4 8 



The Museum Gazette 



ENGLISH EDIBLE SNAILS. 

 " Wall-fish." 



The term " wall-fish " will be unknown to many of our 

 readers. It is applied by dealers in Covent Garden and other 

 markets to the common garden snail {Helix aspersa). This 

 mollusc is held in especial esteem by the poor in Bristol, and 

 in consequence is now very scarce in the environs of that 

 city. There are men who make a livelihood during the 

 winter by collecting these snails from their hybernating places. 

 In November, 1896, the writer met a " wall-fish " collector in a 

 remote village in Somerset, and had an interesting conversa- 

 tion with him. He was collecting for a Bristol dealer, his home 

 being in Kent, where he worked as a carpenter in summer and 

 autumn. For many winters past he had regularly visited 

 Somerset to collect snails. According to his experience these 

 snails seldom hybernate in banks facing east or north, but 

 usually seek winter quarters in those facing south-west. 



They generally congregate in some numbars, and appear 

 to have a predilection for certain spots. From an hybernacu- 

 lum near the village he had that morning taken a gallon and 

 a half of them, but this was very unusual ; his " takings " as 

 a rule did not exceed a gallon per day. 



Ash stumps, or crannies at the base of ash-trees, are very 

 favourite haunts. They seldom hybernate under oaks, and 

 although old walls are favourite places in summer, whence 

 they probably owe their name of " wall-fish," they seldom 

 hybernate in them. 



Our " wall fisherman " carried an iron rod about 2 feet 

 long, slightly crooked at one end for probing likely nooks and 

 corners. H. aspersa is quite the most nearly domesticated 

 of the snail tribe. It loves the haunts of man, and is seldom 

 found in any numbers in places remote from villages and 

 roadsides. 



