the firm of J. & H. Van Nostrand, wholesale grocers,

which was founded near the beginning of the present century by his

father.

Early in life he became interested in the study of conchology,

and began a collection of shells which will rank with some of the

best private collections in the country. The nucleus of it was that

of the late John A. Redfield, which he purchased from Mr. Redfield

about 40 years ago.

94 THE NAUTILUS.

Until within a few years, Mr. Van Nostrand resided at Green-

ville, near Jersey City, N. J., where he was a prominent and highly

esteemed citizen. There, in his beautiful and hospitable home on

the shore of New York Bay, he entertained many noted concholo-

gists, including the great collector, Hugh Cuming.

He was one of the earliest members of the New York Lyceum of

Natural History, and among his intimate associates were Messrs.

Redfield, W. G. Binney, Robt. Swift, Wheatley and Haines, but his

closest friend was the late Thomas Bland, for whom he had a most

affectionate regard which was reciprocated by that distinguished

naturalist. After the death of Mr. Bland, Mr. Van Nostrand

raised a fund to provide for the monument which now marks his

grave in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, near that of Mr. Redfield,

He frequently expressed to the writer his affection for the memory

of his deceased friend, and only a short while before his death

planned a visit to Mr. Bland’s grave, which he was not able to

carry out.

Mr. Van Nostrand’s cabinet is rich in many families, both marine

and terrestrial, particularly so in cones, olives, volutes, cyprzeas and

mitras. It also contains the larger and better portion of the Bland

collection of West Indian land shells, the labels of which are in

the hand-writing of Mr. Bland. It also contains many choice speci-

mens obtained from the Perry Expedition. It is to be regretted

that Mr. Van Nostrand made no provision for the disposition of

this truly valuable collection which should adorn some one of our

great public institutions. Several species of shells have been named

in his honor, among them Helix Van Nostrand: Bland, of our

southern States. :

A gentleman of the old school, a kind and generous friend, he

will be missed and his memory cherished by those whose good for-

tune it was to know him.—S. Raymond ROBExts.

[COMMUNICATED. ]

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CONCHOLOGISTS.

A number of representative members of the American Association

of Conchologists in various parts of the country, having expressed

their desire to renew the activity of the Association, the. initiative

was taken by a gentleman of Philadelphia, not a former officer,

THE NAUTILUS. 95

who invited several of his brother conchologists to meet at his board

to discuss the outlook.

As some readers are not aware of the circumstances, it may be well

to state that the Association was originated in 1890, for the purpose

of encouraging and advancing conchological study in America by

concerted effort and mutual assistance. It rapidly attained a much

larger membership than its originators had anticipated ; and the cor-

respondence of the President and other officers became so large as to

be a serious burden. Moreover, the original articles or “ constitu-

tion” stated that there were to be no membership dues,'so that the

expense to the officers named for postage, etc., was not inconsider-

able.

Although the pages of the NAuri.us were freely used for Associa-

tion communications, it was found necessary to print lists of the

members, their addresses and specialties, for general use. This

expense was met by the officers on the first occasion, and the second

list was printed by generous subscriptions from various members

throughout the country.

These conditions, together with business engagements and ill

health which prevented the first President of the Association from

continuing to give his time in the generous measure required, led

to the present inactive condition of the Association.

So much for the past. With these conditions in view, it was the un-

animous judgment of the assembled conchologists that “ Rule 3” of

the former by-laws should be stricken out, and an annual member-

ship fee of (say) $1.00 be fixed, to defray expenses of the Association,

such as postage, printing of Reports, to contain lists of members,

Treasurers’ statements, and information useful to the membership at

large.

Should this meet with the approval of the members, it will be

necessary to elect a Treasurer, not originally provided for by the

rules. It is believed that these modifications, by providing ample

means for communication between members, will lead to a renewed

and healthy growth of the Association.

All members of the Association are requested to consider the con-

ditions above set forth, and freely submit their views thereon to the

Secretary, (Charles W. Johnson, Wagner Free Institute of Science,

Philadelphia), who will report the same at a meeting of the Associa-

tion to be held at the call of the officers, date to be announced here-

after, to pass upon these amendments to the Rules. It is desired

96 THE NAUTILUS.

that such communications be sent before the 20th of the present

month.

NOTES AND NEWS.

CHOANOPOMA (CTENOPOMA) BAHAMENSE SuHuTT. aT Key

Wesr.—When at Key West, some years ago, Dr. Wm. H. Rush,

U.S.N., collected specimens of a small land operculate which he

found living with Chondropoma dentatum. The species proves to be

C. bahamense, described from the island of New Providence. Com-

pared with specimens from that locality, the Key West shells are

smaller—alt. 8-9, diameter 43-5 mm.—but identical in sculpture and

form. It is a light, fleshy-yellowish shell, with quite indistinct

narrow interrupted bands of well-separated brownish dots, closely

longitudinally ribbed, but not latticed, having no fine spiral sculpture,

only coarse, very low revolving sculpture, hardly visible on most

specimens except around the umbilicus. The lip is flat and there

is a little reflexed “hood” above the upper angle of aperture in

fully mature shells. Operculum calcareous, with tangential lamelle.

It is easily separated from C. dentatum by the lack of decussated

sculpture. This is a species new to the United States fauna.

—H. A. P..

LIMNA BULIMOIDES Lra Resistive Droucut.—Specimens of

a very short-spired form of this species were lately received from

Mr. Geo. H. Clapp, with the following note: “ They were collected

by my cousin, Geo. H. Pepper, from a water-hole that appeared to

be dry most of the year, near Farmington, New Mexico, on Septem-

ber 20, 1896, and reached me, packed in cotton, on October 5. On

the 4th of this month (November) I dropped them into warm water

to soak them loose from the cotton, and about two dozen out of 50

or more came to life. They had been out of water 45 duys! The

shells spend nearly as much time out of the water as in it, frequently

crawling to the top of the glass in which I keep them.” Out of 4

specimens sent alive, packed in dry cotton, one revived at once

upon being placed in water, after an additional journey, dry, from

the 6th to the 9th of November. The survivor has a translucent or

almost water-colored body, closely peppered with opaque white;

eyes black ; tentacles opaque white; a dark stripe on back starting

between tentacles. With the Limneas were some of the little bi-

valve Phyllopod crustacean, Estheria mexicana Claus.—AHi. A. P.

mee NEUTILUS.

Vou. X. JANUARY, 1897. No. 9

TO CONCHOLOGISTS.

“The night is starry and cold, my friend,

And the New Year bright and bold, my friend,

Comes up to take his own.”

Ninety-six has rolled by, and with it Tur Navurivus almost

completes another volume. We had hoped to tell you at this festal

season that conditions were becoming more favorable for the develop-

ment of the Naurruus in northern latitudes. The Navuri.us is

all right in deep water, but the cold winter winds of adversity seem

to be too much for it, and by April it is usually ashore and pretty

well broken up. The editors come to its rescue, and with paper

sails, on which there is a little printing, writing and a few figures,

start it again on its yearly voyage. But the editors are getting

tired of furnishing sails. We don’t mind putting them on—in fact,

we'll do all the work cheerfully, only give us the material.

Weare not asking for a gift, but merely suggesting to you that

to pay the price of a year’s subscription, now due, is not only a sea-

sonable action on your part, but a positively meritorious one as well.

Our editorial of last January seems to have been taken as a joke,

judging by the results in hard cash. We do assure you, friends,

“this is no joke.” Tur Nautiuus ts ashore now. Are you going to

help it out of the breakers? Is the tenth voyage to be the last? It

depends upon you.

We wish you all a Happy New Year.

HEA. PP. & OC. Wad:

98 THE NAUTILUS.

NOTES ON THE LAND SHELLS OF QUEBEC CITY AND DISTRICT.

BY A. W. HANHAM.

In this district the Isle d’Orleans may be considered the only rich

collecting ground in species; all the following, with one or two ex-

ceptions, having been taken there, while many of the small species

have not been observed elsewhere. The other good localities in the

district are: St. Joseph’s (deLevis) for Vitrina, Vallonia, and Ver-

tigo; St. Romauld’s for Polygyra and Vertigo ; the Plains of Abra-

ham for the introduced Helices, ribbed Vallonia, and Pupa armifera

Say, and a ravine off the River St. Charles, near the city, for Vit-

rina, some of the Zonites and Succinea.

It may be stated here that the Isle d’Orleans lies in the St. Law-

rence, about five miles below the city. The island is twenty-one

miles long by one or two broad, and during the summer months

there is a regular ferry service ; only a few miles of the end nearest

the landing have been worked.

On May 25, 1893, the day after my return from Barachois, Gaspé,

I distributed nearly fifty young H. hortensis L. (from a quarter- to

a half-grown) along the top of the cliff bordering the Plains of

Abraham; this is where both H. cantiana Mont. and 4H. rufescens

Penn. seem to thrive. On July 29 I noticed two full-grown speci-

mens, both the plain yellow form, and, on September 15, another,

this one banded. I see no reason why this locality and climate

should not suit H. hortensis L., as it has, without doubt, the other

introduced species. I have a record of this Helix being taken as.

far as far up the St. Lawrence as Little Métis.

Selenites concava Say. Local, throughout the district.

Limasx agrestis Mull. Common.

Limax campestris Binn. Rather local.

Limazx sp. Rare; in two or three places only (Lake Beauport

and Isle d’Orleans).

Vitrina limpida Gould. Taken in three localities only: abund-

ant under cliff close to the St. Lawrence River at St. Joseph’s; a

small colony near St. Romauld’s, and some fine ones from the banks.

of creek running into the river at St. Charles.

Zonites cellarius Mill. In drift on Isle d’Orleans, and a few up

the St. Charles River. None living, but many shells containing the

animal.

THE NAUTILUS. 99

Zonites nitidus Mill. Quite rare, a few from banks of creek, St.

Charles River.

Zonites arboreus Say. Plentiful, but not often in good condition.

Zonites radiatulus Alder. Plentiful.

Zonites binneyanus Morse. Well-distributed, but never abundant.

Zonites ferreus Morse. Both rare and local.

Zonites exiquus Stimpson. Woods, Isle d’Orleans, very abundant.

Zonites fulvus Drap. Fairly abundant.

Zonites multidentatus Binn. Isle d’Orleans only ; rare.

Tebennophorus caroliniensis Bose. Occasional. |

Pyramidula alternata Say. Widely distributed, but only common

on side of cliff, Isle d’Orleans.

Pyramidula striatella Anth. Common everywhere.

Pyramidula asteriscus Morse. Plentiful in a piece of swampy

wood, Isle d’Orleans, area of distribution very limited, and no trace

elsewhere in district. I got a good supply of these shells by taking

home a quantity of dead leaves and débris, and sifting them during

the winter evenings.

Helicodiscus lineatus Say. Rather abundant under accumula-

tions of dead leaves in damp woods.

Acanthinula harpa Say. Exceedingly common in a small, rather

dry clearing (covered with a little low bush and bracken) between

woods, Isle d’Orleans. Eearly one morning, after a very damp

night, Mr. Latchford took a number off the trunks of the small trees

in thisclearing. On mainland, traces found in two widely separated

localities.

Punctum pygmeuwm Drap. Fairly common.

. Helix rufescens Penn. Very abundant throughout the city, espe-

cially on the cliffs and city walls. Extends along the cliff some dis-

tance up the St. Lawrence; a large colony noticed at St. Sauveur;

a few up River St. Charles, and a small colony on the Isle d’Orleans,

close to the ferry landing. Recorded from Levis by the Abbé

Begin. ‘This species appears to be spreading rapidly.

Hehx cantiana Mont. Common on cliff bordering Plains of

Abraham and extending to the citadel. Not noticed in the city.

Polygyra albolabris Say. Well distributed, but not common.

Polygyra albolabris var. maritima Pils. Some half-dozen exam-

ples, apparently this variety, taken here.

Helix dentifera Binn. Local, but where found at all, more plenti-

ful than albolabris or sayii. At St. Romauld’s a small colony was

100 THE NAUTILUS.

discovered on the cliff side on May 9, 1893, all still in hibernation.

In the more elevated parts of a small piece of rather swampy woods

off the St. Foye road, not far from the city limits, this shell was

rather common. Living shells all presented a more or less worn

appearance, the tooth was often lacking in seemingly full-grown in-

dividuals, and they seldom approached in size, and were generally

more fragile, than those occurring on the Isle d’Orleans. From this

I should judge that their surroundings were not exactly healthy or

suitable ones, and they no doubt owe their existence here to the fact.

of the wood being a private preserve, comparatively undisturbed by

man or beast. No other Mesodon was seen here.

This good species was first taken in the vicinity of Quebec City

by Mr. Latchford, of Ottawa, Ont., the occasion being a visit to the

Isle d’Orleans on August 16, 1891. Since that date a good number

have been taken there, all, without exception, on the cliffs on both

sides of the islands; at some places within a few yards of high water

mark of the St. Lawrence River. On the cliffside having a northern

exposure, the vegetation is decidedly rank, and where there is a good

deal of moist, shaly rock mixed with dead leaves, etc., live speci-

mens are sure to be plentiful and in fine condition.

On May 27, 1893, chiefly from an old unused path on the cliff

side, I made the following capture: Selenites concava Say, 66; Pyra-

midula alternata Say, 59; Polygyra albolabris Say, 1; Polygyra

dentifera Binn., 71; Polygyra say Binn., 29; Polygyra monodon

Rack., 15; Suecinea obliqua Say, 9—all good and mostly living

shells.

Polygyra sayit Binn. This species is more widely distributed than

P. dentifera Binn. along the cliff side on the mainland (northern

exposure only). On the island it occurs with M. dentifera, but

never in abundance (except on the above-mentioned occasion). It

has also been taken rarely in the woods which cover a good part of

the island. This species appears to be more hardy than the other

Polygyra; it does not go into hibernation nearly so early in the fall.

Unfortunately, eaten shells are rather too conspicuous.

It took me a whole season to get used to the habits of these spe-

cies, so as to know just where to look for them, often going home

nearly empty-handed when I had really been in the midst of them.

When hibernating, they are most easily seen, the beautiful white

(sometimes pinkish) lip of P. dentifera Binn. catching the eye when

exposed to view. Early in the spring, when just out, they are more

THE NAUTILUS. 101

difficult to find, as they adhere to the dead leaves, and, unless felt,

may then easily be turned over and lost.

Polygyra monodon Rack. ‘This species is well-distributed and

very common in places on the cliff side at the Island. I have a

record of 140 specimens taken November 12, 1892, and have found

2() or more all together—in fact, on the cliff side, either in the fall

or spring, it is usual to find these large families buried together in

the loose, shaly rock. At other places where I have collected, it

has been unusual to find more than a pair together. A few of my

Isle d’Orleans specimens are very fine, and have the umbilicus un-

usually large. |

Polygyra monodon Rack, var. fraterna Say. A few approaching

this variety were taken in the neighborhood of the Gomin swamp

on the mainland.

Vallonia pulchella Mill. Common on the mainland at foot of

cliffs, and on the Plains of Abraham, also observed on the Island.

Vallonia costata Mull. Occurs with pulchella on both sides of

the St. Lawrence River, but is not so plentiful.

Vallonia excentrica Sterki. Local, at foot of cliff at St. Joseph’s

with pulchella, not observed elsewhere.

Vallonia labyrinthica Say. Chiefly from the Island, and generally

from the dryer parts of the woods.

Pupa armifera Say. Recorded by the late Abbé Provancher as

being common on the Plains of Abraham; it may be taken there in

some abundance with Vadlonia from under pieces of rock. I have

taken single examples on the Island and at Levis.

Sphyradium simplex Gould. Rare, Island d’Orleans.

Vertigo milium Gould. A few on the mainland, more common on

the Isle d’Orleans.

Vertigo ovata Say. Fairly plentiful in some localities.

Vertigo gouldw Binn. Rare, Isie d’Orleans.

Vertigo ventricosa Morse. Kare, Isle d’Orleans.

Vertigo pentodon Say. Isle d’Orleans, local. This shell has a

habit of coating itself with dirt, like Succinea avara Say, and conse-

quently it is difficult to find.

Vertigo bollesiana Morse. Common on mossy rocks under cliffs

at St. Joseph’s and St. Romauld’s. A form taken with this, Dr.

Sterki calls the New England variety.

Vertigo curvidens Gould. Isle d’Orleans, rare.

102 THE NAUTILUS.

Ferussacia subcylindrica L. Two easily separated forms of this

species are found in the district; one occurs everywhere and is-

abundant, the other has only been taken in damp woods on the Isle

d’Orleans, and is a larger shell.

Succinea avara Say. Local.

Succinea ovalis Gould. Not atallcommon. Both these species are

smaller in size as compared with specimens from western Ontario.

Succinea obliqua Say. The ravine running into the St. Charles

River isa splendid place for this shell. During hibernation I have, on

several occasions, taken 200 fine specimens in a short time, and some

are the largest I have ever seen or captured. I am inclined to think

that some of them would pass for Succinea totteniana Lea; there

certainly appear to be two forms. In cleaning some of these shells

taken on November 8, 1891, a few of the finest living specimens

contained the peculiar parasite, reference to which is made by Dr.

Dall, in his useful pamphlet, “ Instructions for Collecting Mollusks,

etc.” (Leucochloridium).

Carychium eaiquum Say. Very common in decaying vegetation

in woods and all damp places.

NEW LOWER CALIFORNIAN BULIMULI.

BY H. A. PILSBRY.

Bulimulus hypodon n. sp.

With the general form of B. spirifer Gabb, this smaller species

differs in the more convex lateral outlines of the spire and the much

shorter body-whorl, which in a dorsal view is not produced and ob-

long, but short and transverse, and with the suture ascending some-

what toward its termination. Whorls 73, surface with an oily

polish, only slight growth-lines, but under the lens showing close,

fine incised spiral striw, without trace of granulation. Aperture

slightly over half the total alt.; peristome very broadly and flatly re-

flexed, recurved at the edge, the margins joined by a rather heavy

callus, but without defined edge. Columella distinctly truncate at

base ; internal lamina well-developed, thin, triangular. Color almost

white, the cuticle with an extremely faint buff tint. Alt. 25, diam.

12°5 mm.; alt. of aperture (including peristome) 13, width 10°2 mm.;

width of reflexed outer lip 2°3 mm. |

Lower California, exact locality unknown.

THE NAUTILUS. 1038

Bulimulus lamellifer n. sp.

General form of A. spirifer ; waxen white or light brownish ; the

surface more or less granulose, as in examples of B. spirifer. Whorls

about 63. Aperture over half the altitude usually, but sometimes

less than half; the lip-ends conspicuously approaching, joined by a

short callus; peristome broadly expanded and reflexed, much as in

spirifer. Columella showing from the aperture a sharp, oblique lam-

ina; this lamina becoming very high internally, projecting in a

square or bisinuate plate. The type measures, alt. 52, diam. 15

mm.; but they are very variable in size, the smallest seen being

233 mm. long. The square or emarginate internal plate differs con-

spicuously from the corkscrew twisted fold of B. spirifer, and is ap-

parently a constant character. Seventeen specimens examined.

Lower California (W. M. Gabb).

These forms are evidently different from B. spirifer Gabb, B.

bryanti Cooper and B. veseyanus Dall, the species of this group de-

scribed by American naturalists. A careful comparison with the

descriptions of B. lapidivaqus, dentifer, subspirifer and dismenicus of

Mabille, causes me to consider these also as specifically distinct from

the forms described above. Illustrations will appear in the next

number of the Manual of Conchology, in which the other North

American Bulimuli will also be figured.

NEW AMERICAN UNIONIDE.

BY WM. A. MARSH, ALEDO, MERCER CO., ILL.

Unio superiorensis n. sp.

Shell smooth, obovate, slightly inflated, inequilateral, rounded

before, oblique, obtusely angular behind, with or without rays, rays

when present interrupted by lines of growth. Substance of shell

thick, beaks small, with a few rather coarse undulations; umbonial

slope flattened, ligament long, dark brown; epidermis dark olive;

growth lines very close, quite prominent, cardinal teeth large and

solid, compressed and nearly smooth, double in left valve and widely

separated ; lateral teeth long, thick and nearly straight, anterior

cicatrices deep and rounded, posterior cicatrices confluent and well

impressed. Cavity of shell deep; cavity of beaks deep and rounded ;

nacre white, sometimes shining.

Habitat: Michipicoton River, upper shore of Lake Superior,

Canada.

104 THE NAUTILUS.

This shell is more closely related to U. borealis A. F. Gray than

any other I know of; it is not so much inflated as that species, it is

more transverse on both dorsal and ventral portions; when the rays

are present they differ entirely ; the posterior portion of the shell is

flatter, it is more oblique in outline, the cardinal teeth are much

smoother and more compressed, the cicatrices are deeper and more

rounded, sheli cavity shallower, the lines of growth are very much

more numerous and closer.

It bears some resemblance to some varieties of U. luteolus Lam.,

but differs entirely in the teeth, growth lines, epidermis, outline of

shell, and cavity of beaks and shell, from any variety of luteolus I

ever saw.

Several years ago, Mr. James H. Ferris, of Joliet, collected a

number of these shells at the locality given, and I was never satis-

fied that they could be placed, even as a marked variety, with any

described species.

ON SOME SINISTRAL LAND SHELLS.

BY C. F. ANCEY.

The following are several sinistral specimens of normally dextral

species, nearly all included in my own collection. Some of these

monstrosities are still, I think, unrecorded. In addition to these, I

must say that I have collected, in 1884, in the mountains near Héas,

Pyrenees, a dextral example of the usually sinistral Buliminus

quadridens Miller. This is also in my collection. From the list

given below, it appears that sinistral monstrosities are much more

scarce in operculate land shells than in Helicide, and, besides the

well-know reversed Campeloma decisum Say (=var. heterostropha),

still rarer in fluvatile shells.

Helix (Xerophila) trepidula Servain (Dept. du Bouches-du-Rhone,

S. France).

Helix (Xerophila) oreta Bourg. Oued-el-Hakoum, south of Ber-

rouaghia (Algeria).

Helix (Euparypha) pisana Mill. South France.

Helix (Tachea) nemoralis L. Bundoran, Ireland (from Mr.

Brockton Tomlin).

Helix (Macularia) vermiculata Mill. Marseilles, France (in Mr.

M. Sollier’s collection).

- S-s E

THE NAUTILUS. 105

Helix (Pomatia) pomatia L. West France.

Helix (Pomatia) aspersa L. Marseilles.

Helix (Mesodon) thyroides Say. Connecticut.

Leucochroa candidissima L. var. major Brg. Near Boghari,

(Algeria).

Leucochroa candidissima L. (typical). Marseilles ; Algeria.

Zonites algirus L. Montpellier, south France.

Rumina decollata L. var. major. Near Berrouaghia, Algeria.

Pupa (Torquilla) bigorrensis Charp. Cazaril, Hautes-Pyrénées.

Pomatia erassilabrum Dup. Cauterets (Hautes-Pyrénées), Assat

(Basses-Pyrénées).

Ditropis planorbis Blanford. Tinnevelly.

Achatina panthera Fér. Mauritius.

Gibbus lyonnetianus Pallas. Mauritius.

Nanina (Dyakia) javanica Fér. Java.

Nanina (Dyakia) duplocincta Bttg. Java.

Timnea peregra Drap. England.

Campeloma decisum Say. New York.

COCHLICELLA VENTRICOSA Drap., NEAR CHARLESTON, &. C.

BY WM. G. MAZYCK.

On the afternoon of October 27, last, I found a small colony of

this species living under a fallen fence post on a lot in the rear of

the United States Life Saving Station, in the town of Moultrieville,

on Sullivan’s Island, at the entrance to Charleston Harbor, 8. C.

The discovery is one of peculiar interest, presenting a problem of

somewhat difficult solution. The island is quite small, being only

about four miles long, with an average width of some 300 yards

and an average height above mean high water of only about six

feet. The only natural growth of shrubbery is on the end, where

there is a dense growth of stunted myrtles. Moultrieville covers

about one-half of the Island. The lot upon which the specimens

were found is destitute of any vegetation, except a stunted growth of

a coarse low grass, somewhat similar in appearance to the ordinary

lawn grass; there is no garden nearer than half a mile, and that

contains no plants of foreign importation. There is absolutely

_ nothing in the environment to suggest congeniality, and the spot is

106 THE NAUTILUS.

apparently most unfavorable to the propagation of the species, which

is entirely isolated as far as yet observed. The entire island was

submerged for about ten hours to an average depth of about two

feet during the hurricane of August 27, 1893, and almost all vege-

tation was killed at that time, a circumstance which leads to the

opinion that the species is of very recent introduction. The terres-

trial species of mollusca so far observed on the island are:

Polygyra espiloca Rav. Pupa fallax Say.

Triodopsis hopetonensis Shutt. Pupa pentodon Say.

Cochlicella ventricosa Drap. Succinea campestris Say.

Vertigo rugosula Sterki. Succinea inflata Lea ?

I have a single dead specimen of Mesodon thyroides Say, most

likely washed from the neighboring mainland, and a few specimens

of Stenogyra decollata L., certainly brought from Charleston, where

it is abundant.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. |

UNIOS.

[Excerpts from the Report of Dr. W. S. Strode. From the Transactions of the

Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter for 1895.]

* Kk = = To the Spoon River, only three miles away, two or

three hurried visits have been made. With one exception only the

usual shells of this stream were found. I was fortunate in striking

a new bed of Unios. It was ina little bayou six feet wide and

about three deep by twenty long, just above a rough ledge of lime

and sand rock. ‘The environment was suitable to many species, and

the mud and sand at the bottom of this little cove was literally

packed with them. In half an hour I had thrown out on the clean,

white sand several bushels of various species, as Unio tuberculatus,

anodontoides, plicatus, rectus, ligamentinus, luteolus, occidens, gibbo-

sus, lacrymosus, pustulosus, trigonus, alatus, gracilis, ebenus, levissi-

mus, complanatus, rugosa, donaciformis, and several of the gigantic

multiplicatus peculiar to this stream. Some of these species had

been so long in this still water, and were so hoary with age that

they were moss grown. When I had thrown out about all the little

bayou contained, I selected the finer specimens of such species as I

(

THE NAUTILUS. 107

eared for, and then returned the rest to the water for future use.

From one of the U. occidens I took one of the finest pearls that I

had ever seen. It was a perfect oval, very lustrous, and about the

size of a small buckshot. The exceptional shell found in the bayou

was Margaritana confragosa Say, not heretofore reported in this

stream, though they are not uncommon at Liverpool on the Illinois

River. ‘Two or three young shells were found, which is a good indi-

cation that the parents were somewhere about. In a pool in the

shade of a long bridge at Bernadotte, I found a large number of

Pleurocera elevatum Say and a few Somatogyrus subglobosus Say.

* * * * A collector in Texas has also sent me some fine

specimens, a list of which may prove of interest to the members of

the Isaac Lea Chapter of the Agassiz Association: Unio nodiferus,

U. manubrius, U. rotundatus, very large and fine; U. purpuratus,

U. aureus, also a variation of the same; U. Mitchelli, said to be

found only in Guadaloupe River ; U. tampicooensis, U. hydianus, U.

berlandierti, U. perplicatus, U. speciosus, U. tuwberculatus, Ano-

donta leonensis, A. stewartiana. The U. manubrius is the long-lived

mussel, burying itself and living for months in the banks and beds

of streams after they have dried up. The U. tuberculatus is the

purple nacre variety. ‘These are all from Jackson and Victoria

Counties, and from Guadaloupe and Brazos Rivers, Skull, Colleto,

Spring and Garcitas Creeks, and Ripley, Bluett’s and Manchoula

Lakes.

Of the smaller species [ also received the following: Spherium

elevatum, Polygyra texasiana, Praticolella berlandieriana, P. gris-

cola, Polygyra auriformis, Physa mexicana, Vitrea electrina, Bulimu-

lus schiedianus. -

While at Niagara Falls in August I found Goat Island rich in

Helices. The Polygyra albolabris, large form, was particularly

noticeable. Early in the morning great fine ones were to be seen

crawling about over the leaves and in the crevices of the rocks in

the almost impenetrable shade of the thick forest that covered the

Tete yr

I append the list or the Unionide of the State (Illinois). Later

I will issue a printed list with localities. I am indebted for much

valuable information and assistance to Messers. Hinkley, Ferris,

Marsh and Wolf, of Llinois; to Dr. Leach, of Michigan, and the

late Dr. Stein, of Indiana. Some of the species in the list are

doubtless synonyms, as Unio zigzag and U. donaciformis, U. occidens

108 THE NAUTILUS.

and U. ventricosus and some others. But as the authorities have

not agreed on this matter, I have included them as separate species.

(As Dr. Strode will issue a complete printed list of the Unionide

in some other form, the list as added to his report is not reproduced

here.—M. B. W.)

NOTES AND NEWS.

A LARGE Decapop.—I have been greatly interested in an im-

mense Cephalopod which came ashore about five miles south of Jack

Mound, Anastatia Island. Only the stumps of the tentacles were

left, as it had been dead for, perhaps, days. The body proper

measured 18 feet in length, 11 feet in breadth and 34 feet thick

above the sand as it lay soft and flattened on the beach. Of course

there is no way of knowing how long the tentacles were, but, judg-

ing from the size of the body, the arms must have been of enormous

length. DEWirr Wess, M. D., St. Augustine, Fla.

ARMATURE OF HELicorD LAND SHELis-—Under this title Mr.

G. K. Gude, of London, is contributing a series of important articles

to Science G'ossip. ‘The Indian genera Corilla and Plectopylis have

thus far been discussed, their peculiar internal barriers figured, and

the specific characters more fully worked out than in any former

publication. In the first paper (September, 1896) a new species of

Corilla, C. Frye Gude is described, and the armature of C. hum-

bertt Brot for the first time figured. A key to the species of Corilla

is given in the second paper; and in the third, which has just ap-

peared (November, 1896), the discussion of Plectopylis is com-

menced. The work promises to be very valuable to Helicologists,

and we hope that Mr. Gude will succeed in procuring a sufficient

number of specimens to make it complete.

Sap DEATH OF AN ORIENTAL BY HaLrioricrpE.—In the Novem-

ber Popular Science Monthly, Margaret Wentworth Leighton relates

that while she was living in San Francisco, “ A Chinamen went out

on the rocks at low tide to gather some [Haliotis]. As he at-

tempted to wrench one from its home his hand was caught between

shell and rock, and so firmly held by the animal that he could not

escape the rising tide and was drowned.” West coast collectors

should take warning. Don’t fool with Haliotis cracherodw without

having by you a crowbar or at least an ax, lest you should perish

miserably like this child-like and bland Celestial.

meee NeUTILUS.

VoL. X. FEBRUARY, 1897. No. 10

ON THE GENERIC POSITION OF BULIMUS GALERICULUM MOUSS.

BY H. A, PILSBRY.

This species was described by Mousson in his Land- und Stisswasser-

Mollusken von Java, 1849, p. 34, from near Pardana, Java, from a

single specimen collected by Zollinger. In von Martens’ edition of

Die Heliceen the species is placed in Geotrochus, with the Cingalese

' forms later referred to Beddomea. Pfeiffer in his arrangement of

the land snails in Malak. Blatter for 1855, p. 162, makes galericu-

lum the sole species of a new section of Bulimi, Pseusopartula.

The name he later corrects to Pseudopartula. In the Nomenclator

Hel. Viv. he includes with galericulum in Pseudopartula (which is

here made a subsection of G'eotrochus), the New Caledonian species

grouping around B. sinistrorsus Desh.

It is evident from this that B. galericulum is the type of Pseudo-

partula. On comparison with Ariophanta dohertyi Aldr., I find that

that species also belongs to the same group ; and here likewise must

be placed Hela nasuta Metc., which has the same conchological

features. As to the systematic place of Pseudopartula, I am in

doubt. In the absence of information upon the soft anatomy, the

group might be placed either next to Papuina in Helicide, or in the

Bulimulide or the Zonitide, although it is evident that it has no

affinity with the typical Ariophantas. Conchologically, it is well-

characterized by the trochiform, sinistral, obliquely perforate shell ;

thin in texture, milky subtranslucent, the surface with fine spiral

incised striz, apex smooth and blunt, aperture extremely oblique

and with well-reflexed peristome. The species are:

110 THE NAUTILUS.

1. PSEUDOPARTULA GALERICULUM (Mouss.). Moll. Java, p. 34,.

pl. 3 fig. 5.

la. PSEUDOPARTULA GALERICULUM Var. GEDEANA (Bttg. MS.).

More elongate with the peripheral angle subobsolete. Alt. 193,

diam. 12 mm. |

2. PSEUDOPARTULA DOHERTY! (Aldrich). Nautilus, VI, p. 90,

pl. 2,f1,2. Sumatra.

3. PSEUDOPARTULA NASUTA (Metc.). Man. Conch. (2), II, p.

21, pl. 3, f. 42. Borneo.

For the group of B. singularis, sinistrorsus, turgidulus, etc., Mon-

trouzier’s name DRAPARNAUDIA may be used.

TIMOTHY ABBOTT CONRAD.

Born in Trenton, N. J., June 21st, 1803, died in the same city,

August 9th, 1877.

To most conchological students, and especially to those interested

in Cretaceous and Tertiary shells, the name of Timothy Abbott Con-

rad must be more or less familiar; and yet few, perhaps, are aware

of the labor performed by him in searching the tombs of long van-

ished species, and presenting to the world in a series of papers the

story of their origin, development and final extinction.

In this work he was one of the foremost America pioneers, and

doubtless, the very first to note, from careful observation of their

molluscan forms, the absolute relationship of the several outcropping

Cretaceous beds ranging from northern New Jersey to southern

Alabama. Nor was he less successful regarding recent species,

since very many of these, native to the East and West coasts of

America, were first studied, figured, and described by him, his skill

in drawing being no less remarkable than his talent for investiga-

tion.

Personally he was a man of plain appearance, exceeding shy and

sensitive, but withal a “ good hater” and a true friend. Much of

his time was devoted to literary pursuits other than scientific, and

there are still extant a few copies of his poems, many of which show

superior merit both in construction and sentiment.

Owing to failing health for several years preceding his death, he

was often subjected to attacks of mental and physical depression,

and it was in relation to this fact that the subjoined verses were

THE NAUTILUS. 111

written and addressed to him. The present time, when renewed in-

terest in Conrad and his labors has lead to the republication of his

chief works, seems an appropriate occasion for their presentation.

TO TIMOTHY ABBOTT CONRAD,

Poet and Sctentist.

Oft as the sons of Greece and Rome

Returned victorious from afar,

Their tyrants shouted ‘‘ Welcome home !”’

The while they shared the spoils of war.

It mattered not that other lands

To yield them wealth must lie in chains ;

And naught, forsooth, were crimsoned hands,

So other’s hearts impressed the stains.

But where are now those soldiers brave,

Both they who lost and they who won?

They sleep forgotten in the grave,

Their names and nations dead and gone.

Not so have slept the gems of thought

Born unto men far down the years ;

These live—while deeds of valor wrought

In battle have dissolved in tears.

The world indeed has wiser grown

Since Error’s clouds such shadows cast ;

And few now dare to build a throne

Upon the ruins of the past.

“Grim visaged war,” rapine and strife,

May clutch awhile their less’ning lease ;

But knowledge is the soul of life,

And knowledge hails the reign of Peace.

To force of brutes, whose right is might,

Eternal thought has ceased to yield ;

The Day has dawned that rules the Night ;

Fair Science now commands the field.

With valiant hearts, and lips comprest,

Her sons are wheeling into line,

And woe betide the sable crest

Of Error when their strokes combine.

No nobler chief their legions know

Than thou, whose victories I sing ;

No prouder wreath can men bestow

Than round thy memory will cling.

As bard or sage thou art the peer

Of men embalmed in storied song,

Who, holding truth and virtue dear,

Both lived the right and scorned the wrong.

Upon the fairest diadems

Of Poesy thy name is cast ;

And, graven on Creation’s gems,

Thy fame will live while ages last.

112 THE NAUTILUS.

Will live in myriad laurels won

From sands, and marls, and strata old

And shine as brightly as the sun

In medals wrought from mental gold.

’

Long o’er thy path may honors shed

Their cheering rays, and may the years,

As on they come with gladsome tread,

Bring smiles to thee in lieu of tears.

And when at last thy life shall glide

Beyond the outer rim of Time,

May heaven’s gates swing open wide

In welcome to its joys sublime.

JOHN FORD.

Philadelphia, Fanuary, 1873.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

In conformity with Art. V of the Constitution of our Chapter the

election of President and General Secretary occurred on the last

Wednesday in December at the home of the latter. All members

residing in Southern California were invited to be present. The

Hon. Delos Arnold presided in the necessary absence of the presi-

dent. The votes were canvassed, and the following were declared

elected.

President, Professor Josiah Keep, Mills College, California.

General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson, University, Los

Angelos Co., California.

The Executive Committee consists of the President, General

Secretary and one other member (Art. ITV). The Hon. Delos Arnold

has been appointed a member of the Committee.

The following have been appointed Secretaries of the various

Sections:

Section A.—Marine Shells of the West Coast, Prof. Keep, Mills

College, Cal.

Section B.—Marine Shells of the East Coast, Mrs. E. P. Went-

worth, Portland, Maine.

Section C.—Land Shells east of the Rocky Mts, Mr. James

Lemon, Ontario, Canada.

Section D.—F resh Water Shells east of the Rocky Mts., Dr. Wm.

S. Strode, Lewistown, III.

Section E.—Land and Fresh- Water Shells west of the Rocky Mts.

(Secretary not yet chosen).

Section F.—Fossil Shells, Hon. Delos Arnold, Pasadena, Califor-

nia.

Section G.—Juvenile Section, Mrs. M. P. Olney, Spokane, Wash.

Section H.—Microscopic Shells, Mrs. T. 8. Oldroyd, Los Angelos,

Cal.

THE NAUTILUS. 113

Section I.—Marine Shells of the Southeastern Coast, Mr. J. J.

White, Rockledge, Fla.

Mr. J. J. White, the popular proprieter of W hite’s Cottage, Rock-

ledge, Fla., makes the following generous offer to our chapter mem-

bers. He will send Strombus pugilis or Cardium wsocardia, or both

if desired, to any member of the Chapter who will send stamps for

their postage. This offer holds good until his stock of them is ex-

hausted.

The name and address of a new member, Miss Lena L. Perrine,

B. &., Valley City, N. D., was unavoidably crowded out of the Jan-

uary issue of Tare NAvTILus.

MY SNATILERY.

[Report of MissC. Soper. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea Concho logical

Chapter for 1895. ]

Partly from choice, partly from necessity, I have followed the

suggestion given by one of the members in last year’s “ Transactions,”

and have studied the shell life found in my “ain countree,’ and I

want to tell some of the members who live far from the sea-shore,

what delightful possibilities there are collecting and studying shells

at home.

With the exception of a couple of weeks spent at Santa Barbara

last summer, I have had no opportunity for collecting ocean shells,

and as my “finds,” at that place were very meagre, being confined

to some live Chama exogyra, and a queer little slipper shell, I should

have no report to give were it not for my family of snails, which I

have had for nearly a year.

Last February, I found in an old cactus stump near Gabriel about

120 dead specimens of Helix tudiculata—7 or 8 large ones, the re-

mainder being above a half of an inch in diameter. One or two

small live ones were found, and they were treasured carefully in an

old flower pot which was kept in a saucer of water. A little later

the sexton of the cemetery, whose interest I had enlisted, found

for me a fine large specimen of H. tudiculata near one of the hy-

drants. This was a large addition to my small family, which had

already become the object of a great deal of attention from myself

and others. * * * In March, in company with a friend, I went to

the Arroyo Seco, near Pasadena, in search of helices. My friend

had found their home one day when she was digging ferns, and

learning of my desire to find some live snails, kindly piloted me to

the place.

114 THE NAUTILUS.

We found 20 or more, nearly all full grown of H. tudiculata and

Hi. Traskii. Right here let me say that I think snails display exqui-

site taste in their choice of a home, at least some varieties do.

I am as much or more interested in photography than I am in

conchology and I have found that the haunts of these humble creat-

ures are nearly always in spots that delight the heart of a photo-

grapher. Pretty shady nooks, old gnarled trees and stumps, fern

lined—which by the way, might contain water snails—broken down

fences, and, overgrown hedges, are places equally attractive to the

conchologist and the “ disciple of the tripod.” I cannot think of two

studies that can be pursued more harmoniously than conchology and

photography.

I have yet to experience the pleasure of a trip to the seaside with

my camera and shell basket.

But, to return to the snails. The flower pot besides being too

small was not a very satisfactory placeforthem. In some way, they

would manage to span the distance between the pot and the edge

of the dish which was kept full of water, as a means of keeping them

at home, and, some of them were constantly escaping. I procured a

large cheese box, filled it with leaf-mold, planted several varieties of

ferns in it, transferred my snails to their new home.

In order to keep them there, I putaround the box which I had

first placed on another box to make it higher, a fence of wire netting

about three feet high, and, far enough from the box, so that Mr.

Snail could not get out without crawling down to the floor and then

up the screen—a feat which only a very few have accomplished.

Before I got this safeguard I had many long searches for miscreant

members, under the bed, and similar places.

But, in spite of their roving disposition, they seemed fairly com-

fortable and happy, sleeping mostly during the day-time, and for-

aging at night. They ate a great deal of bread and lettuce, and the

ferns shared with them the frequent showers of water which they

received.

As has already been hinted, this snailery of mine is kept in my

bedroom and I have spent many hours late at night and early in the

morning, as well as during the day, watching its interesting inhab-

itants.

They are very particular about their personal appearance when

they are not hibernating, keeping themselves, or rather their shells,

bright and clean by “ mouthing” them all over, I believe I have

sometimes seen them performing that office for one another.

THE NAUTILUS. 115

Karly in May they began to lay eggs—depositing them mostly

in a little hole and covering them with earth, although some were

apparently indifferent about the matter. The eggs of H. Traskii were

somewhat smaller than those of H. tudiculata, and resembled very

much, in size, shape and color, homeopathic pills. They hatched in

about 8 weeks, the baby snails seeming to know their way out of the

ease or shell. Is it not probable this forms the first meal ?

The tiny things did not live very long, and I could not notice any

perceptible growth. The conditions were not favorable, I suppose.

Early in the Summer the old snails began to go into Summer

quarters, and they were soon all asleep except my dear, little glossy-

brown Glyptostoma. I had found him in Santa Anita cafion. He

kept watch all summer over the other sleepers. He would sometimes

disappear for a week at a time—buried in the ground, but I have

never seen him attach himself by an epiphram to the sides of the

box as the others do. |

All Summer they remained impervious to the freqent sprinklings

which they received, but when the first rain came one night in early

November, four or five of them woke up and began to investigate

matters. ‘They seemed to appreciate some bread and lettuce, but

went to sleep again during the dry weather which followed.

Each rain brought some of them to life, and during a long and

recent rain, nearly every one of them “ came to.”

A few of them have died since awakening out of their sleep, but

I think their time had come, for they were regular old patriarchs.

I have not noticed any addition to the growth of the larger ones, but

the smaller ones especially little “Glyp,” have made quite an addi-

tion to their houses. The newly formed shell looks soft and is

almost transparent.

Perhaps I will tire those who know all about raising snails, by my

long description, but, I hope there will be some to whom my report

will be of interest, and who will find as much pleasure and profit in

in a Snailery as I have found.

COMMUNICATION.

To all readers of Tor Nautiuus, the editorial note on the first

page of the January number suggests the possibility that the pleas-

ant monthly visits of this modest but valuable little journai may stop

with the current volume. Are we as conchologists going to allow

116 THE NAUTILUS.

this to happen? We have the cheerful assurance of the editors that.

they are willing to do their part, but it remains for us to do ours..

No steam engine can be run without steam, no matter how faithfully

the engineer may polish the metal work and oil the bearings. And

let me add that no journal can maintain its existence without the-

expenditure of hard cash, as well as careful thought and labor on:

the part of the editors. To be sure, in the present instance the cash:

is the smaller part of the outlay, but some one must furnish it.

Tue Navrtitus is the only journal in the country devoted wholly

to the interests of conchologists, and whose columns are open to our:

notes and exchanges. It rests with us, the conchologists of the:

country, to help the NAuTILus into deep water. The subscription.

price is a trifling amount and surely we receive far more in return.

I for one shall miss the Naurius if it is discontinued and I know

that others will. ‘Let us pay wp if we have not already done so and:

get our friends to subscribe as well. W.J.R.

Oakland, Cal., Jan. 6, 1897.

IN MEMORIAM—JOHN H. CAMPBELL.

It is with feelings of regret and sorrow that we record the death

of our late fellow conchologist Mr. John H. Campbell, which occur-

red on January 15th. As is known to most of our readers, Mr.

Campbell was the first President of the American Association of

Conchologists, and it was mainly owing to his energetic nature that.

the Association, during the time of his activity, exercised a wide in-

fluence and stimulated many naturalists to more earnest study of

conchological subjects.

For several years Mr. Campbell made a special study of the

Cypreide, and his collection of these ocean gems is doubtless the

largest and finest in America.

Mr. Campbell was born in Philadelphia, March 31st, 1847, grad-.

uated from the Central High School in Feb., 1864, and admitted to.

the Philadelphia Bar, April 4th, 1868. He was elected a delegate

at large to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention and served

throughout the sessions of that body in 1872-3. In 1873 he became

identified with the Catholic Total Abstinence Union, and for eleven

years was the honored President of the Philadelphia branch of that

organization. When the magnificent fountain erected by the society,

largely through his efforts, was unveiled in Fairmount Park, July

4th, 1877, it was he who made the presentation address.

THE NAUTILUS. LiE7

Mr. Campbell was also a member of several other prominent asso-

ciations, among which may be mentioned the Academy of Natural

Sciences, Philadelphia Atheneum, and Pennsylvania Historical So-

ciety. He was the author of several valuable papers, but perhaps

the chief literary work of his life is the History of the Hibernian

Society, a noble volume published about four years ago.

To his bereaved family we present an assurance of our deepest

sympathy, trusting that He who tempers the winds to the shorn lamb

will comfort and cheer their sorrowing hearts. pa

NOTES AND NEWS.

PLANORBIS NAUTILEUS L. 1x AmMerRicA.—The occurrence of this

well-known European species in the United States has hitherto rested

upon its discovery at Ann Arbor, Michigan, by De Tarr and Beecher,

who described it as new under the name of Planorbis costatus.

Several years ago, among some Vallonia pulchella Mill., purport-

ing to come from Eaton, N. Y., a single specimen of this Planorbis

was found. The collector of these specimens was unknown, so that

no further information was obtainable, and, in view of the possibil-

ity of some accidental mixture of specimens, I have refrained from

making a record based on a single example, which might be erron-

eous. Recently, however, I have received specimens of this species

about which there can be no doubt, and which, taken in connection

with the Michigan locality, render the New York citation fairly

probable. Mr. O. A. Nylander, of Caribou, Me., is the fortunate

discoverer of the new locality for this beautiful little species. He

writes that he found it in Barren Brook, Aroostook County, Maine,

in three or four inches of water under logs and bark associated with

Planorbis parvus, bicarinatus and trivolvis. It hardly seems possible

that in this locality, so remote from foreign commerce, the species

could have been introduced by human agency. And in this con-

nection it is a fact of some significance, that in the same brook is

found a small Pisidiwm, which Dr. Sterki says is apparently identi-

eal with the European P. miliwm Held., and that the only other

known American locality for that species is northern Michigan.

It is possible that the small size of the shell and its superficial re-

semblance to a very young Planorbis exacutus Say, has caused it to

be overlooked by collectors, and that it will be found to have sub-

stantially the same range over the northern part of this continent as

other circumpolar species— Bryant WALKER, Detroit, Mich.

118 THE NAUTILUS.

A New Varrety oF HELICINA PLICATULA PFR.—H. plicatula

v. christophori. Like plicatula in sculpture, but the umbilical re-

gion is decidedly concave, excavated around the smaller callus,

which does not fill it as it does in plicatula. Color uniform dark

reddish (like H. occulta Say). This very pretty Helicina was col-

lected by Dr. Wm. H. Rush, U.S. N., at the island of St. Kitts.

A large number of specimens were taken. It differs constantly from

Hi. plicatula of Guadelupe in the particulars mentioned.

H. A. Pilsbry.

SourH AMERICAN VoLuTID#.—Dr. H. v. Ihering gives a valu-

able review of the Volutes of this region in the July-August num-

ber of the Nachrbl. D. M. Gesellschaft. Critical notes on the

classification may be summed up with the conclusion that the group

is a very natural one, with transition-forms between the extremes.

v. Ihering believes V. ferussaci to be a variety of V. brasiliana.

The tertiary species of Chili are believed to be Cymbiola (Scaphelia)

forms, and two new species are described from the Eocene St. Cruz

formation, of which one, V. ameghinot, is stated to be certainly the

ancestor of the recent V. brasiliana. It should be mentioned here

that the Eocene age of the Santa Cruz beds is doubtful. They are

more likely Miocene. The Cymbiolas are stated to have arisen from

Alcithoé-like progenitors, but whether these belong to the Volutoid

or the Scaphelloid series as defined in Dall’s pioneer study, remains

undecided.

CAMPELOMA DECISUM SAY, REVERSED.—A series of this species,

collected by Mr. W. W. Jefferis, of Philadelphia, at Fort Edward

on the Hudson River, N. Y., has been carefully examined for me

by Miss Jennie E. Letson for sinistral specimens, with the following

results: Out of 681 specimens, mainly adult, but including those

shells of the uterine young 3 were sinistral, slightly over 0°73 per

cent. Probably all who have collected Campelomas have noticed

the greater proportion of sinistral examples among the young shells.

This doubtless indicates that the reversed condition is an unfavor-

able one for maturation. The proportion of sinistral adult shells in

this locality must be very much smaller, judging by the negative

result obtained; but, of course, data are lacking for its determina-

tion.—H. A. P.

Hawatan LAnp Mouuusxs.—Mr. E. R. Sykes has given descrip-

tions of new species of Macrochlamys, Endodonta and Achatinellide

in Proc. Malae. Soc., II, pt. 8. The status of the name Microcystis

THE NAUTILUS. 119

Beck is elucidated; the conclusion is reached that ornatella Beck

- should be considered type of Microcystis. The small one-colored

Polynesian Zonitoid forms, generally placed in Microcystis, are refer-

red to the genus Maerochlamys, Bens.

Youne PyrAmIpuLA srRicosA.—During the past August I

cleaned 50 P. strigosa and found in each of them from 6 to 15 young

shells. Have cleaned hundreds before and never found but one.—

Mary P. Olney, Spokane, Wash.

Nove ON THE GENERA OF 8. AMERICAN AMNICOLIDH.—In writ-

ing upon this subject in the November Nauriuus, the papers by

Dr. H. von Ihering on Die Gattwng Paludestrina (Nachrbl. D. Mal.

Gesellschaft, VII, 1895, p. 122), and Zur Kenntniss der Gattung Lith-

oglyphus (Malak. Bl. VII, 1885, p. 96) should have been mentioned,

as they are the most important contributions to our knowledge of the

anatomy of these forms yet made. In regard to the nomenclature

adopted by von Ihering, one criticism may be made: he states that

peristomata Orb. is type of Paludestrina, “ weil d’Orbigny nicht nur

in seiner Voyage Am. Mér., sondern auch 1835 im Mag. de Zool. den

Namen Paludestrina verwandt und dabeials erste Art P. peristomata

beschreiben hat.” This is not the case, for in Magazin de Zoologie

d@’Orbigny describes the South American forms under the generic

name Paludina, and does not mention Paludestrina, which was first

brought forward in the Voyage. As there stated, the type must be

“ Paludina” acuta, of France. Von Ihering follows Fischer in the

wrong spelling “ Littorinida” (as though derived from Littorina) of

Eydoux and Souleyet’s Littoridina; a name evidently intended asa

hybrid of Littorina and Paludina.—H. A. P.

ANATOMY OF SuLCoBASIS.—Messrs. William Moss and Wilfred

Mark Webb have examined the genitalia and dentition of two species

of this subgenus, Chloritis (Sulcobasis) stirophora and C. (S.) rehset,

recording their results in The Journal of Malacology V, no. 3. They

found both to possess ashort spur, in addition to the flagellum, at the

point of junction of vas deferens with epiphallus, and there was no

penis-papilla, but the walls of its lumen are wrinkled. The top of the

tail in stirophora has a median row of large tubercles, only part of

which are cleft, instead of a continuous impressed line asin Chloritis

species previously described. ‘The spiral sulci, which gave name to

the section, do not occur on the base of the shellin C. stirophora, and

are, therefore, not characteristic of the group.

120 THE NAUTILUS.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

A BroLoaicaAL EXAMINATION OF LAKE MicuHi@av, etc. (Bull.

Mich, Fish Comm., No. 6). A brief resumé of the malacological

results in the vicinity of Charlevoix, Mich., by Mr. Bryant Walker,

is given on pp. 96-99.

THE Mouuusks AND BRACHIOPODS OF THE BAHAMA EXPEDI-

TION OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF Iowa (Nat. Hist. Bull. S. U.

I., IV, No.1). By W. H. Dall. New forms are Murex nuttingi,

Cerion niteloides, Liotia centrifuga, Carditella smithii, the latter from

Bermuda. Cerion mumiola Pfr. is recorded from Tortugas, “ prob-

ably the result of transportation by sea drift. If living at Tortugas

it would add a new species to the fauna of the U.S.” The new

species are figured.

ON THE CoRRECT POSITION OF THE APERTURE IN PLANORBIS,

by F. C. Baker (Cincinnati Soc. N. H., XIX, p. 45). By the

examination of young specimens and broken adults, Baker concludes

that all the larger species examined are sinistral, the small ones

dextral ; these terms being used in their old senses. The late work

of Fischer and others on cognate inquiries is not referred to.

THE ANATOMY OF SPH#RIUM SULCATUM Lam., by Gilman A.

Drew (Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., 1895). A thorough and useful paper,

illustrated by plates of details and a reconstructed figure from sec-

tions. No useful abstract can be made; it may be mentioned, how-

ever, that a vestige of the byssal gland persists in the adult. The

typhlosole is not strongly developed. Spherium is hermaphroditie:

but the ova and sperm are produced by distinct follicles, the ova-

bearing being fewer and among the most posterior. A useful but

not exhaustive bibliography is given.

CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD A LIST OF PAPERS RELATING TO THE

NON-MARINE MoLuusca oF THE Hawaiian IsLanps, by E. R.

Sykes (privately printed). Includes scattered papers, other than

general or monographic works, and within this scope seems to be a

nearly or quite complete bibliography. In a footnote on p. 5 Mr.

Sykes calls attention to an error in a date given in the Proceedings

of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, but in so doing

commits an equal error himself, misquoting the date actually given

in the Proceedings.—H. A. P.

eee eee

THE NAUTILUS, X. Pi Are t.

t, 2's, Unio ‘Supertorensisigymarsi-

3, 4, * -Askewi Marsh

I a

mee NAUTILUS.

Vor. X. MARCH, 1897. No. 11

ILLUSTRATIONS OF NEW UNIONIDE.

Plate I, figs. 1. 2, 5, Unio superiorensis Marsh. For description

see Nautitus for January, 1897, p. 103.

Figs. 3, 4, Unio Askewi Marsh. Description in Nauriuus for

December 1896, p. 91.

Figures are natural size. The specimens illustrated have been

placed by Mr. Marsh in the Museum of the Academy of Natural

Sciences of Philadelphia.

LIST OF SPECIES COLLECTED AT BAHIA, BRAZIL, BY DR. H. VON

IHERING.

IDENTIFIED BY W. H. DALL.

The following species of shells were collected under the direction

of Dr. H. von Ihering at Bahia, except when otherwise stated, and

were forwarded to the National Museum for identification. This

list includes only the doubtful species which could not be named

with the literature available at the San Paulo Museum. Dr. von

Thering will eventually publish a complete list of the Brazilian coast

fauna; meanwhile these identifications may be useful for reference.

The remarkable thing about the collection, made 500 miles south of

Cape San Roque and 2,200 miles beyond the mouth of the Amazon,

is its typically Antillean character, resembling the fauna of the

Bahamas. This indicates (if there be no uncertainty as to the.

122

THE NAUTILUS.

provenance of the specimens) that the present distribution of the

coast fauna antedates the present volume of the Amazonian dis-

charge, since it would seem incredible that so many thoroughly

littoral species should be able to cross the present area of some hun-

dreds of miles of fresh water in either direction.

A few species

marked with an asterisk are inserted on Dr. v. Ihering’s authority.

Melampus flavus Gmel.

Bulla striata Brug.

Terebra cinerea Born,San Paulo.

Conus verrucosus Hwass.

Conus mus Hwass.

Conus daucus Hwass.

Drillia albinodata Reeve.

Drillia albocincta C. B. Ads.

Mangilia limonitella Dall.

Olivella jaspidea Gmel.

Olivella nivea Gmel.

Marginella bullata.*

Marginella largillierti.*

Volvarina fusca Sby.

Mitra nodulosa Gmel.

Turbinella ovoidea Kien.*

Fasciolaria aurantiaca Lam.*

Leucozonia cingulifera Lam.

Pisania pusio var. janeirensis

Orb.

Tritonidea tincta Conr. (!)

Nassa vibex Say, Rio.

Nassa ambigua Mtg.

Anachis albella C. B. Ads.

Anachis catenata Sby.

Nitidella nitidula Sby.

Columbella mercatoria L.

Murex pomum Gmel.*

Coralliophila galea Ch.

Sistrum nodulosum C. B. Ads.

Purpura hemastoma Lam., typi-.

cal, Rio Grande do Sul.

Purpura hemastoma var. trini-

tatensis Guppy.

Janthina communis Lam.

Janthina exigua, Bahia.

Tritonium tritonis var. nobile

Conr.

Tritonium femorale L.

Tritonium chlorostomum Lam.

Lambidium oniscus L.

Ranella ponderosa Reeve.

Cassis tuberosa.*

Dolium perdix* L., replacing D.

galea of San Paulo.

Trivia suffusa Gray.

Cypreea cinerea Gmel.

Strombus pugilis L., Bahia and

southward.

Strombus costatus Gmel. (not

south of Bahia, v. Ihr.).

Strombus gallus L. (not south of

Bahia, v. Ihr.).

Cerithium literatum Born.

Cerithium algicola C. B. Ads. ?

Cerithium atratum var. varia-

bile? Ads. |

Modulus modulus L.

Siphonium nebulosum Dillw.

Vermicularia spirata Phil.

Petaloconchus irregularis Orb.

Crepidula plana Say.

Amalthea antiquata L.

Capulus incurvatus Gmel.

Polynices porcellana Orb.

Polynices lactea Gmel.

Polynices caudidissima Recl.,*

replacing the next.

THE NAUTILUS. 123

Polynices brunnea Link., San

Paulo,

Polynices rufilabris Rve.*

Natica canrena Lam.

Natica pusilla Say (1).

Natica suleata Lam.

Acmea onychina Gld.

Phasianella minuta Anton.

Uvanilla americana Gmel.

Astralium tuber L.

Omphalius hotessierianus Orb.

Calliostoma jucundum Gld.,

Calliostoma jujubinum Gmel.

Subemarginula octoradiata

Gmel.

Fissurella rosea Gmel.

Fissuridea alternata Say.

Plicatula ramosa Lam.

Spondylus spathuliferus var. in-

ermis.

Pecten ornatus Lam.

Mytilus exustus Lam.

Botulina opifex Say.

Arca jamaicensis Gmel.

Area imbricata.*

Mactrella Iheringi n. sp.

Area auriculata.*

Area candida Ch., San Paulo.

Lucina costata Conr.

Chama congregata Conr.

Cardium levigatum L.

Venus pectorina Lam. (also S.

Paulo).

Venus cribraria Conr.

Venus circinata Born.

Venus subrostrata Lam. (beaui

Recl.).

Cytherea varians Wood.

Dosinia concentrica Born, S.

Paulo.

Lucinopsis tenuis Recl.,S. Paulo.

Tagelus mollis Gould, Rio

Grande do Sul.

Tagelus gibbus Spengl. (+ pla-

tensis Orb.).

Macoma constricta Brug.

Mactrella Iheringi Dall, n. sp.,

San Paulo.

Semele reticulata Gmel.

Bouchardia rosea Mawe (Rio 2).

Shell thin, white, inflated, with small and prominent beaks, ex-

ternally with fine concentric, and a few irregular, radial lines, and

a silky-yellowish epidermis, the beaks median, smooth, with an obso-

lete posterior keel, the lunular region widely and deeply impressed ;

hinge of the subgenus, the pallial sinus angular, reaching to the

vertical of the beaks. Lon. 65:0; alt. 52:0; diam. 32:0 mm.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

Volume 8 of the Transactions has begun its annual round of the

Chapter members. It will be some time before every member has

124 THE NAUTILUS.

received the book, but extracts from it will be found in this depart-

ment of THe Nauriius from month to month. Our Chapter can-

not afford to do without THe Navutiwus.

On page 112, February number, under “ Section C”’ the name of

the city (Toronto) was omitted in Mr. Lemon’s address.

Members of our Chapter interested in West Coast mollusks, will

find Dr. Wm. H. Dall’s bulletin on “ Diagnosis of New Species of

Mollusks from the West Coast of America” valuable. It contains

27 new species and 2 new genera. ‘The shells were collected by the

Albatross from points as far north as Tillamook, Washington, to the

Gulf of Panama, excepting one species dredged off the Argentine

coast. In this species Philobrya, instead of the more familiar Bryo-

phila is used for the genus, the reason for this is given. A Nucula

is described as being “ one of the largest known.” Two orbicular

species of Periploma are described. Mention of this bulletin will be

found in the August number of THE Nauti.us.

Another publication of the National Museum is Charles T. Simp-

son’s comprehensive work upon the Naiades, entitled “The Classifi-

cation and Geographical Distribution of the Pearly Freshwater

Mussels.” The title will convey to our members some idea of its

scope. The genus Margaritana is placed with the genus Unto. <A

comparison of Unio pressus and Margaritana rugosa is presented.

The various areas of the Naiades are given, Europe, Asia, Africa,

America and the islands of the seas, also a map showing distribution.

The Geological age of Unios is noticed, and the bulletin contains

many references to the books and pamphlets written on the pearly

freshwater mussels. It is a valuable contribution to molluscan lit-

erature.

A TRAY OF SHELLS FROM DENMARK.

(Extract from the report of the President, Prof. Josiah Keep. From the Transac-

tions of the Isaac Lea Chapter for 1896.

(In the report of the President, Professor Keep, he has given

minute instructions in reference to an exchange of United States

shells for European forms by an illustration. He tells the members

of our Chapter how he sent some West Coast Mollusks to a gentle-

man in Copenhagen, the return of his box filled with foreign shells

THE NAUTILUS. 125

from the North Sea, the value of Latin and Latinized terms in

nomenclature the world over, and of the difference of geographical

names written in Danish. This article is also illustrated with pen

and ink drawings of the shells mentioned in his report. These are

are all omitted from the following paper. M. B. W.).

Now as to the shells themselves. There were no large specimens,

the largest bivalve being a fat horse mussel Modiola modiolus var.

umbilicata, about four inches long. The shell is white and thin, the

_ epidermis brown and glossy, with a tendency to become hairy near the

front of the shells. It greatly resembles the Modiolas of our coast.

Cyprina islandica, three inches long, is a nearly circular bivalve,

with strong hinge teeth and external ligament, and in shape it

greatly resembles an ordinary quahog. ‘The whole exterior, how-

ever, is covered with a black epidermis which makes it look like a

monster COyclas from our brooks.

Of gasteropod shells the largest is the historic Fusus antiquus, the

“waring buckie” that Woodward speaks of, which used to be em-

ployed asa lamp, the slender canal being just fitted for a little

wick. This Fusus is an elegant shell, tapering equally at both ends,

the whorls well rounded, and the surface divided into minute cheeks.

It seems like an old friend from beyond the sea, and tells the story

of children at play in the little Shetland cottages, listening to the

mysterious roar of the sea in the shell, while the strange Jamp sheds

a faint ray over the humble scene. Happy shall we be if we make

our specimens tell us stories of the land across the seas from which

they come !

Of Pectens there were five species. P. opercularis a round regu-

lar shell, white within, marked by about twenty ribs, and the sur-

face cut into myriads of little projections, like the teeth on a cross

cut file. P. varius is more one sided, like our P. hastatus. Within

the shell is of a magnificent royal purple, while the outside of its

thirty ribs is dark and dingy. Both of these species have shells

about two inches across. A smaller kind, Pecten pes-lutre, the

“otter’s foot,” has only five ribs, and they are more like waves than

typical ribs. The shells are shining white within, while the outside

is red on one valve and gray on the other. :

Of Cockles there is the pretty little Cardium edule, strong and

smooth, and the spiny C. echinatum, about the size of a hen’s egg,

and whose ribs are set with a multitude of little sharp saw teeth.

Mya arenaria is present also, having a shell rather more dense and

126 THE NAUTILUS.

firm than those of its brothers which flourish so finely in San Fran-

cisco Bay. <A slender curved specimen of Solen ensis, the length of

one’s finger, is present from its home in the sands of the “Skagen,”

while its little cousin S. pedlucidus, is almost as thin and transparent

as tissue paper. Quite the opposite from this are the heavy black

shells of Astarte compressa from Greenland. This northerner seems

heavily clad to resist the waves of his native region.

The principal limpet is Patella vulgata, a large, heavy, conical

shell, with a sharp apex and rather distinct ribs. There is also an

oblong sea weed limpet, He/cion pellucidum. Naturally you will find

Nassa reticulata present, a plump, checked shell about an inch in

length ; also that sharp corkscrew Turritedla terebra.

Macoma baltica isa thick shelled, short and stout little Dutchman,

whose interior is as rosy as the coming of dawn, and whose very red-

ness shines clear through its white exterior. There are other tellens,

small, flat and thin, also some small top-shells of which Trochus

cinerarius is chief. It is interesting to notethat almost all the shells

were named by the great Linné, and we are carried back to the

cheery northland, where he explored and studied and wrote not for

his time alone, but for future generations as well.

Of freshwater shells there is the great Planorbis corneus, an inch

and a quarter across, the little button-like P. wmbilicatus, the thin-

shelled, inflated Limnea ovata and that odd little three-cornered

mussel Dreissena polymorpha. This shell is shaped like a large

beechnut, and from one side comes out a byssus of fine black silk.

Note what Woodward says of this little creature that has strayed

from its home in southern Russia, and has even entered the iron

water pipes of London.

Helix pomatia, the great edible snail, adds two large shells to the

collection. I have just obtained some live specimens of this species

which were imported by San Francisco grocers, and intend to try to

domesticate them. My Danish collection contains several other spe-

cies of Helix, e. g., the well known garden snails, H. nemoralis and

H. hortensis,so common in England. There are also several small

forms, like Helix hispida and minute kinds like Zua lubrica.

Finally there are specimens of the singular genus Clausilia, with

their long slender, many whorled little shells, whose apertures are

set with teeth, as if to keep the poor little creature inside his prison

house, or more probably to keep his enemies out.

THE NAUTILUS. 127

In all, my collection contains 62 species, and as I examine them

from time to time, I not only see many interesting shells, whose

names are all as common to the conchologist as household words, but

I am also transported in imagination back to those northern regions

whence came the early ancestors of our Anglo-Saxon forefathers.

POSTAGE ON SPECIMENS OF NATURAL HISTORY.

In Tue Navtitus, Vol. VII, p. 58, September, 1893, we have

had something to say on the subject of postage on specimens of

natural history to foreign countries. We have there detailed the

efforts made by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

to obtain lower rates, explaining that the present regulations of the

Universal] Postal Union permit such specimens to be mailed only at

letter rates. It is indeed true that many countries have Parcel

Posts, the charges for which are lower than those for letters. The

aim of the Academy has been to secure the adoption by the Postal

Union of a proposition offered by the U. 8. Post Office Department

that specimens of natural history be admitted to the international

mails at the rates for, and under the conditions applicable to, sam-

ples of merchandise. This proposition was, however, rejected at the

last International Postal Congress of Vienna.

At the International Congress of Zoology, held at Leyden, Hol-

land, in September, 1895, Dr. Chas. Wardell Stiles, official delegate

to the U. S. Government, offered resolutions, which were subse-

quently adopted, that the Swiss Government be requested, through

its delegate to the Congress of Zoology, to propose to the next Inter-

national Postal Congress an amendment to the regulations thereof

whereby specimens of Natural History shall be carried in the mails

of the Universal Postal Union at the rates for samples of merchan-

dise ; that an appeal should be addressed to all the delegates and

members of the Congress of Zoology to bring this amendment to

the notice of their respective governments, so that those govern-

ments should instruct their delegates to the Postal Congress to act

favorably upon thesame; that copies of these resolutions be sent by

the Secretary of the Congress of Zoology to all governments forming

part of the Universal Postal Union and which were not represented

at the Congress of Zoology.

128 THE NAUTILUS.

In accordance with these resolutions, Dr. Stiles suggested to the

committee of the Academy in charge of this matter of postage that,

although it is probable that the U. S. Government will vote in favor

of this proposed amendment, seeing that it is the same proposition

which the United States had presented at Vienna, the cause would

be helped by the Academy adopting resolutions in favor of this.

proposed amendment and requesting the Postmater-General at

Washington to instruct our American delegates to vote in favor of

it.

This the Academy has done; but other American scientific bodies

should join in the work, adopt similar resolutions and send them to

our Postmaster-General that he may know that the students of

natural history in the United States eagerly desire such a reduction

in postage rates. The next International Postal Congress meets at

Washington on the fifth of May next. The purpose of this article

is to urge all those who read it to use such means and influence as

may be at their command to help in the accomplishment of this

end.

For the guidance of those who will aid in the manner suggested,

a translation of the original French text of the amendment referred

to is as follows:

“Amendment to Article XIX (samples) 4, of the Regulations of De-

tails and Order.

5. Objects of natural history, dried or preserved animals

and plants, geological specimens, etc., of which the transmis-

sion has no commercial interest, and the packing of which

conforms to the general conditions concerning packages of

samples of merchandise.”

If this amendment be adopted by the Postal Congress, specimens

of Natural History can be sent to countries of the Universal Postal

Union at the rate of one cent for every two ounces.

IN MEMORIAM—HENRY MOORES.

It was not until recently that we learned of the death of our old

friend, Mr. Henry Moores, of Columbus, Ohio, which occurred on

October 1, 1896, in his 85th year. A correspondent of Say, Amos

Binney, Conrad, Lea, Haldeman and others, we might well say

that he is the last of the ‘“ old school.”

THE NAUTILUS. 129

Born in Hudson, N. Y., June 13, 1812, he went to Columbus,

Ohio, in the fall of 1848. Remaining there until the following

spring, he moved to Albany, N. Y. Here he remained until Sep-

tember, 1845, when he married and returned to Columbus, residing

there continuously until his death, with the exception of a trip to

California and a year’s residence in Dayton, Ohio.

He was an earnest and enthusiastic naturalist, being interested in

both the recent and fossil forms. Mr. Moores discovered and

‘named the following new species of Unionide : Anodonta hockin-

gensis; A. sommerst; A. hydei; A. freidi. Dr. Lea named, in his

honor, Suecinea mooresi. A fossil erinoid, Zeocrinus mooresi W hit-

field, and a fossil bivalve from Carbon Hill, Sckizodus mooresi Mil-

ler were respectively dedicated to him.

There was also one snail discovered by him in Texas, and

named, by Mr. Binney, Helix mooreana. Some of the shells in his

collection were collected over a hundred years ago by early scien-

tists; one bears the date 1778, and many are wrapped in pieces of

newspapers dating as far back as 1850 and earlier. Like many

others, Mr. Moores caught the gold fever in 1849, and some of the

specimens in the Ohio State University Museum were collected by

him then.

His own private catalogue of species is a work of scientific

value for its accurate arrangement and modern classification.

Asa reward of his industry his cabinet contained over thirty-three

hundred species of land, fresh water and marine shells, about one

thousand species of fossils and about two hundred and fifty varieties

of minerals.

But the industry of one man may be better understood when it is

said that it took three days’ solid work for a drayman with horse

and wagon to move the collection from Mr. Moores’ former home

on W. Rich street to the University, after he had spent nearly five

weeks in packing them in boxes and preparing them for the trans-

fer. The real scientific ability of the collector is shown in the fact

that every specimen that could be labelled bore its card, giving all

data necessary for any person to take it up and study it understand-

ingly. This one feature adds more to the value of the collection

than anything else possibly can, except first-class specimens, and

those of this collection are of the best, If it were necessary to

choose between poor specimens with full and accurate data and good

ones with no labels, it is often that the scientific student would choose

130 THE NAUTILUS.

the former. But there is no need of such a choice here, for both

quality and accurate data abound, as well as quantity, giving all that

the most thorough student might require.

The purchase was made by the Ohio State University, principally

for the shells, to place them in the room for the department of

zoology, and the fossils were a secondary consideration, but when

Dr. Orton saw the fine number of specimens that were to be added

to the university collection as new species, as well as the great num-

ber of desirable duplicates, enabling numerous exchanges, he was

forced to remark, “ Oh this makes us rich. - This is material that

we had not counted upon.” ‘The assistant geologist has been busy

until the present time on the Lower Silurian specimens alone, or

only those found in the vicinity of Cincinnati, and in working over

them and cataloguing them for the museum he has entered over one

hundred species from that locality alone that had not formerty ap-

peared in the University collection. Of the Devonian fossils, found

near Columbus, there is an immense number; especially are the

fossil corals very fine and nicely cleaned, but it yet remains for

work in the near future to tell how many specimens may be found

among them that are new to the museum collection.

There is the most complete set of carboniferous specimens, from

Carbon Hill, Hocking County, O., that the world knows. It was

in this locality that Mr. Moores did most of his field work in pale-

ontology and made some of his most valuable discoveries.

But the part of the collection with which Mr. Moores has more

recently done his entire scientific work is to be found now in the de-

partment of zoology. All possible varieties of shells from all over

the world have been collected, labelled and arranged by this inde-

fatigable naturalist. These specimens vary from the beautiful pink

and green radiating “sun shell” of the Atlantic coast to the plain

and lowly house of our ordinary, slowly plodding snail, or from the

thick, glossy and bright colored shell of the tropical region to that

of the more sombre hue of the arctics.

We are indebted to the kindness of his daughter, Mrs. A. 8.

Humphreys, for greater part of the above information.—C. W. J.

NOTES AND NEWS.

PLANORBIS NAUTILEUS L.—Referring to Mr. Walker’s interest-

ing notes on this species in the February number of Ture Nauriuus,

I may say that a few were taken at Hamilton, Ontario, in 1889. In

THE NAUTILUS. 131

the report of the Conchological Division of the Biological Section of

the Hamilton Association contained in the Journal and Proceedings

of the Association for the Session 1889-90, the following note on

Planor bis nautileus appears :—

~ Occurs in a small piece of marsh at the junction of Hamilton Bay

(Lake Ontario) and the Desjardines Canal. A very tiny shell, the

smallest water shell known to me; is hairy. The Rev. G. W. Tay-

lor in naming it states that this is identical with the English P.

nautileus. From its small size is difficult to find; if an introduced

shell it would be interesting to know by what agency it reached its

present habitat. Do not know that it has been taken anywhere else

in North America. I found the shell among layers of dead leaves

and on the stems of reeds in a few inches of water; not many were

met with, but as it required considerable patience, especially in such

moist surroundings, special search for them was only made on one’

or two occasions. The Dundes marsh is of large area, and I dare

say the species occurs throughout it—A. W. Hanuam, Winnipeg,

Man.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

DRAGAGES EFFECTUES PAR L’HIRONDELLE ET PAR LA PRIN-

cEssE-ALICE, 1888-1895, par Ph. Dautzenberg et H. Fischer (Mém.

Soc. Zool. France, 1886, pp. 104, pl. 7). An important paper on

the deep sea Gastropod fauna of the Eastern Atlantic, supple-

menting the extensive works of Jeffreys and Watson. Most of

the dredging was done around the Azores Islands, where be-

sides numerous new species of many genera, a considerable num-

ber of forms first described from the western Atlantic and Gulf of

Mexico occurred, such as Pleurotoma sigsbeet, centimata, serga,

comatropis Dall, chariessa Watson, Sipho profundicola Verrill and

Smith, Coralliophila lactuca Dall, ete. Among the more interesting

new species described are two Mitromorphas, Kryptos elegans Jeftr.

mss., Iphitus cancellatus and tenerrimus, Danilia affinis, some fine

species of Solaried/a and Calliostoma, a Turcicula, two Fissuriseptas,

two species of Propilidum and an Acmea (Azores, 1,385 meters!) ;

the latter probably not really belonging to this genus.

The figures are for the most part very good examples of heliotype

work, but in some cases lack clearness of detail. Messrs. Dautzen-

132 THE NAUTILUS.

berg and Fischer have left little to criticise in the text, although we

could wish that they had assorted the new Plewrotomide into sub-

generic groups.—H. A. P.

DEscRIPTIONS OF TERTIARY Fossils FROM THE ANTILLLEAN

Recion, by R. J. Lechmere Guppy and Wm. H. Dall (Proe. U.

S. Nat. Museum, XIX, pages 505-331, Plates XX VII-XXX,

1896). Inthe preliminary remarks Dr. Dall gives stratigraphically

the source of the various fossils described. The Pliocene material

was obtained from Moen, Costa Rica. The Caroni beds of Trinidad,

the deposits at Bowden, Jamaica, and in Haiti, and the Chipola

beds of Florida which have long been referred to the Miocene, are

here placed in the Upper Oligocene, no strictly Miocene strata be-

ing recognized in the Antillean region. The Gatun beds of Con-

rad and Hill on the Panama Isthmus are Eocene, and contain a

fair proportion of the species common to the Claibornian of Ala.

and the Upper Tejon of Cal. ‘“ The list of Tertiary fossils of the

West Indian region, prepared by Mr. Guppy in 1874, comprised

some 250 species of fossil mollusks, but the fauna is much richer

than this, since in one day at the Bowden beds, Messrs. Henderson

and Simpson procured over 400 species. <A significant proportion

of these appear to have survived little changed, or to be represented

by closely analogous species in the recent fauna of the West Indies.”

In this paper 43 new species are described by Mr. Guppy and 19

by Dr. Dall, besides notes on a number of well known and doubtful

species.—C. W. J.

On THE GENUS REMONDIA GABB, A GROUP OF CRETACEOUS

BrvaLvE Mo.uusks, by Timothy W. Stanton (Proc. U. S. Nat.

Mus., XIX, pages 299-301, pl. X XVI). The type of this genus is

Remondia furcata Gabb. ‘“ The genus has been recognized in the

Manuals of Conchology and Paleontology, and placed in the Tri-

gonlide by Tryon, Zittel and Fischer, though the latter remarks

that it would perhaps be better placed near Astarte.” Mr. Stanton

places it in family Crassitellidze or Craesitellitidee, as the family is

now called.

New AnD INTERESTING EOCENE MOLLUSCA FROM THE GULF

Srares, by Gilbert D. Harris (Proce. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1896, pages

470-482, pls. XVIII-X XIII). This paper relates to new and in-

teresting forms in the “ Lea Collection of Eocene Mollusca ” in the

Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Seventeen new spe-

cies are described and a number of specimens that are much finer

than the types, have also been figured.

mere NAUTILUS.

VoL. X. APRIL, 1897. No. 12

THE IANTHINAS.

BY CHARLES T. SIMPSON.

The Ianthinas, or violet snails, live gregarious in the open seas of

the tropics, and float by means of a raft composed of vesicles filled

with air, which cannot be withdrawn into the shell. Sometimes

they are carried by winds and currents into the seas of temperate

regions, and their shells have been found along the shores of our

own country as far north as New England. I had collected for

many years and in many countries, but had never found, perhaps,

more than a dozen dead, broken shells. In January, 1883, I was on

a large schooner bound for Spanish Honduras, and we stopped at

Key West, where I spent one of the most delightful weeks of my life

gathering Cylindrellas, Chondropowas, Cerions, Helicina or biculata,

and the beautiful Orthalicus, Liguus, and Bulimulus multilineatus

in the thick, thorny, tropical scrub, or Strombs and bright Tellinas

and blending Neritas and a hundred other interesting forms along

the south shore. We were to sail about noon on Sunday, but I

could not resist the temptation to take one last look at the places

where I had spent so many happy hours, so after breakfast I wan-

dered through the city and out to the beach.

Before I reached it I noticed that as far as the eye could see, it

was a inass of the most intense, glowing violet color, and on coming

up to it was astonished to find that this color came trom untold mil-

lions of Ianthina, which had been washed up in the night, for when

I had left the beach the evening before at dusk, not one was to be

seen. To say that they lined the shore gives no idea of the real

truth. Everywhere, from below low water to highest tide mark

they were piled up, in most places, over shoe-top deep, and in the

hollows of rocks one could have waded in among them up to his

knees—shell, animal and float all of a vivid purple, the richness of

134 THE NAUTILUS.

which soon fades, to a great extent, in dead shells or preserved speci-

mens. ‘They were all dead—a kind of slimy mass—and they some-

how looked pitiful.

There had been no storm, nothing but an ordinary breeze blow-

ing up from the south, and it is probable that an immense school

had been drifted along, aud where they struck the island, some five

miles in length, every one within that distance was stranded.

I had brought no basket or sack or anything to collect in, but I

could not bear to go away and leave that vast bed of treasures with-

out taking at least a few with me. I searched in vain for a box or

tin can or a piece of canvas, but could find absolutely nothing, not

even a scrap of paper. I took out my handkerchief, knotted the

corners, and tried to pull out the animals from the shells, but the

whole mass was so slippery and the shells were so frail that the lat-

ter invariably broke, so I filled it with shells, animals and all, as

many as it would hold. Then I took off my straw hat and filled it,

and that would not satisfy me, for as 1 wandered along I found so

many fine specimens that I began to put them into my pockets, and

I did not leave the shore until every pocket was bursting full. I

had on a linen coat and white duck pants; the day was hot and it

seemed to me that those Ianthinas melted. In a little while streaks

of glowing violet began to show down my clothes; I felt a clammy,

wet, uncomfortable, feeling clear through to my skin, and my shoes

were filled with purple liquid. By the time I reached the city I

looked like an Indian in war paint, and I have no doubt that the

people of Key West, who were just going to church, thought I was

a lunatic, and perhaps they were not far from right. At last I

reached the schooner, took off and threw away my suit, which was

utterly ruined, and got my precious mollusks into sea water to soak,

although at least half of them were broken, yet, when I cleaned them

out, I had the satisfaction of counting up over 2,000 good shells.

VERTIGO COLORADENSIS AND ITS ALLIES.

BY T. D. A. COCKERELL.

Dr. Dall, in his interesting paper in Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., XIX,

has, on p. 367, Vertigo decora Gould, Colorado to Alaska ( + P.

ingersolli Ancey + P. coloradensis Ckll.); Vertigo decora var. con-

cinnula Ckll., Colorado. )

THE NAUTILUS. 135

It is a long time since I paid particular attention to these small

snails, but I do not think the above can be correct.

The genuine V. coloradensis is a very small form, with only a

single lamella on the parietal wall; its length is 14 mm. The form

which I named concinnula I found at higher elevations; it is larger,

2 mm. long, cylindrical, dull brown with whitish strize, whorls 43,

striate, suture not very deep, mouth pyriform, usually elbowed ex-

ternally above, lamelle 4 or 5; one, double, on parietal wall; one

on columella, about its middle, and two on outer wall; peristome

distinct. This differs from decora in color and the shape of the

aperture.

I did not publish a description of my concinnula, because I be-

lieved (and still believe) it to be identical with Ancey’s ingersolli,

which, also unpublished, had priority in MS. But, in view of Mr.

Dall’s publication, it becomes necessary to refer to it and explain

what it really is.

Now as to ingersolli, it was based on Ingersoll’s supposed califor-

nica. Mr. J.H. Thomson sent me some of the “californica” col-

lected by Ingersoll, and I transcribe my notes upon them :—

No.6. “Animas Valley, Colo.” and “Timber Line, N. E. Ante-

lope Pk., V. californica Rowell.” (Perhaps only the latter label

really belongs to the shells.) Certainly not californica, but appar-

ently concinnula.

No.7. “Vertigo californica Rowell, Rio La Plata, Colo.” Rather

highly colored, but evidently concinnula.

No.8. “V. californica, Cunningham Gulch.” Shinier than usual,

perhaps, or thinner, but concinnula.

There was also a single specimen of the same species from North

Park, collected by E. A. Barber, Aug. 12, 1874.

Typical V. decora is 2+ mm. long, therefore much larger than

coloradensis. It is to me evident that there are three quite distinct

forms: (1) True decora of the north; (2) ingersolli or concinnula of

high elevations in Colorado; (3) coloradensis of the Colorado mid-

alpine. Whether these are called species or subspecies is, perhaps,

of small importance, and Dr. Sterki may be allowed to decide.

I may later refer to some other matters in Dr. Dall’s excellent

paper. He keeps “ Zimax montanus” as aspecies, which it certainly

isnot. The Patula strigosa v. concentrata Dall, seems to be a form

similar to my var. minor (J. of Conch., 1890, p. 175), which forms a

distinct race near Egeria, Colorado.

136 THE NAUTILUS.

CONTRIBUTION TO A KNOWLEDGE OF UNITED STATES UNIONIDZ.

BY 5S. HART WRIGHT,

Unio Pinkstonii sp. nov.

Shell flask-shaped or triangular, clavate, inflated below the beaks,

rounded anteriorly and very bluntly pointed behind. Epidermis

olive with transmitted light, with numerous close lines of growth ;

rayless. Beaks elevated, blunt and nearly on a line with the an-

terior margin in old specimens, but the shell very inequilateral in

the young. Sides very convex and descending in front very

abruptly. Basal margin very convex. Umbonal ridge very blunt,

and only slightly raised. Posterior slope narrower, its margin not

keeled. Cavity of shell deep, cavity under the beaks slight, bluntly

rounded. Cardinal teeth erect, striate; the anterior cardinal trun-

cate. Cardinal in right valve single. Cavity between cardinals

with a deep conical pit. Lateral teeth straight and short. Dorsal

cicatrices over the beak-cavity. Nacre white, without iridescence,

except at the posterior end, where the nacre is thin, it being thick

elsewhere. Cicatrices all distinct and well-impressed. Width 1]

inches, length 13, diameter 1.

Habitat: Tuscaloosa River, Macon Co., Ala.

Remarks: Affinity, U. castaneus Lea, from which it differs in

having a tray-shaped cavity, instead of bowl-shaped, as in the former.

Its rings of growth are low and fine, not ridgy and coarse as in old

U. castaneus. The U. nux group probably includes this and U. cas-

taneus, U. concolor, U. brumbyanus and U. perovatus, species more

or less related to our shell, in which the nacre is laid unevenly in

plates and ridges, which form two or more pits where they meet.

The species is dedicated to Miss M. S. Pinkston, who assiduously

collects Unionide, and found this among her collections.

Unio Kirklandianus sp. nov.

Shell ovate, brilliantly polished, rather thin and somewhat in-

flated. Sides dilated in the middle and attenuated at each end.

Base very convex; anterior end rounded and the other bluntly

pointed. Epidermis yellowish horn-color, with broad green rays on

all the surface, which are interrupted near the base with narrow

yellow bands. Lines of growth only two or three and ferruginous.

Beaks blunt and broad, slightly raised; umbonal ridge raised and

abruptly rounded. Posterior area abrupt, ‘narrow and slightly

THE NAUTILUS. 137

keeled, and cordate at the beaks. Cavity of the shell rather deep

and uniform; cavity of the beaks well under the dorsum, blunt

within. Cardinal teeth, low, compressed and double in both valves

and nearly tubercular. Nacre white within the pallial line, and

darker and iridescent exterior to it. Lateral teeth small, short,

remote from the cardinals, and straight in the groove, but making a

slight angle from the dorsal plate at the anterior end of the liga-

ment, which is 3 of an inch long. Width if inches, length 14, di-

ameter } of an inch.

Habitat: Ocklocknee River, Leon Co., Fla.

Remarks: Affinity, U. swhangulatus Lea. Our shell differs from

this in being more polished, thinner, rays broader, those of the an-

terior end sweeping around in curves. The shell cavity is much

deeper and broader. The beak cavities are much larger, and the

shell substance white instead of incarnate. We take pleasure in

naming this species, which is probably not exceeded in pictorial

beauty by any known Unio in North America, in honor of Dr.

Reynold J. Kirkland, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who is a vigor-

ous investigator in conchologv.

Unio Burtchianus sp. nov.

Shell uniformly solid, though not thick, oblong-elliptical, flattish,

inequilateral, smooth and polished, with a slight constriction near

the middle. Sides rounded, anterior end rounded, pointed behind

with a very short truncation. Dorsal and basal margins uniformly

curved. Epidermis reddish, nearly occulted with dark green rays

running over all the surface, which are grouped in irregular fasci-

cles, darker and densely striate on the posterior slope. Growth

lines almost invisible. Beaks small and low, slightly rounded.

Umbonal slope subangular, with a fainter ridge back of it, making

a biangulation behind. Beak cavities very slight, confluent with a

cavity under the lateral teeth. Shell cavity moderate and oblong.

Cardinal teeth erect, light, crenulate, with an oblong groove in the

cardinal of the right valve. The inner lateral tooth thickened and

upturned at the end. Posterior cicatrices confluent, anterior dis-

tinct, all well impressed. Pallial impression distinct and crenulate.

Nacre salmon within the pallial line and purplish exterior to it.

Width 2% inches, length 14, diameter 2.

Habitat: St. Mary’s River, Nassau Co., Florida.

Remarks: Affinity, U. /ehmanii, herein described, in which the

distinction is made between these species. It is named in honor of

138 THE NAUTILUS.

Mr. Verdi Burtch, of Penn Yan, N. Y., who is a working student in

Unionide and ornithology.

Unio Lehmanii sp. nov.

Shell ovate, uniformly thick, evenly rounded before and broadly

pointed behind; and slightly biangulate. Dorsal and basal curves

equally convex. Epidermis reddish-brown, smoothish, numerously

and faintly rayed. Lines of growth obscure and slightly raised.

Umbonal slope broadly rounded, making in old shells a slight un-

cination at the posterior end. Beaks broad and short, not raised.

Posterior margin not keeled. Cardinal teeth broad, rather com-

pressed and much laciniated, the anterior cardinal elevated, crested,

ending in a long, thin, sharp edge, nearly truncated, which points

forward and downward. Lateral teeth heavy and nearly straight,

with a curve in the dorsal plate. Cicatrices distinct. Cavity of

shell very broad and quite uniformly excavated. Beak cavities not

deep, but broad and obtuse. Nacre purplish, lighter and sometimes

salmon, within the pallial line. Width 3 inches, length 1%, diam-

eter 14 inches.

Habitat: St. Mary’s River, Florida.

Remarks: Affinity, U. burtchianus, which, with our shell, seems

to form a distinct group confined to St. Mary’s River, stationed be-

tween the Buckleyi and Forbesianus groups. It differs from U.

burtchianus in having greater inflation, less pointed behind, rays less

distinct, greater dorsal curvature, higher sides and rougher. It is

named for Mr. W. V. Lehman, a specialist in fossil insects, and an

energetic student of Unionide.

Unio Brimleyi sp. nov.

Shell quadrate, bluntly pointed behind, slightly inequilateral.

Sides gracefully rounded, subemarginate below and slightly arched

above. Enpidermis olive, with transmitted light, rayless and with

very numerous finely striated raised crinkled lines. Shell thick on

the anterior half and much thinner behind. Lines of growth three

or four and faint. Ligament dark red and prominent. Greatest

diameter in the shell center. Posterior slope with two impressed

divergent broad and shallow grooves, from beaks to posterior mar-

gin. Beaks broad and rounded, slightly raised. Umbonal slope

broad and keeled. Beak cavity moderately deep. Cardinal teeth

double in both valves, erect and serrated. Laterals thin and

straight, and in the left valve continuous with the cardinals. Cica-

trices distinct. Dorsal cicatrices concealed from view. Pallial

THE NAUTILUS. 139

impression seen only in anterior half, and there it is very faint.

Nacre dead-white in front half and iridescent and darker in the

other half, the two shades meeting in nearly a straight line. Width

2 inches, length 143, diameter }.

Habitat: Neuse River, Raleigh, N. C.

Remarks: Affinity, U. negatus Lea, from which our shell differs

in having rounded sides, olive epidermis, thinner and more direct

teeth. The peculiar structure of the epidermis reminds one of U.

estabrookianus Lea. Named for Mr. C.S. Brimley, of Raleigh, N.C.,

who is collecting histological material.

(To be Continued.)

PLANORBIS NAUTILEUS L. IN AMERICA.

BY GEO. W. TAYLOR.

In a note with the above heading in the February number of

Tue Navtiuus, Mr. Bryant Walker makes the following statement :

“The occurrence of this well-known European species in the

United States has hitherto rested upon its discovery at Ann Arbor,

Michigan, by DeTarr and Beecher, who described it as new under

the name of P. costatus.”

This is true, no doubt, as far as the United States is concerned,

but it is not correct as to America, for P. nautileus has been already

recorded from three Canadian localities, and has, apparently, a wide

distribution in the northern part of the Continent.

About eight years ago I received two specimens of P. nautileus

from Mr. A. W. Hanham, who had taken them near Hamilton,

Ontario. Five years later, in the autumn of 1893, I found the shell

myself'in some abundance in the ponds near to the St. Louis Dam,

Ottawa. This find I recorded in a note in the Ottawa Naturalist for

December, 1893, mentioning, I think, in the same note, Mr. Han-

ham’s previous discovery. Again, in 1894, I received numerous

specimens of the same shell from Mr. A. O. Wheelen, who collected

them in southern Alberta. ‘These were also recorded by me in the

Ottawa Naturalist in a paper entitled “ The Land and Freshwater

Shells of Alberta.”

I was inclined, in the first instance, to think that this little shell

might have been introduced by the agency of man, but its occur-

140 THE NAUTILUS.

rence in Alberta, at a considerable distance from the line of railway,

leads me to suppose that it is truly indigenous, and in this opinion I

am confirmed by Mr. Walker’s observations.

While on the subject of Planorbis I should like to call attention

to the occurrence of another shell in southern Alberta (recorded in

the paper referred to above), namely, Planorbis umbilicatellus. This

record seems to have been overlooked by Mr. Vanatta when writing

on the distribution of P. wmbilicatellus in the last volume of THE

NAUTILUS.

By the way: The Ottawa Naturalist is one of our best Canadian

natural history magazines, and a good many papers on Canadian

Conchology have been published therein during the last few years.

Nanaimo, B. C.

ISAAC LEA DEPARTMENT.

[Conducted in the interest of the Isaac Lea Conchological Chapter of the Agassiz Associa-

tion by its General Secretary, Mrs. M. Burton Williamson. ]

At this writing the volume of Transactions is still in California.

Promptness in forwarding the book will be appreciated by the Gen-

eral Secretary, as well as by our members whose homes are in the

eastern States.

The name of Mrs. V. R. Hayward, Spokane, Wash., is added to

our Chapter Roll.

Mr. J.J. White’s gift of shells to our members, mentioned in THE

NAU‘rILUvs, is greatly appreciated.

FOSSILS OF DEAD MAN’S ISLAND.

[From the report of Hon. Delos Arnold. From the Transactions of the Isaac Lea

Conchological Chapter for 1896. |

In submitting my annual report as Secretary of the Fossil Sec-

tion of the Chapter, I have to regret that so little progress has been

made during the past year along the lines of this Section of the

Chapter.

While the work during the past year, so far as the main concho-

logical work is concerned, is very gratifying, showing, as they do,

an increasing interest in the study of the science and a commend-

able activity in the collecting of specimens, the Fossil Section has.

THE NAUTILUS. 14]

not been actuated by the same spirit of inquiry. With the excep-

tion of some twenty species of fossils from the Tertiary beds of New

Mexico, sent here for identification, and a few inquiries relative to

exchanges, there is nothing outside of my own personal observations

to report. It may be proper to state that the New Mexico speci-

mens were collected and sent by a gentlemen not a member of our

Association.

The Chapter was instituted primarily to encourage the study of

conchology, and commemorates the achievements of the honored in-

dividual whose name it bears.

My visits to the beach during the past year have been few, and

the visits I made were for the purpose of delving into the raised

beaches at San Pedro, or of excavating the rocks at Dead Man’s

Island in search of buried treasures. Since my visits to these locali-

ties, a few months ago, and especially since the heavy rains of the

past few weeks, I found that the alluvial of the bluffs that overlie

the reefs of shells has been loosened and have fallen in large masses,

almost, and, in some localities quite, obscuring the collecting grounds,

so that collecting is very much obstructed or entirely destroyed. I

succeeded, however, in unearthing a few very fine specimens, mostly

of recent species; one specimen of Lunatia lewisti Conrad being five

inches in diameter and as symmetrical and perfect as a living form.

But it was at Dead Man’s Island, an older and more interesting

formation, that I devoted most of my time and efforts. To one who

has spent as many pleasant and profitable hours in this lonely spot, it

cannot but cause an abiding sorrow to witness the devastation that is

constantly and rapidly going on by the relentless waves. Within

the recollection of the persons now living, the island has diminished

one-half or more, and there are now living those who will see the

tides sweeping over the spot where the receeding island now stands,

unless some steps are taken to protect it.

JT have found nothing new or especially rare at this island during

the past year, but the specimens are so perfect and life-like that it is

always a pleasure to see them, and a desire to possess them is usually

so strong that they are secured and added to one’s collection. The

specimens which, to me, are the most interesting, are those found

imbedded in the sand rocks that have fallen from a ledge near the

top of the island. They are referred to the Pliocene period, and so

perfectly are they preserved that when eroded from their matrix

and mingled with the dead shells of the same species that are scat-

142 THE NAUTILUS.

tered on the beach, only a close scrutiny can distinguish a difference.

Among the species that were revealed in this almost perfect state

were: Fusus kobelti Dall, Fusus barbarensis Trask, Lucina acutili-

neata Conrad, L. californica Conrad, L. nuttelli Conrad, Lunatia

lewisit Gld., Olivella biplicata Sby., Cardium centifilosum Cpr., and

a very unique and interesting specimen of Serpulorbis squamigerus

Cpr., together with a large number of common species of shells.

NOTES ON VITREA CELLARIA MULL.

[Extract from the report of Mr. Leon Walker. From the Transactions of the Isaac

Lea Conchological Chapter for 1896. ]

There is, perhaps, no more interesting land shells in New England

than Vitrea cellaria Mill., on account of its peculiar habits. It

was first noticed in cities along the Atlantic Coast about fifty years

ago, and was undoubtedly introduced through commerce on wine

casks or hothouse plants. For some physical cause this shell has

not yet been found at any distance from the ocean, and is still con-

fined to a few cities on the coast. Living chiefly in cellars, as its

specific name implies, and not exposed to the weather, it does not

hibernate, but is active the year around. It is sometimes a great

pest to the housewife, annoying her greatly by crawling into milk-

pans or eating vegetables that are placed on the cellar bottoms. The

depredations of the animal are confined to the night ; in the daytime

it lies hidden under some board or in some crack or crevice in the

wall. The animal has a very acute sense of smell, and can be

readily collected by placing fruit or vegetables within its reach.

Vitrea cellaria is not the only cellar mollusk, as there are a few

slugs that lurk in similar situations, but it alone has an external

shell.

NOTES AND NEWS.

THe CoLtony oF HELIX NEMORALIS AT LEXINGTON, VAa.—

The colony of Helia nemoralis is thriving; one yard is full of them,

but I do not see that they do any injury to vegetation. They ap-

pear to grow larger here than the specimens I have seen of the same

species from Europe. Another feature I have also observed:

When they were first introduced we could find solid brown ones

THE NAUTILUS. 143

rarely ; now they are never to be seen. ‘They look like tortoise-

shell or have very wide bands, but no more solid brown appear, al-

though I keep a sharp lookout.—Mrs. Jonn M. Brooke.

A New Form or Pura.—lI find, occasionally, in the rejecta-

menta of the Rio Grande at Mesilla, N. M., a Pupa which has been

considered to be P. gabbii Dall (1. e., arizonensis W. G. Binn., not

Gabb.). On examining it more carefully than heretofore, it seems

to me at least a distinct variety, and it may be called P. gabbii var.

mexicanorum. It is 33 mm. long, diam. 13 mm., white, delicately

but distinctly ribbed, the ribs filiform, four of them entering the

parietal wall of the aperture. The aperture is rather narrow, with

the outer margin somewhat flattened, and inclined to be elbowed

above. The peristome is quite thick. Besides having the well-

marked ribs, this is smaller and narrower than the typical gabbit.

I found, however, an equally small form of gabbii in Colorado, on

Round Mountain near Silver Cliff.

To Dr. Dall’s recent list of Central Region Pupidz may be added

Vertigo gouldi Binney, which I found in a post-Tertiary deposit at

West Cliff, Colorado, along with a variety of V. ovata. It has not

yet been found alive in that neighborhood.—T. D. A. CocKERELL.

VALLONIA PULCHELLA IN PiTTsBuRGH.—A couple of months

ago a friend sent me a lot of Vallonia pulchella that he had col-

lected on his front walk in the East End, Pittsburgh. He says that

he first noticed them late last spring or early summer, but is not

sure of the date now. He says that they suddenly appeared after a

rain literally in millions, and about three weeks later they again

appeared, but in smaller numbers. ‘The first time they appeared he

says he gathered up a half tumbler of the shells for me but lost

them. On their second appearance he got about a thousand which

he turned over to me, and I send you a few under separate cover to

let you see that they show the effect of Pittsburgh smoke.

My friend is going to watch for them this spring and summer,

and if they appear will make a note of the date and how long they

stay. There is a stone wall around the place and he thinks they

come from this wall—Gzro. H. Crapp.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

LisT OF THE CLAUSILL® OF SouTH AMERICA, WITH THE DE-

SCRIPTION OF A New Species, by E. R. Sykes (Jour. Malac., V,

144 THE NAUTILUS.

pages 57-59, pl. IV). In this list 87 species are recorded. From

United States of Columbia 11 ; Venezuela 1; Ecuador 6; Peru 16;

Bolivia 2; and Porto Rico 1. C. perplewa Sykes is made a syno-

nym of C. dohrni Pfr.—C. W. J.

Report on THE Mouuusks CoLLecTeD BY THE INTERNA-

TIONAL BounpDARY CoMMISSION OF THE UNITED STATES AND

Mexico 1892-94, by Wm. H. Dall (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., XIX,

pages 333-379, pls. XXXI-XXXIIT). In this report the fauna

of the region adjacent to the international boundary line that ex-

tends from the Rio Grande River near El Paso, Texas, to the Colo-

rado River near Yuma, Arizona, is fully treated. Two new species

of Polygyra (P. ashmuni and P. pseudodonta) are described from

New Mexico. Two new Coelocentrum, a new Anisospira and anew

Streptostyla are described from Mexico.—C. W. J.

REVISION OF THE GENERA OF LEDIDH AND NUCULIDA OF

| THE ATLANTIC Coast oF THE UNITED Srarss, by A. E. Verrill

and Katharine J. Bush (Amer. Jour. Sci., III, 1897, pages 51-63).

This interesting paper, the authors state, is but a preliminary ac-

count of the classification adopted in a somewhat extended study of

the series of deep sea forms belonging to these families. ‘These

families are often united by modern malacologists under a single

family (Nuculide), while others regard them as distinct. The fam-

ily Nuculidee differs from Ledidz mainly in having no siphon tubes,

the mantle edges being completely disunited.” A new subfamily

(Glominz) of Nuculidz, and a new subfamily (Tindarine) of Le-

did are used, while in the Ledidze four new genera and one sub-

genus is adopted. The article is illustrated by 22 cuts, and closes

with an analytical table of the recent subfamilies, genera and sub-

genera.—C, W. J.

THe Eocene Deposits oF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC SLOPE IN

DELAWARE, MARYLAND AND VirGIntiA, by Wm. B. Clark (Bull.

U.S. Geol. Sur., No. 141). The introduction contains a complete

bibliography and an exhaustive account of its stratigraphical and

paleontological characteristics, followed by descriptions of species.

About 60 species of Mollusca are described and illustrated. The

entire work contains 93 pages and 40 plates.