Quarterly Journal of Conchology. 399 



I have not liad the pleasure of visiting the PhiUipine Islands, 

 but I can scarcely think that land shells can be in greater profu- 

 sion there than in these islands, and yet much remains to be done 

 for our knowledge of many of the groups is extremely meagre. 

 Australian Region. 



B. Tasmania. This island is much richer in land rnollusca than 

 is generally known. The species numerically cannot amount to 

 less than 100. They include a few fine and remarkable forms, 

 besides the Jle/ix Launcestonensis mentioned, there is Bulimus 

 Dufresnii and Vitrina Minigani, both remarkable forms having no 

 representatives on the mainland of Australia, unless the Victorian 

 Helix atramejitaria can be said to be the analogue of the latter, 

 as it is the iVustralian representative of the peculiar I£. Busbyi of 

 New Zealand. Among the minute shells may be mentioned 

 H. viirina;formis, a curious form of a Vitrina like aj^pearance, and 

 H. dispar, the only species with a tooth in the interior of the 

 aperture, both discovered by me on Mount Wellington, in the 

 southern part of the island. More recently I have found a minute 

 reversed Helix, {H. IVeldi, Tenison Woods, " Proceedings of the 

 Rojal Society of Tasmania"); this is the only sinistral species 

 hitherto discovered in Australia, nevertheless the general facies of 

 the smaller species resemble the smaller forms from Southern 

 Australia, and their apparent distinctness may be due to the paucity 

 of collectors in this department in the sister colony of Victoria. 

 I may state that I am now compiling a complete Monograph of 

 the Land Shells of this Island, including descriptions of my nev/ 

 discoveries. This I hope to present to your readers in a short 

 time. 



The fresh-water sliells have been catalogued by the Rev. 

 Tenison Woods, but the work will require thorough revision. 

 Much also remains to be done, for even since the publication of 

 this list several new forms have been described at the meetings of 

 the Royal Society of Tasmania, including a species of Gundlac/tia, 



