Repoets of Societies. 



79 



C0NCHOLOGICA.L Society op Great Britain and Ireland. — The list of 

 Yorkshire Locality Records " of this Society has now increased to 683. 

 Amongst the papers read before the Club we may notice the following : — 

 One by Mr. Henry Pollard on the BolenidcB, which, although not of that 

 technical character which distinguishes the papers usually read before the 

 Society, was thoroughly exhaustive, describing their geographical distri- 

 bution and uses as food, &c. Mr. Roebuck, having had occasion to spend 

 his holidays in North Wales, exhibited on his return the shells gathered 

 by him whilst so doing, and read a paper thereon. There was much that 

 was interesting, the peculiar conical shape assumed by the specimens of 

 Helix aspersa, and the prominence of a pale central band around those of 

 H. nemoralis not being least so. H. hortensis did not occur. The whole 

 collection numbered 27 species and varieties ; of these 24 were land and 

 three fresh-water specimens, amongst which were H. concinna and Coch- 

 licopa luhrica, var. hyalina. The president (Mr. Wm. Nelson) exhibited 

 under the microscope the lingual ribbons of Littorina litorea, L. oMusata, 

 Trochus umhilicalus, and Patella vulgata, extracted from specimens brought 

 by Mr. Roebuck from Llandudno. Mr. H. Nelson read a paper on 

 Limax agrestis, living specimens of which were exhibited. Amongst other 

 interesting facts elicited were, its indiJQference to water, and its quick 

 growth, arriving at maturity in about eighty days. Mr. Henry Crowther 

 read a paper entitled " Holiday Notes," in which he detailed the striking 

 incidents of his recent vacation, whilst hunting for shells in the neighbour- 

 hoods of Staleybridge, Miller's Dale, Derbyshire, and Tadcaster. Of the 

 43 species and varieties gathered, the most striking was Helix hortensis 

 with an umbilicus, for which he proposes to institute a new variety, 

 answering to the following definition : — H. hortensis, var. umhilicata : 

 shell possessing a distinct and open umbilicus. Many specimens of the 

 var. hybrida were exhibited, one showing the blending of the white and 

 pink on one lip. Amongst other noticeable exhibits were collections of 

 fossil shells from the Eocene, Greensand, &c., collected by Mr. T. W. 

 Bell ; of recent shells of the district around Settrington, near Malton, 

 collected by Miss S. J. Pollard, of Leeds ; of the district around Tad- 

 caster, collected by Mast. Hy. A. Crowther ; also of Australian shells by 

 Mr. J. W. Taylor. — On the 1st November was held the first anniversary, 

 when the members took occasion to alter the title from " Leeds Concho- 

 logical Club " to the above, assuming that national character which, as the 

 first club or society of the kind thoroughly established in this country, 

 the members have a claim to. Its objects are — the promotion of concho- 

 logical science, the acquisition of a library, of a collection of shells, and 

 the publication of proceedings. The subscription is to be 10s. 6d. per 

 annum. The following ofiicers were elected : — President, Mr. W. Nelson ; 

 vice-president, Mr. J. W. Taylor ; treasurer, Mr. W. Denison Roebuck : 

 hon. secretary, Hy. Crowther, and a committee of seven members. — On 

 Nov. 15th, Mr. J. W. Taylor read a short paper on the species composing 

 the sub-genus Arioyita, in which with great care were specified not only 



