146 NOTES— ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. 



wealth of Mollii'-can life there existed, and now has been utterly destroyed by 

 the diversion of the stream in the formation of some huge reservoirs for the 

 East London Water Company- In many cases the bed was covered with 

 shells, amongst which were noticed Svccinea elegans, fine, but decorticated ; 

 Vivipara vivipma, the green bandless variety by no means rare ; Neritana 

 fluviaiilis, varying much in colour, from a black and white tesselated form to a 

 pretty crimson one ; many also were trifasciated. Valvata piichialis ; Bythinia 

 tentaculata, and its variety alba, and a few specimens showing a pathological (?) 

 white line on the periphery: LiiuttiFa pereger ; L aiiricularia,. L palustris, not 

 common, and L: stagnalis. Of the last, some were very thin-shelled, and 

 showed marked ribs or striations, and one or two specimens found by me were 

 beautifully banded with white. Planorbis covneus was plentiful, but local, and 

 several places were found covered with its shells, which had been eaten, 

 probably, by Dyticus marginalis [see Jour, of Malacology, vol. vi., 30], by the 

 removal of the whole of one side of the shells, leaving the other perfect, 

 rhey were collected, after the manner of H. nemoralis, round a ' thrush' stone. 

 Planorbis marginatus, P. carinatus, P. vortex, and P. albus. Pisidu(m fontinale 

 and P amnicum ; Sphmium corneum, very fine ; S. lacustre and S rivicola, abun- 

 dant in spots, and fine ; Anodonta cygneus, and the form called anatina of Unio 

 pictoruin. and U. tumidus, the latter of the two far outnumbering the former." 



Duration of life of Helix pomatia. — It may be interesting to put on 

 record a fact bearing upon longevity in the Mollusca. On the 3rd of June, 

 1894, in company with Prof. Meldola, I found two living specimens of Helix 

 pomatia at Newlands Corner, near Gomshall, Surrey. The snails were quite 

 full grown, but I have no evidence of their age when taken. We kept them 

 as pets, and fed them, when active, exclusively upon garden lettuce. They 

 hybernated every year, by closing up the mouth of the shell with the secreted 

 epiphragm, from October to about the end of March or beginning of April. 

 One of the specimens was accidentally killed at the end of two years, but its 

 companion is still alive and apparently quite healthy, judging from its weight, 

 although now (November, 1899) in its winter sleep. Presuming the Helix was 

 two years old when found, it is now at least 7^ years old and I hope that it 

 may live much longer. — B. G. Cole, Buckhurst Hill. 



BOTANY. 



PHANEROGAM! A. 



Notes on Essex Plants. — Valerianella auricuhi, D. C. At pages 228—9 of 

 vol. ix. Essex Natur.^list, a new habitat (Coggeshall) for this plant is 

 recorded. It may be of interest to give two more places where it has been 

 recently found, more especially as I believe it had been apparently lost to the 

 County Flora for nearly twenty years, the original locality (Walls of Colches- 

 ter), as given in Gibson's Flora, not now furnishing specimens. One plant 

 was found in a field at the Fennes, Booking, in 1898, and several at Rayne in 

 1899, all the localities being corn-fields. 



Bupleurum rotundi/olium, L. occurs sparingly in corn-fields at Rayne The 

 nearest station given in Gibson's Flora is White Notley, 



Leinna minor, L. ; L. polyrrhiza, L. ; and L. gibba, L.. were all found 

 associated in one pond near Danbury, in August, 1899. This last is a rare and 

 local species.- Edwin E. Turner, Coggeshall. 



