LIMAX MAXIMUS. 33 



crawl in a circular procession, tlieir mantles flapping before and behiml, 

 continuing thus from half-an-hour to two hours-and-a-half or more, eacli 

 with its uiouth at the other's tail, and eating the mucus from its partner's 

 body ; the circle becomes gradually more and more contracted and the 

 animals more and more excited, until suddenly the slugs intertwine their 

 bodies and launch themselves head downwards into space, but are restrained 

 from falling by a strong mucus cable of a brownish colour, attached to tl;e 

 caudal end of the body, which gradually lengthens until it is from filteen to 

 eighteen inches long, and is a continuation of the thick bed of slime exuded 

 during the prolonged circular promenade. 



Directly they are suspended, both slugs protrude the milk-white male 

 organ, which, _ though cylindrical at first, quickly assumes a club-shape 

 (fig. 58) ; a frilled edge (fig. 59) appears, and the unwinding is gradually 

 and quickly completed (figs. 60, 61), the unrolled organs now intertwine 

 closely round each other and form a whorled knot (tig. 62), and the two 

 upper whorls spread out, in umbrella fashion, leaving the lower portion of 

 the knot as before (fig. 63). The two upper whorls, however, sometimes do 

 not overlap, but curve in different directions (fig. 64), and sometimes may 

 be nearly horizontal but separate (fig. 65). The slugs now hang motionless 

 with flaccid and contracted tentacles, while the two upper outspread whorls 

 of the knotted penes keep revolving one upon another, and in this extra- 

 ordinary manner the liquid semen is transferred and the mutual act 

 consummated. After a lapse of five to ten minutes the organs unwind, roll 

 up, and are withdrawn into the body; while the slugs, which appear greatly 

 exhausted, either drop to the ground or climb up the thread to the point 

 of support, the thread itself sometimes being afterwards devoured. 



Shortly after pairing a number of eggs are deposited at the roots of trees, 

 plants, or grass, beneath stones, and in other moist and suitable situa- 

 tions ; they are agglomerated together in heaps or clusters, or may form a 

 long chaplet, by being attached together at their poles by a viscous mucus. 

 They are roundly oval, about five mill, by four mill., of a translucent amber 

 colour, and of a jelly-like consistency and appearance, but gradually becom- 

 ing duller and more opaque. 



They hatch in about a month, the young being usually of a yellowish tint 

 with four distinct lateral bands, which extend to the posterior third of the 

 shield, and assume a horse-shoe shape, but during growth become broken 

 up, especially upon the left side ; the ground colour also gradually changes 

 in some districts, becoming of a wood-brown, often tinged with red, finally 

 becoming duller and the bands more obscure ; in other districts or under 

 suitable conditions the immature colourings and decided banding of the 

 young stage may be preserved to adult life. 



Parasites and Enemies. — In addition to the enemies and parasites 

 of the group previously enumerated, this species is infested by a Nematode 

 {Leptodera flexllis), which lives within the salivary glands. 



Another species, Leptodera angiostonia Schneider, is found in the rectum, 

 and according to Creighton the larvee have been found imbedded in a dense 

 mass of glycogenous cells, surrounding the pedal artery. 



Geological History. — Limax maximus has been reported by Tour- 

 nouer as found fos.silized in France in the Middle Pleistocene of La Celle, 

 ne.ir Moret, Seine et Marne. 



In England it has also been recorded from the Pleistocene deposits at 

 Grays, in South Essex, and from those of the Ightham fissure in West Kent, 

 by Mr. Abbott. 



