38 



THE CONCHOLOGIST 



hamjiton we founi] Helix ericetonoii and H. 

 caperata. Arriving at Cheltenliam we pro- 

 ceeded by train to Worcester, wliere we 

 stayed for the night, and started next morning 

 to walk to Birmingliam. 



Between ^^'orcester and Droitwich we 

 collected an occasional specimen of Helix 

 fiei/ioralis, H. liispida, and Zonites ccllariiis on 

 the roadside. We ])assed on through Brows- 

 grove and Northtield, and arrived at Birming- 

 ham well tired, but with such a collection 

 of shells as we shall probably never see 

 again. 



CROSSGATES, NKAR LEEi)S. 



NOTES 

 ON LIMN/EA TRUNOATULA, MULLER. 



By Thos. R. Walkek. 



FOR some years I have kept a number 

 of these interesting molluscs in my 

 aquarium, upon whose habits, &c., I have 

 from tune to time made a many notes, 

 some of which may possibly be of interest 

 to your readers. L. tnincatitia may well be 

 termed an amphibious mollusc, for it is as 

 often found out of the water as in it. 

 Unlike many of the LimiuvidiC this species 

 is seldom found on the bottom of the 

 aquarium (mine is about i6 in. deep), but 

 generally crawls close to the surface or out 

 of the water altogether. Specimens which had 

 been attached to the sides of the glass above 

 the water for nearly five weeks, cjuickly revived 

 on being placed in the water. Mr. A. P. 

 Thomas * (whose observations on this species 



are exceedingly interesting), says : " To test 

 their power of resisting drought, T collected 

 specimens and placed them in an open vessel 

 on a shelf in a dry laboratory, in a position 

 where the sunshine fell on them for an hour 

 or so daily. I found that rather more than 

 50 per cent, withstood twenty-six days of 

 this treatment, and some few revived after 

 more than six weeks. That the snails can 

 live on moist ground quite away from any 

 quantity of water for considerable periods, 

 is sutificiently proved by the fact that I 

 have kept them alive for eleven weeks on 

 moist grass and mos-^, even when infested 

 with Fasciola he ha ti cay 



In my aquarium the egg-capsules have 

 always been deposited on the stems of 

 plants, and contain from twenty to twenty- 

 five eggs. It is an exceedingly prolific 

 species. 



Specimens fed largely upon lettuce leaves 

 developed very fragile shells. Generally 

 speaking, they will eat any vegetable matter, 

 but show a preference for that floating on 

 the surface. A number I kept in a separate 

 aquarium, and ted on lettuce and cabbage 

 leaves, attained quite a large size, but on 

 being re-placed in the larger aquarium their 

 shells quickly became eroded, and they all 

 died, really for want of a shell. It is a 

 very variable species. Like other members 

 of the genus, those living in large ponds or 

 lakes attain a much larger size than those 

 living in ditches and shallow water. 



* \. p. Thomas, M.A., F.I..S., Quar. Joiirn. Micro. Sci. 



