I never see a trace of solid nourishment on my captives' mouths.
The Glow-worm does not eat in the strict sense of the word: he drinks his fill; he feeds on a thin gruel into which he transforms his prey by a method recalling that of the maggot.

Like the flesh-eating grub of the Fly, he too is able to digest before consuming; he liquefies his prey before feeding on it.
This is how things happen: a Snail has been rendered insensible by the Glow-worm.

The operator is nearly always alone, even when the prize is a large one, like the common Snail, Helix aspersa.

Soon a number of guests hasten up--two, three, or more--and, without any quarrel with the real proprietor, all alike fall to.

Let us leave them to themselves for a couple of days and then turn the shell, with the opening downwards.