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peasantry, uncultivated land is not easily accessible. Still, 

 with a little energy and frequent back aches from too much 

 turning of stones, a very pretty collection of shells may be 

 made in the neighbourhood, in the winter months. Un- 

 fortunately the past winter was of exceptional severity, so that 

 everything was frozen hard for several weeks at a time, thus 

 interfering much with collecting these shells, so that the chief 

 results of my efforts was only from a few weeks in the latter 

 part of January and until the middle of February. The 

 hybernation of the mollusca was very complete in most 

 species, the winter epiphragm being thickly developed in most 

 of the genus Helix and in those allies which are furnished 

 with such a protection. No doubt if one worked at a 

 different season and under more favourable circumstances, that 

 portion of France would yield a much better harvest, both as 

 regards variety of species and numbers of some which I iound 

 difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, considering the season in 

 which I collected, the finding of about twenty-five kinds and 

 many beautiful varieties was encouraging. Of these twenty- 

 five, nine are known to occur in Great Britain ; but even 

 these were all more or less interesting as differing from their 

 northern relatives. I exhibit to-night fifteen species, on some 

 of which I will remark, and append a full list of my collection. 

 For identifying some of these, examining all of them, and 

 describing several new forms, I am greatly indebted to our 

 member Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell. 



One of the most striking of the Riviera shells is that of 

 Zonites algirus, which is not easy to find alive in winter. By 

 turning over large stones on the side of Mont Faron, beyond 

 the limit of cultivation, a few immature specimens occurred. 

 Dead shells of good size and preservation, are, however, 

 frequent, especially in the crevices of old walls on the road 

 beyond the back of that mountain. It is evidently a common 

 species of the district. 



Locally, on different parts of the rough face of Mont 

 Faron, might be ionndlittlQ growls oiLeucochroacandzdissima^ 

 which simply lies about on the surface of the ground, 

 apparently seeking no cover for its winter shelter. This 

 beautiful shell is called by the French the porcelain helix, 

 from its dead white unglazed-porcelain appearance. It may 

 be easily overlooked as a dead Helix shell, bleached very 

 white by the sunshine ; but on taking up a living specimen 

 one sees the delicate epiphragm white as a freshly spun 

 compact spider's covering of its eggs. I found this species 

 also on the mountains in the Gorge of Oliiole about eight 



