Chap. 6. 



INVERTEBRAL ANIMALS OF VERMONT. 



169 



FRESH WATER AND LAND SHELLS. 



ANNULATA. 



exterior. Length 0.35 inch, height 0.29 

 inch, width 0.17 inch. 



Remarks. — This species has been found 

 in a swamp in Middlebury, and in Putt's 

 Bwamp, on the west side of lake Chain- 

 plain. It has also been found in Maine. 

 The very young are tumid and elliptic, 

 and of a lemon yellow. Some were found 

 in an embryo state in the early part of Ju- 

 ly. Its dimensions are, length 0.07 inch, 

 height 0.055 inch, width 0.04 inch. The 

 shell of the parent did not exceed 0.002 

 inch in thickness. The species is easily 

 distinguished by the prominence of the 

 beaks. There seems to be no ground for 

 separating our shell from the European 

 epecies, whose name we have prefixed. 



Cijclas minor. — Mighels and Adams. 



Description. — Shell ovate, tumid, ine- 

 quilateral, oblique, very finely striate ; ep- 

 idermis straw color, shining ; beaks pro- 

 minent, two fifths of the difference from 

 one extremity to the other; umbones and 

 discs tumid ; posterior and hinge margins 

 slightly rounded ; the other margins much 

 rounded ; both cardinal and lateral teeth 

 well developed. Length 0.18 inch, height 

 0.15 inch, width O.ll inch. 



Remarks.— This species inhabits swamps 

 and is the least of all the native species of 

 this genus. It differs from C. dubia, Say, 

 in having the beaks less removed from the 

 centre, and the posterior and dorsal mar- 

 gins more rounded. 



APPENDIX. 



Limncca cxpansa. — Haldeman. 

 This species is said by the dcscriber to 

 have been found in Vermont, on the au- 

 thority of Dr. Gould, who received it from 

 a third person as a Vermont shell. 

 Auricula hidcntata. — Sav. 

 This species, referred by its describer 

 to the genus Melampus, was given to Dr. 

 Gould by some one who professed to have 

 found it in Vermont. As this species has 

 not otherwise been found out of the reach 

 of salt water, we cannot, without better au- 

 thority, regard it as a native of this state. 

 Jlninicola. 



Dr. Gould and Mr. Haldeman have pro- 

 posed a sub-genus o? Paludina under this 

 name. It includes of the sliells of tliis 

 state, Paludina porata and P. Ivstrica. 

 Avmicola pallida. — Hald. 



On the cover of No. 4 of the Monog. 

 Limniad. Mr. II. has described with this 

 name one of the species just na.ned, but 

 the description is not sufficiently exact to 

 determine to which of them it must be re- 

 ferred. Tliat tJie shell in question is one 

 Pt I. 22 



of them is inferred from the fact that Mr. 

 H. received them from the writer of this 

 article. 



Section II. — Invertebkata. 



jlnnulata, Crustacea, Arnclinidcs, and In- 

 sects. 



The above are four of the classes into 

 which Cuvier's third great division of the 

 animal kingdom is subdivided. The ani- 

 mals belonging to the first 3 classes, which 

 are found in Vermont, are of very little 

 importance, and only a few of them are 

 generally known. We shall pass over 

 them all with only a few remarks. 



Annulata. 

 These are small, insignificant animals, 

 with elongated bodies, consisting of seg- 

 ments, and having red blood, yome of 

 them are protected by a shelly tube, which 

 they never leave during life, and breathe 

 by means of branchia; at one extremity of 

 the bod}'. These constitute the order Tu- 

 bicola. Others have their organs and 

 branchiaj disposed longitudinally along 

 the body. These last belong to the order 

 dorsibranchiata. Our brooks and ponds 

 furnish several animals bclongingto the 

 above orders, but tJiey have not been pro- 

 perly examined. The third order of An- 

 nelides are denominated Abranchiatfc, on 

 account of their having no apparent ex- 

 ternal organs of respiration. The horse 

 leech, Hirudo sanguisi'ga L., which is 

 so common in marshes and mudd}' places 

 in this state, belongs to this order. It 

 grows to a much larger size than the me- 

 dicinal leech, //. mcdicinalis L., and is 

 sometimes used for the same purposes; 

 but its teeth are more blunt, and the 

 wound produced by them is said in some 

 cases to be dangerous. A specimen be- 

 fore me, which was taken in Burlington, 

 is a very dark olive green above, and the 

 same color, but a little lighter beneath, 

 with a few small spots of black. When 

 not in motion he lies in an oval form, and 

 is about 3 inches long, and 1^ inch wide, 

 but when moving he stretches himself to 

 the length of 6 or 7 inches. The animal 

 is furnished with a flattened disc at eacli 

 extremity, fitted for adhering to bodies by 

 what is called suction, and its locomotion 

 is performed by reaching forward its an- 

 terior extremity, fixing the disc, an<l then 

 bringing forward the posterior, whicli is 

 fixed in like manner, and the anterior 

 again thrust forward. In this manner it 

 ascends the side of n perj)rndicu!ar pane 

 of glass without difficulty, but when at 

 rest it usually adheres by the whole un- 

 der surface. 



