134 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS 
clines in that direction they will be so classified in 
this book. 
Var. nickliniana, Lea. Shell minutely umbili- 
cated, rather thin, faintly indented and granu- 
lated; ash yellow with a chestnut band, lip white, 
reflexed at the base. Whorls six, spire moderately 
elevated. It lives near the coast of central Cali- 
fornia. Diameter one inch. 
Var. ramentosa, Gld. The surface of the shell 
is cut up into innumerable checks, which are shown 
by a lens to consist of little oblong grains, arranged 
parallel to the lines of growth. The epidermis of 
the young ones is studded with little bristles. Dia- 
meter about three-fourths of an inch. This form is 
found in Alameda County, Cal., and in adjacent 
regions. 
Var. diabloénsis, J. G. Cooper, has a flattened 
shell, umbilicated and thin, with regular mallea- 
tions arranged in revolving series, like dents 
caused by the blows of a small hammer. Diameter 
rather less than an inch. From the Coast Moun- 
tains of central California, being named from its 
occurrence near Mt. Diablo. 
Var. contracostae, Pils., is smaller than the last 
variety, yellowish straw-colored, only slightly 
malleated, outer lip thickened. From Byron Hot 
Springs, Contra Costa Co., Cal. 
Epiphragmophora ayresiana, Newe., Ayer’s 
Snail, is a species from the islands of Santa Rosa, 
San Miguel, and Santa Cruz. The shell is quite 
strong, six-whorled, and has a considerably ele- 
vated spire and a distinct umbilicus. Microscopie 
