SpideT'like Animals. 161 



fracture was observable on the exterior of the shell, to ascer- 

 tain the cause ; but, on breaking a small portion of the irre- 

 gular mass, discovered it. The animal had, by some accident, 

 got a large mass of mud between itself and the shell, and not 

 having the power of dislodging the mud, and probably finding 

 the roughness of it disagreeable to the smooth surface of its 

 own body, had formed a coating of pearly matter entirely over 

 it, and had thus sagaciously rendered it, though it must have 

 been a great encumbrance, as little inconvenient to itself as 

 possible. — Id. 



The Limneus elongdtus Turton, Helix octarifracti Montagu, 

 a7id H. octona Pennant. — Would that some correspondent 

 would clear up the difficulty which appears to hang over 

 these ! The figure in Veunsini^s British Zoology 

 is quite correct, according to many dozens of 

 specimens which I have found on plants in a pool 

 near Southampton, where even the youngest 

 shells have the fractured apex. Will Mr. Kenyon, 

 who (in his list of land and freshwater shells in II. 273.) men- 

 tions it under the name of Lymnae^a leucostoma, oblige me 

 by stating in what degree my drawing (fig. 32.) is like or unlike 

 his shell? — W. W. Southampton^ Jan. 17. 1834. 



SriDER-LiKE Animals. — [_0f Trachean Arachnides^ the 

 Genus Achlysia, constituted and named by M. Audouin, con- 

 sists, probably, but of Species, in an immature State, ofHydrach- 

 nadcE, of the Genus Limnocharis Latr. Individuals of a 

 Species of Limnocharis Latr. have been found subsisting, in 

 one of their States, as Parasites, upon the Body of Dytiscus 

 margindlis L.] — In turning over the leaves of vol. i. of 

 the Zoological Journal, my attention was attracted by some 

 figures in the 4th plate, and, on referring to the descriptions 

 I found, in page 122., " A Memoir on Achlysia, a new Genus 

 of Trachean Arachnides, by M. J. V. Audouin." 



Some years back, I carefully examined a specimen of 

 i)ytiscus marginalis L., under the wings of which, and 

 attached to its back, were above a dozen bags, each rather 

 smaller than a grain of wheat, curved and narrowed at the 

 end by which they were attached. On opening these sacs, 

 I found, to my astonishment, that each contained a perfect 

 animal, which I believe may be a Hydrachna, or rather 

 Limnocharis Latr. As there is nothing new under the sun, 

 I did not at the time regard this discovery, and lost my 

 descriptions and drawings, which I now very much regret, 

 as it renders my present communication very imperfect ; but, 

 I hope, even this notice may be the means of calling the 

 attention of some one to the subject better acquainted with 

 the Trachearia than I am. 



Vol. VIL — No. 38. a 



