denied them. Our speculative friend asks, "may it not be that man, driven from the northern lands by the coming of his higher successor on the stage of life, is to finally end his race on earth within the recesses of the gloomy forests of Brazil or Borneo?"

MOST of the readers of the NATURALIST, who reside in the cities of our Atlantic coast, are aware that the cellars of their houses are infested with slugs and snails. They have seen or heard of the glistening tracks made by their slime, and have heard dreadful stories of the ugly creatures who left them when escaping from their nocturnal depredations. But as few of our readers have met them face to face, we propose giving a short description of each with a portrait of sufficient accuracy to enable any one to identify the separate species.

A word first about their characters and habits. They all belong to the great division of mollusks which are called Pulmonata, from the fact of their breathing with lung-like vessels. Furthermore, they all belong to that group of Pulmonata which are called Geophila, or lovers of dry land, from the fact of their habits being terrestrial in distinction from those which are adapted to living in fresh-water, or in the sea. These Geophila are distinguished in addition to their breathing with lung-like vessels eyes at the end of long, slender, cy far most authors agree, but in su into natural groups there is so lit that we do not carry our read Suffice it to say that literally

character has been seized to found families upon, and thus far the conchological world is but little the wiser for it.

Fier 49.

Our cellar mollusks are all nocturnal in their habits. They lie quietly stowed away in some crack or crevice of the walls during the day. At night they sally forth in pursuit of food and to enjoy the company of their kind. They feed on vegetable matterrefuse from the kitchen, decaying vegetables Jaw of Limaz flavus. or fruits-or on Indian meal, flour, or anything they are lucky enough to find. They even devour animal food, and in confinement have even been accused of cannabalism. When one comes to know how well adapted their mouth is to eating, it becomes a wonder that our mollusks leave anything uneaten. For the mouth of each individual mollusk is

armed at its entrance with a sharp, stout, pointed process, called a jaw, for want of a better term. This falls, porteullislike, on the food of the animal, and cuts off pieces into his mouth. We give here a figure of the jaw of Limax flavus one of the species mentioned below (Fig. 42). Once in the mouth the food is taken hold of by a long, broad, ribbon-like membrane, generally called a tongue. The whole surface of this tongue is covered with sharp, tooth-like processes running in transverse rows. These small, sharp teeth rasp quickly the food and carry it forwards towards the stomach. Short work they must make of it, for the number of these 2 proces ry great, counting as high as eighty We give here a figure of onew of teeth on the tongue of the same already figured (Fig. 43). To

denied them. Our speculative friend asks, "may it not be that man, driven from the northern lands by the coming of his higher successor on the stage of life, is to finally end his race on earth within the recesses of the gloomy forests of Brazil or Borneo?"

THE MOLLUSKS OF OUR CELLARS.

BY W. G. BINNEY.

MOST of the readers of the NATURALIST, who reside in the cities of our Atlantic coast, are aware that the cellars of their houses are infested with slugs and snails. They have seen or heard of the glistening tracks made by their slime, and have heard dreadful stories of the ugly creatures who left them when escaping from their nocturnal depredations. But as few of our readers have met them face to face, we propose giving a short description of each with a portrait of sufficient accuracy to enable any one to identify the separate species.

A word first about their characters and habits. They all belong to the great division of mollusks which are called Pulmonata, from the fact of their breathing with lung-like vessels. Furthermore, they all belong to that group of Pulmonata which are called Geophila, or lovers of dry land, from the fact of their habits being terrestrial in distinction from those which are adapted to living in fresh-water, or in the sea. These Geophila are distinguished in addition to their breathing with lung-like vessel their having their eyes at the end of long, slender, cal feelers. Thus far most authors agree, but in su

into natural groups there is so lit that we do not carry our read Suffice it to say that literally

character has been seized to found families upon, and thus far the conchological world is but little the wiser for it.

Our cellar mollusks are all nocturnal in their habits. They lie quietly stowed away in some crack or crevice of the walls during the day. At night they sally forth in pursuit of food and to enjoy the company of their kind. They feed on vegetable matter

Fie 49.

refuse from the kitchen, decaying vegetables Jaw of Limar flavus, or fruits-or on Indian meal, flour, or anything they are lucky enough to find. They even devour animal food, and in confinement have even been accused of cannabalism. When one comes to know how well adapted their mouth is to eating, it becomes a wonder that our mollusks leave anything uneaten. For the mouth of each individual mollusk is

armed at its entrance with a sharp, stout, pointed process, called a jaw, for want of a better term. This falls, portcullislike, on the food of the animal, and cuts off pieces into his mouth. We give here a figure of the jaw of Limax flavus one of the species mentioned below (Fig. 42). Once in the mouth the food is taken hold of by a long, broad, ribbon-like membrane, generally called a tongue. The whole surface of this tongue is covered with sharp, tooth-like processes running in transverse rows. These small, sharp teeth rasp quickly the food and carry it forwards towards the stomach. Short work they must make of it, for the number of these

ry great, counting as high as eighty 3. We give here a figure of onew of teeth on the tongue of the same already figured (Fig. 43). To

denied them. Our speculative friend asks, "may it not be that man, driven from the northern lands by the coming of his higher successor on the stage of life, is to finally end his race on earth within the recesses of the gloomy forests of Brazil or Borneo?"

THE MOLLUSKS OF OUR CELLARS.

BY W. G. BINNEY.

MOST of the readers of the NATURALIST, who reside in the cities of our Atlantic coast, are aware that the cellars of their houses are infested with slugs and snails. They have seen or heard of the glistening tracks made by their slime, and have heard dreadful stories of the ugly creatures who left them when escaping from their nocturnal depredations. But as few of our readers have met them face to face, we propose giving a short description of each with a portrait of sufficient accuracy to enable any one to identify the separate species.

A word first about their characters and habits. They all belong to the great division of mollusks which are called Pulmonata, from the fact of their breathing with lung-like vessels. Furthermore, they all belong to that group of Pulmonata which are called Geophila, or lovers of dry land, from the fact of their habits being terrestrial in distinction from those which are adapted to living in fresh-water, or in the sea. These Geophila are distinguished in addition to their breathing with lung-like vessels their having their eyes at the end of long, slender, cyal feelers. Thus far most authors agree, but in su into natural groups there is so lit that we do not carry our read Suffice it to say that literally f