RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



edge waved. Length about one inch and a 

 half, breadth one and a quarter or less. 



This shell is ver}- common in Rhode Is- 

 land, and is known b}- the popular name of 

 Cuddy-boat. Its distribution is from Cape 

 Cod south to Floi'ida, and the northern 

 shores of the Gulf of Mexico. North of 

 Cape Cod it is local and not abundant to 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is found 

 in the miocene of Maryland and the 

 Carolinas, also semi-fossilized at Nantucket 

 and other places along the coast. The 

 shells are found adhering to stones, to the 

 surfaces of oysters and scallops, and to 

 each other. When found on scallops they 

 are ribbed corrcspondinglj- to the ribs of 

 the scallop. Sometimes five or ten are 

 found of various sizes riding upon each 

 other, the largest at the bottom and graded 

 according to size. 



Genus Ianacus, Morch. 



Shell depressed, apex posterior, but 

 slightly lateral, lamina mostly concave in 

 front. 



27. Ianacus, plana. Say. 

 Syns. : 



Crcpidula plana. Say, Gould, DeKay, 

 etc. 



Crepidula unguiformis, Stimpson, Per- 

 kins (non Lam.). 



Ianacus plana, Dall. 



Shell ovate, flat, as often concave as 

 convex, white, thin, sub-transparent; apex 

 minute, pointed, terminal ; interior white, 

 polished, iridescent; diaphragm convex, 

 less than one-half the length of the shell. 

 Length one inch to one and a half, breadth 

 nine-tenths. Its common habitat is in the 

 interior of the dead shells of other species. 

 In dredging we almost alwa3-s bring up 

 dead shells of Sycotypus, Fulgur, and Na- 

 ticas, inhabited b}- the hermit crab, and the 

 interior of the shell lined with numbers of 

 living Ianacus i)lana. Gould says, {Invert. 

 Mass., p. 272,) " it is found in the apertures 

 of other shells," but it is also found on the 

 outside of oysters and other species, and 

 occasionally on stones. It inhabits the 

 whole Atlantic coast of the United States, 

 but it is not common north of Cape Cod. 

 Its shape is very variable, as it conforms 

 itself to the inequalities of whatever sur- 

 face it may be attached. 



Lamarck, in his remarkable work, Les 



AniviauxscmsVertebres,Vo\. vii., p. 643, de- 

 scribed a shell from the JNIediterranean Sea 

 as Crepidula unguiforuiis, a shell greatly 

 resembling, but distinct from ours, and 

 Stimpson and many other American authors 

 have supposed it to be the same, and have 

 given our shell the name of unguKbiinis, 

 because Lamarck's name has the i)rece- 

 dence by right of priority, but as it is not 

 the same species, Say's name should be 

 accepted as correct. 



The three species described above, viz. : 

 plana, fornicata, and convexa, together 

 with the variety glauca, which was described 

 as a distinct species, were discovered and 

 named bj' Thomas Sa}', and their descrip- 

 tions published in the Journal Acad. Nat. 

 ScL, Phila., ii., 225 to 227, July, 1822. 



One other species only of this family has 

 been found near our coasts ; it is the Capu- 

 1ns Ungaricus, Linn. A E. Verrill says. 

 Cat. Mar. Moll., 519, 1882, "Two livi^ng 

 specimens were obtained in 1881, which ap- 

 pear to belong to this species. They are 

 more delicate and have somewhat finer and 

 more regular radiating ribs than the ordi- 

 nary European form." Off Martha's Vine- 

 yard in G'J and 458 fathoms. Its hal)ilat 

 is Europe, from Iceland to the Mediterra- 

 nean. 



(I'd be continued.) 



Ferns. 



In one of the journals of the American 

 Philosophical Society, Mr. Davenport credits 

 New York State with being the habitat of 

 52 species, California 48, Arizona 47, 

 Florida 47, Michigan 47, Vermont 45, 

 Pennsylvania 44, Kentucky 42, Massachu- 

 setts 42. Twenty-four species are confined 

 to Florida, and Schirzata to New Jersey. 

 Pteris aquilina is found in thirt^'-nine of the 

 states and territories. We desire to add, 

 for Rhode Island, nearh' forty species, in- 

 cluding varieties. The rarest are Campto- 

 sorus rhizophyllus, Woodwardia augnsti fo- 

 lia, and Pellnsa gracilis. Woodsia Ilvensis 

 is also scarce, and Strutliiopteris has never 

 been found in fruit within our limits. 



A little boy in Georgia, who wrote to 

 Santa Clans for a pon}', was wise enough to 

 add : " Poscrit : If he is a mule, Pies ty his 

 behine less." 



