TAYLOR : LIFE HISTORY OF HELIX ASPERSA. 93 



In May they buried themselves with their heads downwards 

 appearing again in a week double the size : this process was 

 carried on at about fortnightly intervals till July i8th, when they 

 were almost full grown." 



Shell. 



Shell conoidly-globose, somewhat solid, greyish yellow, 

 with four dark spiral bands, varying in width and intensity of 

 color (the second band is broadest and is formed by the fusion of 

 the two which are second and third inthevar. zojiata Moq.), there 

 are also a number of zigzag yellowish markings orflammules,more 

 or less connected; whorls 4|, very convex, increasing rapidly, 

 the last very large, not carinated, descending abruptly at the 

 aperture; apex smooth, the striae of growth well and strongly 

 marked upon the antepenultimate whorl, gradually obscured by 

 coarse irregular wrinklings, the strise being distinctly marked 

 only at the sutures, around the umbilical region and near the 

 aperture; epidermis rather thick; aperture oblique, roundish 

 oval; outer lip white, moderately thick and reflected; inner lip 

 usually thin and spread on the penultimate whorl; umbilicus 

 very perceptible in half grown shells, less so in those of smaller 

 size, and in the adult entirely covered by a fold and thickening 

 of the pillar lip. 



Ordinary weight 20 — 35 grains (Ashford). 



Diam. 35 mill.; alt. 30 mill. 



Variation. 



A number of varieties are enumerated but there are some 

 very interesting forms which I have not seen, these I leave to be 

 differentiated at some future time or by other writers. 



Miss Hele writes me regarding the general character of the 

 species in different localities, describing the form prevalent near 

 Bristol as "dark colored" ; about Weston-super-Mare it is brown 

 with black markings ; near Bath very pale and much mottled ; 

 at Cheddar the shells are very solid and large ; but at Clevedon 

 no special peculiarity has been noticed. 



