THE NAUTILUS. 59 



now Pyramidula. In Taylor's superb monograph of the land 

 and fresh-water shells of the British Isles the author says of 

 P. rupestris: "This species displays a great difference in 

 form, ranging from an almost plauorbular spire to a greatly 

 elevated form with almost dislocated whorls, which has its 

 metropolis in the isles of the Aegean Sea." Mr. Taylor fig- 

 ures a depressed form as var. umbilicata and says this form 

 is more prevalent in the north of Europe. The spire becomes 

 more elevated as the southern range increases. Fig. 3 repre- 

 sents a specimen of Pyramidula rupestris from England. 

 While showing slight differences, the Maine specimens must 

 be regarded the same. If it turns out to be an established 

 variety I would like to dedicate it to Mr. Olaf 0. Nylander, 

 who has done such excellent work in studying and collecting 

 the land and fresh-water shells of northern Maine. It will 

 thus stand Pyramidula rupestris var. nylanderi. 



NOTES ON MARINE MOLLUSCA ABOUT NEW YORK CITY. 



BY ARTHUR JACOT. 



Due to the unusually severe storms of the past winter the 

 beaches about New York City were of special interest to the 

 conchologist. On the one hand, bungalos, hotels, etc., were 

 swept into the ocean bodily, while on the other, great quan- 

 tities of shells were strewn along the shores. 



At Rockaway Beach from the hospital (beyond the Park) 

 to Edgmeer, a distance of four miles, there was an almost 

 continuous rift of "skimmers" (Spisula solidissima) along 

 the extreme high-tide line, which averaged two feet deep by 

 ten feet wide. At some places these clams were piled up three 

 to four feet deep, at other places they formed a double rift, 

 while at still others (besides the rift at highest tide line) they 

 were strewn as a thick carpet over that part of the beach 

 laid bare at low tide. Counting 50 individuals per square 

 foot, we estimated there were at least 5,000,000 per linear 

 mile. It will be interesting to notice the abundance of this 



