Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-23
QUEER FACTS ABOUT SLUGS.
One CarnivorOus Species That is as Fierce
as Tiger or Shark.


as Tiger Shark.
TIME USES OF SLUGS ARE VARIOUS
L Some are taken internally at intervals dur
ing the day BY persons addicted to alcoholic
stimulants. They are liquid. Other kinds,
very solid, ere applied externally by gentlemen
who follow the craft which Mr.. John L. Sull-
van has done much 70 adorn Both Of these
species of slugs are apt to produce bad effect
on the nose
Yet another sort of slug, to the discussion OF
which this writing will be limited, embraces a
large family of mollusks without shells. More
accurately speaking they possess shells, but
wear them inside and not outside OF their
bodies. Like the marine skids. they have each
single small bone which il SO far rudimentarv
that i'll certain varieties it has all but disap-
peered. Roughly speaking they may be classed
in the animal kingdom as shelless snails
One species. called tine ''tesaceila." plentiful
in Europe, is one OF the most ferocious of living
creatures. It is q true predaceons mollusk rep-
resentlng on the land the cutie fish Of the sea-
In cunning and Eerceuess il Is not inferior to
the tiger or the shark. It's prey is chiefly
earth worms, which it hunts under the ground.
When the worm has the start of its pursuer the
slug will often intercept it BY tunneling across
Its line OF retreat.
The testacella will devour worm much
longer than itself, Selling it BIZ the middle and
hcl ling i. until the quarry is exhausted by its
efo Us 10 escape. Thea the captor pulls off and
Willows one-half OF the victim: and, after that
is digested. il finishes its meal With the other
portion. For this purpose its mouth is fur
lfished with strong and sharprecurved teetA,
which enable ii TO keep firm hold and to tear
the flesh OF the game it catches.
When the testacelIa has scented prev it gides
softly toward - SO as not to cause alarm and
fastens It's jaws upon an unprotec led part Of the
worm. The latter has its body rings furnished
with stiff bristles, that the slug tries to get
lS blteln between the rings. Then 1t simply
holds On Until the captive succumbs. Other
siugs and snails also are attacked and gobbled
by this predatory mollusk, which is nocturnal
in its habits. sallying forth in the night Oh its
marauds.
This curious animal frequents gardens, where
the rich earth contains worms in plenty 1t
hives to be five or SIX years old In winter it
buries itself deep in the ground, where il re-
mains torpid lts eggs look like hens eggs on a
small scale. II they are taken out of the earth,
where they are laid, and exposed to the air
they burst into pieces like diminutive bomb
shells, the fragments flying for quite distance.
Most species OF slugs. are vegetable feeders.
In Europe they are very numerous and do great
damage TO vegetation, especially in England.
The foreign varieties have all been imported to
this county,, but they seem to infict no injury
here, conditions, presumably, being unfavo rable
for their propagation. II is hardly necessary
to say that they were not brought over by de-
sign. One kind, which may have been fetched
on wine barrels. has become unpleasantly nu-
merous in damp cellars on this side of the
water. 1t attains length of four inches and is
called climax maximus."
In Portugal Is found giant slug six inches
long. Its first cousin, the .'ario-limax," is
quite as big and is very plentiful on the Pacific
coast and especially in the state Of Washington
where il has a disagreeable way of dropping
from the trees. The climax campestris' is a
smaller variety. found all over the interior of
this country, in the woods. beneath the bark of
trees and wherever il il damp. An imported
kind that has become fairly numerous here,
likewise of moderate size, is called the climax
agrestris." There are many other species in this
part Of the world. both native and exotic Slugs
are breathing animals. Their ewes. on stalks
like a crabs, have sharp sight and their other
senses are believed to be quite keen.