47 



Mr. Manger exhibited a fine specimen of "Biitish coral" 

 Lepralis foliacea, El. and Sol., taken from a portion of the 

 French Atlantic Cable at a depth of sixty fathoms, about 

 sixty-five miles from Brest. He understood the cable had 

 been laid about fifteen years. 



Mr. Turner exhibited a long series of Lyccena bellargus, 

 Rott., taken at Ranmore Common, very many of the females 

 shown possessing a considerable area of the male coloration 

 on the upper surface of their wings. 



JULY 12th, 1894. 

 E. Step, Esq., President, in the Chair. 



Mr. Winkley exhibited young specimens of Helix pomatia, 

 L., which had recently hatched from the eggs taken during 

 the Society's Field Meeting at Reigate on June gth. He 

 said that the eggs were placed under damp earth in a glass 

 jar, and exposed to the weather, where they could be under 

 the influence of rain and yet not swamped. On July 6th, 

 when they had been deposited about a month, they changed 

 colour, becoming whiter and more opaque. The skin of the 

 egg cracked on the following day, and on the third day the 

 young were free. In the course of a day or two more they 

 attached themselves to lettuce and rhubarb leaves, and com- 

 menced to feed. Mr. Step was pleased to see the young of 

 this species for the first time, and read a letter which he had 

 just received from Miss Hele of Bristol, who had bred this 

 mollusc for many years. She stated that about seventy eggs 

 were laid in a batch ; that growth took place above the soil 

 on the leaves. .She was not successful in keeping them more 

 than three years, and they seldom reached the size of a 

 walnut. At the end of two years the thick lip was formed. 

 Mr. Winkley thought that if supplied with abundance of lime 

 they would have much more favourable conditions. Mr. 

 Carrington said that he had a communication from Lincoln, 

 from a gentleman who had a long experience in keeping 

 species of this genus in captivity. He had informed him 

 that no member of the genus Helix retired below the soil to 

 increase the size of its shell. They generally got under the 

 leaves in the shade after having fed very voraciously for a 

 short time previously. Here they formed a thin semi- 

 transparent film of the full extent of the new growth, and 

 inside this the deposit went on steadily, the shell increasing 

 in thickness, not in length. Mr. Carrington considered that 

 chali<y soil supplied to this animal would have no effect 



