323 

 NOTE ON CYLINDRELLA ^EQUATORIA Morelet. 



By J. R. LE B. TOM LIN, M.A. 



(Read before the Society, April lolh, 1912). 



This species was described by Morelet in the Journal de Conchy- 

 liologie, 1873, P- '24, pi. v., fig. I, and is given as having been 

 collected by Dr. Destruges in the neighbourhood of Quito. Morelet 

 comments on the locality as being the " furthest south " for a 

 Cylindrella, and more recently Pilsbry, in the Manual, has pointed 

 out — evidently with some doubts in his mind — how far Quito is re- 

 moved from other haunts of the genus. 



I received recently from Mr. G. C. Spence a specimen of Cylind- 

 rella, purchased without data at the Cairns sale, which he thought 

 answered the description of cequatoria, with a request for verification 

 if possible. 



This shell proved to be a typical example of C. sowerbyana Pfr. 

 The type of C. cequatoria and the two other specimens which accom- 

 pany it on the tablet in the South Kensington Museum are all poor 

 and worn specimens, but enough of the sculpture remains to shew 

 that they agree with sotverbyana in this as in every other particular. 



In order to confirm the identification, Mr. Edgar Smith, at my 

 request, very kindly broke open one of the Morelet specimens. It 

 proved to have the perfectly plain internal spiral which is character- 

 istic of sowerbyana. As this species comes from Cuba, we have to 

 suppose either the introduction of the species at Quito, which sounds 

 unlikely, or an error in the locality given by Dr. Destruges. 



C. soiverbyana was described by Pfeiffer in the Proceedings of the 

 Zoological Society, 1846, p. 116, so that cequatoria Mor. sinks as a 

 synonym. 



Helix cantiana Mont, preyed upon by the Song Thrush. — In his Collector's 

 Manual, Mr. L. E. Adams states that he has never observed that birds feed upon 

 Helix cantiana, and it may therefore be worth while to mention that in March, 

 1912, I noticed a " thrush-stone " at Tring, Herts., which was surrounded by the 

 broken fragments of between fifty and sixty shells of this species, whilst Helix 

 nevioialis — a more usual victim — was represented by only three shells. In West 

 Hertfordshire I often see " thrush-stones " where the smashed shells of Helix 

 arbustorum outnumber those of other species. — Chari.es Oldham {Read before 

 the Society, April lOth, 191 2). 



