1820 The Zoologist — September, 1869. 



under the bushes that grew there, wrung their juice, and administered it 

 down the throat of the woman ; and when that was found to be im- 

 practicable (as the life was almost extinct) down the nostrils and 

 cavities of the ears. This was continued for some moments, after 

 which the woman appeared to move slightly, and then in a few minutes 

 more perfectly recovered. She picked up the fishes that lay scattered 

 about, felt abashed at the sight of so many gentlemen attending on 

 her, and bowed away. After great importunities, the chowkedar told 

 them it was the juice of the plant gulghosh or holkhosa that he had 

 used : it is a small plant, the flowers of which are used by the Ben- 

 galees in the worship of Saruswali, and found in cornfields." 



So much for a newspaper story. After reading the letter of Raj 

 Chandra Sandel I corresponded with him on the subject, and I sub- 

 join his letters in exteiiso, and in the very words of the writer, who 

 Jiad evidently received a good English education in Calcutta : in 

 reading them, it should be borne in mind that the writer is a Bengalee 

 of good family. 



" Sir, — 1 consider myself very fortunate in being inti'oduced to yon 

 through the medium of a newspaper: by this event I expect much to 

 learn from you, knowing you to be a gentleman of considerable infor- 

 mation, and a lover of truth and science. I beg to say that I shall 

 try to send you shortly the very limited doings of a very iew animals 

 that I have been able to notice, when 1 was residing in a pretty jungly 

 village called Bellore, about four miles distant from Calcutta, on the 

 opposite bank of the river Hoogly. I am sorry, however, I cannot 

 give you the exact date of the occurrence: I think it was in 1856. But 

 to tell you the truth, it is not an uncommon sight in the swampy villages 

 around the metropolis, especially in those which are situate in the 

 south of Calcutta. I wonder how this broad fact escaped your notice! 

 The snails I allude to are freshwater ones, which are generally seen in 

 hot weather slicking to the side of stairs of masonry ghats, or to small 

 logs of wood thrown longitudinally on the banks of ponds, for the 

 convenience of men in bathing and fetching water. I always saw 

 them on the margin of tanks of sandy beds: they are black when alive, 

 and are sold in the bazaars in villages. The lower order of people eat 

 them : its broth, I am told, would cure iusanity. The pundits in 

 Bengal use these shells as snuff-boxes : they are also sold at Benares. 

 I saw another kind of snail in Bengal, which are smaller, and which 

 crawl on dry land : the colour of its shell, which is somewhat flat, is 



