STANDEN AND HARDY: MOLLUSCA OF OBAN AND LISMORE. 267 



cultivation by the industry of the 'monks of old,' the effects 

 of which are still noticeable, it seemed to us extremely likely 

 that the introduction of foreign garden and other plants 

 might have led to the colonization of species of moUusca alien 

 to the locality. The day chosen for our visit was not very 

 favourable to the finding of land shells, being extremely hot, 

 and but for a heavy thunderstorm and fall of rain on the 

 previous night, which had thoroughly soaked the ground, we 

 should certainly have found but little. As it was we were fairly 

 successful in obtaining a good many species, but were somewhat 

 disappointed at not finding Helix aspersa, or Helix horlensis, 

 which might very reasonably be expected to occur on the 

 island. 



There are several small freshwater lochs and streams on 

 Lismore, but the former are mostly deep and clear, with 

 scarcely any aquatic vegetation suitable for moUuscan life, and 

 yielded but little to the cursory dips of the dredge which our 

 limited time permitted. Lochan Dubh, a lovely little lake 

 on the road between Oban and Loch Etive was very 

 closely searched, but although a luxuriant growth of 

 water] ilies and bullrush fringed its margin and looked 

 very promising, we found that it had a peaty bottom, 

 and contained only a few species in limited niimbers. Both 

 Lochan Dubh, and the lochs on Lismore are the resort of 

 numerous gulls, wild ducks, and other waterfowl, w^hich breed 

 on their margins, and the presence of these, and their broods of 

 hungry young, doubtless accounts to a great extent for the 

 scarcity of mollusks. The streams examined were equally barren, 

 with one exception, a small brook at Ardbhan Craigs, abounding 

 with Z. peregra, so that our record of freshwater shells is a very 

 meagre one. 



Mr. Thomas Scott, in a paper 'On the Land and Fresh- 

 water Mollusca about Tarbert, Loch Fyne' (see 'Journal of 

 Conchology,' vol. v., p. 72) agrees with us in his observations 

 respecting the scarcity of the freshwater shells. His list will be 



