STANDEN : ON ACME LINEATA. 1 63 



Jeff., whilst Mr. Heathcote obtained on this and his previous 

 visit a total of thirty-seven, nine of them being var. alba. With 

 one or two exceptions the shells were alive and in beautiful 

 condition, varying in colour from a pure translucent white, 

 through several shades of yellow, to a rich teddish-brown. The 

 locality is a singular and most noteworthy one, certainly one of 

 the last where many shells of any kind might be hoped for, and 

 especially Aane, being a steep " scar " facing the sea ; no trees 

 near, and only a low growth of brambles affording cover. The 

 soil is stiff red clay, with a few stones sparsely scattered about,, 

 and a constant oozing of water down the slope from the fields 

 above has created a small patch of swampy ground at the base, 

 growing in which are several species of Carex and Equisetu?Ji, 

 together with a dense matted growth of one of the larger scale- 

 mosses (Jungermannia). Amongst this moss, which climbs over 

 the dead and low-lying bramble branches in great luxuriance, we 

 find the Acme associated with numerous other shells, the list of 

 which is noteworthy, for it comprises Helix aculeata, H. hispida^ 

 H. pygmcBa, Vitrina pellucida, Zonites glaber, Z. alliarius, Z. 

 nitidulus, Z. punis, Z. radiatulus, Z. fulvus, Z. crystallinus, Z. 

 cellariiis, Cochlicopa lubrica, Carychium, a very small variety of 

 Succinea piitris, S. elegans, some small Liiiincea truncatula, and 

 Pisidium nitiJum. There is no standing water near, and the 

 aquatic species seem to live upon the wet ground, which I think 

 will always remain damp even during the heat of summer. It 

 was a pouring wet day when we were there, which may, perhaps, 

 in part account for our obtaining so much. Underneath the few 

 stones before mentioned we took twenty splendid specimens of 

 Vertigo pyg/ncea, and a few Helix pulchella, but did not find 

 either of these species amongst the moss. 



The Fleetwood Acme habitat is very limited in area and 

 a careful search for some distance around did not reveal a 

 similar spot, but it will perhaps serve as a valuable guide to 

 further research in other localities to know the particular kind 

 of habitat affected by this rare species, and it having now been 



