a ea * 
The H US/TO.RAY yof ING EB Gul 5. a 
like an oblong tongue, and refembles, in fome 
meafure the penis of a Drake. The mufcles like- 
wife are ftronger, and more diftinét and nume- 
rous than in the common Snail. The uterus 
is divided into three parts, and opens with two 
mouths into another, which is under the verge; 
The firft part is of an afhy gray colour, and 
like the belly or rough tripe aforefaid in beafts 
that chew the cud; then the uterus becomes 
more glutinous, and receives fome expanfion 
from the chain-like tube; to which likewife 
adheres the bag of glutinous moifture, and alfo 
another little part which may be taken for the 
ovary. Moreover, the chain-like tube is larger 
here, but where it is connected with the ovary 
and liver, it is of the fame ftructure as in the 
covered Snail, unlefs that thofe white ftuds, 
which I obferved in the covered Snail, are 
of a yellow colour in the water one. The 
purple little knot is alfo here of a full orange 
colour, and opens into the vulva by a fingular 
kind of tube, asin the naked Snails. I have 
not feen the egg, but Ifaw fome relaxed, round 
and tranfparent little parts in the body, which 
I thought to be properly glandules. Under 
the organs of generation, near the {tomach, I 
obferved a certain ftrong plait or fold of veftels, 
of which a confiderable number were detached 
towards the liver. ea oe 
The ftomach, when opened, very beautifully 
exhibited its two ftrong mufcles, and in its 
cavity were found fome hard feeds of water 
plants ; by the help of thofe the Snail probably 
grinds its food, as Hens and Pigeons do with 
little ftones, bits of lime, and other things which 
they devour. I have been informed that a 
Duck or Drake has {wallowed a piece of gold; 
called a piftole, and diminifhed it by attrition 
to fixteen grains; and hence arofe the ftory that 
the Oftrich can digeft iron, as Harvey well 
obferves. 
The food which thefe Snails moft eat is wa- 
ter plants. I have maintained them for fome 
days with lettuce, with which they were fo 
greatly delighted, that they eat all the larger 
leaves of it when they had been fome days 
without food. But they were then continually 
thrufting out their tongues, from which I con- 
cluded that they were hungry. I likewife fed the 
Snails fometimes with ryebread, which they 
would greedily feed on, if it was firft foftened 
with water. At thefetimes may bevery diftindly 
{een the manner of their eating, efpecially if 
the bread be cut into fine thin pieces. The 
next day, after I had laid this bread before 
them, they prepared for generation; {0 that I 
fhould conclude from thence, that bread yields 
them the moft copious and effectual nourith- 
ment. ‘The Teredo or Worm which eats fhips 
bottoms, is alfo delighted with bread. 
On the fhell of this kind of Snail, I have 
fometimes found a great number of eggs, which 
were laid by another Snail of the fame {pecies. 
They lay inclofed in an uniform, oblong, and 
pellucid glutinous fubftance, and they were like- 
wife tranfparent as chryftal; but after a few 
ak: 
7 
« 
days there appeared in the middle of them a 
very {mall gray Snail, which continually rolled 
or turned about in the fame manner, as a bit 
of wax does in a bottle full of water, when 
the bottle is gently turned up or inverted. Al- 
moft in the fame manner did this water Snail 
turn fpontaneoufly in its fhell, and {wimming 
ina limpid humour or moifture, feemed to ad- 
here to no place. The third day after thefe 
eggs were laid, the Snail contained in them be- 
gan to grow yellow, and afterwards they be- 
came gray. 
_ This Snail fwims with the fame body, Tab. 
IX. fig. tv. 77, with which it iflues out of its 
egg. This is done in the manner following: 
firft, the Snail lies upon its back in the water, 
and turns the whole length or level of its body 
againft the furface of the air that preffes on the 
water, and having afterwards firft bent its whole 
body, it moves it forward in the fame manner 
as the common Snail does ; and by this means, 
{wimming in the water, this creature goes for- 
ward, though very flow, and affords a very 
agreeable fight. But left the heat of the fun 
fhould injure it, the little creature fecretes a 
quantity of mucus or glutinous humour out of 
its body, by the help’ of which it is defended 
from the injury of the diurnal rays, and is 
rendered more fit for {wimming ; and it can 
move and turn itfelf to all parts in the water as 
occafion requires. . 
_ In order to diffect thefe Snails, it is necef- 
fary firft to take them out of their thells; then 
they will die in two days, and are fo much 
{wollen with the water which they imbibe, 
that their organs of generation fometimes come 
naturally in fight, and their diflection may eafily 
be perfected. But if you wound thofe parts 
which moft abound with the glutinous hu- 
mour, nothing can be done to any purpofe 
afterwards. 
I have delineated this Snail in the form it is 
in when it creeps near the fide of the glafs in 
the water, and afcends to the furface; and there, 
having lengthened the aperture of its verge, 
Tab. IX. fig. 1v. d, asinto an oblong tube, and 
ftretched it out of the water it. breathes, 
The wonderful viviparous chryftalline Snail. 
The miracles which I am now going to ad- 
vance of this water Snail feem fo incredible, 
that I fhould not wonder if they fhould be 
deemed impoffible, or reckoned among the fa- 
bulous tales of the poets metamorphofes. For 
my own part, though I faw them, I was fo 
aftonifhed on this occafion at the inexhaufted 
fund of wifdom manifeft in the works of 
God, and his admirable art and immenfe power, 
that I cannot fince help thinking on them every 
moment. I thought I had already fo accu- 
rately fearched into the whole nature of Snails, 
that I could at length form many remarkable 
and certain obfervations, and from thence ftrike 
out fome general rules, But the further I ad- 
vance in inveftigating the wonderful works of 
God, 
