a » 2 e pS a Se Sis eS < Ba 4 a> DDD: - oe >>> ys oi Pe. 7 SI . a —< 3 ee ss ee 2 / > >» S>, x a > NPP EEEPAE CTC PRIETO ESF ee > ; > Dy Sy en > ee D> » eee 22 2. pegs >> 22> >» > DDI > ID 22> >> >> _»p ‘Sy SP le> > DP Shas aa >> D> >» D> >> Dy Ps Sg D2? D-DD PW >> B > >>> >> oo > So ee? D> > ae >i ET. Ww “> > pee: >= 2D D> 3D D2 ID» > > De 22D? D>) D> QD) DW DDD Fy Se >) > Doz? 8D » > SP? >i 2 >> 5 SKE eee ae < ae a hk ca evr a CE MEL : x : > £E ea Cc. COR a CS < an Pare —z «ic GC Ce a ee “ “ CO CMR CREE CE CCOLE KC CA Ce CE EE EEO OE OC CEE OL Ce, a6 © OES Pi < Gane Gt «<< (G4 SS acc «<« Gi a4 SE OO AE EE Pe, a A XS CAMELS KR came Oe, ASK Pag « bifractella. Ditto; August. 33 subocellea. On Origanum vulgare; July. 9 Metzneriella. Hilly field, by sweeping; July. 99 neuropterella. Ditto; August. Aichmia equitella. On Sedum acre? June. Argyresthia abdominalis. In juniper-bushes ; June. 5) semitestacella. Beech trees; August. 3348 Insects. Argyresthia dilectella. In juniper-bushes ; July. is arceuthina. In ditto; June. “ precocella. In ditto; June. . aurulentella. In ditto; July. 45 Sorbiella. On Sorbus Aria; June. Coleophora Onosmella. On Echium vulgare ; June. FY conspicuella. Headley Lane; July 12. ‘ discordella and saturatella. Mickleham Downs; July. Zelleria insignipennella. Headley Lane. August. Gracillaria semifascia. Yew-trees, Headley Lane ; August. 5 Ononidis. By sweeping, in the hilly field; August. 3 ? ocnerostomella. On Echium vulgare; June. Klachista Gangabella. Bushes, Headley Lane; June. 9 magnificella, Z. Hilly field; July and August. Lithocolletis elatella. Bred in September from leaves of Viburnum Lantana. Pterophorus Piloselle. Hilly field; August. * Baliodactylus. Ditto; July. - tetradactylus. Ditto; June. On account of the length to which this paper has extended, I have had to omit many interesting species. At some future day I hope to add some novelties to the list of Lepidoptera known in this locality, and beg the assistance of my brothers of the net. This neighbourhood is rich in other orders besides Lepidoptera. In Coleoptera I may mention Leptinus testaceus (Zool. 2277), and Claviger foveolatus (Zool. 200, 266). J. W. Douatas. 2, Eton Grove, Lee, Kent, December 11, 1851. A List of Butterflies occurring in the Neighbourhood of Polebrook, in the County of Northampton ; with some Remarks. By the Rev. WILLIAM BREE, M.A. I am not acquainted with any locality which affords so many of our rare and less common butterflies, as this somewhat remote corner of North Hants. Within a circuit of five miles from this place, I have myself observed and captured specimens of all mentioned in the sub- joined list. Barnwell and Ashton Wolds are particularly favourite Insects. 3349 spots; these are large woods of oak and ash, with broad grassy rid- ings, and underwood of the most impenetrable blackthorn, intermixed with stools of the broad-leaved willow (Salix caprea), and adjoined by some large and only partially cultivated fields of coarse grass, thymy hillocks, &c. &c.; in short, as inviting looking spots as an en- tomologist could well desire. Here, in the space of one week, in the month of July, 1 have captured specimens of Apatura Iris, Polyom- matus Arion, Thecla Pruni, T. W-album, Argynnis Paphia, A. Aglaia, Pieris Crategi, Hipparchia Galathea. Early in the morning, and on damp gleamy days, I have several times seen, to theggreatest advan- tage, as I conceive, the most splendid of all our British flies, Apatura Iris, sailing along the ridings, and settling upon the ruts and other moist and muddy spots, often assailed by the impudent attacks of Hipparchia Janira and Galathea, which appear to be the foremost in attacking him, when he thus condescends to leave for a while his lofty oak, to visit the regions of his less honourable kindred. The partiality which this insect exhibits for individual sprigs of particular trees, has often been remarked upon by entomologists, and is certainly confirmed by the emperors of this neighbourhood. And it should almost seem as if this partiality were, if I may use the ex- pression, hereditary: for upon a certain sprig of a small ash tree, by the side of one of the ridings in Barnwell Wold, I have each year since 1847, succeeded in capturing the purple emperor; and in all instances, upon the capture of one, the same identical sprig has in the course of a few days, if not within a few hours, been invariably occu- pied by another emperor. Argynnis Aglaia, which, some years since, was plentiful here, has now almost, I may say entirely disappeared: not one single specimen did I meet with last year, and only one in the year 1850. Thecla Pruni is very uncertain in its appearance: in 1837 it literally swarmed in Barnwell and Ashton Wolds; I do not scruple to say that it would have been possible to capture some hundreds of them, had one been so disposed : for the last few years it has appeared but very sparingly indeed. Thecla Betule I never observed till this last September, and then by no means plentifully, although I have repeatedly looked for it every year since my residence in this county in 1847, thinking our wolds most particularly favourable-looking spots. A flight of Hesperia Comma also appeared for the first time, to me, at least, last year; and certainly most unexpectedly, as I have always hitherto considered H. Comma as one of those insects peculiar to chalky soils, of which, so far as I know, we have none in this neigh- 3350 Insects. bourhood. Solitary examples of insects away from their native soil, have occasionally occurred I believe in most counties. In September last, while partridge-shooting in a field of standing barley, near to Biggin Hall, I observed a single specimen of Colias Edusa. ‘Two coveys of birds were marked down in the barley, and immediately over them the Edusa was slowly and majestically taking its flight. Had I not been in company with other sportsmen, compa- rative strangers to me, I believe my entomological propensities would have gained the ascendancy over my sporting ones; for I certainly felt a very strong inclination to hand over my gun to the keeper, and spring the coveys for the chance of capturing the fly: however, as matters stood, the partridges were to suffer, and so the Edusa escaped. The great prize of all the butterflies of our neighbourhood, how- ever, I hold to be Polyommatus Arion, which, if I mistake not, was first discovered here by myself some thirteen or fourteen years since. It is confined entirely, so far as my experience goes, to Barnwell Wold, and the adjoining rough fields, with the exception of a single specimen, which I once met with in a rough field near Polebrook. Its flight is somewhat peculiar, being different from that of others of the same genus, and more resembling that of Hipparchia Pamphilus and Tithonus. Independently of its manner of flight and size, it is in- most instances easily distinguished on the wing from the other blues, by its dark and irony appearance. Many entomologists have of late years visited Barnwell Wold in search of Arion; in short, a summer never passes without meeting in my rambles with brother entomolo- gists from distant parts of the country ; I rejoice, however, to be able to state that its annual occurrence does not appear to be diminished in consequence. Unless my memory fails me, I think Mr. Wolley, of Trinity College, Cambridge, informed me that he one year captured | in a few days between fifty and sixty specimens, in and about Barn- well Wold, though, in point of weather, the days were anything but favourable. I may perhaps as well add, that I have heard of Papilio Machaon having been seen here ; and it is by no means improbable, from our vicinity to the fens of Whittlesea Mere, now, alas! no more: a flight of six or seven miles would easily cover the distance. Two specimens of Argynnis Lathonia are reported to have been seen or taken in Ashton Wold; and a few of L. Camilla in the woods near Benefield : for the authenticity of these, hovever, I am not able to vouch. Insects. 3351 LIST. Gonepteryx Rhamni. Common ; spring and autumn. Colias Edusa. One specimen at Biggin; September, 1851. Pieris Crategi. Not common; fields near Barnwell Wold; June. » Brassice, P. Rape, P. Napi, and P. Cardamines. Common. Leucophasia Sinapis. Not common; Barnwell.Wold; May. Melita Euphrosyne. Common; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds; May. Silene. Not common; Barnwell Wold; May. 4 Artemis. Not uncommon in some years; Barnwell Wold, May. Nemeobius Lucina. Not uncommon; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds, and Bull-nose Coppice ; May. Argynnis Paphia. Common in all woods; May. ‘ Aglaia. Common in former years, now rare; Barnwell Wold; July. Zz Adippe. Rare; Benefield Woods; June and July. Cynthia Cardui. Very common in some years; clover-fields and road-sides ; August and September. Vanessa Atalanta. Common; Ashton Wold and in gardens ; Sep- tember. 7” Io. Common; spring and autumn. % Polychloros. Not common; Ashton Wold and road-sides ; spring and autumn. % Urtice. Common. 5, C-album. Common; Ashton and Barnwell Wolds; spring and autumn. Apatura Iris. Not uncommon; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds; July and August. Hipparchia Hyperanthus. Common in woods; June and July. = Galathea. Plentiful; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds; July. ds Pamphilus, H. Megera, H. Ageria, H. Janira, and H. ' Tithonus. Common. Thecla Betula. Rare; Barnwell Wold; August. » Pruni. Very plentiful in some years, rare in others ; Barn- well and Ashton Wolds; July. » W-album. Rare; Barnwell Wold; July. » Quercts. Common; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds, and Oundle Wood; July. 3352 Correspondence of Mr. Bates. Thecla Rubi. Not uncommon; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds; May. Lycena Phleas. Common. Polyommatus Arion. Not uncommon; Barnwell Wold and fields adjoining; July. Ps Alexis. Common. A Idas. Not common; Barnwell Wold; August. A Argiolus. Not common; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds ; May. . Hesperia Comma. Rare; rough field adjoining Bull-nose Cop- pice; August. 3 Sylvanus. Common; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds, and rough fields ; June and July. i Paniscus. Not uncommon; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds; May. . Linea. Common; Barnwell and Ashton Wolds; July and August. * Tages and H. Alveolus. Common; ditto; May. WILLIaM BREE. Polebrook, near Oundle, Northamptonshire, January 7, 1852. — Extracts from the Correspondence of Mr. H. W. Bates, now forming Entomological Collections in South America. (Continued from page 3324). Para, October 29, 1851. I now send of Lepidoptera, 452; Libellule, 20; Coleoptera, 49; other orders, 383; private Lepidoptera, 82; in all, 641, in one box. | One bottle with three snakes and one lizard; seven fossil shells; three specimens of Mammalia; and one parcel in canvas of Indian weapons. The above I have managed to get together by very laborious work during the delays of the vessel in which I have engaged a passage to Santarem. After a most sickening putting off of the day of sailing, the owner now assures me most positively that we go the day after tomorrow ; meantime I have arranged everything requisite for most effectually working the river Tapajos and other parts, for two or three years ; and I don’t intend to miss many fine things for want of appa- ratus, &c., as I did in the last trip. My late stay in Para was much against my plans, but not my own fault, as the vessel was to have - sailed a month ago; but I think I have employed the time most pro- | | Correspondence of Mr. Bates. 3353 fitably since the 8th instant, when I packed off everything by the ““Windsor.” I have taken 260 not common species, of which about 35 species appear quite new to me. I think they will reach you in excellent condition, as I have taken every possible precaution ; they leave my hands in a beautiful state. I only wish you were here to see them. The rarer Erycinide and Thecle you may be assured, when good, are well worth a very high price, as after three years’ collecting I still find them excessively rare; their value will increase in Europe when all the countries are well explored, and their excessive rarity well ascertained. I received your usual welcome letter by the “ Aive,” acknowledging the receipt of my last Ega collection; I now regret not having worked the Ega district better, but under the circumstances in which I was placed, I could do no more. I wrote you at length per “ Windsor,” sending you a good -collection, with a paper for Mr. Newman; and some sheets of notes of the Diurnes sent then, I wished you to hand to Mr. Hewitson, for arrangement and publication, with his remarks, descriptions of new species, &c. I should be happy to assist Mr. H. with information of habits, &c. The yellow fever is still bad here: this week all the crew of a Hamburgh vessel in port died one by one, — the captain, two mates, cook and men: worse than Africa! My health, and indeed that of — the town residents generally, is very good. The two kinds of fossil shells are from a tertiary bed at Salinas, on the coast. The weapons are what I had intended to have taken with me home, with others I have given away. The lances are of beauti- ful wood from the Japura. I could perhaps send a chest full of such curiosities, if they would sell. The aquatic Didelphys is very curi- ously stuffed by an old negro here, a servant of Dr. Natterer; it lives in brooks, feeding on fish. The three snakes are rare; two are from Macapa. Some few of the Coleoptera in bad order are from Marajo: I thought the Calosoma good. H. W. Batss. The above collection has just reached me in fine order ; and consi- dering how much Para and the neighbourhood has been worked lately by Messrs. Bates and Wallace, it is surprizing to see so many new and fresh things in this little collection. The species of Erycinide and Thecle appear endless. It is a wonderfully rich country for but- terflies. SAMUEL STEVENS. 24, Bloomsbury Street, London, January 11, 1852. X. G 3354 . Inseets. Notes on Captures of Coleopterous Insects. By the Rev. J. - PEMBERTON Bart ett, M.A. It was my intention last year to have sent you a few “jottings down” of my Coleopteric rambles, and of a visit I paid to the Chesil Bank near Weymouth; but a variety of circumstances have prevented my doing so until now. A vacant evening, however, finds me look- ing over cabinets and note-book, and the reminiscences of past ram- bles o’er hill and dale inspires me with a cacoethes scribendi. - After the very interesting paper which appeared in a former num- ber (Zool. v. 1934) from the pen of Mr. Wollaston, it may appear presumptuous in me to refer to my visit to the appropriately named Chesil Bank; for I take it the German word Kiesel, a pebble, is the origin of the name; and no name could be more descriptive of the spot than Pebble-bank. It is not, I am sorry to say, to record any new captures that I bifer to my visit, but to add my testimony to that of other entomologists, that however insects may abound in a locality one year, it is no crite- rion that they will be found in like abundance another year. Perhaps it was unreasonable that 1 should expect to find specimens of all the rarer beetles which were taken there by Mr. Wollaston; I did how- ever hope to do so: but Hope, as is not unfrequently the case, told a flattering tale,” for several which were mentioned as occurring in some abundance, were not to be found at all; while one or two which in 1847 were recorded as found sparingly, were in 1850 to be found plentifully. Mr. Wollaston considers “the height of the season” for this long to be the latter end of May. I arrived there on the 5th of June, which as the season had been a backward one, might be supposed a good time ; possibly, however, it was too late for some of the missing spe- cies, and yet it is remarkable that Cillenum laterale, which Mr. Wol- laston found “ by thousands,” T could not discover at all, although I searched in the very same “sandy flat” described in his paper. Dys- chirius thoracicus was to be found very sparingly, while Phytonomus mixtus might be taken by dozens! Again, Micronyx 'Tangermannii which, in 1849, ii be “sparingly picked up,” was very abundant; while of Omophlus Armeriz, which in that year was “in dietidain co I only succeeded in finding a single specimen! Of Licinus silphoides I took about half a dozen, and of the Tychius mentioned by Mr. Wollaston, a few specimens. } Insects. 3355 ’ Masoreus luxatus and Mecinus circulatus were found sparingly. Many of the common kinds were in great force, running from under the stones by the dozen; Harpali and Calathi racing with each other, and, in making good their retreat, running foul of the aldermanic and short-legged Opatrum sabulosum, or slipping over the. polished back of Broscus cephalotes, as he lay ensconced in his sandy cell, into which the unceremonious Coleopterist so. suddenly lets the light of day, that before he has time to “get his wits about him,” he finds himself seized and plunged into an atmosphere of Prussic acid, which effectually puts an end tg all thoughts about his future welfare. There are few spots which so abound with Coleopteric life as this far-famed locality, which is indeed well worth a visit by any one inte- rested in Coleoptera. _ On the 14th of November, in the same year, happening to be at Weymouth, I walked to Portland, and spent a few hours at “ the Bank;” but how changed the scene! Stone after stone was turned up, but none of the crowds just mentioned were to be seen; a few sleepy Harpali and Calathi, and an occasional Amara, were the only representatives of the mass of beetle life with which the spot teemed in June. _ While spending a few weeks in Kent in the spring of this year, on the 23rd of May I paid a visit to the sands near Deal. Here also I remarked a great scarcity of many beetles which had been plentiful when I visited that locality in 1849. I found a general lack of even the commoner kinds, caused partly perhaps by the ungenial spring. After a diligent search of some hours, I succeeded in finding nine specimens of Lixus bicolor under the Erodium, but not a single spe- cimen of Hypera fasciculosa did I find, although it was there in abun- dance on my last visit; and as it is double-brooded, I expected to meet with it thus early. Phytonomus mixtus was there sparingly, but not aspecimen of Apion Sedi rewarded my most careful search among the plants whose name it bears, although it was taken here by my friend Mr. Dawson “ early in May” in 1849. As far as my experience went, this year (1851) was not a good sea- son for Coleoptera. Although I was in Kent from the 12th of May to the 12th of June, the only two insects (with the exception of the Lixi just mentioned) that I took worth noticing, were one specimen of Cal- listus lunatus and one of Plinthus caliginosus; the former was under a stone on a chalky bank, and was in most beautiful condition, the co- lour on the elytra being bright orange, and the spots bright black, a very different looking insect when alive from the faded and dull a 3356 Insects. appearance that comes over this species when dead: the latter I took walking in a lane; he was apparently bent on an evening’s stroll, or, it might be, on his way to keep an appointment with Mrs. Plinthus on the opposite bank. I paid a visit during my stay in Kent, to the Covert wood in which I took so many interesting species in 1849; but here the same scar- city was observable, not only of the rarer but also of the commoner species. I will here take the opportunity of correcting an error in my paper in a former number, (Zool. viii. 2682). Among the captures in this wood I mention Rhagium Indagator; this should have been R. Inqui- sitor, which is abundant there. In Hampshire also, this year, I observed a greater scarcity of inte- resting species than in the last. I took a specimen or two of Anthri- bus albinus, and three of that beautiful beetle Carabus nitens, which is another insect that loses much of the richness of its tints by being killed and preserved. When running swiftly in the sunshine, their bright and variegated elytra look as if they had derived their colours direct from some rainbow. In an open part of the forest I find Cicindela sylvatica in some abundance. The spot, although in the forest, has not a tree within a mile, and is a sandy plain, partly covered with heath and furze. A road runs through the sandy plain, and on either side of this road, to the extent of about 50 yards in length and 15 in width, these hand- some insects are to be seen flying from one little patch of sand to ano- ther, or, alighting, they run with great swiftness, looking somewhat like large spiders at first sight. The illusion, however, speedily va- nishes, for on the slightest movement near them they start up and take wing, and it is then not an easy matter to catch them. I found it in vain to search for them beyond the boundaries I have named ; this spot is the only locality in which I have found them, although I have searched for miles in the surrounding sandy heath, which is to all ap- pearance in every respect similar to the favoured spot in which they abound. Cicindela campestris was to be found in abundance, without limit as to locality. The localism of many insects has often struck me as a most inte- resting fact in their natural history. I will just mention another in- stance which I met with here also, in reference to Elater balteatus. I took several specimens of this insect, by sweeping with my net some bunches of heath in a wood near here. As heath was to be found ° Insects. 3357 scattered throughout the wood (which I suppose contains 200 or 300 acres), I expected to find this Elater in any part. But no! — after sweeping in all parts, I never could succeed in finding a single speci- men save in the same little row of heath-bushes, on the same bank on which I first discovered it; and here I was always sure to find a few specimens. Last year I used to find Chrysomela distinguenda, in some abun- dance, crawling at the road-sides in this neighbourhood, but this year I did not find a single specimen. ‘The same observation applies to Chrysomela Banksii. Last year I took several specimens in the road, this year none. Last vear also I met with two stray specimens of the beautiful C. Geettingensis, this year I was not so fortunate. By the way, can any of your readers inform me what this last-men- tioned Chrysomela feeds upon? I have taken several specimens, both here and in Kent, but they were always wandering singly, as if in search of something, indeed I think several of the family are somewhat of an erratic nature. Having noticed in the ‘ Zoologist’ that Nebria livida and N. com- planata were to be found at the cliffs near Bridlington Quay, I de- puted one of my brothers, who lives in the neighbourhood, to procure some for me. He went one evening in August, between 6 and 7 o'clock, and although no collector, he had no difficulty in discovering the whereabouts of N. livida, which was most abundant. This time’ he staid only ten minutes, but the result of that ten minutes’ research 1 received two days after, in the shape of seventy-five specimens of N. livida, and several others of a commoner kind. Another visit was afterwards paid to the spot, in the hope of finding N. complanata, but my brother could not find a specimen of it, while in the mud-eliffs N. livida literally swarmed. He informed that on splitting open the cracks in the clay, they stuck together by dozens, and that hundreds might easily have been taken. J. PEMBERTON BaRTLETT. Fordingbridge, December, 1851. Trochilium Chrysidiforme.— Until within these five weeks I had not heard of a specimen of the above insect being in Mr. Curtis’s or in any other collection, beyond the one referred to in my ‘ Illustrations,’ and the (at present apocryphal) capture, in Hampshire, of a specimen by Mr. Barron, or I should not have rejected it from my re- cent List. The example referred to by me as above, now in Mr. Shepherd’s collec- tion, was alleged to have been taken by Mr. Francillon, as I was informed by Mr. Haworth, in a thick grove ; but in a list of the rarer British species of which indige- 3358 Insects. hous specimens were in his (Mr. F.’s) collection, now in my possession, not any notice is taken of the insect in question ; and as it was noticed by Haworth in his ‘ Prodro- mus.’ so long back as 1802, under the name of Sphinx flammeus, and no second ex- ample had occurred, to my knowledge, after an interval of fifty years, I was disposed to question the indigenous pretensions of the species, and rejected it accordingly from the British Museum List. It appears, however, to bea scarce insect, as I have hitherto failed in obtaining a specimen of any kind in illustration of the species.. The fact of its having been recently taken in England is satisfactory, as it appears an unlikely in- sect to have been introduced by commerce.—J. F’. Stephens; Hitham Cottage, Fowley Road, Kennington, January 10, 1852. Gastropacha Llicifolia again. —A letter of the 9th instant, from Mr. Wm. Green, of Sheffield, informs me that he has suceeeded in obtaining two more larve of the above insect, after the unprecedented Jabour of “upwards of 100 days’ hunt” for spe- _ cimens. One of these larva is unfortunately dead, and is in my collection of British metamorphotic illustrations; the other is still alive, in pupa: it ate the young leaves of the apple and willow.—d. ; January 20, 1852. Food of Micro- Agee acon —One of your correspondents, a short time ago, asked for notices of the food of Micro-Lepidoptera. I would earlier have sent the following account of a pretty Eupithecia, but delayed in the hope of being able to ascertain its name. Mr. Bree submitted a specimen to Mr. Doubleday, who cannot identify it with any named British species, but has made the following remark :—‘“ It has been taken by Mr. Sheppard, but does not seem at all common.” On August 23, 1850, my at- tention was attracted to a small caterpillar feeding among the flowers of Pimpinella Saxifraga, in this parish. After carefully searching I could find no more than five of the same kind. Placed in a glass jar, and fed for two or three weeks, they went un- der ground. I observed that the petals were gnawed off and lay scattered about, and that only the innermost parts of the flowers and summits of their pedicels were eaten. Four of the five insects appeared in the winged state, the first coming out on the 6th of July, 1851; unluckily, two of them were accidentally destroyed, one I retain, and the other is in Mr. Bree’s possession. Eupithecia linariata is described in a general way as feeding on Linaria vulgaris. I have observed the caterpillars of this species bore into the unripe capsules in order to feed on the young seeds, and have bred them by supplying them with these, and also with the capsules of a garden Linaria (purpu- rea I think it was), but I did not observe them feeding on the leaves.+J. S. Henslow; Hitcham, Suffolk, December 30, 1851. A Buzz from the Bees.—I read with great pleasure the observations of Mr. Lands troth in your last number (Zool. 3342). In the same journal for 1844 (Id. 748) there is the following quotation from Mr. Huish, an author and bee-master of some experi- ence; who says, — “ It is of no use to look at hive bees ina glass hive, as they are alarmed at the light, and cease from all operations,” and also that “‘the motions of the queen are enveloped in mystery,” &c. Now Mr. Huish said this in haste; I have a Huber show hive, and will venture to say that the bees become accustomed to be looked at after a few times. In this hive there is only roum for one comb; it is about 23 inches wide, and suited for a small second swarm or cast, only fit for show and exami- nation, for I have never been able to keep them alive during a whole wiuter, although in a room inside the house, the bees working from an aperture cut through the window, I have watched the queen laying eggs many times with some friends, and it is a very interesting sight. She traverses the combs very slowly, the bees making a lane for her Insects. 3359. to pass, always turning their heads towards her on her near approach, and never by any chance attempting to walk over her, as they do the workers or drones. When she comes to an empty cell, she goes into it head foremost, examines it for about a couple of seconds, comes out, and then returning backwards into the cell, deposits the egg in about two seconds more: and so she proceeds from cell to cell, with this exception, that when a cell seems defective, she comes out much sooner, and passes by it without depositing the egg. Iam indebted to a medical friend for a pattern of my show hive in Bristol, from which I had mine made about fifteen years ago, and at whose house I first saw the queen bee lay some eggs, and observed also the workers ridding them- selves of their wax. Mr. Huish’s theory of the impregnation of the eggs by the drones without connexion with the queen, is very ingenious, but very improbable. I believe the queen is impregnated, as Huber says, probably at the swarming-time ; and she is so surrounded by bees, and the time of connexion of so short a duration, that it has never yet been distinctly discovered by mortal eye. Mr. Nutt, a very good bee-mas- ter, says in one of his papers, that the queen never goes into the side boxes of hives ; this is another mistake: wherever there are combs she will traverse. But in many seasons the bees commence works in the side boxes, and never finish them; this hap- pens in the showery cold summers we have so many of in England: a good year for bees seldom occurs above once in three years on the average.—H. W. Newman; New House, Stroud, January 8, 1852. . ' Capture of Calosoma Sycophanta in the Isle of Wight.— A living specimen of Calosoma Sycophanta was brought to me on the 16th, by a man who found it beneath a stone at Bonchurch, when at work, within a mile of this house. Itis a female, and quite perfect ; in size it equals the largest dimensions given in Stephens’ Manual, and the play of colour on the elytra is very splendid, varying from blue, through every shade of green and brass, to a fiery red. The place where it was found is a quarter of a mile inland, with high cliffs between it and the sea. This, as far as I am aware, is the first instance of its capture in this island. I kept the insect alive from the 16th until yesterday the 20th, supplying it with meat and an earth-worm, neither of which it appeared to touch. Having heard it asserted that this species possesses extraordi- nary swimming powers, being sometimes picked up many miles from land, and that in this way it visits our coasts; I determined, before ordering it out for execution, to put its capabilities to the test on a small scale. Accordingly, it was set afloat in a basin half full of water, and to judge from its helpless appearance in this small arena, I should think its term of existence would have expired before it had swam half way across the channel. That it-might cross the water by other means than its natatorial powers there can be no doubt; the Carabide are not much famed, however, for tak- ing long flights, nor are they a class, like the longicorns, liable to be introduced in timber or other produce. It is, notwithstanding, somewhat strange that an insect which is stated to frequent trees to feed on lepidopterous larve, should occur with us almost universally on or near the shore. Iam not aware of any recorded instance of its capture on a tree in this country, though it is a species not easily overlooked, and from its beauty almost sure to be secured. Although not an active insect, it moved over a rough surface at a good pace, advancing more than half an inch at each stride. The fore and hinder leg on the right side moved in unison with the middle left leg, and vice versd. I do not know if other large Carabide always move in this way, but its gait struck me as very measured and peculiar; the fore legs, moreover, were lifted high at every step, and its movements gave it quite a dignified appearance. 3360 Mollusks. As a living specimen is not to be obtained every day for experiments, I thought that perhaps these remarks might have some interest. — George Guyon ; Ventnor, Isle of Wight, January 21, 1852. Notes on the Marine Mollusca of Weymouth. By Wituiam F. TempPLer, Esq. Tue following Notes give the results of my collecting during the years 1849 and 1850. The dredge has always been considered the best method for procuring shells, and by many has been the only plan adopted for obtaining these beautiful and interesting objects, but how few of the numerous frequenters of the sea-side are able to incur the expense of dredging, apart from (what I conclude it would be to ma- ny) the discomfort of the sea ! ) There are three methods by which the inhabitants of the sea may be procured, varying according to the localities in which they reside. The Mollusca inhabiting the laminarian and littoral zones, may be obtained by minute and careful examination of the rocks, stones, and sea-weeds, turning back and examining the smaller stones, in the crevices of the lower surface of which many of the smaller kinds, as Rissoz, Chemnitzie, Odostomie, &c., may be found. A few small pill-boxes will be useful in collecting these minims of creation, as well as a small pair of forceps ; a geological hammer and a pick-axe will also be serviceable for disentombing the stone-boring Mollusca, as Pholas, Saxicava, and Venerupis. In examining the laminarian zone, the spring tides should be selected, as it is only then that the larger Laminariez are uncovered. On sandy beaches may be found the burying mollusks, as Solens and Mactras. | The second and most abundant source is the dredge. And thirdly, the examination of sandy beaches after heavy seas. It is the first and third methods that offer the greatest facilities to the collector, as requiring little or no expense, a very important con- sideration in the study of Natural History. Gastrochena modiolina and Saxicava arctica may be obtained by breaking up large stones, which are not unfrequently brought up by the trawlers in the nets. Kellia suborbicularis may likewise be found in similar situations with the above. Venerupis Irus. Imbedded in the soft rock beneath Sandsfoot Mollusks. 3361 Castle, the locality mentioned by Mr. Hanley in his and Mr. Rorbed s interesting work on the British Mollusca. _. Mya truncata may now and then, after very rough weather, be found washed up in Weymouth Bay, but it is not common. Lyonsia Norvegica. In the year 18491 picked up two specimens on the Smallmouth Sands, which measured about an inch in length. Weymouth is mentioned by Messrs. Forbes and Hanley as producing the finest specimens known. _ Thracia villosiuscula is now and then, after rough weather, thrown up on the sands at Smallmouth. The solens or razor-shells are very common on the sands both in Smallmouth and Weymouth Bays; the people call them long oysters. During March, 1850, I found a fine full-grown specimen of Solen sili- qua on Smallmouth Sands, measuring nearly eight inches in length and more than one inch in breadth. The solens have the greatest length and least breadth of all the known Mollusca. The razor-shells, or rather mollusks, at low water, are frequently to be seen in some numbers protruded from the sand, and sometimes they have pushed themselves entirely out, and lie flat on the sand. From what I have observed they appear to protrude themselves more out of the sand on the retiring of the tide, and not to bury themselves deeper, as is men- tioned in the description of Solen marginatus, in Messrs. Forbes and Hanley’s British Mollusca. | Psammobia Ferroensis. Washed up on the Smallmouth Sands af- ter rough weather, sometimes numerous, but never alive; although I have dredged many, and had many more brought me by the dredgers, ] have never been able to obtain it alive. Tellina incarnata.. In 1849 and 1850 I have from time to, time found the shell of this mollusk on the Smallmouth Sands, but never numerous, and I think I have never taken it alive. I have obtained only six specimens during the two years above mentioned, but single valves and broken shells are more frequently to be met with. This is a scarce British mollusk. Tellina tenuis is very common in Weymouth Bay after rough wea- ther, especially close to the steps opposite to the Victoria Hotel; both live and dead specimens are to be found, but the latter predominate, although in a very good state of preservation. Tellina fabula. Washed up at times in Weymouth Bay, with the above, but not so numerous. Donax anatinus. Frequently washed up in Weymouth Bay, espe- cially in the spring of the year, when an Ulva is attached to one end, X. H 3362 Mollusks. which. causes it to be washed ashore. It is not so often found in win- ter, the Ulva being an annual. Mactra subtruncata buries in sand, and may often be found at low- water spring tides, on the Smallmouth Sands, having worked its way out of the sand, in the same manner as the solens are in the habit of doing upon the ebb of the tide. Mactra stultorum. Frequently very common in Weymouth Bay after storms. May 15, 1850. — At low water this evening they were very numerous, the tides at the spring; they seemed to live here ei- ther lying about on the sand or buried in it, and had not been washed in from deeper water by rough ‘seas, as the sea had been perfectly calm for many days previously. Most of them were about half grown, and I do not recollect having before or since obtained them in this intermediate state of growth. After very rough seas, I have found very minute young specimens by thousands on the Smallmouth Sands, although, strange to say, I have never found adult specimens here in any abundance, if I have taken them here at all. Tapes pullastra. Sometimes very abundant in Weymouth Bay after storms. Tapes aurea. Washed up by storms on the sands in Weymouth and Smallmouth Bays. In the early part of April, 1850, after strong easterly winds, they were very abundant. Venus striatula. A most abundant mollusk here, both im Wey- mouth and Smallmouth Bays, and may be found almost every day in the latter locality at low tide. Lucinopsis undata is sometimes washed up on the Smallmouth Sands, both alive and dead. Cardium echinatum. March 16.—Yesterday the wind blew strongly from the eastward, and upon the Smallmouth Sands this day I found many marine objects strewed about, amongst which were some very large specimens of this species; one of them measured 9} inches in its longitudinal circumference, and 103 inches in its transverse cir- cumference. Very young and beautiful live specimens may likewise be found at times on the above sands. Cardium rusticum. February 26, 1850.— This day I found a tile specimen alive on the Smallmouth Sands, it having been but recently washed up. It was on the sand at very moe linear spring tides, in a similar situation to that mentioned in Messrs. Forbes and Hanley’s British Mollusca on the Paington Sands, Torquay. As a British species it is essentially local. Mollusks. 3363 Cardium edule. Abundant after rough weather in both Weymouth and Smallmouth Bays. - Cardium nodosum may at times be found upon the sands in Small- mouth Bay. Modiola barbata. On April Ist, 1850, one was taken alive on the Smallmouth Sands. Crenella discors. March 8, 1850.—I found it this day attached to the under side of large loose pieces of rock between tide-marks, be- low Sandsfoot Castle, in some numbers. It is also frequently washed up, both on the Smallmouth Sands and in Weymouth Bay. Once I saw it, in the former locality, strewing the beach from one end to the other, at half-tide level. Arca lactea. Adhering to oysters in abundance, when they may be _ obtained from the fish-women in the market, and the oyster-dredgers. Pecten opercularis. Washed up on the Weymouth and Small- mouth Sands, after rough weather, in abundance. There are large beds of this mollusk in the bay, and it may be frequently seen in the markets, where it is sold for food. I have seen single valves of the variety lineatus on the Smallmouth Sands. Fissurella reticulata. Weymouth and Smallmouth Sands, after stormy weather. | Trochus Zizyphinus. This mollusk may be found, and is not un- common, among the rocks at the end of the pier, also under stones on the inner or harbour side of the pier.. In order to find the shells in the former locality, it is necessary to turn over the large rocks, to the under side of which they may be found adhering. In the other situation, turn back the sea-weeds from the rocks, when the mollusks will be seen. Rissoa cingillus. Attached to the under side of loose stones, among the flat ledges of rock beneath Sandsfoot Castle. The above Bays are likewise very rich in Crustacka, for an enu- meration of which I may refer to Mr. Thompson’s paper on the Crus- tacea of Weymouth, in the number for July, 1851 (Zool. 3158). ECGHINODERMATA. Solaster papposa. Weymouth Bay. Asterina gibbosa. Smallmouth Sands. Palmipes membranaceus. Weymouth Bay. Uraster rubens. Very large. 3364 Zoological Society.x— Entomological Society. . Asterias aurantiaca. Ophiocoma neglecta. Beneath stones below Sandsfoot Castle. Ophiura texturata.. Weymouth Bay. ! Spatangus purpureus. Rare. Amphidotus cordatus. Not uncommon on Smallmouth Sands. The Chesil Bank, towards Portland, after heavy gales from the westward, is a rich collecting-ground, especially for Zoophytes, and at times the beautiful Gorgonia verrucosa may be found in perfection. This is very far from being a complete marine Fauna of Weymouth, and a whole volume would not exhaust its resources, but I hope the above will induce my friend Mr. Thompson, who I believe is now the only resident collector of those interesting objects, to supply its defi- ciencies, as well as other contributors to the ‘Zoologist, who may hap- pen to visit this favourite watering-place. WiuiaM F. TEMPLER. Buddleigh, Salterton, Devon, December 18, 1851. Proceedings of the Zoological Society. Monthly General Meeting, January 1,,1852.—W. J. Broverip, Esq., V.P., in the chair. Messrs. A. B. Hope, M.P., J. D. Gordon, and G. R. Gray, were elected Fellows. Messrs. J. H. Gurney, T. Lacy, G. Gillett, R. O’Brien Jameson, and Miss Burdett Coutts, were proposed as candidates for the Fellowship. The Report of the Council stated that the total number of visitors to the Gardens during the year 1851, had been 667,243, and exhibited an increase over the year 1850 of 306,841. The most important additions to the Menagerie during the last month, consisted of an Apteryx, presented by Lieut. Governor Eyre, which had been brought from New Zealand by Capt. Erskine, R.N.; a Weka (Ocydromus australis), also from New Zealand, which had been presented by Capt. Stokes, R.N., late of H. M.S. Ache- son; and two specimens of Boa diviniloqua, presented by Lieut. Forman, of Her Majesty’s 88th regiment.—D. W. M. Proceedings of the Entomological Society. January 5, 1852.—J. O. Westwoop, Esq., President, in the chair. The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the donors : —‘ Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou,’ Nos. 3 and 4, 1850, and No. 1, 1851; by the Society. ‘ Insecta Caffrarie, annis 1838—45, a J. A. Wahlberg collecta, descripsit C. H. Boehman ; pars 1, fasc. 2. — Coleoptera :’ Holmix, 1851; by the author. ‘The Entomologists’ Companion, being a Guide to the collection of Micro-Lepidoptera, by H.'T. Stainton: London, 1852; by the Author. ‘ The Zoologist’ for January ; by the Editor. ‘The Literary Gazette’ for January ; Entomological Society. 3365 by the Publishers. ‘The Atheneum’ for November and December ; by the Editor. ‘ Diagnosen neuer Coleoptera aus Abyssinien von Dr. J. R. Roth:’ Munchen, 1851 ; by the Author. ‘Systematische Uebersicht der Kafer um Munchen, von Dr. Max Gemminger:’ Jena, 1851; by the Author. ‘Bulletin der Konigliche Akademie der Wissenchaften,’ Nos. 1—33: Munchen, 1851; by the Academy. ‘ Descriptions of the Insects brought home by Commander James Clark Ross, by John Curtis, Esq., P.L.S.; by the Author. Mr. Adam White exhibited a specimen of the moth, Anarta Richardsoni (Bide Richardsoni, Curtis, in ‘ Appendix to Sir John Ross’s Arctic Voyage), taken by Charles Ede, Esq., on the north shore of Baffin’s Bay. Mr. White also exhibited some rare and beautiful insects, part of a quantity sent to him for this Society by Hugh Low, Esq., Corresponding Member at Labuan. Among the Coleoptera were Trictenotoma Childreni, G. R. Gray, Sarothrocera Lowii, White, Chrysodema Helena, White, MSS., and Cladognathus Tarandus, Thunb. Among the Lepidoptera were Thaumantis? Lowii, Hewitson, MSS., Papilio Neptu- nus, Guérin, a series of an Ornithoptera, and a fine species of Terias. Mr. White took oceasion to remark that the Trictenotoma had an extensive habitat, ranging from Tenasserim to Borneo; and that the same observation might be applied to some of the Lepidoptera now before the Society, certain of the species being also found at As- sam and Sylhet. Indeed there was a great similarity among many Lepidoptera from Singapore, Sumatra, Java and New Guinea, insomuch that it might be almost doubted whether the differences relied upon by entomologists as pointing out distinct species, were any more than variations, induced by the altered circumstances of the several lo- calities. The genus Ornithoptera was probably abundant in New Guinea, as nearly all our specimens had come thence; it extends also along the N. E. coast of Austra- lia. Papilio Turnus, which extends southward as far as Florida, has been found also as far north as Wolstenholme Sound. On the other hand, it was certain the habitat of many species of insects was very circumscribed, many places, islands in particular, having peculiar forms and species. Mr. S. Stevens remarked that he had received from China a Colias which did not differ, in any respect, from the European C. Hyale. Mr. White observed that the genus Colias has a wide range — the species being found throughout the temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and America, but it did not appear that they extended further to the South. Cynthia Cardui is found every- where, agreeing in every respect with our English specimens. Mr. J. E. Gray remarked that this identity of appearance in some species was not confined to insects, for among the Vertebrata, the moose deer was found from the cen- tre of Siberia to the south of the Himalayas, and no difference was perceptible. Mr. Curtis remarked that he had lately seen a collection of insects from Calcutta, which had generally a very European appearance; and in another collection from Van Diemen’s Land, they were so like European forms, that they might be associated there- with generically if not specifically. The President remarked that in looking at some insects from Shanghae, he had been struck with the remarkable resemblance, i in several instances, not only to Euro- pean, but even to English species. Mr. Curtis exhibited an exotic species of Cicada, found alive on the 11th uf Au- gust last, in one of the hot-houses in the Horticultural Society’s Garden at Chiswick, into which it had probably been brought with some Orchidacee from Central America. 3366 Entomological Society. . He also exhibited a curious nest of eggs of a spider (Zpeira zebrata ?), which he found at Nice last spring. It was of a dirty white colour, of a spherical shape, and about an inch in diameter; M.Guérin had informed him that these nests were sometimes thrice as large. Alluding to the experiment of Sir James Ross, mentioned at the last meeting, Mr. Curtis read the following note from the ‘ Appendix’ to Sir J. Ross’s Voyage, in 1830, transcribed by him from Sir James’s MSS. — “ About thirty of the caterpillars were put into a box in the middle of September, and after being exposed to the severe win- ter temperature of the next three months, they were brought into a warm cabin, where, in less than two hours, every one of them returned to life, and continued for a whole day walking about. They were again exposed to the air at a temperature of about 40° below zero, and became immediately hard frozen ; in this state they remained a week, and on being brought again into the cabin, only twenty-three came to life. These were at the end of four hours put out once more into the air, and again frozen ; after another week they were brought in, when only eleven were restored to life. A fourth time they were exposed to the winter temperature, and only two returned to life on be- ing again brought into the cabin. These two survived the winter, and in May an im- perfect Laria (Rossii) was produced from one, and six flies from the other; both of them formed cocoons, but that which produced the flies was not so perfect as the other.” Referring to the exhibition at the meeting of this Society on the 4th of Novem- ber, 1850, by Mr. Evans, of some Culicide received from the Great Slave Lake, Mr. C. said he had no doubt they were the C. Caspius of Pallas, of which insect Sir James Ross remarked that “ It first appeared about the 10th of July, on the 15th it became very numerous, and on the 22nd so exceedingly troublesome as to prevent the neces- sary duties of the ship. ‘They swarmed in perfect clouds over the marshes, and their larve constitute the principal food of the trout that inhabit the lakes. On the 13th of August they came out again after the rain, but were no longer very troublesome, being apparently nipped by the frost at night.” Mr. Curtis added that Sir James told him the crew were obliged to wear nets over their faces while fishing. The Chironomus and Tipula exhibited by Mr. White at the last meeting, Mr. Cur- tis said were described by him in the ‘ Appendix’ to Sir J. Ross’s Voyage already men- tioned, the former being the C. polaris of Kirby, the latter the Tipula arctica, Curtis. It was a curious fact, that all the Culicide received from the Arctic regions were females, | With reference to the note on Ocypus* olens, read at the last meeting, Mr. Curtis said that in the ‘Gardener’s Chronicle’ of November 5, 1842, he had made the follow- ing note on this insect, showing the value of these persecuted animals in gardens, esr pecially in the autumn, when earwig's are most abundant and destructive to flowers:— “ Having heard that our rove-beetle was the natural enemy of earwigs, I placed one with a few of these insects under a tumbler glass. It commenced running round the inside, now and then resting, but it soon seized an immature earwig by the mid- dle, and a full-grown one soon after, just behind the forceps, the back being upper- most, and in an hour and a half it had eaten six earwigs.” Mr. Curtis then referred to vol. i. p. 107 of the new series of this Society’s Trans- actions, where, as one of the Gelechie, Mr. Douglas has recorded Butalis cerealella as a sg‘ gg A, RS tt * Erichson, Gaubil, &c., adopt this name, and not Goérius. Entomological Society. 3367 a native insect. Myr. Curtis expressed his belief that Mr. Douglas's specimen was’ imported, and that fortunately the species was not British, for in France corn in gra- naries decreased from 40 to 70 ® cent. by its feeding thereon. He further observed that the species is well characterized by its extremely falcate inferior wings, and is apparently related to Stephens’s genus Cleodora, which is established by dissections in plate 671 of the ‘ British Entomology, though now included by Mr. Douglas in the genus Gelechia, which, as it now stands in Mr. Stainton’s Catalogue, is a most heteru- geneous group. Mr. Curtis expressed his regret that we cannot come to some under- standing regarding generic names, for until they are settled, science must be a laby- rinth not easily comprehended by the learned entomologist, and incomprehensible to the young student in Natural History. Mr. Spence read an extract of a letter from G. H. Thwaites, Esq., M.E.S., now in Ceylon, informing him that he had lectured to a mixed audience of Europeans and Cingalese, on the habits and instincts of insects, especially directing attention to the Termites, with a view to the study of their metamorphoses. The President read a note from Albert Way, Esq., stating that in a basket of old Roman bones, sent a year or more since to Mr. Quekett, at the College of Surgeons, for examination, were found, after a long interval, a great number of Obrium minu- tum, which had doubtless proceeded from the willows of which the basket was made. The President said that Mr. Stevens had once brought a similar case before the Soci- ety; and Mr. Smith added that he had more than once reared this beetle from bram- ble-sticks. Mr. Stevens exhibited a very fine variety of Argynnis Paphia, beautifully suffused with black, which had been captured in 1849 at Darenth Wood. The President read the following extract of a letter from Brigadier J. B. Hearsey, dated Wuzeerabad, August 6, 1851, and exhibited the insects referred to. “ As I was sitting in my flower-garden on the 4th of this month, with a ‘ bearer” fanning me with a large date-palm-leaf fan, he called my attention to a large showy plant of Ginothera speciosa, which he was aware I was taking great care of, covered with insects. It was then three feet high, and had eight or ten branches ; the whole waS densely covered with insects (the Galeruca sent herewith); they could not have been on it half an hour, and it was almost denuded of foliage and flowers. I drove them all off, and put twenty or thirty into a bottle of spirit of wine. The sun had now set, and soon after I went into my house, as it is not wholesome to sit out of doors in such hot, steamy nights. The next morning, the moment I was dressed, I went into the garden to look at my “speciosa: ” the ten stems had nothing on them but some hard seed-capsules, every leaf, flower, and bud was devoured, and the stems bending from the weight of these Galeruce. I determined on revenge. I ordered two ‘chil- lumchees’ (large, circular, shallow brass pans, which are used in this country for the water to fall into as the ‘ bearer’ pours it into your joined hands to wash your face with, and also to wash your feet in) to be put under the stems and half filled with boil- ing water, the stems were then shaken, and the insects that did not fall were knocked into them as they attempted flight ; at least 1000 were thus destroyed. But now for the wonderment. The Cnothera speciosa is one of three kinds of that plant that I have raised from American seeds. I had blossoming in my garden one plant of Ci. speciosa, and several of CE. salicifolia and longicaulis. These plants. were never grown in this country before this rainy season, and certainly never blossomed. The speciosa does not flower till the second year, but still, an-insect produced in this country, which 3368 Entomological Society. could never have tasted or felt the perfume of this American plant, nor could even its progenitors have done so, selects it, the only one of its species in my grounds or in the country, for its food, destroys it completely, and touches no other! How can you ac- count for this? Could the CK. speciosa have had a perfume (to me the flower has but a slight scent) so strong to the senses of this insect as to attract it in the mass? Please to ask any entomological friends if that is the way they can account for this proceed- ing, or can it be accounted for in any other manner ?” Mr. Douglas remarked that probably the usual food of this Galeruca was some plant of the same natural order as Ginothera, but that this does not always apply, for he once, in this country, found caterpillars of. Cucullia Verbasci feeding on Buddlea globosa, a native of Chili, and not in the same natural order as Verbascum, on the leaves of which they usually feed.* Mr. Douglas read descriptions of ten species of Gelechia, being the completion of his Memoir on the British species of that genus. On a future occasion he ihtended to offer some observations on the structural characters of the genus, and now, at the request of many friends, he gave the following provisional arrangement of the species, according to the characters indicated by Zeller, in the ‘ Isis, 1839. A, a. fumosella scriptella inopella a. nigra fugitivella paupella lobella cuneatella aleella Gerronella Populella longicornis Mouffetella nigricostella temerella diffinis triparella dodecella sororculella vulgella b. Galbanella b. nanella rufescens boreella ligulella albiceps inornatella domestica vorticella gemmella cinerella basaltinella teniolella luculella Malvella leucatella Coronillella Artemisiella vilella alacella nigritella pulliginella politella peliella Anthyllidella neviferella terrella fraternella atrella Hermannella ~ desertella marmorea bifractella Brizella acuminatella junctella affinis Ericinella senectella maculiferella mundella pictella mulinella vicinella immaculatella divisella celerella tenebrella B, a. distinctella costella tenebrosella conscriptella ‘fumatella coutigua lucidella gibbosella velocella sequax lutulentella lentiginosella blandella cerealella b. Atriplicella Hiubneri suffusella Lappella instabilella rhombella littorella Carlinella obsoletella proximella subocellea Metzneriella gallinella notatella fuscipennis neuropterella ethiops humeralis — J. W. D. . = a i a l Society of British Entomologists. 3369 Proceedings of the Society of British Entomologists. January 6, 1852.—Mr. Harptine, President, in the chair. The Secretary read a Report of the affairs of the Society for the past year. The President congratulated the members upon the prosperous state of the Society, which had been going on steadily if slowly, this being the eighteeuth Anniversary. The Society was without debt or drawback of any kind; and with plenty of materials -to work upon, and hands and hearts ready and willing to work, it must progress. He was happy to see that none of that aristocratic feeling prevailed in this, as it did in some other Societies, which closed their ranks against the working man; as knowledge increased, however, he trusted that such an ungenerous feeling would vanish. Dur- ing the past year, many of those which were considered our rarer insects had been captured ; indeed some species which were looked upon as doubtfully native had been taken in some.plenty. Much of this success was to be attributed to working among the larve ; and he would impress upon the minds of the members the necessity of at- tending to this branch of Entomology, which they would find both interesting and profitable. He also stated that whilst the leaves and stems of plants had been well searched, the roots had been comparatively neglected, and thus many insects had been overlooked. The President further remarked, that although during the last ten years Entomology had made great progress, British entomologists were still much behind their continental brethren. This consideration should stimulate the members to fur- ther exertions in behalf of their favourite branch of Natural History. Mr. Sequiera observed that this was the first annual meeting of the Society he had had the pleasure of attending; and begged to be allowed to make a few observations, which, although perhaps containing nothing new, might tend to show the advantage of joining this or some other Society of a similar character, and thus be the means of extending a love of that science to which he was sure all present were attached, and which had afforded them the means of passing so many happy hours, both in their meeting-room and in the merry green wood. He advised all who felt in the slightest degree interested in Entomology, to study the first principles of the science ; and then, as they proceeded in their researches, new beauties would be discovered, which would otherwise have remained hidden and unsuspected. A little previous knowledge of fa- milies and genera would render the student far more perfect either in the collection or arrangement of insects, than he would become in twice or thrice the length of time expended in collecting without this knowledge. Nothing would tend more to the attainment of this important end, than becoming a member of a Society. Opportuni- ties of improvement would thus be afforded, by means of books, conversation, compa- rison with specimens in cabinets, and mutual instruction. Mr.8.stated that he could speak from experience on this point. Being but a young beginner himself, he could truly say that he had gained more information in the short time he had belonged to this Society, than he should have obtained in years by other means. All his inquiries had been met in the true spirit of imparting information, for which he begged to ex- press his thanks: and he trusted that the time was not far distant when this Society would be looked upon as a pattern in the diffusion of knowledge. Mr. Dalman proposed that the cabinet should be arranged according to Mr. Dou- bleday’s List. Mr. Oxley proposed a vote of thanks to the President. Mr. Briant proposed a vote of thanks to the Secretary for the use of his microscopes. All the above were carried unanimously.—J. 7. Norman. X. —— |. | es | I 3370 Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. January 7, 1852. — The monthly meeting of this Society was held in the Institu- tion Rooms, York Place, Hueu Miter, Esq., in the chair; when there was a large attendance of members and visitors. Mr. Miller, on taking the chair, delivered the following opening Address : — “‘ GENTLEMEN, — You have done me the honour of electing me, by a unanimous vote, to be one of the Presidents of the Royal Physical Society. I little thought, some two-and-thirty years ago, when, rather in obedience to a native instinct than with any ulterior object, I sought to acquaint myself with geological phenomena, that there awaited me any such honour. For, unaware at the time that there even existed such a science as Geology, or that the field which it opens has its many labourers, some of whom ineet with less, and some with more success in their labours, I could not so much as imagine that distinction was to be achieved by studying the forms and structures of the strange organisms which I laid open amid rocks and in quarries, or in inquir- ing into the circumstances in which they had lived and died, or into the causes to which, in ages long gone by, they had owed their entombment in the stone. But it seems to be one of the characteristics of a true science, that it should promise little and perform much; and that for those who devote themselves to it simply for its own sake, it should reserve a class of favours of a purely exterior character, rarely vouch- safed to the suitors who make court to it for that dowry of the extrinsic and the ad- ventitious which it occasionally brings. It certainly is one of the characteristics of geologic science, although in a far higherrsense than that to which I have adverted, that it promises little and performs much. © It contrasts strongly in this respect with those purely mental sciences still properly taught in our higher schools, for they con- stitute the true gymnastics of mind; but which, like other gymnastics, are to be re- garded, not as actual work, but simply as.a preparation for it. The use of the dumb bells opens the chest and strengthens the muscles: but it is left to labour of quite another kind to supply the wants of the present, or to provide for the necessities of the future. And such appears to be the sort of relation borne by the purely mental to the natural sciences. How very different, however, the prospects which they seemed to open to the curious inquirer in the earliest ages of their history, or even in the earlier history of individual minds among ourselves. Mental science must have appeared to many of us, when we first approached it, as a magnificent gateway, giving access to a vast province, in which not only all knowledge regarding the nature of mind was to be acquired, but in which also, through the study of the intellectual faculties, we were to be introduced to the best possible modes of acquiring all other knowledge. But have we not been disappointed in our hopes ?—nay, from the doubts and uncertainties con- jured up by the nice dialectics of the science, have we not had eventually to cast our- selves for escape on the simple instincts of our nature? — and ultimately, have we not gained well nigh as little through the process so imperatively demanded by the meta- physician, of turning the mind upon itself, instead of exercising it on things external to it, as if we had been engaged in turning the eye upon itself, instead of directing it on all the objects which it has been specially framed to see—among the rest, on other eyes, and the peculiarities of their structure? In both natural and physical science, on the contrary, have we not often found, that while the promise has been slight, the fulfilment has been ample, far beyond the reach of anticipation? When the boy Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. 3371 James Watt was playing, as Arago tells the story, with the steam of the family tea- kettle — now marking how its expansive force raised the lid of the utensil, and now, ~ how, condensed into water, it trickled powerlessly down the sides of the cold china cup which he had inverted over it— who could have imagined, that in these simple processes there lay wrapped up the principle of by far the mightiest agent of civiliza- tion which man has yet seen—an agent that, in a century after the experiment of the boy, would have sueceeded in giving a new character to the arts, both of peace and of war? Or who could have surmised, when, at nearly the same period, the Philadel- phian printer was raising for the first time his silken kite in the fields, that there was an age coming in which, through a knowledge of laws hitherto unknown—but whose existence he was then determining—man would be enabled to bind on his thoughts to the winged lightning, and to send them, with an instantaneousness that would anni- hilate time and space, across land and sea? Nor in that geological branch of natural science to which, with the cognate branches, our Society has specially devoted itself, has performance in proportion to previous promise been less great. When it was first ascertained by the father of English Geology, William Smith —a man not yet more than twelve years dead—that the oolitic beds of England have always a uniform order of succession, and that this uniformity is attended by a certain equally uniform suc- cession of groups of fossils, could it be once inferred that he was laying hold of a prin- ciple which, in the course of a single age, was destined marvellously to unlock the past history of our planet, and to acquaint us with God’s doings upon it, as the Creator of all, for myriads of ages ere he had first breathed the spirit of life into human nostrils, or man had become a living soul? It is one of the great marvels of our day, that through the key furnished by geologic science, we can now peruse the history of past creations more clearly, and arrive at a more thorough and certain knowledge of at least the structural peculiarities of their organisms, than we can read the early histo- ries of the old dynasties of our own species, that flourished and decayed on the banks of the Euphrates or of the Nile, or ascertain the true character of the half-forgotten tyrants with whom they terminated or from whom they began. The gulf between mental and geologic science is still too broad, and perhaps too carelessly surveyed on the theologic side, to permit us to judge of the influence which the discoveries of the geologist are yet to exercise on the ethical departments of literature. We can, how. ever, already see, that the vastly extended knowledge of God’s workings of old, which the science communicates, must exercise no slight influence upon certain departments of natural theology, and give a new tone to those controversies regarding the evidences of our faith which the Church has ever and anon to maintain with the world. Geology has already put an end to that old fiction of an infinite series of beings which the atheist was wont to substitute, in his reasonings, for the great First Cause through which all exists ; nor does it leave other than very unsolid ground to the men who would fain find an equivalent for the exploded infinite series of their predecessors, in a developing principle. Nay, I would ask such of the gentlemen whom I now ad- dress as have studied the subject most thoroughly, whether, at those grand lines of division between the paleozoic and secondary, and again between the secondary and tertiary periods, at which the entire type of organic being alters, so that all on the one side of the gap belongs to one fashion, and all on the other to another and wholly dif- ferent fashion—whether they have not been as thoroughly impressed with the convic- tion that there existed a Creative Agent, to whom the sudden change was owing, as if they themselves had witnessed the miracle of creation? Farther, may we not hold, 3372 Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. that that acquaintance with bygone creations, each in succession of a higher type than the one which preceded it, which Geology enables us to form, must soon greatly affect the state of arguments employed on the sceptical side, which, framed on the assump- tion that creation is but a “singular effect”—an effect without duplicate—have urged, that from that one effect only can we know aught regarding the producing Cause ? Knowing of the Cause but from the effect, and having experience of but one effect, we could not rationally hold, it has been argued, that that producing Cause could have originated effects of a higher or more perfect kind. The creation which it had pro- duced we knew; but having no other measure of its power, we could not, it was con- tended, regard it as competent to the production of a better or nobler creation, or, of course, hold that it could originate such a state of things as that perfect future state which Faith delights to contemplate. Now it has been well said of the author of this ingenious sophism,— by far the most sagacious of the sceptics, —that if we admit his premises, we shall find it difficult indeed to set aside his conclusions. And how, in this case, does Geology deal with his premises? By opening to us the history of the remote past of our planet, and introducing us, through the present, to former creations, it breaks down that singularity of effect on which he built, and for one creation gives us many. It gives us exactly that which, as he truly argued, his contemporaries had not — an experience in creations. And let us mark how, applied to each of these in succession, his argument would tell. There was a time when life, animal or vegeta- ble, did not exist on our planet, and when all creation, from its centre to its circumfe- rence, was but a creation of dead matter. To what effect, in that early age, would have been the argument of Hume? Simply to this effect would it have borne — that, although the producing Cause of what appeared was competent to the formation of earths, rnetals, and minerals, it would be unphilosophic to deem it adequate to the ori- gination of a single plant or animal—even to that of a spore or of a monad. Ages pass by, and the paleozoic creation is ushered in, with its tall araucarians and pines, its highly organized fishes, and its reptiles of a comparatively low standing. And how now, and with what effect, does the argument apply? It is now found, that in the earlier creation the producing Cause had exerted but a portion of its power, and that it could have done greatly more than it actually did, seeing that we now find it to be a Cause adequate to the origination of vitality an’ organization in two great types— the vegetable and the animal —as exemplified in pines and araucarians, in fishes and | in reptiles. And now, as yet other ages pass away, the creation of the great secondary division takes the place of the vanished paleozoic; and we find in its few dicotyledonous plants, in its reptiles of highest standing, and in its some two or three comparatively humble mammals, that in the previous, as in the earlier creation, the producing Cause had heen, if I may so express myself, working greatly under its strength, and that in this third creation we have a still higher display of its potency. And now yet another creation—that of the tertiary period, with its noble forests of dicotyledonous trees, and its sagacious and gigantic mammals—rises upon the scene; and as our experience in creations has now become very considerable indeed, and as we have seen each in suc- cession higher than that which preceded it, we find that, notwithstanding our assumed scepticism, we had — compelled by one of the most deeply-seated instincts of our na- ture — been secretly anticipating the advance which the new state of things actually realizes. But applying the argument yet once more, we at least assume to hold, that as the sagacious elephant is the highest example of animal life produced by the ori- ginating Cause, it would be unphilosophic to deem it capable of producing a higher Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. 3373 example ; and while we are thus reasoning, man appears upon creation — a creature immeasurably superior to all the others, and whose very nature it is to make use of his experience of the past for his guidance in the future. And if that only be solid experience or just reasoning which enables man truly to anticipate the events which are to come, and so to make provision for them; and if that experience be not solid, and that reasoning not just, which would serve but to darken his discernment, and prevent him from correctly predicating the cast and complexion of coming events — what ought to be his decision regarding an argument which, had it been employed in each of the vanished creations of the past, would have had but the effect of arresting all just anticipation regarding the creation immediately succeeding, and which, thus reversing the main end and object of philosophy, would render the philosopher who — clung to it less sagacious in divining the future than even the ordinary man? But, in truth, the existing premises, wholly altered by geologic science, are no longer those _ of Hume. The foot-print of his unhappy illustration does not now stand alone. In- stead of one, we see many foot-prints, each in advance of, and on a higher level than, the print immediately behind it; and founding at once on an acquaintance with the past, extended throughout all the periods of the geologist, and on that instinct of our nature whose peculiar function is to anticipate at least one creation more, we must regard the expectation of ‘new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous- ness,’ as not unphilosophic, but as, on the contrary, altogether rational, and fully ac- cording to experience.” On the motion of Dr. Greville, the thanks of the Society were unanimously voted to Mr. Miller, for his deeply interesting address. 1, Mr. Miller then laid before the Society calotype figures and a plaster cast of Mr. Patrick Duff’s unique specimen, the Stagonolepis of the superior sandstone depo- sit of Moray, hitherto deemed old red. With these he also exhibited the figure of a reptile from the lias of Munich—Mystriosaurus Minstere—given in a late number of the Munich Transactions, of which he owed the use to the kindness of Sir Charles Lyell. Sir Charles had been struck by the very close resemblance borne by the scales of the liassic reptile to the scales of the supposed paleozoic fish, 4. e., the Stagonolepis —a resemblance certainly very marked ; and he had written to Mr. M., inquiring whether the true place of the deposit in which the latter had been found, with the la- certian reptile recently detected by Mr. Duff, and the reptilian foot-prints recently discovered by Captain Brickenden, had been satisfactorily determined. Might it not, he suggested, be an arenaceous deposit of the lias? As Dr. Rhind had submitted to the Society, at its last meeting, a drawing of Mr. Duff’s lately discovered reptile, Mr. Miller thought he could not do amiss in bringing the subject again before it. He had spent some little time about two years ago, and again in the autumn of last year, in examining the upper beds of the extensively developed sandstones of Moray ; and in the quarry near Brughead, in which, shortly before, the reptilian foot-prints had been discovered, he was informed by the workmen that such prints are by no means very unfrequent among the strata. Of this fact Mr. M. had been assured by Mr. Robert- son, of Woodside, an accomplished geologist, thoroughly acquainted with the various formations of the district, and to whose researches Agassiz owed his Morayshire speci- mens of Bothriolepis; and until either the one series of rocks—that of the reptiles and the Stagonolepis— yielded known old red sandstone fishes, or until the other —that of the Bothriolepis and Holoptychius— yielded reptilian remains or fragments of Stago- nolepis, Mr. M. thought that the question as to whether the Brughead and Spynie 3374 Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. beds, with their remains, be liassic or old red, should be left an open one. Caution was also the more necessary, he added, from the circumstance that in that northern district outliers of the lias and oolite are in several instances found resting on and ly- ing to the old red sandstone; and, from the further circumstance that some of the oolitic sandstones bear very much the character of those of Spynie and Brughead. Mr. M. stated, in conclusion, that many years ago he became practically acquainted with a yellow quartzose sandstone, brought from the oolite of Raza, which could not be distinguished from the quartzose sandstone of Brughead ; and that an outlier of such a sandstone, resting conformably on those pale sandstones of Moray which con- tain remains of the Bothriolepis, might be readily enough mistaken for an upper de- posit of the old red sandstone, although in reality representative of a widely different period in the history of the globe. 2. Mr. Andrew Murray, W.S., read the Report of the Entomological Committee on the order Coleoptera, which detailed what had been done during the past year towards acquiring a knowledge of the Entomology of those parts of Scotland which had been hitherto only partially or not at all examined. The Committee by themselves, or others employed by them, had examined some parts of Ross-shire, some parts of Sutherlandshire, and the north of Forfarshire, besides extending their investigations in quarters nearer home. Among the interesting acquisitions mentioned by Mr. Murray, were Saperda Carcharias from Sutherlandshire, Magdalis phlegmatica from Kinross-shire, Magdalis carbonaria from Perthshire, and an undescribed Percosia (proposed to be named inflata) from the Clova Mountains. Mr. Murray also men- tioned what had been done by Mr. Weaver and Dr. Nelson in the Black Forest in Rannoch, and showed specimens of the fine species there found by them ; amongst others — Cetonia obscura, De., Saperdascalaris, Astynomus edilis, Lamia Textor, Rhagium Indagator, Sericosomus brunneus, Clythra quadripunctata, &c. 3. The next paper which was read was one by Mr. Murray, on the genus Cercyon, in which he cleared up the confusion of the synonymy which prevails in that difficult genus, and brought almost the whole of Marsham’s and Stephens’ numerous species within the number of those recognized on the Continent. Mr. Murray had had pe- culiar facilities for this, having had the whole of Mr. Little’s large collection of Cer- cyons, all named by Stephens, put into his hands by that gentieman for examination. 4. Notes on the Pe-la, or insect wax of China: by Dr. MacGowan, Medical Mis- sionary at Ningpo. Communicated by Dr. Coldstream. Although this singular substance has been largely used in China since the thirteenth century, and has been occasionally imported both into France and Britain for many years past, its natural history is still very imperfectly known. Its chemical properties were investigated in 1848 by Mr. B. C. Brodie, of London, who showed that, even as it is met with in commerce, it is nearly in a state of chemical purity, and that it most closely resembles cerin, the base of bees’-wax. The Pe-la is perfectly white, translucent, shining, not unctuous to the touch, inodorous, and insipid. It melts at 100° Fahrenheit. It is found adhering to the branches of certain shrubs, whence it is collected yearly in June. It seems to be produced by myriads of minute insects, which either excrete or are changed into, the wax. Dr. MacGowan is inclined to believe that the insect under- goes what may be called aceraceous degeneration, its whole body being permeated by the peculiar product, in the same manner as the Coccus Cacti is by carmine. A seal, cut in figure-stone, and bearing, as its device, ancient Chinese characters expressive of the name of Miller, which had been forwarded from China by Dr. Mac Fishes.— Insects. 3375 Gowan, for the purpose of being presented to Mr. Hugh Miller, as a mark of the es- teem in which his geological labours are held by Christian cultivators of science in the far East, was here put into Mr. Miller’s hands by Dr. Coldstream. The Society then adjourned till the first Wednesday of February. The Variegated Sole—I have seen Mr. Hussey’s note on the occurrence of the va- riegated sole on the Sussex coast (Zool. 3282), and as I know that the feeding-ground has a very great influence upon the sole, and have obtained specimens such as he de- scribes, but which were not the variegated sole (Monochirus linguatulus), I send a few extracts from my note-book on the point. The true variegated sole I have never seen exceed 53 inches (French measure), and I have seen twenty pairs at a time, and not half an inch difference in the whole lot, and many of them had roe. They are called here bastard soles. Previously to procuring any at Weymouth, the fishermen told me of asecond marketable sule, which they described as much thicker, and with larger scales than the common sole, and with black blotches on the back; this I thought must be the variegated sole, and I ordered them to bring the first they caught, which were about a foot in length, and as they were described, as to thickness of flesh, size of scales, and colour. This, however, was not the variegated sole, but I have no doubt one of the same sort as that obtained by Mr. Hussey. I then made very full inquiries of many trawlers, and they all agreed in stating the colour of the sole depended upon and varied according to the quality and depth of the feeding-ground; and they named four prevailing varieties : — 1, a dark sole; 2, a shrub sole, from the markings on the back having the appearance of shrubs ; 3, a lemon sole; and 4, a spotted sole. No. 1 is, I believe, caught in the shallowest water; No. 2 next ; and Nos. 3 and 4 in the deepest water. The black patches in the true variegated sole run in a transverse direction, and, on the fins, are in the shape of bars, and pretty regular both in size and distance from each other; in the other solementioned by Mr. Hussey, the blotches are very irregular in every way. In five specimens of the variegated sole which I pur- chased this morning, there are no black marks whatever on the body, which is reddish, with light markings, the fins however are barred with regular, black, transverse bands in the direction of the rays.— Welliam Thompson ; Weymouth, January 20, 1852. Method of obtaining Trox sabulosus.—Time was, when the meeting with, upon our forest hills, a rabbit-skin or a bundle of old bones, was hailed with delight, as a trea- sure ever longed for but seldom met with, as ‘‘luck was not in’em” if they did not hold a specimen or two of the far-famed and interesting Trox sabulosus. Now, like the man in the farce, who never had an idea of his own, it was not, until advised by my friend, George Guyon (well known in your pages), that I saw, by simply taking over and placing in favourable localities, a few skins and bottles of bones, how easily the above-mentioned casualty might be converted into a “dead certainty,” and_a good supply of Trox be readily procured. Accordingly, on my next trip, behold me with _ the pockets of my entomological coat standing out some half a yard from each side of my person, owing to the deposition therein of some half a dozen rabbit-skins, and two soda-water bottles partly filled with bones. Selecting suitable situations, I deposited 3376 Insects. my skins, and burying my bottles up to their mouths, left the field. Upon return- ing a fortnight after to see the result of my experiment, judge of my delight when, on examining the skins, I had the lively satisfaction of extracting therefrom thirteen specimens of the much-desired Trox. Like the burying Necrophori, they had partly entombed the skins ; and I would recommend any one laying similar traps, to well dig up the soil with their barking-knife or digger, and carefully examine it beneath the skins, as most of my specimens were taken from thence: they having gone thither and taken with them some choice morsel to be disposed of at Jeisure, in content and fancied security. Like the Necrophori, too, the Trox emits a peculiar squeaking sound when disturbed in its haunts. Having securely bottled my specimens of Trox, my attention was next directed to the buried bottles of bones. These I found com- pletely filled with specimens of Necrophorus humator and mortuorum, Oiceoptoma rugosa, two species of Ptomophagus, several specimens of Serica brunnea (but rarely met with in this county), Nitidule, Brachelytra and effluvia.—Fredk. Bates ; King St., Leicester, January 23, 1852. Occurrence of Necrodes littoralis in considerable numbers. — Five years since last — summer, as I was passing down a lane in the vicinity of this town, I saw stretched on the sward the remains of a horse that had perished ina pit hard by. It was after- wards cut up on the spot and the members taken away, their use being to stay the craving appetites of sundry of the canine species ; the entrails only were left, and cast aside as worthless. The weather was excessively hot at the time ; and in a few days, on revisiting the spot, I found the remains completely alive with a maggot or grub, about half an inch in length. But the dreadful effluvia arising prevented me from making any close examination. However, a day or two afterwards, I boldly advan- ced, determined at all risks to have an examination. I found it literally swarming with Necrodes littoralis, an insect I had never heard of before as occurring in this county. It was an exhilirating sight to see me, with beaming countenance, bending over these remains, puffing out huge volumes of smoke from my meerschaum, in order to keep the effluvium (not small I assure you) off my stomach ; ever and anon diving with my fingers into the unctuous mass, to secure the Necrodes which were rolling and rollicking about, evidently luxuriating in their filthy feast. Having secured a sufficiency, and my pipe having expired, I left the remainder to the full enjoyment of their repast. Upon again visiting the spot a few days afterwards, both matter and life had entirely disappeared. Thus does Nature, by her ceaseless and ever-wakeful energy, preserve herself. Everywhere present are her myriad agencies, whose task it is to turn back into the great stream of life organic matter on the verge of dissolution. The great circle of life is complete and unbroken. Among my specimens of Necrodes were a number with the thighs of the hinder legs greatly enlarged. Can any one in- form me the cause of this, as I have been led to understand they are not the males of | the species, as I at first supposed? By what earthly sense were these insects guided, — and from whence could come an army sufficient, in a few days, wholly to consume the entrails of a horse P—Jd. Occurrence of Carabus arvensis in Leicestershire—On the 6th of April, 1850, I had | the pleasure of capturing a fine and brilliant specimen of Carabus arvensis, roaming over the plain of Beacon, situate at the base of Beacon Hill, the first time, I believe, it has ever been met with in this county. The colours of this specimen are so singu- larly brilliant for the species, as to entitle it, in the opinion of Mr. Thomas Marshall, to the rank of a variety.—Id. | Fauna of Wesiern Eskimaua-land. 3377 Remarks on the Fauna of Western Eskimaux-land. By Beprorp Pim, Lieut. R.N.* a THE polar bear (Ursus maritimus) sometimes attains the height of 9 feet, and inhabits the icebergs of the Arctic sea, preying upon the _ seal, which, with one blow of its powerful paw, it secures and destroys. _ The bear rarely, if ever, approaches human habitations, and the ice- bergs adjoining the coast of Asia appear to be its favourite resort. _ Man however finds the skin too useful to suffer the animal to remain in quiet. As even a musket-ball would flatten, and an arrow fail to _ arouse it from slumber, the natives have invented an ingenious artifice _ to secure it. A thick and strong piece of whalebone, about 4 inches broad and 2 feet long, is bent double; while in this state, some pieces of blubber are wrapped around it, and the contrivance taken into the open air, where a low temperature renders it hard and compact: it is now ready for use. The natives, being armed with bows and arrows, and taking the frozen mass with them, depart in quest of their prey. As soon as the animal is seen, one of the hunters deliberately dis- charges an arrow at it; the monster, feeling the insult, pursues the party, which is now in full retreat, but meeting with the frozen blub- ber, dropped expressly for it, swallows the lump. The chase, the exercise of running, and the natural heat of the inside, soon cause the dissolution of the blubber; the whalebone, thus freed from incum- brance, springs back to its old position, and makes such havoc with the intestines, that the beast discontinues the chase, and soon termi- nates its existence. The other bears are comparatively diminutive. The most common is the brown bear (Ursus Arcticus), which inhabits the woods. The natives kill considerable numbers about Kotzebue’s Sound; the ani- mal is not seen much to the northward. It commits great depreda- tions upon the Russian fishing-stations in Norton Sound, and is so daring and voracious that nothing save a well-directed shot puts an end to the mischief. Not unlike the bear is the wolverine (Ursus luscus, Linn.), which is also limited to the woods, and rarely, if ever, seen to the northward of them. Its strength is prodigious, and, although small, it has been * My friend, Lieut. B. Pim, has kindly permitted me to communicate to the ‘Zoologist’ the following extracts from his manuscript work, ‘The Western Relief Expedition, its Objects and Results. —Berthold Seemann. X. K 3378 Fauna of Western Eskimauz-land. known to drag an entire deer to its den. The natives never openly — face it, but always resort to stratagem. It preys upon any animal that may fall in its way, indiscriminately making a meal from the reindeer or the mouse. Its skin is highly prized, and holds the first rank in Eskimaux currency. The marten (Mustela Martes) appears to be an intermediate spe- | cies between the sable of the Old and the marten of the New World; it partakes of the dark colour of the former, and thick soft fur of the latter, while the fur on the under part of the foot is a character com- mon to both species. It does not extend its peregrinations beyond the limit of the woods; on the contrary, it appears to increase in size and number as it recedes from that boundary. The peninsula to the southward of Kotzebue’s Sound abounds in it; and still further south, inland from Norton Sound, nearly all the natives have outer coats of — its fur, which however are not considered so valuable as those of deer- skin. Of several hundred skins that I have seen, the colour was never entirely black. The ermine (Mustela Erminea) also is common, and inhabits the banks of rivers. During the winter it possesses, like the Arctic hare, a white skin, with a black-tipped tail. It is occasionally trapped, though from the number required for a single dress, it is not often molested, and its skin, as an article of exchange, is considered of tri- fling value. The otter (Lutra Canadensis) is highly prized and much sought after. Its skin is used as trimmings for dress, and bartered at a high price with the Russian traders. The fox (Canis vulgaris) is of a bright red colour, and is princi- pally found about the coast, where it obtains plenty of food through- out the year, by preying on the ptarmigan and hares. The Russians — give a good price for the skin. The white fox (Canis lagopus) so common on the Asiatic shores, is rarely seen. Wolves are seldom seen alone, generally running down their prey in packs. They do not hesitate, if pressed by hunger, to attack a sin- gle individual, although, if two or three people are together, they are easily scared. Scarcely a winter passes without some of the natives being destroyed ; this, their own assertions, and my personal know- — ledge, sufficiently testify. It is always necessary to be on the alert. I remember that it once fell to my lot to cook for the party to which I was attached; and, having prepared some venison steaks for my companions, I fell asleep. Some wolves, however, had been in the Fauna of Western Eskimaux-land. 3379 vicinity all day, and kept better watch than myself. Upon awakening, I found to my surprize that the frying-pan was empty, and no rem- nants of the repast whatever were to be seen. Pursuit was hopeless, and my companions returning, they had to go supperless to sleep. The wolf-skin is much prized by the Eskimaux, and the animal itself is often caught for the purpose of crossing their dogs, and thus adding to their size and strength. The lynx (Felis rufa) is scarce, but destructive to the deer. It takes its place among the branches of trees, and pounces upon its prey beneath. The skin, though the fur is very soft and thick, is not valuable, because it is remarkably thin. The flesh forms a dainty article of food, and is made into broth for the sick and aged, as chick- ens are with us. The different species of seal in the Arctic sea are numerous, and form one of the necessaries of life to the Eskimaux. Their flesh is an esteemed article of food, and their skins are used for various do- mestic purposes. . Of still greater importance is the morse or walrus (Zrichechus ros- marus), without which the condition of the natives would be wretched indeed. Its skin forms the outer covering of their baidars and kay- acks; from its tusks are made weapons, sledge-runners, and a variety of useful articles; and its flesh and blubber afford both food and light. Even to a European, the walrus-meat is not disagreeable. Captain Cook calls it marine beef; and on board the relief ships, soup made from it frequently appeared at table. Rats and mice are numerous, and, as the aborigines put everything to some use, the former are trapped for their skins, the latter as food. The marmots (Axvtomys Parri) are abundant all along the coast: they are of a yellowish gray colour, inclining to russet. The skin is esteemed, forming, as it does, a warm covering. The marmots bur- row in holes, and remain in a state of lethargy during the winter. The beavers (Castor Fiber) are caught or trapped in numbers, and, like the marten and others, are found in greater abundance to- wards the south. The natives obtain a good price for the skins, which the Russians appear to consider the most lucrative branch of their fur trade, and import vast numbers into China, in exchange for tea. The hare (Lepus glacialis) roams over the vast moorland, and seve- ral killed on Choris Peninsula averaged 14 ths. in weight. During the winter they are entirely white, with the exception of the tips of the ears, which are black ; but in the summer the colour changes, until in September it cannot be distinguished from that of the hares 3380 Fauna of Western Eskimaux-land. of Europe. The skin serves as the inner coat of the Eskimaux, and surpasses all others in softness and warmth. Remains of the antediluvian elephant are embedded in alluvial clay in several places along the coast. In Kotzebue’s Sound was found the long black hair, together with a quantity of light brown dust, evidently decomposed animal matter. “The fossils are sometimes of great size; in 1848, eight tusks of the mammoth were collected, the largest of which, though broken at the point, was 11 feet 6 inches in length, 1 foot 9 inches in circumference at the base, and weighed 243 tbs. Mo- lar teeth, thigh-bones, ribs, and other fragments of the elephant, toge- ther with a number of horse and deer bones, were disinterred ; the whole emitting that peculiar smell encountered in burial-places.” * Of the whole Fauna perhaps no animal is better adapted to the country, or more useful to the inhabitants, than the reindeer (Cervus Tarandus). From its skin, clothing and tents are made; from its bones, arrow-heads, &c.; and from its sinews, bow-strings, thread, &c.; while its flesh forms a most nutritious food. The teeth are used as ornaments by the women, and the horns converted into han- dles and the heads of darts. The reindeer is migratory, proceeding to the northward when the snow melts, and returning southward when the frosts of winter render the Arctic steppes uninhabitable. The migrations southward extend little beyond Norton Sound. The rein- deer are very tenacious of life, and, unless hit in a vital part, they are not even stopped in their career by a musket-ball. The hunter some- times exhausts his whole quiver of arrows before he secures his prey. There is, however, a quicker method of attaining the end. The na- tives make a semicircular pound, of stakes driven into the ground, and affix to it nooses of walrus-hide; the animals are at first gently | driven towards them, and then, frightened by loud outcries, they rush headlong to destruction. Porpoises are seldom seen, but they seem to be replaced by white whales, which are a little larger. In June and the beginning of July they are taken in considerable numbers; during the rest of the sum- mer they are not approachable. There are, besides, the Greenland whale, the spittle-back, and the finner. Many whale-ships have been attracted in consequence, and they number as many as a hundred. Each vessel is capable of containing about 3,500 barrels of oil; and as whales generally yield from 40 to 50 barrels each, it is necessary to capture at least 85 to obtaina full cargo. The effect of this slaugh- *M.B.Seemann’s Private Journal. ———— ee ee Fauna of Western Eskimaux-land. 3381 ter is already apparent, and the ships have to enter the icy masses in order to drag their prey from its last refuge; but even there success does not always attend their efforts. The black crow and the ptarmigan are the only birds that remain in the Arctic regions throughout both the summer and winter seasons. The crow is supposed by the natives to have been the maker of the universe; but this belief does not induce any veneration, on the contrary, the bird was frequently pointed out as a fit mark to fire at. The ptarmigans change their plumage every month, and approach nearest to white in December; but after that time the tail, wings and head gradually become black, until in June the feathers assume a brownish red. In April the ptarmigans begin to pair, and during that time they have a peculiar cry, sounding almost like our “go back, go back.” As the month of May advances, and diffuses warmth around, flocks of geese, gulls, divers, puffins, shags, and swans, quickly followed by ducks, teal, and wigeon, spread themselves over the country. The smaller birds, such as owls, snipes, plovers, curlews and sparrows, ap- pear to spring from the ground, and their nests are soon to be found in every direction. The number of birds is very great, as they are seldom frightened, or, with the exception of the ptarmigan, snared by the natives. Western Eskimaux-land, like the “ Land of the West,” is free fronr every description of reptile, though St. Patrick has never visited it. Many varieties of fish abound in rivers. Salmon, so frequent in Norton Sound, are not found to the northward of the Buckland ; they appear however to be superseded by the mullet, which obtains a con- siderable size. Herrings and whiting are caught in Hotham Inlet in great quantities, and some of the smaller streams produce a few trout. An immnese number of shells, star-fish, crabs, shrimps, and Radi- ata, occur in the Arctic sea; the beach also, in some places, is strewn with mussels ; of land shells, only a single species seems to prevail. Insects are few in proportion to the rest of the Fauna. A species of butterfly, a bee, two beetles of a black colour, a jumping spider, and the mosquito, may be considered to comprise the whole; the lat- ter, however, makes up for the paucity of other insects. “ In the tro- pics,” says Mr. B. Seemann,* “ mosquitoes are often troublesome, but in the worst mangrove-swamps I have never seen them so numerous as in the northern regions: indeed, they tormented me so much, that + In Hooker’s Journal. 3382 Fauna of Western Eskimauz-land. the blood was actually streaming from every unprotected part of my body. The tropical mosquitoes are small and swift, and although it generally proves a vain attempt to kill them, yet they may be driven away. Far different are these northern ones. They are much larger, sluggish in their movements, and, after having once taken up their position, they are with difficulty frightened. Fifty to a hundred may be destroyed by a single dash of the hand; yet all is of no avail: their places are instantly occupied by fresh recruits, and at last a person becomes so fatigued, after so many unsuccessful attempts to free him- self from his tormentors, that he is obliged to give up killing them in despair, and submit patiently to their irritating operations.” The only domestic animal is the Eskimaux dog, which, according to some naturalists, is merely to be considered as a tame wolf. The resemblance between the two is indeed striking. Both have the same low melancholy howl, and, although the head and ears of the dog are shorter, its eyes smaller and more sunk, its tail handsomely curled over the back, its paws smaller and less spread, and its colour of every hue, yet these distinctions are not sufficiently characteristic to raise it to the rank of a separate species. The natives are very proud of their dogs, and some of the principal men have teams corresponding in co- lour and size, as a wealthy European would have his horses. The dogs are employed for no other purpose than that of drawing the sledges and baidars. While yet puppies they are placed in harness, and thus early accustomed to the labour they are to perform. When tied to sledge they evince their joy by the wildest antics, and set off at a quick pace, which, however, soon changes to a steady trot. The females are seldom used for draught, and only a few kept for breeding. The dogs, upon scenting, will start in full pursuit, but unless driven by hunger never attack the deer. The natives treat them with kind- ness and attention, and never use harsh measures; a word is gene- rally sufficient to quicken their pace or bring them toa halt. The women even go so far as to chew the food for the pups, and give them a share of the furs. This treatment, indeed, differs essentially from that inflicted by the Tchukchies, on the north-eastern shores of Asia, who guide and beat their dogs most unmercifully. BepFrorp Pim, Lieut. R.N. January, 1852. Excursion to Botany Bay. 3383 Excursion to Botany Bay, New South Wales. By Jonn MacGIi.tivray, Esq. Wira the name of Botany Bay most people in England still asso- ciate the ideas of felony and transportation, unaware that it has never been directly associated, to any considerable extent, with the annals of crime. My object, however, is not to enter upon such a subject ; but merely to narrate an excursion made to the place, in quest of ob- jects of Natural History. Leaving Sydney one fine morning in December —the height of the Australian summer—a walk of five miles brought me to the waters of the bay, upon its nothern shore, where, by the way, the shade of Sir Joseph Banks would be surprized to find his name blazoned forth in large letters upon the sign-board of an hotel, well known to the good folks of Sydney. The intervening country is a tract of low sandy ground, covered with bushes, with numerous swamps and lagoons of fresh water towards the east, where the rising ground suddenly ends in a line of bold sandstone cliffs, the base of which is chafed by the waves of the Pacific. Over this district the variety of flowering shrubs and other plants, although considerable, is yet not sufficiently striking to remind one that to this the place is indebted for the name bestowed upon it by its discoverers. Perhaps the most remarkable of these is the curious Xanthorrhea hastilis, or grass-tree, with tall spear-like flower-stalks, eight feet high, springing from the centre of a great tuft of grass-like leaves arching over a bare supporting trunk. But the finest show is made by the white and pink heath-like kinds of Epa- cris, and the purple-blossomed Boroniz—both among the well-known attractions of the English greenhouses. Yet botanizing here is not altogether unattended with danger, for snakes are still abundant in the swamps, although within a few miles only of a city containing 50,000 inhabitants. Once I nearly trod upon acarpet-snake (Morelia variegata), fortunately a harmless kind; and soon afterwards killed another, the “black snake” of the colonists (Acanthophis Tortor), the bite of which is reputed to be highly poisonous. Scarcely any of this tract of land is fit for cultivation. It extends from Port Jackson to Botany Bay in one direction, and, in the other, stretches westward from the coast, intersected by more or less conti- nuous sand hills, the boundaries of numerous swamps. These marshes harbour very few birds. Occasionally one starts a snipe (Scolopax Hardwickii), or the beautiful swamp parrakeet (Pezoporus formosus), 3384 Excursion to Botany Bay. from among the long grass and rushes. No lacustrine shells occur, I believe, although often diligently searched for. The sand hills are overgrown with species of Leptospermum and Epacris, and small Banksiz and Eucalypti. The birds there are chiefly the well-known Meliphagide or honey-suckers, Meliphaga Nove-Hollandiz, Glyci- phila fulvifrons, G. albifrons, and Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, with two beautiful Maluri, M. cyaneus and M. Lamberti. The carcase of a horse by the road-side furnished several carrion beetles — Emus erythrocephalus, Ptomaphila lachrymosa, a brilliant Hister, and a blue Necrobia; and on the Leptospermum we found the beautiful Cyria imperialis, Stigmodera macularia, and Chrysolophus spectabilis, the last in considerable abundance. The wooden fences everywhere harbour a great cockroach (Kakerlac ?); and from the small gum-trees, feeding upon the leaves, I shook down Anoplo- gnathus viridi-zneus, A. analis, A. Olivieri, &c., in great numbers, and some of these trees in flower furnished Temognatha variabilis, and one or two specimens of T. grandis, besides many Cetoniade,—Diaphonia dorsalis, D. frontalis, Eupeecila Australasiz, Ku. punctulata, &c. The upper part of Botany Bay contains extensive mud-flats, par- tially dry at low water, covered with meadows of Zostera marina, and fringed in places with mangroves. ‘These flats are covered with Ceri- thium ebeninum and Arca trapezia, two shells which supply most of the lime used in the colony; they also constitute the feeding-grounds of numerous herons (Ardea Nove-Hollandie), curlews (Numenius Australasie), and other waders. Having reached the south headland of the bay, let me ask the reader to allow me to put aside Zoology for a while, and take a retro- spective glance at the important events of which this has been the scene: for we are now upon classic ground, such, at least, as a colony | like this can exhibit. It is now eighty-one years since our illustrious navigator Cook dropped anchor in the bay ; and by the aid of the tele- scope you may see a brass plate fixed to a rock on the opposite shore, commemorating this event. There the first white men landed, and there the party of forty from the Endeavour were opposed by a single native, who manfully withstood for a time the supposed hostile invad- ers of his country. A few years pass by, and the quiet waters of the bay are enlivened by the presence of eleven sail of vessels, with up- wards of 800 convicts on board. But no place was here found suita- ble for the reception of so large a party ; and fortunate was it that in the neighbouring Port Jackson, a few miles to the northward, a noble harbour was discovered, on the shores of which the first British set- } d Excursion to Botany Bay. 3385 tlement in Australia was founded on January 26, 1788. On the very day when the “first fleet” was leaving for Port Jackson, two French discovery-ships (La Boussole and L’Astrolabe), under the unfortunate Lapeyrouse, put in here; and that tall column near us reminds one that here this ill-fated expedition was last seen by Europeans, and for a long time its fate remained amystery. Here too is the lonely tomb of the Abbé Receveur, one of Lapeyrouse’s naturalists, who died at this place, of wounds received’ from the natives of the Navigator Islands. What has become, you naturally ask, of the once numerous tribe of aborigines of which these shores were once the home, and these wa- ters the fishing-grounds? Their doom has been worked out,—is the answer,—not one now remains. The last of his race—his name was Marit, and I knew him well—died in Sydney two years ago. He was much attached to the scenes of his younger days, and felt his own de- solate condition. A friend of mine was once walking on the sands of Botany soon after sunrise, when this “last man” suddenly came from the skirting thickets and joined him. “This all my country” said he, making a large sweep with his extended arm,—“ Nice country this— My father chief long time ago, now I chief. — Water all pretty, sun make it light. When I little fellow, plenty black fellow, plenty jins, plenty piccaninny, great corrobory, plenty fight. Eh! all gone now and (pointing his forefinger to the ground) all gone Sir, only me left to walk about !” But I am forgetting that we are upon a zoological excursion, and have yet to visit Bondy Bay, a short distance to the northward. On the sandy beach are numerous Janthine, Velella, and Physaliz cast up by a recent westerly gale, together with shells of Spirule, and dead mutton-birds (Puffinus brevicaudus). Cicindela Upsilon is plentiful on the sand, but difficult of capture. On the rocky headlands of Bondy Bay I found about a dozen spe- cies of shells—a large Chiton, Haliotis nzvosa, Ricinula tuberculata, Turbo undulatus, T. versicolor, Parmophorus Nove-Hollandiz, &c., and on the rocks reached occasionally by the spray, Planaxis mollis, Littorina Mauritiana and L. pyramidalis. The pools contained black Echini of two species, and several Asteriade. I was amused with watching two cuttlefishes (Octopus) ; the rapidity of their movements surprized me, as did the ferocity with which one pounced upon an un- fortunate crab. Another inmate of the pools is the snake-like Murena prasina, which bites savagely at a stick presented to it, and is secured with difficulty. Numbers of a flat variegated crab (Grapsus rudis) XxX. L 3386 Birds. were running about the rocks — with equal facility up and down per- pendicular and overhanging surfaces—betaking themselves to the fis- sures and recesses as soon as I approached: in fact even by looking over a rock all the crabs below took to flight. On the flat summits of the sandstone cliffs are numerous specimens of rude carving of the aborigines representing sharks, porpoises, kan- garoos, &c. Descending by a narrow path, I fished from the rocks with considerable success, having caught several species of Serranus, Julis, &c. In asmall wood not far off I shot a “ coachman” (Pso- phodes crepitans), and many of Anthochera mellivora — the latter feeding on the insects in the Banksia flowers. Some Eucalypti in blossom were frequented by numbers of parrakeets — Trichoglossus Swainsonii and T. concinnus — besides many fine beetles. I dined here in a shady hollow, to the accompaniment of music — such as it was—to the heart’s content: for the trunks and branches of the trees around harboured numbers of “locusts,” as the colonists call them. In like manner they have anglicized Angophora by “ apple-tree,” Ca- suarina by “ she-oak,” Banksia by “ honey-suckle,” Exocarpus by “cherry,” &c.; and they are not content with calling the large flat spiders of the genus Linyphia— common under bark — by the errone- ous name “tarantula,” but some have further corrupted the word to “triantalope.” But, to return to the locusts, they are large Cicadide, of which the commonest is the green Cyclochila Australasiz, and next to that several species of Fidicina, and the fine Thopha saccata. JOHN MACGILLIVRAY. January, 1852. On the Song of Birds.—The song of birds seems to be guided by different motives; — some birds sing only at the time of pairing and nestling, others at broken periods nearly all the year round. I have watched them very closely lately, and find that the weather has a good deal to do with it. The winter of 1850-51 was remarkably mild: in November, 1850, the temperature for the first fourteen days ranged from 48 to 58, with fine, calm, clear weather; in the middle of that month the skylarks were soaring as they do in spring, and singing quite out. I noticed a sparrow carrying feathers under the eaves of a dwelling-house at the same period. In the beginning of August, 1851, the thrushes in my neighbourhood ceased singing; from that time until the 20th of October—a splendid autumnal day—I heard no thrush sing; but on that day four or five commenced their song fora day. I heard no more until the 8th of December, when “The mavis thrush with wild delight, Upon the orchard’s dripping tree, Mutters, to see the day so bright, Fragments of young hope’s poesy.” «a ek cma herr alll —_—e _ ee EE —————— 2D 3514 Crustacea. from the fact that during the whole of the above-named period he resided in a glass tumbler, with about three quarters of an inch of sea-water. His appetite is most ac- commodating—spiders, Scolopendre, caterpillars, small insects and Mollusca, in short, anything that moves, being acceptable; but more generally he shared in my luncheon, whether the same were roast beef, boiled mutton, fowl, or chop. His action when hun- gry is very significant; on my approaching the tumbler he comes to the same side, looking up eagerly at me, and jumping up repeatedly in the water, apparently to at- — tract attention. Whatever is thrown in is seized with avidity, commonly by the mid- dle, and thus sticking across the mouth is often let go and seized again three or four times before it happens to be in a position to be swallowed: this is only when the sub- stance is rigid ; a Scolopendra electrica, nearly an inch in length, which is more than half his own dimensions, disappeared in a trice. If an insect is placed outside the tumbler, it is amusing to see his vigorous struggles to penetrate the walls of his crys- — tal prison and get at it. Whena mouthful proves rather too large, he shakes his head violently and backs astern, as though that materially assisted the process. The co- louring is very variable, he being at one time covered with dark blotches and mark- ings, and at another almost immaculate. The dark colour is always assumed when the water is changed, from which I imagined it was owing to a larger supply of oxy- gen; I think now, however, it may be from alarm, as disturbing the fish without re- newing the water appears to deepen the colour. The mouth is invariably open, except of course in the act of swallowing, differing in that respect from any fish that I have rs observed (I can only speak of gold-fish, roach, dace, and other fresh-water species), | all of which close the mouth at each inspiration. The shanny is said to creep into holes when left by the tide; and this specimen, when placed on_a table covered with a cloth, does not fall sideways like many fish, but supported on the abdomen by the large pectoral fins, it advances by lashing the tail from side to side, gaining perhaps half an inch at a stroke; from the peculiar structure and position of the ventral fins any motion must be ahead. The eyes have great freedom of action, and move inde- pendently. He is sufficiently tame to take food presented to him on the point of a setting-needle, but usually retreats when the hand is brought near to the side of the glass. Mr. Yarrell (if I remember rightly) states that this species seldom exceeds 4 inches in length ; as mine is but an inch and a half, I conclude it to be a young spe- cimen : it has however grown little if at all while in my possession. — George Guyon ; Ventnor, Isle of Wight, June 18, 1852. | Note on Porcellana platycheles.—I find in Professor Bell’s ‘ British Crustacea’ a remark on the force with which Porcellana platycheles can use its claws, and its readi- ness in parting with its limbs. Both these attributes were exemplified in a specimen I captured here a few months ago (in fact on the same day that I met with the shanny just spoken of), the force of whose nippers certainly surprized me, considering the size of the creature. It also grasped the edge of the tin gentle-box-lid so firmly, that I raised it thereby to drop it into the box, when, rather than let go its hold, it separated from the limb at its base. I think this instance is somewhat remarkable, inasmuch as the crab was merely detained by its own voluntary grasp, and parted with its limb in preference to letting go its hold.—Geo. Guyon; Ventnor, Isle of Wight, June 18, 1852. i Mollusks.—Insects. 3515 Note on a Whelk. — A whelk taken at the same time as the shanny has been kept _in the same glass of sea-water. At first it was bare, but after a month or two it became coated with a green velvety deposit, from which, in course of time, numerous fila- ments of sea-weed have sprouted. These have grown rapidly, and many of them are now full two inches long. I do not know the species (though probably common), but intend to preserve some for identification. The mollusk is still living ; at first it was perpetually climbing up the glass, but now only does so at long and uncertain inter- vals.— George Guyon ; Veninor, Isle of Wight, June 18, 1852. A Night in the Forest. By NicHoLas Cooke, Esq. ** Man cannot stand beneath a loftier dome Than this cerulean canopy of light, The Eternal’s vast, immeasurable home, Lovely by day, and wonderful by night; Than this enamelled floor so greenly bright A richer pavement man hath never trod, He cannot gaze upon a holier sight, Than fleeting cloud, fresh wave and fruitful sod, Leaves of that boundless book writ by the hand of God!” On the edge of Delamere Forest is a park belonging to Lord Dela- mere, which is one of the few spots in this neighbourhood that is not tabooed. In it there is a lovely sheet of water, called Petty Pool, which is bordered on one side by a glorious wood, rising to a consi- derable height by a steep slope above the lake, and composed of alder, beech, birch, and oak timber, backed by a forest of noble pines ; and in the distance are seen some of the Derbyshire hills, altogether forming a most beautiful picture. | It is a charming locality for a na- turalist, as here are found many rarities, not only entomological, but ornithological and botanical too. 'To this wood my friend, Mr. Noah Greening, and myself repaired one afternoon in the early part of the delightful month just past, with a female Notodonta trepida, which I had bred from an egg found on a tree in this wood during the previ- ous spring ; hoping, by staying out all night, and by her means, to capture some males of this rare species. We took our fishing-tackle with us and fished for two or three hours, but with my usual luck in that line, for the fishes would not be caught. I never met with the angler yet, who, more than two or three times in his life, knew fish to bite freely ; and I have sat by the water-side many a time from 8 a.m. to 7 P.M., without haying more than a glorious nibble. We did, how- ever, this time catch two bream, of about a pound weight each. Before dark I was fortunate enough to find a fine pair of N. trepida 3516 Insects. in copuld. When it became dark, the night-jar set up his whirring note; we then lighted our lamps, and about 10 o’clock my female tre- pida began to call. In less than half an hour, as Mr. G. was examin- ing a specimen of Coremia unidentaria, or some such rubbish, that he had got in his net, I sang out, —‘‘ Here comes trepida!” I could see it coming several yards off, by the light of my lamp, in a straight line towards the female I had in a cage held in my hand. A stroke of my net, and I had captured the finest male I ever saw. “ Hip! Hip! Hurrah for trepida!” shouted we, in a very excited state, and expected we were going to take at least fifty more; but in about an © hour, as none came, we cooled down, and lay down on the dry leaves to smoke. Several species came to our lamps during the night, such — as Odontopera bidentaria, Tephrosia crepuscularia, Harpalyce suffu- — maria, Lozogramma petraria, Trachea piniperda, &c. We were lying about half asleep, near 12 o’clock, when Mr. G. shouted out “ Here’s {9 another trepida! ee Min, ge — I rose up in a great hurry to a sitting posture, and © saw one dart past me towards the female, and then back close past — my face to the ground. I thought there were two, and told Mr. G. so — as I clapped my net over this one; however, as we could not find ano- — ther, we were obliged to be content with securing one. About an hour after this it began to rain, so we went into a hut near — the water, kindled a fire upon the floor with dead brackens and fir- — twigs, and proceeded to cook our fish. It would have been a fine © subject for a painter:—me on my hands and knees blowing the fire, which filled the hut with smoke almost to suffocation, and Mr. G. holding the fish on a forked stick over the flame, until it was roasted to anicety; and notwithstanding our rude way of cooking, we thought the fish excellent, as we ate them in our fingers after peeling them like onions, their skins being as black as coal. Bats were flying about all night, and we tried to catch them by pin- ning a moth to the end of a string suspended from a bough of a tree, but they were not to be caught in that way. At about 2 o’clock the cuckoo began to call; then the sedge-warbler, skylark, black-cap, blackbird, thrush, willow-wren, wood-wren, chiff-chaff, &c.; and every now and then were heard the wild cries of the heron, coot, and crested grebe. When the day began to dawn we went to our rods again, which we had left baited, and found two of the lines fast amongst the tangled roots of the reeds. I stripped and went in to loose them; one line had a fine eel on the hook, but from the other the hook had been twisted off, and the line itself tangled into such a mess as nothing but an eel can make, : | / : Insects. 3517 We tried fishing again, but after waiting an hour or so without even a nibble, I said I could stand it no longer, and would go and look for - some Tephrosia punctularia. I soon took forty specimens, besides Tephrosia crepuscularia, Bapta temeraria, Ephyra punctaria, &c. On leaving the ground we divided the catch. Mr. G. and I always join in what we take when out collecting together, and toss for the first pick; in this instance Mr. G. won the toss, and of course the splendid male trepida is in his cabinet. We breakfasted at the Blue-cap inn, near the park gate, (Blue-cap was a noted hound belonging to the Cheshire hunt, and not far from the inn is a monumental erection to his memory); coffee excellent, as well as ham and eggs, and a spoon would almost stand upright in the cream. After enjoying a cigar we walked to the railway-station at Hartford, well pleased with our trip, and as happy as true lovers of Nature only know how to be, intending to try it again next year, if all be well, in spite of sundry most unearthly noises heard by us in the dead of night, as we lay listening to the “roar of the wind through a forest of pines.” NICHOLAS COOKE. Penketh, near Warrington, June 12, 1852. Entomological Localities. By J. W. Douctas, Esq. (Continued from page 3432). LONDON. *¢ Oh! well may poets make a fuss In summer time, and sigh ‘ O rus !’ Of London pleasures sick : My heart is all at pant to rest In greenwood shades—my eyes detest This endless meal of brick.” Thomas Hood. “‘ The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers : Little we see in Nature that is ours ; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon ! The sea that bares her bosom to the moon, The winds that will be howling at aJ] hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers ; For this, for everything, we are out of tune ; It moves us not.” Wordsworth. 3518 Insects. London considered as an “ entomological locality ” may excite a smile; but I have no intention to allude to the insect pests popularly known as “flats” and “sharps,” which abound in every portion of the metropolis from Whitechapel to Regent’s Park: though, by the way, it would be no slight boon to the Londoners if they could be taught how to get rid of these companions. My purpose at present is to call attention to the entomological museums of London,—more especially those of the British Museum and the East India House,—with a view of making them, if possible, more generally useful. A museum of preserved insects bears the same kind of relation to Entomology that books do to knowledge; and though not to be put in the place of di- rect observation of living specimens, any more than books should su- persede individual thought, yet as an accumulation of the results of investigation, and in a vast number of instances the dead specimen being all that is known of a species, it is a highly important institu- tion. The founders, and more particularly the upholders of these collections, no doubt know, to some extent, their benefit to science ; but are they so useful as they might be? The student can easily obtain access to them, but what endeavours are made to increase the number of learners? Without a previous knowledge of Entomology, the view of such collections as these can be but little better than a show. And when it is considered how few persons have this know- ledge, simply, as I believe, in thousands of instances, because their attention has never been called to the subject; and further, how much time and talent are wasted by our young men,—aye, and women too, — it is surely worth the attempt to stir up our leading men to the im- portance of making Entomology one of the means of carrying out a principle, the soundness of which they generally recognize, — the amusement and instruction of the people in their leisure. Let our — schools supply the requisite preliminary instruction, and our youth will acquire a taste for investigation into the nature and economy, not only of insects, but of animals generally and plants, and consequently have an occupation that would not only tend to withdraw them from low and sensual pleasures, but render them capable of appreciating and using the stores of materials contained in our Museums. Great bodies are slow to move, and it is always heretical to apply a lever; but I would nevertheless beg to ask whether, even in the present un- prepared state of the many, it would not be advisable to appoint a Professor of Entomology at the British Museum, who should give courses of lectures on the science, which lectures should be free to all? Such a measure would be particularly useful, and, I believe, attrac- | | l | | i Insects. 3519 tive, to the large body of persons who have neither time nor means to go beyond the limits of the town, and have no inducement from Natural History to come out from themselves and their employments, during their brief intervals of business. The hour is propitious, and there would not be much difficulty in finding the man. I mention Entomology in particular, partly from having myself a prepossession in its favour, and partly because insects are so easy to procure ; but if an entomological course of lectures were successful, other branches of Zoology might follow. The great thing to be done is to make an inroad upon the vast realm of Do-nothing — to awaken and direct a taste for observing and reflecting upon the natural objects around, to show the beauty of common things, and lead men, who now at most see but the beauty of utility, to feel the utility of beauty. This is one of the many paths which the growing intelligence of the people requires should be opened: My Lords and Gentlemen, it must be done ! — and why not by you? Could not our young nobles at Oxford and Cambridge learn something of Natural History, and fit themselves for appreciating the wonders that their means and opportu- nities put so specially within their reach, to the benefit not only of themselves but of the numberless persons influenced by their exam- ple? Could not our young clergy make themselves acquainted with the laws that govern the existence and distribution of the infinite number of dependants on that Great Power whose special servants they profess to be? When afterwards settled down among a rural population, would not their knowledge be most beneficial in directing the rude Natural- History instincts of the lads of the village, from whom now and then they might perhaps eliminate a Linneus, a Cuvier, a Latreille, or some milder luminary? At least, they might put every cottager in the kingdom in the way of keeping bees, and adding by their produce to his material comforts. Might not the sons of our merchant princes be taught how in their dealings with the ends of the earth they could enrich the collections of the nation, and add to the scientific knowledge of the world? Finally, might not our gentry cause every school in the country to have its Natural History Class, and every village its Natural History Club? I am sure all these things are possible to be accomplished, and only want to be begun to succeed, to the great benefit of science, of the state, and of individu- als, and with one other incidental result — that of making London more than ever an Entomological Locality. J. W. Douetas. 6, Kingswood Place, Lee, June 9, 1852. 3520 Insects. Further Continuation of the Bee-buzz.—I was much pleased with Dr. Bevan’s let- ter in your last number, (Zool. 3497). He is quite right as to the locus in quo, in Park Street, Bristol ;—it was at the house of my friend, Mr. J. B. Estlin, where I first saw the unicomb hive. [I lately read in your journal for 1850 (Zool. 2960) an account of the Rev. Mr. Ridsdale having witnessed the connexion of the queen bee witha drone ; but it seems strange that the Reverend gentleman did not promulgate what he saw until forty-six years afterwards: and the fault he appears to have committed consists in not having afterwards examined the unfortunate drone which fell to the ground, and sent an account of the appearances to some scientific body or person well versed in Natural History. The drones in their flight ascend about 200 feet in fine weather ; hence the difficulty in observing anything done in the air. Huber, in his experiments with queens, in order to render their vision less acute, bedaubed their eyes with opaque varnish, but even this did not prevent their ascending into the air to too great a height for observation. Huber’s account of his experiments is extremely inte- resting, but I cannot say that I agree with him about the “regular fortifications against moths ;” on this subject I say, “ tell that to the marines,” the old “ sailors know bet- ter.” Bees regularly fill up all air-holes in their hives, thus knocking down many of the arguments about ventilation ; they will even fill up all the holes in the tin sliders, and make pillars of propolis at different vacant places, to prevent the ingress of all sorts of insects and vermin; but I quite agree with Huish that Huber has stated too much, and I am given to understand that in Germany this part of his work is not believed. But a man who has discovered so much may well be forgiven for giving more than the whole truth, like many travellers who have done the same thing. Huber also states that hive bees attack the nests of humble bees, another remark that I am sure is incor- rect: at the same time I am happy to infer that this mistake may have arisen from his having taken some humble bees’ nests containing honey, and leaving them exposed in his own garden; for it is an absurdity to suppose that hive bees would go a foot into the earth after the honey of wild bees, or even penetrate a thick layer of moss to do so. I have myself been a searcher after their nests for these fifty years, and watched them in all situations, and am certain that it is an error, probably from the cause I have mentioned. I cannot conclude without thanking my worthy and venerable brother apiarian, Dr. Bevan, for his “ wrinkle” about keeping the bees in the unicomb hive through the winter. I will only say, may God spare him for some years longer! I hope he may live to see all the railroads in his neighbourhood finished ; and should | he change his residence once more, may he get above “ flood-mark!” Had I heen near enough, I should have been most happy to send him a couple of stocks to replace some of thuse which the floods swept off. — H. W. Newman; New House, Stroud, June 7, 1852. Wasps and Humble Bees.— These have been numerous; I have killed upwards of fifty queen wasps in April and May. The late showery weather and the cold nights have been very unfavourable to the wild bees; I have picked up a great many dead ones under the chestnut-trees, and probably the wasps will suffer also.—Jd. “ Another Buzz from the Bees” continued.—I owe Mr. Newman many thanks for the kind offer of his unicomb hive by way of loan, as a pattern for the construction of a similar one by my carpenter. At present, however, I am not in a position to set up a hive of this kind, but I shall bear his offer in mind. Touching the impregnation of the queen bee, I have by me a work entitled ‘The Natural History of Bees,’ trans- Jated from the French, and published in London in 1744, from which it appears that I nsecls. 3521 _ ocular demonstration has at least once been obtained of the “ coitus apum,” that is, if the author is to be credited. He writes anonymously, in the form of a dialogue be- tween two imaginary personages, Clarissa and Eugenio; and though “almost all his facts are borrowed from M. de Réaumur, whose expressions he often copies” (says the Preface), ‘*’tis still Eugenio (?. e., the author) who is accountable for the use he makes of them.” Not to shock ears polite, I do not quote the whole of the actual words (the author was a Frenchman!), but merely give the substance of them. Eugenio tells Clarissa that a queen was brought to him on one occasion: as a supernumerary she appears to have accompanied a swarm the evening before, but to have either been re- jected by the bees, or to have attempted to return home, but having missed her way, she had dropped on the ground near the hive, where she was found. ‘ The good con- dition of the wings, and her colour, made me conclude ” (says the author) “ that she was yet young; and the bulk of her body, not so great as that of a female ready to lay, seemed to prove that she had no other eggs but such as were extremely small. I shut her up in a glass, where I put. likewise a male with her.” This male at first, he says, took no notice of the queen, though she was unsparing of her caresses of him. These endearments on the part of the queen were, however, successful at last. Intercourse took place several times during the space of three or four hours, at the end of which time the drone died, as it were in an interval of repose; but his body remained all that day attached to the queen, who took no notice of another drone, which was put under the glass at the same time. Both drones were taken away at night, and a fresh drone given to the same queen next morning, as well as a drone to another queen, which had been brought to the author to repeat the experiment. ‘‘ The two females,” continues the author, “behaved in the same manner in which the first had done the day before, with a male in perfect health.” Now this account, up to a certain point, tallies as nearly as possible with Wildman’s story of Réaumur’s experiment, some- what similar in kind, (see Wildman, 3rd ed., 1778, pp. 69, 70). Is ita mere embel- lishment of Réaumur’s facts, or is the whole story a detail of personal observation ? — that is the question. But the author writes as a man who had seen with his own eyes. Huber, who came after the author of ‘The Natural History of Bees, informs Bonnet, in the first of his celebrated letters, that he had seen passages of love, similar to those which Réaumur saw between queens and drones, and in fact believed he had witnessed a kind of union between them in the hive, but so short and imperfect that it was un- likely to effect impregnation ; neither did they produce it, as he satisfactorily proved, for these queens laid no eggs. But for Huber’s other experiments, and their unmis- takeable results, in proof that queens seek intercourse with the drones in the open air, I should not have been disposed to reject the theory of intercourse at home, from the circumstance that he did not succeed in obtaining a queen so impregnated. There are sO many contingencies to be met in experiments with bees, that it is no single ob- servation, however correct in itself, that will suffice to establish a fact. However, to cut the matter short, I must say that, equally with Mr. Newman, I unhesitatingly as- sent to his conclusions. Reverting once more to the subject of “light in the dwell- ing,” whether tolerated or not by bees, I may mention that I put a small swarm into a straw hive, with a pane of glass at the back, on the 3lst of May. Though this pane is uncovered, I do not find the bees in the least annoyed by the light constantly per- vading the hive by day; nor have they yet smeared it over, or attempted to do so. The critical time however will be when the comb is worked up to the glass, which it x, 25 3522 Entomological Society. is not yet. I should mention that the glass is considerably shaded by a tall hedge at the back of the hive, only two feet removed from it.— P. V. M. Filleul ;* Ross, He- refordshire, Jane 8, 1852. Bi Proceedings of the Entomological Society. June 7, 1852.—J. O. Westwoon, Esq., President, in the chair. The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the donors : —‘ A List of the Specimens of Biitish Animals in the Collection of the Bri- — tish Museum. — Lepidoptera (continued). 1852.’ By J. F. Stephens, Esq., F.L.S. ; presented by the Author. ‘Statuten und Namen des Mitglieder des Minchener Ve- reins fur Naturkunde.’ ‘Isis, Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 6, 1850. ‘Systema Insectorum,’ tom. i. Coleoptera, Fasc. 1, Mantichora—Dromica: Monachii, 1837, auctore Dr. J. Gist. All presented by Dr. Gistl. ‘Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, Vol. iv. part 2, 1852; by the Society. A Portrait of Signor Passerini, Hon. M.E.S.; by the Rev. F. W. Hope. ‘The Zoologist’ for June; by the Editor. ‘The Literary Gazette’ for May; by the Publishers. A specimen in the finest condition of Morpho Cytheris; by T. J. Stevens, Esq., Bogota. Capt. T. Hamilton, of the Indian Army, was lected a Member of the Society. Mr. Adam White mentioned that a specimen of Acherontia Atropos had been cap- tured at Bressay, one of the Shetland Islands, by Miss Mouatt, of that place, the first instance known of the occurrence of the species so far north in Britain. Mr. A. F. Sheppard exhibited a remarkably fine specimen of Notodonta Carme- lita, taken by Mr. Harrison, of Keswick, ona birch tree near that place; also, on behalf of Mr. N. Cooke, of Warrington, a specimen of Notodonta trepida, reared with others from eggs found in May, 1851, upon a beech tree in Petty Pool Wood, Dela- mere Forest: the larve fed on oak-leaves. Mr. Sheppard also exhibited some speci- mens of Cemiostoma Laburnella, which he had beaten out of ivy, remarking that he could get none from the laburnums, although there were several of those trees in his garden. ; Mr. Hunter exhibited a specimen of Notodonta Carmelita, which he bred on the © 8th of May, from a larva beaten out of an oak at Black Park last year. Mr. Waring exhibited two specimens of Retinia Turionella, one of which he had reared from a shoot of Scotch fir from West Wickham Wood: also a specimen of An- tithesia prelongana, from the same locality. ( Mr. Edwin Shepherd exhibited two specimens of Trochilium Culiciforme, reared from larve found in a stump of birch ; also the Ichneumon parasitic on the larve of — this species, with its cocoon. He likewise exhibited Notodonta trepida, three speci- ; mens of the rare Xylina conspicillaris, Cerata Servillana, and Anchylopera Upupana, all taken at Dareuth Wood in May. Mr. Douglas exhibited specimens of Nepticula aurella, reared from bramble- leaiell and the cocoons formed by the larve after they left the leaves in which they had fed ; * By mistake printed Filland at p. 3399, and subsequent pages. Entomological Society. 3523 from these cocoons, which were green, flat, and shaped like a stock-seed, the pupa- skin was seen projecting. . The President read a letter addressed to him by Robert Smart, Esq., of Sunder- land, describing a trap for cockroaches commonly sold in the crockery-ware shops of that town. ‘It resembles” he says “ an inverted basin, with a hole about an inch in diameter at the top, the sides being somewhat rough and rather indented. But the grand desideratum ” he continues “ is some substance that the insects will greedily eat and which will poison them; in my humble opinion it is a matter not undeserving a scientific investigation, and not unworthy the attention of the Entomological Society.” The President read the following letter from William Atkinson, Esq. :— “32, Gordon St., Gordon Square, * May 31, 1852. “ Dear Sir, “In March, 1849, I had some correspondence with you respecting the insect that eats the corks in bottles of wine in cellars; and observing by the Reports of the Entomological Society that the subject has been brought before you twice re- cently, I have much pleasure in presenting herewith to the Cabinet of the Society, a specimen I have succeeded in capturing, which I presume will remove any doubt as to its being the larva of a Lepidopterous insect that commits the ravages complained of. It is somewhat extraordinary that although in every visit to my cellar I make an examination, I have never yet seen a moth or found a chrysalis. “The question has been debated in your rrom—‘ How to get rid of this nuisance?’ In my opinion, in addition to cutting close and sealing the corks, the wine should be re-binned perfectly free from saw-dust, at the same time carefully removing the saw- dust from the cellar; for in the saw-dust the caterpillar no doubt changes into the chrysalis, and the moth lays its eggs. It is through this medium, I feel certain, the mischief is transmitted from the wine-merchanv’s cellars. “Tt appears to me, that the insect cannot possibly be imported in the cork, as has been suggested, after it has undergone the process of firing, and sometimes, I believe, vf boiling, and also the cutting into corks. The very act of driving a cork into a bot- tle would certainly crush any eggs, in which state only could the insect be in the corks ; and I should think it unlikely that the moth is furnished with the means of pe- netrating the cork, to deposit its eggs therein. “* Begging you will excuse my offering these opinions on the subject, “T remain, yours obediently, “Wn. Atkinson, F.L.S., &c.” “J. O. Westwood, Esq.” | The specimen sent was the shrivelled larva of a small Lepidupterous insect, appa- rently that of Oinophila v-flava. Mr. F.. Smith read a note entitled “‘ Observations on a Paper by G. Newport, Esq., F.R.S., ‘On the Anatomy and Development of certain Chalcidide and Ichneumonide, compared with their special Economy and Instincts; with Descriptions of a new Ge- nus of Bee-parasites,’ in the ‘ Transactions of the Linnean Society, vol. xxi. part 1.” The Secretary read a paper communicated by Mr. H. W. Bates, “On the Habits of the Coleopterous Megavephale of the Amazonian Region.” M1. White observed that it would be well to inform collectors at the Cape of Good 3524 Entomological Society. Hope of the facts now stated, for Platychile pallida, which occurred there, had a si- milar structure to these Megacephale, and probably similar habits. Mr. Dougles read the following note, being the substance of an article in the An- nales de la Sociéte Entomologique de France, 1851, p.323, by M. le Colonel Goureau, entitled “‘ Note pour servir a l Histoire de la Sericoris antiquana, Dup.” “In the neighbourhood of Cherbourg, the farmers give the name of ‘ the hermit’ to a larva which is found in the roots of Stachys arvensis, into which it bores a longi- tudinal gallery, acquiring at the same time food and shelter. Usually there is only one larva in a root, but sometimes two are found, at some distance from each other. “On the 1st of December, 1849, I first had an opportunity of examining the roots of Stachys arvensis. On cutting them longitudinally, I found some quite entire, some fistulous throughout, and others pierced with a gallery nearly cylindrical in form, ex- tending almost the whole length of the root, and containing a larva which moved quick- ly, either forwards or backwards, to that part of its tube which was not opened. The larva of this moth is very sensitive to the air and light, and when the end of its habi- tation has been cut off, it immediately closes the aperture with a silken covering. “On the 21st of Feburary, 1850, and the 28th of May following, I examined fresh roots of Stachys arvensis, in which I found very few of these larve. Those of the lat- ter date presented two round reddish spots, resembling slight bruises, on the seventh — or eighth segment. ‘To succeed in rearing these larvee it is necessary to keep the roots in damp earth, or they will wither, and the larve perish. They change to pupe within - their gallery, and the moth appears at the beginning of July. “‘SERICORIS ANTIQUANA, Dup. “ Orthotenia antiquana, Guén. “ Larva —Cylindrical, of an uniform livid white; head chestnut-brown, the jaws and labrum blackish brown ; some hairs on the head and segments of the body ; legs white.” The President read a Memoir on some new Lamellicorn Coleoptera, supplemen- tary to his Memoir on the family published in the 4th volume of the Society’s ‘ Trans- actions.’ The Secretary read the following letter : — “ Colegio del Espiritu Santo, “* Bogota, Nueva Granada, “ April 1, 1852. Sir, “T forwarded to you a butterfly a few days ago, for the Society. It is considered rare in this country, and it occurred to me that your Museum might not contain a specimen. I suppose it is of the genus Morpho. “J am considering the best and easiest method of preserving wood from the attacks of Termites. I should imagine that Kyan’s or Bethell’s process would succeed, and am not aware that either has been used for such purpose. Truly grateful should I be to any Member of the Society who would give me an opinion on this subject. “T am, Sir, yours obediently, “THomas JONES STEVENS. a i Microscopical Society. 3525 “P.S.—I forgot to say that the specimen comes from Muzo, mean temperature in the shade 75°.” “‘ The Secretary of the Entomological Society.” Mr. S. Stevens read the following extract of a letter, addressed to himself, from George Bush, Esq., dated ‘“ Orillia, Canada West, February 18, 1852 :”— “IT know that you take great interest in anything relating to the capture of moths, and I have found out some new methods which may be of use to you. In summer I let some dirty soap-suds stand for a few hours, and exposed to our powerful sun they soon become offensive. In the evening I take any old pieces of rag, dip them in the liquid, and then hang them on the trees ; the moths soon find them out, and no mat- ter how many trees and flowers are in bloom, I have still many moths come to my cloths. I have even placed them near a large bed of the most fragrant flower in Ca- nada (Asclepias Syriaca), and still had my share of moths. The Geometrine moths and many of the Nocturna are extremely fond of the fermented soap. This plan may not succeed in England; perhaps the weather is not sufficiently hot, and the English Lepidoptera may be more refined in their tastes. I have frequently seen butterflies here on dead fish, &c. The plan I have just mentioned is even more successful here than sugar in England; I think I have seen as many as seventy moths on a surface of 18 inches square, ona favourable night. I have tried sugar at different times with- out any success. The moths will come to the sap of the sugar-maple tree, but that will only run when the nights are frosty, so that very few species are in season at that time of the year. I think in England, by having a very brilliant light in the woods, you might capture a great many moths. I use for that purpose the birch-bark, which gives an intense light.” Mr. Stevens said he had tried the soap-suds once without success; but he thought they were not sufficiently putrid. Part 1, vol. ii., n. s., of the Society's ‘ Transactions’ was announced as just ready. —J. W. D. Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. March 17, 1852.—Gero. Jackson, Esq., President, in the chair. L. S. Beale, Esq., Dr. Hamilton, and C. C. Smith, Esq., were balloted for and duly elected Members of the Society. A paper by Geo. Shadbolt, Esq., entitled “ Hints on the subject of collecting Ob- jects for Microscopical Investigation,’ was read. In this paper the author gavea brief account of the mode of collecting Diatomacee, Desmidiez, and other Algw. He also mentioned several localities where such objects are to be met with, more particularly noticing the neighbourhoods of Northfleet and Bromley, in Kent. He described the necessary apparatus, and also pointed out the various appearances assumed by the objects sought for. He also gave many useful directions as to the mode of securing them when found. 3526 Dublin Natural History Society. Mr. De la Rue described an instrument constructed by Mr. Peters, for producing minute writing on glass. Specimens of the writing were afterwards exhibited to the meeting. April 28, 1852.—Gero. Jackson, Esq., President, in the chair. R. Shuter Boswell, Esq., the Rev. W. Read, Robt. Ceeley, Esq., Dr. Kingsley, and Jas. Hilton; Esq., were balloted for and duly elected Members of the Society. A paper by J. B. Simonds, Esq., ‘‘ On the occurrence of a Membranous Cell or Cyst upon the Olfactory Nerve of a Horse, containing a large Crystal of Oxalate of Lime,” was read. In March last a pupil of the Royal Veterinary College found, on dissecting the brain of a horse, a small transparent cyst, possessing a very bright and glistening appearance, attached to a portion of the olfactory nerve. It was supposed to be a hydatid, but upon examining it under the microscope, with a 2-inch object- glass, a large octahedral crystal of oxalate of lime, with beautifully defined facets, was seen floating freely in a limpid fluid, which distended the walls of the cell. The ex- act size of the crystal was not stated, but it can readily be seen by the unassisted sight. The author concluded with some observations on the frequent occurrence of carbonate of lime in herbivorous animals, and the rarity of the production of oxalates—J. W. Proceedings of the Dublin Natural History Society. The usual monthly meeting of this Society was held on Thursday, Proressor Auiman in the chair. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, the Chair- man called on Mr. J. R. Kinahan for his paper, “ Observations on the mbes of Gasterosteus leiurus, and on the Fishes of the River Dodder.” ‘“* Concerning the manner in which this little fish preserves its spawn, not vs slight- est notice, if I may be allowed to judge from the silence of our latest authorities, has" . been taken by any English naturalist. This is the more strange when we recollect that a habit, analogous in its nature, has been recorded of another species of the same group, whose habitat (the sea) renders it more difficult to make observations thereon, while the species under consideration may be found at every man’s door, being, with- out exception, the most extensively distributed of all the British fishes. Yet neither Yarrell in his ‘ British Fishes,’ nor Sir W. Jardine in the ‘ Naturalists’ Library,’ makes any mention of this habit, though the latter has recorded the nest-making powers of the marine species to which I alluded just now—G. Spinachia. In France, M. Coste has entered very fully into the matter in a paper read before one of the Societies in Paris in 1847; but as the following observations were made long prior to my having seen his paper, and differ in some respects from the facts recorded by him, and as he has not mentioned the species on which his experiments were made, I thought these observations might not be unworthy a place in your ‘ ‘Transactions.’ In 1846 my at- tention was first called to this curious habit bya friend of mine. I then made a series of observations, most of which I have been able to confirm during each succeeding i Dublin Natural History Society. 3527 year, and the substance of which I now hasten to lay before you. Into the question of whether this be a distinct species, or merely a well-marked variety of Gasterosteus -aculeatus of Bloch, it is not my intention to enter. Suffice it for us to consider it as a distinct species, the smooth-tailed stickleback, the G. leiurus of Valenciennes and Cu- vier. It is the only species I have been able to detect about Dublin, where it abounds in prodigious numbers. When about to spawn, the fish select a suitable spot for the foundation of their nidus, preferring a gravelly bottom, not too deep, and over which a current runs; hence the best place to look for the nests is where clear streams empty themselves into a river. At such a place you will almost invariably find abundance of them in the months of May, June and July. Another favourite locality is a large flat stone at the bottom of the river, over the edge of which the water flows, so as to pro- duce aripple. Having chosen a suitable spot, he (for it is always the male that builds) begins by laying a foundation. ‘This is slightly modified, according to the materials of which the superstructure is to be made. If, as is most usually the case, of straws and such like, the first thing done is to lay a number of these on the bed of the stream, carefully tucking the ends of them down into the gravel upon which they rest ; across these are laid other straws, the ends of which are either interlaced amongst the first row, or tucked into the gravel. ‘This last operation is always performed. by means of the animal’s snout, the point of which he places on the end of the straw, &c., and then raising the body perpendicularly, he thus presses the straw or other material among the stones or mud. Amongst and over these straws Conferve and such like are inter- woven, rendering the whole one compact mass, through which the water, however, can have free passage. He always takes care to preserve a dome-like hollow in the centre, in the top of which there is a small round hole; the edges of this he takes particular care to strengthen, tucking in the straws and rounding off the edges most industrious- _ ly; and every now and again he pauses in his task, and remains hovering over the nest, as though trying by the current produced by the motion of his fins whether the structure is secure enough or not. Sometimes the nest is entirely made up of fresh- water Alge, and in this case the foundation is a most beautiful object, being as circu- lar as though marked out with a pair of compasses. I have also seen it composed | almost entirely of decayed leaves of trees ; this was in a muddy ditch, and the nest was a most untidy-looking affair. Whatever materials he uses, he always takes care to _ preserve the hole in the centre, boring at it every now and then with his snout for five | ‘minutes ata time. It is most interesting to watch the little architect at his labours ; | one while with a straw or piece of stick in his mouth, three or four times as long as himself, or else carrying a bunch of Conferve, in which his head is nearly completely concealed; at another while, either hovering over the nest or boring at it with his snout, or else attacking some audacious intruder who has dared to trespass on his domain— for I believe it is well known that these fishes always select a spot for themselves, over which they keep guard with the greatest jealousy. One morning I was much enter- tained by a contest of this kind. Two fish had selected a large flag, of about two feet . square, as the foundation for their nests. Every minute or two, either in procuring _ straws, or in returning with them, they would come in contact; then there would be a rush at each other, and in a minute or two, the weaker fish having given way, there would be a chase for two or three minutes, during all which time the fishes never drop- ped the straws; the conqueror invariably returning in triumph, and sailing proudly two or three times round his nest. They seem to have some judgment in the selection of their materials, as I have often observed a fish, after carrying a straw for some dis- | | | | } | 3528 Dublin Natural History Society. tance, to drop it as though of no use; and it invariably happened, that if another fish. took up, by any chance, a straw which had been thus rejected, he also, after a short while dropped it, as if his instinct informed him that it was worthless. The time the nest takes in building varies considerably ; one that I timed took five hours in the building, from the time the first layer of straws was laid till the fish stopped work. I never was fortunate enough to see the operation of depositing the spawn, as I never was able to spend more than five or six hours at a time watching the fish, and believe the spawn is depusited in the dusk of the evening. The spawn having been deposited, the male, or, as the country people call him, the cock, mounts guard, never going far from the nest, at least for a time, and may be seen hovering over the sacred deposit, ready to give battle to any enemy approaching its neighbourhood. At this time they are very bold and pugnacious, and [ have known them even to dart at my hand and strike me with their spines when I went to take the nest. How long this watch is kept up I am not positive, but I think it must be continued till their young are hatched, as I never found a nest unguarded. These are the principal observations I have been able to make on this little fish. I doubt not that they have occurred to other natural- ists; but as I do not find them recorded, I feel myself justified in bringing them before your Society. ** As to the distribution of this fish, it is found through the entire course of the ri- ver, from its head in the Butt of Kippure to the Liffey mouth, and in all its tributaries. ‘“‘ Of other fishes there are twelve, three of which at least, if not five, were intro- duced. They ate: — “1. The trout (Salmo Fario), also found throughout the entire length of this river and its tributaries. In the upper part of the stream, near its source, they run very small, seldom if ever exceeding from a quarter to half a pound in weight; in the lower parts of the stream they have been caught weighing as much as 10 Ibs.: the general weight, however, here seldom exceeds 3 Tbs. The year before last I saw one taken on an eel-line, which wanted but an ounce of 4 Ibs. “2, Thesalmon (Salmo Salar) principally come up the river during the winter and spring floods ; salmon fry are, however, taken nearly every autumn. “3. The gravelling (Salmo Salmulus), principally found in the lower part of the stream, and swarms in the river at particular seasons. “4. The loach (Cobitis barbatula), found plentifully all through the river. The largest I have seen were taken a little below the fair-green at Donnybrook; they ex- ceeded 6 inches in length. . ‘5. The flounder, (Platessa Flesus). This fish formerly, before the erection of Haigh’s weir, used to be quite common all along the fair-green. The erection of this weir confined them to the portion of the river below it, so that the only specimen I know of as having been taken in Donnybrook, was a small one, about the size of a crown piece, taken by teeming a hole after a flood, just below where the wooden bridge used to stand to within the last year. ‘The weir to which I allude has been removed, and flounders are now taken up as far as Ball’s-bridge. “6 and 7. Both the sharp-nosed and blunt-nosed eels (Anguilla acutirostris and A. latirostris) may be taken at any time, but especially after the early autumnal floods; they grow as large as from 24 Ibs. to 3 Ibs. weight. “8, The rudd (Leuciscus erythrophthalmus). These used to be very common in the lower parts of the stream below Rathfarnham, but a few years since, owing to the dele- terious effects of the waste waters from some mills, they became very scarce ; they are, / Dublin Natural History Society. 3529 however, becoming plentiful again, and on a fine sunny day may be seen in shoals in many parts of the stream, especially below the Anglesea bridge, playing on the top of the waters. They seldom grow larger than 6 to 9 inches; they abound in the pond _attached to Rochford’s iron-works at Clonskeagh, but are rather shy of taking a bait. The lower orders call them perch. I have great doubt as to their being indigenous in this river, and am rather inclined to think that they, as well as the next, have found their way into these waters from the canal which joins this river at Ringsend. “9. The perch (Perca fluviatilis). As stated just now, I have strong doubts of the claims of this fish to be considered a native of this river; however, there is good proof that it has been found here for the last twenty years. The only places I know of its having been captured in are three — Rochford’s pond, where, as I have been credibly informed, a fish weighing 6 fbs. had been taken some years ago, and where I have seen fish of nearly a pound weight captured in 1850; in the bed of the river just above the weir which supplies the Donnybrook saw-mills; and just below the Anglesea-bridge. I myself introduced nine perch, of from half to a quarter of a pound in weight, as an experiment, into the last-mentioned locality, in 1849. They throve and bred, as I saw them about the place where I had liberated them in 1850; but I have not seen them since, and have not been able to find anything more of them. “ ‘Whatever doubts there may be as to whether any of the above-named fish have been introduced, there can be none, I think, concerning those to which I am now about to allude—the gudgeon and minnow. “10. The gudgeon (Gobio fluviatilis) was introduced into the Dodder from the Swords river about twenty years ago, by a fisher, who, living in Dublin, disliked the trouble of going so far for bait. Such, at least, was the account I got of the matter, and trom inquiries made I believe it to be true. They now absolutely swarm in the river, growing often to the length of 10 inches. I have never seen them above Tem- pleogue. “11. The minnow, (Leuciscus Phoxinus). This, as I have stated before, was in- troduced with the last, and, like it, now swarms in certain parts of the stream. The largest I have seen were taken just below Classon’s bridge, near Miltown. Some spe- cimens were as much as 4 inches in length. The capture of these and the last-men- tioned fish, for bait for anglers, affords employment for three or four men during the summer months. “ This concludes the list of the Dodder fish, exclusive of marine species, many of which are found at its mouth, in the tideway ; but as I have never had an opportunity of examining them, I have preferred passing them over altogether, to giving details of the truth of which I was not convinced. I have also been often told of a pike, that had his lair below Clonskeagh-bridge ; but as I never could satisfy myself of his exis- tence, I have omitted him altogether, although I do not see why a stray jack might not make his way up this river from the Grand Canal. “This concludes my notes; and imperfect in many respects as they are, I have been induced to lay them before your Society, first, in the hope of drawing from some of the members who are better qualified for the task, similar lists for other localities ; and, secondly, because I am convinced that nothing solid can be done for developing the Natural History of this island, until we have similar local lists of at least every county in Ireland—lists not merely of the fishes, but of every class of animated nature, showing the distribution, variety, &c., of every species, and thereby clearing away a x. QF 3530 Dublin Natural History Society. great many of the mysteries and doubts that at present envelope the Fauna of this country.” _ Mr. Kinahan then exhibited a plant of a fern, a variety of Polystichum aculea- tum, found by him at Bohernabreena, county Dublin, in 1849, which in 1850 was handed over to the care of the College Botanical Garden, where it had thriven, but had not exhibited any seed-vessels as yet, though presenting a tendency to throw out bulbille. Mr. K. remarked on the general redundancy of form in the ferns, and ex- hibited specimens ; and referred to this as the only known example of the reverse, and made the following statement : — “The example of Polystichum aculeatum now submitted to your Society, is curi- ous as being an exception to the law which seems generally to prevail among the ferns as regards varieties. These generally differ from the typical plant, by having some- thing added to them, either an actual expansion or a subdivision of the typical parts. Of this we have a very good example in those varieties of Athyrium Filix-foemina, to which the name of vivipare has been given, in which we find tassels appended to the pinne. We also have a good example of it in the variety of Polystichum angulare obtained at Ballinteer in this county, in which, as you see, the pinnae, particularly near the upper extremity, and the frond, are enlarged, so as to give a more expanded ap- pearance to the entire frond. Now let us contrast these with the variety to which I first drew your attention, as the great difference must strike you at once. In this we find the broad pinne of the type replaced by narrow linear leaflets in some of the fronds, resembling spines or points, while in others they have totally disappeared, especially at the upper half of the frond, which in many presents a long filament totally destitute of any pinne. These appearances have continued constant under cultivation, as must be evident if we compare the plant now with these fronds taken from it in August, 1849, when I found it growing on slate rocks by the side of a stream, which, running through Frairstown House demesne, falls into the Dodder just above Bohernabreena. This glen seems favourable to the growth of varieties, as I also obtained there these speci- mens of Aspidium Filix-mas. Varieties of ferns are, indeed, commoner than many think, in particular places abounding almost to the exclusion of the ordinary type ; thus, at Kilmaganny, county Kilkenny, the variety of the common hart’s-tongue to which the name of ramosum has been given, is far commoner than the ordinary undi- vided form. This is curious, as many have denied its being anything but a garden va- riety. The variety of Polystichum to which I first drew your attention has, as I stated before, continued constant under cultivation ; it has not, however, produced any trace of fructification, though this year some of the fronds show a tendency to produce germs in the axils of the pinne. In conclusion, I beg leave to draw your attention to these fine specimens of Asplenium marinum, some fronds of which are 24 inches in length, bearing on them pinne of 2 inches dimensions, which far exceed any I have seen recorded in either this country or in England. They were obtained at Foxe’s Cove, Ballymacarte, county Waterford, in holes in the sea-cliffs, and, when growing, fur- nished one of the most elegant examples of vegetable beauty I ever saw.” Mr. Ffennell, Inspector of Fisheries, inquired if Mr. Kinahan could account for the diminution of the gravelling which formerly swarmed in the Dodder. He also re- marked on the length of the gudgeon, 10 inches, as observed by Mr. Kinahan, as being so unusual, and supposed there was some local reason therefor, as in his experience of the rivers of Ireland, he had never seen any approaching that length. Dr. Allman remarked on the interesting character of Mr. Kinahan’s paper, and “Dublin Natural History Society. 3531 considered the observation of the local Fauna of Ireland as most important, and by which alone many of the doubts and errors of naturalists could be rectified. Mr. Kinahan referred to the statements of Yarrell and others on the spawning of Gasterosteus, that they deposit their ova on the leaves of aquatic plants ; and stated that he believed it was an error copied from previous writers, as he never found the ova on plants, but invariably deposited in the dome of the nests, several of which were ex- hibited to the meeting. Mr. Ffennell remarked on popular ideas relating to fishes, as respects their plenty or scarcity, and alluded to the idea of pike being in the Lakes of Killarney, but from his experience he believed there were none in the waters of Kerry, with the exception of a small tributary to the Blackwater, at the bounds of the county Cork. Dr. Allman communicated an abstract of his views of the Meduse and Hydroid Polypes. He believed that the essential part of the disk of a Medusa was the system of gastro-vascular canals, which, at their origin, communicate with the stomach, and thence radiate towards the margin of the disk. These canals are represented by the tentacula of Hydra, which consist of two distinct layers, besides muscular fibres, and thus, so far as structure is concerned, correspond with that of the gastro-vascular ca-. nals of the Meduse ; while the relation of the tentacula in the one, and the gastro-vas- cular canals in the other, to the digestive system, is also precisely similar. in the two groups. The peduncle of the Medusz is exactly represented, both in internal structure and external form, by the anterior portion of the body of the Hydra. We have thus, in order to convert a Hydra into a Medusa, only to suppuse the external layer or der- _ mis of the tentacula to be extended at each side into a kind of web, uniting the tenta- cula to each other, and the posterior elongation of the body with its adhesive disk to become suppressed, neither of which conditions involves any essential modification of structure. The hydroid polypes generally are fixed animals, incapable of locomotion ; in Hydra an imperfect locomotion is permitted, and the creature can detach itself from the bodies to which it adheres, and slowly creep about by means of its tentacula and adhesive disk, while in the Meduse the locomotive powers are carried to their maxi- mum, and the tentacula, which in the polypes are free, are united by a membrane in the Meduse, and thus constitute the large locomotive disk by which these beautiful animals swim with rapidity and ease through the surrounding water. Mr. Ffennell then made some observations with reference to the par being the young of the salmon, as he was anxious to remove doubts that existed in the minds of some. He exhibited three specimens in a bottle, showing the bars on one well deve- loped ; a second, in which the bars were fainter ; and a third, wherein the silvery scales had nearly obliterated the bars: these were taken in a pool at Ballycroy, where they had been left by the subsidence of the river, the intermediate water being too low to admit of their regaining the main stream. He also exhibited another bottle, contain- ing three specimens, taken at Killaloe; one an unusually large fry, in silvery state, fully 10 inches in length, and large in proportion, on his way to the sea. Having con- | cluded, Mr. F. produced specimens of the pollan, taken in November, 1851, in Lough Neagh, and some taken in Killarney on the 8th of May last; and observed on the dif- ficulty of touching them without removing the scales. He directed the attention of the meeting to the difference in the shape of the head and gill-cover of the specimens from the two localities. . This being the termination of the session, the meeting was adjourned to November next; in consequence of which the following gentlemen, proposed and seconded, will 3532 Society of British Entomologists.— New Books. be balloted for at the next meeting of Council: — Captain Norton, Frederick Sutton, Esq., George B. Owens, M.D., and John North, Esq. Proceedings of the Society of British Entomologists. May 4, 1852.—Mr. Haropine, President, in the chair. The President exhibited a specimen of Aleucis pictaria, in fine condition, taken near Dartford, during the past month. The President also announced a present from a friend of a box of insects for the Cabinet. Mr. Sequiera exhibited a box of insects taken during the past month, among which were some interesting specimens. June 1, 1852.—Mr. Harpina, President, in the chair. The President announced a donation of 276 Lepidopterous insects to the Society's Cabinet, from Mr. J. T. Norman. _ The President exhibited some specimens of Trochilium Cynipiformis and Culici- formis, together with some of the chrysalides and cocoons. Mr. Briant exhibited a box of insects taken during the past month.—J. 7. N. NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. ‘ Histoire Naturelle des Insectes. Species Générale des Lépidoptéres. Noctuélites. Par M. A. GUENEE. Every now and then the work of a master mind so exhausts a sub-. ject in one or other of the departments of Natural History, as to su- | persede all that has preceded, and commence a new era whence future observations must be dated. Gravenhorst performed this service for entomologists as far as the ichneumons are concerned, Kirby as far as bees, Schonherr as far as curculios, and Guenée has now performed it as regards the Noctue. In all future compilations we must date from Gravenhorst, Kirby, Schénherr, Guenée, &c., as the founders of that particular and restricted branch of science of which they treat. Of all works thus devoted to what might be called monography, that by M. Guenée is the most elaborate, most careful, and most complete: it leaves nothing to be desired, and is in all respects a model for fu- ture labourers in the same field. New Books. 3533. _ Itextends to three volumes, of more than 400 pages each; describes about 2000 species; and is embellished. with 24 plates, 23 of which are excellently coloured, and the 24th contains minute structural de- tails of palpi aud antennez. ‘Great Artists and Great Anatomists.’ By R. Knox, M.D., F.R.S.E., Lecturer on Anatomy, and Corresponding Member of the Aca- démie Nationale of France. London: Van Voorst. 1852. THE funniest book we ever read. We believe Dr. Knox to be in earnest ; were it otherwise — did we imagine his little volume to be a burlesque or a romance — we should not notice it in the ‘ Zoologist.’. The author evidently considers that the world has produced seven men infinitely greater than all the rest; that these are Knox, Napo- leon, Cuvier, Geoffroy St. Hilaire, Leonardo da Vinci, Michael An- gelo, and Raphael: that Scotland, France, and Italy have the honour to be the only countries capable of producing greatness: and that England can neither produce nor appreciate greatness. We learn that Cuvier’s great work on comparative anatomy “ produced no sen- sation in England, where its object, owing to the character of the pre- vailing race, was wholly misunderstood,”—p. 24. And again : — “ What passes for the views and theories of Cuvier in England, does not belong to him. They emanate from a school with whom truth in, science is of no moment, &c. &c.,”—p. 29. And again : — “ Pirates, contrabandistas, appear from time to time on this great sea of disco- very, chiefly English, who, under pretence of pointing out a few bar- ren rocks and sand-banks which Cuvier had neglected to describe or deemed unworthy of notice, conceal their scandalous calling: and how they live and fatten on the brains of genius!” In the next page we are called “ Flibustiers;” and so on throughout the book. In fact, the author’s abuse of England and the Anglo-Saxon race appears to us rather excessive ; but then, being ourselves Anglo-Saxons, we are scarcely perhaps impartial. We believe that were Dr. Knox to visit the Middlesex bank of the Thames, between the Custom-house and London-bridge, he would occasionally hear Anglo-Saxon invec- tive quite as récherché as his own: but, for the honour of England, it must be said that we never think of introducing it to ears polite, or of publishing it in our books. 3534 Birds. Not to know Knox argues oneself unknown: but however humiliat- ing may be the confession, we candidly confess that we never heard of Knox until this his volume was placed in our hands. On inquiry it turns out that Knox is a Celtic lecturer, who has achieved auto-great- ness by adopting some of the extravagant hypotheses of the German naturalists, and by numbering among his pupils a few canny Celts, who have quartered themselves comfortably on the Anglo-Saxon pub- lic: but if he ever did any good in the educational line, he must have had a better temper and more patience than he now possesses ; for, to read his book, one would conclude that, like a vicious horse, he care- fully eschewed work, and devoted his energies entirely to kicking and biting. In conclusion, we have no sympathy with a writer whose vanity is so egregious, whose prejudices are so violent, and whose views of sci- ence and literature are so narrowed, as those of Dr. Knox. Description of the Yellow-backed Whidah Finch killed in Oxford- shire in September, 1851. By the Rev. A. MAaTTHEWSs. In the month of November last I informed you of the occurrence of the yellow-backed Whidah finch in this country; and I now for- ward a description and figure of the specimen, together with such other information as I have been able to collect. ne species has been described by Swainson, in the ‘ Naturalists’ Library’ (vol. vii.), as the Vidua Chrysonotus ; and it is also figured and described by Viellot, in his ‘ Oiseaux Chanteurs’ (pl. 41), under the name of Fringilla chrysoptera. From this latter author we learn that there is a great difference between the summer plumage of the two sexes, the female, throughout the year, being clothed in a plain drab-coloured garb, much resembling in its markings that of our common bunting; while, during the summer months, its mate is gaily dressed in a suit of bright glossy black, bearing on the shoulders a mantle of brilliant yellow, and adorned on the back of its neck with an ample ruff of elongated recurved feathers. On the approach of winter, however, all his ornaments are laid aside, and the male bird then assumes the more sober colour of his partner. The specimen now before us admirably illustrates this periodical change; we here see.the plain drab colour gradually superseding the more brilliant hues of summer; while on the back of the neck a few Birds. 3535 remaining black feathers, by their recurved shape, still hint, out the former position of the ruff. In describing this bird, I have taken it for granted that the plumage is in a state of transition from the sum- mer to the winter dress, though the appearance of some of the feathers would almost suggest a contrary change being in progress. Possibly the young males do not assume the full adult plumage until their se- cond year, and appear in a mixed, imperfect garb during the first breeding-season. As the species is a native of Africa, this individual may have been brought thence in confinement; yet there is nothing in its appearance to justify such a conclusion, nor does it seem at all improbable that it might have wandered hither of its own free will. When killed, it was in the company of a flock of our common finches. Its crop was filled with the seeds of grass and other small herbs, and it was reported, on dissection, to have proved a female; this must clearly have been an error of the person who preserved it, as the plumage sufficiently indi- cates its true sex. It was shot in September last, upon Otmoor, in this county, a tract of low ground comprising upwards of 2000 acres, the whole being subject to extensive floods, and often visited by many of our rarer birds. Until the beginning of the present century it was entirely waste, but has since been inclosed. The following description has been taken from the specimen in its present state; it is now in the collection of the Rev. W.S. Hore, of St. Clement’s, Oxford, who has very kindly allowed me to make known its occurrence. DOW ee acreeseee os ascessrsedudannaivsonatsarasteaten fH MCHOd Wing, from De toi: ve nepneededueSe an Hees whe nes oae, tS EPWEE COCR PENN, (had 9s 6.00 vec cdewinadeese sesvadsepscaens OG eins: bs das Satis aivs sve ev s.cce gemeeWhasivadbenastaseoanaall MRE Bn 2s osee ne sepeidas ages fadadaertbinase Min Br ROR ANG Cis cae savin «ss 00 a:nkdiauslag douse vasiiaiiasdik Upper mandible of the bill black, lower mandible of a pale horn- colour shaded with black. Feathers of the head, front of the neck, _ anterior part of the breast, belly, rump, and lower part of the back, together with the wings and tail, of a deep glossy black ; in most of _ these parts a few brown feathers of the winter dress may be already seen. On the lower part of the breast is a large and conspicuous white patch, above which, and also on the upper coverts of the wing, _ are a few feathers tipped with white. On the back of the neck and _ shoulders the winter plumage prevails ; on the former, however, a few 3536 Birds. recurved black feathers still remain ; and on the shoulders the bright yellow silky mantle of sunmer is yet seen to a considerable extent. Among the upper or smaller wing-coverts also are many bright yellow feathers. The larger coverts are all narrowly margined with dull white. Legs, with the feathers of the tibiz, black; tarsi, toes, and claws, which are rather large, apparently of a dusky reddish brown. A. MATTHEWS. Weston-on-the-Green, * March 31, 1852. Notes on the Arrival and Departure of Migratory Birds in Norfolk.— Great snipe, August 26. Wryneck, April 10. Curlew, August 28. Snipe (eggs), April 13. Gray wagtail, September 18. Jack snipe (last seen), April 13. Common buzzard (immature), Sept. 24. | Wigeon (last seen), April 15. Peregrine falcon (immature), October 5. Pochard (last seen), April 15. Mealy redpoll, October 17. Cuckoo, April 20. Hooded crow, Oct. 20, last seen Apl. 14. Great crested grebe, first seen in full Long-tailed duck (immature), Oct. 31. summer plumage April 20. Gray phalarope, November 1. Fieldfare (last seen), May 3. Spotted crake, March 20. In the above notes it will be seen that the more common migratory birds have been omitted, except when their appearance was either rather late or early. — Z. H. Irby; Saham, Norfolk, June 14, 1852. Occurrence of the Gull-billed Tern (Sterna Anglica) at Scilly. — This species may now be added to the Cornish Fauna, as I had an opportunity, during the past week, of examining an adult specimen, through the kindness of John Jenkinson, Esq., a re- lative of the lord proprietor of the Scilly Islands, who shot it when on a visit there in the latter part of May or the beginning of June. — Edward Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, June 28, 1852. Occurrence of the Iceland Gull (Larus Islandicus) at Scilly. — A specimen of this lesser white-winged gull was also shut at Scilly by Mr. Jenkinson, about the same time as the Sterna Anglica. It is in that state of plumage where the whole of the up- per parts are of a dull white, with occasional brocoli-brown markings ; the interior or — en # eae Ee smaller webs of the quill-feathers are of a pale brown colour, but the remainder of the — wing is entirely white. In this state of plumage the bird at a little distance has the — appearance of being nearly white.—Jd. Swans breeding at the age of Two Years. —I helieve it is generally thought that _ swans do not breed until they are three years old ; I have now a pair, two years old, _ that brought off six strong cygnets yesterday. There is an old (I believe) pair at Waddon, which have nine young ones some weeks old. — S. Gurney, jun. ; Carshal- ton, June 9, 1852. Freeman’s Life of Kirby. 3537 NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. Life of the Rev. William Kirby.* WE scarcely know a more inviting subject than the Life of Kirby— aman whose quiet unpretending character, and great knowledge of Natural History, obtained from all fellow-labourers the most unbound- ed respect and love. It required a master’s hand to trace the likeness of such a character on the printed page, so that all who once knew him might exclaim “ How like!” Whether Mr. Freeman has done this; whether he has succeeded in representing this truly christian naturalist with perfect accuracy ; whether he has not brought forward slender polemical powers in too prominent relief ; whether family pe- digree has not been too elaborately worked out; we leave others to decide : for ourselves, we regret to learn that owr Kirby, the natural- ist’s Kirby, was ever a hot controversialist ; and we care not one straw that his mother was nineteenth cousin to a peer, and of the purest blood of the Medewes ; neither do we see anything at all deplorable in the fact that Kirby himself should have married a pretty little Me- thodist, whose parents, although “none are so chained and fettered in the operation of their mind” as the sect to which they belonged, freely allowed their daughter “ to follow her own inclination in consi- dering herself a member of the Church of England.” To what does all this amount, but that the little village beauty was glad enough to give up methodism, or any other zsm, so that she could catch a nice young parson, of prepossessing countenance, of comfortable means, and of unblemished reputation? Pretty Sally Ripper proved a good and true wife to William Kirby, although we cannot find that Mr. Freeman has traced back her pedigree to the peerage. There is how- ever one point which speaks volumes in favour of the naturalist: Mr. and Mrs. Ripper, the dissenters, the ex-grocers, the parents of Sarah Kirby, “spent the evening of their days in the quiet repose of Barham parsonage.” But our business here is with Kirby as an entomolo- gist, the character in which he is best known to the readers of the ‘ Zoologist.’ We have already, in a brief memoir of Mr. Kirby, explained how his attention was first turned to Entomology ; we now repeat it in his own words : — * “Life of the Rev. William Kirby, M.A., F.R.S., F.LS., &c., Rector of Barham.’ By Jonny Freeman, M.A., Rural Dean, Rector of Ashwicken, Norfolk. London: Longmans 1852. x. 2G 3538 Notices of New Books : “ About half a century since, observing accidentally one morning a very beautiful golden bug creeping on the sill of my window, I took it up to examine it, and finding that its wings were of a more yellow hue than was common to my observation of these insects before, I was anxious carefully to examine any other of its peculiarities, and finding that it had twenty-two beautiful clear black spots upon its back, my’ ; captured animal was imprisoned in a bottle of gin, for the purpose as’ © I supposed of killing him. On the following morning, anxious to — pursue my observation, I took it again from the gin, and laid it on the ~ window-sill to dry, thinking it dead, but the warmth of the sun very soon revived it; and hence commenced my farther pursuit of this branch of Natural History.”—P. 67. He commenced the study of insects under the tutelage of Dr. Gwyn, — who, although we’ cannot charge him with the manufacture of hard — names, or the fabrication of eccentric paragraphs in canine Latin, was’ | a good-hearted old man, and a true lover of Nature. Mr. Freeman — tells us that “ Dr. Gwyn pressed upon the attention of his friend that the study . of Entomology would afford him much delight; that even had he been less a proficient in Botany, he would not find the new study antago- = ne ee nistic to the other, but that both might be advantageously pursued to- gether: as to any assistance in his power, it was cheerfully promised, — and readily accepted ; and though now in his 75th year, so much was’ © the good old doctor interested in the pursuit of his friend, that he — would frequently walk over to Barham, a distanee of five miles, to see what had been the success of recent perambulations. ‘The parsonage- house was then approached by a narrow wicket, with posts higher — than the gate, and often, while working in his garden, or sitting in his ~ parlour, Mr. Kirby would look up and see, to his great delight, the shovel hat of his facetious friend adorning one post, and the cumbrous’— wig and appertaining pig-tail ornamenting the other. And soon the kind old man would walk in with his bald head, as he used to say, cool and ready for the investigation. These visits were always hailed with pleasure, the delights of which were still fresh in the memory of Mr. Kirby, and would call forth expressions of affectionate gratitude, even when nearly half a century had elapsed, after his friend, and Mece- nas, as he loved to call him, had gone to his rest.”—P. 69. No sooner had Kirby entered on this extended field of research,’ than he commenced a new life. Botany, the Botany of his neighbour- hood, he had previously studied and exhausted ; but here was a sci-__ ence that was to be life-long, and to be still unexhausted when, at the’ Freeman’s Life of Kirby. 3539 vipe age of ninety-one he was gathered to his fathers. Among the most agreeable incidents of the life of a naturalist, are those innume- rable friendships which grow with his growth and strengthen with his strength ; which are themselves the golden links of memory’s chain, and often the only ones which, in after years, lose none of their pris- tine brightness. One of Mr. Kirby’s earliest entomological friendships was with Mr. Marsham, whose ‘ Entomologia Britannica,’ a volume on British Coleoptera, is well known to all our readers. We have a most amusingly desultory sketch, from Kirby’s own pen, of an ento- mological excursion into the Isle of Ely, in company with this Mr. Marsham ; an excursion throughout beset with dangers and disagree- ables, occasionally varied however with a somewhat more propitious interval, which, like the brief and rare gleams of sunshine on a show- ery day, was all the more acceptable from its very brevity and rarity. Every fragment of this narrative is agreeable ; even the simple asser- tion that after “spitch-cocked eels, rump steak and green peas,” the wine not proving good, “ therefore,” that is, because the wine was not good, “after ‘Church and King,’ ‘Queen and family,’ ‘ Wives and home circles,’ my friend [Marsham] soon goes to sleep, and sounds his sonorous trumpet.” At the end of one day’s narrative the journalist is somewhat facetious upon night-caps, a circumstance that brings to mind a story which we have often heard and often told, but which the biographer shall here narrate himself, episodically, by the way, for it has nothing to do with the trip which Mr. Kirby is here recording. * It once occurred that Mr. Kirby travelled. with two friends, Mr. Marsham and Mr. MacLeay, on a similar excursion, and arriving at an old-fashioned wayside inn, they were told there was only one large room for them, with three beds in it: the arrangement having been made for the night, according to the custom of the time, three night caps were laid upon the dressing-table: Mr. Kirby retired before his companions, and was soon sound asleep. Perceiving no caps ready for them, his friends enquired for what they considered the due ap- purtenances of the pillow; they were assured by the hostess that three night-caps were laid upon the table, but they stoutly averred they had not seen them; the landlady no less stoutly maintaining her side of the question. What actually passed in her own mind did not trans- pire, but she appealed to the first gentleman as being the only one who could throw light upon the subject, when, lo and behold! as soon as his head appeared, in answer to the hasty summons, the three night-caps appeared at the same time upon it, one being dragged over 3540 Notices of New Books : the other, much to the amusement not only of those present, but also of those who long after heard the tale.”—P. 87. It is impossible to resist the pleasure of giving a long quotation from the journal of this delectable trip. “ At half-past eleven we set off with merry hearts, unprophetic of _ p yy » Unprop the evils that befel us, in full expectation of a good hard road all the way to Peterborough, but alas! how grievously were we disappointed ! this was indeed to us ‘ nigro dies notanda lapillo.’ “For two miles the road is good; when we arrive at Gatesbridge we turn to the left upon a raised causeway, on one side of which was the forty-foot river; on the other, which was very steep, a deep ditch: at first the road was wide enough to drive our vehicle without any ap- prehension, but after a time it became so narrow as not to leave more than a foot on each side of our wheel and the brink, so that we were in as great peril as navigators of yore, who had to steer between Scylla and Charybdis: what increased the danger was, the road was without rut or horse-path, so that there was nothing to direct the horse but the driver. My friend was greatly alarmed, and my fears were not small, being altogether unused to driving to a hair: on either side of the causeway, for the benefit of starting horses, were erected draining- mills. We were so unfortunate as to meet two carriages (though in a place where there was room to pass): in one the horse and master appeared equally alarmed, so that we trembled for their safety ; we ourselves once were within a nail’s breadth of an overthrow, but pro- videntially we escaped. After this our alarm rose to such a pitch that we dismounted, and gave our horse to the care of a boatman whom we met, and with joy committed ourselves once more to terra firma. On the causeway we had to pass through a toll-gate where they exacted a heavy toll: I thought it hard to pay toll for keeping a road in so_ dangerous a state; if they would permit ruts and a horse-path, poor travellers would be spared much alarm. The causeway is four miles in length, of which we walked three. From the bridge the road is hard and spacious for a mile, but then we plunge into a black moor. This was so wet, from the rain of the day before, that it was with dif- ficulty we could persuade our steed to make a walk of it. By the way we observe Ranunculus Lingua in abundance ; on our right we leave a considerable farm-house, with a row of the largest willows I ever beheld: in this dreary unornamented country this was one of the most pleasing objects we had seen. “ We now make for the Green Man, a small alehouse on the other ee ee —— ee ee, ee bea p Freeman’s Life of Kirby. 3541 side of the bridge. After seeing our poor black-legged beast safe hal- tered in the stable, with a supply of food, we go into the house and inquire what we can have for ourselves. The bill of fare consisted of pork-steaks solely, with which we were well satisfied, save that we could not conjecture from what part of the animal they were taken. “ At half-past 3, after paying our small reckoning, viz., 8d. a-piece for dinner, and 4d. for the horse, we leave Ponds-bridge. _As the af- lernoon seemed pleasant, and we were desirous of seeing if any of our pigmy friends were on the wing, we agreed to walk, the ostler follow- ing with our vehicle. We enter a drift-way, pleasant and green, which tempted us to loiter by the way-side of a dyke to fish for snails and aquatic insects. This way was adorned with many flowers, common here, but not with us. We had observed the clouds in various direc- tions pouring out their contents upon the country beneath them, but without giving us more than a few passing drops; but now we no longer escape.” [The difficulties of the road increase rather than di- minish, and I doubt not the fears of the untravelled journalists have already provoked a smile to which none would have bid them a more hearty welcome than the writer; let the reader mark how the bright spot was seized upon when it did present itself.} “‘ Wet and uncom- fortable as we were, we frequently turned round to solace ourselves with the sublime spectacle which the heavens exhibited: indeed, this extensive level of fens, where the eye commands the whole hemisphere of sky that is bounded by the visible horizon, without interruption from elevation, is peculiarly favourable for observing the appearances of the atmosphere, and these we had an opportunity of beholding in their full beauty. The prismatic colours were frequently seen to the east, not in a well-defined perfect arch, but in one whose continuity was often interrupted by the passing of black clouds,—at another time they appeared in a mass of unusual width: I could not account for the variations from the common appearance of this appointed signal of Heaven’s wrath suspended and reconciled, and of man’s security in future from a deluge of waters. The sun, which was seen to shine in various directions on the spots of the country widely asunder, would sometimes finely illuminate a single object, at a great distance, which we could see through the rain which was pouring upon us. The clouds themselves were beautiful and sublime, their summits some- times tipped with silver, sometimes with gold,—again, at another time with fiery red, as if they were ignited. Storm chasing storm, with intervals in which the azure vault of heaven appeared unclouded. The shifting scenery of the heavens made up for the uniform face 3542 Notices of New Books : and dreariness of this vast expanse of fen, and for the wet which we had to encounter: I shelter from the storm, and find Sparganium sim- plex: I hasten on again and overtake my friend, who scorned any remedy against the weather. I find him, however, nearly exhausted, when an unlucky slip brings him to the ground, and soils his travel- ling leathers ; however, we at length reach Horsey Bridge, where our vehicle awaits us. We pass Stanground Field; upon nearing Peter- borough, a vast expanse of water suddenly opens upon us; a boy bawls to us, ‘Sir, Sir, if you go through there your horse will be up to his belly.’ For sixpence I get a shoemaker to conduct my weary friend across, while I go round by a causeway, and after losing my way I at length reach my vehicle in safety. I remount, smack my whip, and my horse sets off in a good trot, and we reach Peterborough about eight o’clock. Four hours and a half carried us seven miles and ahalf!!! Arrive at the Angel wet and weary, and my friend sends for a glover to see if he can get a new pair of small-clothes, but in vain ; we drink tea, and then sup with appetites undiminished by fa- tigue, and to bed about twelve.”—P. 92. Apropos to this we have a kindred anecdote of the journalist him- self. Being invited to dine with Sir Thomas Cullum, our excellent friend thought he would improve the opportunity by entomologizing on the road; and accordingly equipped his nether man in leather, as a suitable protection against casualties of wet, mud and brambles; taking care, however, to send, by a trusty hand, a pair of the most immaculate clerical inexpressibles, in which to appear before the la- dies at the dinner-table. The parcel containing them duly arrived, and the butler, supposing it to contain plants, immediately handed it over to the gardener, who forthwith judiciously selected a corner in an old uncovered cucumber-frame, and, as he expressed it, “ laid it in by the heels.” Shower followed shower in rapid succession ; Mr. Kirby got drenched to the skin, and he arrived, especially about the legs, in most unpresentable pickle: still, he reflected with satisfaction on his provident foresight, and asked, his countenance irradiate with smiles, for the small brown paper parcel he had so carefully transmitted. But — alas! what was his mortification, when he received it dripping from the hands of the servant; — when he found that his best black smalls — had been exposed to the same skyey influences as himself, and that it was quite impossible to wear them! He was consequently compelled to borrow of Sir Thomas the required garment, and actually to appear at the dinner-table in the coloured nether integuments of a layman. But to return to the journal. ~—_ Freeman’s Life of Kirby. 3543 _ “My friend was very uneasy about his hapless galligaskins, fearing it to be impossible to restore them to their former hue; my fears were excited by the prospect of a very high bed, and I expect to be lost in a gulph of down, but was agreeably surprised ; the feather bed was firm, but not knotty. I did not wake until about 8, and when | opea- ed my eyes and sat up in bed, behold my poor fellow traveller, between hope and despair, bestowing his whole might in cleaning his leathers; at length he succeeds, and they are once more decent, at which his countenance resumes his wonted cheerfulness; he rises, and we de- scend into our parlour, where a new difficulty awaits us, — our boots were so wet we find more difficulty to get them on than to slip them off: at last, however, without rent or rupture, they resume their des- lined station upon our legs, and we walk into the town to take a sur- yey. —P. 96. But really we must proceed to something more entomological than even this entomological excursion. The readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ are too well acquainted with the ‘ Monographia Apum,’ to need any information about that extraordinary work, of which it may truly be said, that at the time it was published it was without a parallel for di- ligent research and careful pains-taking: that it contains many errors; that the sexes of bees, differing widely as they do, were often mista- ken for species, was almost a matter of necessity at a time when we stood, as it were, on the very threshold of inquiry; but the plainness and clearness of the descriptions, and above all the masterly anatomi- cal details of the cibarian organs, place the author in the very first rank of entomological investigators, and leave very little for the future la- bourer in the same field to achieve. Mr. F. Smith, who has paid such unremitting attention to the economy and specific distinctions of Bri- tish bees, has been able to associate the sexes and varieties with more unerring certainty, and the science of Entomology is deeply indebted to him for the extent and value of his labours; but in structural de- tail, in those characters which separate modern genera, he has, with all his tact and acumen, added little to the precise details which the illustrious Kirby gave us fifty years ago. It is a most interesting fact connected with the ‘Monographia Apum Angliez, that Latreille, then the first entomologist of the Continent, was working on the same subject, at the same time, and exactly in the same way as its author; and yet, owing to the deadly strife then raging between England and France, the labours of the two entomologists were totally unknown to each other. Latreille’s results appeared in one of the supplementary memoirs appended to the ‘ Histoire Naturelle — - 3544 Notices of New Books : des Fourmis, and in the same year as the Monograph; it possessed a decided advantage over Kirby’s, inasmuch as the numerous divisions indicated by typographical signs by the latter, were raised into genera and accompanied with elegant names by the former. In the techni- cal accuracy of detail, and the profound judgment exhibited in found- ing the divisions, the merits of the two philosophers are exactly alike. Byron said, “ I awoke one morning and found myself famous,” or words to that effect. ‘The same was the case with Kirby. Up to the publication of the ‘ Monograph,’ although his biographer seems to re- gard him as a hero, and a very Goliath in polemics, he was, in the eyes of that little world who knew of his existence, an amiable and commonplace country clergyman, addicted to pinning bees and pop- ping Dytisci into wide-mouthed phials half filled with spirits of wine: but the ‘Monograph’ made him another man; it brought him into great and general repute; he rose instantaneosly to the pinnacle of entomological fame; not only did his friends at home—Sir James Ed- ward Smith, Sir Thomas Cullum, Marsham the sonorous, MacLeay the elder, and his other brother collectors — shower their congratula- tions upon his head, but the savans of the Continent were prompt to acknowledge his transcendant merits,— Walckenaer, Fabricius, Illiger, Afzelius. We invite especial attention to the following letters, pre- suming the reader to be perfectly familiar with the passage of the ‘Monograph’ of which Fabricius, in his most interesting communica- tion, complains. Fabricius to Kirby: written in English. | Dated March 28, 1803. “You have declared war against me: I must take up the gauntlet, and fight out the battle as good as possible. You may be sure, had I not found real merit in your work, I would not have written these — lines. You attack me generally, you attack me specially, and of both ways I say a few words. The general attack I deny entirely, and I am sure, by cooler observation, you will find, and confess yourself, that your attack is entirely erroneous, and without foundation. Are you not a naturalist ?— and these I always found good-natured folk, and honest. You object that I maliciously detract from the merits of Linné. Impossible: there is not in Europe a man who more knows and reveres the first naturalist than I do. I have lived two whole years in his greatest intimacy, and that in the years of early youth, of fancy, and enthusiasm. I have loved him as a father, in- structor, friend, and in riper years I have admired his happy flight. Freeman’s. Life of Kirby. 3545 Of his style I have imitated ; but, on the other side, I never flattered him,—never called black white, because he, perhaps by mistake, had called itso. By his real merit, he did not want it. He saw our re- verence in our eyes, in the ardour to be with him, in the publique testimony we gave yearly that we only resided at Upsala for his sake. We did not see nor hear any body but him and his family. He loved, likewise, the company of his young friends, as he called us, and every day, in town or on his estate, he came to our room with his pipe, and stayed three or four hours in liberal discourse, but always upon topicks of natural history. He always took our observations, im publique and private, with true benevolence, refuted or reproved them, and laughed heartily when we could find ingenious arguments to puzzle him, and now and then he was forced to sit out the dispute till next day. Some dissertations in the Amen. Acad. show his love, and our reverence. These years are the pleasure and the glory of my life. I afterwards corresponded with him ’til death separated our fyiendship.. 6.5) 26) 5” “This letter,” says the biographer, “is of great length, examining in detail all the remarks made upon his system in the Introduction to the ‘Monographia Apum.’ Fabricius’s endeavour was to prove that farther enquiry would show that there was not so wide a difference as Mr. — Kirby imagined between them, however much his followers and friends might have improperly used his writings.” The letter thus concludes. “In the special attack I will not defend me much. Many many faults are in my system. I was not able to examine all. The Co- leoptera were my favourites, and I neglected now and then the other classes. On my travels, and in the cabinets, 1 began with the first, aud I had not always the time to finish the rest. You have taken up a genus very difficult in itself. Next year I hope to publish the ‘Sys- tema Piezatorum,’ and hope you will find it, not perfect, but much bettered. “ After giving you my defence, I wish, without the least animosity, to shake hands and be friends. Do we not go the same way? and let us not quarrel in the road. I wanted only to wipe my character of ingratitude. In a week I intend to set out for Paris. If you will favour me with some lines, pray address them there to Mons. Latreille, Rue Condé, No. 4. If, as I hope and wish, peace continues, I want very much to return to Hamburgh over England, and would be hap- py to make your personal acquaintance. My stay will be short, and I shall be glad if you would come to London in that time. My best compliments to all the members of the Linnean Society: long I have X. 2H 3546 Notices of New Books : wished to write a small paper in their ‘ Transactions, but I dare not trust my English, and I have no friend now to mend it. England,— the collections of Messrs. Banks, Drury, Hunter, &c., &c.,—were the cradle of my system, and now the English blame the author. Health and happiness attend you! “I am, constantly yours, “ J. FABRICIUS.” Afzelius to Kirby. “ Upsala, 8th July, 1803. “My Dear Sir, — A fortnight ago I received from our friend Mr. Marsham your ‘ Monographia Apum Angliz,’ which he says he had an order to send as a present from you. For this mark of attention, and for the honour you have done me by calling an insect by my name, as well as by mentioning me in several places in a manner that cannot fail to be very flattering to me, I return you my sincerest and — a ee — warmest thanks, wishing that I may be able some time or other to © show you my acknowledgment more effectually. The work I have but hastily gone through, waiting for more leisure to study it as it © deserves. But thus much I can say, that I am highly pleased with — the plan you have followed, the pains you have taken, the discoveries — you have made, and the manner in which you have treated Mr. Fa- bricius his tottering system and disorderly arrangement. And it is my hearty wish that your time and health would allow you to under- take another genus, and work it out upon the same admirable plan. Last year I took the liberty of introducing to your acquaintance my worthy friend, Major Gyllenhal. He is the best entomologist we have in Sweden; and, on the hint I have given him, he wishes to come in correspondence with you. . . IfI can be of any service to you in this country, you have only to command, and it will give me — the greatest pleasure to be able to perform your wishes. “If your good lady remembers a foreigner who never forgets the hospitable reception he enjoyed in Barham, in the autumn of 1798, I beg you will give her my best compliments; and as to yourself, be assured, that wishing you health and happiness, “ T remain, Dear Sir, “ Unalterably your obliged friend and servant, “ Ap, AFZELIUS.” The following letter, also from Afzelius, shows the progress made by the ‘Monographia’ in the estimation of Continental entomologists, during the two years intervening between the dates of the epistles. Freeman’s Life of Kirby. 3547 “ Upsala, August 12th, 1805. “My Bisar Sir,—As soon as IJ received your ‘ Monographia Apun,’ two years ago, I returned you my sincerest thanks for it, and gave it at the same time my full approbation. I then spoke only my own opinion, but now I can tell you the public sentiment, which is every- where on the Continent in your favour, even amongst the greatest friends of Fabricius, A plus forte raison, it is very well received with us; and I have seen it reviewed in more than one place with all the éloge such a valuable publication truly deserves. The letter you had the goodness to write to me in the year 1803, and which came in the box accompanied with the insects to Major Gyllenhal, I did not re- ceive before the middle of the last year, and now I thank you very kindly for it. What I have said above may partly serve as an answer to it; and I am very glad to hear that Fabricius himself is so open to conviction, that he acknowledges his faults. “‘ Herewith I inclose for you some Dissertations, which I beg you will accept; and if you should like to have any more of the same kind, I will do myself the pleasure of sending them, as soon as they are published. Those you may not choose to retain, you may give to any of your acquaintances. But what I feel anxious about is to hear your sentiments upon my ‘ Achetz Guineenses,’ which I beg you will let me know as soon as possible. : “Tam, Dear Sir, “ Wishing you all happiness, your very obliged, “ Ap. AFZELIUS.” - The biography becomes so involved after the period at which the ‘Monographia Apum’ was published, that we are unable to reduce it to anything approaching to order or continuous narrative. It abounds with letters, many of them excellent, instructive, and interesting, but they seem to stand greatly in need of arranging and methodizing ; indeed, though these letters may often be compared to pearls of price, _ the connecting thread of material on which they might be strung too often seems to be absent. ‘The author here again appears to pet Mr. Kirby for those very qualities which we think least meritorious, viz., his anti-Bible-Society and anti-British-School prejudices. We are told that on such subjects “none ever wrote in a purer strain of Chris- tian charity than Mr. Kirby.” To us it appears that the pure “strain of Christian charity” is not exhibited in this way ; and we venture to hope that the anonymous philippics attributed to Mr. Kirby, are, in reality, none of his. | Narrow views on any subject do not harmonize 3548 : Notices of New Books : . well with the catholicity of Natural History ; and were we ever to de- tect such in any of our friends, we should no more think of recording ~ them approvingly, than of inviting attention to a limp or to a squint. — These prosy observations on prosy pages bring us to the fifteenth — chapter, written by one who alone was fitted to be the biographer of Kirby. For such a work Mr. Spence possesses every qualification : —a facility of expression ; a thorough knowledge of the deceased; a store of four or five hundred of his longest and best letters ; an admi- ration and love of Kirby as a man and a philosopher; and lastly, a mind that ignores littlenesses and prejudices of all kinds. Directly we enter on this chapter, we feel that we are in company with a man who understands and appreciates the greatest of our entomologists. _ The following note by Mr. Spence, in reference to the numerous letters which passed between himself and Mr. Kirby during their pro- longed “ friendship of nearly half a century,” is very interesting (and especially so the description of the “Royal Harry”), as illustrating the vast amount of labour bestowed by two congenial minds upon their favourite pursuit. _ “ These letters, with which. Mr. Freeman has Sissel me, are between four and five hundred in number; and those from Mr, Kirby, which 1 have preserved with as much care as he had mine, are nearly as many. About half of the two series of letters refer almost wholly to Entomology and our book, but-a great part of the remainder, ex- © changed during my eight years’ travels and residence on the Conti- nent, and after my return to England, are more occupied with accounts of our tours, &c., and of domestic matters. Our entomological letters, — in those days of dear postage, were mostly written on sheets of large folio paper, so closely, that each would equal a printed sheet of six~ teen pages of ordinary type. These we called our ‘ first-rates,’. or - sometimes ‘ seventy-fours,’ the few on ordinary-sized paper being ‘ fri- — gates;’ but one I find from Mr. Kirby, which he calls the ‘ Royal — Harry,’ written on a sheet nearly the size of a ‘Times’ Supplement, and closely filled on three pages, and which he begins and concludes thus : —‘ Barham, March 23, 1816. My Dear Friend,—This doubt- — less will be the greatest rarity in the epistolary way that you ever re-_ ceived. I hope it will long be kept among your xeunvia and be shown, not as a black, but as a black and white swan, which since the disco- very of the former in N. S. W., must be held as the true rara@ avis, « And. now, having manned this Royal Harry with as large a complement of men as I could muster, I shall launch her. I question whether ever one of equal tonnage before crossed the Humber.’ With annnenebbebinane ai 5 ee Freeman's Life of Kirby, 3549 the love of order which Mr. Kirby’s study of Natural History had so deeply implanted in him, all my letters are folded across the sheet, ‘so sto be of the same breadth of about two inches, and have an index on the back of each, referring to the various subjects (often 15 to 20) of the letter, which he marked in it by large figures in brackets, so as readily to catch the eye; and they were then docketed. with red tape into a packet for each year.”—P. 265. The acquaintance thus commenced : — | | “‘Chancing one evening in August, 1805,” says Mr. Spence, “ when walking on the Humber bank, to meet my friend George Rodwell, Esq., then a resident at Hull, he told me he was about to visit Bar- ham in a few days, and said if I had any insects to send to Mr. Kirby he should be happy to convey them. This offer I gladly accepted, and prepared a box, which was taken by Mr. Rodwell, along with a letter, which is placed first in Mr. Kirby’s packet of mine of 1805, and which it is necessary to give here to make his reply intelligible.”— P. 266. . We omit the correspondence, in order to make room for the follow- ing account, from the pen of Mr. Spence, of the share of each author in the production of the ‘ Introduction to Entomology, the idea of which originated with that gentleman. “Tn our Preface, p. xxi. [Here, and throughout this chapter, the 5th edition (1828) is referred to] we have declined stating which Let- ters were written by each; and in the thirty-seven years which have elapsed since we ‘excused ourselves from gratifying the curiosity’ to ascertain this fact (if any such were ever felt), no clue to it has been given, except the disclaimer by Mr. Kirby, in the advertisement ‘to our third and fourth volumes, of agreeing with me in opinion on the theory of instinct in the Letter on that subject, Vol. ii., and the re- marks, in Vol. iv. p. 19—33: both, as he wished it to be stated, writ- ten by me. | “ As this disclaimer, however, has broken the charm of secrecy, and as some future ingenious entomologist may think it worth his while to endeavour, from internal evidence, still further to solve the mystery, in attempting which he would be sure to fall into gross errors, it has seemed to me best (and Mr. Freeman coincides with me) to give here the entire list of the Letters of our work which were ultimately agreed on, and which vary in some respects from that proposed above, with the name of the writer affixed to each, and such observations as are necessary to make the information correct and complete. 3550 Notices of New Books : Vor. I. “‘ Preface.—Mr. SPENCE. [The two paragraphs relative to the religious bearing of the work (p. xiii. and xiv.); the first half of one at p. xvi., beginning ‘The authors, &c.,’ and one at p. xviil., beginning ‘ Besides these, &c., were added by Mr. Kirby. | “¢ LETTERS. I.—Introductory. Mr. Krrsy. II.—Objections answered. The first part, to p. 39. Mr. Kirsy. The second part, in defence of Systematic Entomology, p. 40 —53. Mr. SPENCE. The concluding part as to cruelty. Mr. Kirsy and Mr. SPENCE. I]1.—Metamorphoses. Mr. SPENCE. [From p. 72 to 77 by Mr. Kirey.] 3 IV. to VII1.—Injuries cansed by insects. Mr. Kirsy. IX. and X.—Benefits derived from insects. Mr. Kirpy. [A large proportion of the facts, and several entire paragraphs and pages in these seven letters, were furnished by Mr. SPENCE. | XI.—Affection of insects for their young.. Mr. SPENCE. XII. and XIII.—Food of insects. Mr. SPENCE. XIV. and XV.—Habitations of insects. Mr. SPENCE. Vout. Il. “¢ LETTERS. XVI. to XX.—Societies of insects. Mr. Kirpy. XXI.— Means by which insects defend themselves. Mr. Kirby. XXII. and XXIII.—Motions of Insects. Mr. Kirsy. XXIV.—Noises produced by insects. Mr. Kirsy. XXV.—Luminous insects. Mr. SPENCE. XX VI.—Hybernation and torpidity of insects. Mr. SPENCE. XXVII.—Instinct of insects. Mr. SPENCE. Vou. III: ‘* LETTERS. XXVIII.—Definition of the term insect. Mr. Krrspy and Mr. SPENCE. XXIX. to XXXIJ.—States of insects. Mr. Kirspy and Mr. SPENCE. Freeman’s Life of Kirby. 3551 [These four letters were originally assigned to Mr. Spence, and rough copies of them were prepared by him, extending to 120 pages of MS. in large 4to.; but, owing to his ill health (as explained in the advertisement to Vol. ili.), the accumulation of new matter required the whole to be prepared for the press by Mr. Kirby. ] XXXIII. to XXXVI.— External anatomy of insects. Mr. Kirpy and Mr. SPENCE. [This department of the work, as has been previously here explained, and in the advertisement to Vol. iii., was that to which the authors, both during Mr. Spence’s visits to Barham and in their long subsequent correspondence, mainly devoted their attention ; and the tabular view of the parts of insects was the very first portion of the work drawn up by them as the result of their joint examination of a great number of insects of all orders, and of long discussions (both orally and by let- ter) as to their homological relations: but the more extended and connected survey of the whole subject contained in these letters was drawn up by Mr. Kirby. | VoL. LV. * LETTERS. XXXVII. to XLIII.—Internal anatomy and physiology of in- sects. Mr. Kirpy and Mr. Spence. [The explanation given above as to the Letters on the states of insects, applies equally to these seven Letters on their inter- nal anatomy and physiology. They were originally assigned to Mr. Spence, whose rough draughts of the letters fill 125 MS. 4to. pages; but it was necessary, in consequence of his ill health, that the whole should be prepared for the press by Mr. Kirby, so as to incorporate the new facts with those which Mr. Spence had collected. | XLIV.—Diseases of insects. Mr. Kirsy. XLV.—Senses of insects. Mr. Kirpy. XLVI.—Orismology, or explanation of terms. Mr. Krrsy and Mr. SPENCE. XLVII.—System of insects. Mr. Kirsy. XLVIII.—History of entomology. Mr. Kirspy and Mr. SPENCE. XLIX.—Geographical distribution of insects, &c. The first part, on general geographical distribution, by Mr. KirBy; the remainder by Mr. Kirsy and Mr. SPENCE. 3552 Notices of New Books : L. — Entomological instruments, &e. Mr. Krrsy and Mr. SPENCE. : LI.—Investigation of insects. Mr. Krrpy and Mr. Spence. Appendix.—Mr. Kirsy. [An enumeration of entomological works, and of papers in Transactions, Journals, &c., drawn up by Mr. Spence, and ex- tending in MS. to 126 pages large 4to., was unavoidably omit- ted, owing to the much greater bulk of the work than had been originally caleulated on.] * I beg to conclude this long note, which assigns to each, as fa as practicable, his share in the work, with a repetition of our desire, ex- pressed in the Preface,—and which I know was Mr. Kirby’s as much as mine,— that in any reference to our work we may be always jointly referred to, with two exceptions: these are — Ist. The Letter on in- stinct (Vol. ii.), and my farther remarks upon this subject (Vol. iv. p. 19—33), on which Mr. Kirby differed in opinion from me, as he has — stated in the advertisement to Vol. iii., and for taking which different view from mine he has given his reasons at large in the Bridgewater Treatise (Vol. ii. p. 222—280); and 2nd. The Letter on hybernation (Vol. ii.), in which the denial of the possibility of satisfactorily ex- plaining the retreat of insects to their winter quarters, and often the — preparing of these previously, from the mere direct sensation of cold, I think it due to him to state (though he did not himself care-to ad- — vert to it in the advertisement above quoted) was in opposition to his opinions on the subject, and no portion of this Letter, nor of that on instinct, was written by him. With these slight exceptions, no refe- rence to our book can ever be justly made except in our joint names; _ for the chances are, that even in the Letters here stated to have been written by one of the authors, the particular facts or observations re-_ ferred to (often extending to whole paragraphs and several pages) may have been supplied by the other, as perpetually occurs. It was, in- — deed, next to that of criticising and perfecting our anatomical and — orismological terms, expressly for the purpose of thus adding to the — stores of his coadjutor, that the greater part of the long letters that — passed between us, during the extended period employed in the com- — position of the work, amounting in quantity of matter, if printed, to ) far more pages than its four volumes, were written by each. Jn fact, there probably never was a work, composed by two authors, more tho- | roughly dove-tailed with the contributions of each, than ours.. Our book was always in our thoughts; and our reading, even on dissimilar subjects, was constantly furnishing facts, or hints, or illustrations, Freeman's Life of Kirby. 3553 bearing on the portions of each other, which were duly noted and transmitted, and most generally adopted : and, if it have merit, this is in a great degree owing to its being what it professes to be — a really joint production of two variously-instructed minds, anxious only to contribute to the perfection of their labour of love,—for such the work truly was to them,—during the many years it occupied them.”—P. 307. The letters interchanged between Mr. Kirby and Mr. Spence are generally of a technical character, yet abounding throughout with agreeable pleasantries and the milk of human kindness. The follow- ing passage, in reference to Bernard Barton, is particularly worth pre- serving, as being creditable alike to the poet and to the entomologist. It exhibits no trace of little-mindedness — nothing approaching reli- gious intolerance. It occurs in the letter wherein Mr. Kirby tells his friend of the “ happy and pleasant party” got up by his parishio- ners to celebrate the fiftieth year of his residence at Barham. *‘ Bernard Barton, the Quaker poet, a very friendly Friend, who be- fore addressed some very pretty verses to me, inserted in our provin- cial paper a very beautiful address to me, but above my deserts, but which showed great liberality on his part to eulogize a receiver of tithes, and to acknowledge him asa Minister of the Gospel.”—P. 321. Indeed, throughout Mr. Spence’s chapter, Kirby appears as the h- beral-minded, kind-hearted Christian ; and we again repeat our regret that his history was not altogether entrusted to such a biographer. The appearance of the ‘ Introduction,’ the most successful scientific work ever published, while it confirmed the high position Mr. Kirby had already attained, overwhelmed him with new correspondents, amongst whom were men of considerable powers of observation, and intense love of Nature ; such in particular is William Holme, of Preston, of whom little information appears to have reached the present day, and whose memory will perhaps be preserved from entire oblivion, by his letters now forming part of a Memoir of Kirby. With regard to Mr. Kirby’s own works, we have little to say. The republic of naturalists has pronounced an unanimous verdict in their favour: they invariably bear the marks of great care and patient stu- dy: and vast as is their bulk taken collectively, they were produced slowly, and at considerable intervals. Mr. Kirby neither possessed the power for rapid production, nor the wish to produce rapidly : everything he undertook he performed in the most methodical and careful manner, neither hurrying nor procrastinating. The following passages from the Memoir are selected as exhibiting pleasing traits in the character of this great and good man. x. 21 3554 Notices of New Books : “Sunday at Barham Parsonage was always a day of cheerfulness ; there was nothing to cast a shade or gloom upon it; it differed from all other days, and was stamped with a mark peculiar to itself: this, however, was not the badge of a slavish yoke, but the stamp of a cheer-. — ful dedication. Entomology, notwithstanding the connexion it ever had with religion in his mind, and the extent to which it was inter- woven in his sermons, was never pursued in any way whatever on this day of rest. There was danger, in his view, of its engrossing the mind; and, however innocently, or even profitably, the eye might wander over the treasures of his drawers, he considered that there was something due in the way of example towards the members of his household, which he would not withhold. “ The arrangement of his time was with Mr. Kirby a matter of fore- thought and consideration. ‘The following may be taken as the divi- sion ordinarily adopted at the time when he pursued Entomology with the greatest vigour : — “The time before breakfast was devoted to reading portions of Scripture in Greek or Hebrew. After breakfast, one of the Fathers until noon, with a classical author on alternate days: this was followed by exercise until an early dinner. The afternoon was devoted to Na- tural History, and the evening to miscellaneous reading, correspon- dence, &c., &. Wednesday and Friday were devoted to systematic Visitation in his parish. | “These rules were observed with great accuracy for a very long period of his life: latterly his custom was to read the New Testament in Greek after breakfast (which he always did aloud), and it was rarely that this was neglected. “It is by no. means an uncommon circumstance to find that men who have acquired great celebrity have abridged the hours of sleep; _ this was not the case with Mr. Kirby; his hours were observed with great regularity, and his habit was to rise early, and retire at a rea- sonable hour to rest. He never encroached upon the period of repose, which, by experience, he found essential to the well-being of mind and body. ‘There are, indeed, to this some notable exceptions to be made; for more than one entomologist can tell of Mr. Kirby’s zeal and ener- gy in pursuit of his science by night, — not, however, by the light of the midnight oil, but with that of a common lantern, visiting, at some distance from the Parsonage, the oak woods, to ascertain, if he could, the proceedings of the insect world; more especially being curious to know whether the Formica rufa really carried on its operations by night. Upon this point, accompanied by Mr. Spence and Mr. John Freeman’s Life of Kirby. 3555 Curtis, he was fully and entirely satisfied, as he had the gratification of witnessing their labours after the hour of midnight.”—P. 485. “Mr. Kirby possessed, as we have already noticed, a remarkable power of fixing his undivided attention upon any subject which was before him, and with great facility withdrawing it completely, and fixing it with an equal degree of intensity upon any other subject, however different in its nature. Nor was this confined merely to mat- ters of study; it was his habit from early life to take a given proposi- tion, and think upon it for a certain fixed time, forcing his mind back to it whenever it was disposed to wander, raising up to himself imagi- mary opponents bringing forward arguments against him, and thus viewing the matter in all its bearings. This power never forsook him, for in later life, when he was prevented taking his usual walk, he would employ an hour in this way, walking up and down his room.”—P. 491. * Until a very short time before his death, Mr. Kirby never went to bed without pausing before a picture of his mother which hung upon the landing; and frequently would he be heard soliloquizing upon her many good qualities, and giving vent to feelings of affection and tender regard for her memory.”—P. 492. “ At one time Mr. Kirby kept bees, and was an accurate observer of their habits: when or why he gave them up Ido not know. Latterly his only domesticated pets were his cats, of which he was exceed-. ingly fond: they were also associated in his mind with older times, his father having been fond of them, and having received the self-same _ breed, from which the Barham cats came, from his grandfather. They were certainly an unusually fine breed, and enjoyed great indulgence. If their claws pierced his silk stockings, for which his adherence to the custom of the last century afforded considerable facilities, even though the rough token of friendship occurred again and again, yet it never produced more than a playful remonstrance. While engaged | in writing, Frolic would often play with his pen from her favourite | post, his shoulder; but even this would not disturb his tranquillity.” | —P. 494. . * * * * * x The last act of Mr. Kirby’s public life, was the opening of the Nor- wich Museum. The lamp of life had burned very low, and was flick- | ering in its socket; but he could not resist our friend Ransome’s _ Invitation to be present on this occasion, as it seems the consumma- 3556 Notices of New Books : tion of an object he had so long and so ardently desired. The follow- ing record of the proceedings is deeply and touchingly interesting: — “The Bishop of Norwich* took the chair upon the occasion, and Mr. Kirby, the venerable President, occupied a seat upon his right — hand: he evinced great interest in the opening address, as well as in the report of the Secretary ; an expression of delight was manifested when that part of the report was read which announced that ‘ the in- stitution was believed to be the first established in Britain, for the especial purpose of promoting the study of Natural History among the working classes :’ whenever allusion was made to this subject, he signified by a subdued expression of applause his cordial approbation. “ None who were present on the occasion can ever forget his rising — to second one of the resolutions; a task assigned to him, that he might — not feel it incumbent upon him to address the meeting: so heartily, however, did he enter into the whole scheme, and so anxious was he ~ to give vent to his feelings in the same strain which he had in his writings ever adopted, that he made the attempt, and said, — ‘ These cases that you see before you are filled with the works of God,— He © made them all,—He is great,—He is wise,—He is good.’ The effort proved too severe, — the mind had been strained to the highest pitch, —his whole conception had been embodied in these few short senten- indeed, throughout the whole of the proceedings, — ces, and no power remained to descend to any matter subordinate to — the great truth to which he desired to give utterance. Mr. Kirby could proceed no farther, and at the suggestion of a friend resumed his seat. — After a momentary and affecting pause, the worthy Bishop, with that — promptness which was so peculiarly characteristic, rose and said, — ‘ This resolution has been proposed, and seconded with more than words by the Reverend and excellent Mr. Kirby; his silence gives a double force to the seconding the resolution, and I trust the few words he did speak, pregnant with good feeling, pregnant with devotion, overflowing with religion, will never be forgotten by those who heard _ them.’ “At a later period of the proceedings, the Bishop of Norwich, in terms of eulogy, proposed a vote of thanks to their venerable President for his attendance ; when he turned to Mr. Kirby, and addressed him personally. The latter, with unaffected grace, rose and stood ina posture of humility and respect, while he listened to the words of en- thusiastic praise, and received the most hearty good wishes for his * Dr. Stanley. de>