CARYCHIUM. 179 



DESCRIPTION. 



Animal colorless ; tentaculse stout, hyaline, one third 

 the length of the foot, the upper pair alone developed. 

 The foot is short, thick, distinctly divided into two seg- 

 ments, the anterior of which is bilobed, and projects, when 

 the animal is in motion, considerably in advance of the 

 head. Eyes oval, situated on the back, near the base of 

 the tentacles. Its motions are very sluggish. It carries 

 the shell directed horizontally ; the shell is so transparent 

 that the viscera of the animal may be seen through it. 

 (Compare the figures of the animal on plate 53.) 



Shell elongated, tapering at both ends, white, trans- 

 lucent, shining ; apex rather obtuse ; whorls five to six, 

 convex, very oblique, with transverse striae ; suture distinct, 

 impressed ; aperture obliquely oval, white, with a promi- 

 nent plait on the columellar margin, about midway be- 

 tween the extremities of the lip, and a slightly prominent 

 fold near the junction of the lip with the umbilical extrem- 

 ity of the shell ; lip thick, reflected, flattened ; umbilicus 

 perforated. 



Length, one fifteenth ; breadth, one fortieth of an inch. 



Geographical Distribution. Common in all the Northern 

 and Middle States (Binney), in Ohio (Kirtland, Anthony, 

 Higgins), and Arkansas (Gould), New York (DeKay, 

 Lewis), Michigan (Winchel), Massachusetts (Gould, &c.), 

 Connecticut (Linsley), Maine (Mighels), Pennsylvania 

 (H. C. Lea), Texas (Roemer). 



Remarks. The extreme minuteness of this shell has 

 doubtless prevented its being noticed in many localities 

 where it exists. It probably inhabits a very wide range 

 of territory. The plane of the aperture is not so nearly 

 parallel with the axis as in Bulimus subula. It has been 

 said to resemble Carychium minimum of Miiller, but neither 

 the figure nor description, as given by Draparnaud, corre- 

 spond with our shell. 



