SHELLING 
149 
Tliere are 127 sorts, eighty-two land and forty-five fresh- 
water, in the Hritisli Isles. “ Land and Freshwater Shells of 
the British Isles,” by Kiinmer, sold by Watkins and Doncaster, 
36, Strand, is the best book to begin with, as it is simply 
written, and one is not bored by the nerves and other ana- 
tomical parts of the animal in diagram and detail : it is also 
well illustrated. 
We all know that the Romans used to eat snails and had 
special silver spoons for the repast ; also that in Paris many 
tons of H. pomatia, aspersa, &c., are consumed daily during the 
season, the snails being reared in country farms. 
I have known snails and slugs eaten in England as a cure 
for consumption amongst the poor. Necklaces made of shells 
are worn. In some parts of Ireland and in the West of England 
the boys have pushing matches, much in the same way as we 
fought with walnut-shells in our preparatory-school days. If, 
perchance, you have inquisitive spectators at any time, tell them 
what you are looking for, and the idea that you are mad will 
wear off, both with young and old. 
A few weeks ago the writer was in a charming Northants 
village, searching for H. rupestris on the old wayside wall on 
a Saturday morning. Soon a knot of a dozen children were 
attracted by the bending form, and the larger boys stood at my 
elbow, intent, but dumb. “ Well, children, 1 am looking for 
shells for my school-children’s museum : bring the others, and 
help me, will you ? ” The ice was broken ; yes, they had seen 
shells in their gardens, and soon brought me examples, and they 
were quite keen in discovering what 1 had come to seek. At 
one o’clock they moved off home for luncheon, and the smallest, 
a golden-haired boy, said in explanation, “ My mummy has got 
my dinner ready, sir.” Then, touched by that feeling of sym- 
pathy which makes us kin, and looking from my dusty cycle 
to my face, he sweetly said, “ Didn’t your mummy give you 
any dinner to-day ? ” I had to confess she did not (being 
140 miles away), but my housekeeper had provided a liberal 
supply of oaten biscuits, and these were shared with my useful 
little helpers, and supplemented by the sweets of the village shop. 
I have promised to see them all again. On another occasion 
I had seven stalwart quarrymen to help me all the afternoon : 
the limestone digging was left entirely, but they were keenly 
interested in the new form of exercise. In a word, shelling 
brings one into lovely hamlets far from the beaten tracks — it 
gives the school-children, at any rate, many a joyous outing — 
whilst the selected shells, neatly arranged in their partitions, 
somewhat like those for birds’ eggs, bring back memories of 
many happy days. W. A. S. 
