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Family Vitrinidae

Genus VITRINA, Drap.

SHELL thin, glassy, of few whorls; animal too large to be withdrawn completely; tail short; mantle reflected over shell. Jaw and radula simple. Species about one hundred, terrestrial, living in moist situations in temperate or cold regions. These mollusks live in moist situations on earth or stones, sometimes crawling on snow. They are lively and jump when touched, and wrap themselves for protection in the folds of the mantle. They are herbivorous, but occasionally like the taste of flesh.

Pfeiffer's Glassy Snail (V. Pfeifferi, Newc.) looks like a slug wearing a glassy, greenish, three-whorled shell much too small to fit its body. The large, flaring lip is thin and plain. This snail lives in high altitudes in the western states. Diameter, 1/5 inch.