606 
MOLLUSC A. 
lie filled with water, and the next day put tliem into a basin. Having occasion to use this, Mr. 
Simon observed that the animals had come out of their shells. He examined the child respecting 
them, and was assured that they were the same , which had been in the cabinet. 
But the most interesting example of resuscitation occurred to a specimen of the Desert-snail, 
from Egypt, chronicled by Dr. Baird. This individual was fixed to a tablet in the British Mu- 
seum on the 25th of March, 1846, and on March lih, 1850, it was observed that he must have 
come out of his shell in the interval, as the paper had been discolored, apparently in his attempt 
to get away ; but finding escape impossible, he had again retired, closing his aperture with the 
usual glistening film ; this led to his immersion in tepid water, and marvelous recovery. " He 
is now," says our authority, March 13th, 1850, "alive and flourishing, and has sat for his 
portrait." 
The reproduction of snails is most curious ; at a certain time of the year, according to the ac- 
count of Mrs. Loudon, they meet in pairs, and stationing themselves an inch or two apart, they 
launch at each other several little darts, not quite half an inch long. These are of a horny sub- 
stance, and sharply pointed at one end. The animals, during the breeding season, are furnished 
with a little reservoir for them, situated in the neck, and oj)ening on the right side. After the 
discharge of the first dart, the wounded snail immediately retaliates on its aggressor by ejecting 
at it a similar one ; the other renews the battle, and in turn is again wounded. Thus are the 
darts of Cupid, metaphorical with all the rest of the creation, completely realized in snails. After 
the combat they embrace each other, and both lay eggs ! 
The manner in which a snail increases the size of its shell and mends it in case of fracture, is 
thus described by Eeaumur, and it is the more interesting, as it illustrates the mode of proceeding, 
in these cases, of many other moUusca: "When a testaceous animal is about to enlarge its shell, 
the common snail, for instance, and its body has become too large to be covered securely, it 
projects a portion of its body from the opening ; it then attaches itself to a wall or other solid 
substance, and the naked part is soon covered with the fluids which are excreted from its surface ; 
the pelhcle, or covering, which they produce, when the fluid dries, is, at first, thin and elastic, but 
gradually assumes more consistence, and becomes at last similar to the whole part of the shell. 
If, in this stage of the process, a bit of the shell is broken off" and removed without injuring the 
body of the animal, the skin of the snail is soon covered with a fluid which gradually thickens and 
becomes solid. In about twenty-four hours after the operation, a fine crust may be observed, which 
constitutes the first and external layer for repairing the breach that has been made ; at the end 
of some days this layer becomes solid, and in ten or twelve days, under favorable circumstances, 
the new piece of shell has acquired the same thickness as that which was removed, but it never 
unites in the same way, being only as it were a plug. If, after the broken piece has been removed, 
particularly if the fracture is made near the edge of the opening, the animal is not supplied with 
a sufficient quantity of nourishment, its bulk is gradually diminished, and now finding what is 
left of the shell equal to completely cover its lessened body, no exertion takes place for the produc- 
tion of a new portion. It is obvious, snails, &c., cannot enlarge in volume but by the augmen- 
tation of the whorls, and that each previous turn of the spire remains the same in length ; these 
make a great difference in the size of the shell, by the last and additional one, each being 
calculated to contain nearly double that of the preceding one ; but in many shells, both marine 
and river, the last whorls of the spire, compared with the preceding ones, greatly exceed this 
proportion. In some, the external opening is twelve times greater, or from eight to twelve ; this 
depends entirely on the increase of the animal's body, and the duration of that increase." 
The Edible Snail, IT. pomatia, grows to a large size, nearly that of a man's fist. This was 
highly prized by the ancient Romans, for the table ; they fattened it with great care in a large 
building, called a Cochlearia, where thousands of them were kept and fed with meal and new 
wine, boiled down. Varro says the shells of some of them would hold ten quarts. In Italy and 
France, at the present day, millions of these snails are fattened and brought to market, being 
used especially during lent, as they are not forbidden by " the Church." Another common Eu- 
ropean species is the Banded Snail, IT. memoralis. 
Snails are widely distributed over most parts of the world ; sometimes, after a shower, they 
