JOURNAL OF CONCHOLOGY. 39 



only by instituting a comparison, such as this one, that we shaU 

 ever arrive at definite conclusions relative to their physiology. 



Glycogen, itself, can be obtained from the liver and other 

 tissues of the MoUusca by the following method. The organs 

 suspected to contain it are taken from a recently killed animal, 

 immediately cut up into pieces and plunged into boiling water 

 to destroy any ferment that may be present, then boiled for 

 some time and filtered. The filtrate is allowed to get cold, and 

 then dilute hydrochloric acid and potassio-mercuric iodide are 

 alternately added to precipitate any proteids that may be present 

 in solution, and this is continued until no precipitation any 

 longer obtains. Then it is filtered — if any glycogen be present 

 the filtrate is clear and opalescent — and the glycogen is pre- 

 cipitated from the filtrate by adding 70-80 p.c. alcohol to excess. 

 This precipitate is then washed with alcohol, 60 p.c. and 90 p.c, 

 afterwards with ether, lastly with absolute alcohol, then dried 

 over sulphuric acid and weighed. 



Helix rot un data m. sinistrorsum. — Shell reversed.^ 

 This monstrosity, which, so far as I am aware, has not been 

 previously noticed or recorded, I found amongst a number of 

 the ordinary form collected by Mr. C. H. T. Lett, in August, 

 1888, at Aghadery Glebe, Loughbricklands, Down. — -Jng. W. 

 Taylor. 



Vertigo minutissima (Hartmann) in Dorset. — When 

 collecting on Portland in October, 1888, I took about eighty 

 specimens of this rare Vertigo. They were all under three 

 stones close together and no others were to be found near. I 

 believe this is a new record for Dorset. I have never found this 

 species on Portland before. It was in company with Pupa 

 marginata and P. umbilicata, of the latter of which I took three 

 whitish specimens close by. — E. R. Sykes, Weymouth. 



