igO JOURNAL OF CONCHOLOGY, VOL. I5, NO. 6, APRIL, I917. 



A very interesting and comprehensive paper by Mr. J. W. Jackson, on "The 

 use of Cowry-Shells for the purposes of Currency, Amulets and Charms," appeared 

 in the Proceedings of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society towards 

 the end of last year. It is a mine of information on the subject and seems to have 

 collected in a concise and well-grouped form all the facts so far published. The 

 occurrence of CypVixa iiio7jeia L. or C. annulus L. on the West African coast is, we 

 admit, very problematic, though Weinkauff, as well as Rochebrune, definitely 

 asserts that he has found C. anntilus " avec I'animal vivant," in Algeria. Jous- 

 seaume gravely asserts the occurrence of C. moneta living at Boulogne-sur-Mer ! 

 We should certainly ascribe all these occurrences to commerce, and a strong argu- 

 ment in favour of this view is that Adanson, in the middle of the i8th century, has 

 no mention of these cowries in his " Hist. Nat. du Senegal" (cf Dunker, Index 

 Moll. Guin., p. 31). 



CENSUS AUTHENTICATIONS. 



By W. DENISON ROEBUCK, M.Sc, F.L.S., Hon. Recorder. 



All the records here given are based upon examples submitted to the official 

 authenticators ; myself for slugs only ; Mr. F. Taylor for Pahidestrinidcs ; and 

 Mr, John W. Taylor for all other species. 



Aberdeenshire North : The Rev. G. A. Frank Knight has submitted an example 

 of Succinea pjttris, taken along with a couple of S. elegans at Collieston. 



Aran Islands (Galv/ay West) : Dr. R. F. Scharff has submitted various forms 

 of Helicella iiala, including var. minor, whitish ones, and forms with two and 

 three bands above the periphery, and H. virgata var. albicans, all collected 

 by himself on the Aran Islands in September, 1891. The Hon. Recorder 

 will be pleased if workers will contribute further specimens from these islands, 

 an outlying group of v. c. Galway West, as a separate record is kept of them 

 for the next Census. 



Bucks. : Prof. A. E. Boycott has presented to the Voucher Collection an 

 example of Acictila lineata polita taken 12th September, 1916, at Great 

 Hampden. 



Gloucester East and Gloucester West : Mr. C. Upton has presented to the 

 Voucher Collection Amphipeplea ^/w/z'woja— abundant at Chalford in the 

 Thames and Severn Canal, which is at this point the boundary between 

 vice-counties 33 and 34. 



Hampshire North : Mr. A. M. Oliver has presented to the Voucher Collection 

 a few examples of Paliidestrina jenkinsi taken in the Basingstoke Canal near 

 Crookham. 



Hampshire South : Mr. H. Beeston submitted a number of examples of Heli- 

 cella cartusiana from P'arlington Marshes, near Havant, taken September, 

 1909; the marsh habitat is interesting. Mr. L. Dawes has sent H. heri- 

 pensis from Hambledon. 



Hunts: Rev. C. E. Y. Kendall has submitted Helicella heiipensis from various 

 localities in this county, viz. : — several type and two var. grisescens from 

 Chesterton, several type and var. lutescens from Alwalton, several type from 

 St. Neots, Haddon, and Stibbington. 



Kent East : Several H. heiipensis from Canterbury have been submitted by 

 Messrs. R. Standen and J. W. Jackson. 



