_It is sometimes more than two inches in diameter; and is found in woods and hedges in several parts of Europe, and occurs in those of some of the southern counties of England._ By the Romans, towards the close of the republic, when the luxury of the table was carried to the greatest height of absurdity and extravagance, this species of snails were fattened as food, in a kind of stews constructed for the purpose, and were sometimes purchased at enormous prices. The places for feeding them were usually formed under rocks or eminences; and, if these were not otherwise sufficiently moist, water was conveyed into them through pipes bored full of holes like those of a watering pot. They were fattened with bran and the sodden lees of wine. In France, Germany, and other countries of the Continent, these snails are at this day in great request for the table: and are chiefly in season during winter and the early months of the year. They are boiled in their shells, and then taken out, washed, seasoned, and otherwise cooked according to particular palates. Sometimes they are fried in butter, and sometimes stuffed with force-meat; but, in what manner soever they are dressed, their sliminess always in a great measure remains. They are generally kept in holes dug in the ground, and are fed on refuse vegetables from the gardens. These snails are frequently used by females in France, as a cosmetic, to preserve the skin of the face soft and delicate. 280. _CORAL_ (Corallium nobilis) _is a hard, stony, branched, and cylindrical substance which is formed, at the bottom of the sea, by certain minute animals called polypes, that issue from the branches, and are white, soft, semi-transparent, and each furnished with eight tentacula or feelers._ _The general appearance of coral is that of a shrub destitute of leaves; and its height is usually from three to four feet._ _It is found in great abundance in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea._ To the inhabitants of Marseilles, Catalonia, and Corsica, the coral fishery is a very important pursuit; and the principal parts of the Mediterranean from which coral is obtained are the coasts of Tunis and Sardinia, and the mouth of the Adriatic Sea. The British government has, within the last few years, concluded a treaty with the Barbary powers, for liberty to fish for coral in their waters. The coral thus obtained is conveyed chiefly to Malta and Sicily, is there wrought into beads and other ornamental forms; and thence is imported into this country. Previously to this arrangement the principal import of coral was from Leghorn.