Marvels of the Universe 775 
THE EGGS OF SNAILS AND THEIR EGG-BASKETS 
BY BERNARD C. WHITE 
INSIGNIFICANT and,unworthy of consideration as the snail undoubtedly is to the casual observer, 
there are hidden away in the coiled shell and mean-looking exterior wonders of coloration, of con- 
struction, of mechanism,/of expedients for the maintenance of life which amply repay patient and 
careful inquiry. One of these 
wonders is the methods em- 
ployed by snails for the care- 
ful deposition of their eggs. 
These are not scattered broad- 
cast to take their chances with 
the multitude of dangers which 
beset them, as might be ex- 
pected from the lowly position 
of the mollusc in the scale of 
nature, but are, as we shall see, 
often provided with special 
means of protection and given 
fairy cradles to dwell in. 
But the first remarkable 
point with regard to the eggs of 
snails is their number. It is no 
uncommon thing to finda batch 
of eggs from one mother 
numbering several thousands. 
The Swan Mussel of English 
ponds and rivers will have 
as many as twenty thousand ; 
while the Painters’ Mussel 
often bears ten times that 
number. Yet it is the oyster 
who is without her compeer in 
this matter; for she is the 
mother, not of thousands, but 
of hundreds of thousands, and 
a single individual has been 
Photo by] [H#. Step, F.L.S. 
known to produce as many as THE EGG-CAPSULES OF THE WHELK 
SIX million eggs. There 1S a As they appear after the young have emerged. They are here attached to a 
scallop-shell. Each capsule contained a number of eggs; but few would reach 
reason for this prolific brood. maturity, as the first-developed young devour any unhatched eggs they may find within 
Many are the enemies of the _ the capsule 
oyster, throughout its career, for nearly all marine life has learned to appreciate its esculent 
qualities, and as a result the race of oysters is continually suffering a heavy depletion which can 
only be rectified by an abnormally high birth-rate. 
Some snails, on the other hand, produce comparatively few eggs, and such are usually of 
considerable size. The Giant Snail of South America, which has been mentioned earlier in 
these pages, has an egg which may measure as much as one and three-quarter inches in length, 
while that of the Left-handed Agate Snail is as large as a pigeon’s. The shells of nearly all such 
eggs are brittle and white, an exception to this colouring being found in the Black-mouthed 
