346 



WEST LANCASHIRE NON-MARINE MOLLOSCA : 

 MORECAMBE AND DISTRICT. 



By H. BEESTON. 



(Read before the Society, November 8th, 1905). 



The following list has been compiled from notes and observations 

 made during a ten days' visit in the month of August, 1905, to 

 Morecambe and district. 



The area explored — only a comparatively small one^extends from 

 Heysham, about two miles south of Morecambe, to Bolton-le-Sands, 

 four or five miles to the north-east, and as far inland to the east and 

 south-east as the right bank of the river Lune. 



Geologically considered, the district seems of little interest to the 

 conchologist, the soil consisting for the most part of boulder clay and 

 drift materials, and when compared with the country lying to the 

 north and north-west across Morecambe Bay, where the mountain 

 limestone formation is much more in evidence, appears somewhat 

 poor in moUuscan fauna; the number of species found being com- 

 paratively few, especially of the genera Vertigo, Jaminia, Balea, etc. 

 The results were very meagre and disappointing. Probably more 

 diligent search under suitable hygrometrical conditions would result 

 in a larger number of the smaller shells being found, as the last Census 

 List (1902) shows a fairly large proportion of the genera mentioned 

 recorded for West Lancashire, of which the district around More- 

 cambe forms a part. 



The slugs also were conspicuous by their absence, the only one 

 w^hich appeared at all common being the black slug, Arion aier. 



Oi the terrestrial snails, eighteen species were identified, and of the 

 freshwater fifteen species, but of the latter the Lancaster and Preston 

 Canal, which runs from Lancaster through Bolton-le-Sands and Carn- 

 forth, accounted for nine, leaving six other species confined to the 

 ditches and ponds elsewhere. 



A curious fact connected with these water shells is that not a single 

 species found in the canal was to be found in the ditches or 

 ponds in other parts of the district ; while those species common to 

 the ditches were absent from the canal. This may have been only a 

 coincidence, as further search in the locality may alter this seemingly 

 anomalous circumstance. The point is merely mentioned for what it 

 is worth, but it would be interesting to know whether conchologists 

 working in other parts of the country have met with a similar experi- 

 ence at any time. 



Of the land shells, the only one at all common was Hvgromia 

 rufescens, which, although small, seemed to be the tenant of almost 



