THE NAUTILUS. 139 



The fresh water clams, Unio and Anodon were formerly eaten by 

 the Narragansett Indians, but I never knew of any white man hun- 

 gry enough to try them. 



ON PUPA RUPICOLA SAY, AND RELATED FORMS. 



BY DR. V. STERKI, NEW PHILADELPHIA, OHIO. 



This group of American Pupa is most interesting, but little known 

 as yet. As in Europe the Pupa group TorqidUa reaches its maximum 

 development in numbers and forms in the countries around the 

 Mediterranean, so in America the group of Pupa rupicola inhabits the 

 West Indies and the mainland bordering the Gulf of Mexico, the 

 Mediterranean of America. The American forms ranging under this 

 group are much smaller than those of the Eastern continent — scarcely 

 any exceeding 3 millimetres in altitude — and probably there are 

 fewer sjiecies ; yet scarcely less interesting are they, and well worthy 

 of special study. 



A very prominent feature of this and related groups is the 

 apertural lamellae, of which I prefer saying more in another article 

 specially on this subject. As the lamellar characters are nearly the 

 same in the forms to be considered, and even some variations are 

 found almost alike in all, we need not describe them specially in every 

 species, as they are only of secondary value in differential diagnosis. 

 It must be stated here, however, that a general characteristic is the 

 particular development of the apertural lamella, which is long and 

 more or less complex, and another the diversity of the inferior 

 palatal being more or less distant from the margin, and of decidedly 

 different direction and shape — in part of different morphological 

 value. 



In the following I intend communicating only a few systematic 

 faunistic notices concerning those species inhabiting our country, 

 not to give full descriptions and synonymy, leaving that for a 

 "revision" of the North American Pupidae. Some of our forms 

 have so universally been misunderstood that a rectification, as far as, 

 possible, will be justified. 



PtLpa rnipicola Say. 



It is characterized by its turriculate shape, with rather pointed 

 apex, pale straw color, with thickened, white lip ; aperture with 



