THE NAUTILUS. 



VOL. XXVIII. AUGUST, 1914. No. 4 



SHELLS OF DURAN, NEW MEXICO. 



BY H. A. PILSBRY. 



When enroute for El Paso, over the Eock Island road, in 

 August, 1910, Mr. L. E. Daniels, and the writer stopped four 

 hours at the station of Duran, Torrance Co., N. M. This 

 place lies about 75 or 80 miles southeast from Albuquerque, 

 at an elevation of 6272 ft., and was selected because it is near 

 the highest point crossed by the C. R. I. & P. road. We had 

 thought it rather a pity to ride through the State without 

 trying out the collecting. After trying Duran we felt recon- 

 ciled to go on. 



The most promising place seemed to be a large, steep, flat- 

 topped butte about a mile south of the station. It proved to 

 be composed of level-bedded white sandstone, the lower slopes 

 stony. We found shells most abundant under large flat stones 

 near the top of the north side. The sides and top are thickly 

 covered with scrubby junipers, some pinyons and a little knee- 

 high scrub-oak. We noted several cacti -- Cereus, Echino- 

 cactus, Opuntia and Cylindropuntia, and a couple of small 

 ferns ; also a small species of Yucca and a filamentous Agave. 

 From the top one sees low ranges and isolated barren buttes. 



From about Santa Rosa to Corona the railroad runs through 

 similar sandstone country, modeled by erosion. At Corona, 

 the highest point, the road crosses one of the ranges of sand- 



