42 JOURNAL OI" CONCHOLOGY, VOL. ID, NO. 2, ATRIL, I9OI. 



enormous amount of descriptive work — good, bad, and indifferent — 

 which has been done. Turning, in conclusion, for a moment from 

 the level, but laborious, path of enumeration to the thorny track of 

 prophecy, let us endeavour to form some conception of the direction 

 that descriptive work will take and where the fields lie from which the 

 most important additions will be made. For some period yet the 

 ever-increasing exploration of islands and continents may well be 

 expected to swell the catalogues of land-shells to the neglect of those 

 of marine mollusca ; then, gradually, as new discoveries in this branch 

 become more difficult, collectors may turn back to the ocean, and 

 explore deeper and with more facility by means which are ever- 

 improving, so that the abyssal fauna, which at present is almost entirely 

 unknown, will yield its vast results to swell the total, and, by the close 

 of the twentieth century, that which we consider to be an enormous 

 mass of known forms will seem to our followers but a mere atom in 

 the sum of human knowledge. 



Paludestrina jenkinsi (Smith) in Cheshire. — I have recently taken this species 

 in three different localities in Cheshire, and have little doubt that, if looked for, it 

 will be found in others. As the shell has now established itself in the canals of 

 Staffordshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, its dispersal will probably be accelerated, 

 and we may reasonably expect that ere long it will become common throughout the 

 country. On September 17th I collected about fifty examples on Elodea canadensis 

 in the Shropshire Union Canal near Beeston Castle Station, and on the following 

 day found the shell in hundreds on this plant in the Trent and Mersey Canal near 

 Sandbach. On September 25th I obtained two dead shells from a short branch of 

 the Peak Forest Canal, a few yards from the Cheshire bank of the River Tame at 

 Dukinfield. Living examples were collected by Mr. F. Taylor at this locality a few 

 days later. At Beeston Castle the type and the var. carinata occurred in about 

 equal numbers, but at Sandbach nearly all the shells were referable to the variety, 

 the carination varying in degree, and being very pronounced in some cases. The 

 two Dukinfield shells were typical. Most, if not all, of the mature shells at Beeston 

 Castle and Sandbach contained large numbers of fry ready for exclusion. — CllAS. 

 Oldham, Octoljer 15th, 1900. {Read before the Society, November I4h, 1900). 



Helix arbustorum at a high altitude. — I found Helix arbustornm on the 

 .summit of the Hasliberg Gummen, 7,147 feet above sea-level. It would be in- 

 teresting if Alpine climbers would note the greatest heights at which they find 

 any molluscs. — J. W. Horsley, St. Peter's Rectory, Walworth, July 28th, 1900. 

 {Read before the Society, Sept. I2th, 1900). 



LONDON BRANCH. -Annual Report. 



Since our last report fourteen meetings have been held, half of which were field 

 meetings. The Rev. J. W. Ilorsley, Messrs. J. C. Dacie, P. Lawson, and 

 J. Moorcock have kindly allowed us to hold meetings at their houses during the 

 past year. Our thanks are also due to Mr. Devine, of Clayesmore, for entertaining 

 a party of our members on May 19th. Arrangements have been made for holding 

 the winter meetings in the City; this will be convenient to most of our members and 

 will we hope ensure a larger attendance. 

 November 3rd, 1900. J. E. Cooper, Hon. Sec. 



