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 itlrichi, Ostrea pulaskensis, Cucullea micro- 

 donta. Cytherea sp., Venericardia planieostn, etc., etc. Most of the 

 fossils consist of casts only, and are difficult to obtain from the hard 

 limestone. The situation was very favorable for land 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. Heliclna orbiculata, Poh/gyra 

 tlnjroides var. bucculenta, Polygyra inflecta and large fine specimens 

 of Zonites friabiKs were particularly common, while a search brought 

 to light Poli/gyra stenotrema, Potygyra divestu, Selenites concavu, and 

 Pyramid-iila 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 planiuosta, Nucula ovula, Cytherea discoidalis, Corbula 

 nasuta, C. oniteus, Turrit e Ha arenicola var. branneri, Turritella 

 clevelandia, Pseudoliva retusta, Lievifitsus 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 1 had the following species: Unio 

 pyramidatus, U. crassidens (.?), U. trigonus, U. camehis, U. tnrgidus, 

 U. pustulosus, U. near castaneus, U. plicatit*, U. cornutus, U. metan- 

 ever, U. tnipezoides, U. securis, U. hydeanux, U. aberti, U. tubereula- 

 tus U. near satur, U. gracilis, U. purpuratm. 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 elevatnm were also 

 abundant, and among the former I find one specimen of Vivipara 

 subpurpurea Say. 



