BULIMUS.— Plate I. 
layer of epidermis becomes saturated, and the ground 
colour of the sheE is seen through it; as the moistoe 
evaporates, the epidermis resumes its Mght appearance. 
Sir David Brewster, in reply to a letter from Mr. Broderip 
on this subject, says : “ It appears to me, from very careful 
observations, that the epidermis consists of two layers, 
and that it is only the upper layer which is porous 
wherever the pattern is white. These white or porous 
portions of the epidermis differ from the other parts of 
the upper layer only in having been deprived of, or in 
never having possessed, the element which gives trans- 
parency to the membrane ; in the same manner as hydro- 
phanous opal has become white, from the expulsion of 
its w'ater of crystaUization.” 
There is Ettle variety in the animal of Bulimus ; the 
ChOian species are mostly of a Eght colotu, and a few in 
this and the Columbian district are spotted, some having 
a transparent sheU through which the spots are visible. 
The PhEippine species are, without exception, of a sombre 
olivaceous brown, and dweU in fanuly groups, as it were, 
among the shady foliage of the branches. Out of a group 
of some dozen Eving specimens not more than three or 
four may be found in an adult state with the bp of the 
sheE reflected. They may be dislodged by shaking the 
branches, but are chiefly disturbed by the heavy rains 
with which those islands are at times visited. Mr. Cuming 
prefereed, however, to coEect them in dry sunny weather, 
because he was sure of finding the objects of his search in 
their shady places of retreat. In the immense sandy tract 
on the west side of the Andes, the reverse of this con- 
dition of nature prevaEs. The Bulimi are here physicaEy 
very distinct ; some reside aE the year round upon the 
numerous Cacti, but during the dry season, which lasts 
for several months, they mostly Eve in a state of torpor, 
inclosed within then- sheE by an epiphragm, and buried 
in the sand or under stones. On the approach of the 
dews, they revive to a state of animation, and crawl about 
at night in quest of food. 
In Elustration of the remarkable drought that prevaEs 
in Northern ChEi, and of its effect upon moEuscous life, 
I am tempted to repeat, in brief, an anecdote related to 
me by Mr. Cuming. On the arrival of our friend at the 
Port of Copiapo in 1829, he discovered the beautiful 
Bnlimm Broderipii in considerable numbers, in the fissures 
of the rocks that may be seen here and there in the sandy 
plains of that country. Finding a large proportion of 
them dead, with the soft parts entirely decomposed, he 
requested a solitary inhabitant of the place to coEect as 
many specimens as he could pick out aEve whEst he 
occupied himseE with botanizing. Eeturning from his 
excursion, Mr. Cuming was greatly disappointed to find 
that among the quantity his ChEian coEector had accumu- 
lated, there was scarcely one in a Eving state. Upon 
remonstrating with him for his inattention, the native 
replied : “ Only wait tEl the dews come, and they wEl be 
aE alive again.” Mr. Cuming rejoined : “ I suppose you 
mean when it rains.” The man, however, in perfect aston- 
ishment inquired what he meant ; though a sexagenarian, 
he had never heard of such a thing as rain. 
The Bulimi vary in their mode of propagation : fragEe 
species, with the Ep of the sheE simple, are mostly vivi- 
parous, w'hEst those with a reflected Ep are oviparous. 
The arboreal species of the PhEippines deposit their eggs 
in Ettle clusters on the trees, between two leaves which 
the animal manages to curl up one upon the other, so as 
to form a receptacle for their protection ; and, so far as 
Mr. Cuming’s observations go, they are aE soft Eke 
snake’s eggs, with the single exception of the B. Min- 
doroensis, in which instance the eggs are. calcareous, 
deposited upon the leaf in paraEel rows, each standing 
perpendicularly on end, attached at the base by a glutinous 
substance. 
The habits of the Bulimi in the two widely remote 
countries explored by Mr. Cuming, having been treated of 
in the foregoing remarks, it only remains to speak of them 
in other parts. Tirming to New HoEand we are unex- 
pectedly surprised to find that the genus is represented 
to an extremely limited extent. I am not aware of more 
than three species having been found in this wide expanse 
of country, although several fine Helices have been dis- 
covered ; and in a region of which the Faima and Flora 
exhibit so luxuriant and distinctive a character, the scarcity 
of a genus of so much importance in the Eastern Isles is 
remarkable. The same observation appEes to New Zealand, 
from whence, so far as the interior of the islands of that 
group has been visited, no more than one or two species 
have been received. In Africa the Bulimi are almost 
as great strangers as in the locaEties just spoken of; 
throughout the whole extent of land yet explored of this 
vast continent, scarcely a dozen species have been ob- 
tained. The Bulimi are here replaced by Achathtee. 
Such a phenomenon may also be observed in some of the 
islands of the Pacific ; in the Sandwich Islands the Bulimi 
are replaced by the genus Acliatinella, and in the Society 
Islands their place is occupied by the Fartula. In the 
West Indies the genera Achatina and Glaudina seem to 
prevaE. Howsoever abimdant is the genus Bulimus in 
most of the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, few 
species appear to inhabit the great territories of India and 
China. On the coast of Borneo a beautfful species was 
