THE MUSEUM. 



139 



Shells have a season of hibernation 

 in hot climates as well as in cold: but 

 in the former, the cause of their inac- 

 tivity is dryness; the latter, low tem- 

 perature. If the draught be protected 

 the greater part seek a retreat where 

 some degree of moisture prevails. For 

 example, in the ground or among the 

 tiead leaves covering it: in a hollow 

 tree or in the crevices of the bark: un- 

 der stones or among the leaves of 

 epiphitic Tillandsias. But occasionally 

 an individual is found abroad at this 

 season, and repeated e.xamination led 

 me to discover a reason for it; whether 

 it is the reason, remains for wiser ones 

 to determine. These shell are com- 

 monly stuck fast where they are found, 

 and not merely adhering as in a time 

 of rest in the wet season. And they 

 have all been injured, the shell more 

 or less broken. Are they going to die.' 

 Are they undergoing repairs.' This 

 last seemed to me more probable. 

 They are always, in part at least, 

 grown together, not quite symmetrical- 

 ly often, but generally quite firmly. 

 Do they eat by night as in the rainy 

 season.' This I cannot assert. The 

 firmness of their attachment would in- 

 dicate that they do not. So uniform 

 has been my experience in this case, 

 that now, if I see an Achatina or a 

 large Helicina on a tree in the dry 

 season, however inviting they may ap- 

 pear at a distance, I pass them by as 

 worthless. 



Oleacina and its allies are carnivor- 

 ous snails. They have a smooth, 

 polished delicate shell, yet possesses 

 the power to capture and devour 

 others many times larger than them- 

 selves, besides being protected with a 

 firm shell and a closely fitting hard 

 operculum. Not unfrequentiy we find 

 large shells like ffcliciita rcgiiia or 

 H. sngmana quietly submitting to be 

 devoured by an Oleacina, which it has 

 the strength to walk off with, as easily 

 as a tortoise could carry away a 

 mouse. Wherein lies their great 

 strength.' I can offer a suggestion. I 

 have ofter been in such situations on 



the face of a vertical cliff, that I need- 

 ed both hands for support. At such 

 times if a shell attracted my attention, 

 I used to put it between my lips till I 

 reached a place where both hands 

 were free. Thus I learned that the 

 watery orjslimy secretions which all 

 these animals emit, in the case of this 

 group, is bitter: and in the larger 

 species, very decidedly so. I can 

 hardly doubt that the secret of the 

 power which these snails possess is to 

 be sought here. May not this bitter- 

 ness produce a benumbing effect on 

 their prey.' I have discovered a like 

 bitterness in no other shell, and I col- 

 lected many species in this way, using 

 my mouth as a temporary box. 



Proserpina has a shell of like struct- 

 ure as that of an Oleacina. Once I 

 found one in close contact with a Me- 

 laniella, this, together with its struct- 

 ure, led me to suspect that it, too, is 

 carniverous. Who knows .' Will an 

 examination of the tongue tell.' Will 

 some one try it.' I once amused my- 

 self capsizing these little fellows, and 

 if they did not manifest real anger, 

 there was a good imitation of it. 

 Turned on its back, it lashed its tail 

 about violently for a snail; or I might 

 say it behaved mulishly and kicked, 

 the organ thus forcibly used being 

 called the foot, I believe. The in- 

 verted position seemed a painful or 

 disagreeable one. 



I hesitate to record an observation 

 repeatedl}' made on account of the ap- 

 parent improbability of the fact, and 

 the difficulty of explaining it. Indi- 

 viduals of some species of shells, many 

 times vary greatly in size as well as 

 color. In other speciis the said var- 

 iations are slight. In one or more 

 species of Cyclostoma of this latter 

 kind, I have often found young indi- 

 viduals considerably larger than fully 

 grown. There could be no shadow of 

 a doubt that these were all the same 

 species, and not two distinct ones liv- 

 ing together. Among a dozen or two 

 fully formed shells and others nearly 

 grown, all agreeing well in size, one, 



