9012 Mollusks. 
A discussion ensued, in which Mr. Bates and Prof. Westwood took part: Mr. Baly 
mentioned some observations made by himself on the formation of the nests of certain 
wasps, as corroborating Mr. Waterhouse’s view; and Mr. A. R. Wallace expressed 
his concurrence in the theory. Mr. Frederick Smith, however, was not of the same 
opinion, and promised to bring before the Society, at its next Meeting, certain facts 
which, to his mind, were conclusive against the circular theory.—J. W. D. 
ee 
Erratum in ‘ Zoologist’ for January, 1864.—Zool. 8897, lines 7 and 15 from 
bottom, for OecocEPHaLus read CEPHALONCUS. 
“The Boring Snail of the Bois-des-Roches.” By the Rev. ALFRED 
MERLE Norman, M.A. 
THE paragraph thus headed in the ‘Zoologist’ (Zool. 8932), and 
extracted from the ‘ Field, and on which Mr. Newman requests my 
opinion, does not appear to contain any. original observations by 
Mr. H. J. B. Hancock, but is a brief abstract of a long and elaborate 
treatise on the subject published by M. Bouchard-Chatereaux. The 
Memoir will be found in the ‘Annales des Sciences Naturelles, 
4e serie Zoologie, vol. xvi. 1861, p. 197—218, under the title of 
“ Observations sur les Hélices saxicaves des Boulonnais.” Mr. Han- 
cock has latinized Hélices saxicaves into “ Helix saxicava.” There 
is no such species. The boring-snail of the Bois-des-Roches is 
nothing more nor less than our well-known Helix hortensis. 
It is not my wish on the present occasion to express any opinion 
upon the means by which the galleries tenanted by the Helices are 
excavated by the mollusks. Those who are interested in the subject, 
by reading M. Bouchard-Chatereaux’s paper will be able to weigh the 
arguments for themselves and adopt or reject the chemical theory, 
which is so ably maintained by the author. 
There can, however, scarcely be a doubt but that the perforations 
are the work of the snails themselves. M. Bouchard-Chatereaux, 
I think, clearly proves this, and the plate which he gives illustrative 
of the perforations presents features so peculiar that they could 
scarcely be produced by accident or weather. Nor is the boring of 
the rocks of the Bois-des-Roches a solitary instance of the pheno- 
menon. M. Bouchard-Chatereaux quotes a statement made before 
the French Academy of Sciences, in 1854, that M. Constant Prévost 
had given a description twenty-five years before of the calcareous 
rocks of Monte Pelegrino, in Sicily,—crystalline rocks having the 
hardness of marble,—which he found traversed in all directions by 
I i 
