344 IK LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



live on the minute algae and fungi. During 

 the cool, dry part of the year they remain dor- 

 mant; "aestivate" as it is called. This is analo- 

 gous to the hibernation of various animals in our 

 northern winters, though it is probable that dur- 

 ing aestivation in the tropics the vital functions 

 do not so nearly cease as in the winter sleep of the 

 colder parts of the world. The Liguus and Oxy- 

 stylas exude from the mantle a mucus which hard- 

 ens like glue and attaches the aperture so firmly 

 to the trees that the shell will often break when one 

 roughly attempts to remove it. Sometimes dur- 

 ing warm, damp weather in winter the awakened 

 Liguus partially dissolve this epiphragm, as it is 

 called, and become for a time active, but when it 

 turns cool and dry again they resume aestivation. 

 In many cases the Liguus pass their inactive period 

 on trunks or limbs of trees in open sight, but they 

 generally seek to hide away in crevices or under 

 the loose bark. This is especially true of the Oxy- 

 stylas, and sometimes as many as twenty will be 

 found huddled together on the inside of a hollow 

 tree. 



With the beginning of the rainy season, or a 

 little before, the tree snails become active and the 



