Freshwater Mollusca of Ireland. 



2\ 



took the place of H. ericetorum, which is common to them ; here, 

 too, and at Portrush, Bulimus acutus was present, though not so 

 at Macgilligan. On the 8th of June I once observed the H. aspersa 

 in coitu, and with the spicula adhering (see Montagu in Test. 

 Brit.) ; — these are half an inch in length, hollow, and broaden con- 

 derably to the base. 



In the Magazine of Natural History, vol. v. p. 490, Mr. Denson 

 states that in severe winters the H. aspersa is in the old botanic 

 garden at Bury St. Edmunds eaten in quantity by the Norway rat ; 

 a fact of which I some years ago had circumstantial evidence in the 

 broken shells lying about the entrance to this animal's abode among 

 heaps of stones in the Horticultural Society's garden at Chiswick, 

 London*. 



2. Helix hortensis, Lister. Gray, Man. p. 130. pi. 3. f. 24 ; Drap. 



p. 95. pi. 6. f. 6 ; Mont. p. 412. 

 Although apparently not numerous anywhere, it would seem to be 

 widely distributed in Ireland. To myself it has occurred about Dub- 

 lin, and at Portrush, along with H. nemoralis and H. hybrida ; has 

 been obtained in the county Donegal ; at Moira and Newcastle, 

 county Down ; King's County ; Kildare ; Tipperary ; and about the 

 city of Cork. As some authors make the white lip and less size the 

 only differences between this species and H. nemoralis, I was for 

 some time in doubt whether it might not be a small variety of the 

 latter, but was fully satisfied of its distinctness by finding both spe- 

 cies plentifully in company at Dovedale (Derbyshire), when every 

 individual in size, &c. maintained the respective characters of its 

 species. The H. hortensis seems partial to limestone districts. 



3. Helix hybrida, Poiret. Gray, Man. p. 132. 



In July 1833 I obtained the handsome Helix, so designated by 

 Mr. Gray, on the marine sand-hills at Portrush, near the Giant's 

 Causeway, along with different varieties of H. nemoralis and a very 



* Helix Pomatia, Linn. The following observations of W. H. Harvey, 

 Esq., communicated in a letter to me in January 1834, include all thatneed 

 be said of this shell. " Dr. Turton, in his Conchological Dictionary, states 

 that this species is mentioned by Dr. Rutty in his 'Natural History of the 

 county of Dublin/ as nut uncommon in his time. On referring to Dr. Rutty s 

 work I cannot find any such assertion. At p. 379. vol. i. he certainly ad- 

 mits it in the following terms : ' Cochlea duplex primo terrestris, the ter- 

 restrial snail, and particularly the house snail, which is thus distinguished 

 by Lister ; Cochlea cinerea maxima edulis, cujus os operculo crasso gypseo 

 per hyemem clauditur :' and then goes on to tell of its uses as food, the man- 

 ner of cooking it, &c, but not one word about its habitat." 



The H. Pomatia has of late years been introduced from England to dif- 

 ferent localities in Ireland, as Dalkey island, off the Dublin coast, Youghal, 

 &c. In the autumn of 1834 I turned out a few individuals of this species 

 find of Cyclostoma elegans on the chalk in the neighbourhood of Belfast, but 

 they have not increased ; after a few months I could not find one of either 

 species about the place. See Gray, Man. p. 35. 



