DISPERSAL BY INIAN. 245 



Helix cantiana Mont. The Kentish snail, Mr. 

 Gray remarked, in 1857, was once "supposed to be 

 almost confined to the four metropolitan counties, but 

 it is also found in Suffolk, near Bristol, and near Dublin. 

 It may have been introduced in these latter localities ; 

 for it has been within these few years, according to 

 Mr. Fryer, introduced with ballast by the colliers on 

 the banks of the Tyne, and is now rapidly spreading 

 itself in the hedges of that neighbourhood. These 

 circumstances would lead one to imagine that it might also 

 have been introduced into England from the Continent; 

 but Ferussac, who has compared it with the continental 

 species, regards it at least as a local variety of H. 

 carthusiana of Draparnaud (not of Miiller), which is a 

 native of the south of France and Italy." Professor 

 Tate, however^ has stated that the creature is indigenous, 

 at least to certain parts of this country ; most writers, 

 indeed, have thus regarded it, and now that it is known 

 to have a much more extended range than that above 

 indicated (except that the Dublin record is perhaps 

 erroneous) it can hardly be looked upon even as a 

 possible importation.^ 



1866, p. 137; *'Rimmer," 1880, p. 113; J.C., "Nature," xxviii. 

 (1883), p. 31 ; W. C. Atkinson, p. 81; Murray's "Handbook to 

 Surrey," p. 70; and Bevan's " Guide to Surrey," p. iii., as quoted 

 by Mr. Atkinson. 



* Gray's "Turton," 1857, p. 130; "Tate," 1866, pp. 126-7; and see 

 also, a"s to the probable dispersal of H. cantiana with ballast, 

 E. Forbes, " Report, 9th meeting, British Association, 1839," (1840), 

 p. 131 ; B. Hudson, " Journ. of Conch.," iv. (1884), p. 171 ; and 

 J. E. Robson, quoted in the "Naturalist," 1886, p. 148. 



