6 + 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



FOUR ABNORMAL SHELLS. 



\\ 



Fig. 



'HEN looking over the shells 

 in the Natural History 

 Department of the Free Public 

 Museums at Liverpool to-day, I 

 found exhibited four monstrosities 

 among the British Helices. On 

 expressing my desire to Dr. 

 Henry O. Forbes, the new- 

 Director of the Museums, to have figures of these 

 curious forms in Science-Gossip, he very kindly 

 arranged that they should be drawn for the benefit 

 of our readers. It appears to be impossible now 

 to ascertain the localities from w-hence these shells 

 originally came, the only information available 

 being as follows, the particulars in inverted 

 commas being on the respective labels : 



Fig. i. Helix nemoralis, " Turreted form." This 

 curious example of our common wood snail is 

 rather worn in appearance, and was possibly a 

 "' dead shell " on being found. The periostracum 

 is much worn. The variety appears to have been 

 tea, and the band formula 123 (45), though a 



specimen is not scalariform, but has the spire much 

 elongated. 



short white line appears in the latter double band. 

 The mouth is also distorted. A line of growth is 

 very marked. 



Fig. 2. Helix pomalia, " scalariform, angular 

 deflection of the mouth, commencing early and 

 continued with much regularity."' This specimen 

 of our " Roman " edible snail shell is interesting, 

 and in fine condition. 



Fig. 3. Helix aspersa, " Scalariform, showing the 

 ability of the animal to secrete a continuous 

 peristome, like Cyclostoma (Gaskoine cabinet)." 

 This remarkable monstrosity is in good condition. 



Fig. 4. Helix aspersa, " Elongated spire." This 



Fig. 3. 



Fig. 4. 



The drawings are by Mr. J. Chard, and are 

 presented to Science-Gossip, through Dr. Forbes, 

 by the Corporation of Liverpool. 



John T. Carrington. 

 Korth-Wcstern Hotel, Liverpool ; March zgth, 1S94. 



BOTANY* 3 ^ 



Early Flowering of Corydalis. — It may 

 interest some of your readers to know that a 

 member of my family gathered on Keston Com- 

 mon, Kent, on the 28th March last, a specimen of 

 Corydalis clavienlata, with several racemes of fully- 

 developed flowers. In Hooker's " Students' Flora" 

 this species is stated to flower from June to August, 

 so that the discover)- of a plant in full bloom in 

 March seems worth recording. — M. J. Teesdale, St. 

 Margaret's, Thurlou Park Road, Dulwich ; April 4th, 

 1894. 



Moth-Catching Plant. — I should be glad if 

 anv of your readers could give me any information 

 about what is known in New Zealand as the 

 " Moth-catching plant." It is a free-growing 

 creeper, with numerous delicate white flowers. 

 Moths are constantly visiting it, most likely for the 

 pollen [? honey], and get held fast by the head. 

 The enclosed is one of the flowers with the im- 

 prisoned moth, just sent to me. My brother went 

 into his garden to see if he could find a specimen 

 to send me, and found more than a dozen of 

 several kinds, including two bees. — Eliza Vogan, 

 206, High Road, Lee, London, S.E.; April 13th, 

 1S94. 



[This is a very similar case to that of the 

 American fly-trap (Apocynum andrososmi/olium), where 

 the moths are caught by the action of five irritable 

 scales in the throat of the flower. So far as we 

 can see in the dried and pressed specimen sent 

 there is no such mechanism here.. — Eds. S.-G.~ 



