62 THE WEST AMEEICAN SCIENTIST. 



me. Of course, I recognize a different look in 1321 from the others. Yours very 

 truly, W. G. BINNEY. 



[We give the following brief notes as a supplement to the above interesting let- 

 ter from Mr. Binney, the well known authority on American land shells: 



Glyptostoma newberryanum was found alive under dead plants of a species of 

 Cotyledon in a canyon near Todos Santos bay, Lower California, but was not found 

 further south. 



Macrocyclis sporfcella, a carnivorous snail, and Arionta tudiculata were both 

 found among the hills of Lower California near the United States boundary, but 

 were not seen further south. Arionta traskii was found as far south as Santo 

 Tomas, where it is quite large, and slightly resembling the depressed variety found 

 in the mountains back of San Diego. In this connection I would say that Arionta 

 carpenteri, of the Coronado islands, near San Diego, seems to be unworthy of spe- 

 cific or even varietal rank from a careful examination of numerous specimens of it 

 and A. traskii. 



Four living individuals of Binneya notabilis, and one or two dead shells, were 

 found under decaying trunks of the maguey (Agave shawii) at an elevation of a few 

 hundred feet among the hills north of San Quentin bay, Lower California, during 

 last April. Scarcity of water and feed in that locality prevented a careful search 

 for others. 



My catalogue number 1320, Helix levis, Pfr., was found in great abundance 

 under the trunks and among the leaves of Agave Shawii, on a high mesa near Ro- 

 sario, Lower California. Numerous examples of what I considered the typical Ar- 

 ionta stearnsiana, a mottled and elevated shell, were found with levis, and a few of 

 another unmottled depressed species (number 1321) which seemed more closely re- 

 lated to Arionta tudiculata in appearance. 



No. 1322, Pupa chordata, Pfr., wa? found by the thousand under clusters of 

 E,ocella leucophoea, a foliaceous lichen that grew in abundance on the bare salt lands 

 along the ocean beach, both north and south of San Quentin bay. Another species, 

 (number 1323) was found with it but in much less abundance. 



Succinea oregonensis, Vertigo ovata (?) and a species of Limax form the only 

 other terrestiil molluski which I have fotnd in Lower California north of the 31st 

 degree north latitude, much of which, however, still remiins to be searched. 



The San Diego Pupa seems to be Gabb's hordeacea. It was found under yuccas 

 on the mesa back of S n Diego. — Ed.] 



Mr. S. Haley, of Los Angeles, who was Captain of the "Sea-bird" in 1856, men- 

 tions the occurreQce in that year of an earthquake in Japan which caused a tidal 

 wave that in less than three days struck the California coast, destroying twenty-six 

 vessels along our shores. The waters of San Diego bay rose over twelve feet above 



high-water mark. 



e 



Another Pacific coast society is the 'Historical Society of Southern California,* 

 at Los Angeles; Major Isaac Kinley, Pres.; Prof. J. C. Oliver, Sec. 



