86 LAND AND FRESH-WATER MOLLUSKS. 
dermis thin, readily peeling off; spire very short, 
of one whorl and a half; suture rather deep ; 
summit shining, nearly in the middle, not de- 
tached from the columella. Aperture very large, 
rounded and dilated in front; interior nacreous, 
whitish, sometimes bluish. Shell one-quarter to 
two-fifths of an inch in length. 
This species is very variable in its form, as 
regards the shell; sometimes nearly round, 
quadrangular, oval, &c. The variety scutulum 
differs essentially, in the shell being very acumi- 
nated posteriorly. This form was established in 
1823, on specimens obtained at Lambeth, Surrey. 
This species is found in kitchen and market 
gardens around London, Norwich, Gloucester, 
Taunton, Bristol, and in several localities in 
Devonshire, Tenby, and in the Channel Islands. 
In Ireland it has been taken at Youghal and 
Bandon. It alsoinhabits West Hurope, Madeira, 
and the Canaries. 
It is a highly curious animal, exclusively car- 
nivorous, and is the dread of the earth-worm, 
which it follows in its burrow. Its organization 
is admirably adapted for its worm-hunting habits, 
its slender attenuated body enabling it to pro- 
gress through the loose and broken soil. The 
worms are caught alive, and are swallowed whole, 
being drawn into the mouth by the introversive 
action of the tongue. 
