IREDALE : LAND MOLLUSCA OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS. 3G9 



distributed. However, on the flat a new TornatelUna was found 

 upon a patch of Kawa Kawa or Pepper plant. When raining it wag 

 seen crawling up the stems and under the leaves in fair numbers. 

 Nowhere else was it found save on this one small plot ; I could not 

 discover where it hid itself in the dry weather, thouj^h ever)' wet day 

 it was noted. It appeared quite an aberrant style of TornatelUna, 

 the animal being quite unlike those previously examined, so that it 

 was quite a pleasure to find that Pilsbry had created a new genus 

 for either it or a very close ally. This species was immediately 

 recognized as T. mconspicua, Brazier, from Lord Howe Island, when 

 I showed it to Mr. Hedley at Sydney. I concluded that many prior 

 names have been bestowed upon it, but I will note these in the 

 systematic portion later. Upon the other side of the island another 

 species of 'Ihrnatellina was observed. It was, however, noted all 

 over the higher portions of the island under dead leaves, stones, 

 rotten wood, etc. 



By this time it seemed that the snail fauna must be pretty well 

 known, yet the largest and most noticeable species had escaped our 

 search. I allude to Helicarion Kermadecensu (Smith), which was 

 simultaneously described by Mousson, who received it from Dr. Graeffe, 

 who had stated it to be " numerous ". Such was certainly not the case 

 at this time, and therefore it was thought advisable to investigate 

 the problem. It was considered probable that, as it was undoubtedly 

 not "numerous" anywhere we had searched, its last refuge might 

 be the highest point of the island, known as Moumoukai. It was 

 therefore at once decided to be necessary to thoi'oughly search that 

 locality as a forlorn hope. Much to my delight the first excursion 

 provided one specimen living under a fallen nikau leaf, and among 

 dead fern-leaves a couple of broken dead shells were noted. My 

 second and third trips were unsuccessful, but on the fourth a second 

 live specimen was obtained from under a fallen nikau palm leaf. 

 It was now concluded that a beautiful clean animal like this 

 Helicarion would not live among dirty leaves, but should be a tree- 

 liver. Following up this line of investigation did not solve the 

 problem. Two other members of our party, however, proved this 

 theory correct, and to them belong the credit of the rediscovery of 

 this beautiful animal. Messrs. W. R. Brook Oliver, now a member 

 of this Society, and W. L. Wallace, while making a trip over 

 Moumoukai, camped overnight on the top, and in the dew of the 

 early morning a Helicarion was observed crawling on the bulbous 

 head of the nikau palm. Upon climbing up the palm the underside 

 of the leaves was found to be the station of the missing Helicarion. 

 Hearing this, Mr. Roy Bell and I immediately visited the place, and, 

 camping there, were well rewarded. It was found that only a verj^ 

 small colony existed, that its limits could be exactly defined, and that 

 only a few trees were selected. Having fixed their station, search 

 was renewed all over the island, but without success. No other 

 colony was discovered at any altitude, so that it seems that this 

 species has become almost exterminated in a space of forty years 

 without visible enemies. If this colony be the only existing remnant 



