272 Mr. D. F. Heynemann on the French 



once tliey discovered consequently in the forest of Meudon, 

 near Paris, what they wished to find, not only the traces of the 

 migratory Geomalacus^ but even three new or entirely un- 

 known species, which were described by Mabille, in his mono- 

 gra])h of this genus published in the 'Revue et Magasin de 

 Zoologie,' 1867, p. 53, as Geomalacus Bourguignati, Paladil- 

 hianus^ and Moitesserianus. From that time new species con- 

 tinued ever increasing, the names of which may as well be 

 passed over in silence ; and this fabrication attained an alarming 

 extent in France. The statements were at first so positively 

 made by our French contemporaries, that ev^en the incredulous 

 (including myself) almost believed in the existence of this 

 genus in France ; but those who with any attention read my 

 short treatise in the ' Nachrichtsblatt der deutschen malaco- 

 zoologischen Gesellschaft,' 1869, p. 165, entitled "Zur Kennt- 

 niss von Geomalacus j'''' will readily see what serious doubts I 

 entertained upon the subject. Our French neighbours did not 

 favour us with any drawings of their new species, although 

 they described the English drawings as " deplorables." 



1 had myself never before seen a live Geomalacus ; neither 

 could I obtain any French proofs, in spite of the pains I took 

 for this purpose. It will therefore, I trust, be deemed excusable 

 that I expressed doubts where I could not contradict by facts. 

 But now, since I received the living Geomalacus and have had 

 an opportunity of examining the animal, the question assumes 

 a different aspect. 



The French so-called species do not belong at all to Geo- 

 malacus ; and those who may still entertain a doubt on this 

 point need but inspect the drawings, which have since appeared 

 in Baudon's 'Mdmoire sur les Limaciens du departement de 

 rOise' (Beauvais, 1871), of Geomalacus Mahilliy Baudon, and 

 G. hiemalis^ Drouet. These drawings are excellent ; and for 

 this very reason we at once detect in them our old acquaintance 

 Avion melanocephalus^ Faure-Biguet, which likewise has lately 

 been recognized as our common Avion empivicorum^ F^r., in 

 its younger state of growth, by Seibert (see 'Nachrichtsblatt 

 der deut. mal. Ges.' December 1872). 



These drawings of Baudon are alone sufficient entirely and 

 effectually to upset at once the famous myth of a French 

 Geomalacus. This genus has not as yet been discovered in 

 France ; and all the species described as French are in all pro- 

 bability not different from Arion emjnricorum. I very much 

 question whether the French authors have ever seen a living 

 Geomalacus ; and for their own justification I would deny the 

 fact, because they could never otherwise have entertained the 

 idea of turning a young Arion into a Geomalacus^ although it 



