If it matters I've been researching my next project and have found that the
revolutionary sailors would spend hours having weavel races , the weavels
came from the hard tack , the delicious , moral boosting meal provided by
the ships storeskeepers ..... Now what is faster a weavel or a land snail
and was there ever a weavel named sea biscuit . Nancy, I'm just as bored , I
think I'll watch the highlights from the last awards banquet....Ferret (now
100 lbs lighter, no smarted though )
----- Original Message -----
From: Orstan, Aydin <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2000 12:53 PM
Subject: Snail watching
> I can't predict if mollusc watching will ever become as popular as bird
> watching, but as an ardent land snail watcher, I disagree with Paul
Monfil's
> mostly negative assessment of mollusc watching.
>
>
> >both birds and butterflies are a lot more "watchable" and a lot more
> >photogenic than living molluscs, for a variety of reasons. First of
>all,
> they are much more active animals.
>
> "Activity" is relevant & subjective. A snail may stay in the same spot for
> an hour, but it may still be active. Many land snails move very little
when
> they are feeding. That's better actually, because you don't have to run
> after them trying to keep them in focus!
>
> > Thirdly, the color and beauty of birds and butterflies are best
> > observed in living specimens. A mounted butterfly or bird
> > just doesn't compare visually to its living counterpart. Molluscs >on
the
> other hand are often downright ugly in their natural habitat, >covered
with
> algae, sediment, marine growths, and self-produced >periostracum.
>
> I don't think most people watch birds because they are pretty. I wouldn't
> call the ordinary sparrows, doves or the starlings pretty & I have heard
of
> crow-watching clubs. Just about a month ago I ran into a gray cat bird &
its
> chick in my backyard. I would hardly call them pretty, but they were fun &
> educational to watch (I had no idea what was going on until a bird watcher
> friend whom I called explained the situation to me). I think what makes
> watching an animal interesting is not what the animal looks like, but what
> the animal is doing. I wouldn't consider whales pretty either & they are
> often covered with barnacles. But people go whale watching, because whales
> do interesting things.
>
> If you have the right frame of mind, even earthworms could be interesting
to
> watch.
>
> Two advantages snail watching has over bird watching: can be done indoors;
> snails don't fly away when approached.
>
> Some possible snail activities to watch, especially in your backyard:
>
> 1. Slugs mating.
> How many birdwatchers have ever seen birds mate? But slugs are mating in
> your backyard all the time, sometimes even in bright sun light. If you are
> persistent enough you can peek into their not-so-private lives rather
> frequently.
>
> 2. Snails mating.
> Very little is known about the mating rituals of land snails. Any serious
> snail watcher with a video camera & some patience can become a world
expert
> on this subject.
>
> 3. Snails feeding on rocks.
> If you have Vallonia & Vertigo in your backyard & some rocks, grab a good
> magnifying glass & a small flashlight & go out on a warm & humid night.
Lay
> on the ground near the rocks & watch the little snails feed on the rocks.
>
> 4. Snails feeding on lettuce.
> Can be done either outdoors or indoors.
>
> 5. Carnivorous snails feeding on other snails.
> The northeastern American carnivorous snail Haplotrema concavum has a
> "ritual" that it goes thru before attacking its prey. James Atkinson at
> Michigan State University has been studying this. Who knows what the other
> carnivorous snails do? All you really need is a video camera. Easier to do
> indoors.
>
> Happy snail watching!
>
> Aydin
>
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