64 



ON A MALFORMED VARIETY OF LIMNAEA 

 PEREGER, MULL. 



By H. OVERTON, 

 SL'TTON" Colufield. 



In May 1897, I collected from a pool in Sutton Coldficld, a very 

 interesting malformed variety of the well-known Linniaea jicinjer, and 

 as illustrations of such seem to be scarce, I have thought it of 

 sufficient interest to figure. The specimen is of a dull brown colour 

 with eight whitish bands, six abo^•e and two below the periphery. 

 The first and third bands are faint, only showing half way round the 

 penultimate \vhorl ; the second, fourth, fifth and sixth are well 

 pronounced, the fifth and sixth, which are the broadest, almost fusing 

 with one another. The seventh and eighth are faint, and between 

 these and the sixth and seventh are still fainter traces of several 



Lhuiiaca pcrcf^cr, Miill. 



broken bands. Towarcis the ventral margin of the lip there is a 

 curious gap, as if a piece of the shell had been broken out, but that 

 this is not so, is evidenced by the perfect growth of the lip. 



The shell was found in company with normal individuals and 

 also with Liwnaea sfa(jnafis, both species, however, being much 

 smaller than when I visited the spot three years previously, the former 

 then were much larger and the outer lip remarkably expanded and 

 reflected, whilst the latter were exceedingly large specimens. This 

 feature appears strange, as the two visits were made as near as possible 

 at the same time in each year. 



