330 



NOTES ON THE SLUGS AND LAND SHELLS 

 OF ICELAND. 



HANS SCHLESCH. 

 Hellerup, Denmark. 



( Continued from page 300), 



Genus Cepaea (Held.) 

 Cepaea hortensis Miiller. 



S. Nuphlid (E.O. and J.H.), Bjarnanes in Hornafjordur, 1913 

 (H.S.), Hofdabrekka in Myrdalssandur (J.St.), Drangs- 

 hlid in Rangarvallasyssel near Eyjafjcellajokul, July, 

 1896 (B.S.). 



E. Seydisfjordur, 1912 (F.H.S.). 



var. roseolabiata Taylor. 

 5. Bjarnanes in Hornafjordur, 1913 (H.S.) 



var. ludoviciana d'Aumont. 



According to Prof. Sandberger, the specimens recorded by 

 0. A. L. Morch belong to this thin-shelled form. 



Remarks : Cepcsa hortensis Miiller is very rare and appears 

 only to exist in the Southern parts from Reykjanes to Seydis- 

 fjordur. Eggert Olafsson called it Nerita testa globosa planius- 

 cula apertura parva, tribus anfractibtis, and says, ' this is a 

 well-known and acknowledged prominante species, found on 

 Nuphlid, a short distance from Krisuvik, on the South Coast 

 (of Reykjanes peninsula) ; it may be justly compared to a 

 small cherry and tolerably as large over all hitherto known 

 Icelandic Land-snails. It is dark yellow, with five stripes over 

 the under side ; it lives mostly amongst the dry places, between 

 heather and Blayberry-roots.' The occurrence of Cepaea 

 hortensis Miiller is interesting. In the Tertiary times a hypo- 

 thetic land-bridge connected N.W. Europe with Iceland, Green- 

 land and America. Mr. John W. Taylor says,* ' Cepaea 

 hortensis has probably arisen within the north-westerly part 

 of the Germanic region and has diffused itself chiefly to the 

 north-west, spreading to the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and even 

 to North America. The presence of H. hortensis is somewhat 

 perplexing, and has led to much speculation and diversity of 

 opinion as to its claim to be regarded as a true native of that 

 country, or whether it owes its presence there to the voluntary 

 or involuntary agency of man, as it is a species which has 

 extended its range very far beyond that of its immediate 

 European allies, from which it is now completely isolated 



* Monograph of British Land and Freshwater Mollusca, III., p. 361-62. 



