CHAPTER XII 



AIR-BREATHING SNAILS AND SLUGS 



We must now leave the sea and all the plenitude 

 of life that finds its home along the shores of the 

 ocean, and search for the molluscan forms that live 

 upon the dry land. By their very nature, however, 

 we need not expect to find them where there is no 

 chance to obtain considerable moisture, tor in drv 

 climates they are liable to perish, even if once intro- 

 duced. So we will search for them in the shade of 

 forests, around springs and brooks, in damp, dark 

 places where the sun seldom shines, and especially 

 along the borders of the ocean, where there is a great 

 abundance of foggy weather; for though we some- 

 times wish that the fog would blow away, we must 

 remember that the same dripping, heavy tog means 

 life to the snails, as well as to many plants. 



Most snails have an aversion to sunlight, espe- 

 cially if it is bright, and so they come out of their 

 lurking places and secure their food in the night, and 

 when morning has come and you go out to look for 

 them they have disappeared. Perhaps your young 

 peas and pansies have disappeared also, and nothing 

 is left but a shining film of dry mucus, which glis- 

 tens in the morning sunshine and clearly tells you 

 what has been going on during the hours when you 

 were asleep in your bed. 



All of the snails need air, though not in very large 

 quantities, for they are proverbially slow in their mo- 



