150 The Irish Naturalist^ [June, 



MOLLUSCS. 



Hydrobia Jenklnsl, Smith, In Co. Donf^g: ; 



It is interesting so soon after its first record in Ireland (^Frish Naturalist^ 

 September, 1S97), to find this brackish-water shell turning up at several 

 ".ew stations, Mr J. N. Milne of Culmore, having recently collected it in 

 large quantities in the Foyle at St. Johnstone, and Carrigans, Cc. 

 Donegal, an addition to the County fauna and to district XII. At 

 Carrigans he found several large patches of living and dead shells col- 

 lected together, one of these six yards long, one yard wide, and one to 

 two inches deep. He states there must have been millions, mainly dead 

 shells, in this lot. Of 800 specimens counted out, only 5 per cent, were 

 carinated, while at St. Johnstone further up the river all the shells were 

 typical, showing no keel. Within the last few daj's he has also found it 

 alive in a slightly brackish pool close to Culmore vStation, on the Co. 

 Derry side of the Foyle, where over fifty per cent, are the variety, but 

 many of these are distinctly coronated rather than carinated, the crown 

 of spines having a tendency to run into a fine keel in the final whorl. 

 The Culmore shells are also much larger than those in Bann or Foyle ; 

 they measure 5 by 4 mm., while the latter average only 3.75 by 1.9 m.m. 

 Mr. Milne is quite certain that the species did not live there two years 



ago. 



R. Wki^CH. 

 Belfast. 



Hcllx limbata, Drap., a Pyrcncen Shell Introduced at 



Belfast. 



This interesting tourist from the South of Europe was discovered last 

 summer by Master Arthur vStelfox feeding on a roadside at Belmont, Co. 

 Down, near Belfast, close to Dickson's nursery. He only obtained one 

 specimen about two-thirds grown, which I forwarded to Dr. vScharff, 

 who immediately recognised it as an old friend which does not range 

 further north in Europe than the Loire, inhabiting the country north 

 and south of the Pyrenees — in France and Spain. 



As the shell was doubtless introduced with plants to the nursery, I 

 hunted for it very carefully latel}^ on chance there might be a small 

 colony there, but found no further trace of it ; Mr. Hugh Dickson 

 informs me that he imports many plants from Southern French nur- 

 series, such as Arbutus Unedo, Andromeda Jloribunda, Genista andriena^ Kal- 

 mia laiifolia, Azalea mollis, and A. indica, with Camellias and Magnolias, 

 and as many of these have large balls of earth round their roots it would 

 be easy for shells to come with them, possibly in the ^^^^ state. This 

 shell is translucent, white, with one opaque white band. When full 

 grown it would be 12 to 15 m m. (about \ inch) broad— rather larger 

 than a good-sized ILclLx rujcscens, 



R. Wlii^CH. 



Belfast. 



