— Swed 
THE NAUTILUS. 35 
that they have been killed out by the sawdust from the mills above. 
On this river are the celebrated Damariscotta shell heaps composed 
almost wholly of oyster shells, and varying in depth from a few feet 
to more than sixty feet. Some of the oyster shells from these heaps 
are more than a foot in length. 
At Old Orchard and Higgin’s Beaches the shells are very differ- 
ent from those found on Peak’s Island or in the Damariscotta 
River. Here are found, on the sand, between high and low water 
mark, Cyprina islandica, Tellina tenera, Ensis Americanus, Siliqua 
costata, Mactra solidissima, Nassa trivittata (very fine specimens), Ly- 
onsia hyalina, Scala greenlandica, Bela harpularia, Periploma ( Coeh- 
lodesma) leanum, Modiola modiolus, Mya arenaria, etc. Clinging to 
the seaweeds thrown up by the surf, I found Trachydermon ruber, 
Anomia glabra, Anomia aculeata. Also found at Higgin’s Beach, a 
very fine Petricola pholadiformis. 
GENERAL NOTES. 
————_— 
THE collection of Dr. P. P. Carpenter, the well-known authority 
on West Coast shells, has been purchased by the Field Columbian 
Museum of Chicago. 
DispERsSAL OF SHELLs.—In his book on the “ Dispersal of 
Shells,’ Mr. Kew mentions floating pumice-stone as a possible 
means of dispersal as pointed out by Mr. Bates and Sir C. Lyell. 
As a slight contribution to dispersal, or possible dispersal, by this 
means, I may say that on November 18th last I picked up a piece 
of porous blast-furnace slag, about 8x6x2 inches, that contained 17 
individuals of Zonites nitidus Mill., radiatulus Alder and arboreus 
Say, all hibernating. This slag was lying among drift on the bank 
of the Ohio River and the nearest point from which it could have 
come is at least 10 miles above the point where it was found. As 
the slag is very light and floats high in the water, it would prob- 
ably travel a considerable distance before the shells were all drowned 
and thus a colony of Z. nitidus, a northern shell, might be started a 
considerable distance down the Ohio.—Gero. H. Ciapp, Pittsburgh, 
Pa: 
