I02 



THE MUSEUM 



ably intergrades with baileyi, vento- 

 riDii a.nd slrt'iifori; but the slight differ- 

 ences in all these forms are fairly con- 

 stant (allowing for exceptional indivi- 

 dual variation) over large areas, char- 

 acterized respectfully by well marked 

 differences in physical conditions. 



Besides the differences in the general 

 coloration of the upper parts, the 

 greatly lessened amount and darker 

 tint of red in the tail is a striking fea- 

 ture of the western forms as compared 

 with the eastern. The red in the tail 

 is at the maximum and lightest in tint 

 in 5. /i. dakotensis; there is much less 

 in S. h. baileyi, a further reduction 

 and darkening of the tint in i'. Ii. ven- 

 tonun, S. h. streatori and 5. h. van- 

 coin'crcnsis, the greatest reduction, 

 however, and the darkest tints occur- 

 ring in ^S". h. richardsonii. 



In the east, south of Canada and 

 northern New England and northern 

 New York, only .S". //. loquax occurs; 

 it intergrades at the northward with 

 5. hudsonicHS, with a rather broad 

 connecting area where neither form is 

 typically represented. Within the 

 area of loqiiax as here as- 

 signed, there is no very well defined 

 variation in coloration characteristic of 

 particular areas, whatever may exist 

 being masked by the wide range of in- 

 dividual variation at all seasons. Var- 

 iations in size with locality, however, 

 are quite marked, with at the same 

 time, such gradual intergradation over 

 the inteivening areas, and with no very 

 tangible color differences, that it has 

 not been deemed advisable to recog- 

 nize in nomenclature local variations 

 in size, although very marked when 

 the extremes are compared, as, for ex- 

 ample, northern Maine and New Bruns- 

 wick with southern Minnesota and 

 Wisconsin. 



As melanistic examples of the Sciu- 

 rus hudsonicus group, are extremely 

 rare, it may be of interest to note, that 

 the present material includes one ex- 

 ample, in winter pelage, wholly in- 

 tense black. It was collected by Dr. 

 W. H. Dall, at Nulato, Alaska, and is 



No. 8930 of the National Museum col- 

 lection. 



{To be continued.) 



Notes on Some New England 

 Shells. 



On a visit to the New England 

 coast, especially along the southern 

 coast, one often meets with a long 

 string of curious little cases, and won- 

 ders what they are. They are the 

 eggs of the large shell Fulgar carica, 

 Gmel., commonly called when small. 

 Periwinkle. The animal lays its eggs- 

 in March or April. This ova case, as 

 it is called, consists of a series of mem- 

 braneous case?, from fifty to seventy 

 in number, almost the size and thick- 

 ness of an old fashioned copper cent; 

 these are fastened together by a string 

 or cord of the same substance, attach- 

 ed to their upper edges; they are 

 placed about \ of an inch apart, those 

 cases forming the center of the string 

 being the largest; from the center to 

 each end they taper generally in size, 

 forming sometimes a string of cases a 

 yard in length. Each case has eleven 

 ribs radiating from the point of attach- 

 ment, and scolloping the edges, which 

 are beveled nearly to a point; oppo- 

 site the ligament is a small opening 

 through which the young escape when 

 sufficiently matured; each case con- 

 tains 40 to 50 embryos, which when 

 ready to escape from their imprison- 

 ment are about one-sixth of an inch in 

 length. The animal of Fulgar carica 

 is large, dirty white to almost black; 

 mantle thick, white, plain, probosis 

 long, cylindrical, tentacles short, tri- 

 angular; eyes on the outer side near 

 the base. Carniverous in its habits, 

 and is found more abundantly near 

 oyster beds, where it commits great 

 ravages. 



A pretty little shell, that often pre- 

 sents a variety of colors and is found 

 over an immense extent of area, is 

 Purpura lapillus, Linn. The geo- 

 graphical centre of this species is in 

 Northern Enrope, the American as 



