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r-amily II. Auric ulacea. 



Some dwell by ocean wave, in lake, or pool ; 

 Others affect dry stones, 'mid fern and moss ; 

 Others, again, the banks of such great rivers 

 As Europe o^\tis not. 



The shell of the Auricidacea is^ for the most part^ of an 

 oval form^ the columella being either clentated or strongly 

 plaited ; the aperture is longitudinally oval, and the lip is 

 either thickened or simple, often dentated within, in the 

 same manner as the columella. iVnimal either terrestrial 

 or aquatic, and destitute of any operculum. 



Three genera belong to this family — Auricula, Scarabus, 

 and Chilina — each of Avhich possesses a distinctive character, 

 both as regards its construction and location. 



The fb:st is uniformly amphibious, living either on the 

 sea-shore, beside lakes and rivers, or in fens and marshes, 

 among bulrushes and sedges, where the bittern sounds his 

 drum, and the lone shrill cry of the water-rail is heard at 

 eventide. The second differs materially in its habits from 

 the Auricula. None of the genera are aquatic, or even 

 peculiar to marshy places : they affect dry stones, and may 

 readily be discovered among the roots of trees in woods. 



