r,0(J MOT. L use A. 



lie tillfil with watiT, mikI tlif iii'xt diiv put tlicin into a basin. Having occasion to use tliis, Mr, 

 Simon oIisitvchI that tlic animals iiad conic out <it" their shells. He cxaniincd the child respecting 

 tlieni. anil was assured that they were the same which had been in the cabinet. 



lUit the most interesting example of resuscitation occurred to a specimen ot" tiie Desert-snail, 

 from Kgvpt, chronicled I>v J>r. liaird. This individual was fixed to a tablet in the British Mu- 

 seum on the 2r)th of March, 1840, and on March 7th, 1850, it was observed that he must have 

 come out of his shell in the interval, as the paper had ln'cn disci^loivd, apparently in his attempt 

 to get away ; but finding escape impossible, lie had again retired, closing his aperture with the 

 iisual glistening film; this led to liis immersion in tepid water, and marvelous recovery. "He 

 is now," savs our authority, March 13th, 1850, "alive and flourishing, and has sat for his 

 portrait." 



The reproduction of snails is most curious; at a certain time of the year, according to the ac- 

 count of Mrs. Loudon, they meet in pairs, and stationing themselves an inch or two apart, they 

 launch at each other several little darts, not quite half an inch long. These are of a horny sub- 

 stance, and shari)ly pointed at one end. The animals, during the breeding season, are furnished 

 with a little reservoir for them, situated in the neck, and opening en the right side. After the 

 discharge of the first dart, the wounded snail immediately retaliates on its aggressor by ejecting 

 at it a similar one ; the other renews the battle, and in turn is again Avounded. Thus are the 

 darts of Cupid, metaphorical with all the rest of the creation, completely realized in snails. After 

 the combat they embrace each other, and both lay eggs ! 



The manner in which a snail increases the size of its shell and mends it in case of fracture, is 

 thus described by Reaumur, and it is the more interesting, as it illustrates the mode of proceeding, 

 in these cases, of many other mollusca: "When a testaceous animal is about to enlarge its shell, 

 the common snail, for instance, and its body has become too large to be covered securely, it 

 projects a portion of its body from the opening ; it then attaches itself to a wall or other solid 

 substance, and the naked part is soon covered with the fluids which are exci'eted from its surface; 

 the pellicle, or covering, which they produce, when the fluid dries, is, at first, thin and elastic, but 

 gradually assumes more consistence, and becomes at last similar to the whole part of the shell. 

 If, in this stage of the process, a bit of the shell is broken oft' and removed without injuring the 

 body of the animal, the skin of the snail is soon covered with a fluid which gradually thickens and 

 becomes solid. In about twenty -four hours after the operation, a fine crust may be observed, which 

 constitutes the first and external layer for repairing the breach that has been made ; at the end 

 of some days this layer becomes solid, and in ten or tweh'e days, under favorable circumstances, 

 the new piece of shell has acquired the same thickness as that which was removed, but it never 

 unites in the same way, being only as it were a plug. If, after the broken piece has been removed, 

 particularly if the fracture is made near the edge of the opening, the animal is not supplied with 

 a sufficient quantity of nourishment, its bulk is gradually diminished, and now finding what is 

 left of the shell equal to completely cover its lessened body, no exertion takes place for the produc- 

 tion of a new portion. It is obvious, snails, &c., cannot enlarge in volume but by the augmen- 

 tation of the whorls, and that each previous turn of the spire remains the same in length; these 

 make a great difterence in the size of the shell, by the last and additional one, each being 

 calculated to contain nearly double that of the preceding one ; but in many shells, both marine 

 and river, the last whorls of the spire, compared with the preceding ones, greatly exceed this 

 proportion. In some, the external opening is twelve times greater, or from eight to twelve ; this 

 depends entirely on the increase of the animal's body, and the duration of that increase." 



The Edible Snail, H. jJomatia, grows to a large size, nearly that of a man's fist. This was 

 highly prized by the ancient Romans, for the table ; they fattened it with great care in a large 

 building, called a Cochlearia, where thousands of them were kept and fed with meal and new 

 wine, boiled down. Yarro says the shells of some of them would hold ten quarts. In Italy and 

 France, at the present day, millions of these snails are fettened and brought to market, being 

 used especially during lent, as they are not forbidden by " the Church." Another common Eu- 

 ropean species is the Banded Snail, JI. memoralis. 



Snails are widely distributed over most parts of the world ; sometimes, after a shower, they 



