You are on page 1of 53

Cloud as a Service Understanding the

Service Innovation Ecosystem 1st


Edition Enrique Castro-Leon
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://textbookfull.com/product/cloud-as-a-service-understanding-the-service-innovati
on-ecosystem-1st-edition-enrique-castro-leon/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Beginning PostgreSQL on the Cloud: Simplifying Database


as a Service on Cloud Platforms Baji Shaik

https://textbookfull.com/product/beginning-postgresql-on-the-
cloud-simplifying-database-as-a-service-on-cloud-platforms-baji-
shaik/

Understanding Mobility as a Service (MaaS): Past,


Present and Future 1st Edition David A. Hensher

https://textbookfull.com/product/understanding-mobility-as-a-
service-maas-past-present-and-future-1st-edition-david-a-hensher/

Engineering Software as a Service An Agile Approach


Using Cloud Computing First Edition, 1.2.1 Edition Fox

https://textbookfull.com/product/engineering-software-as-a-
service-an-agile-approach-using-cloud-computing-first-
edition-1-2-1-edition-fox/

Federal Cloud Computing The Definitive Guide for Cloud


Service Providers 2nd Edition Matthew Metheny

https://textbookfull.com/product/federal-cloud-computing-the-
definitive-guide-for-cloud-service-providers-2nd-edition-matthew-
metheny/
Collaborative Dynamic Capabilities for Service
Innovation Mitsuru Kodama

https://textbookfull.com/product/collaborative-dynamic-
capabilities-for-service-innovation-mitsuru-kodama/

Requirements Engineering for Service and Cloud


Computing 1st Edition Muthu Ramachandran

https://textbookfull.com/product/requirements-engineering-for-
service-and-cloud-computing-1st-edition-muthu-ramachandran/

AI as a Service: Serverless machine learning with AWS


1st Edition Peter Elger

https://textbookfull.com/product/ai-as-a-service-serverless-
machine-learning-with-aws-1st-edition-peter-elger/

Service Business Model Innovation in Healthcare and


Hospital Management Models Strategies Tools 1st Edition
Mario A. Pfannstiel

https://textbookfull.com/product/service-business-model-
innovation-in-healthcare-and-hospital-management-models-
strategies-tools-1st-edition-mario-a-pfannstiel/

Co Creation Innovation and New Service Development The


Case of Videogames Industry Jedrzej Czarnota

https://textbookfull.com/product/co-creation-innovation-and-new-
service-development-the-case-of-videogames-industry-jedrzej-
czarnota/
Cloud as a Service
Understanding the Service
Innovation Ecosystem

Enrique Castro-Leon
Robert Harmon
Cloud as a Service
Understanding the Service
Innovation Ecosystem

Enrique Castro-Leon
Robert Harmon
Cloud as a Service: Understanding the Service Innovation Ecosystem
Enrique Castro-Leon Robert Harmon
Hillsboro, Oregon, USA Portland, Oregon, USA
ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-4842-0104-6 ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4842-0103-9
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4842-0103-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016961822
Copyright © 2016 by Enrique Castro-Leon and Robert Harmon
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or
dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
Trademarked names, logos, and images may appear in this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol
with every occurrence of a trademarked name, logo, or image we use the names, logos, and images only
in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of
the trademark.
The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are
not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject
to proprietary rights.
While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of
publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for
any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with
respect to the material contained herein.
Managing Director: Welmoed Spahr
Lead Editor: Natalie Pao
Technical Reviewer: Jason Nadon
Editorial Board: Steve Anglin, Pramila Balan, Laura Berendson, Aaron Black,
Louise Corrigan, Jonathan Gennick, Robert Hutchinson, Celestin Suresh John,
Nikhil Karkal, James Markham, Susan McDermott, Matthew Moodie, Natalie Pao,
Gwenan Spearing
Coordinating Editor: Jessica Vakili
Copy Editor: Teresa F. Horton
Compositor: SPi Global
Indexer: SPi Global
Artist: SPi Global
Distributed to the book trade worldwide by Springer Science+Business Media New York,
233 Spring Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10013. Phone 1-800-SPRINGER, fax (201) 348-4505,
e-mail orders-ny@springer-sbm.com, or visit www.springeronline.com. Apress Media, LLC is a
California LLC and the sole member (owner) is Springer Science + Business Media Finance Inc
(SSBM Finance Inc). SSBM Finance Inc is a Delaware corporation.
For information on translations, please e-mail rights@apress.com, or visit www.apress.com.
Apress and friends of ED books may be purchased in bulk for academic, corporate, or p ­ romotional
use. eBook versions and licenses are also available for most titles. For more information, reference
our Special Bulk Sales–eBook Licensing web page at www.apress.com/bulk-sales.
Any source code or other supplementary materials referenced by the author in this text are
­available to readers at www.apress.com. For detailed information about how to locate your book’s
source code, go to www.apress.com/source-code/. Readers can also access source code at
SpringerLink in the Supplementary Material section for each chapter.

Printed on acid-free paper


Contents at a Glance

About the Authors����������������������������������������������������������������������������� xi


Cloud-as-a-Service Prologue���������������������������������������������������������� xiii


■Part I:������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1

■Chapter 1: Cloud Computing as a Service�������������������������������������� 3


■Part II:��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31
■■Chapter 2: The Service Science Foundation for
Cloud Computing�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33
■■Chapter 3: Cloud Computing: Implications for Service
Transformation����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 83

■Part III:������������������������������������������������������������������������ 107

■Chapter 4: Evolution of Cloud Server Platforms������������������������� 109

■Chapter 5: Application-Specific Cloud Platforms����������������������� 141

■Chapter 6: Building Application-Specific Platforms ������������������ 161


■Part IV:������������������������������������������������������������������������ 187

■Chapter 7: Bare Metal Clouds����������������������������������������������������� 189

■Chapter 8: Service Strategy and Examples�������������������������������� 229

iii
■ Contents at a Glance


■Part V:������������������������������������������������������������������������� 289

■Chapter 9: Cloud as a Service Evolution������������������������������������� 291

■Epilogue: Cloud-as-a-Service Epilogue�������������������������������������� 325

Index���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 329

iv
Contents

About the Authors����������������������������������������������������������������������������� xi


Cloud-as-a-Service Prologue���������������������������������������������������������� xiii


■Part I:������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1

■Chapter 1: Cloud Computing as a Service�������������������������������������� 3
Cloud Computing������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4
Essential Characteristics of Cloud Computing���������������������������������������������������������� 6
Cloud Computing Service Models ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
Cloud Computing Deployment Models���������������������������������������������������������������������� 8

The Services Sector������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 10


Service Innovation��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14
Service-Dominant Logic������������������������������������������������������������������������ 16
Value Cocreation����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19
Service Mindset ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
Value Creation and Service Analytics���������������������������������������������������� 26
Privacy and Cloud Services������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
Everything-as-a-Service����������������������������������������������������������������������� 29

■Part II:��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31
■■Chapter 2: The Service Science Foundation for
Cloud Computing�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33
Service Science������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 35

v
■ Contents

Service-Dominant Logic������������������������������������������������������������������������ 38
Service Ecosystems����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 40
Foundational Premises������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 43

Product-Service Systems���������������������������������������������������������������������� 48
Definitions�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 49
Hybrid Offerings������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 52
Service Orientation and PSS����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 54

Service-Dominant Logic Thinking��������������������������������������������������������� 58


Services Thinking��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 58
Service Thinking����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 60

T-Shaped Professionals������������������������������������������������������������������������� 71
Emerging Frontiers for Service Innovation�������������������������������������������� 76
Emerging Challenges���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 76

Conclusion��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 79
■■Chapter 3: Cloud Computing: Implications for Service
Transformation����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 83
Market Creating Service Innovation������������������������������������������������������ 86
Discontinuous Innovation and Service-Dominant Logic������������������������ 87
Service Transition and Transformation�������������������������������������������������� 89
Service Infusion and Servitization��������������������������������������������������������� 91
Service Platforms���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 92
Service Transformation Strategies�������������������������������������������������������� 93
Service Transformation Business Models��������������������������������������������� 94
Hybrid Solutions������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 95
Market Creating Cloud Services Innovators���������������������������������������� 100
Google ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 100
Intel’s Collaborative Cancer Cloud������������������������������������������������������������������������ 101
Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace Services������������������������������������������������������������������ 102

vi
■ Contents

Cisco Systems, Smart+Connected Communities������������������������������������������������� 102


IBM Watson Health Cloud������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 103

Service Innovation Transformation������������������������������������������������������ 104


Conclusion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 105

■Part III:������������������������������������������������������������������������ 107

■Chapter 4: Evolution of Cloud Server Platforms������������������������� 109
Cloud Server Platforms and Their Ecosystems����������������������������������� 109
Evolution of Cloud Platforms��������������������������������������������������������������� 110
Commoditization of Computer Platforms: A Historical
Perspective����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 111
The First Wave for Servers: Standard High Volume Servers��������������������������������� 115
The Second Wave: Hyperscale Cloud Servers������������������������������������������������������ 118
The Third Wave: Platforms for Vertical Cloud Operators��������������������������������������� 122
Fourth Wave: Emergence of Service Networks����������������������������������������������������� 125
Cloud Platforms Evolution Summary�������������������������������������������������������������������� 132

Uber Service Transformation Example������������������������������������������������ 136


Netflix Service Transformation Example��������������������������������������������� 139

■Chapter 5: Application-Specific Cloud Platforms����������������������� 141
Service-Oriented Platforms����������������������������������������������������������������� 142
ASICs and ASCPs: Dynamics of Customization������������������������������������ 148
Platform Customization Examples������������������������������������������������������������������������ 153
Identifying Opportunities for Cloud Platform Innovation��������������������������������������� 157
Enhanced Chassis-Level Power Management for OCP����������������������������������������� 158


■Chapter 6: Building Application-Specific Platforms ������������������ 161
Defining Cloud Platforms��������������������������������������������������������������������� 161
ASCP Demand-Side Historical Background����������������������������������������� 164
The First Web and the Rise of Wave 1 Servers for the Enterprise������������������������ 166
Web Services: Platforms for Corporate Service Networks����������������������������������� 168

vii
■ Contents

Wave 2 Server Platforms for the Large Clouds����������������������������������������������������� 171


Wave 3 Server Platforms for the Small Clouds����������������������������������������������������� 172
Wave 4 Server Platforms for IoT��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 173

Developing Hardware for the Cloud���������������������������������������������������� 173


Hardware Development for Second-Wave Platforms������������������������������������������� 174
Hardware Development for Third-Wave Platforms����������������������������������������������� 177
Hardware Development for Fourth-Wave Platforms��������������������������������������������� 180

Execution Model for Platform Customization�������������������������������������� 181


The Future for ASCP Design���������������������������������������������������������������� 183

■Part IV:������������������������������������������������������������������������ 187

■Chapter 7: Bare Metal Clouds����������������������������������������������������� 189
The Case for Bare Metal���������������������������������������������������������������������� 191
ASCP Development in the Cloud���������������������������������������������������������� 197
A Conceptual Architecture for a Lab Bare Metal Service.�������������������� 198
Asset Management����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 202
Security���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 203

Bare Metal Lab Applications���������������������������������������������������������������� 204


Debugging and Board Tracing Service������������������������������������������������������������������ 205
Platform Power Cycling���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 210
Technology Sandbox Service: Bare Metal lab as a Marketplace�������������������������� 214
HaaS Lab Federated Architecture�������������������������������������������������������� 218
Appendix: Sample Lab Service Level Agreement�������������������������������� 222
General Considerations����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 222
Lab Access������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 223
Lab Access Logs��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 223
Physical Access Security and Access Control Lists���������������������������������������������� 224
Hardware Maintenance and Upgrades����������������������������������������������������������������� 224
Storage Locker����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 224

viii
■ Contents

Lab Data Storage ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 224


Media Transfers���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 225
Network Security Policy��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 225
Physical Security Policy���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 226
Termination and Deconstruction��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 228


■Chapter 8: Service Strategy and Examples�������������������������������� 229
A Service Macroarchitecture��������������������������������������������������������������� 230
Service Relationship Patterns������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 238

Cloud Power Management������������������������������������������������������������������ 240


Power Management Macroarchitecture��������������������������������������������������������������� 241
Server Power Control������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 245
Power Management ASCP Solution Approach������������������������������������������������������ 247
Power Management for Business Continuity�������������������������������������������������������� 250
Automated Demand Response����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 261

Mass Customization of IT�������������������������������������������������������������������� 271


Consumerization of IT������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 273
An IoT Service Network Example������������������������������������������������������������������������� 277

The Global Alzheimer’s Association Interactive Network and Cloud


Platforms in Precision Medicine���������������������������������������������������������� 281

■Part V�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 289

■Chapter 9: Cloud as a Service Evolution������������������������������������� 291
Metaservices, Service Metadata, and Service Governance���������������� 293
Intermediation, Disintermediation, and Reintermediation������������������������������������ 294
Service Metaproperties: Service Metadata and Metaservices����������������������������� 295

Smart Cities and the Internet of Things����������������������������������������������� 304


What Makes a City Smart?����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 304
Smart City Development��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 307
Smart City Frameworks���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 308
Smart Cities and the Internet of Things���������������������������������������������������������������� 312
ix
■ Contents

Smart City Implementations���������������������������������������������������������������� 320


Barcelona Smart City Program����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 320
Singapore Smart Nation Program������������������������������������������������������������������������� 321

Conclusions����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 324

■Epilogue: Cloud-as-a-Service Epilogue�������������������������������������� 325

Index���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 329

x
About the Authors

Enrique Castro-Leon is a cloud technologist and


strategist with the Intel Data Center Engineering Group
at Intel working in cloud systems and the integration of
cloud technology and platforms toward business process
reengineering. He currently manages a lab piloting
the use of cloud technology to increase the efficiency
and agility of business, technology development and
engineering processes. Users of the lab include a number
of Intel business units, as well as ecosystem technology
players including cloud service providers, original design
manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers,
system integrators and independent software and
operating system vendors in the industry.
He has functioned as consultant and solution
architect for data center planning with focus on
energy efficiency and power and thermal modeling and analysis of data centers in
large corporations. Enrique also has led technology integration projects that combine
hardware, firmware and software components to deliver advanced rack-level power
management capabilities applicable to cloud data centers and consistent with business
requirements.
Enrique holds Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and M.S. degrees in Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science from Purdue University, and a BSEE degree from the
University of Costa Rica.
As a technology strategist Enrique investigates the disruptive effects of emerging
technologies in the marketplace. He is the lead author of three books. The first explores the
convergence of virtualization, service oriented methodologies and distributed computing
titled The Business Value of Virtual Service Grids: Strategic Insights for Enterprise Decision
Makers. His second book is titled Creating the Infrastructure for Cloud Computing: An
Essential Handbook for IT Professionals. He co-authored a third book, titled Building the
Infrastructure for Cloud Security: A Solutions View. He has published over 40 articles in
conference and journal papers.
—Enrique Castro-Leon
egcastro@comcast.net

xi
■ About the Authors

Dr. Robert R. Harmon is Professor Emeritus


of Marketing and Service Innovation and Cameron
Research Fellow at Portland State University. His areas of
expertise are service innovation, product development,
strategic marketing, and analytics. He holds a Ph.D. in
Marketing and Information Systems from Arizona State
University and B.S. and MBA degrees in Finance from
California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Harmon
is a recipient of the Oregon State Legislature’s Faculty
Excellence Award and the Tektronix Teaching Excellence
Award. He is an American Marketing Association
Doctoral Consortium Fellow. Previous faculty
affiliations include the University of Oregon Executive
MBA Program, Oregon Health & Science University
MBA Program, and the American Graduate School of
International Management (Thunderbird).
Dr. Harmon has over 30 years’ experience in industries that include semiconductors,
information systems, healthcare, renewable energy, displays, and software. Industry
positions include financial analyst, VP of marketing, director of marketing and sales,
and director of strategic planning for firms in the pharmaceutical, mobile payments,
and water infrastructure industries. He is currently a consulting partner with Oregon
based L.B. Day & Company, Inc., a strategic planning consultancy, in the areas of market
intelligence, research and business strategy.
Dr. Harmon serves as Associate Editor in Chief for IEEE IT Professional Magazine,
and serves on the editorial boards for Electronic Markets, Technological Forecasting and
Social Change, and the International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management.
His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Intel Corporation,
IBM, WebMD, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. His current research
interests focus on smart systems, service innovation in the cloud, and the strategic
transformation of technology firms from product to service-innovation driven business
models. He is a member of the IEEE Computer Society and the International Society of
Service Innovation Professionals (ISSIP).
—Robert R. Harmon, Ph.D.
harmonr@pdx.edu

xii
Cloud-as-a-Service
Prologue
The core idea behind cloud computing is that it is much cheaper to
leverage […] resources as services, paying as you go and as you need
them, than it is to buy more hardware and software for the data center.
—David S. Linthicum

The notion of service is central to cloud computing. It is so central that a capability


offered through the cloud gains differentiation by appending “-as-a-service” to a legacy
product offering, thus presumably increasing its perceived value. Therefore, we get the
terms software-as-a-service (SaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-
service (IaaS); and yet there is very little in the cloud literature that clarifies what service,
and services, actually are. To some, the concept of service survives as a primitive notion[1].
Within a body of knowledge such as cloud computing, a primitive notion is an undefined
concept that defies definition in terms of previously defined concepts. As a result, the IT
practitioner informally applies meaning to a concept through experience or intuition.
For instance, the Rackspace[2] and National Institute of Standards and Technology[3]
publications focus on cloud-based services, but the concept itself is not clearly defined.
The presentations contrast cloud services characteristics with those of customer-owned
non-cloud product capabilities. The practitioner considers the features, advantages, and
benefits in terms of the existing product solution.
From the traditional product perspective, services are add-on extensions of a physical
product, intangible products, or services solutions that are developed and marketed as
products. This services-for-a-product approach indicates a goods-dominant logic (GDL)
that conceptualizes and designs services as units of output that embed and deliver value to
the customer. GDL expresses as a value-in-exchange, arm's-length transaction. There is no
expectation of an ongoing relationship or collaboration between the service provider and
customer. This is the primitive notion that services should be defined in terms of what we
know from experience, our product familiarity. Indeed, we differentiate this product view
by using the plural services when a GDL perspective indicates.

[1]
Tarski, A., Introduction to Logic: And to the Methodology of Deductive Sciences, Dover
Publications, 1995.
[2]
Rackspace, Inc., Understanding the Cloud Computing Stack: SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, Rackspace,
https://support.rackspace.com/white-paper/
understanding-the-cloud-computing-stack-saas-paas-iaas/
[3]
Mell, P., and Grance, T., The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, Special Publication 800-145,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, US Department of Commerce.

xiii
■ Cloud-as-a-Service Prologue

The service science discipline and its service-dominant logic (SDL) provides an
alternative paradigm, with service as a process that involves providers, customers
and other complementary actors within a service ecosystem for the purpose of co-
creating value[4]. It emphasizes a value-in-use and value-in-context to the service
network approaches to value creation. Service providers and customers benefit from
the collaborative exchange of knowledge, skills, technology and other resources within
the service ecosystem. The co-creation process can result in superior service design,
quality, pricing, customer service, and user experiences that inform compelling value
propositions and realized value for all participants. Cloud computing has opened
the door for the development of SDL service innovation business models. No longer
constrained by GDL thinking, the cloud, especially the multi-sided platform models
disrupting e-commerce, transportation, and hospitality and big data analytics, to name
a few industries, have the potential to not only redefine cloud service business models,
but whole industries as well. In our view, to realize the full potential of the cloud requires
an integration of service science principles with cloud computing practice. The cloud is
about service and increasingly service is about the cloud.
The primary goal for this book is to apply the service innovation principles to cloud
computing. This book is one of the first attempts to integrate these disciplines. The
motivation for this exercise is eminently practical, especially to technologists, systems
and solutions architects, as well as CIOs and business strategists. As we gain insight
into technology development and integration dynamics, we can reason and engage in
prediction and forecasting exercises. We understand how approaches in use by product-
oriented companies do not satisfactorily apply to the service-oriented cloud. We also
discover that there is a path for transformation for product-oriented organizations to
operate optimally in the cloud space and therefore to attain a sustained and strategic
competitive advantage. This is especially applicable to technology companies with
long-term product roadmaps. These companies can servitize existing product lines
as an interim step in the transition toward becoming cloud-based service enterprises.
The cloud-as-a-service opens up opportunities for new revenue streams and revenue
modalities, converting "lumpy" revenue that depend on big bang new product launches
to a more sustained service-oriented recurrent revenue.
By employing a cloud-service framework, it is now easier to understand emerging
technology progressions that seemed related, but difficult to explain and operationalize.
For instance, the much-heralded progression from cloud computing to the Internet
of Things (IoT) domain. This understanding allows an organization to approach the
cloud and IoT under a single, unified and synergistic strategy at a fraction of the cost of
developing two separate strategies. In fact, the effect of two separate efforts will be less
than synergistic. The overlap of the two functions will likely result in channel conflicts,
with the two organizations working against each other. For this reason, we believe that
traditional, product-oriented companies cannot just look at the cloud as just a new,
emerging market. These companies will need to adopt a service ethic from within,

[4]
Vargo, S. and Lusch, R., Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing, Journal of Marketing,
Vol. 68, 1-17, January 2004.

xiv
■ Cloud-as-a-Service Prologue

meaning adopting a service ethic from within; in the methodologies used to develop
technology and in the way they conduct business processes. These organizations
will suffer from the drag of the dissonance between the SDL and GDL approaches.
Conversely, companies adopting an SDL approach early on will enjoy an inherent and
sustained competitive advantage in the cloud market.
This book comprises nine chapters in five parts:
1.
The first part comprises Chapter 1, Cloud-as a Service and
covers the service context for cloud computing and the
convergence between historical trends toward a service
economy and the information technology (IT) that enables
it. The chapter introduces the goods-dominant logic (GDL)
and service-dominant logic (SDL) conceptual paradigms as
the primary lens by which organizations analyze, understand,
and interact with their business ecosystems from a service
innovation and value co-creation perspective. The chapter
also covers other aspects of cloud services including the
effects on employment and privacy.
2.
The second part comprises two chapters that introduce the
foundational principles of the emerging service science
discipline with implications for service transformation
as it relates to cloud computing. Chapter 2, The Service
Science Foundations of Cloud Computing introduces the
core principles of Service Science and SDL. Emphasis is on
foundational premises and processes for value co-creation
within service ecosystems. We present the product-service
systems (PSS) model as a practical interim approach to
service innovation as firms transition from GDL firms to
service innovation enterprises. The Service Thinking section
presents the five mindsets of service thinking that can
inform the development of successful cloud service business
plans. The chapter concludes with sections on T-shaped
professionals and a view of the future in terms of the emerging
frontiers of service innovation. Chapter 3, Cloud Computing:
Implications for Service Transformation presents service
transformation processes for GDL organizations to transition
to SDL business models needed to operate in cloud space
successfully.

xv
■ Cloud-as-a-Service Prologue

3.
In the third part, comprising chapters 4, 5 and 6, we look at a
central technology component of cloud computing, namely
the servers that power cloud data centers. These servers were
initially developed and marketed under a GDL approach.
We see that in the few years since cloud computing became
a central element in the delivery of IT in the industry, the
way these servers are planned, manufactured and deployed
is changing fast. Chapter 4 covers the evolution of standard
high volume servers, the staple for enterprise data centers
and the starting point for cloud server platforms that we
name application-specific cloud platforms, or ASCPs. Chapter
5 defines the ASCP concept, and Chapter 6 describes the
process to build them as a variant of processes used to build
enterprise servers. While the process did not change much
in terms of architecture, design and manufacturing, the
implementation of these processes brought new players,
with cloud service providers as the platform drivers, and
an original design manufacturer (ODM) carrying out a
manufacture-to-order (manufacturing-as-a-service) role.
This is a prime example of an emerging service-oriented
technology development process to supply the needs of a
service-oriented industry.
4.
One of the benefits of the cloud is the potential it brings for
business and technical process optimization, which in turn
can bring lasting competitive advantage to its adopters and
practitioners. Chapter 7 covers the concept of a hardware-
as-a-service (HaaS) lab service that allows bringing together
the cloud service provider driving the platform, the ODM
manufacturing and other contributing technology partners all
together at a single place to accelerate engineering platform
debug and validation. Today these tasks are usually carried
out a serial fashion, in an inefficient and time-consuming
process. Collaborating partners working through a lab in the
cloud can carry these tasks in parallel and complete them
in a fraction of the original time. This is another example of
an organization adopting service-oriented processes from
within.
Chapter 8 covers additional case studies, including platform
power management design, a federated database for precision
medicine, and an IoT deployment. These seemingly disparate
examples have in common that they are cloud-as-a-service
deployments.

xvi
■ Cloud-as-a-Service Prologue

5.
Chapter 9 constitutes the last part, a look into the future of
cloud-as-a-service: the next evolutionary points for cloud
platforms are a landing with the Internet of Things, and more
sophisticated governance through service metadata and
meta-services. We conclude the book with a case study on
smart cities.
The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of Ronald
Newman as the architect, designer and implementer of the
advanced technology under the bare metal-as-a-service,
lab-in-the-cloud concepts described in Chapter 7. We would
like to thank our spouses, Kitty and Daisy for their infinite
understanding in a project that seemed to have no end.
One of the continuing challenges in compiling this book
is the ever present rapid evolution of cloud technology,
with new research results both in service science and in
cloud computing emerging at a fast pace every, and current
concepts becoming obsolete almost as fast. The conceptual
frameworks in this book are by no means definitive. The
authors hope that students in related fields use the concepts
as a departure point for their research and that industry
practitioners find the concepts useful in their quest to define
service-oriented architectures, as well as business and
engineering processes. The rapid changes in the industry
made it difficult to close the book, literally. We are grateful to
our editors at Apress, Natalie Pao and Jessica Vakili for their
patience and gentle nudging, bringing sense and practicality
to the authors to find a graceful close to the project.

xvii
PART I
CHAPTER 1

Cloud Computing as a
Service

Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to make it
simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can
move mountains.
—Steve Jobs

Barely a decade into the cloud-computing era, most chief information officers (CIOs)
and digital business managers know that the cloud is faster, cheaper, flexible, agile, and
elastic. It also offers better resource utilization than legacy computing systems. Cloud
computing is disrupting old markets and defining new ones and becoming the platform
of choice for the development of innovative solutions that would have been unimaginable
only a few short years ago. The cloud is maturing into a platform for IT services across
a wide range of business functions including marketing, advertising, finance, human
resources, logistics, supply chain management, and analytics. The most far-reaching
impact of cloud computing is its ability to not only empower IT innovations, but to drive
innovation into virtually every industry in the form of digital services. The cloud is the
engine for enterprise and societal transformation.
In 2003, Nicholas Carr famously asserted that IT doesn’t matter[1]. After more than
30 years of high growth that expanded the business and societal impact of IT, corporate
executives at the turn of the century had embraced the strategic value of information as a
primary driver of competitive advantage and the strategic transformation of the enterprise
to digital business models. Carr’s article certainly generated considerable debate among
IT professionals, business strategists, chief financial officers (CFOs), and academics.

N. G. Carr, “IT Doesn't Matter,” Harvard Business Review 38: 24–38 (2003).
[1]

© Enrique Castro-Leon and Robert Harmon 2016 3


E. Castro-Leon and R. Harmon, Cloud as a Service, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4842-0103-9_1
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

He presented the argument that IT exhibited the characteristics of a technological


infrastructure that was largely built out with commonly available commoditized
components. IT investments result, at best, in strategic parity between firms, not the
superior competitive advantage anticipated. Under these circumstances, developing
a business strategy around IT is little different from building it around the provision of
commodity services such as water and electricity. There is little expectation for improving
productivity through investment in IT. IT strategy defaults to a defensive “me too” approach
that emphasizes cost reduction, late technology adoption, and risk minimization.
Nobel Prize winning economist Robert Solow first identified this phenomenon in
1987 as the IT productivity paradox: “You can see the computer age everywhere but in
the productivity statistics”[2]. The productivity paradox seems to come and go. During
the 1990s, IT generated a productivity boom, which ended with the burst of the dot-com
bubble. Since then, studies on the IT productivity paradox have proposed that it takes
time to realize a payoff from IT investment. For each dollar invested in IT systems, firms
had to invest additional dollars in implementation, process redesign, and training to
begin to see productivity gains. In addition, during the mid-2000s, new technologies—
most notably the Internet, mobile systems, and especially the digital services paradigm—
were beginning to disrupt industries and their legacy IT systems. Although a case could
be made in 2003 that computing power, storage, network technology, and a number of
legacy applications had attained commodity status, Carr’s view was not of the future.
He apparently did not anticipate the rise of cloud computing, big data, and the service
innovation revolution.

Cloud Computing
The introduction of service-oriented architecture (SOA) in 2003 and its subsequent
manifestation as cloud computing is enabling IT to become a strategically essential factor
in enterprise service transformation. The emergence of service-based business models is
transforming businesses worldwide[3]. This transformation is enabled by information and
communications technologies (ICT), most notably the cloud. Cloud technologies have
enabled the growth of digital services, mobile computing, big data analytics, and business
process innovation. The cloud provides a platform for innovation that can adapt to
challenging business circumstances and drive business and market transformations. ICT-
enabled services are increasingly important for the development of business, customer,
and societal value.

D. Lock, “Unravelling the IT Productivity Paradox,” CIO 12 (2). http://www.cio.com.au/


[2]

article/print/532717/unravelling_it_productivity_paradox/, November 25, 2013.


[3]
P. Maglio and J. Spohrer, “A Service Science Perspective on Business Model Innovation,”
Industrial Marketing Management 42: 665–670 (2013).

4
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

The past 10 years have seen a significant increase in efficiency within IT organizations,
with the most advanced operations shifting from mere cost centers to critical roles as active
partners in the development and execution of corporate business strategy. Every product
and service in the modern enterprise is touched by IT in some manner. Increasingly, in
companies charting a path to become service enterprises, IT is at the core of the service
solution or the solution itself. The adoption of cloud computing under the service
innovation paradigm defines the state of the art for IT organizations. From a historical
perspective, cloud-based services have moved through three IT service eras[4].
1. Application services era (circa 1995–2003): In the application
services era, vendors such as Microsoft and the Unix
community organizations offered operating systems and
proprietary software frameworks to create web applications
and server environments to run them. Individual vendors
competed to build ecosystems around these frameworks. A
typical use case was the retooling of legacy applications for
e-commerce purposes. Concerns about vendor lock-in and
the rise of web servers limited adoption of this approach.
2. SOA era (circa 2003–2007): SOA gained popularity as IT
organizations rearchitected legacy applications from silo
implementations to collections of service components
ostensibly working together. Most of the service components
are internally sourced and combined with a few noncore,
third-party services. The benefits of SOA were primarily limited
to large enterprises due to the high cost of the technology
transformation and the demand on IT skills. Adoption by small
and medium enterprises (SMEs) and individual users was
limited due to costs and productivity issues.
3. Cloud services era (2007–present): The emergence of cloud
technology and the development of resource pooling with
large datacenters as drivers for IT services is the third and
current era. The economic impact of cloud-service business
models reduces barriers to user engagement and increases
the velocity of service solutions development with the
potential for redefining old markets and creating new ones.
The benefits no longer accrue only to large organizations.
SMEs and individual users can access the cloud from any
geographical location. Cloud services are Metcalfe’s Law[5]
in action: The value of the network increases with the
number of users actively engaged, whether they be humans,
applications, devices, or intelligent machines.

[4]
E. Castro-Leon, R. Harmon, and M. Yousif, “IT-Enabled Service Innovation: Why IT Is the Future
of Competitive Advantage,” Cutter IT Journal 26 (7): 15–21 (2013).
[5]
B. Metcalfe, “Metcalfe’s Law: A Network Becomes More Valuable as It Reaches More Users,”
Infoworld 17 (40): 53–54 (1995).

5
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

In 2011, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S.
Department of Commerce published guidelines for cloud computing for use by Federal
agencies. Other governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and
businesses could use the guidelines on a voluntary basis with attribution[6]. The key
feature of the publication is a workable definition that can serve to facilitate comparisons
between cloud services, deployment strategies, and use situations.
The NIST definition is as follows: “Cloud computing is a model for enabling
ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable
computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that
can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service
provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essential characteristics, three
service models, and four deployment models.” We summarize the general characteristics,
service models, and deployment models in what follows and in Figures 1-1 and 1-2[7]. As
we delve into the service-oriented nature of the cloud throughout the book, we discover
that the NIST definition actually comprises a very small portion of a much larger service
universe, summarized in Chapter 8.

Essential Characteristics of Cloud Computing


• On-demand self-service: Users access computing services such as
server time and network storage on demand, as needed without
engaging human representatives of the server provider.
• Broad network access: Users can access capabilities at different
locations over the network through standard interfaces and
devices such as workstations, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.
• Resource pooling: Computing resources are pooled to serve
multiple customers using a multitenant model. Both physical and
virtual resources are dynamically assigned and reassigned based
on user demand. From a user perspective, resources are location
independent and the user has no need to know or control the
exact location of the provided computing resources.
• Rapid elasticity: Computing resources are rapidly scaled (up or
down) to meet user requirements. Users can appropriate different
resources and services in any quantity, as needed at any time.
• Measured service: Resource use is controlled and optimized by a
metering capability appropriate for each type of service, such as
storage, bandwidth, processing, and active user accounts. This is
usually on a pay-per-use or charge-per-use basis. Other options
include subscription-based pricing models such as per hour, per
day, per month, or all you can use up to a predetermined cap.

[6]
P. Mell and T. Grance, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, Special Publication 800-145
(Washington, DC: National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce, 2011).
[7]
A. Jula, E. Sundararajan, and Z. Othman, “Cloud Computing Service Composition: A Systemic
Literature Review,” Expert Systems with Applications 41: 3809–3824 (2014).

6
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

Figure 1-1. Cloud computing service models

Cloud Computing Service Models


• Software as a service (SaaS): Service consumers use the provider’s
applications that run on a cloud infrastructure. The applications
are accessed through various client devices with a web browser,
e-mail, or other program interface. The user does not control or
manage the cloud infrastructure or applications beyond specific
application configurations.
• Platform as a service (PaaS): The service provider offers systems
resources such as networks, servers, storage, operating systems,
middleware, databases, development tools, and other resources
necessary for the user to develop, deploy, run, and manage the
user’s applications. The user does not manage or control the
underlying platform infrastructure, but does control the deployed
applications.

7
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS): The consumer needs


fundamental computing resources such as servers, networks,
and storage that are required to deploy and run user-developed
applications. The service user does not control or manage the
cloud infrastructure, but does control operating systems, storage,
deployed applications, and networking components such as
firewalls.

Figure 1-2. Cloud characteristics, service and deployment models

Cloud Computing Deployment Models


• Public cloud: A public cloud renders services over a network
that is open for public use. It is the dominant model for cloud
computing. Services can be owned, managed, and operated
by a business, academic, or government organization, or some
combination of them. The cloud exists on the premises of the
cloud provider. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and
Google are major public cloud service providers[8].
• Private cloud: Private cloud infrastructure is operated for the
exclusive use of a single organization with multiple users. The
cloud can be owned, managed, and operated by the enterprise,
a third party, or some combination, and hosted internally or
externally.

[8]
S. Goyal, “Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid vs. Community Cloud Computing: A Critical Review,”
International Journal of Network and Information Security 3: 20–29 (2014).

8
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

• Community cloud: The community cloud shares infrastructure


between organizations for the exclusive use of a community that
shares common concerns, mission, policy, security requirements,
jurisdiction, and compliance requirements. It can be owned,
managed, and operated by one or more of the organizations in
the community, a third party, or some combination of them, and
it could exist on or off premises.
• Hybrid cloud: The cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more distinct cloud infrastructures (public, private, or
community) that remain unique entities, but are bound together
by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and
application interoperability and portability,
As cloud computing becomes more popular and businesses shift more workloads to
the cloud, the definition of what cloud computing actually is continues to be somewhat
fuzzy. Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, captured this frustration with emerging cloud
definitions in the early days of the cloud: “The interesting thing about cloud computing
is that we’ve redefined the cloud to include everything that we already do. I can’t think
of anything that isn’t cloud computing with all these announcements”[9]. With cloud
computing entering its second decade, not much has changed since Ellison’s comment.
Some of the confusion comes from the computing-service providers that use the term
cloud to characterize a wide range of applications, such as managed hosting services
and other online tools that are not true cloud systems, at least by NIST standards. For
instance, private cloud solutions might not be strictly cloud in nature, although public
cloud solutions are more likely to be true cloud solutions[10]. Cloud washing is a tactic
for promoting cloud-like or cloud-enabled services as true cloud services to sell services
contracts. True cloud services are on demand, with shared use of software, server
processing power, and computing infrastructure over the Internet on a pay-as-you go
subscription. Managed hosting and other off-premises services typically do not offer the
cloud’s flexibility, scalability, and other benefits. Cloud-leveraged tools and systems such
as the Internet of Things (IoT), which rely on the cloud, are not cloud services themselves.
The lack of definitional clarity puts the onus not just on the cloud providers, but also on
the cloud service users, to understand that not all off-premises computing services are
cloud-based. Whether it is a true cloud or some other computing services solution, the
strategic goals of the enterprise should drive service engagement decisions.

[9]
D. Farber, “Oracle’s Ellison Nails Cloud Computing,” C/Net.com. https://www.cnet.com/
news/oracles-ellison-nails-cloud-computing/, September 26, 2008.
[10]
A. Loten, “Definition of the Cloud Remains Hazy,” CIO Journal. http://blogs.wsj.com/
cio/2016/10/18/definition-of-the-cloud-remains-hazy/, October 18, 2016.

9
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

The Services Sector


The disruptive nature of cloud computing has set the stage for IT organizations to move
beyond the development and provisioning of IT systems. IT is more than infrastructure,
services, and deployment models. IT has become a critical enabler of business strategy
through technology integration with the business under the service paradigm. Given the
commoditization of products in most advanced economies and the demonstrated ability
of services as engines for value creation, organizations must rely on the development of
knowledge-based services for growth. Businesses are becoming increasingly dependent
on services as extensions of their product models or reimagining themselves into service
companies. IT has an essential role in enabling the development and implementation of
innovative service strategies.
Figure 1-3 shows that services constitute the largest global economic sector, at 63.5
percent (US$49.7 trillion) of global gross domestic product (GDP; US$78.2 trillion) in
2014[11]. Services include government activities, communications, finance, transportation
and all other private activities that do not produce material goods. Practically all of these
activities are supported by ICT in some manner. The United States is the largest producer
of services at US$13.5 trillion and 77.6 percent of GDP. Only three developed countries—
France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium—generate a higher percentage of GDP from
services. China is the second largest producer of services at US$4.8 trillion but only 46.4
percent of GDP[12].

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook 2015. https://www.cia.gov/library/


[11]

publications/the-world-factbook/.
[12]
Statistics Times, List of Countries by GDP Sector Composition, 2015.
http://statisticstimes.com/economy/countries-by-gdp-sector-composition.php.

10
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

Figure 1-3. Service sector nominal GDP percentage by country, 2014. Source: The World
Factbook (2015)

Cloud computing has applications across all major sectors of GDP growth that
are characterized by process complexity and the potential for using data to improve
efficiencies and effectiveness. We point out the large size and growth potential of the
services sector, but we do not want to minimize the application of ICT to agriculture and
manufacturing. Indeed if we adopt the perspective of service scientists that all physical
products are only valuable for the services they provide, then ICT innovations have the
potential to affect any GDP sectors.
During the postwar period of 1947 to 2010, the United States IT-producing industries,
such as semiconductors, telecommunications equipment, telecommunications services,
computers and infrastructure, the Internet, and now cloud computing, have accounted
for 1.7 percent of value added for the U.S. economy. This relatively small percentage is
due to the rapid price declines in hardware and software since 1973 and the decline in
IT services prices since 2000. However, IT-producing industries have had an outsized
impact on IT-using industries due to ICT adoption by those industries. IT-using industries
accounted for approximately 49.6 percent of economic value, 8 percent of postwar
economic growth, and over 32 percent of productivity growth during the postwar period[13].
The investment in new IT hardware and software can generate higher returns than

D. Jorgenson, M. Ho, and J. Samuels, “The Impact of Information Technology on Postwar U.S.
[13]

Economic Growth,” Telecommunications Policy 40: 398–411 (2016).

11
Chapter 1 ■ Cloud Computing as a Service

those available from other capital and labor investments. ICT investments result in
productivity growth. The impact of these investments critically affects product and
service development, market creation, business models, business processes, systems, and
organizational structures. During the postwar years, major innovation only accounted
for about 20 percent of economic growth. As Jorgenson et al. observed, it is only a small
number of economic sectors, especially the IT-producing sector where major innovations
take place, that have a profound effect on society as a whole.
The 70-year ICT revolution is a product of the rapid progress of the semiconductor
industry. The inventions of the transistor at Bell Labs in 1947 (see Figure 1-4), the
integrated circuit at Texas Instruments in 1958 and independently at Fairchild
Semiconductor in 1959, the publication of Moore’s Law in 1965[14], and the invention of
the microprocessor at Intel in 1971[15] set the stage for the growth of the ICT industry.
Gordon Moore (see Figure 1-5), co-founder of Intel, predicted that the number of
components (transistors, resistors, diodes, capacitors) in a dense integrated circuit
would shrink in size and double every year, increasing exponentially for at least the next
10 years. In 1975, an updated Moore's Law predicted a doubling every 2 years, which
recently increased to 2.5 years.

Figure 1-4. John Bardeen, William Shockley, and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs, 1948[16]

[14]
G. E. Moore, “Cramming More Components onto Integrated Circuits,” Electronics 38 (8) (1965).
[15]
W. Aspray, “The Intel 4004 Microprocessor: What Constituted Invention,” IEEE Annals of the
History of Computing 19 (3) (1997).
[16]
By AT&T; photographer: Jack St. (last part of name not stamped well enough to read), New York,
New York. - eBay itemphoto frontphoto back. Public Domain: https://commons.wikimedia.
org/w/index.php?curid=17898468.

12
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
majority are fluviatile, one group (Neritodryas) actually occurring in
the Philippines on trees of some height, at a distance of a quarter of
a mile from any water. Navicella is a still further modified form of
Neritina, occurring only on wet rocks, branches, etc., in non-tidal
streams (Fig. 13).

Fig. 13.—Illustrating the development of the fresh-water genus


Navicella, through the brackish-water Neritina, from the marine
Nerita, with corresponding changes in the operculum. 1.
Nerita; 2, 3. Neritina; 4. Neritina, intermediate form; 5, 6.
Navicella.
The great family of the Melaniidae, which occurs in the rivers of
warm countries all over the world, and that of the Pleuroceridae,
which is confined to North America, are, in all probability, derived
from some form or forms of Cerithium. The origin of the Paludinidae,
Valvatidae, and Ampullariidae is more doubtful. Their migration from
the sea was probably of an early date, since the first traces of all
three appear in the lower Cretaceous, while Melaniidae are not
known until Tertiary times. Ampullaria, however, shows distinct signs
of relationship to Natica, while the affinities of Paludina and Valvata
cannot as yet be approximately affirmed.
(2) Pulmonata.—Intermediate between the essentially fresh-water
and the essentially marine species come the group sometimes
known as Gehydrophila, consisting of the two families Auriculidae
and Otinidae. These may be regarded as Mollusca which, though
definitely removed from all marine species by the development of a
true lung or lung cavity in the place of a gill, have yet never become,
in respect of habitat, genuine fresh-water species. Like Potamides,
they haunt salt marshes, mangrove swamps, and the region about
high-water mark. In some cases (Otina, Melampus, Pedipes) they
live on rocks which are moistened, or even bathed by the spray, in
others (Cassidula, Auricula) they are immersed in some depth of
brackish water at high tide, in others again (Scarabus) they are more
definitely terrestrial, and live under dead leaves in woods at some
little distance from water. Indeed one genus of diminutive size
(Carychium) has completely abandoned the neighbourhood of the
sea, and inhabits swampy ground almost all over the world.
Fig. 14.—Examples of the Auriculidae: A,
Auricula Judae Lam., Borneo; B, Scarabus
Lessoni Blainv., E. Indies; C, Cassidula
mustelina Desh., N. Zealand; D, Melampus
castaneus Mühlf., S. Pacific; E, Pedipes
quadridens Pfr., Jamaica.
Fig. 15.—An example of
Amphibola (avellana
Chem.), the only true
Pulmonate which
possesses an
operculum.
To this same section Gehydrophila have been assigned two
remarkable forms of air-breathing “limpet,” Siphonaria and Gadinia
(see page 151), and the aberrant Amphibola, a unique instance of a
true operculated pulmonate. Siphonaria possesses a pulmonary
cavity as well as a gill, while Gadinia and Amphibola are exclusively
air-breathing. Siphonaria lives on rocks at or above high-water mark,
Gadinia between tide marks, Amphibola (Fig. 15) in brackish water
at the estuaries of rivers, half buried in the sand. There can be little
doubt that all these are marine forms which are gradually becoming
accustomed to a terrestrial existence. In Gadinia and Amphibola the
process is so far complete that they have exchanged gills for a
pulmonary cavity, while in Siphonaria we have an intermediate stage
in which both organs exist together. A curious parallel to this is found
in the case of Ampullaria, which is furnished with two gills and a
pulmonary chamber, and breathes indifferently air and water. It is a
little remarkable that Siphonaria, which lives at a higher tide level
than Gadinia, should retain the gill, while Gadinia has lost it.
The ultimate affinities of the essentially fresh-water groups,
Limnaea, Physa, Chilina, cannot be precisely affirmed. The form of
shell in Latia, Gundlachia, and perhaps Ancylus, may suggest to
some a connexion with the Otinidae, and in Chilina, a similar
connexion with the Auriculidae. But, in a question of derivation,
similarities of shell alone are of little value. It is not a little
remarkable, for instance, that we should find a simple patelliform
shell in genera so completely distinct from one another in all
anatomical essentials as Ancylus, Patella, Siphonaria, Propilidium,
Hipponyx, Cocculina, and Umbrella.
Some recent authors, on grounds of general organisation, regard
the Limnaeidae and their allies as Opisthobranchs adapted to an
aerial life. It is held[24] that the Nudibranchiate Opisthobranchs have
given birth to the Pulmonata Stylommatophora or land snails, and
the Tectibranchiate Opisthobranchs to the Pulmonata
Basommatophora or fresh-water snails. Such a view seems at first
sight open to some objection from other views than those which deal
simply with anatomy. The Opisthobranchiata are not, to any marked
extent, littoral genera, nor do they specially haunt the mouths of
rivers. On the contrary, they inhabit, as a rule, only the very lowest
part of the littoral zone, and are seldom found, except where the
water is purely salt. In other cases, when the derivation of land or
fresh-water genera is fairly well established, intermediate forms
persist, which indicate, with more or less clearness, the lines along
which modification has proceeded. It has, however, recently been
shown that Siphonaria[25] and Gadinia,[26] which have, as has been
already mentioned, hitherto been classified as Pulmonata, are in
reality modified forms of Opisthobranchiata, which are in process of
adaptation to a life partly marine, partly on land. They may therefore
be regarded as supplying the link, hitherto missing, between the land
Pulmonata and the marine groups from one or other of which the
latter must have been derived. The general consensus of recent
opinion inclines towards accepting these views, some writers[27]
being content to regard the Pulmonata, as a whole, as derived from
the Tectibranchiate Opisthobranchs, while others[28] go further and
regard the Stylommatophora as derived directly from the
Basommatophora.

Origin of the Land Fauna


Gasteropoda.—(1) Operculate. On a priori grounds, one might
predict a double origin for land operculates. Marine species might be
imagined to accustom themselves to a terrestrial existence, after a
period, more or less prolonged, of littoral probation. Or again, fresh-
water species, themselves ultimately derived from the sea, might
submit to a similar transformation, after a preliminary or intermediate
stage of life on mudbanks, wet swamps, branches overhanging the
water, etc. Two great families in this group, and two only, seem to
have undergone these transformations, the Littorinidae and the
Neritidae. The derivation of almost all existing land operculates may
be referred to one or other of these groups.

Fig. 16.—Two rows of the radula of Littorina littorea L., × 72.


The power of the Littorinidae to live for days or even weeks
without being moistened by the sea may be verified by the most
casual observer. In the tropics this power seems even greater than
on our own shores. I have seen, in various parts of Jamaica, Littorina
muricata living at the top of low cliffs among grass and herbage. At
Panama I have taken three large species of Littorina (varia, fasciata,
pulchra), on trees at and above high-water mark. Cases have been
recorded in which a number of L. muricata, collected and put aside,
have lived for three months, and L. irrorata for four months.[29]
These facts are significant, when we know that the land operculates
almost certainly originated in a tropical climate.
The Cyclophoridae, Cyclostomatidae, and Aciculidae, which, as
contrasted with the other land operculates, form one group, have
very close relations, particularly in the length and formation of the
radula, or lingual ribbon, with the Littorinidae.

Fig. 17.—Two rows of the radula of Cyclophorus sp., India, ×


40.
On the other hand, the Helicinidae, Hydrocenidae, and
Proserpinidae are equally closely related to Neritina. The
Proserpinidae (restricted to the Greater Antilles, Central America and
Venezuela) may perhaps be regarded as the ultimate term of the
series. They have lost the characteristic operculum, which in their
case is replaced by a number of folds or lamellae in the interior of
the shell. It has already been noticed how one group of Neritina
(Neritodryas) occurs normally out of the water. This group furnishes
a link between the fresh-water and land forms. It is interesting to
notice that here we have the most perfect sequence of derivatives;
Nerita in the main a purely marine form, with certain species
occurring also in brackish water; Neritina in the main fresh-water, but
some species occurring on the muddy shore, others on dry land;
Helicina the developed land form; and finally Proserpina, an aberrant
derivative which has lost the operculum.[30]
Fig. 18.—A, Neritina reticularis Sowb., Calcutta (brackish
water); B, Helicina neritella Lam., Jamaica (land); C,
Proserpina (Ceres) eolina Ducl., Central America (land).
Gasteropoda.—(2) Pulmonata. The origin of these, the bulk of
the land fauna, must at present be regarded as a problem not yet
finally solved. Some authorities, as we have seen, regard them as
derived from the Nudibranchiate, others, probably more correctly,
from the Tectibranchiate Opisthobranchs.
The first known members of the land Pulmonata (Pupa [?],
Hyalinia) are from the Carboniferous of North America. Similar but
new forms appear in the Cretaceous, from which time to the present
we have an unbroken series. The characteristically modern forms,
according to Simroth,[31] are Helices with thick shells. According to
the same author, Vitrina and Hyalinia are ancestral types, which give
origin not only to many modern genera with shells, but to many shell-
less genera also, e.g. Testacella is probably derived through
Daudebardia from Hyalinia, while from Vitrina came Limax and
Amalia. A consideration of the radulae of the genera concerned
certainly tends in favour of these views.
Godwin-Austen, speaking generally, considers[32] genera of land
Pulmonata with strongly developed mantle-lobes and rudimentary
shell as more advanced in development than genera in which the
shell is large and covers all or nearly all the animal.
CHAPTER II
LAND AND FRESH-WATER MOLLUSCA, THEIR HABITS AND GENERAL
ECONOMY

The majority of the Land Mollusca are probably more sensitive


than is usually believed. The humidity of the air must affect the
surface of their skin to a considerable extent. Every one has noticed
how the snails ‘come out’ on a damp evening, especially after rain.
As a rule, they wait till rain is over, probably objecting to the patter of
the drops upon their delicate tentacles. Snails kept in captivity under
a bell-glass are acutely sensitive of a damp atmosphere, and will
bestir themselves after rain just as if they were in the open air.
Certain Helices which are accustomed to live in moist places, will
find their way to water, if removed from their usual haunts. A case is
recorded[33] of a specimen of H. arbustorum, kept in a kitchen, which
used to find its way directly under the cold water tap, and appeared
to enjoy the luxury of a douche. How delicately the conditions of life
are balanced in some of these creatures is seen in the case of
Omalonyx, a genus akin to Succinea, which is found in Brazil and
the northern parts of South America. It lives creeping on plants which
overhang the margin of water, but perishes equally, if placed in the
water itself, or removed to a distance from it for any length of time.
[34]

Endurance of Heat and Cold.—The Mollusca are capable, at


least as far as some species are concerned, of enduring severe
extremes both of cold and heat. The most northern pulmonate yet
observed is a fresh-water species, Physa (Aplecta) hypnorum L. This
hardy mollusc, whose shell is so fragile as to need most careful
handling, has been noticed on the peninsula of Taimyr, North Siberia,
in 73° 30’ N. lat, a region whose mean annual temperature is below
10° F. with a range of from 40° F. in July to -30° F. in January.
It is well known that the Limnaeidae, and probably most fresh-
water Mollusca of sub-temperate regions, can continue to live not
merely under, but enveloped in ice, and themselves frozen hard.
Garnier relates[35] that, during the winter of 1829–30, some large
Limnaea auricularia, which had been placed in a small basin, were
frozen into a solid mass, experiencing a cold of -2° F. He supposed
they were dead, but, to his surprise, when the basin thawed, the
Limnaea gradually revived. Paludina vivipara and Anodonta anatina
have been known to resist a temperature of 23° F., and the former
has produced young shortly after being thawed out of the ice.[36] As
far north as Bodø in Norway (67° 37’ N. lat., well within the Arctic
circle) there are found no less than fourteen species of terrestrial
Mollusca, among them being Balea perversa and Clausilia rugosa.
[37]

Vitrina is one of our most hardy molluscs, and may be observed


crawling on bright mornings over the frost-covered leaves of a wood
or copse. V. glacialis is said by Charpentier to live in the Alps at a
height where the stones are covered with snow from nine to ten
months of the year. Many of the Hyaliniae are very hardy. Arion, in
spite of having no external shell to protect it, is apparently less
affected by the cold than Helix, and does not commence hibernation
till a later period in the autumn. The operculate land Mollusca, in
spite of the protection which their operculum may be supposed to
afford, are exceedingly sensitive to cold, and the whole group is
without doubt a product of tropical or semi-tropical regions (see map
at frontispiece). A species of Helicina which inhabits the southern
States of North America has been known to be almost exterminated
from certain districts by the occurrence of an unusually severe
winter.
One of the highest altitudes at which a land shell is known to live
appears to be the Liti Pass (Himalayas, 14,000 ft.). At this enormous
altitude, two species of Buliminus (arcuatus Hutt. and nivicola Bens.)
live on juniper bushes among patches of snow. An Anadenus is said
to have been found in a similar locality at 15,000 ft., while Limnaea
Hookeri has been taken from over 16,400 ft. in Landour. In the
Andes of Peru and Bolivia, five species of Bulimulus, one of Pupa,
and one of Limax occur at an elevation of 10,500 to 15,000 ft.
Several fresh-water Mollusca inhabit Lake Titicaca, which stands at a
height of 12,550 ft. in the Bolivian table-land.
In certain parts of the desert of Algeria, where there is not a trace
of vegetation to be seen, and the temperature at mid-day is 110° F.,
the ground is sometimes so covered with Helix lactea as to appear
perfectly white. Dr. F. H. H. Guillemard has told me that he noticed,
in somewhat similar surroundings between Fez and Tangier, H.
pisana in such extraordinary abundance that they hung from the low
scrub in bunches the size of a man’s two fists. It is singular that
Mollusca should live, and not only live, but flourish, in localities
apparently so unpromising. Shells which occur in the Algerian
Sahara are actually larger and altogether finer than the ordinary
European form of the same species. In order to protect themselves
to some extent against the scorching heat and consequent
evaporation, desert species are frequently modified in one of two
ways; the shell becomes either white or a light dusky brown, as in
the familiar Helix desertorum, or else it gains immensely in
thickness. Specimens of H. pomatia, recently procured from Fez, are
of extraordinary thickness as compared with forms from our own
chalk downs of Kent and Surrey.
Fresh-water Mollusca are frequently found inhabiting hot springs.
Thus Neritina fluviatilis lives at Bagnères de Bigorre in water at about
68° F. In another hot spring in the eastern Pyrenees a Bithynia lives
at a temperature of over 73° F.; while Blainville mentions another
case of a Bithynia living in water at 122° F.
Hibernation and Aestivation.—As autumn begins to draw on,
and the first frosts to nip vegetation, terrestrial species retire beneath
stones, into cracks in old walls, holes in tree trunks, deep fissures in
rocks, and nooks and crannies of every kind, or else bury
themselves deeply in the earth or in moss and heaps of leaves. They
thus commence their period of hibernation, which varies in length
according to the duration of winter. Frequently masses of Helices
may be found attached to one another, probably not so much for the
sake of warmth, for their temperature is but low, as to share the
comforts of a cosy retreat in common. Slugs generally hibernate
alone, excavating a sort of nest in the earth, in which they encyst
themselves, contracting their bodies until they are almost round, and
secreting a covering of their own slime. The Helices usually close up
the mouth of their shell by the formation of a membranous or chalky
epiphragm, which will be further described below. Both snails and
slugs take care to be in good condition at the time their winter sleep
begins, and for this reason the former are said to be most esteemed
by foreign epicures if captured just at this period.[38]
During hibernation, the action of the heart in land Pulmonata
ceases almost entirely. This appears to be directly due to the effect
of cold. Mr. C. Ashford has related[39] some interesting experiments
made upon H. hortensis and Hyal. cellaria, with the view of
ascertaining the effect of cold upon their pulsations. His observations
may be tabulated as follows:—
Number of pulsations per minute
Helix hortensis Hyal. cellaria At degrees Fahr.
22 21 52°
14 12 44°
10 11 38°
4 9 30°
At low temperatures the character, as well as the number of the
pulsations changed; they became imperfect and intermittent,
although exceptionally at 31° F. a H. rufescens gave five or six
pulsations a minute, very full and deliberate. The result of taking the
Hyalinia suddenly into the heat of a greenhouse was to bring on
palpitations. Further experiments resulted in evidence of a similar
kind. Hyal. radiatula, placed upon a deal table in a room, showed 52
pulsations per minute at 62° F. Placed upon the palm of the hand,
the action soon rose to 108. Hyal. alliaria, similarly treated, rose from
72 pulsations to 110. Floated upon water, the action of the heart of
the latter suddenly fell to 29.
Fresh-water Pulmonata do not appear to hibernate. Unio and
Anodonta, however, bury themselves more deeply in the mud, and
Dreissensia casts off its byssus and retires under the mud in deeper
water.[40] Limnaea and Planorbis have often been noticed to crawl
about under the lower surface of a thick coating of ice. In periods of
prolonged drought, when the water in the ponds dries up, the
majority of genera bury themselves in the mud. I have known
Limnaea peregra bury itself three inches deep, when surprised by a
sudden fall of the water in the ditch on Coe Fen, behind Peterhouse,
Cambridge. Physa hypnorum frequents by preference ditches which
dry up in summer, as does also Planorbis spirorbis, the latter often
forming a sort of epiphragm against evaporation. Ancylus has been
observed to spend the whole winter out of water, and P. spirorbis has
been noticed alive after four months’ desiccation.[41]
True aestivation, however, occurs mainly in the tropics, where
there is no winter, but only a period when it is not quite so hot as the
rest of the year, or on a coast like the Mediterranean, which is
subject to sudden and severe heat. This period is usually rainless,
and the heat is therefore a dry heat. At this season, which may last
for three or four months, most of the land Mollusca enter upon a
period of inaction, either burying themselves deeply in the ground, or
else permanently attaching themselves to the stalks of grass and
other herbage, or the under sides of rocks. For instance, the large
and beautifully painted Orthalicus, Corona, and Porphyrobaphe,
which inhabit Brazil, Ecuador, and eastern Peru, bury themselves
deeply in the ground during the dry season, while in the rains they
climb to the topmost branches of the great forest trees.[42] Thus it
may well happen that a visitor to a tropical island, Ceylon for
instance, or one of the Greater Antilles, if he times his visit to
coincide with the rainless season, may be grievously disappointed at
what seems its unaccountable poverty in land Mollusca. But as soon
as the weather breaks, and the moisture penetrates their retreats,
every bush and every stone, in favoured localities, will be alive with
interesting species.
The Epiphragm.—A considerable number of the land Pulmonata
(and a very few of the fresh-water) possess the power of closing the
aperture of their shell by means of what is known as an epiphragm
or covering of hardened mucus. This epiphragm is habitually formed
by certain species during hibernation or aestivation, or even during
shorter periods of inactivity and retirement, the object being, either to
check evaporation of the moisture of the body, or to secure the
animal against the cold by retaining a thin layer of slightly warm air
immediately within the aperture of the shell.
The epiphragm differs widely in character in different species,
sometimes (Clausilia, Pupa, Planorbis) consisting of the merest
pellicle of transparent membrane, while at others (Helix aperta, H.
pomatia) it is a thick chalky substance, with a considerable
admixture of carbonate of lime, with the consistency of a hardened
layer of plaster of Paris. Within these extremes every variety of
thickness, solidity, and transparency occurs. During long hibernation
several epiphragms are not unfrequently formed by the same
individual snail, one within the other, at gradually lessening
distances. The epiphragm thus performs, to a certain extent, the part
of an operculum, but it must be remembered that it differs radically
from an operculum physiologically, in being only a temporary
secretion, while the operculum is actually a living part of the animal.
The actual mode of formation of the epiphragm would seem to
differ in different species. According to Fischer,[43] the mollusc
withdraws into its shell, completely blocking all passage of air into
the interior, and closing the pulmonary orifice. Then, from the middle
part of the foot, which is held exactly at the same plane as the
aperture, is slowly secreted a transparent pellicle, which gradually
thickens, and in certain species becomes calcareous. Dr. Binney,
who kept a large number of Helix hortensis in confinement, had
frequently an opportunity of noticing the manner in which the
epiphragm was formed.[44] The aperture of the shell being upward,
and the collar of the animal having been brought to a level with it, a
quantity of gelatinous matter is thrown out [? where from]. The
pulmonary orifice is then opened, and a portion of the air within
suddenly ejected, with such force as to separate the viscid matter
from the collar, and to project it, like a bubble of air, from the
aperture. The animal then quickly withdraws farther into the shell,
and the pressure of the external air forces back the vesicle to a level
with the aperture, when it hardens and forms the epiphragm. In
some of the European species in which the gelatinous secretion
contains more carbonate of lime, solidification seems to take place at
the moment when the air is expelled, and the epiphragm in these is
in consequence strongly convex.
Thread-spinning.—A considerable number of fresh-water
Mollusca possess the power of stretching a thread, which is no more
than an exceedingly elongated piece of mucus, to the surface of the
water, and of using it as a means of locomotion. This thread bears
no analogy whatever to the fibrous byssus of certain bivalves, being
formed in an entirely different manner, without the need of a special
gland.
The threads are ‘spun’ by several species of Limnaea, Physa, and
Planorbis, by Bithynia tentaculata, and several of the Cycladidae.
They are anchored to the surface by a minute concavity at the upper
end, which appears to act like a small boat in keeping the thread
steady. The longest threads are those of the Physae, which have
been noticed to attain a length, in confinement, of 14 inches. They
are always spun in the ascent, and as a rule, when the animal
descends, it rolls the thread up and carries it down as it goes. A
single thread is never spun on the descent, but occasionally, when a
thread has become more or less of a permanence, it becomes
stronger by the addition of more mucus each time it is used, whether
for ascending or descending purposes. Cyclas cornea appears to be
an exception to the rule that threads are only spun on the ascent.
This species, which is particularly fond of crawling along the under
surface of the water, has been noticed to spin a thread half an inch in
length while on the surface, and to hang suspended from it for a
considerable time.
What the exact use of the thread may be, must to a certain extent
be matter of conjecture. The Limnaeidae are, in the great majority of
cases, compelled to make periodic visits to the surface in order to
inspire oxygen. It is also a favourite habit with them to float just
under the surface, or crawl about on its under side, perhaps in
pursuit of tiny vegetable organisms. Whatever may be the object of
an excursion to the surface, a taut thread will obviously be a nearer
way up than any other which is likely to present itself; indeed, without
this thread-spinning power, which insures a tolerably rapid arrival at
the surface, the animal might find itself asphyxiated, or at least
seriously inconvenienced, before it could succeed in taking in the
desired supply of oxygen. With the Cycladidae, which do not breathe
air, such an explanation is out of place; in their case the thread
seems to be a convenient means of resting in one position in the
intervals of the periods of active exercise to which several of the
species are so much addicted.
The power of suspension by a thread is also possessed by certain
of the Cyclostomatidae, by some Cerithidea, several Rissoa and
other marine genera, prominent among which is Litiopa bombyx,
whose name expresses its power of anchoring itself to the Sargasso
weed by a silken thread of mucus. Several species of slugs are
known to be able to let themselves down by threads from the
branches of trees. Limax arborum is especially noted for this
property, and has been observed suspended in pairs during the
breeding time. According to Binney, all the American species of
Limax, besides those of Tebennophorus, possess this singular
property. Limax arborum appears to be the only slug which has been
noticed to ascend, as well as descend, its thread. It has also been
observed[45] that when this species is gorged with food, its slime is
thin and watery, and unable to sustain its weight, but that after the
process of digestion has been performed, the mucus again becomes
thick and tenacious. It appears therefore that when the animal is
hungry and most in need of the power of making distant excursions
in search of food, its condition enables it to do so, but that when no
such necessity is pressing, the thread-forming mucus is not
secreted, or is perhaps held in suspense while the glands assist in
lubricating the food before digestion.[46]
Food of Land and Fresh-water Mollusca.—Arion ater, the great
black slug, although normally frugivorous, is unquestionably
carnivorous as well, feeding on all sorts of animal matter, whether
decaying, freshly killed, or even in a living state. It is frequently
noticed feeding on earthworms; kept in captivity, it will eat raw beef;
it does not disdain the carcases of its own dead brethren. An old
man near Berwick-on-Tweed, going out one morning to mow grass,
found a black slug devouring, as he supposed, a dead mouse. Being
of an inquisitive turn, and wishing to ascertain if it were really thus
engaged, he drew the mouse a little back. When he returned in the
evening, the mouse was reduced almost to a skeleton, and the slug
was still there.[47] Indeed it would seem almost difficult to name
anything which Arion ater will not eat. Dr. Gray mentions[48] a case
of a specimen which devoured sand recently taken from the beach,
which contained just enough animal matter to render it luminous
when trodden on in the dark; after a little time the faeces of the slug
were composed of pure sand, united together by a little mucus. A
specimen kept two days in captivity was turned out on a newspaper,
and commenced at once to devour it. The same specimen ate dead
bodies of five other species of slugs, a dead Unio, pupae of
Adimonia tanaceti, part of the abdomen of a dragon-fly, and Pears’
soap, the latter reluctantly.[49]
According to Simroth[50] and Scharff[51] the food of several of our
British slugs, e.g. Limax maximus, L. flavus, Arion subfuscus, A.
intermedius, consists of non-chlorophyllaceous substances only,
while anything containing chlorophyll is as a rule refused. On the
other hand L. agrestis and Amalia carinata feed almost entirely on
green food, and are most destructive in gardens. The latter species
lives several inches under ground during the day, and comes to the
surface only at night. It is largely responsible for the disappearance
of bulbs, to which it is extremely partial. L. marginatus (= arborum
Bouch.) feeds exclusively on lichens, and in captivity absolutely
refuses green leaves and a flesh diet. It follows therefore, if these
observations are correct, that the popular notions about slugs must
be revised, and that while we continue to exterminate from our
gardens those species which have a taste for chlorophyll, we ought
to spare, if not encourage those whose tastes lie in the opposite
direction.
Limax agrestis has been seen devouring the crushed remains of
Arion ater. Five specimens of the same species were once noticed
busily devouring a May-fly each, and this in the middle of a large
meadow, where it may be presumed there was no lack of green
food. The capture and eating of insects by Mollusca seems very
remarkable, but this story does not stand alone. Mr. T. Vernon
Wollaston once enclosed in a bottle at least three dozen specimens
of Coleoptera together with 4 Helix cantiana, 5 H. hispida, and 1 H.
virgata, together with an abundant supply of fresh leaves and grass.
About a fortnight afterwards, on the bottle being opened, it was
found that every single specimen of the Coleoptera had been
devoured by the snails.[52] Amalia marginata in captivity has been
fed upon the larvae of Euchelia jacobaeae, eating three in two hours.
[53]

Limax maximus (Fig. 19) has been seen frequently to make its
way into a dairy and feed on raw beef.[54] Individuals kept in
confinement are guilty of cannibalism. Mr. W. A. Gain kept three
specimens in a box together, and found one of them two-thirds
eaten, “the tail left clean cut off, reminding one of that portion of a
fish on a fishmonger’s stall.” That starvation did not prompt the crime
was proved by the fact that during the preceding night the slug had
been supplied with, and had eaten, a considerable quantity of its
favourite food. On two other occasions the same observer found one
of his slugs deprived of its slime and a portion of its skin, and in a
dying condition.[55] An adult L. maximus, kept for thirty-three days in
captivity with a young Arion ater, attacked it frequently, denuded it of
its slime, and gnawed numerous small pieces of skin off the body
and mantle.[56] The present writer has found no better bait for this
species on a warm summer night than the bodies of its brethren
which were slain on the night preceding; it will also devour dead
Helix aspersa. Mr. Gain considers it a very dainty feeder, preferring
fungi to all other foods, and apparently doing no harm in the garden.
Fig. 19.—Limax maximus L. PO, pulmonary
orifice: × ⅔.
Limax flavus, which is fond of inhabiting the vicinity of cellars,
makes its presence most disagreeable by attacking articles of food,
and especially by insinuating itself into vessels containing meal and
flour.[57] It is particularly partial to cream.
Slugs will sometimes bite their captor’s hands. Mr. Kew relates
that a Limax agrestis, on being stopped with the finger, while
endeavouring to escape from the attack of a large Arion, attempted
to bite fiercely, the rasping action of its radula being plainly felt.
According to the same authority, probably all the slugs will rasp the
skin of the finger, if it is held out to them, and continue to do so for a
considerable time, without however actually drawing blood.[58] While
Mr. Gain was handling a large Arion ater, it at once seized one of the
folds of skin between the fingers of the hand on which it was placed;
after the action of the radula had been allowed to continue for about
a minute, the skin was seen to be abraded.[59] Another specimen of
Arion ater, carried in the hand for a long time enclosed in a dock leaf,
began to rasp the skin. The operation was permitted until it became
too painful to bear. Examination with a lens showed the skin almost
rasped away, and the place remained tender and sore, like a slight
burn, for several days.[60]
Helix pisana, if freshly caught, and placed in a box with other
species, will set to work and devour them within twenty-four hours.
The present writer has noticed it, in this position, attack and kill large
specimens of H. ericetorum, cleaning them completely out, and
inserting its elongated body into the top whorls of its unfortunate
victims in a most remarkable manner. Amongst a large number of
species bred in captivity by Miss F. M. Hele,[61] was Hyalinia
Draparnaldi. In the first summer the young offspring were fed on
cabbage, coltsfoot, and broadleafed docks. They would not
hibernate even in the severest frosts, and, no outdoor food being
available, were fed on chopped beef. This, Miss Hele thinks, must
have degenerated their appetites, for in the following spring and
summer they constantly devoured each other.
Zonites algirus feeds on decayed fruit and vegetables, and on
stinking flesh.[62] Achatina panthera has been known to eat meat,
other snails (when dead), vegetables, and paper.[63] The common
Stenogyra decollata of the South of Europe has a very bad character
for flesh-eating habits, when kept in captivity. Mr. Binney[64] kept a
number for a long time as scavengers, to clean the shells of other
snails. As soon as a living Helix was placed in a box with them, one
would attack it, introduce itself into the upper whorls, and completely
remove the animal. One day a number of Succinea ovalis were left
with them for a short time, and disappeared entirely! The Stenogyra
had eaten shell as well as animal. This view of Stenogyra is quite
confirmed by Miss Hele, who has bred them in thousands. “I can
keep,” she writes,[65] “no small Helix or Bulimus with them, for they
at once kill and eat them. They will also eat raw meat.”
Even the common Limnaea stagnalis, which is usually regarded
as strictly herbivorous, will sometimes betake itself, apparently by
preference, to a diet of flesh. Karl Semper frequently observed the
Limnaeae in his aquarium suddenly attack healthy living specimens
of the common large water newt (Triton taeniatus), overcome them,
and devour them, although there was plenty of their favourite
vegetable food growing within easy reach.[66] The same species has
also been noticed to devour its own ova, and the larvae of Dytiscus.

You might also like