A SNAIL'S PACE

Lilo Hess' photos come from the studio and the aquarium, but they allow us an unmistakably clear view of the ""belly-foot""s cockeyed anatomy, its tortuous progress along a narrow twig, its hermaphroditic mating and, of course, the exotic varieties that shell collectors study and one painter (Rembrandt) misrepresented in a reversed etching. Hess has sound advice for snail collectors, wanting them away from the unusual, difficult to keep varieties, and suggests a few projects (like recording the sound of a snail crunching on lettuce) which might keep a whole class occupied. The text is compact and economical, but it's the snails who have peeked out of their shells to pose who will hold everyone's attention.