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shell,* Physa fontinalis 'take care, or you will break 

 it, it is too fragile to be roughly handled. " Some other 

 curious looking shells are next brought under review ; 

 they are all flat, and consist of five or six whorls close 

 together, very much like a minute snake when coiled 

 up ; these, they are informed, belong to the genus 

 Planorbis, the larger one being marginatus, and the 

 smaller and thinner ones, vortex. 



On our next trip, though the novelty is not so great 

 as before, we set out with redoubled zeal, puffed up 

 With the consciousness of having no small acquaintance 

 with what we are about. Our first dip affords us some 

 of our former acquaintances, but nothing new rewards 

 our search ; so we pass on to a small pond, which has 

 been espied by one of our party, in the corner of a 

 large field. " Did you ever see such a huge fellow ! " 

 calls out one of our juvenile band, throwing down his 

 spoon, and rushing with outstretched hands to Cousin 

 William, who seems no less pleased than his young 

 friend, to meet with what he informs him belongs to the 

 same family as Limnceus pereger, giving it the name of 

 Limnceus stagnalis. It does not require very minute 

 search to observe quite a number of them floating about 

 with their broad expanded foot upward on the surface 

 of the water, nor does it take long to obtain a sufficient 

 supply. Whilst examining our prizes more carefully, 

 and admiring their beautiful tapering forms, we find ad- 

 hering closely to their surface, a small oblong limpet- 

 like shell, which Cousin William calls Ancylus oblongus, 

 and informs us that a commoner species, Ancylus flu- 

 matilis, may be generally found in clear running streams 

 adhering to stones, wood, &c. 



One earnest member of our company expecting, or 



