140 



THE MUSEUM. 



i 



perhaps two or more, incomplete in- 

 dividuals would occur, so much larger 

 than all the rest, as to suggest the 

 question. Why do we not find finished 

 shell of this larger size? 



Two solutions of this question have 

 presented themselves as possible, 

 though neither of them is quite satis- 

 factory. One is that the animal has 

 power to absorb its shell and recon- 

 struct it of a smaller size. The other, 

 which seems more probable, is, that 

 these overgrown individuals, are ab- 

 normal, deformed and never come to 

 perfection. Thus, being thin and 

 fragile, they soon crumble and disap- 

 pear. I have thought that I found 

 proof or evidence that mollusks ha\e 

 power to absorb and reform their shell. 

 From Melania and Paludina, which 

 are Viviparous, I used to preserve the 

 young found in process of cleaning the 

 shells. Observing that they were quite 

 blunt at the ape.x, and that somehow 

 in their growth toward materity, they 

 became sharp pointed, I could in no 

 other way account for this than by 

 supposing that they absorb the shell, 

 and reconstructed it after a smaller 

 pattern. I will admit for what it is 

 worth, the possibility of inaccuracy in 

 my observations when comparing small 

 things with great. Thus a very short 

 cone might appear blunt, while, if in- 

 creased ten-fold, the bluntness would 

 be, relatively, quite little. Yet this 

 view does not satisfy me, and I still 

 think my first impressions were cor- 

 rect. Will not some one by accurate 

 measurements settle this question. 



On the beach to the eastward of 

 Matanzas the habits of a Cyclostoma 

 struck me as note worthy. A hundred 

 yards or more from the shore, the 

 ridge formed of sand and broken shells 

 is overgrown with various trees and 

 bushes, which this shell ascends proba- 

 bly to feed on some lichen. But if 

 the tree leaned at any considerable 

 angle, say twenty-five or thirty de- 

 grees, no shell could be found on it. 

 And of the bushes, too, it had its 

 choice as to size also. None seemed 



to venture up a bush, or there was no 

 attraction for them, if it were not 

 larger than the finger or thumb. It 

 may very well be, that on the small 

 bushes they find nothing to eat; but 

 the same reason cannot be given for 

 iheir refusal to ascend the larger lean- 

 ing ones. 



It has been said above that in win- 

 ter shells mostly lie dormant, not on 

 account of the cold, but of the drjness. 

 But if, at this season a heavy shower 

 occurs, which is not very unusual, they 

 come out of their hiding places and 

 appear to be feeding; not, indeed in 

 such numbers as during the summer, 

 for already many are dead. Now let 

 a norther, which is a drying wind, 

 spring up, and they haste away to 

 their retreats with all possible speed. 

 Such a shower occurred on a winter 

 night when I was in the neighborhood 

 of Guane, where there are excellent 

 rocks for shells, and many and various 

 shells among the rocks. Early in the 

 morning I found some specimens of 

 JMclaniella Picliardi. They were not 

 abundant, though I saved a considera- 

 ble number, and was desirous of col- 

 lecting more of them, as it is by no 

 means common. While I was at 

 breakfast a light norther began blow- 

 ing, I made but a short stay, and re- 

 turned to the rocks, in hopes, though 

 not confident of finding more. Not 

 one was to be seen however. Similar 

 effects are produced by a norther on 

 other shells. Just at night I have dis- 

 covered Cyclostoma salcbrosuin, in 

 numbers, on rocks, where, in the 

 morning, if a norther prevailed during 

 the night, not one could be found but 

 by searching among the leaves at the 

 base of the rocks. This shell, with 

 some others, as Cyc. rotundatum, and 

 Cyc. undatum, have a way of letting 

 go and rolling to the bottom of the 

 rock if it be inclined (and they seem 

 to prefer such) when they see a hand 

 approaching; and this, apparently, 

 when they have not even one eye 

 open. It would seem as if they felt 

 the approach of danger. 



