HELIX POMATIA. 219 
At the present day this species is still very largely used for food, more 
especially in catholic countries, as the Romish Church permits their use as 
food during the Lenten season. 
Fic. 295.—Cochleare, or Roman silver spoon, found at Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire, 
reduced to about half size of original (from Sir John Evans’ collection). 
Fic. 296.—Cochleare, or Roman silver spoon, found near Woodchester, Gloucestershire, reduced 
to about half size of original (from Sir John Evans’ collection). 
iG. 297.—Cochleare, or Roman silver spoon, ound in the Thames, reduced to about half size 
of original (from Sir John Evans’ collection). 
Fic. 298.—Imperfect Cochleare or spoon, formed of bone, and found at Lanuvium, in the Alban 
Hills, near Rome, three-fourths natural size (photographed by Mr. Henry Crowther from the 
original in the Savile collection, Leeds Museum). 
Snail farms mainly for the cultivation and fattening of this species are 
even at this day scattered over various parts of Western Europe, and one 
at Chalet St. Denis near Fribourg, described by the late Mr. Darbishire, 
which fattens 60,000 to 80,000 H. pomatia annually, was constituted by a 
large meadow fenced in by boards about a foot in height. 'The snails 
needed to stock the farm each spring, are gathered by the labourers in the 
vicinity, and placed in one half of the meadow, and left there until July, 
when they are transferred to the other half, which is divided by hoardings 
about a foot in height into numerous squares, like an enormous chess- 
board; these spaces are filled with moss, the snails being fed therein 
upon cabbage until they become very fat and of a greenish-white colour ; 
on the approach of winter the snails burrow into the moss, and fix them- 
selves mouth upwards, closing the aperture of the shell with a thick and 
‘aleareous winter epiphragin ; in this condition they can be exported, and 
are worth seventeen francs per thousand; some, however, do not form 
epiphragms, and as they must be used more quickly only realize ten francs 
per thousand. Paris alone is said to consume fifty tons daily when in 
season. 
The great and increasing use of this molluse as food and the consequent 
fear of its extinction led the authorities of Cote d’Or, France, to enact in 
1908 a special regulation establishing a close season for this species, and 
placing it under the protection of the game laws, whereby it was rendered 
illegal “‘ to shoot, ensnare, and capture it in traps from April 15th to 
July 15th” in each year. 
