78 



HARBWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



size and ornaments, also having their feet pointed 

 towards the central warrior. About these skeletons 

 were found various weapons and ornaments. The 

 question occurs, how came these skeletons there, five 

 male and five female, all evidently buried at the same 

 time with the chief? Could they have been entombed 

 alive ? There were ten cemented double cisterns at 

 the head of each skeleton, all containing water. For 

 thirty feet above, and more than that distance around 

 this spot there was hard earth, dry like mortar, which 

 had to be excavated with picks. There is another mound 

 at about two miles distance, twenty-five feet high, and 

 306 feet in circumference. The top of this mound is a 

 small flat plane, forty feet in diameter. Its top and 

 sides, to a depth of above two feet, were covered with 

 the natural soil. The entire remainder of the mound 

 was composed of burned ashes, which had all been 

 deposited in dark vessels containing about half a 

 bushel each. About the centre of the mound were 

 two large skeletons, in a sitting posture, facing each 

 other, and their hands extended, palms upward, towards 

 one another. Resting upon their hands was a curious 

 altar, made of stone, of about two feet in diameter, the 

 concave side up, and filled with ashes. On its top 

 was a flat stone cover with two holes in it, and having 

 on it the ancient totem marks. Down even with the 

 natural surface of the ground in this mound was 

 found an immense slightly concave altar ; the centre 

 of which was filled to about the depth of six 

 inches with fine ashes. Around, farther from the 

 centre, there were ashes and bits of human bones, 

 piled up to the depth of nearly two feet. The Pro- 

 fessor says there cannot be the least doubt but that 

 these ashes are the cremated remains of human 

 beings. 



DiPTON Burn. 



GLOUCESTERSHIRE SLUGS. 



AMONG the most valuable and interesting of 

 the consignments of living slugs which I have 

 lately received, are some from Mr. E. J. Elliott, of 

 Stroud, who has collected for me on both sides of 

 the line which divides East from West Gloucestershire. 

 As these areas are kept separate in our system of 

 topographical conchology (which is borrowed from 

 Watson's well-known scheme for Topographical 

 Botany), I will keep the records for them distinct 

 and commence with the species which Mr. Elliott 

 obtained on the east (or rather north) side of the 

 Thames and Severn Canal, which forms the dividing 

 line. 



The East Gloucestershire specimens, then, 

 were of five species, viz.. Avion hortensis, Fer., 

 Amalia tnaj-ghtata, MUll., Limax flavtis, L., L. viaxi- 

 mus, L., and Z. agrcstis, L. Of the specimens of 

 Arion hortensis, there is nothing further to remark 

 than that they were juvenile specimens, very deep 



grey colour, with the foot-sole brilliant orange. 

 The numerous specimens sent of Amalia marginata 

 exhibited a considerable range of shades of brownish- 

 yellow colour, and a number of them were referable 

 to Millet's variety rusiica, which has the ground 

 colour grey without any admixture of brown or 

 yellow, and is usually smaller in size. Of L. flavus 

 were sent one full-grown and one diminutive young 

 example. The specimens of Z. maximus were 

 very varied and of great interest. Several were of 

 the var. vulgaris of Moquin, which is but another 

 name for the typical form ; this form is described as 

 having the fasciae of the back black, but it is to be 

 observed that these examples of Mr. Elliott's had the 

 fasciae simply of an intensification of the cinereous 

 ground colour and could not be called black. 

 There were a few examples of the var. 7-ufescens, one 

 of the var. obscura, and a few of the var. maadata, 

 but the gem of the collection was a very remarkable 

 form which in its markings belonged to the var, 

 Johnstoni, but differed from it completely in the 

 matter of the ground colour, which, instead of being 

 of the usual brownish or cinereous hue, was uniformly 

 of a pure clear pellucid lilac tint. Mr. Elliott has 

 since informed me that this form occurs in his 

 brother's garden, the specimen not being an isolated 

 one. I have proposed in the Journal of Conchology 

 that for the present this form be named var. 

 Johnstojii, sub-var. lilacina. Of the numerous 

 examples of Liniax agrestis or the common field- 

 slug many pertained to the typical form as defined by 

 Lessona and PoUonera {cinereus immaculatus, capite 

 tentaciilisqite bruniicis), others to the var. aibida, and 

 others to Moquin's var. sylvatica, while one was of 

 the var. lilacina of Moquin. _; 



West Gloucestershire Slugs. — The specimens 

 which Mr. Elliott collected for me on the West 

 Gloucestershire side of Stroud included Arion ater, 

 A. Jiorte7isis, Amalia marginata, Lekmannia 

 arboriim, Limax maximiis, and Z. agrestis. Of 

 the first named species, Arion ater, were the name- 

 able varieties succinca (the yellow form, immature 

 as usual), and riifa (of a dark rich chocolate 

 brown), and numerous other forms — some being 

 pale unicolorous dun, and two small ones very 

 pale greenish. Of A. /i or ten sis numerous examples 

 of the type, mostly juveniles, very dark coloured 

 witli the foot-sole orange, in one specimen very 

 vividly so, were sent, and also a number of var. 

 fasciata. In addition to these were specimens of 

 the puzzling form of Arion whose specific location 

 is as yet dubious. Of Amalia marginata there was 

 but one specimen, a dark coloured one. Of Lek- 

 mannia arboriim was sent one specimen, Mr. Elliott 

 remarking that the species is plentiful on beeches in 

 the woods after showers. Of Limax maximus were 

 numerous typical examples, and one of the var. 

 obscura. This latter was very dark ash-colour, with 

 only a faint trace of banding on the body, and one 



