90 SPRING-TIDE. 



dealers in foreign shells, in London, have a 

 trick of varnishing what they call a " dead 

 shell," so as to make it appear like one from 

 which the snail has been extracted. 



S. Well, then you will easily see why 

 Simon complains that he was always fore- 

 stalled by the thrushes and blackbirds, when 

 he went " a goggling." You can seldom 

 traverse a green lane at this season with- 

 out disturbing some of these birds thus 

 engaged, who testify their displeasure at 

 your approach and fly off with a saucy sort 

 of scream. And here let me again allude 

 to the good offices rendered by some birds 

 to man. The number of slugs and snails 

 destroyed by them in a wet season, must, 

 in some places, save the crops from utter 

 annihilation. I have often, within the limits 

 of a single acre of turnips, flushed more 

 than a score of thrushes which had been 

 drawn thither in search of snails and slugs. 

 Notwithstanding this, it is well known that 



