222 EDIBLE BRITISH MOLLUSCA. 



adult to the smallest just from the egg ; these spread 

 themselves over the plains early in the morning, and 

 whilst they are in quest of their own food among the 

 dews, yield a most fattening nourishment to sheep. " 



Birds also are great eaters of snails. Lister mentions 

 the partiality of thrushes for Helix nemoralis ; and 

 owing to the scarcity of this species in South Derby- 

 shire, I have twice brought a large basketful of live 

 specimens from Staffordshire, and turned them out, 

 hoping they would thrive and increase; but I have 

 not only found the dead and broken shells, but con- 

 stantly disturbed the feathered depredators themselves 

 at their repast. Helix arbustorum I have also tried, 

 but with the same success ; they fared no better than 

 the other kind. 



There is a true saying " that there is nothing on 

 earth so small that it may not produce great things."* 

 Thus, the sacred geese at Rome by their cackling 

 awoke Marcus Manlius, and thereby saved the Capitol 

 from the Gauls, who were attempting by night to 

 surprise the garrison; and even such insignificant 

 creatures as snails were the cause of the following 

 disaster to a Numidian king : A castle on a lofty and 

 steep rock, into which Jugurtha had carried all his 

 treasures, had long been besieged in vain by Marius, 

 when a Ligurian in the Roman army, climbing up the 

 rocks in quest of snails, was led to continue his search 

 for them, till he had nearly reached the summit, and 

 thus found that the ascent was practicable; and on 

 reporting this fact to Marius, having been ordered to 

 lead a chosen band up the same part of the rocks, he 

 and his comrades so alarmed the garrison by their 

 * ' Proverbial Philosophy.' 



