CHAPTER XXVI 

 FAUNA: INVERTEBRATES 



SO far as Land Molluscs are concerned, Liberia would seem 

 to come within the Senegambian province of the Central 

 African sub-region, a region which includes much of South, 

 East, and NortH Central Africa. This region is apparently 

 much less rich in forms of land molluscs than the special West 

 African province which extends from Cape Palmas to the mouth 

 of the Congo. Amongst those which have been collected in 

 Liberia is the slug-like Veronicella^ which instead of a distinct 

 shell has the back covered with a leathery mantle. Slreptaxis 

 ofFers one peculiar Liberian species. This is a mollusc with 

 a compact shell in coils, and together with Ennea is carnivorous 

 and not vegetarian in its diet. Perideris and Limicolaria have 

 long spiral shells, to some extent translucid. The large Achatina 

 land snails are familiar objects all over Africa, even to un- 

 observant persons. They have usually very large shells, hand- 

 somely marked with black or brown on pearly white, sometimes 

 fading into pinkish fawn colour or even becoming wholly white. 

 These are much in vogue among the natives as ornaments or recep- 

 tacles for snufF, salt, and other compounds. The whole group 

 of the Achatina snails is peculiar in its distribution to Africa 

 and South Arabia. Achatina purpurea has a beautiful purple 

 tinge. Achatina variegata is perhaps the largest of known 

 land-shells. It is sometimes six and a half inches in length, 

 is pinkish brown, and has very faint zebra markings. The snails 



839 



