800 Insects. 



Note on Abstinence in a Snail. In August, 1843, I brought home from Riddles- 

 down a specimen of that beautiful snail, Helix hortensis. Somehow it was laid by 

 and forgotten until April, 1844, when it was placed in a window, where it soon crawled 

 up a pane, and attached itself to the glass ; here it remained exposed to the sun 

 throughout the summer, and until October, when it was broken down by accident, and 

 soon after died, after remaining fourteen months without food. — H. T. Harding ; 

 No. 1, York-street, Church-street, Shoreditch, October 30, 1844. 



[Many very remarkable instances of this kind have been recorded by naturalists : 

 in one instance the shells were supposed empty, and had for years been exhibited in 

 the drawers of a museum. — Edward Newman.'] 



Note on capturing Moths with Sugar. I find, from reading your Note on cap- 

 turing Moths with Sugar (Zool. 688), and also from several letters I have received, 

 questioning me as to my success, that there are still a number of sceptics respecting 

 that most useful plan.. I hope the following observations will, in some degree, tend to 

 dispel the doubts entertained by those who have not yet succeeded. Like many others 

 who have since succeeded, I was disappointed at first ; but disappointment in what I 

 knew others practised to good purpose, only stimulated me to fresh endeavours, which 

 were eventually crowned with success. I was told to take sugar, without regard to 

 what sort, and I took what was in use in the house at the time, never for a moment 

 supposing that it was at all requisite to take any particular sort. It was fine white 

 sugar, a mixture of East India, made up to look as white as possible, for sale. On 

 paying more attention to this, I found it had little or no smell, consequently, could 

 not be very attractive to moths. I therefore got some from the lower side of a West 

 India hogshead ; it was very dark brown, and smelled very strong of rum : I then 

 tried my experiment on a length of rails round a plantation, using first the flue sugar, 

 next the same mixed with honey, and lastly, the dark brown, at distances of about 

 twenty yards apart ; the result was, on my return to the brown, I go^ one Cerigo 

 Cytherea, and missed another specimen, which had not quite got settled to his supper. 

 Retracing my steps, I found, on the brown sugar, and the honied sugar, six specimens 

 of Graphiphora baja, three of Xanthia flavago, three of Agrotis valligera, two of 

 Actebia praecox, five of Agrotis cursoria, besides a number of common Noctuee, 

 but I did not take a single specimen from the fine white sugar, though I 

 could see numbers of moths flying past it. From observations made since then, I 

 find, that though I have taken a few from fine sugar, they have invariably been com- 

 mon species ; and the numbers on the brown have been five or six to one on the white. 

 Hence, I presume that the reason so many have not succeeded, has been, that they 

 have used sugar without any smell. Mild balmy nights are very good, but a calm 

 night, and a mizzly rain (generally termed about here Scotch mist), are sure to repay 

 any one who does not fear a wet jacket, or soiled boots. — C. S. Gregson ; 60, Mill- 

 street, Toxteth Park, Liverpool, October 26, 1844. 



13. NEWMAN, PRINTER, NO. 9, DEVONSHIRE-STREET, BISHOPSGATE. 



