132 
DESTROYING INSECTS. [chap. v. 
peculiarly injurious to plants in pots; the 
large grey is also very destructive, and the 
common garden snail. The beautifully 
banded snail (Helix nemoralis) is, however, 
supposed to live partly on earth-worms, and 
the shell slug (Testacella scutella) lives en¬ 
tirely on them. The usual modes of entrap¬ 
ping snails, slugs, and wood-lice, are laying 
down slices of raw potatoes or cabbage- 
leaves at night, and examining them before 
the dew is off the plants in the morning. 
As, however, this requires very early rising, 
a more convenient method is to lay a few 
flower pots upon their sides, where the snails 
have committed their ravages; and the snails, 
which can neither move nor feed unless the 
ground be wet with dew or rain, will ge¬ 
nerally be found to take refuge in the 
flower pots from the heat of the sun. They 
are likewise often found in the middle of 
the day, sticking against walls, under ivy, or 
box edgings. In gardens very much infested 
with snails, search should be made in winter 
among all the ivy and box in the garden; 
and all the snails found in a torpid state 
should be destroyed. This, though some 
