Rev. B. J. Clarke on Irish species of the genus Limax. 341 



Tuam, where it frequents the thickest herbage and tufted plants. 

 It proved very destructive this year^ along with L. agrestis and 

 Arion hortensis, to crops of young garden plants^ especially 

 onions, but it is by no means so plentiful a species as the two 

 last named. 



In conclusion I shall point out a few of the more striking pe- 

 culiarities by which it may be distinguished from Limax Sower^bii, 

 the only British species which will bear comparison with it. In 

 the shape of the shield and in the continuous dorsal ridge it is 

 very similar ; the latter however is much sharper in L. Gagates, 

 and forms a much more prominent keel when the animal is at 

 rest. The tissue of the skin, instead of presenting the tessellated 

 and rugose appearance of L. Sowerbii, is disposed in longitudinal 

 furrows branching off into veins, not unlike the nervures of a leaf. 

 The tentacles are gray instead of black as in L. Sowerbii, and the 

 entire animal is of a more uniform colour. 



Mr. Alder of Newcastle informs me that the internal shell, of 

 which I sent him specimens, differs from any he had before. 



The localities in which I have taken it are as follows : — 



La Bergerie, Queen^s co. ; Tuam Palace Gardens, co. Galway ; 

 Tourmakady Lodge, near Ballinrobe, co. Mayo : in this last-men- 

 tioned locality they were very characteristic specimens and parti- / 

 cularly abundant. ^^ / 



Note. — Limax brunneus, Drap. - -/ 



This species has not as yet occurred to me in Ireland, nor am 

 I at present aware of its being noticed by others in this country. 



M. Bouchard Chantreux thinks that the young of Limax ar- 

 boreus is " what Hoy, Shaw and Latham have named ' Limax 

 jilanSj as he has seen them descending from branch to branch 

 by means of a mucous thread which they spin." 



This conclusion is evidently come to on the supposition that 

 the property of so spinning is confined to one species ; whereas 

 it may be seen from my observations on this point, ' Ann. and 

 Mag. of Nat. Hist.' Vol. vi. p. 206, that many other species are 

 capable of doing so ; in fact, the young of all our British species 

 have the power of making use of this mode of progression until 

 they attain to that size when the weight of their bodies becomes 

 too great for such a fragile thread. I have frequently seen some 

 of the larger species make the attempt when compelled to do so, 

 but invariably fall helplessly to the ground the moment the tail 

 approached near the edge of the leaf or branch from which they 

 had allowed themselves to slide. 



I have succeeded in making the following species spin a thread 

 of slime : — 



Limax arborem, young only ; L. Sowerbii, young ; L. agrestis, 



