﻿133 
  

  

  ON 
  THE 
  OCCURRENCE 
  IN 
  ENGLAND 
  OF 
  HELICELLA 
  NEGLECTA 
  

  

  (DRAP.). 
  

  

  By 
  A. 
  S. 
  Kennard, 
  F.G.S., 
  and 
  B. 
  B. 
  Woodward, 
  F.L.S., 
  etc. 
  

  

  With 
  notes 
  ou 
  the 
  Aiiatoiii^' 
  by 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Boycott, 
  F.ll.S., 
  and 
  on 
  

  

  the 
  EudiiUa 
  by 
  the 
  Kev. 
  E. 
  W. 
  Bowelt., 
  M.A. 
  

  

  Read 
  8th 
  December, 
  1916. 
  

   In 
  September, 
  1915, 
  several 
  examples 
  were 
  found 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  us 
  

   (A. 
  S. 
  K.) 
  on 
  a 
  f^rassy 
  bank 
  near 
  Luddesdown, 
  AVest 
  Kent, 
  of 
  a 
  JJelicella 
  

   which 
  was 
  obviously 
  new 
  to 
  our 
  fauna. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  month 
  tbis 
  j'ear 
  

   two 
  excursions 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  tbe 
  locality. 
  On 
  the 
  first 
  occasion 
  

   about 
  six 
  living 
  examples 
  and 
  several 
  dead 
  shells 
  were 
  met 
  witb, 
  but 
  

   on 
  17th 
  September 
  about 
  thirty 
  examples 
  were 
  collected, 
  whilst 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  immature 
  specimens 
  were 
  left. 
  On 
  comparing 
  our 
  shells 
  

   with 
  the 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  in 
  the 
  Norman 
  Collection 
  in 
  the 
  

   British 
  Museum 
  (Natural 
  History) 
  we 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  identify 
  them 
  as 
  

   Helicella 
  negleda 
  (Drap.), 
  and 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  confirmed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  K. 
  

   Gude. 
  Luddesdown 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  village 
  about 
  one 
  mile 
  south 
  of 
  Cobham, 
  

   and 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  Chalk. 
  The 
  bank 
  where 
  the 
  species 
  occurs 
  is 
  

   about 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  south-west 
  of 
  Luddesdown 
  church. 
  It 
  

   is 
  a 
  grassy 
  bank 
  about 
  six 
  feet 
  high, 
  and 
  is 
  really 
  a 
  large 
  gap 
  in 
  the 
  

   roadside 
  hedge. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  remote 
  spot, 
  and 
  we 
  can 
  offer 
  no 
  solution 
  

   as 
  to 
  how 
  the 
  species 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  established 
  there. 
  Search 
  was 
  made 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  it 
  occurred 
  elsewhere, 
  but 
  so 
  far 
  it 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  restricted 
  to 
  this 
  one 
  locality. 
  We, 
  however, 
  hope 
  next 
  

   year 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  more 
  extended 
  search 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  

   extremely 
  probable 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  isolated 
  colony. 
  The 
  district 
  

   is 
  not 
  only 
  a 
  remote 
  one, 
  sparsely 
  populated, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  famous 
  for 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  its 
  botanical 
  rarities. 
  Helicella 
  negleda 
  has 
  been 
  well 
  

   figured 
  by 
  Draparnaud 
  (Hist. 
  Nat. 
  Moll. 
  France, 
  pi. 
  vi, 
  fig. 
  [125] 
  13), 
  

   by 
  Moquin-Tandon 
  (Hist. 
  Nat. 
  Moll. 
  France, 
  pi. 
  xviii, 
  figs. 
  27-9), 
  

   and 
  by 
  Bourguignat 
  (Moll. 
  Algiers, 
  pi. 
  xxx, 
  figs. 
  12-18). 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  Westerlund 
  it 
  lives 
  in 
  Southern 
  France, 
  Italy, 
  Spain, 
  

   Greece, 
  and 
  Algiers, 
  whilst 
  Moquin-Tandon 
  records 
  it 
  from 
  Central 
  

   and 
  Southern 
  France. 
  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  West 
  Kent 
  

   thus 
  affords 
  an 
  interesting 
  analogy 
  with 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  Uelicella 
  

   elegans 
  (Gmel.) 
  near 
  Dover. 
  In 
  its 
  habits 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  resemble 
  

   JI. 
  gigaxii, 
  Pfr., 
  for 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  examples 
  were 
  higli 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  

   stems 
  of 
  grasses. 
  In 
  captivity 
  it 
  partakes 
  freelj^ 
  of 
  lettuce 
  and 
  carrot, 
  

   but 
  is 
  decidedly 
  a 
  shy 
  species, 
  retiring 
  into 
  its 
  shell 
  on 
  slight 
  

   provocation. 
  

  

  Anatomy. 
  

  

  The 
  obvious 
  anatomical 
  distinction 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Kennard's 
  specimens 
  

   from 
  any 
  known 
  British 
  Helicella 
  is 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  double 
  dart-sac 
  

   lying 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  oviduct 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  dart, 
  itala 
  having 
  two 
  

   sacs 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  with 
  two 
  darts, 
  virgata, 
  gigaxii, 
  and 
  caperata 
  

   a 
  single 
  sac. 
  Apart 
  from 
  this 
  the 
  anatomy 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  itala 
  

   in 
  its 
  general 
  features. 
  The 
  dart 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  simple 
  slightly 
  curved 
  

  

  