Wildlife Trust have all but cured land snails’. Common & Putney Heath:A natural the disturbance menace.The Abstract history, edited by Tony Drakeford contents western side borders on an In 1890 E.A. Smith was and Una Sutcliffe, was published industrial estate where there may confronted with the shell of an by the Conservators in 2000. 2 be more species associated with unknown African land snail. Copies of this at a special price Society information urban disturbance. It is easily of £15 are obtainable on site Describing it as Ennea Society website accessible from Lincoln and we aenigmatica, he wrote “the orifice from the Warden’s office.The can use the Lidl car park of this little snail…it seems Visitor Centre will be open with 3 (Lincolnshire WildlifeTrust has an impossible to convey with words access to a stereo microscope to Field meeting report arrangement with them).The any adequate idea of it.” Our examine finds. Angling Spring Wood & Mollusc voluntary warden should be able ways with words have not Bring: pond gear and leaf-litter to be with us on the day. Ashfield Estate improved since Smith’s time, and sieves, hand lens etc. Liz Biles If time permits we will be able to we are still some way from Refreshments are available at the 4-5 visit Whisby Nature Park [grid understanding aenigmatica and its Windmill Cafe at lunch time. ref. SK 915 660] in the many relatives in the Bredon Hill Society contacts afternoon.This is an old gravel Streptaxidae.The hundreds of Harry Green Conch Soc: Ron Boyce (0118 935 working on the west of Lincoln, species in Africa alone show a 6 now managed by LWT. It has range of shell form at least as 1413) email: some fields with orchids, and lots great as any other pulmonate [email protected] Canal Boats with a of water. family.As if to add further 447c Wokingham Road, Earley, Snail Theme World ISSUE No.10 The soil is, as would be mystery, it appears they are all Reading RG6 7EL Jane Bonney expected, sandy. Snails are more predatory, feeding entirely on London Natural History Society: 8 abundant there than slugs.The other snails, and their exotic Mick Massey (020 8995 0926) MARCH 2006 warden will be able to direct us genitalia systems have to be seen 26 Dukes Avenue, Chiswick, Yorkshire Notes to ‘hot spots’ and most records to be believed. Systematic studies London W4 2AE David Lindley should be new for the site. of this group, using both old and FIELD - Saturday 7 October 9 new techniques, are the basis for Bring wellingtons and water Bracklesham Bay,West Sussex The Gibraltarian snail my PhD project with Cardiff sampling equipment. Marine/fossil joint meeting with Alex Menez University and the National Newbury Geology Group and FIELD - Saturday 8 July Museum of Wales. By September 10-14 Kent Geologists’ Group. Stanford reservoir, Leicestershire. I ought to have results to present Collecting dead shells Low tide 0.2 m is at 17:40 bst Leader: James Potter – though in some ways, the Sebastian Payne Leader: Adrian Rundle (0116 279 9029) (home) number of mysteries will only (020 8878 6645) (home) 15 [email protected] increase. YCS - Saturday 14 October Corbicula fluminea in This meeting at Stanford YCS - Saturday and Sunday North York Moors. the River Thames Reservoir is to survey land and 9-10 September Contact: David Lindley Mark Davison freshwater molluscs.The Forest of Bowland. (0113 2697047) (home) reservoir was built 80 years ago Contact: David Lindley Disappointed snail [email protected] and is now operated by Severn (0113 2697047) (home) enthusiast Trent Water Ltd, and the [email protected] 1km recording. Jim Logan surrounding area is managed by Meet at 10:30h at the parking 1km recording in VC64 south of 16 Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust area on the A171, grid ref. NZ the A65, a very under recorded as a bird reserve.Although it has 945002. Sn@ilmail 2 area on this scale. had a continuous bird ringing Dr Mary B Seddon Meet at 10:30h at the car park in NHM – Saturday 21 October programme in place for 30 years, 17 it has never been subject to a Slaidburn on both days, grid ref. 14:30h in the Demonstration survey of its mollusc populations. SD 713523. Room. Periostracum We welcome as Guest Speaker Amanda Millar The site offers a range of FIELD - Saturday 16 September Geraldine Holyoak from habitats including rough Wimbledon Common, South 19 Camborne on the subject of grassland, pasture, scrub and London. A Mediaeval Scallop small trees, and also a range of ‘Land molluscs of Malta’. Joint meeting with the London Shell freshwater aquatic environments Natural History Society. WKSHP – Saturday Peter Topley including the reservoir bordered 25 November by reed beds, a settling pond, and Leader: June Chatfield Oysters & Horseshoes (01420 82214) (home) The annual workshop held in various channels of flowing water Woking offers members the Alex Menez Meet in the free car park for entering, exiting, and running opportunity to receive tuition on 20 Wimbledon Common by the alongside the reservoir. identifying difficult groups. windmill (OS grid ref.TQ Survey in the Meet in the public car park Bookings to Judith Nelson (01483 232726) at 10:30h. Forest of Dean adjacent to The Shambles public 761210)(home) David Long house in Lutterworth (SP 576 We plan to survey the land and Provisional subject: Pisidium from 844) at 10:30h. fresh water molluscs of the samples 21 Bring wellingtons and water common to be added to the Richard Hungerford/ conservation database. NHM – Saturday 9 December sampling equipment. 14:30h in the Demonstration Patrick Manson Wimbledon Common was saved Room. ? NHM – Saturday 9 September from development in the late We welcome as Guest Speaker 14:30h in the Demonstration nineteenth century and is owned 22 John Llewellyn-Jones from West Room. and managed by the Wimbledon The SCAN project Mersea on the subject of ‘Slugs We welcome as Guest Speaker & Putney Commons Danielle Cowell and snails and -----?’. Ben Rowson from Cardiff on the Conservators; it is also an SSSI. ISSN 1740-1070 subject of ‘The enigma of the An excellent book - Wimbledon 23-24 Streptaxidae, a group of tropical Diary THE MAGAZINE OF THE CONCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND 28 Editorial This volume contains a substantial article say that my call in MW9 for members to In November 2005, Roy Anderson’s new by Bas Payne in which he investigates the give their opinions and to air their views Diary of Meetings - Conchological Society checklist of the non-marine Mollusca of effects of collecting dead shells on a Thai has had no response at all! Recent Programme Secretary: Ron Boyce, 447c Wokingham Road, Earley, Reading, Berkshire RG6 7EL Britain & Ireland was published in beach. Many issues are raised regarding exchanges of emails amongst Council Journal of Conchology 38: 607-638. This the effects of this type of small-scale members have resulted in the opinion that IMPORTANT: Please remember to for the degradational processes marine site at Porth Dinllaen on area, mainly in very dry welcome list will form the basis for collecting, which are insignificant in Mollusc World should be used for inform the leader if you are which may have affected the the Lleyn Peninsula where this conditions, and they promise to ongoing Society’s recording schemes. I comparison to the commercial collecting members to give updates of projects they attending a field meeting. If you are deposit, suggests that they were uniquely sheltered bay hosts an provide a good range of therefore request that in future all authors of living material for the shell trade. Bas are involved in, rather than appearing as a held up in traffic or your public brought to the site in worn extensive area of eelgrass. terrestrial molluscs. transport is delayed, it may be condition, or they may have been submitting articles to Mollusc World has requested member’s feedback and I line or two in annual reports. So…..I’m There will also be two non- FIELD - Saturday and Sunday possible to ring the Programme subjected to man-made follow this nomenclature. We have also ask that Mollusc World be used as a waiting…………… marine sites on Anglesey where 3-4 June Secretary on 07941 094395 on the modification after collection. the group can visit a fresh water Borders (Roxburghshire). Joint arrived into the twenty first century!! vehicle for debate. However, I have to Ian Killeen day of the meeting for information Glycymeris glycymeris is a species lake and the National Nature meeting with Scottish Borders on the location of the field site for which worn shells have been Reserve at Newborough Warren. Biological Records Centre being surveyed. reported from archaeological Mollusc World Society Notes sites throughout the The initial meeting point will be Leader: Adrian Sumner Indoor meetings at the Natural Mediterranean area and the at the car park adjacent to Llyn (01620 894640) (home) Mollusc World is published 3 times a year by the Founded in 1876 the Please pay by one of: History Museum will take place in Iberian Peninsula, and occasionally Rhos-ddu at Newborough [email protected] the Palaeontology Demonstration Warren,Anglesey at SH 426647 Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland at the Conchological Society of Great from the British Isles.A high This will be a meeting to look for Room at the end of Gallery 30. at 10:00h on Wednesday 26 April. slugs and snails, mainly in end of March, July and November, and is issued free of Britain & Ireland is one of the Sterling cheque drawn on a UK proportion of these shells bear a hole in the umbo; various From here, the group will woodland sites, in under- oldest existing societies devoted bank and made out to “The charge to members.