STEUCTURE AND AFFINITIES OF PANDA ATOMATA. — HEDLEY. 27 



affinities. Albers' classification, " Die Heliceen," p. 229, though 

 more correct, is not in accordance with the views of the writer, 

 who has recently enjoyed an opportunity of studying this 

 interesting creature alive in the recesses of its native forests. 

 The following is the first record of the soft parts of this 

 snail. The animal so resembles the figure of Caryodes diifresni 

 appearing in the P.L.S., N.S.W. (2) vi. PL iii. f. 1. that this 

 sketch would almost as well represent the former as the latter 

 species. Colour ; a pale ochreous yellow becoming redder on the 

 head and tentacles ; a dark brownish-black dorsal stripe extends 

 from between the tentacles to the mantle, a similar but fainter 

 stripe extends on either side along the facial groove from the lips 

 to the mantle ; sole of foot ashy-blue ; mantle ashy-blue shot with 

 ochreous yellow. Some snails are paler and some darker than the 

 one described. Total length 70 mm., muzzle projecting 25 mm. 

 in front, tail projecting 7 mm. behind the shell when crawling ; 

 tentacles 15 mm. long, bases 5 mm. apart ; measured just in 

 advance of the shell, the body is 15 mm. wide and 12 mm. high. 

 Tentacles gradually tapeinng to one-third of the diameter of their 

 bases, clad with fine longitudinal granulations ; ocular bulbs 

 asymmetrical, more swollen on the lower distal side, eye superior 

 central in position. Two ill-defined grooves start from the 

 mantle and enclose a series of rugfe which compose the dark 

 median dorsal colour-band mentioned above ; anteriorly these 

 grooves are lost in the reticulations around the bases of the 

 tentacles. From the median line, reticulating grooves extending 

 outwards and downwards, intersect a series of prominent long 

 narrow tubercles, from six to ten of which intervene between the 

 dorsal band and the facial groove. The tail is rather flat and 

 sharply pointed ; the sides and tail are covered by flat, irregular 

 polygonal tubercles which become smaller on approaching the 

 tail. On emerging from its shell, atomata has a habit of 

 spreading the margin of the foot into a wide, flat flange. I note 

 that the left side of the mantle developes no rudimentary mantle 

 lobes as in lladra. When extended, the shell is carried slightly 

 obliquely, the apex being a little to the right of the tail ; when 

 retracted, the animal does not usually shrink further back than 

 the aperture, to which no epiphragm was observed. 



The living snails were collected by Dr. Cox and the writer in 

 tolerable abundance in a "cedar-brush" adjoining Mr. Ashford's 

 estate on Sparke's Creek, near Scone, N.S.W. Their habit was 

 to nestle beneath decaying logs or in drifts of fallen leaves, where 

 they would occur singly or by twos and threes ; one was taken in 

 the act of ascending a tree a few feet from the ground. Specimens 

 were obtained (April 1892) in all stages of growth. Dr. Cox 

 informs me that on other occasions he has found this species 

 to lay large, white, hard-shelled eggs. 



