HELIX. 203 



growth, which are stronger towards the suture and base of 

 the shell, making the former appear slightly puckered \ the 

 surface is also very finely granulated : periphery rounded and 

 prominent : epidermis rather thick, covered with short white 

 hairs, which are easily rubbed off: whorls 4, very convex and 

 swollen, the last occupying two-thirds of the shell : spire very 

 little raised and blunt : suture remarkably deep : mouth form- 

 ing a segment of about three-fifths of a circle, contracted inside 

 by the prominence of the periphery, not furnished with a 

 rib : outer lip thin, a little reflected and considerably so near 

 the umbilicus, sharply inflected above : umbilicus small, 

 narrow and not deep. L. 0-185. B. 0-285. 



HABITAT : Downs on the sea-coast of our Southern 

 counties and the Channel Isles, as well as (according to 

 Mr. E. J. Lowe) in Nottinghamshire. The British 

 localities are so few that I will particularize them, in 

 the hope that the known range of this comparatively 

 rare species may be extended by further observation. 

 They are Torquay (Hanley); Plymouth (Norman); 

 Devon (Bellamy) ; Megavissey (Couch) ; Pendennis 

 (Cocks, Benson) ; Land's End (Millet) and Scilly Isles 

 (Barlee), all the last four being Cornish localities ; 

 Guernsey (Forbes and others) ; Sark (Lukis and J. G. J.) ; 

 Stanton-on-the- Wolds, Notts, in woods during October 

 (Lowe). It is found in the South-west of France and 

 in Portugal, as well as (according to Michaud) in the 

 alpine valleys of the former country. 



In winter and dry weather it buries itself rather deep 

 in the earth, and must be looked for by pulling up tufts 

 of grass and large stones which are sunk in the ground, 

 as well as by searching among the roots of shrubs and 

 furze-bushes. It has a different kind of epiphragm for 

 summer and winter. The former kind is filmy, trans- 

 parent and iridescent, and it has a small round hole 

 corresponding with the position of the respiratory orifice, 

 thus enabling the animal to procure a continual supply 



