The Natural History of Selborne 457 



When earth-worms lie out a-nights on the turf, though they 

 extend their bodies a great way, they do not leave their holes, 

 but keep the ends of their tails fixed therein, so that on the 

 least alarm they can retire with precipitation under the earth. 

 Whatever food falls within their reach when thus extended, they 

 seem to be content with, such as blades of grass, straws, fallen 

 leaves, the ends of which they often draw into their holes ; even 

 in copulation their hinder parts never quit their holes ; so that 

 no two, except they lie within reach of each other's bodies, 

 can have any commerce of that kind ; but as every individual 

 is an hermaphrodite, there is no difficulty in meeting with 

 a mate, as would be the case were they of different sexes. 

 WHITE. 



SNAILS AND SLUGS. 



THE shell-less snails called slugs are in motion all the winter 

 in mild weather, and commit great depredations on garden 

 plants, and much injure the green wheat, the loss of which is 

 imputed to earth-worms ; while the shelled snail, the <e/>eotKos, 

 does not come forth at all till about April loth, and not only 

 lays itself up pretty early in autumn, in places secure from 

 frost, but also throws out round the mouth of its shell a thick 

 operculum formed from its own saliva; so that it is perfectly 

 secured, and corked up, as it were, from all inclemencies. 

 The cause why the slugs are able to endure the cold so much 

 better than shell-snails is, that their bodies are covered with 

 slime as whales are with blubber. 



Snails copulate about Midsummer ; and soon after deposit 

 their eggs in the mould by running their heads and bodies 

 under ground. Hence the way to be rid of them is to kill 

 as many as possible before they begin to breed. 



Large, grey, shell-less cellar- snails lay themselves up about 

 the same time with those that live abroad ; hence it is plain 

 that a defect of warmth is not the only cause that influences 

 thek retreat. WHITE. 



