48 THE NAUTILUS. 



A NEW SUBSPECIES OF OREOHEL1X COOPERI. 



BY HENRY A. PILSBRY. 



Mr. S. S. Berry has recently sent me specimens of a pygmy 

 race of 0. cooperi, which he found on July 4th, in the snowy 

 mountains, Fergus Co., Montana, at an elevation of somewhat 

 over 5000 feet. " The dead shells " he writes, " were abundant 

 among loose rocks on the mountain slope forming the east wall 

 of Swimming Woman Creek canyon, about half a mile above 

 the mouth, and I found no spot free of them in the area 

 searched, either at the foot of the slope or higher up. The living 

 ones were harder to find because not only less abundant, but 

 distinctly harder to see. Over the entire slope, all the shells 

 were remarkably uniform in size, those sent you being an average 

 lot. I noted that the young lenticular shells are ornamented 

 more or less conspicuously with epidermal projections and 

 fringes, some being quite hirsute." 



OREOHELIX COOPERI BERRYI, n. subsp. 



The shell has the shape characteristic of 0. cooperi except that 

 the last whorl is distinctly angular in front, the angle disap- 

 pearing on the last half or third, leaving the periphery rounded. 

 Color cinnamon to snuff brown, from the third whorl on pro- 

 fusely marked with white patches and narrow streaks ; last 

 whorl having a chocolate band below the periphery (frequently 

 also a narrower or paler band in the middle of the upper sur- 

 face, and several dilute brownish bands on the base, interrupt- 

 ing the white markings). The surface is irregularly striate and 

 shows traces of spiral striation in places. Whorls 4^, all con- 

 vex : embryonic shell of nearly two whorls, which are finely 

 striate and covered with very fine spirals, the last half of the 

 second whorl having more distinct spiral striae. Umbilicus 

 narrow, contained 5^ times in the diameter of shell. 



Alt. 6.3, diam. 9.4 mm. (type, No. 112489 A. N. S. P.). 



Alt. 6.1, diam. 9.3 mm. (paratype, coll. S. S. Berry). 



In some examples the stria? are distinctly granose in spiral 

 series on the base. This shell is much smaller and less de- 

 pressed than 0. cooperi minor Ckll. 0. alpina Elrod is more 

 depressed with a wider umbilicus. 



