234 
ST. ALBANS AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 
Helix pomatia is rare; it lias been recorded from Wheat- 
liampstead and Verulam Woods, St. Albans. Many members 
of the family Helicidse are abundant. Helicella cantiana and 
Hygromia rufescens with its vars. rubens, albocincta, and alba, 
are common hedgerow forms, and reference must be made to the 
following species, which are all more or less abundant:— 
Helicella virgata and vars. subalbida, albicans, and lutescens, 
H. itala, H. cajperata, Hygromia hispida, H. granulata (Sandridge 
and Munden), Acanthinula aculeata (Symond’s Hyde), Vallonia 
pulcliella, V. excentrica, V. costata, Helicigona lapicida (Sand¬ 
ridge), H. arbustorum (the var. fuscescens equals the type in 
numbers) , Helix aspersa, the protean H. nemoralis, and jff. hortensis, 
whose vars. lilacina, incarnata, and lutea may be found in 
hedgerows on the St. Albans - Hatfield Road. 
To cite exact localities for the commoner freshwater shells 
would be tedious, but the following list of those known to occur 
in the low-lying valley between St. Albans and the boundary 
of the district near Munden may be of interest Ancylus 
fluviatilis, Acroloxus lacustris, Limnsea auricularia, L. pereger, 
L. palustris, L. stagnalis, Planorbis corneus, P. carinatus, 
P. umbilicatus, P. vortex, P. spirorbis, P. contortus, Physa 
fontinalis, Aplecta hypnorum, Bithynia tentaculata, B. leachii, 
Valvata piscinalis, V. cmstata, Anodonta cygnea, Sphoerium 
corneum, S. lacustre, Pisidium amnicum, P. henslowianum, 
P. subtruncatum, P. pulchellum, P. casertanum, P. pusillum., 
P. obtusale, and P. gassiesianum. 
Limndea truncatula is apparently rare, but has been taken 
near London Colney. Planorbis albus, P. crista, and P. lineatus 
are all recorded for the neighbourhood of Sandridge, and 
Sphserium lacustre from a pond at North Minims. Vivipara 
vivipara occurs sparingly in the River Ver. 
3. Insecta. 
The physical features of the immediate neighbourhood of 
St. Albans do not differ materially from those of the greater 
part of the County of Hertford. There is very little waste land, 
and untilled flowery places, loved of entomologists, where bees 
and butterflies revel among the blossoms of tall umbellifers and 
other plants, are becoming increasingly difficult to find. The 
rural districts are generally in a high state of cultivation, under 
either plough or pasture, but considerable areas are covered with 
timber, the luxuriant growth of the trees, especially the oaks, 
making the woodlands a characteristic and beautiful feature 
in a Hertfordshire landscape. In these old woods, which are 
often of considerable extent, much game is raised, and as 
a consequence the visits of entomologists are not always 
welcomed, but where permission can be obtained to work in 
the ridings and clearings, interesting results can generally be 
attained. At Bricket Wood there is a large stretch of boggy 
land, covered with underwood, known as the Scrubs, and the 
