Giant Snails
p. 42 · Read in the full issue
Jap Infestation Not Yet Under Control
THE giant snails which were released by the Jap invaders as a source of food in New Britain, New Ireland and the mainland of New Guinea, rep resent a problem that has not yet been solved.
The infestation had spread so far through the jungles before its character and menace were recognised that it now seems unlikely that it will ever be brought under control. Like the Lantana of Eastern Australia, it will remain as a permanent curse to the blundering men who brought it in.
It has been found that the snails can be wiped out effectively by a “snail killer” prepared by a well known Aus tralian manufacturer. But this method, of course, calls for direct application of the preparation to the snails, or their haunts.
The Japs took the snails, also, to various Pacific Islands now in American occupation, where they are threatening to overrun various districts, including the island of Saipan. An American mission is being sent to Africa to seek a method of controlling the pest—which is a native of Madagascar.
The snails nearly got into the United States. Large numbers were found just in time, embedded in mud, on a shipment of cast-iron about to be loaded for America.