BULIMUS.— Plate I. 



laver of epidermis becomes saturated, and the ground 

 colour of the shell is seen through it; as the moisture 

 evaporates, the epidermis resumes its light appearance. 

 Sir DaWd Brewster, hi reply to a letter from Mr. Broderip 

 ou this subject, says : " It appears to me, from very careful 

 observations, that the epidermis consists of two layers, 

 and that it is only the upper layer which is porous 

 wherever the pattern is wliite. These white or porous 

 portions of the epidermis differ from the other parts of 

 the upper layer only in hanng been deprived of, or in 

 never having possessed, the element which gives trans- 

 parency to the membrane ; in the same manner as hydro- 

 phauous opal has become white, from the expulsion of 

 its water of crystallization." 



There is little variety in the animal of BuUmus : the 

 Chilian species are mostly of a bght colour, and a few in 

 tliis and the Columbian district are spotted, some having 

 a transparent shell through which the spots are visible. 

 The PhiUppine species are, without exception, of a sombre 

 olivaceous bro^vn, and dwell in family groups, as it were, 

 among the shady foliage of the branches. Out of a gi-oup 

 of some dozen living specimens not more than three or 

 four may be found in an adult state with the lip of the 

 shell reflected. They may be dislodged by shaking the 

 branches, but are cliielly disturbed by the heavy rains 

 with wliich those islands are at times visited. Mr. Cuming 

 preferred, however, to collect them in diy sunny weather, 

 because he was sure of finding the objects of his search in 

 their shady places of retreat. In the immense sandy tract 

 on the west side of the Andes, the reverse of this con- 

 dition of nature prevails. Tlie Bulimi are here physically 

 very distinct ; some reside all the year round upon the 

 numerous Cacti, but during the dry season, which lasts 

 for several months, they mostly live in a state of torpor, 

 inclosed within their sheU by an epiphragm, and buried 

 ill tlie sand or under stones. On the approach of the 

 ilews, they revive to a state of animation, and crawl about 

 at night in quest of food. 



In illustration of the remarkable drought that prevails 

 in Northern Chili, and of its effect upon moUuscous life, 

 I am tempted to repeat, in brief, an anecdote related to 

 me by Mr. Cuming. On the arrival of our friend at the 

 Port of Copiapo in 1829, he discovered the beautiful 

 Jiidimm Broderipii in considerable numbers, in the fissures 

 of the rocks that may be seen here and there in the sandy 

 plains of that country. Finding a large proportion of 

 them dead, with tlie soft parts entirely decomposed, he 

 requested a solitary iuhabitant of the place to collect as 

 many specimens as he could pick out alive whilst he 

 occupied himself with botanizing. Returning from his 



excursion, Mr. Cuming was greatly disappointed to find 

 that among the quantity his Chilian collector had accumu- 

 lated, there was scarcely one in a living state. Upon 

 remonstrating with him for his inattention, the native 

 replied : " Ouly wait till the dews come, and they will be 

 all alive again." Mr. Cuming rejoined : " I suppose you 

 mean when it rains." The man, however, in perfect aston- 

 ishment inquired what he meant ; though a sexagenarian, 

 he had never heard of such a thing as rain. 



The Bulimi vary in their mode of propagation : fragOe 

 species, with the lip of the shell simple, are mostly \nvi- 

 parous, whilst those with a reflected lip are oviparous. 

 The arboreal species of the Philippines deposit their eggs 

 in little clusters on the trees, between two leaves which 

 the animal manages to curl up one upon the other, so as 

 to form a receptacle for their protection ; and, so far as 

 Mr. Cuming's observations go, they are all soft like 

 snake's eggs, w^ith the single exception of the B. Min- 

 doroen-m, in which instance the eggs are calcareous, 

 deposited upon the leaf in parallel rows, each standing 

 perpendicidarly on end, attached at the base by a glutinous 

 substance. 



The habits of the Bulimi in the two widely remote 

 coimtries explored by Mr. Cuming, having been treated of 

 in the foregoing remarks, it only remains to speak of them 

 in other parts. Turning to New Holland we are unex- 

 pectedly sm-prised to find that the genus is represented 

 to an extremely limited extent. I am not aware of more 

 than three species hanng been found in this wide expanse 

 of countiy, although several fine Helices have been dis- 

 covered ; and in a region of which the Fauna and Flora 

 exhibit so luxuriant and distinctive a character, the scarcity 

 of a genus of so much importance in the Eastern Isles is 

 remarkable. The same observation applies to New Zealand, 

 fi-om whence, so far as the interior of the islands of that 

 group has been visited, no more than one or two species 

 have been received. In Africa the Bulimi are almost 

 as great strangers as in the locabties just spoken of; 

 throughout the whole extent of land yet explored of this 

 vast continent, scarcely a dozen species have been ob- 

 tained. The Bulimi are here replaced by Jcluitina. 

 Such a phenomenon may also be obseiTcd in some of the 

 islands of the Pacific ; in the Sandwich Islands the Bulimi 

 are replaced by the genus Achatinella, and in the Society 

 Islands their place is occupied by the ParlulrB. In the 

 West Indies the genera Achatina and Glaiidiiia seem to 

 prevail. Howsoever abundant is the genus Bulimus in 

 most of the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, few 

 species appear to inhabit the great territories of India and 

 Cliina, Ou the coast of Borneo a beautiful species was 



