162 BURMA, ITS PEOPLE AND PRODUCTIOXS. 



moiitlis and a sliort spire, fouud in damp places aud sometimes amongst the leaves 

 of palm trees. 



As a rule, all land shells are most abundant in the neighbourhood of limestone, 

 and the limestone hills, so common in parts of Burma, usually abound in mollusks. 

 Not infrequently some species are confined to the neighbourhood of limestone, and 

 occasionally particular forms appear restricted to one hill or range of hills. There 

 is a remarkable instance near Jlaulmain, one of the richest localities for land shells 

 in the world. The various isolated limestone hills in the Salween and Atturan valleys 

 are in many instances inhabited by peculiar species dilfering from those found at 

 other hills. These hills are separated from each other by flat laud liable to flooding, 

 and it is very probable that the tract was formerly an archipelago, and that the 

 sea occupied what are now the low flats of the Salween valley. This is probably the 

 cause of the present isrdation of the species occurring. Tlius at the ''Farm Caves" 

 Sophina schintostelis and .S'. d/scoir/d/is, Sexara pi/hu'ra, V/iinsilia j>//il/ppin)m, Sfrefitaxis 

 Sankeyi, Uyhocystis (/ravida and Itiipliaulus ehri/salis occur, none of which, Stoliczka 

 says, are found on the perfectly similar limestone hill at Dumotha (Dham-ma-tha), 

 only fifteen miles distant, where, however, Sopliina forahllis, Sesiira infrendenx, Ilydro- 

 cena (Geon'ssa) liratula, Biplommatina carneola, Pterori/ihis {liJtivntuma) Uaughtoni, 

 etc., are met with. 



Several of tlie above forms are peculiar so far as the Bunuese area is concerned, 

 no species of Rliiosioma, JTi/boci/xfi's, or HiipJiauIiis having been found elsewhere in 

 Bui'ma, whilst Closiophis and the peculiar type of Clausilia ( Oospira), represented by 

 C. 2)^iiJippi('>M and its allies, has not been discovered anywhere else in the world, and 

 Sophina is almost peculiar. Closfoplu's, however, may, as already stated, be merely 

 a distorted Diplommatina, no second specimen having been found. ITyboci/stis is 

 found in Upper Siam, Pterocijclun [Rltiostoma) in Siam, Cambodia and Cochin-China, 

 Raphaidus m Penang and Borneo, one species presenting some distinctions of no 

 generic value, but distinguished as Streptauhm, being found in the Eastern Himalayas. 



Leaving apart this very marked assemblage of species, the moUuscan fauna of 

 Tenasserim is on the whole closely allied to that of Siam and the ilalay Peninsula, and 

 has numerous connections with the forms existing in the Malay Archipelago. The 

 fauna of the Mergui Archipelago has not been sufficieutly ascertained to justify any 

 conclusions ; it is probably very rich. Tliere is a marked distinction between the 

 species found in Tenasserim and those inhabiting other parts of Burma, the latter 

 being allied to Assamese and Himalayan types for the most part; but in the Thayet 

 district of Pegu, and still more in Upi)er Burma, a very different association of forms 

 is found, having some alliances with the species found in the Peninsula of India, and 

 also some forms allied to Central Asiatic and Chinese types. There are thus at least 

 four well-marked molluscan faunaj found in Burma, and it may perhaps be useful to 

 notice some of the most characteristic. The provinces are the following : — - 



1. — Arakan and Southei'U Pegu. Pomatias peguensis, Ptcrocijdus parvus, Ahjcicus 

 ingrami and allies, A. politiis and allies, A. polijgonoma, Piipina ariata, Hdicina 

 arakanensis, Streptaxis hurmanicus, Helkarion gigM, Semra mammiUaris, S. helicifera, 

 Nanina textrinn, lYochomorpha cadra, Pledopylis pledostoma, I', karenonim. Helix 

 ddihrata, Amphidroinus sinensis, Glessula per tenuis, G. gemma, G. peguensis, Clausilia 

 fusiformis, C. arakana, C. Thccibaldi. 



2. — Upper Burma and Thayet district. Helix similuris, H. scalpturita, H. bolus 

 and allies, JI. capitiwn, U. iapcina and allies, Nanina paiisa, irypsdodoma tubiferum, 

 Pupa insularis, P. canopic/a (the last two species not fouud in Pegu). 



3. — Limestone Hills near Maulmain. Acmdla hijalina, Cgdo/i/wrns cah/x, Ptero- 

 cydus ater, Ithiosloma Uaughtoni , Alycans amphora, Diplommutina ciispata, llyhoeytis 

 gravida, Paphaalus dirysnHs, Georissa rairesiana,i;\c., iStreplaxis pctiti, S. bombax, and 

 several other species, J^nnea cylindrdloidea, Yitrinopsis atarancnsis, Sophina several 

 species, Sesnra infrendens and allies, S. pylaica, Pledopylis adiatina, P. cydaspis, 

 Jlypsdostoma duyanum, Clausilia [Oospira) philijtpiana and allies, C. insignis. 



4. — Tenasserim. Cydopliorus expansiis, Alyca:us pyramidalis, Megalomastoma 

 sedilabrum, Pupina arula, lldieina mcrguiensis, AriopJnvita rdrorsa, Mueroddamys 

 resplendens, Nanina artijiciosa, Situla arx, ITeniipleda saturnia, Helix merguiensis, 

 H. bi/oveaia, Amphidromus atricalloaus, A.Janus, etc." 



