f9o2. 139 



SOME LAND AND FRESHWATER SHELLS FROM 



CO. CLARE. 



BY P. H. GRIERSON. 



The northern portion of Co. Clare, taking a line from Killaloe 

 through Ennis to Lehinch, is very interesting from a concho- 

 logical point of view, as most of the Irish species of Land and 

 Freshwater shells are to be found there. 



The geological formation is mainly divided between Lower 

 Silurian, Old Red Sandstone, Carboniferous Limestone, Mill- 

 stone Grit and shale — -the limestone covering by far the greater 

 area. 



In, the neighbourhood of Lehinch and Ennistymon I was 

 very successful in my finds, especially near the junction of the 

 Millstone Grit and shale. In it I found all the Hyalinias 

 except H. helvetica — the rarest being H. excavata, which is to 

 be met with in the glens near Ennistymon and Moy. 



Of the Helices, Helix rotundata, H. pygincea, and H. ^lenior- 

 alls are to be found nearl}^ everywhere, but H. rupestris is 

 confined to the limestone districts. I only found two specimens 

 of H. lamellata in a wood near L. luchiquin, among the leaves 

 of Liizula sylvatica. H. aculeata 1 noticed in a few places 

 between Lehinch and Corofin, and H. pukhella is common be- 

 tween Lehinch and the Cliffs of Moher. H. aspersa seems 

 common where lime or limestone exists — either near limestone 

 walls (close to houses, &c.), or in among the crags far removed 

 from human habitations. H. rufesce7is I only took in the 

 neighbourhood of houses or on the headlands of cultivated 

 fields. H. hhpida is common. H.fitsca I met with in Ennis- 

 tymon glen and also near Moy — in the former place I took 

 several adult specimens in September, 1900, on a Beech tree, 

 but on subsequent visits to the same place I could only find 

 very j^oung ones. H. ericetonwi is very common nearly all 

 over North Clare, and it greatly varies in size and appearance 

 in the different localities. H. caperata occurred on the sand- 

 dunes near Blackhead and also a few miles N.E. of Corofin. 

 H. virgata is found at the last-named place and also at Augh- 

 anish. H. acuta I could only discover near Ballyvaughan and 

 at Aughanish. 



