58 Second Report on Ecwwnn'c Zoology. 



the popular idea that the occasional snail-plagues come in the rain- 

 clouds. As soon as the sun shines thev crawl to some shelter — 

 under stones, moss, or beneath the leaves of the plants they attack. 

 The eggs are genei"ally round, ^hite, semi-transparent bodies, and are 

 always laid in batches in slanting galleries under ground formed by 

 the •• mother" snail. The slugs {Limacidw). unlike the snails, have 

 only a rudimentary shell, or an indefinitely formed one placed under 

 the mantle. They mostly frequent damp and shady places, and 

 during day-time they bury themselves in tunnels under the earth. 

 Unlike the snails, they generally deposit their eggs singly under the 

 ground, and the eggs are very numerous. The two chief genera are 

 Arion and Zima-r, the former being distinguished by having a slime- 

 gland in the posterior extremitj, and by having the respiratory orifice 

 in front instead of behind the shield. They both feed at night, 

 selecting the tenderest and choicest plants, but they will devour 

 almost anything. The Limace-s are very fond of indoor habitations, 

 being found in cellars and outhouses. They destroy the corks in 

 wine-cellars, and do much damage in that way ; but, on the other 

 hand, it is said they live upon the destructive " dry-rot ' fimgus. 

 They all exude a glutinous kind of slime. 



The following species of snails have been brought to my notice 

 every now and then as doing much damage to farm crops and 

 vegetables : — 



The Garden Snail. Hdix asjperm. MuUer, is a large and abundant 

 species, often doing much harm in the garden, not only to vegetables 

 and flowering plants, but even to Avall-fruit. Several instances of 

 the total destruction of peach and apricot leaves by this snail 

 have been brought to my notice. The years 1884 and 1889 were 

 remarkable for the number of this snail seen about. The eggs are 

 laid in small batches in the earth, about sixty or seventy in each 

 heap. The ova are white, shining, globular bodies. They hatch in 

 about fifteen days if kept in damp places. The young snails are 

 almost colourless, and the shell is thin and transpai"ent ; they grow 

 rapidly. Drought and cold are en-oneously considered prejudicial to 

 all snails. At the approach of winter they collect together and 

 exude a slimy matter, which hanlens on exposure and closes the 

 aperture of the shell. They may then l^e found hibernating together 

 in crevices in walls, in old trees, and imder rubbish, united together 

 by the agglutinated slime. I have notes of the damage caused by 

 this snaO. in most coimties of the south of England. 



The Wood Snail (B^. nemoralis, Linn.) is an extremely abundant 

 snail in hedgerows and upland pastures, and especially in clover. 



