Some boring acquaintance would follow;
And this is the bitter complaint of the snail
Who is pestered to death by the swallow.

But remember, he carries his house on his back,
And that is a wonderful power;
When he goes to the sea he has nothing to pack,
And he cannot be caught in a shower.

After all there is something attractive in that;
And then he can move in a minute,
And it's something to have such a very small flat
That nobody else can get in it.

But this is what causes such numbers of snails
To throw themselves into abysses:--
They are none of them born to be definite males
And none of them definite misses.

They cannot be certain which one of a pair
Is the Daddy and which is the Mummy;
And that must be even more awful to bear
Than walking about on your tummy.

A.P.H.

* * * * *

"MOTHER OF 13 HAS TRIPLETS."--_Daily Paper._