THE COMMON RED SLUG, OR LAND SOLE. 407 



In these creatures the foot and body are indistinguishable from each other ; the head 

 is retractile ; and the whole creature can be gathered into a short rounded mass, looking 

 so like a pebble that it would escape a casual glance. At the first view, the Slugs appear 

 to be destitute of shell, but, on a closer examination, the shell is found upon the fore 

 part of the body, and either entirely or partially buried beneath the integuments. When 

 removed, it is not unlike the operculum of many molluscs, being small, flattish, and with 

 an evident nucleus. They have four tentacles, Kke those of the snails, the eye-dots 

 appearing, as in those molluscs, on the tips of the upper and longer pair. The 

 respiratory orifice is placed on the right side of the body. 



The GKEAT GKEY SLUG is the largest of the British species, and when furnished with 

 abundant food, on which it can fatten itself during the .night, and a secure hiding-place, 

 whither it can retreat during the day, often attains an enormous size. The careless 

 gardener, who has suffered heaps of old rubbish to collect in his dominions, is often 

 horrified, when he at last removes the stones or sticks, to find under them a number of 

 huge Grey Slugs, that have been silently consuming his flowers and vegetables, and lie 

 slimy and obese at his mercy, bewildered with the unaccustomed light, and unable to 

 escape their impending and deserved fate. It is true that Slugs, snails, and all similar 

 creatures, must have been created for some useful purpose, and in their proper place 

 discharge the duty for which their forms were designed and their instincts implanted ; 

 but it is clear that a garden is not the proper place for Slugs, and that if they make their 

 appearance within its precincts, they must be extirpated ; just as rats, which are useful 

 in a sewer, are noxious in a house, and must pay with their lives the penalty of their 

 intrusion. 



In the fields, this Slug is very common, though not often seen, as it hides itself by 

 day, and only comes out to feed at night. While engaged in " sugaring " trees for moths 

 in the summer evenings, I have often been surprised at the number of Great Grey Sluga 

 which came crawling down the trunks of the trees, attracted apparently by the scent of 

 the sweet mixture, and induced by its odour to leave the hiding-place in which they had 

 been cunningly ensconced during the daytime. Hollow trees, especially those where the 

 entrance is very small, are great haunts of this Slug, and the crevices found at the 

 junction of branches are also in favour with these destructive molluscs. Pollard willows 

 are generally very populous with these Slugs. 



Just below the figure of this animal may be seen its little shell, represented as it 

 appears when removed from the body. 



THE well-known BLACK SLUG (Limax ater) belongs to the same genus as the preceding 

 species, and is very common during the summer, coming out of its hiding-place during 

 the evening, and making its appearance along the sides of roads, in hedgerows, and 

 similar situations. It is nearly, but not quite so large as the grey species. 



THE common RED SLUG, or LAND SOLE (Arion rufus), is another member of this 

 family. It may be known by the deep red-brown of its body, which sometimes 

 approaches to black. It is very plentiful in gardens, and as, on account of its colour, it 

 is not readily seen in the dark, it escapes observation, and does much damage without 

 being discovered. Those who desire to rid their gardens of these pests will find that 

 a very effectual plan is to search the grounds after dark, by the aid of a " bull's-eye " 

 lantern. 



The greater number of the Slugs can thus be discovered, and the remainder can 

 mostly be destroyed by watering the ground with a very weak solution of ammonia. 

 This substance is fatal to slugs as well as to worms ; causes them to pour out a white 

 frothy mucus, so as to betray their presence ; and, if employed in sufficient quantity, will 

 kill the mollusc without injuring the vegetables. The Slugs and worms that are thus 

 captured should be thrown into a vessel containing a strong solution of the same fatal 

 substance, when they will perish almost immediately, and after they have been left in 

 the vessel for twelve hours, so as to make their death absolutely certain, may be used as 

 a valuable manure. 



