1835.1 Extracts from the Zoological Journal. 529 



paper on this genus, for which he intended to propose the name of Tanychlamys ,■ 

 he finds, however, that Mr. Gray has recently described (Lond. and Edin. Phil. 

 Mag., vol. v. p. 379\ the same genus under the name of Nanina. The generic 

 characters observed by Mr. Benson are as follows : 



Nanina, Gray. 



Testa heliciformis, umbilicata ; peritremate acuto, non reflexo. 

 Animal cito repens. Corpus reticulosum, elongatum. Pallium amplum, fora- 

 mine communi magno perforatum, peritrerna amplexans ; processubus duobus 

 transverse rugosis (quasi articulatis) omni latere mobilibus instructum, unico 

 prope testce aperturce angulum superiorem exoriente, altera apud peripheriam 

 testae. Os anticum inter tentacula inferiora hians ; labia radiato-plicata. Ten- 

 tacula superiora elongata, punctum percipiens tumore oblongo situm gerenlia. 

 Penis praegrandis ; antrum cervices elongatum latere dextro et prope tentacula 

 situm. Solea complanata pedis latera cequans. Cauda tentaculata ; tentaculun 

 sv.bretraclile, glanduld ad basin positd humor em viscidum (animate attrectato) 

 exsudante. 



Mr. Benson describes particularly the habits of the species observed by him, 

 which he first discovered living at Banda in Bundelkhand on the prone 

 surface of a rock. The animal carries the shell horizontally, or nearly so ; is 

 quick in its motions ; and, like Helieolimax, it crawls the faster when disturbed, 

 instead of retracting its tentacula like the Snails in general. In damp weather, 

 it is rarely retracted within its shell, the foot being so much swelled by the ab- 

 sorption of moisture, that if it is suddenly thrown into boiling water, the attempt 

 to withdraw into the shell invariably causes a fracture of the aperture. In dry 

 weather, the foot is retracted, and the aperture is then covered by a whitish false 

 operculum, similar to that of other Helicidce. The two elongated processes of the 

 mantle are continually in motion, and exude a liquor which lubricates the shell, 

 supplying, apparently, that fine gloss which is observable in all recent specimens. 

 The fluid poured out from the orifice at the base of the caudal horn-like append- 

 age is of a greenish colour ; it exudes when the animal is irritated, and at such 

 times the caudal appendage is directed towards the exciting object in such a 

 manner as to give to the animal a threatening aspect. 



Of several specimens brought to England by Mr. Benson iu 1832, one sur- 

 vived from December, 1831, when it was captured in India, until the summer 

 of 1833. 



Another shell particularly noticed by Mr. Benson is the type of a new genus, 

 allied to Cyclostoma, which he has described under the name of Pterocyclos in the 

 first No. of the ' Journal of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta.' 



Specimens of a species of Assiminia, Leach, were preserved alive in a glass, 

 replenished occasionally with fresh or salt-water, until after the vessel in which 

 Mr. Benson returned to England had passed St. Helena. 



A Snail, obtained near Sicrigali, and the river Jellinghy, one of the 

 mouths of the Ganges, is characterized by Mr. Benson as Helix inter- 

 rvpta. 



In the character of the excrement being voided from an opening in the termi- 

 nal and posterior part of the foot, instead of from the foramen commune, the 

 animal of Hel. interrupta differs most materially from the other Helices. The 

 angulated periphery of the shell shows an approach to Carocolla ;but Mr. Benson 

 is not aware that the animal of this geuus differs from that of Helix. From Hel. 



