In a large majority of cases where slugs appear to an injurious extent, the grey field slug is the offender, and I will therefore deal with it in greater detail. What is said regarding the small species, however, may be taken to apply to all the other kinds, should they become a pest. The =Grey Field Slug= (_Limax agrestis_). [Illustration: FIG. 144.—The Grey Field Slug (_Limax agrestis_). ] The life of the grey field slug is very dependent on moisture. During dry weather it rolls itself up and hides in the ground, under a stone, or in some such place, where it is protected as much as possible from completely drying up. At such times it only comes to the surface to feed at night, but does so during the day as well when the weather is wet. The field slug is very destructive in fields and gardens, but this is only the case in those years the great dampness of which is specially favourable to its continuance and multiplication. The glassy eggs are laid in heaps containing from six to fifteen, in damp concealed spots in the ground, under moss, grass, etc., during August, September, and even October. A single slug may lay as many as four hundred. The eggs are able to withstand extreme cold and extreme dryness, and moisture makes them swell out again if they have shrivelled up. In warm, damp weather the young slugs (which are one-twelfth of an inch long in the contracted, and two-fifths of an inch in the extended condition) hatch out in three or four weeks. Cold weather retards the development. If the weather is favourable, and suitable food is not wanting, they are often almost full-grown in six weeks’ time. It is clear, from the foregoing, that in damp years the slugs may appear in very large numbers, especially in autumn; but it may also happen that most of the young slugs hatch out the following spring, in which case the greatest amount of damage will be done then. A snail may live several years, spending the dry days and the whole of the cold season in the ground or some other sheltered place. These slugs devour by preference delicate leaves and stems; young grain, young clover plants, leaves of rape, cabbage, turnips, and lettuce are their favourite food, also fallen fruit, strawberries, cucumbers, and vegetable marrows. _Preventive Measures_: Protection of their natural enemies: pigs, moles, shrews, ducks, fowls, pigeons, rooks, starlings, toads. Draining the soil, as slugs flourish most where it is moist. Sowing the winter grain as soon as possible, as the young plants will then probably have attained a fair size when the slugs appear in force. _Remedies_: Collection. The slugs readily crawl on to bits of cucumber or turnip which are thrown down, and can then easily be collected, or killed with quicklime. All substances which readily absorb water kill slugs by taking from them the moisture which is necessary for their existence. Cooking-salt, unslaked and slaked lime may be employed for this purpose.