Pulmonata 529 



It is well to test the pH of the soil after it has been in use for several 

 months. Unchained soils in time become too acid for the continued 

 well-being of the laboratory animals. The soil should be completely 

 changed when it is found to be too acid. It is especially important to 

 change the soil in the early spring before the breeding season starts. 

 If it is done too late, clutches of eggs that have been laid in the soil will 

 be destroyed. 



While some daylight should be allowed to reach the vivarium, the rays 

 of the sun should never strike it directly. They will heat the glass so 

 that conditions will be suffocatingly hot and soon fatal. 



CULTURE METHODS FOR LIMAX FLAVUS 



Emmett B. Carmichael, University of Alabama School of Medicine 



THIS European slug, naturalized in certain sections of this country, 

 does not seem to be prolific enough in Alabama to become a pest 

 in gardens, but it is always found near homes where there is access to 

 gardens or to garbage. Being a nocturnal animal, it spends the day 

 under shelter and comes out to feed at night. When in the field, it seems 

 to prefer to be under rotten wood but it has been found under piles of 

 old bricks or stones. In any case, it selects a damp, cool place that 

 will give it protection from the rays of the sun. 



Adult animals, 2 to 3 inches long, are collected in September or 

 October and kept in quart earthenware jars on wet leaf mold. A piece 

 of glass is used to cover the jar, which is then kept in the dark. The 

 wet leaf mold not only keeps the slugs from being desiccated but it 

 serves as a source of water for them. One jar furnishes ample space for 

 a dozen adult slugs. The animals should be transferred by means of a 

 spatula to clean jars about every two weeks, but if molds and fungi are 

 growing on the food they should be put into clean quarters oftener. 



In order to avoid contaminating the fresh quarters, it is well to 

 transfer the slugs from the dirty jar to a wet piece of paper (wrapping- 

 or newspaper), and allow them to move about for a few minutes before 

 placing them in the clean jar. For observations upon individual ani- 

 mals, a petri dish, which contains a wet piece of filter paper, provides 

 very satisfactory quarters. 



The following foods were fed to the slugs: wheat bread (whole wheat, 

 biscuit, etc.), raw Irish potatoes, raw sweet potatoes, lettuce, cauliflower, 

 cabbage, celery, turnips, and milk. On three occasions, while collecting 

 slugs, they were found under or near garbage cans that had holes in them 

 or poorly fitted lids. In all three cases the slugs had access to the table 

 scraps in the cans and they all seemed to be well fed. 



In Alabama slugs usually begin to lay their eggs during the last of 



