38 
mon. On the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway, six miles from Ottawa, I have 
collected hundreds from a single square foot of sod. Vast numbers are destroyed 
every spring, when the old dry grass is burnt by the track-men. In this section 
of country the frost leaves the ground about May Ist, and it is about ten days 
after this that the snails first venture into the open air for a short time at mid- 
day. If Helix lubrica is examined before the inhabitant ventures to stir, the 
aperture of the sheli will be found closed by a thick yellowish substance. This 
is not an operculum, nor yet is it a part of the shell, but appears to have been 
built by the animal for winter use alone, sincg it is lost as soon as the weather 
gets warm. This must have been observed before, but I tind no mention made 
of it in any work on shells. 
Another very interesting shell is that of Vetrina limprda, Gould. It occurred 
to me in but two places: by the Rideau River, near Billings’ Bridge, and in the 
Hull Mountains. It appears to require a still richer soil and more moisture 
than any of the other Helicida. It cannot be mistaken by any who have seen 
it, with its mantle thrown over the shell and up to the apex. 
Many persons who have walked along paths and side roads in the country, 
after a warm shower of rain, are surprised to see a curious snail crawling in 
countless numbers. If the sun dries the ground quickly, many of them will be 
found to have cemented their houses to stones or hard gravel, waiting for more 
moisture. This shellis Sueeinea obliqua, Say. We have two other Succineas, but 
they are rare, 
Pupas are found about Ottawa everywhere, and it their extremely small size 
is considered, the color being very often the same as the ground, it would not 
appear surprising to hear it said they are very rare. With one exception they 
are not rare, but only hard to find, Carychium exiguum is found in great num- 
bers everywhere, and, although the smallest of our shells, it is not so diffieult to 
discover, being always white. Our shell is the same as C.-miniémum, of Europe. 
Conchifera :—of the family Unionidw, seven Unios, three Margaritanas, and 
three or four Anodons, occurred to me during last year. Generally the Unionida 
are not easy to get, and the best specimens are to be had only by dredging in 
deep water. All the speeimens of Margaritana appear to be rare. The best 
places for collecting them are in the Ottawa at Duck Island, and in the Rideau 
at the Rapids, under the stones. At Britannia I got two varieties of Anodon, 
which may prove to be new shelis. 
There is another family of the Conchifera, which are very interesting. I refer 
to Cycladide. ‘The shells of this family are very often taken to be young clams ; 
in Scotland they are called “ Buckies.” They are very hard to classify, and it is 
only after much study that they can be identified. Spheriwm rhomboideum, Say, 
is found in ponds by St. Louis Dam, also in Dow’s Swamp ; and, although found 
in considerable numbers in those two places, is not acommon shell. ‘Those 
found in the little lake, in Dow’s Swamp, were almost white, while those got at 
St. Louis Dam were of the usual olive color, with yellow bands. ‘This is the 
most beautiful shell of its class we have. The other species of this family are 
found almost everywhere—in still water, in rapids under stones, in mud, and 
clinging to roots of plants; while one variety, S.-occidentale, is able to live 
without any water fer months during the summer, in dried-up ponds, under 
leaves and rubbish as dry as dust. 
During the season just closed, I succeeded in collecting between ninety and 
one hundred species of mollusks, four or five of which are new to the district, and, 
so faras 1 can learn, to Canada. 
Considering the discoveries made to the east and west, as well as to,;the 
south of us, having due regard to the influence of climate, I think there remain 
about thirty-five species of land and fresh-water shells yet to be accounted for 
in the vicinity of Ottawa. Of those undiscovered shells, one of the most inter- 
esting to me is Helix nemoralis or hortensis, which is known to have been seen a 
