136 THE NAUTILUS. 



let the shell alone ; or, is there some absorbent that will contract 

 when cool or in the process of drying that will bring it out? I have 

 put my snails in boiling water, guessing at the cooking necessary for 

 the different varieties, but often I cannot extract the whole animal, 

 leaving a portion to discolor the spire." 



For cleaning the exterior of water shells I find fine table salt 

 about the correct thing. Rub it on with a piece of cloth or the hand. 

 It has grit enough to remove lime, algse and iron stains without be- 

 ing firm enough to scratch the epidermis. Often a weak solution of 

 muriatic acid assists in removing iron stains and lime, and brightens 

 the colors. Rinse thoroughly, and when dry rub over lightly with 

 raw linseed oil. JAS. H. FERRISS. 



NOTES ON SOME PUPID^:. The perusal of the account of the 

 Pupidre in the new Catalogue suggests the following comments. 

 Pupa montanella (p. 119) is not concinnula, but is a weak form of 

 pentodon, found in Ouster Co., Colorado. The name has never been 

 sanctioned by a description, and should be dropped. P. pentodon, 

 it may be remarked, was originally the type of Vertigopsis, as I had 

 it in my MS.; but in NAUTILUS, January, 1893, Dr. Sterki takes 

 curvidens as the type, and this must now hold good. Ancey's un- 

 published descriptions of his two forms of P. ingersolli are as follows : 



" Var. (?) haydeni Anc. Testa prsecedenti [ingersolli] statura 

 formaque si mil lima, sed dentibus palatalibus 3 parallelis et ?equali- 

 bus, elongatis, nee. 2, discrepans. Cunningham Gulch (Ingersoll)." 



"Var. accedens, Anc., Testa typo similis, sed tuberculo parietali 

 distincto prope dentem armata." (May, 1890). Pupa sublubrica 

 is hardly muscorum ; a figure communicated by Mr. Ancey shows, 

 besides a strong parietal tooth, one on the outer wall, and also an 

 obtuse one on the columella. The figure appears to me to represent 

 a form of blandi. In May, 1890, Mr. Ancey (in I'M.} states that 

 hebes was near to muscorum, and criticised Biuney for putting it 

 under arizonensis; thus it appears probable that gabbi may stand. 

 At that time (1890) a new name was proposed in MS. by Ancey for 

 arizonensis, W. G. B., but it was not published. It may be as well 

 to remark here that the name Holosjyira rcemeri var. minor, published 

 (NAUTILUS, VI, 6) by Dr. Sterki, without description, belongs to 

 W. G. Binney's var. ,3, Man. Amer. Land Shells, p. 422. T. D. 



A. COCKERELL. 



