122 Remarks on Certain Sj)ecies of N. A. HelicidcB. 



Museum of the Philadelphia Academy, labelled laevigata Raf. 

 as inornata Say, but now states that his determinations were 

 conjectural, while Dr. Griffith concurred at least in the repu- 

 diated label of inornata Say. Little confidence can be placed 

 in the opinion given by Griffith as to the original specimen of 

 glajphyra being one of cellaria, inasmuch as he sent examples 

 of the latter to Dr. Ravenel under the name oi fuliginosa ! 



Mr. Binney (Supp. p. 110) refers to the suggestion of an 

 anonymous writer in Silliman's Journal (1837). In connexion 

 with the foregoing, the following quotation of the writer's lan- 

 guage is interesting, showing, as it does, the origin of the 

 opinion : — "^. glajphyra and inornata Say, and fuliginosa 

 Griffith, are only different ages of the same shell, if the speci- 

 mens I have received from the Philadelphia conchologists be 

 labelled correctly." 



In F^russac's cabinet inornata Say is represented by laevigata 

 Paf., and the latter by the same shell, and fuliginosa Griff. 

 Deshayes remarks that he has doubts as to laevigata^ having 

 received it from America under the name of inornata Say. 

 Pfeiffer refers to specimens of laevigata sent from this country 

 as ino?'nata Say, and to inornata By., &n^ fuliginosa Griff, sent 

 as glajpliyra Say. 



I find from original papers now in my possession, that Say, 

 with his first letter to Ferussac, sent a number of shells, and in 

 the accompanying list of them, H. glajphyra is mentioned. 



Ferussac, in a letter dated July 15, 1820, acknowledged 

 receipt of the shells, and of Say's publications, remarking, how- 

 ever, as to H. glaphyra, " Yous ne me I'avez pas envoye^, mais 

 je soubconne comme vous, Monsieur, que c'est I'analogue de 

 notre II. nitens, ou cellaria de Miiller." In the same letter 

 Ferussac asks for examples of H. glaphyra^ and gives a list of 

 shells forwarded to Say, among which was S. cellaria. 



Say in his reply (of which I have before me notes, without 

 date, in his hand- writing) observed, — "i7. glaphyra. I am 

 sorry that I cannot send you a specimen yet, but next season I 



