56 Second Report on Economic Zoology. 
intervals. Soot and lime should be broadcast over the infested land 
in damp weather, first early in the morning, then again late in the 
day, a third dusting being often necessary next day. Watering with 
paraffin emulsion kept them away, but was not entirely successful ; 
in any case, it could not be adopted on a large scale, such as attacks 
in hop gardens. Traps of various kinds were set, the most suc- 
cessful being heaps of bran-mash and heaps of oatmeal. 
Garden borders, lettuce beds, which were being completely ruined, 
were soon cleared by this method. The bran seemed nearly as good 
as the oatmeal. It was put about in heaps every few yards and 
examined every day. As many as fifty slugs were taken in one day 
from a heap about six inches square, 1,500 being taken by this plan 
along a border thirty yards long and one broad. In wet weather they 
can be collected during the day ; but when there was little moisture 
but few could be found during the day, numbers, however, at night. 
The borders and beds so treated were soon practically cleared of this 
pest. This could easily be done on a large scale in hop gardens, and 
would be sure to lessen the evil very rapidly. It would be as well to 
put the bran-mash between every few hills in the parts of the gardens 
infested. 
With regard to birds, the decrease in many districts of thrushes, 
blackbirds, etc. is to be deplored, because they are great slug and 
snail destroyers. The blackbird is an acknowledged pest in bush- 
fruit plantations ; but the fewer blackbirds we have the more 
molluscan and insect pests ; and as we can keep birds off our fruit 
with ease, if slight cost is not objected to, by keeping boys in the 
plantations with ^guns or clappers to scare them away, and as slugs 
and snails are extremely difficult to cope with, it is surely wiser 
policy to encourage the birds. 
The employment of ducks in orchards and hop gardens is another 
way in which slug attacks may be kept in check, and at the same 
time the ducks get much natural food, and so cost less to keep. 
With regard to the attack at Barleigh, Mr. Montague Ballard, of 
Bydews Place, Tovil, wrote me in May as follows : — “ Slugs in this 
locality this year are causffig some trouble; the outside of the 
gardens seem to have the most slugs, and they come in the same 
places most years, and we do not know what to do with them.” 
To this the following reply was sent : — 
“ With regard to the slug attack in your hop gardens, the fact 
that they occur chiefly on the outside of the gardens is important, for 
it shows invasion comes from a limited area. As this pest occurs 
more or less every year, I should feel disposed to dress the land with 
