RUBBER 615 



time it secretes itself under clods of earth, dead leaves, 

 amongst grass and weeds, or* wherever it can secure shade 

 and damp. It comes out at night and wanders in search 

 of food. The same slug has been observed to feed upon 

 renewing bark, especially in sheltered situations. The 

 animal is of a yellowish-brown or olivaceous colour, 

 usually mottled with dark blotches. It belongs to the 

 group that has a thin shell concealed beneath the so-called 

 "mantle." The specimens that came under my observa- 

 tion measured about 3 in. in length; but in India, where 

 it also occurs, the species is said to attain a length of 

 8 in. 



An undetermined slug of somewhat similar habits has 

 been observed in the Straits Settlements, where it is 

 accused of gnawing off the skin of seedling plants and 

 also of injuring the foliage by eating the green 

 parenchyma and the epidermis, leaving only the skeleton 

 of the leaf. It attacks also older plants, nibbling the 

 bark and biting away the buds as they appear. 



Professor Newstead found a large flat slug (Veronicella 

 virgata) injuring the. foliage of Hevea plants in Jamaica. 



Mr. Wamnierman, Entomologist to the Department of 

 Agriculture, Buitenzorg, Java, reports that slugs (Par- 

 marion sp.) are found drinking" the latex on rainy days, 

 both in Java and Sumatra. 



Measures against injury by slugs must be prin- 

 cipally preventive; but the collection and destruction 

 of the animals themselves should not be neglected. 

 Traps, consisting of damp sacking, plantain leaves, etc., 

 can be laid on the ground beneath the trees to provide 

 shelter for the slugs during the heat of the day. These 

 traps should be examined systematically early each after- 

 noon, and the slugs collected and dropped into a can of 

 salt water. By searching the stems of the trees with a 

 lantern just after dark the ascending slugs may be inter- 

 cepted and destroyed. Poultry, especially ducks, geese, 

 and turkeys, are very useful assistants in the work of 

 destruction. They feed readily upon the slugs, and will 

 search amongst the grass and rubbish, and capture many 

 individuals that would otherwise escape observation. 

 The most important of preventive measures will be to 



