North American Helicidce. 47 



Raf. (Fer,), is said to have tlie " uniLilicus small, profound,'' 

 and the species is described as having (irrespective of the 

 umbilicus), "a strong resemblance to IL ligcray l^ow I 

 must remark, that the umbilicus of II. glaphyra and 11. avara 

 are described by Say in the same language, which would 

 equally well apply to that of II. mornata Binney, and further, 

 that the umbilicus of II. Ugera is uot only generally smaller 

 than that of H. inornata Binuey, but is also less open, as the 

 columellar termination of the peristome is partially reflected 

 over, and curved around the perforation. 



The umbilicus of H. inornata Say {II. IcBvigatd) is larger than 

 that of II inornata Binney, and the reflection of the peristome 

 is much like that of II. Ugera. 



European authors can only have formed their judgment on 

 the questions regarding II glapliyra from Say's writings, or 

 those of other American conchologists, or from specimens 

 labelled by them. Pfeifi'er* describes a dark colored variety 

 of II. inornata Binney under the name of glajyhyra., as he ad- 

 mits in a late letter to Mr. W. G. Binney. 



Beeve's description and figure are also of II. inornata Binney. 



Deshayesf (Fer. Hist.) has glaphyra, in the synonymy of cel- 

 laria, evidently i-elying on the opinions of Gould and Binney. 



The North American shell which agrees most closely with 

 Say's glaphyra is II. inornata Binney, — it occurs in Pennsyl- 

 vania, must have been known to Say, and there is abundant 

 evidence to show that many conchologists so interpreted it. 



When I visited the Academy at Philadelphia in October, 

 1857, I found in the cabinet a specimen of H. inornata Binney 

 labelled II. glaplujra Say, in the handwriting, as I was informed, 

 of Mr. J. Phillips. Mr, W. G. Binney then explained to me. 



* Pfeiffer (Mon. I. p. 112) suggests that //. subplana is the same as his glaphijra, 

 but the species are most certainly distinct. 



\ Deshayes, in his remarks on H. dissident (Fer. His. I. p. 97), conjectures that 

 American conchologists have confounded that species with the H. ccllaria of 

 Europe. It seems to be rather a variety oi IL concava Say. 



