262 
CHAPTER OF CRITICISM. 
On the Music of Snails. 
To the Editor of the Naturalist. 
Sir, —Some time ago an article appeared in Mi’.Charlesworth’s (^‘LoudonV'!) 
MagaMe of Natural History vituperative of The Naturalist. It was taken no 
notice of, its bad taste being sufficiently evident, and being therefore considered 
only likely to injure the falling cause it was intended to serve. The burden of 
the song was an attempt to throw ridicule upon an interesting fact, respecting 
the musical sounds attributed to snails, which had been mentioned by a lady of 
gTeat veracity in a previous number of this Magazine (Vol. I., No. 1, p. 38), 
The whole narrative was sneered at, as utterly unsuitable to the pages of a 
scientific journal. Now, Sir, for an illustration of inconsistency. Mr. Charles- 
worth may indeed say, that he had not the conductorship of Loudon’s Magazine 
of Natural History at the time I am about to allude to. No, very true, but if 
the Editor is changed, why keep up the former Editor s name ? This may be a 
puzzling question, but the public, I know, are anxious to have it answered. 
Will it be answered ? and, if so, v/ill the reply be satisfactory ? Nous mrrons ! 
Now to the point. In vol. ii., p. 244, of Loudon’s Magazine of Natural 
History, old series (or old style ? ‘‘ N. S.,” I suppose, implies its existence, though 
people seem to think that the improvement is not so evident as it ought to be), 
we find the following paragraph, which tallies remarkably with the anecdote 
related in The Naturalist :— 
“ Musical Snails.’-^k^ I was sitting in my room, on the first floor, about nine 
p. M. (4th of October last), I was surprised with what I supposed to be the notes 
of a bird, under or upon the sill of the window. My impression was, that they 
somewhat resembled the notes of the Wild Duck in its nocturnal flight, and, at 
times, the twitter of a Redbreast, in quick succession. To be satisfied on the 
subject, I carefully removed the shutter, and, to my surprise, found it was a 
Garden Snail, which, in drawing itself along the glass, had produced sounds 
similar to those elicited from the musical glasses.— Sam. Woodward, Diana 
Square, Norwich, April 3, 1829.” 
Now, Sir, some criticism might be indulged in on the narration of Mr. Wood¬ 
ward, but I forbear. I will only leave it to the candour ol Mr. Charlesworth, 
whether he ought not to take some notice of the statement I have just made, by 
way of apology for his former unseemly merriment. 
Remarks on Mr. Joseph Clarke’s Notes on the Crossbill. 
In the palmy days of LoiiDON’s Magazine of Natural History I used sometimes 
