894 NATURALISED FORMS OF LAND AND FRESH-WATER MOLLUSCA, 



ZoNiTES NiTiDus, Miiller, 1774. 



Helix niticla, Cox, Mon. Aus. Land Shells, species 20, p. 9. 



A native of Europe, ranging from N. Russia to Algeria, and 

 as far as Thibet in Asia ; it has found its way to North America, 

 Japan and elsewhere. Found in damp places. 



New Zealand : Lake St. John, Auckland, a dozen specimens, 

 under logs (Musson). 



N.S.W. : Darling Point, Lyndhurst and elsewhere, about 

 Sydney (Cox) ; often found in hot houses (Brazier). 



Helix aspersa, Miiller, 1774. 



European iu its origin, it is now very widely diffused through 

 St. Helena, Mauritius, Cape of Good Hope, Brazil, United 

 States, and New Caledonia. 



A voracious animal, which has even been known to perforate 

 birds' eggs for food. It inhabits gardens, old walls, &c. 



New Zealand : common at most of the sea coast towns. 

 Examples from Apua in the Bay of Islands are exceptionally 

 thin, whilst shells from Auckland are of the variety conoidea 

 (thin, small, and conical). 



N.S.W. : Dubbo and Coonamble (Brazier); Sydney, very 

 common in gardens, as at Elizabeth Bay and Double Bay. 

 Dr. Cox found a very interesting monsti'osity of this form in 

 the shape of a well marked turriculated specimen in his garden 

 at the North Shore, Sydney. 



The species is often seen sheltering in large quantities inside 

 the cut hollow stems of bamboo; an interesting fact, if we 

 remember that the most ancient of all known fossil land shells, 

 from carboniferous beds in the United States, have been found 

 inside calamite stems. 



Our N.S.W. forms of this shell belong chiefly to the variety 

 tenuior (smaller, very thin and transparent). 



Tasmania : common, near towns on coast. 



Victoria : common, in and near Melbourne. 



Nowhere do we And the large, thick shells so often seen in 

 England. 



