THE NAUTILUS. 59 
now Pyramidula. In Taylor’s superb monograph of the land 
and fresh-water shells of the British Isles the author says of 
P. rupestris: ‘“This species displays a great difference in 
form, ranging from an almost planorbular spire to a greatly 
elevated form with almost dislocated whorls, which has its 
metropolis in the isles of the Aegean Sea.’’ Mr. Taylor fig- 
ures a depressed form as var. wmbilicata and says this form 
is more prevalent in the north of Europe. The spire becomes 
more elevated as the southern range increases. Fig. 3 repre- 
sents a specimen of Pyramidula rupestris from England. 
While showing slight differences, the Maine specimens must 
be regarded the same. If it turns out to be an established 
variety I would like to dedicate it to Mr. Olaf O. Nylander, 
who has done such excellent work in studying and collecting 
the land and fresh-water shells of northern Maine. It will 
thus stand Pyramidula rupestris var. nylandert. 
NOTES ON MARINE MOLLUSCA ABOUT NEW YORK CITY. 
BY ARTHUR JACOT. 
Due to the unusually severe storms of the past winter the 
beaches about New York City were of special interest to the 
conchologist. On the one hand, bungalos, hotels, etc., were 
swept into the ocean bodily, while on the other, great quan- 
tities of shells were strewn along the shores. 
At Rockaway Beach from the hospital (beyond the Park) 
to Edgmeer, a distance of four miles, there was an almost 
continuous rift of ‘‘skimmers’’ (Spisula solidissima) along 
the extreme high-tide line, which averaged two feet deep by 
ten feet wide. At some places these clams were piled up three 
to four feet deep, at other places they formed a double rift, 
while at still others (besides the rift at highest tide line) they 
were strewn as a thick carpet over that part of the beach 
laid bare at low tide. Counting 50 individuals per square 
foot, we estimated there were at least 5,000,000 per linear 
mile. It will be interesting to notice the abundance of this 
