2 JANUARY 1864, Page 9

Slugs are said to have invaded Australia in hosts, and

a pro- fessed eyewitness says he saw them moving in millions in a com- pact body, stripping the country as they go, and marching about a mile and a half a day, clearing a breadth of half a mile in their line of march. The Australian shepherds were said to be looking for help to the grasshopper-bird, hoping he might change his diet for a time to slugs, especially as grasshoppers are scarce.