74 THE NAUTILUS. 



CAPE COD NOTES. 



BY. REV. HENRY W. WINKLEY. 



The month of July was spent at Provincetown. August at the 

 head of Buzzard's Bay. Unfortunately without a dredge, I can 

 report only low tide results. The hook on the end of Cape Cod 

 is, geologically speaking, a late formation, composed entirely 

 of coarse sand with limited vegetation ; hence not a paradise for 

 land and fresh-water forms. I examined two fresh-water ponds but 

 found no shells. On the land Helix hortensis has a colony. No 

 banded forms were found. The lemon-yellow and a very light 

 nearly transparent form are the chief colorings. The latter com- 

 pared with the specimens of this species found by Mr. C. W. John- 

 son, at Chatham, are of the same color but more nearly transparent. 

 While the Cape is not an absolute barrier between northern and 

 southern forms, it is usually counted as a boundary. Provincetown 

 being at the tip end, I was curious to know its fauna, and can 

 pronounce it southern. Bittium nigrum and Odostomia trifida, 

 bisuturalisifusca, semfniida, and an undescribed species occur more 

 or less abundantly. Both Lunatia heros and Neverita duplicata occur 

 OH the sand flats. Litorinella minuta is abundant but small. Mya 

 arenaria, living in the clean sand, is abundant and the whitest shells 

 I ever saw. Venus mercenaria, Clidiophora gouldiana and other 

 forms show the general character of the fauna. Without attempting 

 to make a detailed list, the forms are the same one would find south 

 of the Cape. Purpura lapillus, living on the wharves, gave a few 

 curiosities. Several specimens of deep yellow color in last year's 

 growth had changed in this year's addition to pure white. 



The outer side of Cape Cod is the home of Geronia arctata. A 

 visit to Highland Light at North Truro gave me a half hour at high 

 tide, but I found a good set of the species and of fine large size. 

 Odd valves of Astarte castanea show that it abounds. One or two 

 specimens of Cochlodesma leanum demonstrate its home there. 



A day spent at Woods Holl gave me an hour's collecting at low 

 tide in the eel pond. The only record I would make would be one 

 or two species of Turbonilla secured from a row boat. It is the first 

 time I have ever collected any species of this genus in shallow water. 

 My headquarters during August were at Wareham on an arm of 



