185 



had never known them stray from that spot. He had lived in the place for many 

 years, and could always get a few specimens there, but nowhere else at hand. 



Helix pisana.-Th\s shell has certain narrow limits for its existence. At 

 Tenby it flourishes, and there are one or two Irish habitats for it. It has also 

 been found in Cornwall. 



Then, again, how very local Helix pomatia is, and how impossible it is to 

 acclimatize 'it "elsewhere. Why are these three last-named shells so extremely 

 difficult to grow elsewhere than where they are now found? Two workers tried 

 to transport Helix pisa,ia some years since, so as to make a new colony in a fresh 

 spot. Twenty dozen of the finest and healthiest were placed in private grounds, 

 as nearly as possible of the same geological formation and surroundings as the 

 original home ; they faded away very soon ; they were an utter failure. There 

 must be something to solve the difficulty, which as yet is not known to us. 



On the other hand, however, many of our shells n.ay have become 

 colonized with us, which have been long considered truly British. This would 

 apply more particularly to the water shells. The habit they have of forming a 

 mouthpiece or membranous lid, by means of which all air is excluded, and so the 

 animal is for weeks or months enabled to retain its moisture without drying up, 

 until heavy dews or rain or water enables it so to do, would allow many a shell to 

 be revived in our country from whatever part of the world it may have come. In 

 this way roots of water plants, such as cotton, anacharis, &c., would be a very 

 good medium for them. 



One of our commonest shells. Helix aspersa, I have never seen alive in my 

 rambles at home ; and yet it grows in the neighbourhood not many miles away. 

 Why should this be ? It is said to be absent in the higher table lands of North 



Wales. 



In former days some of the snails were used medicinally; they were 

 thought to be very good in early stages of decline and consumption. They are 

 used also for food. There is a snail market at Valencia. In Morocco and 

 Algeria also, snails are largely consumed. Helix pomatia is eaten extensively by 

 the Spaniards. They eat nearly all snails large enough to be C(msumed. The 

 women who sell them crack them open witli their teeth. If made into a broth 

 they are cooked with onions so as to be made very savoury. In England, the 

 Portland mutton is said to be very good, probably in consequence of the large 

 quantity of small shells consumed by the sheep. 



If you examine the structure of snail shells you will see that some of them 

 have the coil or twist of the shell different from others. This is easily shown if 

 you take an ordinary snail alive, then let it crawl, you will see that the coil twists 

 from left to right perhaps, in other species the coil will be from right to left. 

 These twists are very regular as a n.ile, so much so that it is considered a piece of 

 good fortune to obtain a specimen which is abnormal ; if procured, as necessarily 

 is very unusual, one is reminded that a left-handed man is eccentric, so snails 



may be. 



Do slugs and snails see ? Truly enough they project horns from their 

 heads, but most likely not for visionary powers, but for the sake of feeling their 



k 



