By E. W. Swantoii. 69 



var. flammea (Picard). — Devizes (Heginbothom) ; Collin g- 

 bourne (Hasleraere Museum Coll.). 



var. albo-fasciata Jeffreys. — Devizes (Heginbothom); 

 Marlborough and Edington (E. W. S.). 



Helix pomatia (Linne). Very local and not abundant. Mon- 

 tagu thought it was not indigenous, and believed with the older 

 •conchologists that it was first introduced about the middle of the 

 sixteenth century either as an article of food or for medicinal 

 purposes. He records the finding of " a single specimen near 

 Devizes," and adds" which, with those mentioned ^Gloucestershire, 

 seems to be their furthest northern limits at present " {Test. Brit., 

 p. 407.) Later, it was held that it was introduced into this 

 -country by the Romans. Mr. C. N. Bromehead records it on the 

 ■edge of the forest near Puthall Gate, Marlborough, and adds " these 

 molluscs are almost invariably found to occupy the site of a Eoman 

 settlement of some kind. It seems likely that, could anyone be 

 found willing to excavate, the remains of a villa would be found 

 here. The exact position in which the specimens were found is 

 the south-east corner of East Croft." It is almost needless to 

 remark that the supposition of the introduction of this mollusc by 

 the Eomans has been completely negatived by its discovery in 

 pre-Boman interments. Three " rather small " specimens were 

 found by General Pitt-Eivers at a depth of about 2ft. below the 

 surface while excavating a Eomano-British dyke in Shiftway 

 Coppice, near Eushmore, November, 1882. They were associated 

 with three specimens of H. aspersa and a single H. nemorcdis. 

 The Eev. J. E. Vize, in his paper on the land and freshwater shells 

 of Wilts, 1 remarks " Helix pomatia is to be found here." Dr. Gray, 

 rather singularly, at p. 114, speaking of these shells, asserts that 

 " they have been said to be found as far north as Devizes in 

 Wiltshire, and in Gloucestershire." His stations are Salisbury 

 <rare) and woods near Chilton and Eamsbury. Mr. C. D. Hegin- 

 bothom has obtained specimens near Devizes, north of the Kennet 

 and Avon Canal, and there are examples in the Museum at Devizes, 



1 Wilts Arch. Mag., vol. x., p. 94). 



