hand- snails 365 



Umbilicus percejotible only in young specimens. 

 The Garden Snail is widely distributed throughout 

 these islands, and in some places is remarkably 

 abundant. Each individual deposits about a hundred 

 eggs, so that, unless the thrushes, blackbirds, and 

 glow-worms come to his aid, the prospects of the 

 cultivator are very bad. They go into hiberna- 

 tion rather early, many clustering together, and 

 attaching the mouth to the shells of their fellows in 

 some snug corner. They have their regular roosting 

 place, from Avhich marked individuals have been 

 noted to emerge on their food-finding expeditions at 

 evening, and returning to the identical spot next 

 morning, much as the limpet does to his pit on the 

 rocks. A few years since I noticed that a Ricliardia, 

 that stood in a large pot in front of the house, had 

 been much eaten, and a large thick-shelled aspersa 

 was found clinging to the shady side of the pot. 

 Pencilling my initals on his shell I hurled the snail as 

 far as I could. Next morning he was again attached 

 to the pot, though to regain it he had to cross a very 

 broad road and climb a low wall. A second and a 

 third time the same thing happened ; but the third 

 time his shell was a good deal damaged ; and when, 

 after again hurling him away, he did not return I 

 concluded that the coastguard's foot had come upon 

 him in the dark. Mr. C. Ashford, experimenting in 

 the same way, marked seven aspersa with white 

 paint as they lay under a broken flagstone. At ten 

 p.m. three of them had disappeared, but they were 

 back next morning. That night at ten o'clock it was 

 found that five had gone off, but the following 

 morning six out of seven were at home again. The 



