146 NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
wealth of Molluscan life there existed, and now has been utterly destroyed by
the diversion of the stream in the formation of some huge reservoirs for the
East London Water Company. In many cases the bed was covered with
shells, amongst which were noticed Succinea elegans, fine, but decorticated ;
Vivipara vivipara, the green handless variety by no means rare ; Neritana
fluviatilis, varying much in colour, from a black and white tesselated form to a
pretty crimson one ; many also were trifasciated. Valvata piscinalis; Bythinia
tentaculata, and its variety alba, and a few specimens showing a pathological (?)
white line on the periphery: Limnaea pereger; L auricularia,. L palustris, not
common, and L. stagnalis. Of the last, some were very thin-shelled, and
showed marked ribs or striations, and one or two specimens found by me were
beautifully banded with white. Planorbis corneus was plentiful, but local, and
several places were found covered with its shells, which had been eaten,
probably, by Dyticus marginalis [see Jour. of Malacology, vol. vi., 30], by the
removal of the whole of one side of the shells, leaving the other perfect.
They were collected, after the manner of H. nemoralis, round a 'thrush' stone.
Planorbis marginatus, P. carinatus, P. vortex, and P. albus. Pisidium fontinale
and P amnicum ; Sphaerium corneum, very fine; S. lacustre and S rivicola, abun-
dant in spots, and fine ; Anodonta cygneus, and the form called anatina of Unio
pictorum, and V. tumidus, the latter of the two far outnumbering the former."
Duration of life of Helix pomatia.—It may be interesting to put on
record a fact bearing upon longevity in the Mollusca. On the 3rd of June,
1894, in company with Prof. Meldola, I found two living specimens of Helix
pomatia at Newlands Corner, near Gomshall, Surrey. The snails were quite
full grown, but I have no evidence of their age when taken. We kept them
as pets, and fed them, when active, exclusively upon garden lettuce. They
hybernated every year, by closing up the mouth of the shell with the secreted
epiphragm, from October to about the end of March or beginning of April.
One of the specimens was accidentally killed at the end of two years, but its
companion is still alive and apparently quite healthy, judging from its weight,
although now (November, 1899) in its winter sleep. Presuming the Helix was
two years old when found, it is now at least 71/2 years old and I hope that it
may live much longer.—B. G. Cole, Buckhurst Hill.
BOTANY.
PHANEROGAMIA.
Notes on Essex Plants.—Valerianella auricula, D. C. At pages 228--9 of
vol. ix. Essex Naturalist, a new habitat (Coggeshall) for this plant is
recorded. It may be of interest to give two more places where it has been
recently found, more especially as I believe it had been apparently lost to the
County Flora for nearly twenty years, the original locality (Walls of Colches-
ter), as given in Gibson's Flora, not now furnishing specimens. One plant
was found in a field at the Fennes, Bocking, in 1898, and several at Rayne in
1899, all the localities being corn-fields.
Bupleurum rotundifolium, L. occurs sparingly in corn-fields at Rayne. The
nearest station given in Gibson's Flora is White Notley,
Lemna minor, L. ; L. polyrrhiza, L. ; and L, gibba. L., were all found
associated in one pond near Danbury, in August, 1899. This last is a rare and
local species.—Edwin E, Turner, Coggeshall.