396 



19. 

 OcTANFRACTA. Helix oclona. Br. Zool. t. 86. f. 135 ? 



Tab. 11. f, 8. 



H. with a pellucid, horn-coloured fliell, with feven 



or eight fmooth, or very finely wrinkled, flender fpires, 

 gradually tapering to a fine point: the volutions are 

 rather flat, but well defined by a confiderable deprelTed 

 line : aperture oval ; outer lip very thin ; pillar lip re- 

 flexed. Length above five-eis[hths of an inch ; breadth 

 two-tenths of an inch. 



This is ufually covered with a duflcy-black epi- 

 dermis, which wholly obfcures the fliell, and is very dif- 

 ficult to remove. It is a rare, or at leafl: a very local 

 fpecies ; and is probably the fhell mentioned by Mr. 

 Pennant : but is not the H. o£iona of Linn^us. 



It is properly an aquatic fpecies, but is probably fome- 

 what amphibious, like Helix foj/hria, preferring moifture 

 at particular feafons, to a6lual fluid. 



We have hitherto' found it only in one part of England, 

 a fplaflry place by the road fide, half way between 

 Fozuey and Looc in CornxoaU, where they were plentiful 

 m all flages of growth: the young are lef; flender, and 

 .have only five or fix volutions. Some of thefe we put 

 into a glafs. of water, wdiere they lived for fome weeks, 

 but generally crawled up the fide, and feemed reftlefs 

 till they got out of that element, though continued to 

 live when confined at the bottom : fome put into wet 



mofs 



