SLUGS. 205 



the shield on the back shagreened. Avion ater is as 

 much as four inches long. The colour of these two 

 kinds of Arions is very variable, and they are stated 

 to lay their eggs separately under ground. 



One very important point to be considered, in 

 methods of prevention, is the circumstance that the 

 Slug can exude slime, so that it can " moult-off," as 

 it were, a coating of lime or other obnoxious dressing 

 thrown on it, and thus (quite getting rid of it together 

 with the slime) be no worse for one application of any 

 ordinary dressing. This moulting the Slug can do a 

 feic times successively, but after the operation has been 

 repeated two or three (or at least a very few times) the 

 creature requires an interval to regain the power ; the 

 slime reservoirs, or power of exuding slime, are 

 exhausted for the time being, and the obnoxious 

 dressing consequently takes effect on the skin of the 

 Slug and kills it. 



Where there is bad Slug-attack in fields, attention 

 is particularly needed to these points. On ?(u-occupied 

 land, such a heavy dressing of gas-lime, or quick-lime, 

 or salt, may be put on, that wherever the Slug crawls 

 there is the obnoxious stuff, and it soon loses its 

 slime-producing power and perishes. But very often, 

 where crops are infested, lime is only thrown in the 

 middle of the day or at any convenient time, just 

 when the Slugs are sheltered from the dressings 

 falling on them, and as it soon slacks it does very 

 little towards getting rid of the infestation. I have 

 seen the Slug resting as comfortably in the slacked 

 lime as it would under a stone. 



Or again, if one dressing is given in the morning, or 

 when the Slugs are out at feed, it often happens that 

 it is not followed up by another before the Slugs can 

 protect themselves. 



To do good the dressing should be thrown in the 

 evening, when the Slugs are at feed, and again the 

 following morning. If the Slugs should again re- 

 appear next evening, the dressing should be given 



