1 882.] American Work on Recent Mollusca in 1881. 95 



fossil in the Iowa loess, and which in his opinion determine it to 

 be a lacustrine formation. 



" Notes on Snccinta campeslris and S. aurca " (Am. Nat., May, 

 1 88 1, pp. 391-2). Professor R. E. Call extends the limits of the 

 first species as far as New Orleans in the west, and Charleston, 

 S. C, on the north, and of the second to Central and Southeastern 

 New York. He also adds Southwest Iowa (Nishnabotna river) 

 as a new and so far the most western locality for Unio prcssus 

 Lea. 



Our Home and Science Gossip, a monthly periodical published 

 at Rockford, Illinois, has a "department" devoted to Conchology 

 which deserves encouragement and a better proof-reader. In the 

 number for June 1 5th, 1 88 r, A. A. Hinkley mentions a pond near 

 the Pecatonica river, near Rockford, and Mercer county, Illinois, 

 as localities for the rare Limna;a zebra Tryon. 



W. W. Calkins announces a " complete monograph " of the 

 molluscan fauna of Illinois, to be published within the year, and 

 asks for cooperation from local naturalists. The object of Mr. 

 Calkins is a worthy one, and which should be promoted at home 

 and imitated in other States of the Union, especially if Mr. Cal- 

 kins gives as good figures of the species as those which have 

 illustrated some of his papers noticed in this record for previous 

 years. 



J. B. Upson contributes notes on Limncea desidiosa Say, and 

 Physa gyrina (found by "millions," in a rain-flooded stone quarry 

 which was thirty-five rods from any stream of water), Unio alatus 

 Say, and Vertigo simplex Gould. Large numbers of the Unio 

 from Rock river, were examined. Two-thirds proved to be 

 males. Young ones were extremely rare. The nacre of the 

 females, without exception, was much lighter than that of the 

 males, being sometimes nearly white, while the males were of 

 various shades of purple. In the male shells the intensity of 

 color varied with the " thickness of the mantle," the shells of 

 daikest hue being secreted by " the very thickest mantle." They 

 sometimes produce pearls. The Vertigo was described by Gould 

 in 1840, and has been found in Canada and New England. In 

 the winter of 1880-81, Mr. Upson found it near Cedar Keys, 

 Florida, associated with Pupa rupicola Say, on decayed wood. 

 No intermediate stations are known, and further confirmation of 

 this very interesting discovery would be gratifying. 



