RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



16. COLUMBICLLA (AnACHIs) ROSACEA, 

 (JOLI.U. 



Syvs. : 



Buccimiin rosaeeum, Gould. Am. Jour. 

 Sci., Vol..3S,2^. 197, 1S40. 



ColuiubelUi rosacfu, Stimp. Shells of 

 Neio England, p. 47, IS51. 



Astyiis rosacea, Adams. Genera of lie- 

 cent Mollusca, Vol. 1, p. 187, 1858. 



The first specimen was obtained from the 

 stomach of a fish caught off Cohasset. It 

 lias been dredged in 29 fathoms off Block 

 Island, and has been found from Long 

 Island Sound to Greenland. It is some- 

 what larger than C. lunata, being ^% inch in 

 length hy i\ in breadth. It has six whorls, 

 covered wkh very minute revolving lines. 

 Its color is white, tinged at the apex with 

 pink. 



Authorities have placed this species 

 under the sub-genus Anachis. I cannot see 

 why they have done this; there is no re- 

 semblance to other species of this sub- 

 genus, avara for instance, but strongly re- 

 semble C. lunata, and in my judgment 

 should be classed with it, under the sub- 

 genus mitreUa. 



17. COLUMBELLA (AnACHIs) DIAPHANA, 



Verrill. 



Shell thin, delicate, translucent, white, 

 nearly smooth, elongated, with long, taper- 

 ing, acute spire. Whorls eight, broadly 

 and evenly rounded. Fresh specimens, 

 when wet, are so transparent that the in- 

 ternal form of the columella can be seen 

 through the shell. This is one of the many 

 new species discovered by the U. S. Fish 

 Commission at Martha's Vineyard and 

 vicinity in 1880 and 1881. It was dredged 

 from deep water, 65 to 487 fathoms. A 

 long and full description of it is given in 

 Tryon's Manual of Condiolof/y, Vol. o, p. 

 160, 1883. 



18. CoLUMBELLA (AnACHIS) PURA, 



Verrill. 



Professor Verrill's description in full is 

 given in Tryon's Manual, p. 162. He says, 

 ^'This shell is very abundant in many of 

 our deeper dredgings on muddy bottoms." 

 I have never seen either of the above new 

 species. They may possibly be found in 

 Rhode Island, as Prof. S. I. Smith, of the 

 New York Central Park Museum, who wms 



with the dredging expedition, told me that 

 the waters between the island of Rhode 

 Island and Little Compton, and below 

 Stone Bridge, were rich in new forms. This 

 part of our State and Mount Hope Bay have 

 never been explored, and a tield is open 

 there for new discoveries, which may add 

 man}- new species to our fauna. 

 (To he continued.) 



Preserviug Fungi. 



Mr. J. H. Martin, in Hardwick's Science- 

 Gossip, says that a good method is to place 

 them in a solution of one part calcium chlo- 

 ride (chloride of lime) and ten parts water. 

 This will change the phosphates of the 

 fungus into phosphate of lime, after which 

 thev will be found to keep well. 



Preparation of Star-Fish. Etc. 



To make "dry specimens" of sea-ur- 

 chins, star-fish. etc. : 



Take live specimens and place in flat 

 dishes of warm water (back up) and when 

 soft and pliable, which will be in a few 

 minutes, change to flat dishes of one-third 

 water and two-thirds alcohol and let them 

 stay for twenty- four to forty-eight hours, 

 covered with the liquid. Take them out 

 and place on boards to dry, for a day or 

 two, in the sun, or by artificial heat, as the 

 case may be. From the time the animals 

 are taken from the warm bath, care should 

 be exercised that the arms, etc., are sym- 

 metrically arranged ; dry them first back 

 up, then when somewhat stiff turn over, 

 and do this until perfectly dry. 



Fresh warm water kills and makes them 

 pliable, alcohol hardens, and evaporating, 

 carries out quickly from the body such 

 liquids as remain. 



Madame and baby had just returned from 

 a promenade. Monsieur asked for details. 

 " Oh, my dear, good news," said his wife. 

 " Baby can talk. Baby said his first word 

 a littleVhile ago." "Indeed! Tell me all 

 about it." " Well, we were at the Jardin 

 des Plantes, in front of the huge cage of mon- 

 keys, when baby suddenly cried out very dis- 

 tinctly, ' Ah, papa ! ' " 



