296 THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



gardens, and is very common. The shell of H. aspersa 

 is glossy, generally yellow, brown, pink, or white. There 

 are four varieties of this snail. 



In Cowper's minor poems there is a short one on the 

 snail, which well illustrates the habits of our common 

 garden species : 



" To grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall, 

 The snail sticks close, nor fears to fall, 

 As if he grew there, house and all 



Together. 



Within that house secure he hides, 

 When danger imminent betides 

 Of storm, or other harm besides, 



Of weather. 



Give but his horns the slightest touch, 

 His self-collecting power is such, 

 Hs shrinks into his house with much 



Displeasure. 



Where'er he dwells, he dwells alone, 

 Except himself has chattels none, 

 Well satisfied to be his own 



Whole treasure. 



Thus hermit-like his life he leads, 

 Nor partner of his banquet needs, 

 And if he meets one, only feeds 



The faster. 



Who seeks him must be worse than blind 

 (He and his house are so combined), 

 If, finding it, he fails to find 



Its master." 



There are twenty-four British species of Helix, large 

 and small, some very minute. 



Of the Crustaceae, two will occasionally come under 

 notice 



I. The CRAYFISH (Astacus fluviatilis) or the River Lobster 

 (Astakos being the name by which the Greeks called the 



