PLATE LXXXIV. 



white thick cover or operculum, dull and like plaister, and in the 

 closed state it remains till the beginning of April, or warm weather, 

 at which time it loosens the border of the cover, and the animal 

 creeps out of the shell for its necessary occasions. Dr. Lister in- 

 forms us he kept one in his bosom about the beginning of March, 

 when the animal, feeling the warmth, in a few hours disengaged its 

 cover, and crept out. 



" The animal being large, fleshy, and not of an unpleasant taste, 

 has been used for food in ancient times : it was a favourite dish with 

 the Romans, who had their cochlearia, or snail stews, wherein they 

 bred and fattened them. Pliny tells us, that the first inventor of this 

 luxury was a Fulvius Harpinus, a little before the civil wars between 

 Caesar and Pompey. Varro has handed down to us a description of 

 the stews, and manner of making them : He says, open places were 

 chose, surrounded by water, that the snails might not abandon them, 

 and care was taken that the places were not much exposed to the sun, 

 or to the dews. The artificial stews were generally made under rocks 

 or eminences, whose bottoms were watered by lakes or rivers ; and 

 if a natural dew or moisture was not found, they formed an artificial 

 one, by bringing a pipe to it bored full of holes, like a watering 

 pot, by which the place was continually sprinkled or moistened. The 

 snails required little attention or food, for as they crawled they found 

 it on the floor or area, and on the walls or sides, if not hindered by 

 the surrounding water. They were fed with bran and sodden lees 

 of wines, or like substances, and a few laurel leaves were thrown 

 on it. 



" Pliny tells us there were many sorts, as the Whitish from Um- 

 bria, the large sort from Dalmatia, and the African, &c. This par- 



