58 The Mollusca of Wiltshire. 



time, are abundance of very small snailes in the grasse and corne, not 

 much bigger than small pinnes' heads. Though this is no strange thing 

 among us, yet they are not to be found in the north part of "Wilts, nor 

 on any northern wolds. When I had the honour to waite on King 

 Charles [II.] and the Duke of York, on the top of Silbury hill, his Royal 

 Highnesse happened to cast his eye on some of these small snailes on the 

 turfe of the hill. He was surprised with the novelty, and commanded 

 me to pick some up, which I did, about a dozen or more, immediately, 

 for they are in great abundance. The next morning, as he was abed 

 with his Dutches, at Bath, he told her of it, and sent Dr. Charleton to 

 me for them, to shew her as a rarity." 



Colonel Montagu's " Testacea Britannica " (1803) contains many 

 references to Wilts mollusca, as may be gathered from the fact 

 that at Lackham alone he found thirty-five species. Lackham is 

 four miles east of Corsham, on cornbrash soil, which is always so 

 abundant in molluscan life (as I know from experience in East 

 Somerset). Here Montagu discovered Clausilia laminata and 

 Una montana — the latter he christened Helix laclchamensis. All 

 his records are noted in the following list. 



In 1867 Dr. H. P. Blackmore contributed to the tenth volume 

 of the Wiltshire Magazine a very valuable paper " On the Recent 

 Discovery of Flint Implements in the Drift of the Valley of the 

 Avon." Describing the drift at Milford Hill, he remarks : — " Some 

 few years since a good section of this drift was exposed on the 

 south-eastern side of the hill in a cutting made for the London 

 and South-Western Eailway ; and here, near the base of the gravel, 

 a narrow seam of loose light-coloured sand containing shells was 

 discovered. The shells in this spot existed in the greatest abun- 

 dance, and although extremely friable, were generally unbroken. 

 They consisted principally of Helix hispida in all stages of its 

 growth, a few specimens of Helix arbustorum, and a single indi- 

 vidual of Zua subcylindrica. All these shells are terrestrial, and in 

 every way agree with examples of the same species still living in 

 the adjacent fields." Thirty species were found, one being Succinea 

 oblonga, 1 which no longer exists in the district. A series of shells 

 from this interesting section may be seen in the Blackmore Museum 

 at Salisbury. 



1 See below, in Addenda. 



