174 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
In habits this species is very bold, and even when handled 
quite roughly, it does not withdraw into its shell. A small per- 
centage, however, seem to be more cautious. This snail is a 
voracious feeder; its excrement is dark in color, often olive 
green, its form long and slender, spirally coiled. During Spring 
i. e., as they emerge from hibernation, the “basking” habit is 
well marked. The common short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevi- 
cauda Say, preys largely upon this snail. During Winter the 
shrews leave the barren corn fields and burrow into the woods. 
Here their burrows open under logs; the Polygras hibernate 
under logs, often in burrows of shrews. In fact it would appear 
as if Blarina prepares a suitable retreat for these snails in 
order that later, when snow covers the ground, its feast may be 
a certainty. In the notes under pennsylvanica reference was 
made to 154 empty shells of thyroides in a shrew’s nest, and 
that of these, only 23 had the spires broken. The reason for 
this is that this snail is not timid and hence the shrew does not 
have to break the shell to get at the animal. The few broken 
shells probably indicate individuals that were somewhat cau- 
tious, or, due to considerable handling by the shrew, some of. 
these snails retreated into their shells. 
Shull (’07, P. 495) has shown that shrews move the snails 
near the ground surface as the temperature falls, and move 
them further into the burrows when the temperature rises. 
Dead shells were never transported. The basis for distinguish- 
ing between live and dead snails must be odor. Another serious 
enemy of thyroides is Circinaria concava. 
95. P.zaleta (Binney)—Brownfield Woods, Champaign Co. 
(one young shell), Hillery, Vermilion Co. At the last place 
this species has its optimum habitat requirements, living in the 
damp, wooded ravine slopes, among dead leaves, twigs, debris, 
and in the loose crumbly earth and humus. It wants shade. 
Its companions are usually albolabris elevata, and fraudulenta. 
It is not a timid species. 
(Subgenus Stenotrema Rafinesque, 1819) 
96. P. fraterna (Say)—Hillery, Vermilion Co., in shaded, 
moist situations, under bark, leaves and logs. Usually with 
thyroides. : 
