IIKLIX. 



mLimnasa stagnate; as the growth of the Helix proceeds, a normal 

 globose variegated body-whorl is added to the artificial spin-, an.) 

 becomes solidly attached to it. 



That snails have more intelligence than is n-nally ascribed t. 

 them is shown by the following interesting paragraph- on the In- 

 stinct of orientation in Helix aspersa by F. d'A. IMKTADM : 



"In a house which I inhabited at St. Michael's one of the Azores, 

 there was a veranda with a flight of steps leading to a littl- 

 er garden. Above this was a second veranda supported by u stone 

 column, which rested on the wall of the lower veranda. At tin- 

 foot of the column had been set a flower-pot with a young banana 

 bearing two or three leaves. 



"One morning I noticed a snail (Helix tispersa} lodged between 

 the pot and the column, as if waiting for night t< attack the plant. 

 A leaf had already been gnawed; and to stop further depredation- 

 I threw the snail into the court. It was not much the worse for tin- 

 fall, as it chanced to light upon a small manure-heap. Next morn- 

 ing I was surprised to find the snail in precisely the same position 

 as before, between the pot and column. I knew it by its si/e and 

 color, as well as by a curious covering of spiders' webs which it 

 bore. It was evident that the snail possessed a remarkable sense 

 of direction, which enabled it after a violent shock, to make it- 

 way back over a distance of at least six metres in a very short 

 time. In order to get at the bottom of the matter, I threw the snail 

 back to the heap and watched the result, which was as follow : 



"June 10, 1884 At about 9 A. M. the snail was resting, completely 

 retracted within its shell, on the rail of the stair-case, having travelled 

 nearly 4 metres. In the evening it resumed its march, but so 

 slowly that by 10 o'clock it had only reached the top of the rail. 

 where it stopped again, having traversed a metre in two hours. 

 Twenty minutes after midnight it began to travel along the balus- 

 trade of the veranda, taking at first a very undecided course, hut as 

 soon as it reached the edge of the balustrade makiiiir -traight for 

 the banana. Halfway it was turned aside by some fish-scales, which 

 no doubt indicated that the surface was contaminated: but it 80011 

 regained its previous direction. Near the column it fell in with a 

 grooved washing-board, which it seemed to remember; for it reared 

 its head and tentacles towards it, while still two centimetre- olK 

 far two metres had been traversed in twenty minute-, 

 now advanced resolutely from the board to the flower pot. as if o?cr 



