ao _ NATURAL HISTORY. 
} 
: All the furface is flightly furrowed or wrinkled, and covered with 
flimy juice; the colour is of a glofly yellow, with a brownith caft, and 
is all over variegated with fpots of a greyifh colour. It is very uncom- 
‘mon, though it is Sometimes feen in the woods of the north of Exgland, 
Befides thefe, there are the large grey Snail, {potted with a duiky 
brown; the little fhort grey Snail without {pots, the reddifh brown 
Snail with a reddith body ; the fmall dufky brown furrowed faail; the 
' deep chocolate coloured Snail, 
a AP Re, 
OF SHELL SNAILS. 
Shell Snail has a fingle valved fpiral fhell, which is very hard, 
A and light at the fame time; by the help of this, the animal is 
defended from all injuries, and can carry its houfe or lodging with it 
wherever it pleafes. At the beginning of winter it retires into a hole, 
and then a fort of flime or glew proceeds from its body, which entirely 
thuts up the mouth of the fhell. Under this fhelter it pailes the winter, 
like many other infeéts, without trouble, and without want. When the 
{pring appears, and the warm weather comes on, the fail opens the door 
of its houfe, and roves abroad to feek its fortune. It is obliged to 
move along, and that very flowly, as it always carries jits fhell upon 
its back; and being thus obliged to crawl along, if its eyes were placed 
low on the body, which is dragged on the earth, it could not fee the 
abjedts it is in fearch of; at leaft they would be expofed to dirt and 
mud every now and then; for this reafon, nature has provided it with 
four eyes, which may be likened to telefcopes, wherewith it may dee 
what is doing all round about it. : 
Some have imagined thefe eyes are horns, and yet they are in sag 
four tubes, with a glafs at the ends; but to {peak more properly, they 
are four optic nerves, on each of which there is a very beautiful eye; 
and many imagine this to be the cafe of Snails without Shells. It not 
only lifts up its head to look about, but it raifes up the optic nerves 
ftill higher, with the eyes placed at the ends 3 for it can lengthen and 
direct them at pleafure. 
However, authors are not wholly agreed about the reality of this, 
for fome think that the fhorter horns are only the organs of fmelling. 
But be this as it will, the eyes on the other two are very plain to be 
perceived., One would at firlt imagine, that any difcovery it can make 
would be of very little fervice to this infeét, fince it is without legs ; 
however inftead of thefe, it has two large mufculous membranes or 
fkins, which it can contraét or lengthen at pleafure. It firft ‘wrinkles 
up the fkin before, by which it drags the hinder part after it; then it 
contracts or wrinkles the fkin behind at the fame time, extending that 
‘before, which being repeated alternately, this animal can crawl along 
with cafe. But perhaps fome may think this mechanifm is not fufi- 
cient for its purpofe; for as it has no wings to fly, when it sae with 
: s : danger, 
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