144 



The Irish Naluralist , 



August, 



frequent. The dark varieties leucozona and nigrescens which are 

 frequent in the East of Ireland are quite absent here. 

 Helicella itala L, — Common over the whole Umestone area, and occurs 

 also at Woodford. Along the shores of Galway Bay it is usually of 

 normal size, inland it is much larger, particularly at Loughrea, Gort, 

 and Portumna, where fine specimens may be obtained. Besides the 

 t\-pe, vars. aiha, hyalozonata, lentiginosa, and leucozona all occur in 

 more or less abundance. A single p\Tamid-shaped specimen taken 

 at Gort agrees, according to Mr. J. W. Taylor, with the Helix gracilis 

 of Turton. 



H. intersecta Poiret. — Widely distributed, but not nearly so plentiful as 

 either of the last two species. Taken in numerous stations from 

 Aughinish and Oranmore to Portumna and Ballinasloe. The shells 

 are similar in size and form to those found in the central and eastern 

 counties, the large form of the extreme west being absent. The usual 

 colour variations are those described as vars. ftdva and lutescens, 

 the var. ornata is frequent in small numbers, and the rare var. 

 ohliterata was found very sparingl^^ on an esker at Ballinasloe. 



H. barbara L. — Local. This species, which in Great Britain is always 

 maritime in its distribution, occurs by the sea at Aughinish, Kinvarra, 

 and Oranmore, and inland at Kilmacduagh, Gort, and Ballinasloe. 

 The inland distribution of this mollusk in Ireland seems to coincide 

 with that of the eskers or deposits of sand and gravel which run 

 across and dot the central counties. 



Hygromia hispida L, — Common over the whole area, but never so abun- 

 dant as it is in the southern and eastern counties. \'ar. hispidosa, 

 Mousson is the prevailing form, var. concinna Jeff, also occurs. The 

 var. nana Jeff., a weU-marked, pretty- Little sheU was taken by Lough 

 Rea, on Church Island in L. Derg, and near Dalystown, and the 

 white form, var. alhida near Louglirea, Gort, Lough Cutra, and 

 Ballinasloe. Var. alhocincta is frequent. 



H. striolata Pfeiffer. = H. rufescens Auct. — Abundant near Kinvarra, 

 Oranmore, Gort, Loughrea, Portumna, Woodford, Athenry, Ballina- 

 sloe and most other to%\Tis and villages. Varies indiscriminately in 

 colour from white to reddish-brown, and in form from flat-to 

 round-spired. None of its habitats in S. Galway are ver}- remote from 

 human influence, so it is probably an alien now thoroughly estab- 

 lished. 



Acanthinula aculeata Miill. — Appears to be rare in the division, but it 

 is easily overlooked. I have taken specimens at Coole, Loughrea, 

 Portumna, Woodford, Garbally, and Dah-sto\\Ti. The spineless form, 

 var. suhlaevis West, occurred by the shore of Lough Derg, and on a 

 tree-shaded wall near Portumna. 



A. lamellata Jeffreys. — Very local. Plentiful in the old woods of Wood- 

 ford, Derrj-A'unlam, and Coole. 



Vallonia pulchella Miill. — T^-pical V. pulchella is, as throughout Ireland, 

 rare in South Galway. I have taken it by Lough Rea and Lough 

 Derg. In each of these localities it lives under stones and drift 



