159° KEW: THE FACULTY OF FOOD-FINDING IN GASTROPODS. 
apparently possesses great attractive powers. Some years ago in 
greenhouses in Germany, Mr. G. K. Gude observed that it was 
constantly attacked, the young leaves and shoots being always 
eaten in preference to all other plants growing in the houses, 
which latter, consequently, escaped undamaged. In other houses, how- 
ever, where no Fazfugiums were kept, the slugs nibbled indiscriminately 
at many kinds. Beds of crisp lettuce and cabbage and rows of 
winter celery are resorted to by great numbers of slugs,’ and dahlias 
m 
Mr. T. Baines, a well known and experienced gardener,’ it certainly 
seems clear that the creatures are able to detect the presence of 
the flowers at some little distance :— 
have often observed that a slug will travel over the surface of a pot in 
which is growing a Dendrobium site a Calter, ends be of sinpilas upright plant, 
for a score of times without ever attemptin head of the plant— 
unless it is in bloom, in which case they are certain to find their way straight to 
the flowers ; after which they will descend, and return to some favourite hiding- 
place, often at the opposite end of the house, returning regularly every night to 
feed on the dainty dish, unless measures are taken to cut short their career. + 
Observations of a. surprising character have been made also by 
Mr. Robert Warner, F.L.S. When no other way to the orchids is 
open to the creatures, as he stated in 1880, ‘they crawl up some 
plant or rafter, and by means of a glutinous matter which they. 
exude from their tails they let themselves down to the spikes.’ * 
In 1889 the observer assured me that he had actually seen many 
little sings suspending themselves by slime-threads from the rafters, 
‘descending on the spikes’ of the beautiful Odontoglossum 
t 
in pots surrounded with water, had been lost. It can hardly be 
' supposed, I think, that Li slugs, having tried to approach the 
flowers in the ordinary manner by crawling over the pots and stems 
and finding themselves intercepted by moats of water or collars of 
cotton-wool, would deliberately ascend the rafters for the purpose 
of lowering themselves to the spikes. This would certainly require 
1 T. Baines, ‘Garden,’ v. (1874), 20 
2 Shirley Hibberd, ‘ The Amateur’s ~_ lower sare, 1884, p 
* For memoir and portrait of Baines, see ‘Gardeners’ de . s.), iii. (1875), 180. 
