Marvels of the Universe 



361 



The largest land Snails in the world are the subjects of 

 the illustrations on this and the opposite pages. The family 

 to which these giants belong is not only exceedingly 

 numerous, but is represented in most parts of the 

 tropics and the temperate zones — two quite small and 

 inconspicuous forms alone being found in Britain. The 

 special genus or group to which the Giant Snail belongs 

 is confined to South America and the West Indian 

 Islands. These giants, which sometimes attain the 

 length of six inches, are said to be still sold as human 

 food in the Brazilian markets. 



The eggs of a specimen of the Oblong Giant Snail 

 ^shown in the illustration on this page), which came from 

 the Island of Trinidad, were ascertained to measure as 

 much as thirtj'-one millimetres in length and twenty 

 millimetres in breadth ; or, in more familiar terms, one 

 and a fifth of an inch in length and four-fifths in breadth. 

 Perhaps the mar\-eIlous size of these eggs may be best 

 reahzed if we compare them with those of our Common 

 Thrush, to which they are, roughly speaking, equal. The 

 young, when they eat their way out of the shells, are 

 about the size of our common periwinkle, though of a 

 more elongated form. These eggs differ from those of 

 most land snails inasmuch as they are hard and brittle 

 like those of birds, instead of tough and leathery like those of turtles and crocodiles 

 freshly laid the white is used extensively as cement for mending china and glass. 



ROXBURGH'S FIG 



SNAILS' EGGS. 



The egg of a Trinidad Snail is here shown 

 slightly enlarged. The lower example shows that 

 the snail's shell is already formed before the 

 youns leaves the egg. 



When 



The Fig family of plants is a large and varied one. 



/": ■ 'I,- [E.filep, F.L.a. 



THE SHELL OF A HUNGER SNAIL. 



The Hunger Snails arc so-called in Greek by the naturalists on account of their voracious appetites. 

 The species here shown of the natural size is a native of New Caledonia. Our British representa- 

 tives of the family are not mor^ than two-thirds of an inch lone 



Few of those who grow the familiar india- 

 rubber plant in their 

 windows or conser- 

 vatories realize that 

 it is a near relation 

 of the tree that in 

 the Mediterranean 

 region produces the 

 fruit that comes to 

 us flattened and 

 slightly pressed in 

 neat little boxes. 

 Neither do they as- 

 sociate it with the 

 banyan of India, 

 that will cover acres 

 of. ground, sending 

 roots down from 

 the far - spreading 

 branches, ' which 

 roots ultimately be- 

 ^5 



