HARD WICKE ' S S CIENCE - G SSIP. 



233 



The Colouring and Banding of Freshwater 

 Shells : a reply. — In the August number of 

 Science-Gossip Mr. Williams very kindly opens 

 the discussion on the above subject, so I will venture 

 to continue it, as there are several points in his paper 

 which hardly agree with the facts. Mr. Williams 

 confesses to "some small amount of compunction," 

 because his theory is opposed to the views of most 

 conchologists ; but, judging from the frequency of 

 his writings, the quantity of compunction must be 

 very small indeed. The following sentence, which 

 I quote, may be very poetical, but it is certainly not 

 very lucid : — " While what I believe nature has been 

 telling us all along is that evolution of all kinds — 

 the shell-colour as well as the mammal from the 

 simple protoplast — has differentiated along a line the 

 polar opposite of that — from the simple to the com- 

 plex." For instance, does the author intend us to 

 understand that shell-colour resembles a mammal in 

 being derived from simple protoplast ? And again, 

 to say that evolution or anything else can be differen- 

 tiated along a line the polar opposite of another line, 

 is hardly geometrical. We will now discuss the 

 facts (?) which support Mr. W.'s theory, in the 

 order in which he has placed them, (i and 2.) 

 The " horn-coloured plug " of the embryo and the 

 secondary shell are in a great measure composed of 

 conchyolin (not chitin), a substance which is always 

 naturally horn-coloured, so it seems hardly fair to 

 adduce the colour of these structures as an argument 

 in favour of his theory. Of course, in the adult 

 shell the original colour is marked by the secretion 

 of calcic carbonate and various pigments, but if the 

 shell is decalcified the horn-coloured conchyolin 

 framework will alone remain. (3.) One must con- 

 clude that the author means the majority of fresh- 

 water shells with which he is acquainted, when he 

 says that "The majority of freshwater shells are 

 horn-coloured and bandless." How about the genera 

 paludina, ampullaria, lanistes, neritina, &c. ? and 

 how can "environmental conditions" be less in 

 water than on land ? (4.) "An advance in colour is 

 often seen by the development of white flammules." 

 Now, fiammule means "a little flame," and con- 

 chological science as it stands as present does not 

 recognize flames, either large or small, as part of 

 the ornamentation of shells. If he had said " white 

 flame-like spots," there would have been less to find 

 fault with. (5.) The nucleus of the shell is not 

 "always white, whitish, or horn-coloured," as, for 

 instance, in most specimens of the section of Helix 

 to which H. pisana, virgata, maritima, explanala, 

 pyramidata, &c, belong. (6.) This paragraph seems 

 intended to prove that albinism was the primitive 

 condition of freshwater shells. (7.) How does Mr. 

 Williams know that Cyclostoma elegans, "beino- a 

 pneumochlamyd, is an example of a freshwater form 

 which has adapted itself to live on land ? " Is it 

 not rather descended from marine ancestors? (9.) To 



say " that considering progression has been from the 

 simple to the complex, is primd facie evidence that 

 bands first were points which afterwards coalesced," 

 is a slight stretch of the imagination, and the few 

 facts which Mr. J. W. W. gives in support of his 

 theory might just as well be made to work the other 

 way, and prove that coloured spots were formed by 

 the splitting up of bands. (10.) Illustrates the 

 author's misconception as to what "environmental 

 conditions" really are. (11.) Does Mr. W. intend 

 us to suppose that the hyalinice are inconspicuously 

 coloured in consequence of their supposed immunity 

 from the attacks of enemies ? By the bye, is he sure 

 that they really are more free from destruction than 

 other helicidre ?— S. Pace. 



Sand-Grouse in Suffolk. — Another flock of 

 sand-grouse were seen on the 7th of August at 

 Thorpe, near Aldborough, by Mr. Alexander, the 

 father of the Mr. Alexander who saw the flock in 

 May last. There were eight or nine birds in the 

 flock, they were flying in a southerly direction, at a 

 short distance from the shore. It is very interesting 

 to find that these birds have not altogether left this 

 country as some persons suppose. — Edward Neave. 



The American Arion. — Can anyone inform me 

 whether, or where, the Massachusetts Aiion fuscus 

 has been re-named by any European author? In 

 Science-Gossip for December, 18S9, p. 280, I 

 stated, on Mr. Binney's authority, that Bourguignat 

 had described it as a new species ; but I cannot find 

 the publication in which he wrote about it. I asked 

 M. Bourguignat himself, but he writes that he has 

 published in several of his works on European species 

 of arion, but does not remember to have yet written 

 on a species of the American Continent [in litt. 

 4th September, 1890). — T. D. A. Cockerel!, 3 Fair- 

 fax Road, Bedford Park, Chiswick, 



The Smaller-end Colouring of Eggs. — In 

 the December number of this journal I stated that 

 the smaller-end colouring did not appear amongst 

 the eggs of the gull, terns, &c, and birds which 

 lay large eggs, and I guarded this statement by 

 saying that the facts and figures I have given are 

 from'clutches in my own collection. Mr. Wheldon, 

 in his letter in the February number of this journal, 

 says : " But it is certain that this phenomenon does 

 appear, and that not unfrequently." When I read 

 this I thought — although with all due respect for Mr. 

 Wheldon's statement — that my intimacy with these 

 eggs was not of such a slight character that I should 

 have overlooked this phenomenon if of frequent 

 occurrence, so I wrote to several dealers and others, 

 who have the opportunity of seeing large numbers 

 of these eggs, for specimens, and also for informa- 

 tion. The result has been that I have received one 

 specimen only, and that from the well-known natu- 

 ralist of Tenby, Mr. C. Jeffery. He writes as 



