266 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



were treated to a plentiful supply of dry sand, thrown up into 

 the higher branches with a shovel, and over the lower ones 

 through a sieve. The sand stuck thickly to the slimy skins 

 of the grubs, completely covering them. Supposing the 

 enemy conquered, no notice was taken of him for some days, 

 when he was found to have recovered from the assault, and 

 to be as vigorous as ever. It was then determined to test the 

 sand experiment on a smaller scale. Several small branches 

 of pear-trees were selected and marked, on each of which 

 were six slugs, and these were well powdered over, and 

 completely covered with sand. On examining them it was 

 found that they had shed their sand-covered skin, and had 

 crawled out as slimy as before. The sand was applied a 

 second and a third time, with similar results. Ashes were 

 next tried in the same manner as the sand had been, and 

 were found equally ineffectual. Seeing then that sand was 

 useless, the slugs were treated to a strong dose of hellebore 

 and water, which soon finished them. Another experiment 

 was tried with a solution of hellebore, and is thus re- 

 ported : — 



"On the 13th of August, at 8 a.m., a branch of a cherry- 

 tree was plucked, on which there were sixty-four slugs. This 

 branch had only nine leaves, so it may be supposed it was 

 thickly inhabited. A dose of hellebore and water was 

 showered on them, about the usual strength, — an ounce to 

 the pailful, — when they soon manifested symptoms of uneasi- 

 ness, twisting and jerking about in a curious mauner. Many 

 died during the day, and only six poor sickly-looking 

 specimens remained alive the following morning, and these 

 soon after died. During the past season (1870) these slugs 

 have been unusually abundant on our pear-trees, in many 

 cases destroying the foliage so thoroughly that they looked 

 as if they had been scorched by a fire, every leaf in some 

 instances dropping from the trees, so that for a time they 

 were as bare as in mid-winter. Nearly a thousand trees in 

 the young pear orchard of the writer suffered severely. 

 During the latter part of June and the early days of July we 

 had no opportunity of inspecting these trees; and when we 

 visited them on the 7th of July they were so much injured 

 that we thought they could not be much worse ; and, as the 

 slugs were then full grown and fast disappearing, and as the 



