JOURNAL OF CONCHOLOGY. 239 



NOTE ON THE ANATOMY OF HELIX HISPID A AND 

 H. CANTIANA. 



By CHARLES ASHFORD, 



In his History of the Land and Freshwater Mollusca of 

 France, M. Moquin-Tandon describes H hispida as having only 

 a single dart-sac ("une bourse a dard," ii., 225). On examining 

 a series of our English examples of this species, I find it is 

 furnished (invariably in mature individuals) with two of these 

 organs. These are placed, one on each side of the common 

 generative passage ; each is bi-lobed — the inner lobes being the 

 highest in position — and each contains one dart which occupies 

 the outer lobe. Though the organ is small it is unmistakably 

 apparent under a lens, and the form of the contained weapons 

 makes their extraction rather easy. I have never failed to obtain 

 two darts from an adult animal, and the form of the sac appears 

 to be constant. It may be interesting to note that this anange- 

 ment of a double bi-lobed dart pouch occurs also in the allied 

 species, H. rufescens, and (according to the author above quoted) 

 in H. plebeia and H. villosa. 



H. Cantiana. The same author departs from his usual 

 accuracy in describing that organ which is called by different 

 authors "the fimbriated prostate," "vesicula multifida" or "les 

 vesicules muqueuses." In his anatomical observations upon the 

 species he says — "vesicules muqueuses nulles." Our English 

 representatives of H. Cantiana certainly possess the organ fairly 

 developed. There are two vesiculs, each with three to five 

 branches (normally four, resulting from two repeated bifurcations). 

 These are slender, vermiform and slightly azure, attaining in the 

 mature state a length of from 5 to 7 mm. It is easier to suppose 

 the learned author made an error in transcribing his notes, than 



