The Inhabitants of the Aquarium 309 



the body is light brown with yellow dots. 

 The color of the shell is a transparent olive 

 green, or brown, and its walls are very thin. 

 The rear part of the foot bears a strong 

 horny plate which firmly closes the mouth of 

 the shell whenever the snail withdraws its 

 body to the inside. In Paludina the sexes 

 are separate, there being both male and fe- 

 male individuals. The main point of dis- 

 tinction is the difference in the feelers. On 

 the male the right feeler which contains the 

 sexual organs, instead of being slender and 

 pointed, is short and much stouter than the 

 left and ends in a club-like swelling. The 

 eggs, instead of being laid after impregna- 

 tion, remain in the body of the female, until 

 the young snails, perfect in form even to 

 the presence of a little shell, are hatched, 

 when they leave the mother to begin their 

 own independent existence. This way of 

 propagation gave the species its scientific 

 name, — vivipara. The Banded Swamp Snail 

 can be well recommended for aquariums. 



