NO. 1191. A NEW VAEIETY OF HALIOTIS— STEARNS. 141 



in tlie LT. S. ISTational Mnsenra (Cat. l^o. 98327) and in the museum of 

 the University of California. 



The examples in the U. S. National Museum collection were presented 

 to me by Mr. Eivers, and are a part of the original lot. The largest 

 adult is of much smaller size than average full-grown examples of the 

 ordinary form of R. fulgens. My examination of the entire series col- 

 lected by Mr. Eivers suggested the European H. tuherculata of the 

 Channel Islands. There is a Japanese species figured in Eeeves's 

 Conchologia Iconica, H. planata Sowerby, which it somewhat resembles. 

 As my notes were unfortunately destroyed some years ago, Mr. Dall 

 has kindly furnished the following from the U. S. National Museum 

 examples : 



Shell of an oval form, considerably flattened, and with about two and a half 

 whorls; color, dark brick red, with occasional mottliugs of pale bluish green | holes, 

 four in the young to six in the adult; sculpture of iine, somewhat irregular spiral 

 threads, crossed by fine, close, slightly elevated, sharp concentric lamelhe, and a 

 few small obscure wavelets which radiate obliquely from the apex ; nacre rather 

 pale, with pink and pale-green reflections, but much less deep in color than the 

 typical fulgens. 



This variety differs from the type in its more elongate and flattened form, its con- 

 stantly finer, spiral threading, and its paler nacre. The concentric lamellation is 

 sometimes undeveloped on the young shells. It has the same number of holes as 

 the type. 



The above may be regarded as the extreme northerly expression of 

 H. fulgens^ which has not heretofore been credited to any part of the 

 coast north o\ Point Concepcion. From that point to Gualalla is an 

 Immense jifmpf about 320 nautical miles. 



Eegarding the number of holes in certain species of Haliotis, I find 

 the following in my notes : E. fulgens, from Lower California, fifty-six 

 show a total of 326 complete and incomplete, an average of six and a 

 fraction; one example had 8 and five 7 holes. Of M. rufescens twenty - 

 four had 87 complete, fifteen showing 60, and nine 27 holes, an average 

 of 3|. H. cracherodii, thirty-seven examples gave a total of 236 com- 

 plete holes, an average of about 6^; one individual had only 2, two 

 had 4, while five had 9, approaching the insular form known. as Cali- 

 forniensis Swainson. All of the foregoing were adult shells. 



The "Abalone fishery" on the west coast has been pursued unceas- 

 ingly for about thirty-five years. My notebook shows that as long ago 

 as the year 1866 no less than 1,697 sacks, each containing from a bushel 

 to a bushel and a half, were exported to China. At that time, and for 

 many years after, the "dried meats" only were of commercial value, 

 there being but a very limited demand for the shells. Later the shells 

 came into general use for a great variety of purposes, so the fishery has 

 been followed more energetically than ever, with the result that in many 

 places the supply has been nearly exhausted. In certain localities 

 where the principal species, Haliotis rufescens, H. cracherodii, and 

 H. fulgens, were abundant they are now comparatively scarce. Eecently 



