The Holly chieftain., 1908-12-18
THE CURIOUS SNAIL.
oArsmss Faets About the Pseuii.' Gold
Dieodsd Animal.

II one wishes to examine a snail
he should place the specimen on
piece of glass. The snail is cold
kooded animal, and contact with
warm hand probably induces in him
TIE feeling which would result in
y from placing the hand or body
a top Of the kitchen range. The
eoolness Of the glass will be agree
able to his snailship, and he will
travel peaceably along, rapidly ex-
panding and contracting his broad,
suckerike feet.
His horns are protracted in an
fnquiring manner, and if finger is
placed in front of him he will prob
ably walk on until these feelers
come in contact with it. Then the
tentacles are withdrawn and waved
about in the effort to see the OBJ
struction more clearly, for each
feeler contains at its end a small,
imperfect, but still discernible, eye,
which is capable of distinguishing
between light and darkness.
A snails manner of withdrawing
his horns is very curious. He does
not pull them back bodily into their
receptacle, but turns them inside
out, Just as one turns the fingers of
. sglove in drawing it off backward.
The funny little creature has a
sense Of smell and also fairly well
developed ear, which lies close to
the roots Of his horns. His breath
ing apparatus is Of the simplest de-
scription. Looking carefully at his
right ide, one may see that dis
thct hole occasionally appears
there, remains open a few moments
and then closes again. This is sim
ply q cavity in the snail's body, into
which he allows a certain quantity
of air to enter whenever he thinks
of it." as one might say.
When air has thus found its way
into his interior he keeps it there
until its oxygen is exhausted by his
vital processes. What remains,
laden with carbonic acid, is allowed
to escape by reopening the little
trspdoor, and the receptacle is filled
BY another supply of fresh air.
The snail's mouth is armed with
. sawlike tongue, which resembles
. long, narrow ribbon, coiled up in
such . manner that only a part of
It comes into use at once. Distrib-
uted over the surface Of this ribbon
Gs tiny teeth, one animal some
TINES having as many as 100000
A one set of teeth becomes worn
sway by leaf cutting another section
of ribbon is uncoiled, and the teeth
which before were wrapped up at
the back of the mouth come for
ward to take their turn in pressing
tie food against the horny upper
surface of the mouth and thus cut
ting It in clean incisions.
The shell of the snail is horny
covering that serves to protect him
ag.inst his numerous foes. Slugs
are simply snails that live a retired
life and consequently need no COW
sring at all. The snails shell is
built up from lime in the plants on
which it feeds, and the creatures
&e never found on soil which pro-
ducss NO ime.-Philadelphia Rec
Gd
Horssshess.
Hoeseshoes are of uncertain date and
An~s caused some discussion among
ualitary historians. Nailed shoes were
lot known by the Greeks, for Keno
bon gives minute instructions for
hardening the hoof. Nor did the Ro.
mans use them. Nero had mules shod
Voth plate of silver fastened by
1sossed thongs to the hoof With Pop
pAsa, his later wife, 1t is said these
U1atss were Of gold The earliest posi-
t1ve evidence of nailed shoes is fur
1ashed by the skeleton of horse found
IN the tomb of Childeric l. (45S-S1) at
9ournay in 1858.
Ineapaeitatsd tho Plant.
0ubscriber-Why wasn't there any
saDue this week?
Editor thickly) = The paper gave
Co..
Observation-Disclosures There's enough
e It here to write an acceptance Of a
Deesidential nomination.
Biitor-As was saying, the paper
DaNe out story about Billy Wallop,
- prizefghter, and he took exception
to1M.-Puck