THE LINNEAN SPECIES OF BRITISH NON-MAKINE MOLLUSCA. 203 



On the Linnean Species of Non-Marine Mollusca that are represented in 

 the British Fauna, with Notes on the Specimens of these and other 

 British forms in the Linnean Collection. By A. S. Kennard, F.G.S., 

 and B. B. Woodward, F.L.S. 



[Read 21st November, 1918.] 



Thanks to the active researches of Mr. G. D. Sherhorn, A.L.S., for the 

 ' Index Animalium,' prosecuted for now some thirty years, of Mr. Iredaie, 

 Mr. Reynell and others, our knowledge of the work of the earlier writers 

 has been so greatly increased, especially of late, that there now seems some 

 chance of approximate finality being attainable in the matter of nomenclature 

 on the basis of priority — at least in the case of the British post-Pliocene 

 non-Marine Mollusca with which we are particularly concerned. 



Accordingly we are attempting a more thorough revision of their synonymy 

 than essayed by us in 1903 (Journ. of Conch, x. pp. 352-367) and 1914 

 (List of the British Non-Marine Mollusca, 8vo, pp. 12). 



Naturally one of the first steps in this undertaking has been to re-investigate 

 the Linnean types, which have not been scrutinized since Hanley wrote his 

 account of the whole collection of shells (Ipsa Linnfei Conchylia, 1855), 

 save for the incompleted investigation of Mr. J. W. Taylor and Mr. W. D. 

 Roebuck in May, 1914, when they " examined and isolated all the British 

 land and freshwater shells " (Taylor, Monograph, iii. p. 17). 



Now it had occurred to us that Linne's contemporary and correspondent, 

 the celebrated 0. F. Miiller, was likely to have known more about the oreat 

 Swedish Naturalist's work than was usually credited, despite the fact that 

 many of Linne's species do not find place in Miiller's ' Vermium Historia'; 

 and we accordingly proceeded to test the supposition. The first point of 

 importance in this connection proved to be that Miiller in a paper on Funoi 

 (Efterretning . . . om Svampe i sser Rbr-Svampens velsmagende Pilse. 4to. 

 Kiiibenliavn, 17G3) described the slugs that fed on them, identifying three 

 with Linnean species and describing, though not naming, two others. To 

 one of these last Linne in the twelfth edition of his ' Systema Naturse/ 

 gave the name of Llma.v albus, citing Miiller's paper (a copy of which is in 

 his library) as his authority. Miiller, however, omits in his ' Vermium 

 Historia ' (ii. p. 4) to quote this although elsewhere in its pages he refers 

 abundantly and solely to this edition. 



We then sought further evidence in the letters from Miiller to Linne in 

 the Society's possession, and under the kindly guidance of Dr. B. I). Jackson 

 discovered the following postscript to his letter of 21 Novembr. 17u'7 : — 



