THE HABITS OF COCHLITOMA ZEBRA IN CONFINEMENT. 379 



20. Observations on the Habits of Cochlitoma zebra, v;u\ 

 fulgurata (Pfeiffer), and Cochlitoma zebra, var. obesa 

 (Pfeiffer), in Confinement *. By Jane Longstaff, 

 F.L.S., F.G.S. 



(Communicated by Lieut.-Colonel Ralph Longstaff, D.S.O,, F.Z.S.) 



[Received January 24, 1921 : Read April 19, 1921.] 



(Plates I.-III.f) 



When visiting Cape Colony, during 1914, I obtained six 

 specimens of Cochlitoma zebra, var. obesa, at Humewood, Port 

 Elizabeth, on March 31st. From these I selected two examples, 

 which I brought home alive in company with a fine specimen 

 of the var. fulgurata (the latter was presented to me by 

 Mr. O'Connor, of the " "Woods and Forests," who found it at 

 Keiskamma Hoek, about nineteen miles north-west of King 

 William's Town). 



On leaving Cape Town, on April 11th, I put all three together 

 in a tin box, which I opened frequently during the voyage, so as 

 to feed them and allow them to crawl about. Upon arrival, on 

 April 28th, I placed them in the conservatory. 



In bringing these molluscs to England I had no intention of 

 breeding them, but only surmised they might be of interest for 

 anatomical purposes — therefore I did not keep the two varieties 

 separate ; and subsequently there was great mortality among the 

 young through lack of preparation and inexperience. 



Broods of original Specimens. 



April 29tb, 1914. — The smaller example of var. obesa had depo- 

 sited during the night sixteen young molluscs and about thirty 

 eggs ; seventeen of the latter were either broken or punctured. 



The two varieties were now placed in different pots, with sandy 

 soil, tufts of grass, and varied food-leaves ; also the parents were 

 separated from the eggs and young in every case. 



May 4th. — The larger specimen of the same variety deposited 

 a dozen or more living young ones and numerous eggs. No 

 fragments of egg-shells were then observed, but the next day I 

 noticed that two of the young Mere much smaller than the 

 others, and that one of them had a small bit of egg-shell 

 adhering to it — also that there were some pieces of egg-shell lying 

 near them. None of these fragments looked large enough to 

 have contained the biggest of the young, but they might have 



* I have followed Major Connolly ('Annals of the South African Museum,' vol. xi. 

 pt. iii. 1912, pp. 204, 205) in regarding these forms as varieties of Cochlitoma zebra 

 (Chemnitz). 



f For explanation of the Plates, see p. 387. 



Proc. Zool, Soc .— 1921, No. XXVI, 26 



