Some difficulty is often experienced in extracting the entire animal from its shell by the usual method employing a pin, and portions of the body left in a transparent or translucent shell spoil its appearance. The following method has been found useful in the cleaning of small snails, especially such species as Limnaea truncatula.
After boiling, and the removal of as much of the animal as possible, the remaining portion is washed out with a strong jet of water produced in the following way. A six to eight inch long piece of soft rubber tubing of suitable bore is attached to a cold water tap which is then allowed to run at moderate force. Two thirds of the lower end of the tube is compressed between finger and thumb, leaving a third of the orifice open to pass a strong jet of water. The shell is held with the long axis exactly in line with the stream of water which, directed into the aperture, washes out all residual soft parts at once, without damaging the shell. This method has been found most useful with small, high spired shells, and works best when the foot has been removed, although it may be employed to extract the whole animal in most cases, if required.
Miss J. Crowley