52 THE NAUTILUS. 



is tlie liome of the snails. A good snail lioe is necessary, and one 

 should wear gloves, for the chemicals, or climate, crack the collector's 

 hands. A little shade helps, and the colonies will he found where the 

 ventilation is good, the soil sweet and with a normal condition as to 

 moisture, not wet or springy, but a natural soil condition. The 

 most favorable location is selected, and the collector must not be dis- 

 coura"-ed at the absence of dead or living shells until after the 



O " 



thorough overhauling of a slide. Ashmunella chiricahnana was 

 found, one by one, but after digging away at a rocky slide for an 

 hour without results I found one pocket large as my hat with 85 ex- 

 amples, and soon after took 125 from a like pocket, and left the rest. 

 Oreohelix and Ashmunellas were nearest the surface. Though 

 hibernating. Oreohelix would be often found under the top stone. 

 The Ashmunellas were next to the soil, and often buried in the 

 loose leaf mould. Sonorellas were deep delvers, and lived down 

 where the stones were wedged close together or buried in the soil. 

 Seldom were more than one, two or three specimens found in one 

 colony, not counting the little fellows, but such as they were I have 

 never seen shells thicker in the southern mountains. I found a 

 number of small shells in the drift on the plains which I did not find 

 alive. Holospiras were usually found under dead vegetation upon 

 dry hill-sides. Vitrinas were in damp ravines in the decaying vege- 

 tation. Infnndibularia tuba Pils., was found in the drift of the San 

 Pedro at Benson. It was not found in the Huachucas, or the drift 

 of the streams from those mountains, and therefore I suspect it came 

 from the mountains near Tombstone. There are a number of species 

 credited to the Huachucas and Chiricahuas I did not iind. 



Fort Huachuca is a division headquarters of the army, and is 

 occupied by three or four troops of cavalry. Many collectors visit 

 the post and the mountains. Botanists and entomologists predomin- 

 ate. These mountains are probably no better than many others in 

 the territory, but are good, and the collectors in the army lead the 

 way. In the Carr Canyon I found C. R. Biederrnann in a cabin of 

 his own. He expects to remain there two or three years studying 

 Arizona insect life for the Philadelphia Academy. From what he 

 has told me of strange snails in strange places, and from what 1 have 

 seen and run over without seeing, I am satisfied there is fully two 

 years' hard work ahead for the collector who will do Arizona justice. 

 I will do what I can, but all assistance will be cheerfully welcomed. 



