BICRSTON : FIKI.I) NOTES ON HELICODONTA OBVOLUTA. 35 



Statement. How often erroneous statements once made are perpetu- 

 eted by copying. But of tliis habit more later. 



In Gray's Turton the name " Brenton " should read " Buriton," a 

 village about three miles south of Petersfield, nestling under the 

 northern escarpment of the South Downs. Then, again, Dr. Gray 

 states that H. obvoluta is found " along with Zonites nitidus." Dr. 

 James Lindsay, the discoverer, wrote " Helix fiitida." Evidently Z. 

 cellarhis is meant. Z. nitidus is not an inhabitant of woods, its 

 habitat being marshes, ditches, banks of streams, lakes, and ponds. 

 Jeffreys mentions Z. cellarius and not Z. nitidus as an associate of 

 H. obvoluta, and there is little doubt this is the species alluded to by 

 Gray ; Helix nitida of Draparnaud's Hist. Nat. Moll, being the same 

 as H. cellaria Miiller. 



Since I have alluded to this association, I may mention the follow- 

 ing species as occurring commonly in the woods of the downs with 

 it : — Liinax arboriwi, Arion ater (several varieties), Vitrea alliaria, 

 V. cellaria, V. pura, V. crystallina, V. nitidula. Helix aspersa, H. 

 fiemoralis, Hygrotnia striolata, Hy. fotundata, Helicigona lapicida, 

 Clausilia bidentata, CI. laminata, CI. rolphii, Rna mofttana, E. obscura, 

 Pomatias elegans (varieties). To these Mr. A. W. Stelfox adds : — 

 Arion ciraivtscriptus, A. interviedius, Agriolimax agrestis, Vitrina 

 pelliicida, Hygromia hispida, H. catttiana, H. hortensis, H. arbustorum 

 and Cochlicopa lubrica. 



Again reverting to Gray, he states H. obvoluta " is found facing the 

 north." From this statement the natural conclusion is that H. obvo- 

 luta is restricted to the northern aspect of the Downs. This is not 

 so, as it is abundant on the southern side, and more plentiful and of 

 larger size than on the northern slopes. Dr. Gray further says it is 

 *' more rare than the other species mentioned," the " other species " 

 being H. striolata. The reverse of this actually obtains, for next to 

 the Clausilice it is the most abundant shell of the woods, in many 

 places outnumbering H. lapicida and H. striolata. It is quite as 

 abundant as Clausilia lamifiata or CI. bidentata. Under suitable 

 conditions of weather it is quite easy to collect one hundred speci- 

 mens in an hour, while at other times anyone not acquainted with the 

 habits of the animal would fail to obtain a single specimen in the 

 same time. A friend of mine once spent a week in the vicinity, and 

 visited the woods each day, but only succeeded in obtaining half-a- 

 dozen specimens. 



Gray also says " It may probably have been introduced with some 

 foreign plants and escaped." At the time this was penned the range 

 of the species was not so well known as it is now, and it was thought 

 to be quite confined to the Ditcham Woods, which extend some con- 



