THE NAUTILUS. 29 



The only mollusk, seen to destroy the Melongena, was a Fascio- 

 /iiria iji'jiudeii which enclosed it in its folds. 



On one occasion a dead king-crab was found, lying on its back, 

 on which many Faseiolaria tnlipa were crowded and eating it. 



An abundant food for the Fasciolaria dinfuns is the Vermetus, 

 (Pt-talocoiichus) niyricans, into the tubes of which the former inserts 

 its beak. 



A WORD ABOUT SPH.ZERIA. 



BY EDWARD W. ROPER. 



Among thousands of Sphseria examined during the past year 

 several unique forms have been found. For example, a robust, 

 rounded shell less than one-fourth inch long, with prominent beaks, 

 from near Tallahassee, Florida. This is quite distinct from any 

 species yet seen from the Gulf states. Again a very dark brown 

 shell from southern Ohio, of the group of S. occidentals, but thicker 

 and with more prominent beaks. From an unknown locality came 

 a single specimen resembling a small S. transverxwm but with a less 

 angular outline. Lastly from Minnesota and other neighboring 

 states, may be mentioned a thin, orbicular, gray or light olive shell 

 with calyculate beaks, often regarded as S. truncahim, but probably 

 different from the New England shell described by Linsley. These 

 forms have mostly come from single localities in very small numbers, 

 and in view of the great variation among species in this genus, it 

 would be unsafe to consider them new on such slight evidence. The 

 writer would like correspondence with collectors having unique and 

 doubtful Spbteria in their possession. 



THE MUSSELS SCARS OF UNIOS. 



BY CHAS. T. SIMPSON. 



In some comments on my recent paper on the classification and 

 distribution of the Naiades in THE NAUTILUS for June, 1896, I 

 notice the statement that in having a series of muscle scars in the 

 middle of the disk Mun/aritcnia margaritifera, iiiti//<l<n>l<i, etc. differ 



