CANAR1AN GROUP. 375 



Helix maritima, tfOrb., in W. et B. Hist. 60 (1839) 

 lineata, Mouss., Faun. Mai. des Can. 34 (1872) 

 canariensis (Shuttl.) et herbicola (Shuttl.), Mouss., 



1. c. 33 et 35 (1872) 

 lineata, et herbicola, Pfeiff., Mon. Hel. 



vii. 231, 232 (1876) 



Habitat Fuerteventuram, Canariam Grandem, et Teneriffam ; 

 in aridis inferioribus intermediisque (praecipue in calcariis) hinc 

 inde abundans. 



The common European H. lineata, Oliv. (= maritima, 

 Drap.), occurs here and there, in dry, grassy, and calcareous 

 spots, at the Canaries ; but I have no reason to suspect that it 

 has been recorded hitherto except from Fuerteventura, Grand 

 Canary, and Teneriffe. D'Orbigny indeed, with that character- 

 istic want of accuracy, as regards habitat, which is so conspicu- 

 ous throughout the whole of the gigantic ' Histoire Naturelle,' 

 gives as its range ' toutes les Canaries ' (an assertion which is 

 copied by Pfeiffer, who adds, Habitat in omnibus insulis Ca- 

 nariis ') ; but I have merely to add that these loose generaliza- 

 tions (or, rather, guesses) are simply unpardonable in an instance 

 like the present one where he had not a shred of evidence to 

 adduce that the species had been observed in more than, at 

 the utmost, three islands (probably indeed not more than two) 

 out of the seven. It is extremely probable that it may be found 

 eventually to be pretty generally distributed ; but that is no 

 excuse for making a positive assertion which has at least a fair 

 chance of turning out altogether fallacious. 



By Mr. Lowe and myself the H. lineata was met with only 

 (as indeed it was by Webb, and quite recently by Mr. Watson) 

 in Grand Canary and Teneriffe, namely between El Monte 

 and Las Palmas, as well as between Lagaete and Gaidar, of the 

 former, and around Sta. Cruz and Laguna (particularly in 

 the Barranco delDrago)of the latter ; but it is said by Mousson 

 to have been obtained in Fuerteventura by Fritsch, who, like 

 ourselves, obtained it equally in Teneriffe and Grand Canary. 



Judging from Spanish examples now before me, which were 

 collected in the neighbourhood of Barcelona, the Canarian form 

 of this variable European Helix does not differ materially from 

 the ordinary one. Perhaps its striae are somewhat more distinct, 

 thread-like, and regular, causing its surface to be just appre- 

 ciably duller or more opake ; and the darker bands which are 

 comparatively narrow and well defined in the majority of the 

 more northern specimens, are wider and more broken-up (or in- 

 terrupted) and suffused, at any rate on the upper portion, 

 giving the spire a more mottled, or tessellated, appearance ; but 



