THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 137 



assign to it, has been observed by Mr. Maxwell in England, 

 and Guerin-Meneville in France. — Edivarcl Newman. 



Sugaring: Toads at Sugar. — Few who collect insects are 

 ignorant of" the system of sngaring and its surronndings, or of 

 the numerous enemies we meet with in the prosecution of the 

 work. I do not allude to game-keepers, and the like, but 

 those minor annoyances, which come uninvited to interrupt 

 our composure and mar our chance of success. It is some- 

 what annoying if we have a good moth on the sugar to see a 

 bat rush in and take it from us whilst we hold the light for 

 its accommodation ; neither is it pleasant to cast the light 

 upon the sweetened raixiure and find it completely covered 

 with earwigs, woodlice, and a host of other equally unwished 

 for creatures, whose presence seems in most cases to scare 

 away those for which the sweet feast had been spread. 

 Again, how ugly two or three great black slugs look helping 

 themselves to the rum and treacle, although we might have 

 seen something not altogether repulsive in their appearance 

 amongst the dewy grass at our feet. All these, and many 

 other drawbacks are perfectly well known to the entomologist, 

 but I was not aware till last summer that the toad came in 

 the same category, provided circumstances were favourable; 

 such, however, is the case, as the following facts will prove. 

 A friend of mine was accustomed to sugar the posts of an 

 open fence near his house, and was sometimes rewarded with 

 success. One of these posts becoming infirm a support was 

 placed in an oblique direction from near the top of the post 

 to the ground, and ray friend, on going to his sugar, observed 

 that a large toad had crawled up the support and stationed 

 itself close to his patch of sweetened intoxicant, and that as 

 the insects arrived at the attractive bait the toad appropriated 

 them to its own personal use ; and my friend further informed 

 me that every night he sugared, the toad was sure to be 

 there, and that he put on a portion of the mixture for the 

 toad's especial benefit. Is not this a proof that toads have a 

 memory ? At least it is evident that the toad, having found 

 a more abundant or more palatable fare by crawling up the 

 rail, did not fail to be at its post night after night. — G. B. 

 Corbin. 



[A precisely similar occurrence is recorded in the 'Zoolo- 

 gist' for 1860, at p. 720.1. It is as follows :— " There is a tree 



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