SNAILS. 581 



king efforts to build up a new shell ; for, before its 

 death, it pressed out a certain membrane round the 

 whole surface of its body. This membrane was en- 

 tirely of the shelly nature, and was intended, no 

 doubt, as a supply toward a new one. 



The following instances of tenacity of life in snails 

 are well authenticated, and probably without paral- 

 lel in any other division of the animal creation. 



Mr. Stuckey Simon, a merchant of Dublin, whose 

 father, a fellow of the Royal Society and a lover of 

 natural history, left to him a small collection of 

 fossils and other curiosities, had among them the 

 shells of some snails. About fifteen years after his 

 father's death (in whose possession they continued 

 many years) he by chance gave to his son, a child 

 about ten years old, some of these snail-shells to 

 play with. The boy put them into a flower-pot, 

 which he filled with water, and the next day into a 

 bason. Having occasion to use this, Mr. S. observed 

 that the animals had come out of their shells. He 

 examined the child, who assured him that they were 

 the same he had given him, and said he had also a few 

 more, which he brought. Mr. S. put one ot these 

 into water, and in an hour and a half after observed 

 that it had put out its horns and body, which it moved 

 but slowly, probably from weakness. Major Val- 

 iancy and Dr. Span v/ere afterward present, and 

 saw one of the snails crawl out, the others being 

 dead, most probably from their having remained 

 some days in the water. Dr. Quin and Dr. Rutty 

 also examined the living snail several different times, 

 -and were greatly pleased to see him come out of hio 



PP3 



