Insects, etc.. Injurious to the Strawberry. 471 



Agriolimax agrestis (Linn.), the Grey Meld Slug, is by far the 

 most injurious to vegetation, of all the land moUusca. It may 

 be found in almost every garden and field throughout this country 

 and most parts of Europe, as well as in Siberia, Madeira and Algeria. 

 Like all slugs its life is dependent on moisture. In dry weather 

 we find it rolled up under a stone, coming out to feed by night 

 and during wet weather. According to one authority, this mollusc 

 feeds upon earthworms. In this case it had probably been mistaken 

 for one of those beneficial slugs {Testacella haliotidea) which prey 

 upon earthworms and other slugs. The body is spindle-shaped, 

 ashy grey, with reddish or yellowish tinge, and sometimes mottled ; 

 early in the year it is of a much paler colour ; the shield is large ; 

 the foot has pale sides ; and it exudes an abundant viscous slime. 

 The shell is oval and concave on the underside, very thin, marked 

 with indistinct lines of growth, with a broad membranous margin 

 obliquely striated. 



This species is most prolific; as a rule seven or eight distinct 

 batches of fifty ova each are annually produced. The breeding season 

 is from May to November. The ova are deposited in heaps of six to 

 fifteen, in the ground and amongst moss. August, September and 

 October are the chief breeding months. A single snail will lay as 

 many as 500 ova in the season. The eggs take three or four weeks 

 to develop, the young being about -^ inch long. Some that I kept 

 reached the adult state in about two months, but they more often 

 take much longer to reach maturity. These slugs live many years. 

 The ova have great resistive powers as regards temperature and 

 drought. The Grey Field Slug is the worst pest of strawberries, 

 and it is this species which attacks the blossoms of the gooseberry. 

 Mr. John Eiley of Putley Court, Ledbury, was the first to trace 

 this damage to slugs (1). His bailiff also noticed similar damage 

 near Evesham, which had been erroneously put down to frost. Mr 

 G. Hooper of Pershore also sent me blossoms damaged by them, 

 and similar reports have been sent from near Canterbury and they 

 have been watched at work at night at Wye. In the winter months 

 this slug may be found in large numbers under stones, decaying logs 

 and rubbish, in a semi-torpid condition. 



Another species now and then found in the strawberry bed is 

 L. maximus (Linn.), the Black-striped Slug, the largest of its kind, 

 which sometimes reaches a length of 7 inches. Although not very 

 prolific it does some harm. It is very inactive, and exudes a thick 

 gummy iridescent slime. The ova are deposited in little clusters, 

 agglutinated by mucus, during the autumn, and in about four weeks 



