THE NAUTILUS. 



V L. ix. JUNE, 1895. No. 2 



PLET7RODONTE BAINBRIDGEl AND OTHER JAMAICA SHELLS. 



BY EDWARD \V. 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 baiiiliriilyei 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- 



