THE NAUTILUS. 129 



lates though avoid the direct rays of the sun, living under boulders 

 among the ruins. Siracusan land shells adapt themselves to the dry 

 surroundings by living at the edge of the cliffs overhanging the sea. 



Upon reaching Taormina and the base of Etna, I was surprised to 

 find the terrestrial mollusca reduced to a minority. The country 

 here reaches the wildest form, deep crevices and small canyons in- 

 tersect the mountains and the vegetation is luxurious in early spring. 

 The scarcity of land mollusca is accounted for in the prevalence of 

 lava instead of limestone formations, which are so characteristic of 

 the rest of Sicily. 



In the vicinity of Taormina a few small permanent streams were 

 explored. In these, under stones, in swiftly running water, two 

 species of Ancylus were collected. The fresh -water genera are not 

 well represented on the island; but near Siracuse the Anapo, a small 

 permanent river, supports a few peculiar species. Many of the Sici- 

 lian streams after heavy rains are raging torrents, which, under nor- 

 mal conditions, run underground or in the dry season cease. The 

 absence of mud is also unfavorable for molluscan life. The Anapo 

 rises in a pool of considerable depth, is uniform in width throughout, 

 and after many windings empties into the Bay of Siracuse a few 

 miles below its source. Its banks are lined with papyrus, on the 

 roots of which Amnicola, Bithinia and other small genera live. Of 

 the lakes in the south I visited none, partly because of their inacces- 

 sible location, but parti cularly on account of their unhealthiness 

 The fauna of each is in the main peculiar, if we include extreme 

 variations. 



Romagnala, a small town near Palermo, was found an excellent 

 station for marine species. Facing the open sea, the shore combines 

 sand and algae-covered rocks. Over sixty species were secured in a 

 tew hours after a storm, the small species in fresh condition and the 

 larger often containing the animal. Two days later the sand had 

 covered the rocks, and it was with difficulty that ten species were 

 secured. At Siracuse the bay yielded a few marine, and the rocky 

 coast many genera not found at Palermo. Cypraa larida L. and 

 Fusus syracusana L. are seldom found near shore at Siracuse, but 

 are frequently brought in by the fishermen. The violence of the surf, 

 combined with the absence of drift on the beaches at Taormina, 

 prevented frequent collecting. Argonauta argo L. and Calliostoma 

 conulus L. occurred, which were not noticed in the north. Being in 



