V 



RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



15 



species ever liable to be found in Rhode 

 Island is the lanthina fragilis, as stated in 

 Random Notes, No. hi., p. 7. 



31. Ianthina fragilis, Desh. 



Syns. : 



Helix ianthina, Linn., and all the older 

 authors. 



lanthina communis, Lam., Lister, and 

 others. 



lanthina fragilis, Desh., Bl. Sby., DeKa}-, 

 Stimpson, etc. 



Shell very thin, translucent, helix shaped ; 

 whorls three or four, forming a short spire, 

 body whorl large, angular at the centre ; 

 below this angle the shell has a beautiful 

 deep violet color, above it it is pale, almost 

 white, except at the suture, where it is 

 tinged with violet ; aperture large with no 

 operculum ; outer lips very thin, waved ; 

 inner lip straight, forming an axis through 

 to the apex. Length four-fifths, breadth 

 one inch. These shells are called the violet 

 snail and oceanic snails ; they inhabit the 

 open ocean, are gregarious in their habits, 

 and float upon the surface, sleeping by day 

 and feeding at night upon the small blue 

 jelly-fish in immense numbers, from which 

 they probably derive the coloring matter of 

 the shell. They float mostly in the Gulf 

 Stream, with the under part of the shell up, 

 and attached to the foot is an appendage 

 three or four inches in length, consisting of 

 a jelly-like substance filled with air bulibles, 

 on the under side of which are attached 

 their eggs. As this appendage is too large 

 to be withdrawn into the shell, an opercu- 

 lum would be of no use, and as the}' have 

 no power to rise or sink in the water, they 

 are at the mere}' of the winds and waves. 

 For this reason after a westerly- storm they 

 are found on the shores of the British 

 Islands, and after an easterly gale, on the 

 New England coast. In 1839, after a severe 

 gale, great numbers were collected on the 

 Island of Nantucket, and for this reason 

 only I have included them among the mol- 

 lusca of Rhode Island. 



Family 27. Trichotropidiie, is repre- 

 sented in New England b}' one species, tri- 

 chotropis borealis, which, however, is found 

 only north of Cape Cod. 



Family 28. Turritellidre. Four species 

 of this famih' inhabit New England, north 

 of Cape Cod. 



Family 29. Vermetidse, Carpenter, rep- 

 resented b}' one species out of twent}'- 

 seven of the genus Vermetus, Adamson, 

 1757. 



32. Vermetus radicula, Stimp. 



jSi/us. : 



Vermetus lumbricalis, Gould, non Lam. 

 " radicula, Stimpson, Shells of 



Xeiv England, 37, 1851. 



The shell consists of a long, rough, ash- 

 colored tube, marked its entire length with 

 unequal raised lines. The spire consists of 

 eight or ten closely-connected whorls, upon 

 each of which are two sharp, elevated 

 ridges. The shell grows spire downward, 

 unlike an}' other species we have, and in- 

 creases in length upward, spiral at apex, 

 and loosely twisted afterward, lengthening 

 out sometimes as much as ten inches. 

 Diameter of tube, one-quarter inch. Sel- 

 dom is an individual found separate, but in 

 numbers, intertwined together. Aperture 

 round, with a sharp edge, and closed by a 

 horny operculum. Described by Gould, 

 Invert. Mass.. 1st edit., as V. lumbricalis, 

 and supposed to be identical with the shell 

 from West Africa described by Gmelin un- 

 der that name. Stimpson, in 1851. proved it 

 to be a distinct species, and gave it its pres- 

 ent name. Found by Mr. S. I. Smith at 

 Gardiner's Bay, at the eastern end of Long 

 Island, and by Professor Adams in New 

 Bedford Harbor, in several groups. One 

 group contained about fifty specimens, living 

 and inseparably intertwined. 

 (To he continued.) 



Winter Notes. 



Mr. H. a. Brush, Milton, Vt., writes us 

 as follows : " A Great Blue Heron was pro- 

 cured by me Dec. 22, on the bank of the 

 Lamoille River. His feet were frozen, and 

 he had lived on fish from a little brook which 

 empties into the river. At tlie date of his 

 capture the ice was from six to eight inches 

 thick. This is the only specimen that was 

 ever seen in this town as late as this. Last 

 winter I procured two Great Gray Owls." 



A Prairie Warbler, just killed, was brought 

 to us Dec. 4th, and a Baltimore Oriole was 

 reported amongst a flock of English Spar- 

 rows at Uxbridge, by Mr. A. R. Taft. 



