56 The BOOK of 
God, the more and more I find they all as 
far exceed the bounds of human ingenuity and 
underftanding, as mortal man, who in reality 
is nothing, is from being able to difcover fully 
the infinite and incomprehenfible perfections 
of God. 
_ The water Snail, which I here exhibit, Tab. 
IX. fig. v. a, naked, without a fhelly covering, 
is found in great quantity in the ditches of 
Holland, and in large frefh-water rivers ; it 
lies moft commonly in the fandy fords or 
fhallows of the latter, or where there are any 
tones. It creeps in ditches near and among 
the water plants, and in mud, which it takes 
as food; and alfo in white clay, in which I 
firft found it. Hence it becomes dirty, and is 
often fo covered with a cruft of filth, that all 
the beauty of its {kin or covering is almoft loft. 
I have therefore broke off the fhell from the 
body of the creature, and only reprefented the 
Snail without it. But becaufe the fhell has 
alfo a fingular and remarkable ornament, and 
exhibits fomething truly worthy of obferva- 
tion, I fhall afterwards delineate it in the man- 
ner it was found, whole, and without any im- 
perfection in the uterus, and appeared under 
the microfcope. Though I have found in 
rivers fome of this kind of Snails, which were 
lefs than thofe which I exhibit in the figure, 
and had little dirt upon them, yet I never 
was fo happy as to fee the beauty of their hell 
‘wholly free of filth. 
The things that demand notice on the out- 
fide of this Snail, are the head, Tab. IX. fig. 
v. 4, its horns cc, the eyes dd, the aperture of 
the uterus, the branchie or gills f, the verge 
g, the convolution or winding of the body 4; 
and laftly, the verge, which ferves as a foot 772, 
whereon is placed the operculum or cover of 
the fhell 4. The head 4 is diftinguifhed from 
the heads of all other Snails, becaufe it is 
ftretched more out of the body, and is more 
vifible ; nor is it at any time drawn back to 
the infide, but only fhortened a little by the 
wrinkles of the fkin. In the fore part is feen 
a {niall aperture, which is the mouth; the 
horns ce are {harp at their extremities; and at 
their root or bafis, where they {pring on each 
fide of the head out of the body, are fixed 
the eyes, which are placed fomewhat higher 
than in other water Snails, and therefore agree 
in fome degree with the eyes of thelly or tefta- 
ceous animals. All thefe parts are very beauti- 
fully variegated with yellow {pots on a black 
ground. On the right fide of the uterus or 
vulva, is feen an extremity or edge, which the 
Snail fometimes protends out of its fhell under 
the verge. It is of a mufcular texture, and may 
therefore be expanded and contracted at the 
difcretion of the Snail. ‘Thisis the reafon why 
I firft took it for the aperture of the verge. 
Above the head are feen five appendages under 
the verge, which, I think, are the branchie 
or gills. The verge very nearly approaches to 
that of other Snails; but it has not fuch a 
ftrong and remarkable motion, though itis of 
NCAT UR. on 
a tougher, more firm, and more tenacious tex 
ture, ‘The convolution of the body is the fame 
asin other Snails. 
The verge, or loweft part of the body, 
whereby the Snail creeps, is moré worthy of 
notice ; for the operculum or cover is annexed 
to it. This operculum is neither bone nor 
ftone, but approaches rather to the nature of 
claws of talons ; it is therefore in the purple 
Fith kind, called the unguis or claw, and thé 
unguis adoratus; becaufe when burnt it fmells 
like caftor or beaver, and is ufeful in the fuf= 
focation of the womb, or fits of the mother. 
If the operculum or cover of the Snail where- 
of we here {peak, be burnt, it has no difagree= 
able {mell. Its ftructure is elegant: it con- 
fifts, as it wete, of many rings, fomewhiat 
round, and differing among themfelves princi- 
pally in the brightnefs or obfcurity of their 
colour. On the infide it is hollow like a fhell : 
the tail of the body, annexed to this cover, 
is fixed thereto with ftrong mufcles; by the 
help of which the operculum or cover may be 
bent, folded, nay, complicated towards the 
mouth and horns, when the Snail betakes 
itfelf to its fhell,; and by means of this, as it 
were, little door or entrance, which it carries 
about it, it fecurely hides itfelf in its fhell, fafe 
from all common dangers. ‘This the Snail 
does as foon as it perceives the leaft unufual 
motion in the water, for I never knew a moré 
timorous creature than this. It naturally creeps 
very flowly, and fwims in the water with its 
body oppofite to the furface of the air, as I 
have before related of the common water 
Snail. ee 
Thefe are the external parts of this Snail; 
but the internal parts that we have obferved in 
it are indeed fo many miracles, fo many 
ftrange and unheard of things, as probably 
never, hitherto, came into the mind of any 
perfon. I therefore invite and require all 
atheifts, who do not {cruple to affign the gene- 
ration of {mall animals to accident or chance, 
to this fplendid entertainment, that they may 
learn to give the praife and glory to God alone. 
When one attempts a diffection of this 
Snail, it immediately draws itfelf fo much back 
into its fhell, and prefles its operculum or co- 
ver down fo clofely, that one cannot put the 
point of a little needle into it. You mutt 
therefere break open the fhell, which is very 
firm, with a flat forceps, and take the Snail out 
with your hands. Then it will be obferved 
that its mufcles are ftrongly inferted in its fhell, 
and principally in the foremoft or anterior part 
of it. Whilft this Snail lives, its diffection can 
{carcely be performed, fince it bends or winds 
its operculum or cover, Tab. IX, Be. vi. aa, 
againit the fore parts of the body in fuch a man- 
ner, that the former is doubly folded; befides, 
both the mouth and horns 4 are in fome mea- 
fure drawn in. 
The diffection ought to begin next to the 
vulva c, and the verge fhould be opened there 
with a little pair of {ciffors ; after which four 
. different 
