H('/i\r /(^jirrs(f i)i ( 'dlifofiiiii. 13T • 



Lower California. Mr. Fisliur found Helix airolata alnindaiit 

 on the shores of Santa Maria bay, which is a small bay indenting 

 an island of that name, outside of Magdalena bay. //. Veatchii 

 and //. levis are insular forms, usually much more globose and 

 elevated than their relatives from the main land. H. Veatchii, 

 the largest of the four, is from the large island known as " Ce- 

 dros " or " Cerros ;" which forms the greater part of the western 

 boundary of the bay of St. Sebastian \"iscanio, hit. 28° to 29° X. 

 Fisher found lev's abundant dead in Asuncion, a small island 

 south of Cedros, in hit. 27°. Magdalena bay is still further 

 south, more than half way between Cedros Island and Cape St. 

 Lucas. 



The tubercle on the columella is sometimes present and some- 

 times absent in all the above ; it has no value, in this group at 

 least, as a specific character ; this conclusion I have reached after 

 the examination of hundreds of individuals of all these so-called 

 si)ecies. 



Binney regards Veatchii as a synonym of areolata. but he 

 recognizes Pandorm and levis as valid species. Neither of the 

 four figures* he gives of H. areolata are characteristic of the 

 main-land forms, — being too elevated, though they niay be typi- 

 cal in j^nrsuance of the original description ; the two larger 

 figures are good for Veatchii, the two smaller for levis. Veatchii 

 is full as much entitled to specific rank as either of the others. 



Mr. Ti-yon recognizes all as valid species ; he places areolata, 

 Panclorce and levis, in the subgeneric group Poly^iita, and 

 Veatchii in Arioxta. Binney puts them together in Eupa- 



KYPHA. 



I cannot but regard these subgeneric divisions, to a great 

 extent, as arbitrary and unsatisfactory; they seem to be more or 

 less fanciful and superficial, and based upon too narrow and 

 unsubstantial grounds ; and the frequent difl:erences of opinion 

 on this point by such conscientious authors as those whom I 

 have quoted, confirm observations made in the cabinet and the 

 field. 



As a matter of information not unrelated to the general sub- 

 ject of this paper, I may mention the detection of fossil speci- 



* Land and F. W. Shells of N. A., p. 177, fig. 311. 



