SLUGS AND SNAILS. 57 



How does it come, though, that slugs and 

 snails now live together in the self-same dis- 

 tricts ? Why, because they each live in their 

 own way. Slugs belong by origin to very 

 damp and marshy spots ; but in the fierce 

 competition of modern life they spread them- 

 selves over comparatively dry places, pro- 

 vided there is long grass to hide in, or stones 

 under which to creep, or juicy herbs like 

 lettuce, among whose leaves are nice moist 

 nooks wherein to lurk during the heat of the 

 day. Moreover, some kinds of slugs are 

 quite as well protected from birds (such as 

 ducks) by their nauseous taste as snails are 

 by their shells. Thus it happens that at pre- 

 sent both races may be discovered in many 

 hedges and thickets side by side. But the 

 real home of each is quite different. The 

 truest and most snail-like snails are found in 

 greatest abundance upon high chalk-downs, 

 heathy limestone hills, and other compara- 

 tively dry places ; while the truest and most 

 slug-like slugs are found in greatest abund- 



