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RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



Dist. 5 species, one of which inhabits 

 Rhode Island. 



3. EUPLEURA OAUDATA, SaY. 1822. 



Syns. : 



Ranella caudata, Say. Gould. Adams. 

 DeKay. Stimp. 



Triton caudata, Keiner. 



Eupleura caudata, H. and A. Adams. 

 Stimp. Dall. Perkins. 



Shell rhomboidal, solid, brown ; whorls 

 five, crossed by eleven elevated ribs, the 

 one on the left side of the body whorl, and 

 the one bordering the aperture, are en- 

 larged into strong, wing-like varices ; these 

 ribs are crossed b^' tine equidistant lines, 

 revolving with the whorls ; aperture in- 

 versely ovate, rounded behind and pointed 

 before ; outer lip thick, margined within 

 with thick granules alternating with the ex- 

 terior lines ; inner lip smooth, flattened, 

 and, like the interior of the mouth, is bluish 

 white ; canal coarctate, as long as the spire. 

 Length one inch, breadth half an inch. It 

 was first described by Say, Journal Aca- 

 demy Natural Science, Vol. II., p. 236. 



It inhabits the Atlantic coast, from Cape 

 Cod to Georgia. It is quite common South, 

 but rare fn Rhode Island. Its habitat is in 

 the laminarian zone, but is sometimes found 

 between tide marks. I have found about a 

 dozen specimens in as many years, in Cow- 

 eset Bay, below Apponaug. 



Sub-Family Purpurin^. 



Purpurinse contains twenty-one genera, 

 one of which, Purpura, inhabits Rhode Is- 

 land. 



Genus Purpura, Bruguiere. 1789. 

 Syns. : 



Mancinella, Link. Microstoma, Swain- 

 son. Thais, Link. 



Shell oblong-oval, body whorl large ; 

 spire generall}' short ; aperture ovate, large, 

 terminating in a ver}' short, oblique chan- 

 nel, or notched ; columella flattened ; outer 

 lip simple. Animal carnivorous. 



Dist. 57 species. Fossil, 40 species. 

 All parts of the world, low water to twenty- 

 five fathoms. The genus Purpura is divided 

 into ten sub-genera, one of which, Pol}'- 

 tropa, is native to our shores. 



Sub-Genus Polytropa, Swainson. 



Spire acuminate, whorls foliated or tuber- 

 culose ; inner Hp flattened ; canal small, 

 oblique ; aperture narrowed at the front. 



This sub-genus contains several species, 

 only one of which inhabits Rhode Island. 

 This species, lapillus, will be described in 

 the next chapter. 



(To he continued.) 



A Remarkable Sassafras Tree. 



There is now standing upon the " Spring 

 Brook," or " Larkin " farm, in Cranston, 

 R. I., a sassafras tree worthy of note. My 

 first visit to it was in company with Mr. 

 George Hunt, in May, 1872. It is located in 

 an open, cultivated field of several acres, 

 and seems to have been spared on account 

 of its size and beauty. A careful measure-' 

 ment, at the above date, gave the following 

 results : Circumference of trunk, near the 

 ground, 14 ft., 3 in.; 2 ft. up, 11 ft., 

 10^ in., — holding its size from this point 

 with little diminution to the first limbs, 11 

 ft. up. The height of the tree, computed 

 from its shadow, was 49^ ft. Measure- 

 ments taken ten j-ears from the first date, 

 show onlf an inch or two increase in girth. 

 Since I have known the tree it has had but 

 few limbs and these irregularly scattered. 

 But with all its evidence of great age it 

 is still vigorous, and ma}' keep its life for a 

 decade or two more. If there is a larger 

 tree of this kind in New England it would 

 please the writer to learn where it is. 



Near In' this tree, in a pasture lot adjoin- 

 ing, is a noticeable colony of trees of the 

 same kind. They number above fifty, and 

 are irregularly ranged in a row by the side 

 of a wall. They average about 30 feet in 

 height and are 6 to 8 inches in diameter, 2 

 feet up. They are probably progeny of the 

 patriarch tree in the lot, and, taken with it, 

 form an interesting famih' group. It may 

 be proper to add that there are several fine 

 oaks, chestnuts, and elms near this local- 

 ity. L. W. Russell, 



Cement for Mending Shells. 



Gum Arabic, ten parts ; sugar cand^' four 

 parts. For large and heavy shells : Resin, 

 eight parts ; bees-wax, two parts : plaster 

 of Paris, ten parts by weight. Melt all 

 together. Slightly warm the fractured 

 edges of the specimen, and apph' the ce- 

 ment. The cement must always be heated 

 a very little before using. 



All superfluous cement may be scraped 

 off when hardened. 



