c 



THE LA RLE HOLMES NATURE LOVERS LEAGUE 255 



5 



\ The La Rue Holmes Nature Lovers League I 



By George Kingle, Summit, New Jersey 



"The Guide to Nature" is the official organ of the LaRue Holmes Nature League. It is im- 

 portant, for the general League interest, that the magazine be liberally supported, through the active 

 cooperation of League members — George Klingle. 



L. H. Nature League Motto: "S( lf-sacrifice; heroism for another." 



Interesting Habits of Pond Snails. 



BY ALFRED C. KIXSEY, SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. 



When the name of a snail is men- 

 tioned, how general is the attitude to 

 dismiss the topic as disagreeable! 



THREE VARIETIES OF COMMON POND 

 SNAILS. 



Possibly that old characterization, 

 ""slow as a snail," has been part of the 

 cause, but usually the thought is of the 

 land slug, miscalled a snail, and dis- 

 liked because of the trail of mucus left 

 "behind by the really beneficial animal. 

 But speaking of the true snails, and, 

 in these notes, particularly of the pond 

 snails, family Liuincridcc, it can truly 



be declared there are great delights in 

 their acquaintance. The structure of a 

 snail is so different from that of com- 

 moner life, while each species has such 

 peculiar habits, that our interest will 

 become strong. Again, these very 

 pond snails are of economic impor- 

 tance. One species is active in eating 

 insect larvae, while there is another 

 which annually, especially in England, 

 causes a loss of millions of dollars by 

 serving as host to the young of tiny 

 parasites which, when finally eaten, 

 will kill sheep. 



Almost every stream in North 

 America will be found to contain 

 plenty of the Limnccidce. Usually the 

 sand is thickly furrowed with trails 

 which lead to the animals. These may 

 easily be collected, and will live in al- 

 most any form of receptacle containing 

 plant life on which they may feed. 

 Since the creatures are not of hisfh 

 enough development to realize the 

 change, many interesting notes may be 

 taken by keeping a snailery. 



Before noting some of their habits, 

 it may be well to consider the struct- 

 ural characteristics of a snail. The 

 shell, the most noticeable part, is the 

 protective covering within which is 

 the very soft body. The organs are 

 small and very modified. There are 

 gills for breathing; the digestive sys- 

 tem consists of intestines opening 

 from a very peculiar mouth with a 

 tongue covered by many tiny teeth 

 which rasp off the food ; there is a heart 

 with a circulatory system whose working 

 may, in some cases, and particularly 

 in the land snails, be observed through 

 the lower surface of the shell ! The 

 senses, located almost entirely in the 

 tentacles or "horns," are, with the ex- 

 ception of touch and smell, undeveloped. 

 The rest of the body, the larger part, 



