A MONOGRAPH OF THE LAND SHELLS OF TASMANIA. 



By W. F. PETTERD. 



Since the publication of Dr. Cox's " Monograph of Australian Land 

 Shells," in which 21 species are enumerated and described as peculiar to 

 this island, our knowledge has been much augmented, principally by Mr. 

 Brazier, who has described in the proceedings of the Zoological Society of 

 London a considerable number of species th?.t I have from time to time 

 discovered. More recently Mr. Legrand published a small work entitled 

 *•' Collections for a Monograph of Tasmanian Land Shells." This em_ 

 braced not only what had been previously done, but also enumerated a 

 large number of unrecorded forms that had been sent to Dr. Cox and 

 Mr. Brazier by Mr. Legrand and myself, and were therein described by 

 these well-known conchologists. Further observations show that much 

 confusion has occurred by the slight variations in form and colouration, 

 in more or less favorable localities from which the specimens were col- 

 lected, being recorded as distinct species. I am now enabled to show 

 that in a great number of instances many of these variations are not of 

 a constant specific character, and this has necessitated a considerable 

 reduction in the number of the so-called species. I have, therefore, 

 undertaken this paper to enable those interested in Conchology to satis- 

 factorily identify specimens, to point out the variations from the typical 

 form, to prevent a still further accumulation of synonymy, and to show 

 that many species heretofore considered as restricted in habitat to certain 

 localities have a much wider distribution than has been recorded. I also 



