ACHATINA. 297 



appears to exists and the form of the shell would induce 

 a belief that this snail is not only zoophagous but pre- 

 daceous. The shells of all the true species of Glandina, 

 which are carnivorous^ have the same kind of notch or 

 truncature at the base as the present species of Acha- 

 tina. The structure of the lingual plate or tongue of 

 Glandina is similar to that of Buccinum and other ma- 

 rine Proboscidiferous MoUusca^ which also have a notch 

 or canal in the mouth of their shells and are exclusively 

 predaceous. The present genus is closely allied to Co- 

 Micopa through C lubinca, the habits of which are partly 

 subterranean; but the notch in that shell is not so 

 strong or well marked as in this. 



AcHATiNA ACi'cuLA *, MiiUcr. 



Buccinum acicida, Miill. Verm. Hist. pt. ii. p. 150. A. acicula, F. & H. 

 iv, p. 130, pi. cxxviii. f. 4. 



Body quite white and nearly transparent, tubercled or gra- 

 nulated in lines : mantle rather thick, marked with a raised 

 longitudinal line in the middle : tentacles cylindrical ; upper 

 pair destitute of eyes or black specks ; lower pair forming 

 almost imperceptible bulbs : foot compressed, pointed behind, 

 and ending at the penultimate whorl of the shell when the 

 animal is crawling. 



Shell turreted and slender, transparent, very thin, highly 

 polished and iridescent, ivory-white, with a yellowish tinge on 

 the upper part in fresh specimens (owing to the colour of the 

 liver), perfectly smooth and polished when examined with a 

 lens of ordinary power, except a few faint and irregular wrin- 

 kles in. the hne of growth, but under a microscoj)e exhibiting 

 delicate and close-set spiral striae : periphery rounded : epi- 

 dennis exceedingly thin and forming a mere lilm : ivliorls 5 1, 

 not convex, but compressed and drawn out, rapidly increasing 

 in size ; the last occupying about one-half of the shell : spire 

 very obtuse and rounded at the point : suture moderately deep 

 and oblique, apparently margined on the under side by reason 

 of the upper part of the succeeding whorl being seen through 



* A hair-pin, used by Roman women. 



o 5 



