THE CONCHOLOGIST, 



ON THE BURROWING HABITS OF THE 

 GENUS TESTACELLA, CUVIER. 



By W. E. COLLINGE. 



RESPECTING Mr. Horsman's remarks on 

 my paper, published last March in "The 

 Naturalist,'' " On the Burrowing Habits of 

 Certain Land and Freshwater Mollusca," it 

 appears very evident to me that his con- 

 clusions were drawn from insufficient obser- 

 vations. Mr. Horsman informs me that his 

 observations extended over a period of five 

 or six months, and were carried out under 

 artificial conditions. Under these circum- 

 stances it is hardly fair, I think, to criticise 

 observations made from nature. "A fairly 

 heavy soil," kept in a "large old tank in 

 an outhouse," would soon become caked 

 and very firm, and consequently, it would 

 be almost impossible for a mollusc to get 

 below twelve inches ; in fact, I do not 

 contend that in heavy soils molluscs do 

 burrow to great depths. AVhere I saw 

 T. Iialiotidea it was in a light loamy soil. 

 Mr. Horsman speaks of the average depth 

 as five or six inches ; now had he paid the 

 slightest attention to the habits of our 

 British slugs in their natural conditions, he 

 would knovy that most of them burrow to 

 that deiJth when depositing their eggs, as 

 has been described by Moquin-Tandon and 

 other writers. I have not had the oppor- 

 tunity of studying 2\ scutuliun, but from j 

 what I know of the hal)its of T. iialiotidea 

 I cannot see any valid reason to doubt the ! 

 accuracy of Mr. Quilter's observations, nor 

 do I agree that Dr. Jeffrey's statement is 

 open to question. The other records men- 

 tioned in my paper are all from well- 

 known conchologists and careful observers, 

 and 1 fail to see any cause for doubting 

 them. 



THE LAND AND FRESHWATER MOLLUSCA 

 OF OXFORDSHIRE. 



By W. E. Cgi.i.inge. 



Continued from page 23. 

 BULIMUS, Scopoli. 



Bulimus montanus, Drap. 

 I have been unable to meet with this 

 species which is recorded by Whiteaves as 

 under. 



6. Oxford. — Found abundantly at Sherborne 

 Wood near Watlington (Whiteaves, 1857). 



Bulimus obscurus, Miill. 

 A fairly common species occurring in greater 

 abundance in the more southern parts of the 

 county. 



PUPA, Drap. 



Pupa secale, Drap. 



Though by no means rare, is confined to 

 the calcareous districts where it occuis 

 plentifully. 



Pupa umbilicata, Drap. 

 A very common form and well distributed. 



Van edentula, Moq. 

 6. Oxford.— (Whiteaves, 1857). (S. Spencer 

 Pearce, 1883). 



Van albina, Moq. 

 6. Oxford.— With type (Whiteaves, 1857). 



Var. edentula, Moq. 

 6. Oxford. — "Two specimens from an old 

 pollard-willow, near South Hincksey (S. 

 Spencer Pearce, 1883). 



Pupa marginata, Drai). 

 Almost as common as the preceding 

 species. 



{Continued on />. 40.) 



