The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-09-16
TIE GARDEN SLUG.
little Pest That Is as Fe-oSsSus as q
wildcat.

little Pest That Is as Fe-cSSSus as
wildcat.
There is a sort of slug which embraces
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 is so far rpldimentary
that in certain varieties it has all hut
disappeared. Roughly speaking, they
may be classed in the animal kingdom
as shellesS snails.
One species. called the ''testacella,"
plentiful in Europe, is one of the most
ferocioss of living creatures. 1t is a true
predaceous mollusk, representing on
the land the cuttle-fish OF the sea. In
cunning and fierceness it is not inferior
to the tiger or the shark. Its 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 tUnueling
across its line of retreat.
The testacella viii devour a worm
much longer than itself, Selling it by
the middle and holding it until the
quarry is exhausted by its efforts to cs-
cape. Then the captor pulls off and
swallows one-half of the victim, and
after that is digeSted it finishes its meal
with the other portion. For this pur-
pose its month is furnished with strong
and sharp curved teeth, which enable it
TO keep firm hold and to tear the flesh
of the game it catches
When the testacella has scented prey
it glidcS softly toward it so as not to
cause alarm. and faStcns its Jaws upoa
an unprotected part of the worm Tho
latter has its body rings furnished with
sti1f briStles, so that the slug tries TO
get its bite in between the rings Then
it simply holds on until the captive sue
cumbs. Other slurs and snails also are
attacked and gobbled By this predatory
mollusk, which is nocturnal in it's
habits, sallying forth in the night on
its marauds
This curious animal frequcuts gar
dens, where the rich earth contains
worms in plenty 1t lives TO be five or
six years old. In winter ii bur'ies itself
deep in the ground, where it remains
torpid. Its eggs look like hens eggs on
a small scale. If they are taken out of
the earth where they are laid and ex-
| posed to the air they burst into pieces
| like diminutive bombshells, the frag-
mcnts flying for quite distance
Most species of slags are vegetable
feeders. In Europe they are very nu-
merouS and do great damage TO vegcta-
ton, especially in England. The for
| eign varities have all been imported to
| this country, but they seem to infiict
no injury here-conditions, presuma-
bly,, being unfavorable with their
propagation. 1t is hardly necessary to
say that they were not bought over by
| design. One kind, which may have
| been fetch cd on wine barrels, has be-
come unplcaSantly numerous in damp
cellars on tn is side of the water 1t at.
tains a length of four inches and ia
called climax maximus."
In Portugal is fonnd "A giant Slug six
inches long. Its first cousin. the tario-
limax," is quite as big and is very
| plentiful on the Pacific coast and
especially in the state of Washington,
where il has a disagrceable way OF
/ dropping from the trees. The climax
compestlis" is smaller variety found
| all over the interior OF this country. in
the woods beneath the barlls of trees
and wherever it is damp. An imported
kind that has become fairly numerous
here, likewise OF moderate size, is called
the climax agrcStriS There arc many
other species in this part OF the world,
both native and exotic. Slugs are air
breathing animals. Their eyes. or
stalks like a crabs, have sharp sight and
their other senses are believed to bt
quite keen Washington Star.