THE NAUTILUS. 125 



NOTES ON THE MOLLTISCA OF THE BERMUDA ISLANDS. 



BT C. ABBOTT DAVIS, S. B. 



Last July and Au?:nst were profitably spent in collecting insects 

 and niolhisks among the three hundred beautiful islands now called 

 the Bermudas. Like the Hawaiian group, they are chiefly interest- 

 ing because of their isolated geographical position, being nearly 700 

 miles distant from any other land. Commerce, however, is rapidly 

 changing the faniia and flora of Bermuda to such an extent that old 

 records, i. e., records of twenty years standing, are obsolete or unre- 

 liable. Large quantities of West Indian shells are constantly being 

 brought to the island to sell to the unsophisticated traveller, and some 

 of the stores actually sell these shells as Bermudian. Even the 

 native colored boys are anxious to sell siiells for " tupppnce," and 

 they are not particular about the historical side, so that one has to 

 beware of all shells not collected in situ. 



The expeditions of Prof. Helprin in the summer of 1888, and of 

 Prof. Verrill in the spring of 1898 and of 1901, form the nucleus of 

 most of the autlientic published data. I had planned a trip to Ber- 

 muda for July and August 1903, but upon learning of the Bristol- 

 Mark expedition, I decided to go with them, and the following notes 

 are a part of the records of our trip. 



In 1900, Dr. Pilsbry revised the " Air-breathing Molhisks of the 

 Bermudas," and my research differs little except in minor details. 

 For instance, he agrees with Mr. Smith that Succi'nea bermudensts 

 Pfr., is S. barhadensis Guild., but states that the animals need a 

 careful study. I agree with the latter statement and as proof of it 

 illustrate three Bermudian forms. Fij;. 1 is the common form, Fig. 

 2 was occasionally taken at Flatts, Fig. 3 is the fossil variety. 



Physa acuta Drap., has not been recorded since G. Brown Goodes' 

 record of 1888. AVe took it from rain-water tanks in Devonshire 

 Swamp. 



The variety pulchella Pfr., of Truncatelln carihseensis Sowb., is 

 always found dead. This, taken with the fact that this moUusk lives 

 at the high-tide mark, and is therefore apt to be water-worn, makes 

 pulchella simply a worn carrihseensis. 



In a lot of several hundred carribseensis received recently from the 

 West Indies, there is a complete series showing the wear on these 



