THE NAUTILUS. 143 



color in shells. We do not see much use in carrying the decimals 

 of mm. to two or more places in measuring the length of shells of the 

 :size of these, hut then it does no great harm if the measurer 1 as 

 plenty of time. There is a wide field for this kind of work among 

 our mollusks, and the data to be obtained are of great value. H. A. P. 

 Part 4 of Vol. I of the same journal contains a valuable statistical 

 investigation by C. Hensgen on the band variations of Helix nenwrah's, 

 at several places in Strasburg. The paper is too extensive for ab- 

 stract, but it may be mentioned that the curve for number of bands 

 has its major mode at with a well-marked minor mode at 3 bands. 

 -H. A. P. 



GENERAL NOTES. 



CONUS PROMETHEUS Hwass. A synonym of this species which 

 I have not seen noticed in the monographs is Conus nicholii Wilson, 

 1831 ; figured in James Wilson's "Illustrations of Zoology," pi. 36. 

 The specimen described measured 8i inches long. 



In the revision of the CARDITACEA, lately printed by the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences, I preserved the name Miodon for a form of 

 Venericardia found on the Pacific coast and applied by Carpenter in 

 1864. For Miodon Sandberger, 1870, given to a fossil form of 

 Cyrena the name Miodonlopsis was proposed. In Sharp's Index 

 Zoologicus just received, I find Miodon however was used for an 

 ophidian in 1859 by Dumeril, and therefore Carpenter's shell will 

 have to have a new name also. In this case I would propose 

 Miodontiscus for the Venericardian W. H. DAI.L. 



Mr. Jas. H. Ferriss and the senior Editor of the NAUTILUS are 

 collecting mollusks and ferns in the Southwest. 



So many years have elapsed since a general work covering the 

 entire mollusca has appeared, that it is of interest to many readers of 

 THE NAUTILUS who have not access to the larger libraries to know 

 -what are the general views of leading biologists regarding the relative 



