MOLLUSCA OF INDIA. 155 
The buccal mass has a strong retractor muscle (Plate XLII. fig. 5). 
There is a short narrow cesophagus passing into a very capacious 
bag-like stomach, on the side of which the salivary gland lies. 
The generative organs (fig. 4) are very simple; there is no ama- 
torial organ. ‘The spermatheca is short, with a round-shaped sac at 
the posterior end. The male organ is a simple, long, cylindrical 
tube with a strong, short, retractor muscle, and thus similar to that 
of the genus Arion, and so very different to the more complicated 
form of Grasia and allies, and also to the Australian form of true 
Helicarion (vide Plate XLI.). The albumen-gland is very large. 
Although the combined characters of this specimen would place it 
in the subfamily Helicarionine, it differs sufficiently from the Indian 
genera Girasia and Austenia, and also from the Australian genus 
Helicarion, to be placed in a separate subgenus. For these Kast- 
African forms I would propose the subgeneric title Africarion. 
There is considerable doubt regarding the identification of Damon’s 
specimen. Blanford, in his work ‘Geology and Zoology of Abyssinia,’ 
records three species of Vitrina (p. 475), and among them VJ. riip- 
pelliana*, apparently only one (unnamed) he captured alive at Lake 
Ashangi, and he notices that itis a true Vitrina with no mucous pore. 
In Nevill’s Hand-list, p. 18, under V. mamillata, Martens, from above 
locality, is a detailed description by Blanford of this species, which 
I will copy :— 
“« Animal apparently not retractile ; mantle large and rugose, only 
partially reflected over peristome, a little more so over the shell at 
the suture; foot coarsely granulate above, sole not margined by a 
furrow at the side; tail bluntly keeled above, pointed, with no trace 
of a gland ; three furrows from near breathing-orifice to lower ten- 
tacles, lower two uniting in front; lower tentacles short, upper one 
(eye-pedicels) moderate ; the rounded process of the mantle, reversed 
over the suture, sometimes reaches the apex, and appears easily ex- 
tensible. Pale flesh-colour, yellowish on back, two dark lines from 
base of tentacles: mantle with opaque yellow spots; jaw narrow, 
without process in centre, smooth.” 
Mons. Bourguignat has lately published (1883) a work, ‘ Histoire 
Malacologique de l’Abyssinie.’ In this a small species (raffray?) is 
described and placed in Helicarion ; it is figured with a mucous 
pore on pl. vi. fig. 13, H. lymphaseus, Morelet, and H. pallens, 
Morelet, are also referred to as occurring in the Bogos country : 
ruppelliana is placed in Vitrina, and on pl. vii. fig. 10 the very 
pointed form of the extremity of the foot is given. The species 
received from Mr. Damon is about the size and form as riippelliana ; 
the identification must be wrong, but at any rate the African habitat 
would appear to be correctly given by him. 
On referring to Mr. Damon for the history of this species, he says: 
—‘*T have only had Abyssinian shells from Issel and a dealer named 
* Vitrina riippelliana, Pfr. P. Z.8. 1848, p. 107; Pfr. Mon. Hel. vol. ii 
p- 5038 (very like prestans, Gd.) ; = V. darnaudi, Pfr. W. Blanford, Zool, Abyss. 
p- 475 ; J. R. Bourguignat, Malac. Abyss. p. 20, pl. 7. fig. 10 (animal). 
