THE NAUTILUS. 77 



A storm that stirs up the depths makes a grand holiday, but 

 nearly every visit, in storm or calm, repays the student by some 

 glimpse of the life history of some soft — hard dweller of the sea. 



Sarah P. Monks. 



PRELIMINAEY NOTES ON TASMANIAN LAND SHELLS. 



BY HENRY SUTER. 



Since I became acquainted with the New Zealand and Tasmanian 

 laud and fresh water molluscan fauna, some four to five years ago. 

 I came to the conclusion that both are very nearly related, though 

 this opinion is not shared by Conchologists generally. On several 

 occasions I expressed my views, especially when describing Charopa 

 subantialla and Ch. miitabilis. It is well known that no attempt 

 has been made to classify the Tasmanian land shells ; all the Heli- 

 cidse have been simply placed in that " olla potida " genus Helix, 

 Mr, Charles Hedley of Sydney, was first to publish structural details 

 of the animals of some Tasmanian land shells (Proc. Linn. Soc, N. 

 S. W. (2) VI, p. 19). Descriptions and very good figures of the 

 animals and the dentition were there given of Btdivius dufresiii, B. 

 tasmanicus, Anoglypta launcestonensis, Rhytida lampra, Helicarion 

 verreauxi and Cystopelta petterdi. 



I have not been successful in procuring land shells with their 

 animals from Tasmania, and I therefore decided to sacrifice part of 

 my collection. There were some specimens with the animal dried 

 in them and these I used for preparing the jaws and radulie. I 

 have just finished the microscopic slides and have not yet had time 

 to study them carefully. However, I ascertained a few facts, which, 

 I feel sure, may prove of great interest to Conchologists, though 

 my communication is only provisional. 



Conchologists of course know that the genera Endodonta, Charopa 

 and Rhytida are common to New Zealand and Tasmania. The 

 new facts I ascertained of genera or sections of genera found in New 

 Zealand as well as in Tasmania, and part of Australia in some cases, 

 are the following : 



Genus Gerontia. 



Section Flamtmdina, thought to be confined to New Zealand 

 only. I think that H. Jnngermanniix, Petterd, belongs to this sec- 

 tion, though I am not yet quite positive. 



