ZOOLOGY. 457 



Land shells of the palccozoie era. 



The geological history of the Piilmonates is a most remarkable one 

 in more respects than one. So far as the evidence appeared until com- 

 paratively lately, with a limited spot in Nova Scotia unknown, the 

 paLneontologist might have felt justified in declaring that the order was 

 "ushered in" with the tertiary epoch. But as long ago as 1852, Lyell 

 and Dawson indicated the existence of a minute pupa-like shell in the 

 carboniferous period on the testimony of a specimen found in 1851 

 within the hollow of an erect fossil tree at the "South Joggins," Nova 

 Scotia. Subsequently the form was named Pupa vetusta. In the same 

 place were afterwards (in 1866) discovered specimens of another land 

 shell, resembling the species of the existing helicoid genus Conulus. 

 tn 1869, Prof. Frank H. Bradley made known two other terrestrial mol- 

 lusks in the carboniferous rocks occurring at Felly's Fort, on the Ver- 

 million River, in Illinois, one a pupoid and the other a helicoid. In 

 1880, Principal Dawson added a third species of land shell obtained 

 from the Joggins, with the so-called Pupa vetusta, which he called Pupa 

 BigsML Still more, he described a shell from Devonian rocks of New 

 Brunswick which he considered to be a new generic type and named 

 Strophites grandwva. Finally, during the past year Mr. E. K. Whitfield 

 has made known a coal measure pupoid shell, which he has designated 

 as a peculiar generic form, naming it Anthraoopupa Ohioensis. Seven 

 Palaeozoic Pulmonates have thus been made known, viz; Devonian: 

 Strophites grandccva. — Carboniferous: Dendropupa vetusta (N. S.), 

 Pupa m Bigshii (N. S.), Pupa f!] Yermilionensis (111.), Strophites gran- 

 dwva (N. B.), Anthracopupa Ohioensis (O.), Conulus priscus (N. S.), and 

 Dawsonella MeeMi (111.). 



So far as can be determined from the shells, and even the associations, 

 aU these mollusks, except, perhaps, the last {Dawsonella Mceldp), were 

 true land Pulmonates, related to the existing Pupidas and IlelicidtB. 

 That any of them belonged to the restricted genus PuiJa is very doubt- 

 ful, and Owen has proposed the name Dendropupa for the earliest 

 species made known. This is not the place, however, to discuss their 

 intimate affinities. As to the Dawsonella., its helicoid relations are at 

 least extremely dubious. It has considerable resemblance to a Heli- 

 cinid, and Mr. Whitfield "cannot but come to the conclusion that Daw- 

 sonella was an operculated shell" and probably related to Eelicinia. 

 This genus, be it recalled, cannot be associated with the true Pulmoiuites, 

 but is allied to the aquatic Neritidie, etc. None of the opercuhite terres- 

 trial mollusks are, in fact, at all related to the Pulmonates, properly so 

 called, the Cyclostoraidfe being most nearly related to the marine Lit- 

 torinidae of the order Pectinibranchiata, and the HelicinidnB, as just 

 remarked, of the Neritidoe, and representing the order Ehipidoglossa. 



The Pulmonates then, it appear?, existed in the Devonian and Car- 

 boniferous periods in forms little different from some now living, and 



