Qua) icrly Journal of Conchology. 65 



THE MOLLUSCA OF COOPERS HILL. 

 Ey Edv>'ard Simpson. 



Few things are to me more pleasant than a ramble in the 

 country with genial companions. In my search after Land and 

 Freshwater Mollusca, many such rambles have I had, and many 

 pleasant hours have thus passed away. 15ut the one day with the 

 Snails, that has left the most pleasant impression on my mind, 

 was that I spent with my friends Nelson and Percival at Cooper's 

 Hill, situated about 6 miles S. ^^^ of Cheltenham, on the Cotswold 

 Range. Nelson had given such a glowing account of a previous 

 visit he had made, that we came well j^rovided with boxes. The 

 day was favourable for any expedition, rather than a snail-hunt. 

 We wanted some of those showers, after which these molluscous 

 animals are known to "come creeping out," for though there had 

 been heavy rain on the previous day, yet there had not been by 

 any means sufficient to penetrate the thick wood to which we were 

 going. 



The distance from our starting point, Cheltenham, was as I 

 have said, about 6 miles, but it appeared to be considerably shorter 

 in consequence of our commencing our search immediately after 

 getting through the town. Arion ater and Helix aspersa were the 

 first to be seen, some of the latter being very fine. On the road 

 side Helix caperaia, and Helix virgata were met with in great 

 quantities, together with a few of the pretty variety ornata of the 

 the former species. This variety differs from the typical form 

 "in being smaller, and having broader and darker bands" (Jeffrey's 

 Conchology, p. 214). 



Mr. Jeffreys in his book, speaking of Helix nenioralis and its 

 varieties /lor/ensis and Iiybrida, says he has "never found any 

 two of these forms living together; and M. Bouchard-Chantereaux 

 and others have made the same remarks" (p. 188). 



A little further on in our walk, we came upon great numbers 

 of Helix nenioralis in the bottom of the ditch by the road-side, 

 and bearing in mind the above statement, we searched carefully 

 for the variety hortensis. This we succeeded in finding: the first 

 we found were several feet from the typical form, but we afterwards 

 found them in close proximity, even crawling on the same twig. 

 Our friend Nelson then stated that this was not the first time he 

 had found them associated, and although 1 am sure I had done 

 so before, yet not having a ncte of the locality I determined to let 

 it pass until another opportunity occurred. Some conchologists 

 consider P/elix nenioralis and H^lix hortensis to be distinct sjjecies, 

 and so they appear to me. 



The distinctions between them are quite as marked, or even 

 more so, than between some species upon which all conchologists 



