IREDALE : LAND MOLLUSCA OF THE KEKMADEC ISLANDS, 307 



At tlie same time a new shell was brouglit to me tliat had becu 

 obtained on the cliffs. It was a very close ally of Ptijchodon pseuies, 

 and I have called it P. amanda on account of its beauty. This 

 discovery made me forsake; the flat and commence the investigation 

 of tlie heights at once. I liad noted in literature that snails from 

 different altitudes diffei'ed specificallj', and sometimes geucrically, 

 from those living on tlie low level. The first day revealed a new 

 shell in numbers under stones, dead nikau leaves, and rotten wood, 

 Avell stowed away at about 1,200 feet. It was a cream Cliaropoid, 

 which was at first thought to b(; the same as the one found on the 

 level, but comparison showed them to be absolutely different. I liave 

 named this Charopa Macgillivrat/ana in honour of the flrst naturalist 

 to (ixploit Sunday Island, and whose collections received no recognition. 

 I find, in the British Museum, that he obtained all the species known 

 at tlie end of 1907, though none were described from liis collection. 

 This shell was well distributed, in some places being almost numerous, 

 but the small size prevented rapid collecting, each specimen having 

 to be taken from its hiding-place by means of a pen nib reversed in 

 a pen-holder. I offer this suggestion to collectors who have to get 

 minute shells out of crevices of wood. Associated with it, iinder 

 nikau leaves, were found Ptijchodon pseutes and amanda, the latter 

 rarely occurring. The last named was later found all over the 

 heights, but it was a somewhat solitary animal, usually confining 

 itself to its favourite rotten nikau leaves. This successful foray 

 encouraged to further searcli, and as it rained all the night I set out 

 for the same place the next morning to collect more specimens and 

 perhaps add another new species. A great surprise was, however, in 

 store, as approaching the hunting-ground mj' friend Mr. Hoy Bell, 

 one of the settlers of the island and who generally accompanied me 

 on my excursions after these minute animals, noted a new larger 

 snail climbing on a moss-covered tree-trunk. Immediately every idea 

 was given up to the very careful inspection of all the tree-trunks in 

 the immediate vicinity, with the result that they were found to have 

 a peculiar and interesting snail fauna of their own. Previously tree- 

 trunks had been casually examiiuid, but with no result save rarely 

 a Tovnatellina, which I confused with the ground-living 2\ Novo- 

 seelandica. Furthermore, it had been mainly dry weather when such 

 searching had been undertaken. I might point out that hunting for 

 these tree-living minute snails was not a delightful occupation, as 

 they only fed while it was raining or immediately afterwards. It 

 needed all the zeal of the enthusiast to walk out in the pouring rain, 

 climb 1,000 feet cliffs up slippery and dangerous goat-tracks, becoming 

 wet and bedraggled at every footste]), wade through dripping ferns 

 knee-deep, all to be done before the happy hunting-ground was 

 reached, then to stoop low down round tree-trunks while the rain 

 trickled down the neck, only stopjnng to Avipe the wet out of one's 

 eyes, already strained to a hurtful point to distinguish these dark- 

 coloured atoms from the deep-green background. Two or three hours 

 was quite sufficient at a time, as no rest could be taken owing to the 

 dripping state of everything, including ourselves. It was not the 



