214 HELIX. 



lique ; peristome white, narrowly reflexed, its margins converging, 

 the columellar with a short callus plate inside, frequently truncate 

 or subdentate at base. Diam. 21, alt. 18-21 mill. 



Near Palermo, Sicily. 



H. soluta (Ziegl.) Phil, is a synonym. 



Although quite variable, this species need be confounded with no 

 other Sicilian shell. The imperforate base, strong spiral sculpture, 

 small aperture and narrow peristome, as well as the globular form 

 will distinguish it. 



* * * 



B. The following group of Iberus contains shells with rounded 

 periphery, generally rather smooth surface, and depressed form, the 

 base usually indented at the center or perforate. They are charac- 

 teristic of peninsular Italy and the Continent, rather than of Sicily. 



H. NICIENSIS Ferussac. PL 64, figs. 14-18. 



Covered perforate, depressed, slightly shining, thin but rather 

 solid, whitish, encircled by four or five spiral series of brown or 

 corneous spots, sometimes coalescent into irregular blotches above ; 

 surface striatulate, and with sparse interrupted spiral lines above ; 

 spire low conic, obtuse ; whorls 5, the first forming a slightly salient, 

 apex, the following a little flattened, the last rapidly widening, de- 

 pressed, rounded at periphery, slightly indented in the center of the 

 base, rather deeply deflexed anteriorly ; aperture rounded-lunate, 

 oblique, lilac colored within ; peristome labiate with the same color, 

 slightly expanded, the margins subapproaching ; basal margin flat- 

 tened, with a callus lamina within. Diam. 22, alt. 13 mill. 



Central France ; Italy. 



H. nicceensis of Risso and of Rossmsessler is the same. 



H. SERPENTINA Ferussac. PL 60, figs. 59-65. 



Covered perforate, depressed, rather solid, opaque, somewhat shin- 

 ing, lightly obliquely striatulate, whitish or yellow tinged, painted 

 in innumerable patterns with deep chestnut, the markings generally 

 more or less formed into narrow spiral interrupted zones, of which 

 three (one subsutural, indistinct) are above, two (the outer more 

 distinct) below the periphery ; or radiately maculate and strigate 

 above, sometimes with the whole ground-color deep chestnut, upon 

 which are zigzag white vermiculations and strigations ; spire de- 

 pressed conoid, the apex subplanulate, corneous; whorls 4 -2-5, the 

 inner gradually, the outer rapidly widening ; body-whorl depressed, 



