THE NAUTILUS. 105 



guesB, — only wide enough for the creek bed, then full of rushing 

 water, and the trail. It is a cool, moist, deep canyon, — with 

 columbine, lilies, and ferns — and on the slopes much bay 

 laurel. The trees were incense cedar and big-cone spruce. The 

 snail lay on a pile of rock artificially heaped up at the creek's 

 mouth, and contained the dead animal when found." 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW BIFIDARIA. 



BY DR. V. STERKI. 



BiFIDARIA MINUTA, n. Sp. 



Shell minute, ovate-conical with the apex nearly pointed, 

 narrowly umbilicate and short-rimate, colorless whitish ; whorls 

 four to four and a half, well rounded with deep suture, the last 

 large, rounded at the base ; surface with very slight irregular 

 strise, apex without striae, microscopically rugulose ; aperture 

 rather large, well rounded, peristome sharp, not everted, with 

 the ends somewhat approximate, palate with a very slight crest 

 close to and parallel with the margin, inside witli a very slight 

 callus or none ; lamellai and folds : parietal rather large, nearly 

 simple, columellar medium, an inferior columellar near the 

 base, or wanting ; the two principal palatals. Soft parts not 

 examined. Alt. 1.2, diam. 1 mm. (other exs. 1.0 : 0.9). 



Hab. : Woods, north of Geneva, Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Type : 

 No. 1990, collection of North Am. Pupidie. 



This Btfidaria is near tappaniana Adams, but differs from that 

 species as follows : it is much smaller, more conical, the whorls 

 are less in number, more rapidly increasing, more convex, the 

 last is comparatively larger ; there is no callus in the palate or 

 a very slight one, the palatal folds are longer and there are no 

 secondary ones (as supra- and interpalatal). 



It was a surprise to find a new Bifidaria in this part of the 

 country, and it appears that the (three) specimens on hand 

 represent a distinct species. If not closely examined, they have 

 the appearance of young or half grown of some other species, 

 and probably were overlooked, partly due to the habit of most 

 Bifidarias of this group of covering their shells with dirt. 



