62 Second Report on Economic Zoology. 



weeks to develop, the young being about one-twelfth of an inch long. 

 Some that I kept reached the adult state in about two months, but 

 they more often take much longer to reach maturity. These slugs 

 live many years. The ova have great resistive powers as regards 

 temperature and drought. Directly cold dry weather comes, they 

 shrivel up and appear spoilt ; but v/ith moisture they are again 

 distended. In this way they may be dried time after time for days 

 and yet the ova will retain their vitality. Spring and autumn are 

 the seasons when they appear most numerous. They attack cabbage, 

 rape, wheat, clover, lettuce, turnips, and most vegetation. They 

 eat the young turnips off just above the ground. In the winter 

 months this slug may be found in large numbers under stones, 

 decaying logs, and rubbish, in a semi-torpid condition. 



Another very destructive species is L. maxiiaus, L., the Black- 

 striped Slug, the largest of its kind ; it often reaches a length 

 of seven inches. Although not very prolific it does much harm. It 

 is very inactive, and exudes a thick gummy iridescent slime. The 

 ova are deposited in little clusters, agglutinated by mucus, during 

 the autumn, and in about four weeks they give rise to young snails. 

 The young at once commence to devour the nearest vegetation. This 

 species will live for some years ; one I kept for five years continued 

 to grow all the time. Its shell is somewhat rectangular, elongated 

 and convex above, crystalline and glossy, with distinct lines of 

 growth. The body is slender, variable in colour. Some are black ; 

 others yellowish-grey and spotted with black and white ; numerous 

 tubercles cover the skin ; tentacles long and yellowish-brown ; back 

 very much rounded ; foot edged with white. Slime iridescent when 

 dry, white when fresh. 



There are other slugs less destructive in their habits, but the 

 above-mentioned are the most noteworthy pests to the farmer and 

 gardener. 



Methods of DestPvOying Slugs and Snails. — Economically, 

 the most important points in the natural history of slugs and snails 

 are, first, that they chiefly live and flourish in damp places ; 

 drainage, therefore, must have a good effect in lessening theii" 

 numbers. In cases where this has been properly carried out, success 

 has attended the experiments. Secondly, it should be noted that 

 slugs have the power of expelling a great cjuantity of slime, which 

 would naturally take up any poison in the form of powder that may 

 be laid down in their way ; and although they have the power to 

 crawl as it were out of this slimy covering, and so leave the poison 

 liehind them, they cannot long continue to supply this mucous 



