20 NOTES. 



A Pleistocene Deposit containing Shells at Chelmsford. — At a 



meeting of the Essex Field Club on March 9th, papers were read (i) on the 

 geology of a Brick pit at Chelmsford, by T. V. Holmes, F.G.S. ; (2) on the 

 bones of Elephas and other animals found in the pit, by E. T. Newton, F.R.S.; 

 and (3) on the molluscan remains irom the brick-earth, by Wilfred Mark 

 Webb, F.L.S.— A preliminary list of eight species of land and fresh-water 

 molluscs was given in the last paper. 



Succinea elegans from the Ilford Brick-earth. — Among some spec! 

 mens from Ilford lately put into my hands by Mr. Williment, of Ih-entwood, 

 there is an example, Succhiai c!i:i;ans, Ris^o, a species not recorded from that 

 locality in Woodward's " Pleistocene Alollusca of the London District." — 

 Wilfred M.\rk Webb, Brentwood. 



A Train Stopped by Snails. — The following is quoted from Tlie 

 Nautilus, and came originally from the Difichc Tunisicnnc, to which it was 

 contributed by an engineer of the Tunis Railway :~" The train coming east 

 from Suk-el-Arba last Thursday was two hours late, for a very singular reason. 

 The road was literally covered with snails, the wheels of the locomotive 

 crushing these molluscs into a pulp, which destroyed all adherence, and 

 caused the locomotive wheels to skate, so to speak, in their places." 



Inter-breeding of Type and Variety of Helix aspersa. — .\ pale 

 yellow variety of HcUx aspersa is not uncommon at Blaxhall, Suffolk, being 

 most frequently met with in an old walled-in kitchen garden. In August, 

 1883, being desirous of obtaining a supply of this variety, I placed three or 

 four adults in a large glass-fronted box in a greenhouse, hoping thus to secure 

 and rear some of their progeny. To enable them to deposit their eggs in the 

 usual way, the bottom of the box was covered with soil some two or three 

 inches deep. On August 13th one of these snails paired with a specimen of 

 the normal colour, which unfortunately had managed to get into the box, and 

 on the i6th it laid a batch of eggs. These were hatched in due course, 

 though, in this case, I omitted to note the interval which elapsed between 

 laying and hatching. Though many died in various stages of growth, I 

 managed to keep some of the j-oung ones till late in the autumn of 1884, when 

 the last died, being then hardly a third of the size of an adult of average 

 dimensions. After the age of three months, their growth was extremely slow ; 

 in fact, from that period till they were 15 months old, there was scarcely any 

 increase in size, and the shells had a stunted, unhealthy look. Perhaps under 

 more favourable circumstances they would ha\e thriven better ; but being 

 away from home a good deal at the time, I had to keep them in a tin box, so 

 as to be able to take them about with me. They were fed on cabbage leaves — 

 possibly an unsuitable diet. Contrary to what might be supposed, almost 

 every one of these young snails was of the colour of the yellow parent. — 

 G. T. Rope, Blaxhall, Wickham Market. 



The MoUusca of Essex. — I should be very glad to receive any records 

 of Land and Freshwater Shells, and more particularly of Slugs (with the 

 localities) taken in Essex, for my forthcoming list of the Non-Marine Molluscs 

 of Essex in the " Essex Naturalist." Any information with regard to the 

 occurrence in the County, of Vitrea drapainaldi, Vitrca cxcavaia, Helix fusca, 

 Clausilia rolphii, or LimHa-a glutinosa would be specially welcome. — Wilfred 

 Mark Webb, " Holmesdale," Brentwood. 



