36 THE NAUTILUS. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY : EOCENE. By Wm. B. 

 Clark and Geo. C. Martin. It lias afforded us a great deal of pleas- 

 ure and instruction to peruse the carefully prepared and beauti- 

 fully printed volumes of the Maryland Geological Survey. The 

 State may justly feel proud that it is able to present to the world 

 such admirable reports on its physical and geological features. The 

 present volume on the Eocene fauna is especially interesting to con- 

 chologists, as by far the largest number of forms described are 

 molluscan. The volume contains 331 pages and 64 plates, and 

 includes a map and sections. Two formations are recognized, the 

 Nanjemoy and Aquia, the former corresponding in many respects to 

 the Lower Claibornian, and the latter to the Chickasawan of the 

 Gulf States. There are described and well figured 135 species of 

 mollusca ; among which is a large new Nautiloid (Hercoylossa 

 tuomeyi\ while 19 Gastropoda, and 10 Pelecypoda are also described 

 as new. Among the 135 species are 15 of which the genus only is 

 given, the specimens being loo imperfect lor specific descriptions. 

 We highly commend this step, for the description of indeterminable 

 species is only a hindrance to the progress of paleontology. C. W. J. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



EDITORS NAUTILUS: I have read with deep interest Mr. J. B. 

 Henderson's article in the June NAUTILUS on the trip made by him- 

 self and companions, Messrs. C. T. Simpson and Robert T. Hill, to 

 Haiti on a hunt for land shells, and was sorry to learn of their com- 

 parative failure to secure a greater number of specimens of that 

 splendid species, Pleurodonte yiyantea. I then recalled that when 

 my friend, Mr. H. Rolle, of Berlin, returned from his Haitian trip, 

 where he had spent three months or more collecting specimens, he 

 called on me at my home (then) at Brooklyn, N. Y., and told me of 

 his efforts to find this snail, and how very difficult it was to secure 

 them, because it was a night shell, rarely ever being seen in day- 

 light. He succeeded by doing his searching at night, with the aid 

 of a lantern. He referred to the same spot palace and fortress 

 mentioned by Mr. H., where they found the dead shells so numerous. 

 If they had worked the grounds by lamp light I fancy they would 

 have been rewarded with a larger catch. My collection contains but 

 one of this species ; it is a very large and excellent specimen, except 

 for a somewhat marred epidermis. Mr. H. makes no mention of find- 

 ing any Cerions. Did they not look or care for them? I think 

 Ceriun a very interesting and beautiful snail. They must be quite 

 abundant, for the Rev. Mr. Smith, resident missionary at Cape Haitian, 

 sent me a very large number of most perfect and beautiful specimens. 

 I compliment the gentlemen on the final success of their efforts. 



June 6th, 1001. A. B. KEN DIG, Brookline, Mass. 



