ACHATINA. 297 



appears to exist, 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 Mollusca, 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- 

 chlicopa through C. luJbrica, 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*, Miiller. 



Buccinum acicula, Mull. 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 

 granulated 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 wrinkles in the line of growth, but under a micro- 

 scope exhibiting delicate and close-set spiral striae : periphery 

 rounded : epidermis exceedingly thin and forming a mere 

 film : whorls 5 J, 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 

 * A hair-pin, used by Roman women. 



