1895.] Zoology. 1107 
fact, the land snail (Helix) withdraws so completely from social- inter- 
course that months are spent in voluntary confinement. So secluded 
does this little householder become that his door or aperture is closed 
with one white curtain after another until sometimes one-half a dozen 
membranous curtains in succession are draped when, he has entered 
into his Nirvanic rest. In this condition his aperture, or outer door, 
is securely glued to the under surface of a stone, a board, or any sub- 
stance under which he seeks shelter. In the eastern states he takes 
his annual siesta in winter, this being the period of hibernation. 
But in Southern California snails (Helix) differ from their congeners 
presenting an illustration of the power of environment over natural in- 
instincts. Instead of going into winter quarters in October and re- 
maining asleep all the winter months, the season of greatest activity of 
the Southern California snail is during those months. 
The reason for this is that the food supply is plentiful in the winter 
when the warm rains prevail; but, during the summer months the arid 
condition of the foot-hills, the habitat of these quiet creatures, makes 
makes the estivation of snails a necessity, a question of domestic econ- 
omy, an adjustment of demand and supply. In process of time the 
necessity for estivation, rather than hibernation, became a habit. 
During this period his functions are in a state of coma; digestion, 
respiration and circulation are imperceptable; he sleeps with all his 
powers, and his waking is not a voluntary action. Without moisture 
a snail will rest for years! Dr. R. E. C. Stearns, of the U. S. National 
Museum, records a rest of six years of one snail from Lower Cali- 
fornia, Helix veatchii. 
On March 21, 1890, a few land snails (Helix traskit Newcombe) 
were collected from some of the low foot hills in Los Angeles, These 
were left in a glass jareon a stand and in the morning the snails had 
crawled up the wall of the room and were esconsced in one corner of 
the ceiling, another one had travelled farther in the night and had 
pre-empted his claim in one corner of the hall ceiling. They were al- 
lowed to remain undisturbed in order to study developments. One 
soon fell down upon the carpet, but the other two remained intact- 
The household orders were that Helix traskii were to be left undis 
turbed by brush or broom. The summer came and went, antumn fol- 
lowed, winter came on, and still the hermaphrodites remained asleep. 
No sound of music nor mirth aroused them. 
But the rains came on, heavy drenching showers that rushed down 
the mountains, washed the foot hills, overflowed the zanjas, and all 
nature was in a dripping condition. During one of these storms, in 
