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THE NATURE BOOK 



LIMAX MAXIMUS (VAR. TETRAZOXA), A SLUG HAVING TWO BANDS ON BODY. 



by many birds, frogs, and toads, and by 

 the blind-worm. The wood ant deals with 

 the eggs to their diminishment, as do 

 several of the flics. 



Limax maximiis forms a group showing 

 a range of ten varieties, besides a hst of 

 sub-varieties that have been classified, 

 with an admitted capacity for further 

 extension. Beside the variation of colour, 

 ranging through black, wliite, grey, brown, 

 ochre-red, and a curious pale crimson 

 (L. maximiis vinosa), there is an elabora- 

 tion of the markings on the " shield " 

 and the longitudinal stripes on the body. 



L. maximiis sylvatica, a cold grey colour, 

 shows two continuous bands of darker 

 sepia-grey, strengthened with irregularly 

 formed black markings, with a third band 

 of broken markings approaching the " foot- 

 fringe " or border of the " foot-sole." The 

 " shield " shows hght mottUngs outlined 

 sharply with black ; the " foot-sole " a 

 light yellowish- white. This is regarded as 

 the typical fonn. The rugosities, or 

 elevations of the skin folds, are fine and 

 closely set together. The animal has no 

 slime-gland, the mucus being produced 

 from the pores of the skin. The " shield " 

 is a broad oval extending backwards from 

 the neck of the slug, always marbled or 

 spotted. The dorsal " keel," or ridge, 

 only extends upon the caudal extremity, 



or lateral inch of the total length of the 

 animal, and is Ughter in colour. L. max. 

 fasciata has three longitudinal bands ; the 

 varieties L. max. tetrazona and L. max. 

 obscura possess but two bands ; in the 

 latter they are rather blurred by a super- 

 ficial pigmentation of the skin overlying 

 the pigmented cells forming the bands. 

 The theory of these and other markings 

 is that the action of atmospheric con- 

 ditions upon the areas of the animal's 

 bf)dy, associated with main blood sinuses, 

 produces an accumulation of the pig- 

 ment. 



The primitive stage is that of uniform 

 colour — yellowish, greyish, or reddish ; 

 the second stage that of bands and mark- 

 ings of distinct character ; the third 

 stage, when overlying pigmentation of 

 the skin diffuses the markings, or entirely 

 obscures them. 



In this country the ground colour of 

 L. maximiis is usually ash-grey, or the 

 occasional brighter shades, as in variety 

 L. max. tigris, which has only two bands, 

 the upper, or inner, one the broader. 



The hidden shell lies beneath the curved 

 outline of the slug, over-arching the 

 respiratory orifice. The colouring of the 

 " foot-sole " of the species is light yellow- 

 ish white, the average length from fcmr to 

 six inches. 



