Skip to content

Please be aware that some material may contain words, descriptions or illustrations which will not reflect current scientific understanding and may be considered in today's context inaccurate, unethical, offensive or distressing.

Description

Lowe shares brief observations on molluscs of the genus Helix which have been kept in a box and fed daily. He suggests that the shells of Helicidae increase 'but little for a considerable period, never arriving at maturity before the animal has once become dormant'; that the shells do not grow while the animal itself remains dormant; that the growth of the shells is rapid when it does take place; and that most species bury themselves in the ground 'to increase the dimensions of their shells'.

Subject: Zoology / Malacology

Received 18 February 1854. Read 2 March 1854. Communicated by Henry James.

Written by Lowe at Observatory Beeston [England].

This paper was published in full in volume 7 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On the growth of land shells'.

Reference number
AP/37/5
Earliest possible date
14 February 1854
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
4 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

Henry James

View page for Henry James

Use this record

Citation

Henry James, Paper, 'On the growth of land shells [snails]' by E J [Edward Joseph] Lowe, 14 February 1854, AP/37/5, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_37_5/paper-on-the-growth-of-land-shells-snails-by-e-j-edward-joseph-lowe, accessed on 21 April 2026

Link to this record

Embed this record

<iframe src="https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/embed/items/ap_37_5/paper-on-the-growth-of-land-shells-snails-by-e-j-edward-joseph-lowe" title="Paper, 'On the growth of land shells [snails]' by E J [Edward Joseph] Lowe" allow="fullscreen" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="500px"></iframe>

Related Publications

Hierarchy

This item is part of:

Related Fellows

Explore the collection

  • Archived Papers

    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

    Dates: 1768 - 1989

    View collection