3 58 Shell Life 



indicates that the original description of it by Petiver 

 was founded on specimens obtained at Pisa, in Italy 

 — measures three-quarters of an inch across its five and 

 a half whorls. The ground colour of the globular shell 

 is yellowish white, over which runs a varying number 

 of spiral brown lines and short oblique streaks. The 

 mouth of the shell describes two-thirds of a circle, 

 and is strengthened by a slight rib. The small 

 umbilicus is partially closed by the expansion of the 

 lip. The animal feeds in this country on Sea Holly 

 {Eryngium inaritmiuin) and thistles, to which it may 

 be found clinging in the daytime in the few places it 

 inhabits. These are in the neighbour- 

 liood of Tenby and Manorbeer, in Pem- 

 broke ; Swansea, where planted by Mr. 

 Jefire3^s ; St. Ives and Whitsand Bay, in 

 Sandhill Snail Comwall ; Mcatli and Dublin Counties 

 in Ireland, and at Jersey and Guernsey. 

 It is only found on sandhills close to the sea, and 

 this fact implies that it may owe its presence in these 

 islands to accidental importation with ballast from 

 the Continent, where it is found far inland, as for 

 example in central France and Spain. In the hot 

 dry weather of summer it buries itself in the sand 

 at the roots of plants. Not only does it skeletonise 

 the plants mentioned — it also has a taste for animal 

 food ; the Rev. A. H. Cooke relates how he placed 

 living specimens of this species and the Heath Snail 

 {H. ericetoriim) in a box together, but wlien they 

 were inspected twenty-four hours later, 2:)isana had 

 cleaned out all the shells of ericetoriim. 



The Banded Snail {H. virgata) is an exceedingly 

 variable species, a dozen forms being sufficiently 



