209 



VERTIGO ALPESTRIS (Alder): 



Its Distribution in North Lancashire and Westmorland, and its 



Association with Vertigo pusilla Miill. 



By J. DAVY DEAN and The Rev. C. E. Y. KENDALL. 



(Read before the .Society, June 17th, 1908). 



Vertigo alpestris has generally been considered a rare shell, most 

 of the British specimens in collections coming from a few well-known 

 localities. It has occurred to us that, as there are in our neighbour- 

 hood so many other localities similar in every way and having the 

 same conditions as to soil, climate, etc., Vertigo alpestris must be 

 much more common than has been generally supposed. We have, 

 therefore, carefully worked the Carboniferous Limestone district of 

 Furness, Westmorland, and North Lancashire, with the results given 

 below. We have succeeded in establishing a chain of localities 

 stretching in an irregular line from Holker in the west right across 

 to Kirkby Lonsdale in the east, a distance roughly of over twenty 

 miles, and Vertigo alpestris occurs in practically every parish. 



Commencing with Furness, the Lancashire portion of Vice- 

 County 69, the most westerly locality so far established is Holker, 

 where this shell was first recorded for the district ; it was taken there 

 by Mr C. H. Moore in September, 1902, and recorded in the 

 journal of Conchology, February, 1903. The next locality is Cark, 

 for which place it is again recorded by Mr. Moore {J. of C, vol. xi., 

 p. 266). Still working east, we come to Cartmel, famous for its 

 Priory, at which place we found it in May, 1908. We now come to 

 Grange-over-Sands, where, as well-known, it is found abundantly 

 in that conchologist's paradise, Eggerslack Wood. In passing, we 

 might say that we visited this locality a few days after the Concho- 

 logical Society's visit of last summer, and found this shell very rare. 

 In the next village to the north-east, Lindale, we found it on a slate 

 wall in May, 1908. 



We must now cross the county border into Westmorland, and so 

 come to the pretty little village of Witherslack, well-known to ento- 

 mologists, where, under the shadow of Whitbarrow, this shell occurs 

 again in great abundance, and was taken by us in May, also of this 

 year. Crossing the river Kent at Levens Bridge, we can again 

 record it for Levens, May, 1908, and some two miles to the east of 

 Heversham and south-east of Levens is Crooklands, where in April 

 of this year Mr. Dean found it on a slate wall. 



Passing down the eastern side of the Kent estuary, we come to 

 another small group of localities, the most easterly of which is 



p 



