Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 2 (1878).djvu/147

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
LAND AND FRESHWATER MOLLUSCA OF SUSSEX.
125

Newtimber and between Brighton and Lewes. The only locality off the chalk in which I have found it is Flexham Park, near Pelworth.—B. Not uncommon in the vicinity of Uppark.—W. Coghurst Wood, Hastings (H), and in the neighbourhood of Brighton, where, however, it is considered rare (M). It is generally found in damp situations in woods amongst dead leaves and moss and under nettles and Mercurialis perennis, as well as on the trunks of trees.

Azeca tridens. The Glossy Trident Shell.—May be regarded as a link between Bulimus and Clausilia. Very local; amongst moss on the sides of bushy valleys of the South Downs, and occasionally in woods near the South Downs. Abundant in a valley near Dalegate, in the parish of Newtimber.—B. Found occasionally in the neighbourhood of Uppark in company with Zua lubrica.—W.

Zua lubrica. The Common Varnished Shell.—Abundant under stones and leaves; at the bottom of walls and posts where sheltered by herbage; and amongst the roots of grass in meadows.

Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys places this and the last-named species in the same genus, Cochlicopa, notwithstanding their very different structure. Azeca tridens has the mouth furnished with teeth and folds, the outer lip notched and the inner lip thickened. Zua lubrica possesses exactly opposite characters.

Achatina acicula. The Needle Agate Shell.—Under chalk on the South Downs; often buried some inches below the surface and may be mistaken at first sight for a little white maggot, the shell being long, thin and cylindrical, and rather smooth. It is not uncommon on the hills around Hollingbnry Camp, near Brighton, and on Clayton Hill, one of the South Downs range.—B. Also at the foot of East Harting Down.—W. It is probably local rather than rare, and seems to be confined to localities where the soil is calcareous.

Fam. Carychiidæ.

Carychium minimum. The Little Sedge Shell.—May be looked for at the roots of grass and other plants, and amongst moss in damp situations. In winter it may be discovered in the hollow stems of the larger umbelliferous marsh plants. From its very minute size, being one of the smallest of our laud shells, a careful