112 THE NAUTILUS. 



for the accommodation of casual snails and other lower forms of life 

 was soon filled to the brim, then a couple of handkerchiefs knotted 

 into loose bags accommodated a quart or so, until it became evident 

 that the size of the catch was only a question of the time at our dis- 

 posal, and attention was directed to other fields. 



A second trip of a week's duration was made to Jennings in 

 August, 1911. The weather was clear, and this fact, together with 

 the heat of midsummer, drove the snails into subterranean retreats, 

 so that they did not seem so numerous, although a good series was 

 obtained and more attention directed to the smaller species, yielded 

 a number of forms not secured in the first trip. 



Vitrea carolinensis, a species of the southern Alleghenies, was ob- 

 tained at Jennings, extending its known range very materially to the 

 northward ; also Mesomphyx laevigata monticola, a southern Alle- 

 ghenian shell already known from a little farther north in Pennsyl- 

 vania. Vitrea ferrea, of boreal distribution, not known south of the 

 Pocono Mountain in Pennsylvania and Ohio, so far as I am awai'e, 

 was also secured. 



While these species are interesting to a student of geographic dis- 

 tribution and coincided nicely with similar cases of range among the 

 birds and plants, the big Polygyras were what really appealed to me. 



In eastern Pennsylvania P. thyroides is the only land shell of any 

 size that is generally distributed, though favorable localities yield 

 moderate-sized P. albolabris, and towards the mountains we come 

 upon an occasional Omphalina cuprea. But here at Jennings we had 

 an abundance of good, big P. albolabris, as well as of P. profunda, 

 P. zaleta and P. dentifera, and now and then the northern P. sayana 

 and P. pciltiata, together with a dozen species of medium size, only 

 four of which are found in eastern Pennsylvania. 



My first collection was placed in a wooden cigar-box in order to 

 keep them alive, and next morning I had the pleasure of seeing them 

 festooning the bureau and looking-glass in my bed-room, long, slimy 

 trails marking their line of escape. The combined strength of the 

 big fellows had been enough to topple the weight off the lid and so 

 enable them to force their way out. 



I am greatly indebted to Dr. Henry A. Pilsbry and Mr. E. G. 

 Vanatta for identifying my material, all of which is now in the col- 

 lection of the Academy. A list of the species follows, as it seems 

 important in view of the rapid deforestation of this country, to pre- 



