The Mummy Puppet Shell, (Pupa mummia.)
The [Pupa mummia] is found in the Antilles; it takes its name from the singularity of its form, which very much resembles that of a mummy.
The Pupa is essentially a land-shell, living among grass, on stones, and sometimes in places much exposed to the heat of the sun. The greater number of the species, which are very numerous, are natives of tropical countries; there are, however, several found in Germany, and other parts of the Continent, but they are extremely small.
The Wood Snail, ([Helix nemoralis].)
The Snail (Helix) is an animal well-known in every part of the globe, and its species are still extremely numerous, although many shells which belonged to this tribe, under the Linnæan arrangement, have been placed in other divisions. The head of the Snail is furnished with two pair of tentacula, or feelers; these, unlike similar appendices in other Mollusca, are retractile; that is, they can be withdrawn into the body at the will of the animal. The use of these tentacula is uncertain. At the top of each of the longest pair we find a black spot; these spots have been supposed to be the eyes of the animal, and a celebrated anatomist says, that he has discovered in them all the component parts of perfect eyes. However this may be, the animal appears to use them rather as organs of touch than of sight. Some writers suspect that the sense of smell resides in one or both pairs of these appendages.
The uses to which Snails are applied are not many; some of the larger kinds, however, are, in some countries, employed as food. The Romans, according to Pliny, consumed large quantities, and considered them in the light of delicacies, and considerable pains were taken in fattening them for the table. Those from Sicily and the Balearic Islands were in great request, and attained a very large size. Some authors say they are still used as food in several parts of the Continent.
Helix nemoralis.