56 LIVING CREATURES. p 



one foot, and that, when it moves, it must carry its 

 house on its back, it must be pronounced a hero. 



Snails have a period of remaining torpid, when they 

 draw themselves within their shells, covering the mouth 

 with a sticky liquid which hardens by exposure. Thus 



they remain, in temper- 

 ate climates during the 

 winter, aijd in torrid 

 climates during the 



very hottest weather, 



^'l ,/' Some of the snail's 

 larger relations close 

 Land snaii,- the mouth of the shell 



with a cover attached 

 to the foot. The cover fits close into the mouth. 



The shell of the pond snail, with its spire raised con- 

 siderably above the body whorl, is easily distinguished 

 from that of the land snail, whose spire is very short, 

 and whose body whorl is very large. The mollusks 

 themselves differ in some respects. The pond snail 

 has two feelers or horns, the land snail has four, two 

 above and two below. The eyes of the pond snail are 

 at the base of its feelers, while the eyes of the other 

 are at the end of its upper feelers or horns. 



Snails can live long without food. In 1846, a famous 

 specimen was brought from Egypt and placed in the 

 British Museum. It was supposed to be dead, but 

 revived after it had lain four years without eating. 

 There were reasons to believe that it was alive ; warm 

 water was applied and it appeared. Another one in 

 this country, from Lower California, lived in confine- 

 ment and fasted for six years. 



