220 Mb Gee and Call— Loss of Des Moines, Iowa. 



From the recent alluvium and loss-like beds at Thiede, near 

 Wolfenbiittel. the following genera, found in our area, have been 

 taken, along with others confined to Europe :* Pupa, Cionella, 

 Helix, Vallonia, Patula, Hyalina, Succinea and Limncea. The 

 Succinece, like those of our area, are pretty abundant (Ziemlich 

 haufig). The species common to the two localities are Pupa 

 museum. Helix (Vallonia) pu/chelh, and Cionella lubrica.j- In 

 the loss deposits at Wiirzburg4 the same species and the fol- 

 lowing genera were found : Lymnoza, Pupa, Cionella, Helix and 

 Suecinea. From a third locality, "Die Fuchelocher am Rothen 

 Berge bei Saalfeld," was obtained but a single species— Pupa 

 muscorum — and four genera — Patula, Hyalina. Pupa and Suc- 

 cinea — common to our area. A similar comparative paucity is 

 noted in the list from the loss of the Rhine at Unkelstein, near 

 Remagen, where were found Helix, Pupa and Succinea, with 

 Helix (Vallonia) pulchella and Pupa muscorum common. In 

 every case in these localities were found the fossil remains of 

 rertebrata, comprising bones of mammals, fishes, bal 

 and birds. 



Independent of its geological bearing, table I affords some 

 data of great interest from a zoological stand-point. A compari- 

 son of the columns of measurements will lead to the important 

 generalization that the fossil forms enumerated are depauper- 

 ate. Only those specimens were measured which were perfect, 

 or nearly so ; the entire number of measured specimens being 

 over one thousand. The forms of Stenotrema monodon present 

 some important differential characters, the apices being more 

 elevated, the whorls more convex and somewhat loosely coiled, 

 with apertures more lunate than in recent specimens. The 

 reflected portions of the lip and the parietal teeth are also less 

 calcareous. In all other respects they correspond generally 

 with the variety of the recent form known as Stenotrema mono- 

 don, var. Leaii. The Patula slrigosa present, in a remarkable 

 degree, those features determined by Professor Alpheus Hyatt§ 

 as characteristic of lessened vitality or even of trai 

 The average diameter of this species, as is seen by the table of 

 measurements, falls far below the normal. The form described 

 as Patula Cooperi, but now quite properly placed in the synon- 

 ymy of P. strigosa, is in excess of all the others assumed by 

 this protean species, all of which, however, are much smaller 



* Vide " Zeitschrif t der Deutachen geologischen Gesellschaft, vol. xxxii, p- 



: 



adopted by the a 



§"Cta tt»S P; 



