OYSTERS, CLAMS, MUSSELS 231 



Slugs. The small slimy slugs that are often so common in 

 moist places are very serious pests in vegetable and flower 

 gardens. They hide away in some cool, dark place during the 

 day, and at night come out and feed upon any succulent plants 

 that they can find. They do particular damage to early young 

 plants, often destroying them as fast as they come up. No 

 very efficient remedy has been suggested, but their numbers 

 may be somewhat reduced by one or more of the following 

 methods. The ground around the plants should be examined 

 for the slugs, which may easily be destroyed. If ashes or air- 

 slaked lime is then spread about the plants the slugs will not 

 bother them as long as the ashes or lime remains perfectly dry 



FIG. 106. The giant yellow slug of California, Ariolimax californica. 

 (This slug reaches a length when outstretched of twelve inches.) 



and does not form a crust over which the slugs can crawl. 

 Boards or stones afford good hiding places and may be placed 

 in the garden as traps to be examined each day. Lettuce or 

 cabbage leaves thrown on the ground are attractive baits and 

 are also good hiding places which can be easily examined every 

 morning. If the plants are examined at night with the aid of 

 a lantern many of the slugs may be found and destroyed. 

 Spraying with arsenate of lead or kerosene emulsion does some 

 good, the first poisoning the slugs, the latter killing those that 

 it touches and being more or less effective as a repellent. 



Marine Gastropods.: Hundreds of shell-forming Gastropods 

 are found along every sea-shore. These present a wonderful 

 variety of shape and size and color. Some of them are most 

 beautifully colored and fantastically shaped. The great cow- 

 ries with their delicately colored porcelain-like shells, the lim- 



