Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1890-03-27
SNAILS.
A Short Study of the Common
Golden Variety.
They Are Rd- Little Creatures II
Remarkable ytfsIEty-Hsw They
breathe. BAT. uyb~rnste and
Lay Their Egxs

IN" ~uait = rally A. interesting an
animal a. : 60 10 found in our gardens.
and deserves a better fate than the piti-
less crushing which usually awaits him
az The feet Of the gardener who's path
he happens 70 crusS II you wish TO ex-
anime snail. procure a piece OF glass
and place him upon it. IL is useless to
expect him 70 seem az ease in YOUR hand.
for the snail Is cold-bIooded animal.
and your warm flesh must he nearly As
uncomfortable 10 him a. the top Of the
kitchen range would he To you. The
cooluess Of a bit Of glass is c-ongenial 70
him. be will adhere firmly u il with his
broad surker-like fc0t. and will probably
proceed To crawl along it, expanding and
contracting alternately this foot Of his.
which y really the whole under part OF
his body Looking at his small rate Of
progress Won will probably b. surprised
at the rapidity with which the contrac-
tions and expansions Of his foot follow
one another. they cause quite a ripping
OF the surface Of his body. and seem a.
though a good deal OF exertion we're 70
quired to produce even 80 slow a move
meRt As his Most likely your snail
viii keep on prOtruding his feelerx or
horns as they are usually called in a
tentative-kind of manner as he makes
his way towards the edge Of the glass
II you put a finger in front Of him. he
vii probably walk straight on until one
80 these teeleN comes in contact with it
The moment that the obstruction Is thus
made known 20 him he viii draw in his
hnrnZ a-A Zran-Nz- III a--. ~
them ont again in 4 timid and heSitat-
ing fashion. plainly endeavoring 10
ascertain BY the sense Of touch Whether
II IL still in his way or M. IL he
happens 10 he rather a wide-awaka Spes-
ime7 % his race. he will most likely
discern the presence Of your finger
vhen the tip of his horn is about the
twentieth u an inch away from il. the
tFntarle vii Nave slowly about. rearing
Itself alof- and driving down in evident
attempt 10 see whether the obstacle can
b. passed We say To 80 Intentionally.
for III" minute black speck At the II
IRENE end OF each 81 the snaiI'S longer
ieeiers are the animals eyeS-very i'm
perfect and documentary organs Of Wis
ION. hut still capable Of discriminating
between light anI darkness and Of some
times discovering the presence Of a for
eign body. provided that is is Of 4 fair
SIP The low, and shorter tentarles
are without the ewes which grace the
tips of the longer ones. AMI seem 70 be
solely used a. feeLera The way IN which
a snail ~wlthdrzEs his horns i very cur
iou~ They are not pallesf bodily back
into suitable receptaele~ bat arr liter
ally turned inside cut JGSt Ike the tn
EeS 81 a glove thai i drawn Of back
SardS L Noald naturally hs supposed
that the snail would - very susceptible
IN these delicate and useful orraax
Their se-nSisiyeneSs ShoEs that this :
- and ret Ne l. comparatively speak
ing. indifferent To tho los Of them. IL
you care to sacrifice the feelings Of the
animal Ia the Qualification Of
y~ar curiosity. you nay cut
on MS ~tentaeies with a pai- Of
scissors Blinded. and az the sarne time
deprived Of his guardian ~feeIerS. one
would imagine that he would soon die;
but nothing Of the sort need be apprs-
hended As Is only natural. he will.
With the utmost possible expedition. re-
tire into the depths OF his she'll. prob
ably 20 remain there for some davs
Presently. however. he will emerge
again. and If he i in a proper state OF
health. and the operation has been nor
formed fairly early in the season. in
about \ month new horns will be seen
~spnoutlng. which will shortly attain to
the size OF those DESTROYED. and. duly
provided with eyes, will guide the way
of their bearer a. their predecessors did.
Should your taste for research remain
unsatIshed after this rather cruel exper-
lment. you may, without fear of doing
permanent injury TO the snail. boldly de-
eaPLtate him. The persevering creature
Will after the lapse Of a few months PRO
duee an entirely new head. properly
provided with horns and in all respects
Just As good as the one Of which YOU
robbed him The snail is not unpro-
vldec with other organs 10 help him in
finding his way about the world. He
has. for instance, a fairly welldeveIoped
ear, which lies close 20 the roots of his
horns and his sense of smell is quite
highly developed No doubs it is BY
this sense that he guides himself 20
those vegetables that are dear TO his
palate
In spite Of the assertion Of Moouier
Tard0n. who stated that his researches
into the habits Of snails had convinced
him that they were very intelligent. and
% the opinion Of Oxen. who goes 50 "a
a to speak Of ''ciucunspection and re
sight aS appearing % charaetsr the
thoughts of snails. re sea- taat this
creatures brain must = se1ned As SLOW
a. his bodily movements. TIE or~an is
~eErionsly situated lying in Il kind Of
circle round the animals throat ami
thus seeming 70 poiat 10 the assump
t'on that the satisfying Of his appetite
Is The utmost TO which the snafrs men,
t. powers carry him His Breathing
apparatus : OF the very simplest de-
~szptiOn- While tie snail. which re
imagine yOu have before you On a
piece u glass all this time IS crawling
along yoG should look carefully at his
rlwhf Si2S Xnu Ill 1870