ARION. 127 



1. ARION A'TER*, Linne. 



Limax ater, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. x. p. 652. A. Empiricorum, 

 F. & H. iv. p. 7, pi. D. D. D. f. 4. 



BODY rather contracted and rounded in front, pointed 

 behind, varying greatly in colour, from black to brown, red, 

 yellow, greenish, and even white, with all the intermediate 

 shades, covered with prominent and large tubercles : shield, or 

 mantle, finely shagreened, of a lighter colour than the rest 

 of the body : tentacles coarsely shagreened, much swollen at 

 their tips, especially the lower pair : foot generally having a 

 yellow border, which is crossed at the sides by close and 

 curved dark lines : slime of a yellowish colour. L. 4. B. 0-5. 



SHELL consisting of small separate calcareous grains of 

 unequal size. 



HABITAT: Woods, hedges, fields, and all sorts of damp 

 places in the country throughout these Isles. Abroad 

 it ranges from Siberia to Portugal and Corsica, as well 

 as to Madeira ; and a variety of it was found as far north 

 as Jan Mayens Isle by the naturalist who accompanied 

 Prince Louis Napoleon's expedition. 



This species has had an infinity of names given to it, 

 on account of its extreme variability of colour. It is 

 the A. Empiricorum of Ferussac, so called from the cal- 

 careous substance which is found under the shield having 

 been formerly used in the preparation of medicine. 



The A.flavus of Ferussac (Limaxflavus, Mliller), which 

 has been found in the North of England by Mr. Alder 

 and Mr. Blacklock, as well as by Mr. Norman and Mr. 

 Whiteaves in Somersetshire and Oxfordshire, appears, 

 according to Moquin-Tandon, to be a doubtful species. 

 MM. Bouchard-Chantereaux and Normand state that 

 this last-mentioned species or variety inhabits woods and 

 moist places in the North of France. 



* Black. 



