36 



BULLETIN 111, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Length, 53.5 mm.; diameter, 5.75 mm.; arc 2.2 (tip gone). Maine, 

 29 fathoms. 



Length, 21 mm.; diameter, 3.5 mm.; arc 2.5 (entire). Gotts 

 Island, Maine. # 



Length, 44 mm.; diameter, 5.5 mm.; arc 2.5 (tip gone). Kimball 

 Island, Maine. 



Length, 36.5 mm.; diameter, 6 mm.; arc L5 (tip gone). Gulf of 

 Maine, 36 fathoms. 



The type. Cat. No. 314938, U.S.N.M., was collected by the Eolis 

 in 20 fathoms, near Gotts Island, off Mount Desert, Maine, from a lot 

 of nine specimens. It measures — length, 38 mm. ; diameter 4.8 mm. ; 

 with an arc of 2.5. 



The museum collection contains a very large series of specimens 

 from the Bay of Fundy and the coast of Maine in shallow water; 

 and from off southern New England and the Virginia Capes on the 

 continental slope. This is a northern cold-water species and is the 

 common shallow water Dentalium of New England north of Cape Cod. 



There seems to be no question about the specific identity of the 

 western Atlantic shells with the D. entale of Linnaeus from European 

 waters. However, the American specimens are generally of a more 

 chalky texture, with a more brittle, thin external layer, and dis- 

 play their faint sculptural features more clearly than do the European 

 specimens. A trayful of eastern Atlantic examples presents a 

 cleaner, whiter, less eroded appearance, owing to the harder, most 

 compact texture of the outer shell layer. There is sufficient con- 

 stancy in these characters to warrant a subspecific value. Stimp- 

 son's name being preoccupied, I have substituted the one here pre- 

 sented. 



The lack of definite sculpture distinguishes this from D. occidentale, 

 the only other Dentalium of the region from moderate depths. The 

 following are the museum collection records: 



Locality. 



Remarks. 



Between St. Peters and Bauguereau (off Nova 

 Scotia) U. S. B. F. Station 2488. 



Off Nova Scotia, U. S. B. F. Station 128 



Bedford Basin, Halifax, U. S. B. F. Station 63-67. 



Seal Cove , Grand Menan 



Cape Sable, Nova Scotia (W. F. Clapp, collector). 



Grand Menan, U. S. B. F 



Grand Menan, U. S. B. F 



Grand Menan 



Bay of Fimd^', U. S. B. F. 97 



Eastport, Maiie 



Eastport 



Eastport 



Eastport, Maine, U. S. B. F. _ 



Eastport, Maine (J. B. H. collector) 



Eastport, Maine, (W. F. Clapp, collector) 



Eastport, Maine 



Eastport, Maine 



Little River Light, Maine 



150fms.,53°, yl. s. 



36fms.,43.5m.fne. s. 

 26-41 fms., 34°, m. 

 S-10 fms. 

 100 fms., G. (O. Bryant). 



(Webster.) 

 (Stimpson.) 

 106 fms., 38°. 

 (Verrilland Smith.) 



(Stimpson.) 



(N. W. Winkley.) 



(J. B. Henderson.) 



(Stimpson.) 



40 fms. (J. B. Henderson). 



