410 Quarterly Journal of Coiichology. 



last century. Mr. Daniel has also seen this species suspended in 

 couples from the branches of trees during the breeding season* 



Mr. Wm. Harte,t F.R.G.S.L, has recorded some interesting 

 experiments he made with Liiiiax arbonim, causing it to spin a 

 thread and to reascend hy it, and he believes that from the "perfect 

 ease and regularity with which they do it, that they are well 

 accustomed to it." Mr. Harte also states that if the Slug be 

 "gorged with food," the slime is thin and not able to sustain it; 

 but "if kept overnight without food, it performs well next morn- 

 ing." This is a very interesting fact as shewing that when the 

 creature is in a condition when it would be likely to require the 

 thread most, viz., hungry and in search of food, it is in a condi- 

 tion best suited to produce it; and this further strengthens my 

 belief (contrary to Mr. Harte), that the thread is used as a means 

 of volunta7-y descent, although, as I have endeavoured to explain, 

 the production of it is to a certain extent involuntary. When in 

 search of new feeding grounds, during its excursions, it would 

 often come to the edge of an object and launch itself into space 

 upon the chance of finding a landing again soon, or if it did not, 

 returning to its old one. 



Dr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys speaks of the use of the thread by 

 Liinax agrcstis, and I have myself seen it use its thread for the 

 purpose of descent. 



Liniax niaxinius has been observed to lower itself a distance 

 of three or four feet by a thread, j I once saw two fine specimens 

 of this species suspended on a wall by a thread made very strong 

 by the johit exudation of the Slugs, being nearly Js-inch in thick- 

 ness at the base, nine inches long, and capable (as I proved) of 

 bearing a very much greater weight than their own. I have also 



* Jeffrey's Brit. Con., vol. i, pp. 136 — 7. 



+ Proceedings Dublin N. H. See, vol. iv, part ii. 



t Lovell Reeve, "British Land and Fresli-water Mollusks," p. 26. 



