52 THE NAUTILUS. 



same; and also a species of Anodonta, of ^vhic•h I have not, as yet, 

 learned the name. 



By my friend acting as interpreter, I discovered that but very 

 few have been sent here. Upon the last steamer from China, several 

 dozen were brought by the sailors, who disposed of them to Chinese 

 merchandise dealers, in Chinatown. 



I purchased a few at the price of fifteen cents apiece, and started 

 for the restaurant ; but we stopped on the way, once again, as my 

 friend desired to take me to the home of one of his acquaintances to 

 show me another species of Anodonta, I was very much astonished 

 upon observing this specimen. 



The shells I had been looking at were all less than three inches 

 in length, while this specimen of another species, was almost 

 six inches. I tried to secure it but failed. The Chinaman would 

 not part with it. He said, " Me keepee. Him livee heep long 

 time. No die." 



As these shells may be bought exceedingly cheap in China, as 1 

 was informed, I shall try and have a number sent me. 



NOTE ON CYTHEREA CONVEXA SAY. 



BY W. PI. BALL. 



Quite a number of conchologists have i-eferred to Conrad's state- 

 ment (Medial Tert. Form.) that the well known name of our east 

 coast species is preoccupied by Brongniart, but have hesitated to 

 accept the name Sayana i)roposed by Conrad since no reference to 

 chapter and verse was made by him to substantiate his observation. 

 Having long sought the reference and at last found it, it seems well 

 to put it on record. In Cuvier's " Ossemens fossiles" volume II, 

 pt. 2 contains an essay by Cuvier and Alex. Brongniart entitled 

 " Essai sur la geographic mineralogique des environs de Paris." It 

 contains 278 ])ages, 4to, with maps and copper plates and was 

 published in 1811. A number of species are figured from the Paris 

 basin, among them Cytherea convexa, pi. 8, fig. 7. This shell long 

 remained doubtful but has been practically identified by Renevier 

 and Deshayes with the Cyrena semidrata of Deshayes, described in 

 1831. Say's C. convexa was described early in 1824 (Journ. Acad.. 

 Nat. Sci. iv, 140). Another Cytherea convexa Avas described by 



