HA RD WI CKE 'S S CIENCE- G OS SIP. 



hybrida as homotypical of the lip colour of nemoralis, 

 for its robust shells are provided with white and all 

 shades of red, chocolate, and dark brown lips and 

 ribs. The jaws, too, of II. nemoralis are larger, 

 stronger, and deeper coloured than hortensis. Dr. 

 Jeffreys remarks, too, that no two of these forms live 

 together. I may add that hybrida is usually sought 

 for and found amongst hortensis; the two-score 

 specimens I possess of this variety were all found 

 thus. I was, along with many others, a believer that 

 nemoralis, hortensis and hybrida were not found 

 together in any locality, but quite recently, and within 

 a few miles of Leeds, I have, in the company of 

 friends, taken the three forms associated. From 

 the stems of a large cow parsnip (Heracleum) 



I took two //(•; 



three liortensis, and one 



hybrida ; whilst, amongst forty or fifty hortensis, two 

 miles away, I procured one nemoralis and one hybrida. 

 The hortensis from this, to me, new locality are very 

 interesting. There are four or five sets which show the 

 gradations of hortensis to hybrida very clearly, we have 

 1st, white ; 2nd, bright yellow ; 3rd, paler yellow, 

 large whorl tinged with reddish-purple ; 4th, reddish 

 salmon-colour; 5th, hybrida. Var. or set 3 shows 

 what Mr. Norman denies, a coloured deposit on the 

 columella. Some four or five years ago, I had the 

 honour of describing a new variety to this country of 

 H. hortensis ; this var. umbilicata, Crthr., had an 

 umbilicus. I collected it at Tadcaster. An examina- 

 tion of the large collections which are made of these 

 ever-varying shells clearly shows that II. nemoralis 

 and //. hortensis are distinct species, and hybrida to 

 be a variety of the latter form, and I and many 

 conchologists adopting this classification go with 

 Miiller, Dr. Grey and Mr. Norman and against 

 Forbes and Hanley and Dr. Jeffreys. 



Briefly, and generally, we might classify them 

 thus :— 



Helix nemoralis, L. — Shell subglobose, usually 

 opaque and solid, imperforate"; periostracum white, 

 yellow, brown, chocolate, red, &c, either plain or 

 encircled with one to five or six bands of varying 

 widths and colours. Outer lip and rib deep pink, 

 red, chocolate and black. On the inner lip the 

 bands are usually hidden by a coloured deposit. 



Var. albo-labris, Crthr. — Form and colour as in 

 type. Lip and rib white. 



Helix hortensis, Mull. — Shell one-third smaller 

 and a little more globular than nemoralis, similarly 

 coloured and banded, imperforate, thin, often 

 translucent. Rib and outer lip white. Inner lip 

 usually shows bands. 



Var. hybrida, Poiret.— Shell as in type in size and 

 markings, somewhat solider. Outer lip and rib 

 unged or coloured pink. 



Var. umbilicata, Crthr. — Shell like hortensis, trans- 

 lucent, banded, possessing an umbilicus. 



Fuller descriptions will be found in books on 

 British conchology of most of the above, also of the 

 vars. major and minor of Helix nemoralis. The above 

 classification is newer, more definite, and perhaps 

 more accurate, as it is founded on later obser- 

 vations. 



On bringing home the specimens gathered, it is 

 better to clean them at once. The animals are 

 extracted after treatment with hot water. The 

 shells should be assorted as to colours, species and 

 varieties, and mounted in pairs on small millboard 

 tablets 22 by ij-in. by |-in. thick, covered on one side 

 with tinted paper for coloured, and steel blue, or 

 black paper for white shells. On the label affixed 

 to one end should be written genus, species, locality 

 and collector. 



For the method of dissecting odontophores, jaws, 

 &c, of Mollusca, which should be done under water, 

 in a white shallow dish, refer to books on the micro- 

 scope, &c. I would strongly advise the simple 

 method of dissecting the animal thus, with forceps 

 and needles, to the common one resorted to by so 

 many conchologists, of boiling the animal if small, 

 or parts if large, in sodic or potassic hydrates, on 

 purpose to procure the jaws or lingual ribbons. The 

 attachments are often appended, and the object has a 

 more natural appearance under the microscope. The 

 jaws of small II. virgata can be seen with the naked 

 eye in the dissecting trough, and the smallest species 

 may be crushed and washed in the sunken cell of a 

 micro-slip using a 2-inch objective for detection. 



As the jaws are found, place the different kinds in 

 watch glasses, or small colour saucers, until so dry 

 that they can be transferred to small pill-boxes, 

 without any risk of their sticking to the bottom or 

 sides, and so carrying foreign matter. Here they 

 are dust free, and can be stored any length of time. 

 On its lid should be written such information as is 

 required for the micro-slide label. This method of 

 preparation is not applicable to odontophores. In a 

 day or two the_jaws will be thoroughly dry. After 

 soaking in turpentine, they may be mounted on 

 micro-slips in any soluble form of Canada balsam, and 

 without a cell ; a wire clip will hold in position for 

 a few days, until there is a little set in the medium. 

 As evaporation takes place, fill up with fresh balsam ; 

 wdien dry ring twice with a thick solution of dammar 

 in benzole and varnish. Any number of jaws of 

 Mollusca agreeing in characters or shell colour 

 may be mounted on one slip, three or more are 

 very easily treated, and with a little care in balancing 

 the clip directly over the specimen or specimens, it 

 will be found practical to mount one or two jaws 

 without a cell. Canada balsam is much better for 

 this work than glycerine or similar fluids ; it is 

 more easily manipulated, requires no extra care in 

 fastening up, and is handy for polariscopic work. 



