LIMAX MAXIMUS Linnaeus

Material. Limax maximus is a European species which
was introduced into this country and is now fairly common. It
is found in damp places and may be kept alive for a long time if
fed on vegetables or apples. It is by no means a typical gaster-
opod, nor even a t)rpical pulmonate, since the great majority of
gasteropods have a helicoid body. But the size and shape of
Limax make it pecuUarly adapted for dissection and after all it
possesses characteristically gasteropod features. The old method
of drowning the animal in a hermetically closed jar fiUed with
water which had been deprived of air by prolonged boiling, is
still giving the best results. A few drops of alcohol or chloroform
may be added to the water to hasten the relaxation of the
muscles. Freshly killed specimens are best for dissection.
Specimens preserved in formalin should be soaked in warm water
for several hours previous to dissection. Every student should
receive one specimen and a prepared slide with a section through
the hermaphroditic gland.
