6oo 



Slugs and Snails. 



Dan.,. 



(4) The Root-Eating Slug {Milax sowerbii. F. and H.). 



This is the garden pest that does so much harm to bulbs,, 

 tubers, and roots of all kinds. It is gregarious, and passes the- 

 day under the ground, especially at the roots of plants, coming, 

 up at night to feed upon leaves. Like the earthworm, it pulls 

 plants into its underground abodes and feeds upon them during 

 the daytime. Small lilies, iris, &c, are especially attacked, the 

 long leaves being bent over and pulled into the soil. Besides 

 plants, it has been known to feed upon the caterpillars of moths, 

 and will attack earthworms and smaller slugs. The damage it 

 does in the garden is very great, to both culinary and orna- 

 mental plants. It is particularly fond of potatoes and carrots.. 

 The body is prominently and acutely keeled all along the back,, 

 and the shield has the respiratory orifice on the right side behind 

 the centre of the mantle, while the reproductive orifice is mid- 

 way between the base of the right tentacle and the respiratory 

 orifice. The skin is thick, and the colour varies from pure- 

 white, through yellow, grey, and brown to almost uniform black. 

 It is found generally distributed throughout England, Wales,, 

 the south of Scotland, and Ireland. It is also known as Amalia- 

 carinata. 



(5) The Large Black Slug {Avion ater. Linn.). 



This slug will feed upon almost anything — the choicest 

 garden vegetables and flowers, coarser field crops, other slugs,, 

 various insect larvae, earthworms, raw meat, and it has been 

 known to devour newspaper and sand, and even soap.* It 

 is found in damp woods, along dykes, in gardens and hedges,, 

 but not so often in open fields. During daylight it hides away 

 under logs, stones, boxes, sacks, &c, and tunnels into the 

 ground. At night or after rain it comes out and soon begins 

 to feed. It varies in colour, but is usually black, though it 

 may be dull green, brown, dull yellow, or dusky red, covered 

 with large tubercles. The foot has a yellowish-white border ; 

 the mantle is paler than the rest of the body, and the tentacles 

 swollen apically. The slime is of a yellowish colour. Observa- 

 tions on its reproduction have been made by Mr. F. W. Wotton,f 



* T/ie Naturalist, p. 103, 1889. 



t Journal of Conchology, VII., p. 158, 1893. 



