1892.] ON NEW SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF DIPLOMMATINA. 509 



5. On new Species and Varieties of the Land-Molluscan 

 Genus Diplommatina from the Garo, Naga, and Munipur 

 Hill-rangeSj Assam. By Lieut, -Col. H. H. Godwin- 

 Austen, F.R.S., F.Z.S., &c. 



[Received June 14, 1892.] 



The arrival of a large collection of Land-Shells sent me by 

 Mr. T. H. Aldrich, of Cincinnati, U.S.A., and made by Mr. W. 

 Doherty in 1889 in different parts of the Naga Hills and Munipur, 

 has led me to take up and work out those belonging to the genus 

 Diplommatina ; for I had also in my own collection a number of uu- 

 described species of the same genus which I had found when sur- 

 veying that country in 1872. I had also specimens collected by the 

 late Mr. Chennell in the Lhota Naga Hills and by Mr. Robert in 

 Munipur and the Garo Hills, making up a fine series for exami- 

 nation. Mr. Doherty made Kohimah in the Naga Hills his head- 

 quarters, and was there during the summer months ; he also collected 

 in the Eastern Naga Hills, soutli of Margarita, which is the terminus 

 of the Railway from Debrughur to the coal-workings and about 

 50 miles distant. In this neighbourhood he was, being in quite 

 unexplored ground, very successful as regards novelties, while at the 

 same time he extended the range of other species. Mr. Dolierty 

 collected the minute specimens himself, while his men were looking 

 after Lepidoptera and Coleoptera ; some of the larger shells were 

 brought to him by the Nagas, but he could not get them to search 

 for the small forms. 



Although I was in the Naga Hills in the winter and spring only, 

 the driest time of the year, I got a fine series of the Land-Shells ; the 

 season does not make much difference on the high peaks, which are so 

 often covered with cloud for a part of the day, and the sun does not 

 penetrate into the damp northern ravines. I trained several men of 

 my party to collect, both Khasis and Ghoorkhas, and they became 

 most expert in finding the minute forms in the decaying vegetation, 

 and four annas for every new species or for a good number of specimens 

 was quite sufficient as an inducement to work hard. I found them very 

 keen of sight, and they very soon knew the different genera and those 

 I most wanted. Mr. Doherty was far too liberal in giving the Nagas 

 two rupees for shells. In the forests and noisome jungly ravines, 

 at times swarming with leeches, this work is not over pleasant, and 

 it is only the interest and excitement of finding some beautiful new 

 form at any moment that leads one on this lowly chase, as it has 

 me for many an hour. To the native collector it is far less exciting, 

 and he credits his master with making some wonderful curative out 

 of the animals. 



In 1875 I published descriptions of three new species of this 

 genus in the J. A. S. B. ; and under D. tumida, var., I then referred 

 to the great differences to be noticed in the shells from different 

 parts of the Burrail range, and urged that a careful examination 

 should be made of them all. I have now been able to better 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1892, No. XXXV. 35 



