1.The “winkle”which you pick out of its shell with a pin and eat is a sea-snail.But we have now to talk about the common land-snail，which creeps about our gardens.It has a “house on its back，”in the shape of a spiral or coiled shell，which is all in one piece，and has a smooth edge.Have you noticed how the shell is marked with pretty bright bands of colour？The shell protects the soft body of the snail，and provides a shelter into which it can retreat①in time of danger，and in which it sleeps.
2.The snail has a heart，a stomach，a lung②，and many nerves inside its soft body.It creeps along by means of the lower portion of itsGARDEN SNAIL（蜗牛）body，a long，fleshy part called the “foot.”Have you ever seen the snail’s eyes？They are placed at the ends of the two long feelers or “horns”which stick out from the creature‘s head.When a horn is①Retreat，withdraw；go back.
②Lung，the organ by which it breathes.
extended，the eye is seen at its point；when it is withdrawn，the eye disappears within it.Under these horns are two much shorter feelers.Below these again is the mouth.
3.The snail has a long tongue like a ribbon，which is covered with tiny teeth.It also has a sort of horny upper jaw.With its teeth and its upper jaw the snail cuts off bits of the young plants for food.On this account gardeners do not like the snail.
EYE OF SNAIL.
（Extended and Withdrawn.）
蜗牛的眼睛
（伸展状态与蜷缩状态）
4.The snail lays its eggs in damp places in the ground；they look like tiny beads of jelly.When the little snails come out of these eggs，each one has its own little shell.
As they grow larger，more of the hard shell forms round the edge；and so the snail and its shell grow together，until the animal has reached its full size.
5.Snails do not grow in the winter.
HEAD OF SNAIL（蜗牛的头）
They do not come out of their shells at all then，even to eat.When they feel the cold weather coming，each snail finds some quiet place，where it makes a smooth hole in the earth to live in.Then it draws its body into the shell，and plasters①up the opening，leavingjust a little hole to breathe through.There the snail sleeps all through the winter.But it will wake up and crawl about again when the warm April showers tell it that spring hasPART OF TONGUE（舌的局部）come.
6.Did you ever eat snails？Perhaps you are surprised at such a question，for very few people in this country know that snails are good to eat，if they have been properly fed and properly cooked.In other countries snails are thought a very dainty dish.They should be boiled in spring-water，and seasoned②with oil，salt，and pepper.
7.In the south of England there is a very large white snail，which is known as the “Roman③snail，”because the Roman soldiers used to be very fond of eating it.In times of famine④，too，①Plasters，covers.
②Seasoned，given a relish to.
③Roman，belonging to Rome，the capital of Italy，a country in the south of Europe.
④Famine，great scarcity of food.
such as used to happen in Britain in bygone days，many people were saved from starving who knew that snails were good to eat.
8.Many birds，such as thrushes and blackbirds，feed on snails.The bird breaks the shell of the snail by dropping it on a stone.You may often see pieces of the shells lying beside a large stone on which a bird has broken them.
9.If you want to catch the snails in your garden，you should take a lantern①and look for them at night，for they creep about much more by night than by day.
SUMMARY
The garden snail has a spiral shell，which protects its soft body.The snail has a heart，a stomach，a lung，and nerves.It crawls along by means of its “foot.”Its eyes are at the end of the horns which stick out from its head.Below the horns are two feelers.Its long ribbon-like tongue is covered with small teeth，and it has a horny upper jaw.Its eggs are like beads of jelly.Each young snail has a shell，which gets harder as it grows.In winter the snail shuts itself up in its shell and sleeps till spring-time.It feeds on young plants，and is thus disliked by the gardener.Snails，when properly cooked and seasoned，are good to eat.Many birds feed on snails.They break the shell by dropping it on a stone.
【中文阅读】
1．当你拿着大头针，将“滨螺”从外壳中挑出吃下的时候，你知道吗，这是一种海蜗牛。不过我们现在要讨论的却是在我们的花园中爬来爬去的普通蜗牛。它总是“背着自己的房子”，这座一体式的小房子是一个螺旋或者卷曲的外壳，边缘很光滑。你有没有注意过，它的外壳上带有非常明亮的颜色条纹？这个外壳能够保护蜗牛柔弱的身体，在危险时作为避风港，在休息时作为它温暖的家。
①Lantern，a frame made partly of glass for holding a lighted candle or lamp.
2．蜗牛柔弱的身体中长有心脏、胃、肺以及许多神经。它通过身体下半部分一个长长的肉“足”进行蠕动。你见到过蜗牛的眼睛吗？它们位于头部上方两根长长的触角顶端。当蜗牛伸出触角的时候，最上方的圆点就是它的眼睛；当触角缩回时，眼睛也消失不见了。这些触角下方还有两根触角，只是短得多，在下方就是蜗牛的嘴巴。
3．蜗牛长有一条缎带般的长舌，上面布满了细小的牙齿。它还有一个类似角质的上颚。凭借这样的牙齿与上颚，蜗牛能够撕咬植物幼苗作为食物。因为这个原因，园丁对蜗牛没有好感。
4．蜗牛在地下的潮湿处产卵，这些卵看起来就像是很小的果冻微粒。当小蜗牛孵化出来以后，它们都背着自己的壳子。随着它们不断长大，外壳边缘逐渐形成更多坚硬的外壳；于是，蜗牛与自己的外壳一起发育，直到完全成熟为止。
5．蜗牛在冬天的时候停止生长。它们始终蜷缩在外壳之中，甚至停止了进食。如果感觉到寒冬就要来临，每只蜗牛都会寻找到一个安静的地方，在那里为自己造出一个光滑的小洞准备住下。随后，将身体缩进外壳之中，用粘液将开口封闭起来，只留下一个小孔进行呼吸。整个冬季，蜗牛都在这里沉睡。四月份，当温暖的雨水滋润大地之时，蜗牛们便感受到了春天的味道，于是从睡梦中醒来，继续开始爬行。
6．你吃过蜗牛吗？也许你会对这个问题感到惊讶，因为英国很少有人知道，原来蜗牛是可以吃的。当然了，这需要正确的饲养与合适的烹饪。对于其他国家的居民来说，蜗牛是一道非常美味的菜肴①。用泉水将蜗牛煮熟，配以油、盐及胡椒等作料。
7．英格兰北部生活着一种体型巨大的蜗牛，也就是所谓的“罗马蜗牛”②，因为罗马士兵曾经非常喜欢把它作为食物。在饥荒时代，那些知道蜗牛食用价值的人们就曾经侥幸逃过一劫。在英格兰的历史上的确出现过这样的情景。
8．很多鸟类都喜欢捕食蜗牛，比如画眉与黑鸫③。这些鸟儿在抓起蜗牛后便会抛向石头，摔碎蜗牛的外壳。你可能会看到一块周围遍布蜗牛碎壳的巨石，鸟儿们就是在这里享受美食的。
9．想要抓住花园中的蜗牛，就应该在夜晚时分拿起灯笼进行搜索，因为它们更加喜欢在夜间到处爬。
译注
①目前，养殖的蜗牛与海螺，已经成为中国人越来越熟悉的食品。
②这种罗马蜗牛是英国的称呼，在欧洲大陆的通用法语名为“勃艮第蜗牛”
（Escargots de Bourgogne）。在英格兰（不含英国其他地区），这种蜗牛因为大量偷猎，数目急剧减少，被1981年的《野生动物和乡村法》（Wildlife and Countryside Act）列为保护动物。
③黑鸫也叫百舌鸟，中国东部和南部有分布。
MATTER，AND THE SENSES
