4o6 OBITUARY : CHARLES ASHFORD. 



an elaborate and detailed article in the 'Journal of Conchology ' 

 entitled 'The Darts of the British Helicidae.' 



During a portion of the last decade he was closely associ- 

 ated with Mr. W. Denison Roebuck, of Leeds, in the revival of 

 Limacology, a study which had been neglected and practically 

 dormant in I^ngland since the days of the Rev. B. J. Clarke. 

 During the whole of the period when Mr. Roebuck was so 

 successfully devoting his attention to and creating an interest 

 in the British slugs, Mr. Ash ford was closely identified with him, 

 and to Mr. Ashford is due much of the credit of eliminating the 

 species from the chaos in which they were involved, and of 

 placing the British species of the naked genera on an un- 

 assailable basis by his careful and accurate drawings of their 

 anatomical peculiarities and distinctive characters. A convinc- 

 ing proof of the thoroughness and comprehensiveness of their 

 joint labours is evidenced by the fact that only one genuine and 

 undoubted species — Anon minimus — has been added to the 

 British list with which Mr. Ashford or Mr. Roebuck have not 

 been in some way identified. 



The genus Testacella was also studied by Mr. Ashford with 

 marked results, his investigations establishing firmly the validity 

 of Testacella scutuliim as a thoroughly distinct species, and 

 proving the error of the accepted opinions which regarded it 

 as a simple variety of Testacella haliotidea, from which he 

 showed it to differ very markedly in its organization. 



Evidence of his diligence in his scientific studies is amply 

 furnished by the following list of some of the more important 

 papers he wrote, embodying the results of his investigations 

 and researches : — • 



' A List of the Land and Freshwater Shells found in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Ackworth, Yorkshire.' 

 ' On the Habits of Helix fnsca.' 

 ' Note on Limnoia glntinosa Miiller.' 



' Land and Freshwater Shells observed in the neighbourhood of 

 Redcar.' 



J.C. , vii. , July 1894. 



