148 Mr. Kenneth McKean. 



tentacles becoming rigid within forty seconds, although 

 sensation continues in the tail from eight to ten minutes. 

 Glycerine and water in equal parts are recommended as a pre- 

 servative medium, but in this, though better than spirit, the 

 beautiful colourings are quickly robbed of their brilliancy. 

 Testacella, which forms the connecting link between slugs and 

 snails, is said to live near London, but I have not yet been 

 able to find it. Its appearance is so peculiar that if it does 

 exist here it could hardly fail to be detected. 



Helicidce. — Succinea elegans is found at Putney, Nutfield 

 Marsh, and Waddon, but I have not taken it elsewhere. 



Vitrina pellncida, whose exquisite shell is filmy as a soap 

 bubble, is widely spread. During summer it lives deep among 

 decaying leaves, or under stones, in cool hollows, but when 

 the autumn frosts visit us it becomes very active, and may 

 then be taken in plenty in the neighbourhood of elms and 

 beeches, rapidly skimming over the fallen glistening leaves. 

 Of the ten species of Zonites we have eight. Z. radiatulus is 

 uncommon, though it occurs as near to Croydon as Purley 

 Farm. I took Z. glaber last week for the first time between 

 Chaldon Church, and Fryern Farm, and upon taking the shells 

 to the British Museum for identification, I found Mr. Groves 

 had already deposited specimens taken at Tatsfield. This 

 snail was only added to the Fauna of the country ten years 

 ago, when it was discovered in Cheshire. We now come to 

 the genus Helix, the shells of which are familiar to all. I 

 will first deal with those species which live mostly or entirely 

 upon the chalk. H. pojiiatia might be called the Surrey snail, 

 so closely is it identified with this district. Its true home 

 might also be described as lying withm a triangle which has 

 Caterham Junction for the apex, and Boxhill and Tatsfield for 

 the base. Although it keeps pretty closely to the chalk, 

 wanderers are occasionally met with in the succulent hedge- 

 rows on the lower greensand near Bletchingly,two miles south 

 of the chalk escarpment. To obtain this snail with its 

 calcareous epiphragm in situ it is necessary to dig in or about 

 the edge of beech copses between December and April. Its 

 winter quarters are usually some inches below the surface. 

 White Hill is the most favourable locality. H. lapicida is 

 frequent but not abundant. It occurs at intervals along the 

 Downs from Tatsfield to Farnham. H. ericetornm flourishes 

 on the chalk and attains the largest size in the bleakest 

 situations, Woldingham Downs for instance. H. virgata is 

 the most variable shell in its markings we have ; as many as 

 14 distinct variations were taken in one stubble field near 

 Beggar's Bush. On one of the few hot days this summer I 

 took a Virgata on an old tarred fence which was in the full 



