HELIX. 211 



England^ Wales, and Ireland, from Yorkshire to the 

 Channel Isles. It is generally found on the sea-coast, 

 where the conditions are probably more favourable to its 

 existence ; but it also inhabits inland districts, such as 

 Oxfordshire, Wilts, and Bath, and it is by no means 

 confined to calcareous soils. Var. 1. Bath (Clark). 

 This variety is allied to the H. neglecta of Draparnaud. 

 Var. 2. Bantry Bay and St. Mawes near Falmouth 

 (J.G. J.). Var. 3. Braunton burrows in North Devon, and 

 Swansea burrows (J. G. J.) ; Isle of Wight (Pickering). 

 This resembles the H. lineata {H. maritima, Draparnaud) . 

 Var. 4. Wingfrith near Wareham, about five miles from 

 the sea (Daniel). This is a remarkable variety, and re- 

 sembles the H. submaritima of Rossmassler from Oran. 

 Mr. Norman found at Clevedon a specimen of the ordi- 

 nary form which has the spire reversed. The foreign 

 distribution of this species appears to be confined to 

 France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and the sea-board of 

 North Africa. In the North of Europe, Germany, and 

 Switzerland its place is taken by the H, unifasciata of 

 Poiret {H. candiduJa, Studer) ; but both that and the 

 present species are found together in the North of France. 

 This is one of the species which has given rise to the 

 popular notion that it sometimes rains snails. H. vir- 

 gata is extremely abundant and gregarious ; and in suit- 

 able weather myriads of them may be seen clinging to 

 the stalks of grass and leaves of shrubs. When the 

 season is very dry, however, they ensconce themselves 

 among the herbage ; but immediately on a shower of 

 rain falling they emerge suddenly from their lurking- 

 places and appear before the astonished rustic like Ro- 

 derick Dhu^s warriors at the sound of their chieftain^s 

 horn. The idea of their descending in showers may also 

 have originated in a whirlwind having caught up a num- 



