484 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



MOLLUSCA. 



Molluscs eaten by Wood-Pigeons. — On Sept. 5th, whilst shooting on 

 the confines of the Bog of Allen, Co. Kildare, I killed a Wood-Pigeon, in 

 whose crop I found thirty-nine Snails, which appeared to me to be Water- 

 Snails. An instance of this sort has never come under my notice. The bird 

 was in first-rate condition, and corn in the neighbourhood at this time of year 

 is easily obtainable. There was nothing else in the crop save two hawthorn- 

 berries and one oat. T send you by this post some of the Snails, and shall 

 be glad to hear whether this is an unusual occurrence. — H. Makmaduke 

 Langdale (Compton Vicarage, Petersfield, Hants). 



[The specimens forwarded by Mr. Marmaduke Langdale represent the 

 " Amber Snail " (Succinea putris), an amphibious species, seldom seen in the 

 water except in the spring, when on its way from winter quarters in the mud. 

 It is probable that its attack by Pigeons is not unusual. One of my sons 

 keeps a quantity of pond-fish in a garden-tank, and, on my advice, intro- 

 duced as scavengers a number of LimncBa stagnalis. These molluscs have 

 steadily disappeared, while his Fan tail-Pigeons seem to have a great 

 attraction for the sides of the tank. Mr. Langdale's communication per- 

 haps offers a suggestion as to what hitherto seemed a mysterious dis- 

 appearance. Mr. Collins Baker, who has recently written on the Mollusca 

 of the Chicago Area, states that Passerine birds are fond of Pupa, Vertigo, 

 and small Limaces (cf. Chic. Ac. Nat. Sci. — Nat. Hist. Surv. Bull. iii. 

 p. 33).— Ed.] 



CEUSTACEA. 



Meristic Variation in the Edible Crab. — I forward a sketch and 

 examples of two different malformed claws of Cancer pagurus. I have 

 obtained several Crabs with double and treble pointed large pincer-claws 

 (cf. Zool. 1897, p. 340, and 1898, p. 220), but this is the first time 1 have 

 met with malformation in the smaller claws. In one the two end claws are 

 fused into one, in the other example they can be worked separately. — A. 

 Patterson (Ibis House, Great Yarmouth). 



MYEIOPODA. 



Marine Centipede in Somerset. — There are two species of marine, or, 

 rather, littoral Centipedes found in England — Geophllus submarinus and 

 Linotania maritima. So far as I know, Polperro, on the coast of Cornwall, 

 is the only spot in Englaud where G. submarinus has been collected ; L. 

 maritima, on the contrary, has been found at several localities, and is evi- 

 dently widely distributed. In the British Museum there are examples 

 from Bexhill (H. Scherren) and Polperro (Mr. Laughrin), in England ; and 

 from Portmarnock, Co. Dublin (G. H. Carpenter), and the coast of Galway 



