Mountain of Montreal. 99 



and broad white lip, cannot fail to gain admiration. It is subject 

 t-o very little variety, tlie principal variations being the want of 

 the white reflected lip, and the open umbilicus in its immature 

 stages. 



"The economy of these animals may be briefly stated as fol- 

 lows : They subsist upon decaying leaves and vegetable fibre, un- 

 der which they usually shelter themselves. In moist weather and 

 after showers, they issue from their retreats, and crawl over the 

 leaves or up the trunks of trees, until driven back by a change of 

 the weather. In early spring they are often seen collected in 

 groups on the sunny side of the rocks. In June they depo- 

 sit their eggs, to the number of thirty to eighty, in the light 

 mould by the side of rocks and logs. These are white, opaque, 

 and elastic ; and in about twenty to thirty days the young animal 

 issues from them with a shell consisting of one whorl and a half. 

 In October they cease to feed, and select a place under some log or 

 stone where they may be sheltered for the winter, and there they 

 fix themselves with the mouth upwards. This they close by 

 secreting a thin, transparent membrane, and as the weather be- 

 comes cold, they grow torpid and remain in that state until the 

 warmth of spring excites them to break down the barrier, and 

 enter upon a new campaign of duty and pleasure." 



Mg4. 



Fig. 5. 



Fi^s. 4 and 5. — JTelix Alternata. (Saz.) 



This species is easily recognised when good specimens are pro- 

 cured, by the numerous bands of brown colour which ornamenj 

 the surface. It is more depressed or flatter than H. albolabris, and 

 the umbilicus is not covered over, but open, so that all the whorls 

 may be seen from the under side. In the dead and partly decay- 

 ed shells the colour for the greater part disappears, but the perfect 

 ones make rather handsome cabinet specimens. It is thus de- 

 scribed in the work above cited. 



" Shell orbicular, depressed, slightly concave above and below ; 

 general tint a light fawn color, which, on the upper surface, alt«r- 



