THE NAUTILUS. 35 



Rev. W. M. Beauchamp, Baldwinsville, N. Y., is the author of 

 " Land and Fresh Water Shells of Onondaga County, with a sup- 

 plemental list of New York species." 



Mr. L. B. Elliot, Iowa City, Iowa, is studying the dentition of 

 niollusca and would be pleased to receive alcoholic specimens from 

 the members. 



The officers of the Association return thanks for the many kind 

 messages conveyed to them in the letters of the members. 



George T. Marston, Green Bay, Wis., has collected over 100 spe- 

 cies from the vicinity of his place of residence. He makes a spe- 

 cialty of Wisconsin ]Nrollusca. 



A new circular is being prepared and will be sent, within a week, 

 to all persons, who have been proposed for membership during the 

 past month. Some care in the consideration of applications is nec- 

 essary, as the officers have been written to several times concerning 

 a class of collectors, who systematically commit frauds, by soliciting 

 shells in exchange and not making any return. It is important that 

 such persons should not be admitted to the Association. 



T. Marshall Fry, Syracuse, X. Y., writes : " I think the Associa- 

 tion may be made a success, if it is taken hold of with a will, and 

 does not become too large and unwieldy." 



Miss Ida M. Shepard, Long Beach, Cal., writes : " Last week we 

 found a Cypraea spadicea alive, about eleven miles north of here. 

 How much farther north they are found, I do not know, but think 

 not very much." She has collected about 230 West Coast sjiccies 

 of shells. 



THE SHELL-BEAKING MOLLUSCA OF RHODE ISLAND. 



BY HORACE F. CARPENTER. 



190. — Margaritana arcuata, Barnes. 



Shell large, more or less kidney shaped, very inequilateral, thick 

 and strong; beaks not prominent, much eroded; epidermis tar- 

 colored; interior smooth, bluish white with a greenish margin; 

 cardinal teeth, two in the left valve, erect, strong and pyramidal and 

 one in the right valve, long, grooved and twisted. Length, 4* inches ; 

 breadth, 1 1 , inch ; height, 2 inches. Some authors consider this species 

 identical with the British shell called margaritifera and credit it 

 with a circumboreal distribution quoting it from Europe, Siberia, 

 British America and the Northern U. S. If this be so, it is the 

 only species of fresh-water clam known to both continents. The 

 European species is well known as the pearl-bearing Uuio j^ar 



