The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-10-20
Snaiis.

The great vine snail has quite his
tory, and its lease of life should be q
long one, il that may be measured by
the powers of endurance. In 1774 the
members of theRoyal society in England
could not be brought to believe an Irish
collector, who averred that certain
white snails that had been confined for
fifteen years came out of their shells
upon his sons putting them in hot water;
but the possibility of the thing was
proved in 1850, when, after four years
somnolence in the British museum, an
Egyptian desert snail woke up, none
the worse for its long rest and absti-
nence. 1t fed heartily on lettuce leaves,
and lived for two years longer. Spal-
| lanzain asserted that he had often be-
headed snails without killing them,
and in few months they were as
lively as ever, having grown new heads
in retirement.
nail.eating has been in vogue for
many centuries, and was considered
by the ancient Romans one of their
table luxuries. In Pliny's time Barbary
snais stood first in repute, those
in Sicily ranking next; and l. was the
custom to fatten them for the table
by dieting them on meal and new wine.
In modern Rome fresh gathered snails
are hawked from door to door by
women, who boil them in their shells,
stew them, or fry them in oil. S2ails
are gathered off the vines by the peas
nntry in the wine district of France,
and are gent up in cases and wicker
baskets TO Paris halls, whore they are
sold by auction, and are purchased by
people who make it their business to
prepare them for the restaurants and
charcuticrB. They are killed by being
placed in Bcalding water, and after
being removed from their shells by the
MD Of piece Of wire arc thrown into
an immense copper and boiled for three
quarters Of an hour in q mixture com
posed of water, vinegar, salt and herbs.
They are then replaced in their shells,
tho months Of which are closed with
butter and parsley, and are ready for
tnlc. 70 prepare them for the table,
IL Buifices ~ place them in the frying
pan for few minutes with a email
piece of bnitrr, and without removing
Them from their shells They are sold
~ the wIhs shops and charcutiers at
thirty and fDrsy centimes the dJzen.
4 century ayp aDms OJJ. 90 oi
euaila were annually sIp11,ed from
Tin IN" "cags" of 1867, fetching from
ucnty-fi2e ~ forty forms Gag.
In the Tyrol youngs,Hra of both aezes
arc employed during the summer
months collecting snails az STOCK for
small gardens -Bmall plats Of land
cleared OF trees and covered with heaps
OF MOSS and pine twigs, separated from
each other by moats, having gratin g
at their outlets to prevent any truant'
that may get into the water from being
carried beyond bounds. The prisoners
are supplied daily with fresh grass ant
cabbage leaves until their appetites
fail and they retire into the moss heap:
for their winter sleep-the last one they
will enjoy; for when spring come.
they are routed out of their beds
packed in straw lined boxes, and SEN
on to market. In favorable season one
of these gardens will turn out 10000
snails. The consumption of them il
South Tyrol must be great. Snails are
often used, boiled in milk, for diseases
of the lungs, and are sent to this country
as delicacy; they are very indiscrim
mate in their appetite, and even devout
the dead of their own kind. Snail
delight in warm moist weather; in dr.,
weather their chief time of activity il
in the night, and they hide themselves
by day; but after rain they come fortl
at any hour in quest of food. At the
approach of winter, or in very DIR,
weather, they close the mouth of th'
shell with a membrane formed by tht
diving of the mucus substance whicl
they secrete. anu uecOme IuaUel'0 ai4'
torni1