[page 3]
"Then," said Peggy Ann, "does that mean that the tree snails once
came from Cuba?"

"Perhaps," replied here daddy, "but another story of how the tree
snails came here is that they were brought over by the Carib Indians. It
is know that the Carib Indians were the ones Columbus met when he
came to the new world. These Indians came over from Cuba and the
West Indies in canoes about eight feet long. It is not hard to believe that
the 'medicine men' of these Indians brought with them the leaves and
branches of trees, so the tree snails could easily have been brought to
Florida in this way."

"When we reach Matecumbe Key we will meet a man who will
bring us some of the tree snails."

After reaching the Key it was not long before a sun-tanned man
named Jim arrived, bringing with him a number of tree snails he had
found that morning.

Peggy Ann took one of the lovely shells in her hand and
exclaimed, "Oh Daddy, this is so beautiful! How did it get painted such
a bright yellow?"

"No one seems to know, but, now that you have met the snails in
person, would you like to know more about their way of living?"*


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*Natural History Magazine, May 1940.