Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 501 



mant state. Probably they will arrive at maturity by July or August 

 next. The sixth specimen did not bury itself until the 15th of 

 August. 



Second ETperiment with Helix aspersa. 



A pair of Helix aspersa haring been procured in the act of copu- 

 lation on the 19th of May 1852, they were placed in confinement. 

 Each individual deposited about 70 eggs, which began to hatch on 

 the 20th of June : these young ones grew but little during the 

 summer. They buried themselves in the soil on the 10th of October, 

 coming again to the surface on the 5th of April, not having grown 

 during the winter. In May they buried themselves (with their heads 

 downwards as with Helix pomatia, — in winter they and other species 

 buried themselves with the head upwards^, appearing again in a 

 week double the size ; this process was carried on at about fortnightly 

 intervals until July the ISth, when they were almost fully grosvn. 

 It is worthy of remark that this species, as well as Helix pomatia 

 and Helix nemoralis, and probably other of the Helicae, form an oper- 

 culum at the aperture, after which they retire considerably within 

 the shell, and form a second (much thinner), behind which they 

 rest during the winter. 



It would be swelling this paper too much to describe all the obser- 

 vations in full ; it will perhaps therefore be considered sufficient to 

 remark that the process of growth within the ground takes place 

 with Helix nemoralis. Helix virgata. Helix caperata, and Helix hispida. 

 Helix rotundata burrows into decayed wood to increase the size 

 of its shell. Zonites radiutulus appears to remain on decaying blades 

 of grass ; whilst Pupa umbilicata, Clausilia nigricans and Bulimus 

 obscurus bury their heads only to increase their shells. With respect 

 to Zonites cellarius, Zonites lucidus, and Zonites nitidulus, it was 

 not satisfactorily ascertained whether their heads were buried du- 

 ring the process of growth. 



Observatory, Beeston, E. J. Lowe. 



1854, February 14th. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



April 13, 1854. — Professor Balfour, President, in the Chair. 



Professor Balfour stated that Mr. Croall of Montrose, in an accoxmt 

 of a trip to Clova, published in Hooker's Kew Miscellany, had re- 

 marked — " Polypodium alpestre at the head of the glen grows side 

 by side with Lastrea dilatata, but I nowhere observed Athyrium 

 filix-fcemina associated with, or at the same elevation as, Polypodium 

 alpestre." This statement was not in accordance with what was 

 observed by Dr. Balfour and his party during their trip to Clova at 

 the beginning of August last. They found Athyrium fHx-foemina 

 and Polypodium alpestre growing together both in Glen Fiadh and 

 in Glen Dole. In many instances, it was uecessarv to look at the 



