132 HABITS OF THE HELICES. 



hooks or teeth, and the creeping disk or foot is 

 crossed by many muscular fibres. When they move 

 they leave a train of mucus behind, which dries into 

 a glistening scale. Their motions are slow, and they 

 are more active in the night than in the daytime. 



They love moisture and must have it; hence the 

 dry summers of California would be fatal to them if 

 they had no means of withdrawing themselves from 

 active life during the rainless season. Even at the 

 best they are not very abundant on our coast, and 

 those which do live here are to be sought for chiefly 

 under trees and bushes. 



Their food consists strictly of vegetables, and they 

 prefer soft leaves, like those of the lettuce and cab- 

 bage. All true snails have shells, but there are many 

 naked slugs which greatly resemble the true snails, 

 both in their habits and their structure. 



On account of the great number of species included 

 under the genus Helix, many subdivisions have been 

 made, based upon differences not very apparent to the 

 the ordinary observer. In treating of our species, 

 therefore, I shall give the old name, Helix, and also 

 place in parenthesis the modern generic name, or the 

 name of the section to which each species belongs. 



And first we have in Fig. 122, a good representa- 

 tion of Helix (Eiiparyphd) Tryo?u\ Newcomb, 

 Ku-par'-i-fa Try-o'-ni. The shell is 

 strong and solid, globose conical, 

 with a rounded apex and five reg- 

 ular whorls. The surface is retic- 

 ulated or cut into fine checks by 

 the crossing of spiral threads and 

 Fig. 122. t k e ] mes f growth. The color 



varies from white to brown, and the whorls are often 



