178 JOURNAt, OF CONCHOLOGY, VOL. 12, NO. 7, JULY, I908. 



sixteenth century, either as an article of food or for medicinal pur- 

 poses. He records the finding of " a single specimen near Devizes," 

 and adds, " which, with those mentioned in Gloucestershire, seems 

 to be their furthest northern limits at present " (Test. Brit., p. 407). 

 Later, it was held that it was introduced into this country by the 

 Romans. Mr. C. N. Bromehead records it on the edge of the forest 

 near Puthall Gate, Marlborough, and adds, " these molluscs are 

 almost invariably found to occupy the site of a Roman settlement of 

 some kind. It seems likely that, could anyone be found willing to 

 excavate, the remains of a villa would be found here. The exact 

 position in which the specimens were found is the south-east corner 

 of East Croft." It is almost needless to remark that the supposition 

 of the introduction of this mollusc by the Romans has been com- 

 pletely negatived by its discovery in pre-Roman interments. Three 

 " rather small " specimens were found by General Pitt-Rivers at a 

 depth of about two feet below the surface whilst excavating a 

 Romano-British dyke in Shiftway Coppice near Rushmore, November, 

 1882. They were associated with three specimens of H. aspersa and 

 a single H. nemoralis. The Rev. J. E. Vize, in his paper on the land 

 and freshwater shells of Wilts., ^ remarks ''Helix poniatia is to be 

 found here." Dr. Gray, rather singularly, at p. 114, speaking of these 

 shells, asserts that " they have been said to be found as far north as 

 Devizes in Wiltshire, and in Gloucestershire." His stations are 

 Salisbury (rare), and woods near Chilton and Ramsbury. Mr. C. D. 

 Heginbothom has obtained specimens near Devizes, north of the 

 Kennet Canal, and there are examples in the Museum at Devizes, 

 obtained by Mr. Henry Cunnington, on Roundway Hill, Devizes, in 

 June, 1883. 



Helix nemoralis Linne. — Generally distributed. Several speci- 

 mens were found by General Pitt-Rivers during his Romano-British 

 excavations, viz., in the dyke in Shiftway Coppice, Rushmore, one ; 

 at Rotherby, one ; at Winklebury Camp, seven ; in Bokerly Dyke, 

 twenty-four; and four during the excavations at Wansdyke, four miles 

 north of Devizes. Stourton, Mere, Edington, Marlborough (E.W.S.); 

 brickearth at Fisherton (Blackmore) ; Marlborough (Bromehead); 

 Devizes (Miss Cunnington and others) ; Corsham, North Bradley, 

 Westwood and Freshford, Salisbury (Vize). 



var. rubella Moquin-Tandon. — Marlborough (Bromehead) ; 

 Devizes (Miss Cunnington and others); Stourton, Mere, Edington, 

 etc. (E.W.S.). 



var. libellula Risso. — Devizes (Heginbothom) ; Great Bedwyn 

 (Townsend); Stourton and Mere (E.W.S.). 



I IVittshirc Magazine, \'oI. .\., p. 94. 



