Report on the Bahama Cerions planted on the Florida Keys. 209 



NEW COLONIES STARTED ON THE FLORIDA KEYS IN 1914. 

 1. NEW IMPORTATIONS FROM THE BAHAMAS. 



On June 9 the Director, at my request, planted on the Tortugas 

 the following newly imported material from the Bahamas: 



Two hundred specimens of mottled cerions, plate 6, from Spring 

 Hill, about 6 miles east-southeast of Nassau, New Providence, each 

 marked with two file scratches on the second from the last whorl and 

 with two notches in the outer lip, were planted about 75 feet from the 

 southeast corner of the main (new) laboratory building on Loggerhead 

 Key, and the place marked with a wooden stake bearing a lead label 

 upon which is stamped "Spring Hill, Nassau, 1914" (plate 7o). Of 

 this planting Dr. Mayer wrote, August 20, 1914: "I fear that all died 

 at Tortugas, for I could find none of them on the bushes, but all lying 

 on the ground, in July." 



Five hundred of the "Kings Road Type" were marked with two file 

 scratches on the last whorl and planted on the southern end of Logger- 

 head Key, S. 24 W. from the long entrance stake, and S. 80 W. from 

 the double stake which marks the 1912 "King's Road Type" cerion 

 planting (plate 8 F). This colony was marked by a stake bearing a 

 lead label with the legend, "Bastian Point, Andros, 1914." 



2. TRANSPLANTATIONS OF THE FIRST GENERATION OF FLORIDA-GROWN SPECIMENS. 



These new colonies, mentioned previously, are to enable us to keep 

 track of the various generations and to observe the reaction of each to 

 the changed environment. They are on the second Ragged Key north 

 of Sands Key, Sands Key, Bahia Honda, and Loggerhead Key. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE ADULT SPECIMENS OF THE FIRST GENERATION OF 



FLORIDA-BORN INDIVIDUALS. 



The largest specimens of Florida-grown cerions found last year 

 possessed seven postnuclear whorls, which make up about half of the 

 entire length of the shell. From the study of these young specimens, 

 we were led to make the statement that "The results so far obtained seem 

 to indicate that the first generation will be like the parent generation 

 unless decided changes should take place in the later whorls, which 

 have as yet not been developed. * * * If the present tendencies 

 prevail in the adult shell, then we can say that the somaplasm has hot 

 at once responded to the change of environment." 



The adult specimens of the first generation of both races of Florida- 

 grown individuals now enable us to say that a decided change has taken 

 place ; that the first generation is not like the parent generation, show- 

 ing that the somaplasm in both of the races of cerions subjected to 

 experimentation has responded to the new conditions in which they 

 were developed. The extent to which changes have taken place is well 

 shown by the illustrations accompanying this report. 



