FOOD FROM THE CRUSTACEANS AND MOLLUSCA. 399 



garden and yellow banded snails are the kinds more 

 commonly eaten. A snail feast is held annually in the 

 South of France, on Ash Wednesday, when large num- 

 bers of them are consumed. An analogous custom is 

 said to prevail in our own country amongst the opera- 

 tives of Lancashire and at Newcastle.* 



In our day also they are prescribed as eminently 

 useful to sufferers in consumption, and all Southern 

 Europe affects them during the times of animal fasting. 

 In Switzerland and Italy the traveller finds large estab- 

 lishments where they are carefully raised, and either 

 disposed of at home or potted and sent by millions to 

 foreign counties. Helix hortensis makes a capital broth 

 for weak persons, and H. pomatia may be found in 

 many countries. In Venice all snails are eaten, at least 

 by the poor, in France they are consumed in incredible 

 numbers, and in Germany and America they are also 

 eaten. In summer great quantities of snails are con- 

 sumed in Koumania. 



Snail eating has been prevalent in Italy for many 

 centuries. In Pliny's time Barbary snails stood first in 

 repute, those of Sicily ranking next ; and it was the 

 custom to fatten the creatures for the table by dieting 

 them upon meal and new wine. 



In modern Rome fresh gathered snails are hawked by 

 women from door to door for the benefit of housewives, 

 who boil them in their shells, and stew or fry them in 

 oil. It is a common sight to see in an Italian city the 

 people gathered around a number of baskets filled with 

 snails, waiting to be thrown into a large iron pot standing 

 over a fire made between four stones, and boiled with 

 herbs and tomatoes for retailing to the expectant crowd. 



Chambers's Journal informs us that an Englishman at 

 dinner with a Sicilian gentleman, was invited to partake 

 of some snails treated in this way, and for politeness 

 sake, forced himself to swallow two of them, although 

 he found it impossible to feign the delight with which 



* B. B. Woodward, in "Science for All," p. 246. 



