354 MR - HENRY LAVER ON HELIX POMATIA, L., AT GRIMSTON. 
V. 
HELIX POMATIA , L., AT GRIMSTON. 
By Henry Laver, F.S.A. 
(Communicated by Mr. T. Southwell, F.Z.S.) 
Read 27th November, 1906. 
Helix pomatia. The apple snail. The Roman snail. The 
question whether this snail is a true native of Britain, or 
whether those found in various parts of the southern counties 
of England were imported, especially in those districts where 
remains of Roman camps, towns, or villas occur, is of consid- 
erable interest to conchologists in coming to any conclusions 
on this subject. Popularly in many parts where they are 
found they are always spoken of as Roman snails, the opinion 
being, that they are escapes from those introduced by the 
Romans for use by their cooks. If it be a fact that we owe 
this snail to the Romans, it is strange we do not find it more 
frequently in Roman middens, in other than districts where 
the subsoil is calcareous, for these are the localities where it 
is generally discovered. However it became a denizen of 
Britain, it does not now live anywhere excepting in chalky 
or limestone districts, and even there it is very local. It 
appears that it is not found in any part of the county of 
Norfolk at the present time, and the fact of large numbers 
of the shells of this snail having been found amongst the 
rubbish and in the middens of the Roman villa, excavated 
a few days ago at Grimston, must be a matter of interest to 
the conchologists of Norfolk. In this instance it is a fair 
presumption, the snail not occurring in the county, that their 
appearance here is due to the fact that they were imported 
