OF CONCHOLOGY. 235 



DESCRIPTION OF NEW SPECIES OF LAND SHELLS FROM 

 LOWER CALIFORNIA. 



BY AV. M. GABB. 



Helix Stearnsiana, Gabb. — Plate 16, fig. 1. 



Description. — Shell subglobose, thin, nearly imperforate ; 

 whorls five and a half, rounded, last whorl descending slightly 

 at the suture, towards the aperture ; spire elevated, suture dis- 

 tinct, not impressed; aperture large, regularly rounded on the 

 outer and lower sides ; outer lip white, very slightly thickened 

 and reflected ; not continued over the body whorl ; umbilicus 

 almost entirely hidden by a reflection of the thickened lip. 

 Surface covered with a very delicate epidermis, sculptured by 

 rather coarse irregular lines of growth crossed by very delicate, 

 revolving, impressed lines, sometimes obsolete and most persist- 

 ent on the under side. Color beautifully mottled by cloudings 

 of white and brown, irregularly disposed but having a tendency 

 to disposition in an oblique radiating manner ; the brown some- 

 times running together so as to produce imperfect revolving 

 lines ; a little above the middle of the shell is a zone of darker 

 brown, with usually a lighter band below, broken and irregular 

 by the white patches and specks. 



Animal lead gray, foot whitish. 



Observations. — As compared with H. KeUetfi, Fbs., this shell 

 has not the peculiar flat sloping top to the whorls so characteristic 

 of Forbes' species, the mouth is much less oblique, the umbilicus is 

 not covered, nor are the ends of the lip connected by either 

 callus or plate over the body whorl. 



I have made minute comparisons of a large series of the 

 present species, with specimens in the collection of Dr. Newcomb 

 labelled Kelletti, Fbs., and sent to him by Hugh Cuming. 



Another point of difi"erence is in the locality. Forbes' species 



