THE CONCHOLOGIST, 



29 



specimens of Helix cfl?icinna, together with 

 Neh'x hispida, Clausilia rugosa, Zonites Julvus, 

 Z. nitidubis, and a few Helix nemoralis, 

 H. hortensis, and //. ar bus torn m, three of 

 our larger Hehces which appear to be 

 slowly but surely disappearing from a con- 

 siderable area around Manchester, probably 

 from the poisoning of the herbage by smoky 

 rain, and the attacks of the thrushes and 

 blackbirds, which have certainly increased 

 in numbers of late years, and are ever on 

 the look out for such dainty morsels as 

 these shells afford. On the way to the 

 Aqueduct portions of the canal were dredged, 

 and many of the usual freshwater species 

 obtained, the chief takes being Paludiria 

 contecta, Fisidium amtiicum, and fine Physa j 

 fontinalis. At the top of the railway em- I 

 bankment Zonites excavatus was taken in [ 

 some quantity, by carefully searching under I 

 stones, and amongst the long dead matted 

 grass. It is rather curious that all the shells 

 of this species found here are the pretty 

 greenish variety vifri/ia, the brown typical 

 shell being absent. Both the type and 

 variety of the species are very local, and 

 the variety is rare. Some fine specimens of 

 Zonites glaber and a quantity of the pretty 

 little Carychium i/iinirnum were found under 

 stones along the bank of the river. 



A pleasant stroll along the river bank 

 brought the party to a pretty wood, and in 

 this most part of the afternoon was spent, 

 for it proved to be a locality much favoured 

 by some of the rarer and much coveted 

 species of shells. Here, under dead sticks 

 and leaves, were found Vertigo edentula, 

 Helix aculeata of large size, Zonites fulvus, 

 Z. punts and Carychium in abundance, along 

 with Clausilia laiuinata, and many other 

 species ; and the sharp eyes of the con- 

 rhologists were used to good puri)ose, as 

 the comparative notes exchanged when the 



collecting bottles were produced around the 

 table after tea at Marple Bridge showed. 



Altogether thirty-six species were taken, 

 exclusive of the slugs, of which many speci- 

 mens were observed, some of them showing 

 great variety in colouring, examples of which 

 were collected liy the "slug-man" of the 

 party for leisurely determination at home, 

 and included seven species. — Manchester City 

 News. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



April 7th. — F. Du Cane Goodman, F.R.S., 

 Vice-President in the chair. Among the 

 papers read was one by Mr. T.' D. A. 

 Cockerell, on " The Geographical Distribution 

 of Slugs." The author divided the known 

 Slugs into six families : — Succineidce, Vaginu- 

 lidcB, Arionidcv, Limacidie, Testacellidce^ and 

 Selenitidce, under which he grouped fifteen 

 sub-families. The Jauellidce were reduced to 

 a sub-family of Succineidce, and the generic 

 nomenclature of the whole group was revised, 

 two new genera and one sub-genus being 

 named. The Philomycidcv were made a sub- 

 family of the Aricnidce. The distribution of 

 each sub-family, and of all the recognisable 

 genera, was discussed in some detail. Under 

 the Veronicellina; a new sub-genus, Imerinia, 

 from Madagascar, was indicated. 



May 5th. — Some notes on Slugs of the 

 Ethiopian Region, based on specimens in the 

 British Museum, were read by Mr. T. D. A. 

 Cockerell ; and Col. Beddome read descriptions 

 of some new land shells from the Indian 

 region. 



