BECHER : MOLLUSCA OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS. 23 1 



in most running water, but most abundantly in a reservoir 

 near a. large Plane tree in Floriana "Gardens. This tank, 

 during the last winter, was allowed to remain dry, and was 

 re-cemented in the spring ; it will thus have to be re-stocked 

 by the supply pipe, and I expect that it will be some little 

 time before the former abundant supply will be equalled. 

 I extract the following from Caruana's Catalogue : — ' Note 

 of Mr. Mamo on P. melite^isis. — This new species of Physa 

 was found by me in the reservoir behind the Plane tree in 

 the Floriana gardens, on the 12th April, 1856. Several 

 individuals, placed in a glass vessel of water, attached 

 themselves to the edge of the same, and two days afterwards 

 deposited a gelatinous crystalline and oblong bodyj^f about 

 the same size as the mother mollusc, very transparent, and 

 containing a mass of minute spheroidal and limpid eggs like 

 • air bTibbles. Each egg had an opaque thin globule on its 

 surface of a bright yellow colour. On the i6th, these 

 globules became discoloured. On the 19th, the posterior 

 part of the globule bent towards the anterior part and took 

 an accelerated and rotary motion inside the egg. On the 

 30th, some of them separated from the gelatinous mass, 

 which was reduced to a very thin membrane, and floated 

 freely on the surface of the water, showing distinctly the 

 nucleus of the shell, the white body of the animal with its 

 two tentacles, and two very dark eyes.' 



Limnsea truncatula Mlill. var. Common. In the Wied 

 behind the Lunatic Asylum, after wet, in small hollows, 

 there is usually a little mud and water ; here I have 

 found the largest specimens. This wet soon dries up, and 

 in summer the mud must ho. baked till it becomes almost 

 brick. 



Ancylus fluviatilis Drap. Not uncommon on stones in 

 running water, and in drinking troughs. It is found in 

 Sicily. 



