528 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII. 
a fair strain as otherwise your trap may be dragged some little way and search- 
ing for it will be no pleasure. Tree shrews I’ve found die hard and will drag 
away a trap very often if it is not securely tied. Altogether I consider that a 
course of trapping would knock spots off a course of Pelmanism and if adopted 
by the general public would become sufficiently popular, combining as it does 
healthy outdoor exercise in all weathers with very efficient memory training, to 
compel Mr. Pelman to cease the further publication of ‘‘ The little Grey books ” 
or books of any other hue for that matter. 
In spite of all precautions the loss of a trap or two occasionally is certain, but 
to date I have been unable to decide whether it is preferable to have a trap stolen 
by a local native or to lose it through one’s own dense stupidity ; the loss of a 
few more may help me to decide. 
While on the subject of trapping I feel it imperative to say a few words regard- 
ing some of what one might term the trapper’s enemies. These are ants, rats, 
shrews and slugs. I mention the ants first as they have caused me more annoy- 
ance than the others put together. How many species there may be in India 
and Burma, or how many there are that [ve come in contact with I won’t 
attempt to say but of their having driven me half crazy many a time there is 
not the slightest doubt. 
As these insects have foraging scouts continually on the hunt for provisions it 
is never long before your trap is visited by one and, as a very efficient line of 
communication exists between each scout and H. Q., it takes very little time for 
a message to be sent by him that brings 100’s or 1000’s to your bait and, as 
they put heart and soul into their work, your bait diminishes rapidly. When 
perhaps one-third has been removed to H. Q. a rat comes along and taking a 
bite at what remains of the bait, is killed. All hands are immediately ordered 
to leave the bait and start work on the rat and they do so with a vengeance, 
with the result that on your visiting the trap you find a specimen minus ears, 
nose, lips and most of the facial skin, not to mention fleshy parts of the feet and 
skin of the tail, When you find 75 per cent. like this you are glad your lady- 
friends are not within earshot. So much for specimens caught in traps in the 
jungle, but your troubles, or rather ants, don’t stop at that. When drying your 
specimen if you don’t watch it the ants will have you again by eating away 
all the skin they can. I find that after a time one gets so into the habit of 
expecting interference from ants that if by any chance you are lucky enough 
to strike a spot for a few hours that is antless a terribly depressing feeling of 
having missed something of vital importance steals over one and causes 
considerable brain fag till the cause is realised. 
Shrews and rats come next in order as though they do not damage as many 
specimens as ants, those they do they do thoroughly. They usually seem to 
select on a rarity and just leave sufficient to make you rack your brains to try 
and discover to what animal the remains belong. This worry in the daytime 
will very often be the cause of horrid vague haunting dreams at night from which 
you awake saying, “ colour darker, size smaller, tail longer, body shorter, teeth 
stouter” as you read once in a “‘ Summary ” some time back. But the question 
‘**than what ?”’ brings you to full consciousness again and your nerves are so 
on edge by this time that you have to smoke half a cigarette to sodthe you to 
sleep again. 
Slugs and centipedes also occasionally destroy specimens but they are I’m glad 
to say not sufficiently numerous to be really bad. Centipedes seem to like 
gnawing the throat and I’ve more than once caught one at it. Slugs seem to 
attack the belly more than other parts. 
For ants I’ve found powdered turmeric placed in a ridge half an inch wide 
round the edge of the board on which specimens are being dried a pretty sure 
preventative. Napthaline used in the same way is also good but more expensive. 
