24 CRUISE OF THE BARRERA 



object of search was the Urocoptids, the "plastic" 

 upland genus of the island. 



We fell upon the mogote at Kilometer 14 with 

 great enthusiasm, first, because it is so far away 

 from the nearest line of sierras and is apparently in 

 the axis of a former range now eroded away, and, 

 second, because it was our first collecting station 

 and we had the ardor of great expectations. 



At the time of this our first visit here, the rainy 

 season had not yet set in, and as a consequence of 

 dry conditions, the collecting was not so good as 

 we hoped to find it. The land mollusks of Cuba 

 have but one period of activity which is during the 

 wet season beginning in May and June, and lasting 

 until October. During the balance of the year 

 they remain for the most part in a state of aestiva- 

 tion, an occasional rain during the dry months not 

 being sufficient to awaken them to activity. 

 During the winter months, however, many of the 

 operculates remain attached to the rocks and can 

 easily be found. The Helices with few exceptions 

 hide away beyond easy discovery, though many 

 of them select less hidden places for the long sleep. 

 Dead specimens can always be seen in proper 

 localities and these furnish an index to the fauna. 



