THE NAUTILUS. 



VOL. XIV. MAY, 19OO. No. 1. 



NOTES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF AND CERTAIN CHARACTERS IN THE 

 SAXIDOMI OF THE WEST COAST. 



BT ROBT. E. C. STEARNS. 



Four species of Saxidomus have been described from the West 

 coast of North America and one from Japan. On the American 

 shores its distribution extends from the Gulf of Alaska to San Die^o 



O " 



a range of about 2500 miles. It is remarkably prolific, being found 

 in great abundance in the waters of Puget Sound and in many places 

 between the points above named. 



The foregoing applies particularly to the two species S. aratus 

 Gould (= S. gracilis Gld.), and S. Nuttallii Conrad. The other 

 forms, S. squalidus Desh., and S. brevisiphoiidtus Cpr., may prove to 

 be only varietal. With our present knowledge, the latter appear to 

 be quite local, or of infrequent occurrence, apparently restricted to 

 Vancouver Island and the shores around the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

 though Carpenter credits squalidus to Oregon and the neighborhood 

 of San Francisco bay. S. Nuttallii appears to be more generally 

 distributed and more abundant throughout the region named than 

 S. aratus, though in one instance as many as a hundred bushels of 

 the latter were included in a single consignment in 18G7 to a San 

 Francisco commission merchant. Notwithstanding its superior qual- 

 ity from an edible point of view, there was no sale for them ; it was 

 not a familiar form and the greater part was dumped into the bay, 



