118 THE NAUTILUS. 



A NEW VARIETY OF HELICINA PLICATULA PFE. H. plicatula 

 v. christophori. Like plicatula in sculpture, but the umbilical re- 

 gion is decidedly concave, excavated around the smaller callus, 

 which does not fill it as it does in plicatula. Color uniform dark 

 reddish (like H. occulta Say). This very pretty Helicina was col- 

 lected by Dr. Wm. H. Rush, U. S. N., at the island of St. Kitts. 

 A large number of specimens were taken. It differs constantly from 

 H. plicatula of Guadelupe in the particulars mentioned. 



H. A. Pilsbry. 



SOUTH AMERICAN VOLUTIDJE. Dr. H. v. Ihering gives a valu- 

 able review of the Volutes of this region in the July-August num- 

 ber of the Nachrbl. D. M. Gesellschaft. Critical notes on the 

 classification ma}' be summed up with the conclusion that the group 

 is a very natural one, with transition-forms between the extremes. 

 v. Ihering believes V. ferussaci to be a variety of V- brasiliaita. 

 The tertiary species of Chili are believed to be Cymbiola (Scaphella) 

 forms, and two new species are described from the Eocene St. Cruz 

 formation, of which one, V. ameghinoi, is stated to be certainly the 

 ancestor of the recent V. brasiliana. It should be mentioned here 

 that the Eocene age of the Santa Cruz beds is doubtful. They are 

 more likely Miocene. The Cymbiolas are stated to have arisen from 

 Alcithoe-like progenitors, but whether these belong to the Volutoid 

 or the Scaphelloid series as defined in DalPs pioneer study, remains 

 undecided. 



CAMPELOMA DECISUM SAY, REVERSED. A series of this species, 

 collected by Mr. W. W. Jefferis, of Philadelphia, at Fort Edward 

 on the Hudson River, N. Y., has been carefully examined for me 

 by Miss Jennie E. Letson for sinistral specimens, with the following 

 results: Out of 681 specimens, mainly adult, but including those 

 from one-fourth grown, up, none were siuistral. Out of the 410 

 shells of the uterine young 3 were sinistral, slightly over 0'73 per 

 cent. Probably all who have collected Campelomas have noticed 

 the greater proportion of sinistral examples among the young shells. 

 This doubtless indicates that the reversed condition is an unfavor- 

 able one for maturation. The proportion of sinistral adult shells in 

 this locality must be very much smaller, judging by the negative 

 result obtained ; but, of course, data are lacking for its determina- 

 tion.//. A. P. 



HAWAIIAN LAND MOLLUSKS. Mr. E. R. Sykes has given descrip- 

 tions of new species of Macrochlamya, Endodonta and AchalinellidcB 

 in Proc. Malac. Soc., II, pt. 3. The status of the name Microcystis 



