112 EIGHTH REPORT — 1838. 



the rocks to be chemical was, that the patella was known to bore ; and 

 tliis would be impossible by the action of its flat shell. There was a 

 little annelide, called Diplotis, which made elongated cavities in rocks. 

 Now this animal had no shell, and its action must of course be 

 chemical. 



On the Distribution of Terrestrial Pulmonifera in Europe. 

 By Edward Forbes, F.L.S. 



For the purpose of stimulating zoologists to the investigation of the 

 distribution of the terrestrial and fluviatile MoUusca in Great Britain, 

 and the collection of data for that object, Mr. Forbes presented a 

 sketch of the laws which apparently regulate the distribution of ter- 

 restrial Pulmonifera in Europe. " At present," he observes, " the ma- 

 terials are few for such an investigation, and most of the publislied ca- 

 talogues are almost unavailable from the authors not having guarded 

 against certain sources of fallacy." These Mr. Forbes points out in 

 order that they may be avoided in future. 



Instead of the political and artificial divisions for which European 

 local catalogues are published, the author proposes to consider the dis- 

 tribution of terrestrial Mollusca according to natural districts, and pre- 

 sents the following classification as suited to Europe : 



1st district. Tlie greater part of Scandinavia, Iceland, the north of 

 Russia, Scotland, probably Ireland, and the greater jiart of England. 



2nd district. Germany (except Austria), the south of Sweden and 

 Denmark, the south of England, northern and central France, the chief 

 part of Switzerland. 



3rd district. The peninsula of Spain and Portugal, the south of 

 France, the west of Italy, the western Mediterranean Isles, Africa, Bar- 

 bary States, the Canaries. 



4th district. Dalmatia, Wallachia, Turkey, Greece, the eastern Me- 

 diterranean Isles, Asia Minor, Syria. 



5th district. Southern and eastern Russia, as far as Caucasus, ex- 

 tending into Asia in Georgia. 



6th district. Austria, Styria, Croatia, Carniola, appear, by their 

 peculiar conchological products, to be in this point of view a separate 

 district. 



"Each of these great divisions has a conchological character of its 

 oAvn ; in some certain genera prevail, in others certain species ; these 

 divisions may be regarded as climates, and the Flora of each will be 

 found to correspond in its distribution witli the Fauna." 



The author pointed out certain defects in the ordinary form of local 

 catalogues, and suggested the introduction of notices of the soil, rock, 

 frequency of occurrence, influences on distribution, valuations of form, 

 &c., and proposed a series of queries relating to Mollusca in fuitherance 

 of his general object. 



