tt sora y) sthtaateas et me byeeeyseree soseecdasy tats ZOOLOGIST: POPULAR MISCELLANY or NATURAL HISTORY. CONDUCTED BY EDWARD NEWMAN, F.LS., Z8., &c. VOLUME THE EIGHTH. Sore "i LONDON: JOHN VAN VOORST, PATERNOSTER ROW. M.DCCC.L. “ With wise intent The hand of Nature on peculiar minds Imprints a different bias, and to each Decrees its province in the common toil.” —AKENSIDE. PREFACE. I ava myself of the opportunity which an annual address affords of making a few remarks on the present state of our favorite study and pursuit. I have observed with sincere pleasure the progress which Natural History is making throughout the kingdom: many years have elapsed since I first made the hazardous attempt of rendering that science popular, without at the same time diminishing its value as a structure built with truths: it seemed to be my mission, so to speak, to strip this study of its uncouth and tiresome technicalities without departing one jot or tittle from a rigid adherence to fact. When I conceived this idea our shelves were not so much encumbered with ab- struse technicalities as they were weighed down by unsound, untrue, and therefore worthless compilations, in which everything was sacrificed to a popular style designed exclusively to secure extensive sale. I will not however entirely condemn such publications: although this cheap and easy reading was totally unworthy of trust; and if studied with attention would certainly promote ignorance rather than know- ledge ; still the multitude of histories abridged, however inaccurately,* from careful compilations or genuine histories, when diffused amongst hundreds and perhaps thousands of readers whose attention was thus first directed to subjects of the highest interest, became useful as * In one of the very best of these volumes the honey bee figured as Stylops; while Stylops was labouring at the manufacture of a honeycomb: a well-delineated Cicada was the representative of a locust; and a grasshopper, as a fair and just equivalent, was called a Cicada. Vi PREFACE. inducing a thirst for more precise and more extended information. I was neither so sanguine nor so vain as to imagine my attempt would be attended with any prompt or strongly-marked success: I was too well aware that I had no access to the readers of the merely popular, and that the eyes and ears of the bulk of the merely scientific were hermetically sealed against my labours, many instances coming to my knowledge in which men of this class boasted, as a highly merito- rious fact, that they did not see, or did not read, or did not take the ‘ Zoologist.’ As time has rolled on, a more influential class of naturalists has arisen than either the unreflecting seeker for a half-hour’s amusement, careless whether it be supplied by fiction or fact, or the technical pro- fessor who would invest the science in a garb of mystery. This large and rapidly increasing class are at work from one end of the kingdom to the other, in organizing associations and establishing museums and libraries, the great object of which is identical with that I have always had so deeply at heart, the making Natural History a pursuit for the shopkeeper and the mechanic. It is my firm conviction that there is no study more ennobling than this; none more likely to elevate the moral dignity of man; and there is no reason why any station in life should be excluded from its beneficial influence. Entertaining such views, it is with heart-felt satisfaction that I have watched the progress of numberless institutions called into existence by that energetic and influential class of my readers to which I have just alluded. When so many are labouring in the same cause, it may perhaps appear in- vidious to mention one, and yet I cannot avoid the temptation to name Mr. George Ransome, of Ipswich, whose well-directed exertions have done more to improve and exalt the intellect and character of his fellow-townsmen, than any warrior or legislator now basking in the brightest sunshine of popularity. It is to such men as Mr. Ransome we must look up as the true friends of our cause: it is they only who have the power to make Natural History a general study, and it is therefore the bounden duty of all who have the slightest influence with their neighbours, to lend a helping hand in gaining members to such EE — PREFACE. Vil associations as Mr. Ransome and those who act with him are forming, and in contributing not only their money but their time in promoting an object so praiseworthy. I advert with pleasure to the comments of several of my oldest sub- scribers on the spirit of extermination with which some of our rarer birds appear to have been pursued ; and at the risk of exciting a smile on the countenance of some ardent ornithologist, I do not hesitate to express my entire unity with the observations of my correspondents. Even could we abandon the religious and moral grounds so ably urged by these advocates of gentleness, I would, as a naturalist, press on my readers the far higher pleasure we should receive from the esta- blishment of these ornithological rarities in the vicinity of our home- steads. (See the papers by Mr. Wilmott, 2878 ; Sir Harford Brydges, 2914; Mr. Jerdon, 2951; and the Rev. Arthur Hussey, 2952). I must not allow this opportunity to pass by of inviting particular attention to the extracts from the letters of Mr. Bates (Zool. 2663, 2715, 2789, 2836, and 2941), now devoting the prime of his life to Natural-History researches in the interior of South America, and of expressing my admiration for the zeal, the energy, the bravery, and the true devotion to the cause of science which have led him to wander alone beneath a tropical sun, and to devote his entire time to making collections of the least remunerative objects of Natural History. May honour and success reward his labours ! In accordance with the custom of former years I now proceed to give a sketch of our progress during 1850. In Mammalia, I believe no new facts have been elicited, and as re- gards this country no additions have been made to our Fauna. In Birds, one of the most remarkable and interesting discoveries has been made that has ever been recorded. One of those birds, the bones of which have been found in such abundance in New Zealand, and to which the careful and accurate pen of Professor Owen has assigned generic and specific characters, has been taken yin PREFACE. alive, killed and eaten, and its skin brought to England, and exhibited at a meeting of the Zoological Society. The interesting exhibition having taken place after the volume for the current year was complete, it seems the more necessary for me to adopt this plan of making it known to my readers. The bird was described as fossil by Owen, under the name of Notornis Mantellii, and was taken alive in Dusky Bay, in the Middle Island of New Zealand. Dr. Mantell read a most interesting account of its capture, forwarded to him, together with the specimen, by his son, Mr. Walter Mantell, so honorably known among naturalists for his successful labours in the Paleontology of New Zealand. It appears that the recent tracks of the bird’s feet were seen in the snow which at that time covered the island, by a party of sailors who landed in Dusky Bay. They were accompanied by dogs, which, being put on the scent, soon came in sight of the bird, and finally ran it down. When caught by the dogs it screamed most violently, but was not so much hurt but that it lived some time after its capture. When dead it was eaten, and its flesh thought to be de- licious. Its size is that of a large fowl; in figure it much resembles the rail family, especially the genus Porphyrio, remarkable for its strong beak: it however differs from Porphyrio in its much shorter and stronger legs and toes; its shorter and much more feeble wings, which are remarkable for the abbreviation of the quill-feathers; and its tail exhibits other important discrepancies. The gene- ral colour of the plumage is nearly black, with beautiful and brilliant metallic reflections of blue and green. ‘The beak is large, compressed laterally, very strong, and of a red colour. Mr, Gould read a technical description of the bird, which retains the name of Notornis Mantellii. It may be supposed that great interest was excited by the actual pre- sence of a recent specimen of a bird previously set down as being long since extinct. The impression made on my own mind by this disclosure is, that we have been too hasty in our conclusions as to the fossil nature of the New-Zealand bones: is it not possible, is it not even probable, that the bones of Notornis, described as fossil, were those of comparatively recent birds? In the present instance a naturalist was at hand to rescue the skin from destruction ; but this PREFACE. ix was a mere chance, and nothing is more likely than that sealers or settlers should kill and eat so palatable a fowl and leave its bones for naturalists to ponder over. Every one is acquainted with those who do not know our commonest British birds from each other, and some would surely only recognise in the Notornis (supposing them emi- grants to its distant habitation) a fowl goodly to look on and pleasant to the taste; it could not by any possibility occur to them that such a bird would cause an excitement amongst the learned greater than the discovery of a planet. Connected with birds, I must not pass silently over the valuable papers by Mr. Tomes on the supposed new Shrike, (Zool. 2650 and 2734) in the latter of which that gentleman announces it as his own and Mr. Yarrell’s opinion that the bird under consideration is Lanius Excubitorides of Swainson, described in the ‘ Fauna Boreali-Ameri- cana,’ ii. 115, and figured in pl. 34. I am aware that any opinion I may offer in opposition to that of such a distinguished author as Mr. Yarrell, and such a close and pains-taking observer as Mr. Tomes, is not very likely to influence the readers of the ‘ Zoologist ;’ yet inas- much as a citation of these opinions without comment seems to imply a kind of concurrence therein, I think it will be the more honest course for me to say that I am very far from being convinced that we have two species of gray shrike in this country, and that I consider the differences recorded indicative of age or season rather than of species. I may also observe that the character chiefly insisted on by Swainson, as distinguishing Excubitor from Excubitorides, the en- tireness or division of the posterior scale of the tarsus, is a difference not found to exist in the British specimens, which uniformly, as far as my observation has extended, possess the characters assigned by Swainson to Excubitor. Another subject of interest, also connected with Ornithology, is the extraordinary and, I believe, unparalleled immigration of Waxwings, which took place in the winter of 1849—50. By a reference to the Index, under the head “ Waxwing,” it will be seen that a great num- ber of records occur in these pages ; but it is neither consistent with fact, nor fair to other journalists, to assume that these records furnish VIL. b x PREFACE. anything approaching a just census of the number killed or seen. Many communications were sent me after the immediate interest of the subject had ceased, owing to the visitors having taken their depar- ture; and still greater was the number of announcements in provincial papers of the wholesale and, I fear too often, wanton destruction of these beautiful birds. From an examination of all the sources of in- formation within my reach, and totally disregarding the accounts of ”” with which we were frequently entertained, the “immense flocks, following statistics appear to approach accuracy. 1. Direction: east to west: the birds appearing simultaneously along great tracts of the eastern coast and proceeding directly in- land. 2. Locality: the eastern or coast districts of Durham and York- shire in the north, and of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent, in the south: the exception of Lincolnshire is probably only one of observa- tion and not of fact. In Scotland (Zool. 2769) the northern counties were generally but sparingly visited: the other recorded localities ap- pear exceptional. 3. Date: chiefly the month of January ; but the dates of instances in which the birds were actually killed is given below. 1849, November ......cccccecspere | 4 Total in November......sssssesssseeeee 4 » December, Ist, 2nd, an } 13 3rd weeks 5 33 4th week ...... 24 Total in December... trifariella, xxix ES Troglodytella, Ixxxiv 4, unipunctella, xci Ps Vallesianella, Ixxviii - Versurella, Ixxxvii a Vibicella, xxvii s Vibicigerella, xxviii 7 vicinella, 1xxix 3 virgatella, Ixxxii 33 Vulnerarie, lxxix #9 Vulpecula, Ixxvi 5 Wockeella, Ixxvi Coleoptera, capture of rare, in Kent, 2681 Colias Edusa and C. Hyale in the Isle of Wight, 2669 Colin, Virginian, near Tunbridge Wells, 2700, 2771 Colymbus arcticus, nest of, 2954 “ glacialis, 2950 3 septentrionalis, 2950 Conchology, Introduction to, notice of, 2917 Coot, common, 2822 Cosmopteryx Lienigiella, 2753 a pinicolella, 2753 Cottus, long-horned, note on, 2954 Crab, kittiwick, note on, 2882 Crake, corn, variety of, 2772; Baillon’s, near Deal, 2923 Crambus uliginosellus, 2784 Crane in Norfolk, 2771 Crossbill, parrot, near London, 2770 Crustacea, British, note on, 2930 Curlew, common, 2796 Cuttle-fish, voracity of, 2955 Cygnus Bewickii, 2823 » ferus, 2822 » olor, 2823 Cyphomyia ornata, xevi Deer, roe, note on, 2722 Deilephila Euphorbie, 2930 es Porcellus at Newmarket, 2930 Depressaria, larve of, 2829 Dichelacera hinnulus, exxii Dictyopterus Aurora in Scotland, 2961 Diphthera Orion near Colchester, 2885 Diver, black-throated, in the Thames, 2706; red-throated, curious capture of, 2706; black-throated, at Chester- field, 2775 ; on Barton Pond, 2775; in Northumberland, 2775; great northern, in Torbay, 2776; black- throated, in Lincolnshire, 2803 ; great northern, 2950 ; red-throated, 2950 Divers, great northern, black-throated and red-throated, changes of plumage pe- riodically incident to, 2775 Dog, curious instinct in a, 2760; curious act ina, 2761 Doubledaya viator, 2834 Dryophilus anobioides, 2830 Duck, remarkable act in, 2652 ; bimacu- lated, in the fens of Lincolnshire, 2652 ; ferruginous, near Redcar, 2773; de- scription of a specimen shot near Dun- bar, 2773; ferruginous, near great Yarmouth, 2803 ; tufted, breeding on Malham Water, 2879; pintail, 2949 ; wild, 2949; long-tailed, 2949 ; harle- quin, 2949 Ducks nesting in trees, 2774 Dunlin, 2820 Eagle, golden, 2764 Earwig, lesser, curious act in, 2695; known to use its wings, 2759, 2831 Earwigs, on setting different species of, 2759 ; devouring insects on setting- boards, 2935 Eggs of Savi’s warbler, 2849; of wood- pecker, discoloured, 2923; of Arion ater, 2935 ; of fieldfare, 2946 ; of red- wing, 2948 Elachista occultella, 2806 Embryo, human, dissection of, 2784 Enchoptera apicalis, 2973 3 nigricornis, 2973 Entomological club, 2892 Entomological revelations, 2754 Entomological Society, proceedings of, 2671, 2712, 2745, 2783, 2805, 2834, 2860, 2890, 2916, 2938, 2961 Entomology of 1721, 2757 Epeira diadema, curious habit of, 2955 Epunda Lichenea at Lytham, 2670; at New Brighton, 2958 Eupithecia Callunaria, ev sp palustraria, cv Exoprosa bizona, xevii Falcon, peregrine, near Marlborough, 2648 ; near Market Weighton, 2648 ; near Worcester, 2698; at Selborne, 2764 ‘ Favourite Song Birds,’ 2922 Fidonia Ericetaria near Farnham, 2932 Fieldfare, note on the, 2765; egg of, 2946 Fieldfares, do they roost in trees ? 2798 Fisherman, the, 2842 Flamingo, inquiry respecting the nest of, 2801 Flies, house, microscopical observations of a malady incident to, 2674 Flycatcher, pied, in Aberdeenshire, 2651 ; at Battisford, 2849 ; near Deal, 2923 XXVll Foraminifera, minute structure of the calcareous shells of some recent species of, 2863 Fulica atra, 2822 Fumea reticella at Sheerness, 2857 Gallinula chloropus, 2822 Gannet, great strength and courage in, 2953 ; near Bury St. Edmunds, 2825 ; near Great Grimsby, 2853 Gelechia acuminatella, xxii iy 3 maculiferella ? 2749 ye paucipunctella, 2858 55 pulliginella, Ixxii Gnorimus variabilis at Tooting, 2935 Godwit, black-tailed, 2818; bar-tailed, 2818; black-tailed, near Wisbeach, 2853 Golden-eye, 2950 Goldfinch and siskin, mules between, 2770 Goniodoma auroguttella, xcii Goosander on Guyhirn Wash, 2774; on the Severn, 2853 ; on the Trent, 2950 Goose, pink-footed, near Y ork, 2705; swan, in Norfolk, 2705; pink-footed, 2736 ; gray-legged, reply to Mr. Gurney’s in- quiry respecting, 2740; pink-footed, near Wisbeach, 2772 ; brent, near Wis- beach, 2772; Egyptian, in Sussex, 2772; at Pevensey, 2773 ; pink-footed, variety of, 2802; bean, 2822; white- fronted, 2822; brent, 2822: Canada, 2822 ; cravat and bernicle, hybrid be- tween 2969 Gordius supposed to be parasitic, 2856 Goshawk near Stowmarket, 2649; in Northumberland, 2765 Gracilaria ? Ocnerostomella, 2784 Grapholitha Weirana, 2806 Grebe, red necked, near Burton-on-Trent, 2706; Sclavonian, at Piddinghoe, 2775; eared, on Whittlesea Wash, 2775 ; tippet, in Northumberland, 2775; ved-necked, near Penzance, 2803 ; horned, at Manchester, 2924; little, 2950 Greenfinch, 2736 Grosbeak, an exotic, at Ilford, 2699, 2770 ; the Madagascar, breeding in an aviary, 2852 Grouse, red, food of, 2652 ; black, in De- vonshire, 2652; in Herefordshire, 2852 ; in the Lake district, 2968 Gull, little, at Bridlington Quay, 2653 ; masked, in the Mediterranean, 2653, 2776, 2880; arctic, near Worcester, 2706; little, at Redcar, and some par- ticulars of its plumage,2706 ; glaucous, in Norfolk, 2777; masked, on the Dart, 2825 ; kittiwake, 2950; common, 2950; herring, 2951 Gymnetrus, Hawken’s, on the Yorkshire coast, 2709 Gymnogenous birds, 2780 Hematopus ostralegus, 2795 Halicti, economy of the, 2679 Harrier, marsh, at Wassand, 2649 ; ash- coloured, near York, 2649; near Arun- 2953 Heart, human, early development of, 2784 Hedgehog devouring bees, 2637 Hedgesparrow, singular variety of, 2698 Hemesthocera flavilinea, cxi Hen pheasant in cock’s plumage, 2770 Hephestion ocreatus, 2975 Heron, common, 2795; purple, near the Land’s End, 2800; night, near Hel- ston, 2825 ; habits of, 2879 Hesthesis ornata, 2975 Hesthogenous birds, 2780 Hippopotamus, arrival of, at Regent's Park, 2865 Hobby at Lewes and Worthing, 2952 Hooper, 2822 Hoopoe at Lewes, 2700 ; at Bembridge, 2800; near Penzance, 2825; near Stowmarket, 2953 Hydrecia Petasites near Manchester, 2931; at Weaverham, 2932; note on, 2971 as Hyleus gibbus, 2808 » Tubicola, 2808 » versicolor, 2808 Hylecthrus rubi, 2807 ; Hypenodes Hibernicalis in Delamere Fo- rest, 2932 Hypenodes humidalis, ev Ibis falcinellus, 2796 Ibis, glossy, 2796 ; near Lowestoft, 2879 ; at Piddinghoe, 2953 Insects, names of, 2668; use and abuse of a collection of, 2719; Dipterous, observations on the study of, 2959 Insects on setting-boards devoured by ear- wigs, 2935 Insects impaled on thorns, 2971 Instinct, curious instance of, in a parrot, 2917 ‘ Introduction to Conchology, 2917 Kestrel, a tame male pairing with a wild female, 2764 Kestrels breeding in confinement, 2648 Kingfisher, note on, 2740 ; unusual abun- dance of near Newcastle-on-Tyne, 2770 Kirby, Rev. William, death of, 2886 Kite at Kingsbury, 2797; near Market Weighton, 2952 Lamia textor, note on, 2961 7 XXVill Lampronia amenella, 2858 Landrail, 2820 Lanius Excubitorides, description of, 2734 Lark, wood, 2736 ; in Scotland, 2849 Larus canus, 2950 » fuscus, 2951 3 tridactylus, 2950 Larva of Depressaria, 2829 ; of Acherontia Atropos, 2930 Lepidophora culiciformis, xevii Lepidoptera, mode of killing without changing the colour, 2882, 2898 ; rare, capture of, near Manchester, 2882 ; at Almondsbury, 2882, 2955 ; in Glou- cestershire, 2884; near Liverpool, 2898 ; on killing, 2934 ; note on, 2972 Libellule accompanying a ship at sea, 2760 Limax filans, singular habits of, 2825 Limosa egocephala, 2818 », Lapponica, 2818 Linnean Society, proceedings of, 2778, 2804, 2831, 2859 Lithomia Solidaginis at Cannock Chase, 2932 Lizard, green, 2707; at Herne Bay, 2707; remarks on, 2854 Lobophora polycommaria near Lewes, 2793 ; at Darenth Wood, 2793 Locust, appearance of at Bristol, 2760 Lymneza Hookeri, 2782 Mackerel, Spanish, off Brighton, 2929 Macrones exilis, 2974 BS rufus, 2974 Magpie, ferocity of the, 2799; longevity of, 2824; delicate attention of to its mistress, 2953 Maigre on the Yorkshire coast, 2709 Mallophora albifrons, xeviii Ae tricolor, xeviii Mammal, supposed new British, 2676, 2696, 2761, 2762 Manchester Natural- History Society ,2786 Martens, British, 2637 Martins, early appearance of, 2800 ; au- tumnal stay of, 2800; anecdote of, 2824 Mecistogaster ancilla, cxx Medusa Stella at Lowestoft, 2936 Melicerta lingens, architectural instincts of, 2714 Merganser near Montgomery, 2705; red- breasted, on Terrington Marsh, 2774 ; in the Thames, 2775 Mergus merganser, 2950 Merlin at Lewes, 2698, 2953 Microgaster, Pezomachus hatched from the cocoons of, 2885 Micro-Lepidoptera, new mode of setting up, 2668; grease in, 2669 ; capture of, 2933 ; new British, 2958 Micropteryx, abstract of a paper on the genus, 2713; palpi of, 2830, 2858 Micropteryx Calthella, 2830; on the Carices, 2858 Micropteryx mansuetella, 2783 Microscopical Society, proceedings of, 2672, 2714, 2746, 2784, 2811, 2836, 2862, 2891 Mollusca, land and fresh-water, found in the neighbourhood of Norwich, 2741 Mollusk, new fresh-water, 2782 Monkeys, an army of, 2870 Monohammus Sutor, boring powers of, 2939 Moorhen, habits of, 2801, 2822 Moth, goat, gnawing power of the cater- pillar of, 2897 Mouse, common or house, variety of, 2763 Mules between goldtinch and siskin, 2770 Myelois Artemisiella, 2784 Myrmecopsis Eumenides, exxii Myrmosa nigriceps, 2861 Natural History, observations in, during a tour in Norway, 2944 Nest of flamingo, inquiry respecting, 2801; of Savi’s warbler, 2849 ; of Cha- radrius Morinellus, 2954; inquiry re- specting a bird’s, 2967 Nomada armata, 2681 ; habitat of, 2757 Nomenclature in Natural History, remarks on, 2723 Notomata aurita, anatomy of, 2836 Numenius arquata, 2796 Nutcracker in Surrey, 2914 Nymphicus, New Holland, laying eggs in confinement, 2914 Odontia dentalis at Folkstone, 2885 Ophiocoma, new, name and affinities of, 2936 Ophiocoma parmularia, ex Opigena fennica in England, 2971 Oriole, golden, near London, 2851; at Elmstone, 2851; near Yarmouth, 2914 Oroderes humeralis, 2975 Osprey near Colchester, 2764 ; at Hartle- pool, 2764; in Northumberland, 2824 ; at Toddington, 2967 Otter, note on, 2723 Ouzel, ring, migration of, 2698 Owl, Tengmalm’s, in Yorkshire, 2649 ; snowy, in Norfolk, 2765 ; Tengmalm’s, near Marsden, 2765; eagle, breeding in confinement, 2849; snowy, in the North of Scotland, 2923 Owls, long and short eared, note on, 2698 Oyster-catcher, 2795 Palpi of Micropteryx, 2830, 2858 XXIxX Panorpa ruficeps, 2835 Papilio Bolivar, 2976 5, Columbus, 2976 Parameria greca, 2861 Parasites in Volvox globator, 2891 Partridges, packing of, 2652; breasted, 2879 Pastor, rose-coloured, at Lowestoft, 2923 ; nest and eggs of, 2968 Pavonia Telemachus, 2976 Peewit, 2793 Periwinkle, common, viviparous, 2856 Petrel, fork-tailed, in Norfolk, 2654; near Worcester, 2706; in Warwickshire, 2706!; near Torquay, 2778; near London, 2803; in Isle of Wight, 2969 ; at Brighton, 2969; fulmar, 2951; storm, 2951 Pezomachus hatched from the cocoons of Microgaster, 2885 Phocodes Mossmanni, cxxiv Phalarope, gray, in Northumberland, 2853 white- Pheasant, hen, in cock’s plumage, 2770 ; varieties of, 2771 Phoracantha impavida, cxiv Picus martius, 2945 5, minor, 2946 Plover, dotterel, at and near Wisbeach, 2853; little ringed, near Whixley, 2953 Plusia Gamma, late appearance of, 2670 Plusia Bractea in Scotland, 2897 Plutella fissella, endurance of cold in, 2830 Pochard, 2949 Podiceps minor, 2950 Pogonus Burellii, abundance of at Sheer- ness, 2858 Polecat, white variety of, 2816 Pratincole, in Northumberland, 2779 Procellaria glacialis, 2951 a pelagica, 2951 Psilomorpha tenuipes, 2974 Psyche Fenella, xcix » Teticella, xciv Psychide, observations on, cvi Puppies nursed by a barren cat, 2638 Quadruped, reptilian, foot-prints of in the old red sand-stones of North America, 2708 Quail, appearance of in January, 2771; Californian, note on, 2852 Rallus aquaticus, 2821 » Crex, 2820 Rana esculenta, 2657 Raphiglossa Eumenoides, 2862 A Odyneroides, 2862 Redshank, common, 2817 Redstart, black, in Norfolk, 2651; per- fectly white specimen of, 2699 ; black, in Sussex, 2699; at Falmouth, 2699; in Torbay, 2765; near Liverpool, 2769; near London, 2798; at Pid- dinghoe, 2798 Redwing near Norwich, 2879 ; at Abbots- bury, 2923 Regulus, fire-crested, near Knaresborough, 2699; near Lewes, 2766 Retinia Pinicolana, cvi Bhodaria sanguinalis at New Brighton, 2932 Robin, change of plumage in, 2699 Rook, cream-coloured variety of, 2953; slate-coloured variety of, 2968 Salamander, curious fact in the history of a, 2789 Salamandra palmipes, 2657 Salmon and salmon fisheries, 2658 Sanderling, note on the, 2915 Sandpiper, common, 2736, 2817 ; wood, at Woolwich, 2853 ; curlew, near Deal, 2923 Saperda bilabilis, cxx Sargus jucundus, xcvi Saturnia, capture of a new, near Madrid, 2829 Saturnia Carpini, early appearance of, 2793, 2856 Scolopax Brehmi (?) near London, 2703 4 calidris, 2817 a gallinago, 2819 * gallinula, 2820 ss major, 2819 be tusticola, 2818 Sea-fowls breeding in Moray Firth, 2905, 2924 Sea-serpent, 2803, 2925 Shark, porbeagle off the Chesil bank, 2970 Sheldrake, common, 2949 Shells, calcareous, 2863 Shrew, water, in Staffordshire, 2697 Shrike, great gray, near Bedale, 2649 ; greater northern, near Knaresborough, 2649; in Warwickshire, 2650; great gray, near London, 2698 ; red-backed, singular variety of, 2698 Silkworms, singular recipe for creating, 2677 Silphomorpha albopicta, CXXiv Sirex juvencus, habits of, 2960 Siskin and goldfinch, mules between, 2770 Skeletodes Tetrops, exiii Skua, common, at Fleetwood, 2925 Smerinthus Populi, late appearance of, 2670 Smew near Ely, 2774 ; in Northampton- shire, 2775 Xxx Snakes ejected by a calf, 2871 Snipe, great, at Lewes, 2703 ; supposed new, 2800; great, 2819; common, 2819; jack, 2820 Snipe in South Lancashire, 2771 Sparrow, house, curious act of instinct ina, 2798 ; curious nidification of, 2851 Spilonota pauperana, capture of, in Da- renth Wood, 2826 Spilonota Rosecolana, cvi Spoonbill at Sandwich, 2853; at St. Mary’s, Scilly, 2853 ; in East Lothian, 2924 Squirrel, is it ever carnivorous? 2762; mischievous propensity of, 2842 ; com- mon, note on, 2871 Starfish, new British, cix Starfishes at Eastbourne, 2886 Stenoderus maculicornis, 2974 3 ostricilla, exili Stephanops nasutus, 2974 Sterna Boysii, 2950 » hirundo, 2950 Stint, Temminck’s, near Deal, 2923 Stork, black, capture and habits of, and change of plumage in, 2700 Stylopidz, notes on, 2759 Stylopites and their affinities, 2826 Stylops, anatomy and comparative anat- omy of the mouth of, 2684; anatomy of the pro-, meso-, and metathorax, 2688 ; comparative anatomy, 2690; metamorphotic, maxillary and alary systems, 2694 Sun-fish, capture of, off Poole, 2856 ; off Weymouth and Torquay, 2881 ; off the Isle of Wight, 2916; at Torquay, 2928; at Dover, 2929; off Hastings, 2929 Swallow, variety of, 2700 Swallow-shooting, cruelty of, 2952 Swan, sailing of the, 2802 Swan, wild, near Wisbeach, 2773; Be- wick’s, near Wisbeach, 2773, 2823 ; mute, 2823 Swans, wild, near Hull, 2773 Swift, late stay of on the southern coast in 1849, 2651 Swordfish near Peterborough, 2928 Tabanus advena, ]xix s albo-ater, Ixvi A basi-vitta, xviii x brevivitta, xevi “= consequa, CXXi s desertus, lxix ss fenestratus, xvii + Fullo, Ixvii as impar, Ixxi ns Oplus, lxx Tabanus Pyrausta, Ixv as Sarpa, Ixx =; tenens, Ixv + tripunctifer, xcv “5 truncatus, lxxii ” ustus, Xcv a vagus, ]xviii a viduus, lxviii a viridi-flavus, lxvi Teal, 2949 Tern, gull-billed, in Norfolk, 2653; black, near Worcester, 2706; at Balmer, 2803; in adult summer piumage in Mount’s Bay, 2803; gull-billed, at Yarmouth, 2853; black, lesser and common, at March, 2854; Caspian, near Yarmouth, 2915; Sandwich, 2950 ; common, 2950 Tetrao Urogallus, 2944 Tinearist’s calendar for February, 2709 ; for March, 2747 ; for April, 2788 Tineide, captures of, with remarks on the . specific distinctions of some closely allied species, 2749, 2893 Tit, crested, on Sunderland Moor, 2766 Toad immured in a wall, 2789 ; common, shedding of the skin of, 2855, 2881 Tortoise Tortrix Penziana of Thunberg, on the identity of, with Cnephasia bellana of Curtis, 2755 Tortrix pygmeana of Haworth, 2757 Tortrix Strobilella, economy of, 2748 Totanus hypoleucos, 2736, 2817 Tringa alpina, 2820 » vanellus, 2793 Tritocosmia atricilla, exv Triton Bibronii, 2655 Trupanea purpurea, xcviii Tunny near Weymouth, 2916 Turdus iliacus, 2948 » Pilaris, 2946 Turnstone associating with pigeons, 2652 Turtle, hawks-bill, off the Yorkshire coast, 2707; in the Parret, Bridgwater, 2741 ; fresh-water, inquiry respecting the food of, 2954 ; reply thereto, 2970 Twite at Lewes, 2953; white variety of, 2953 Tyneside Naturalists’ Field Club, 2786, 2812 Variety of the hedgesparrow, 2698; of the red-backed shrike, 2698; of the redstart, 2699 ; of the swallow, 2700 ; of the common or house mouse, 2763 ; of the blackbird, 2765, 2851; of the pheasant, 2771; of the corn crake, 2772; of the pink-footed goose, 2802 ; of the polecat, 2816; of the yellow- XXX1 hammer, 2851; of the wheatear, 2923 ; of the rook, 2953, 2968 ; of the twite, 2953 Vole, water, food of, 2638 Volvox globator, occurrence of parasites in, 2891 Wagtail, pied, note on, 2651 Warbler, Savi’s, nest and eggs of, 2849 ; Dartford, at Lewes, 2953; song of, 2967 Warblers, British, 2922 Wasp, on the abundance or scarcity of the, 2678 Waterhen, habits of the, 2704 Water-rail, 2821 Waxwing in England, 2766; near Wis- beach, 2766; near Deal, 2767; in Norfolk, 2767, 2768; at Redcar, 2767; near Kingsbridge, 2767; in Kent, 2767 ; in Scotland, 2767; near London, 2767, 2769; in Cambridge- shire and Norfolk, 2767; at Waltham- stow, 2767; at Piddinghoe, 2768; near Worcester, 2768; at Newhaven, 2768; at Pevensey, 2768; near Pres- ton, 2768 ; near Penzance, 2768 ; near Stockton-on-Tees, 2768 ; near Godal- ming, 2768; in Northumberland and Durham, 2768; near Tunbridge Wells, 2769 ; near Hull, 2769; in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Cornwall, 2769 ; in Leicestershire, 2770; near Liverpool, 2769; near Lewes, 2769; in various localities in Scotland, 2769 ; near Whalley, 2770; near Coventry, 2799 ; near Horsham, 2799; in Ox- fordshire, 2799 ; in Lincolnshire, 2799 Wheatear, variety of, 2923 Whimbrel at Sutton, 2853 Whitethroat, lesser, near Carlisle, 2765 Wigeon, 2949 Wood, non-gymnospermous exogenous, in the lias near Bristol, 2862 Woodcock, 2818 Woodpecker, spotted, near Newcastle-on- Tyne, 2770; great spotted, male in the plumage of the female, 2824 ; green, discoloured eggs of, 2923; great black, 2945 ; lesser spotted, 2946 Woodpigeon, food of, 2970 Yellowhammer, variety of, 2851 Yorkshire Naturalists’ Club, 2674, 2747 Ypsolophus ? palustrellus, 2835 Zeuzera Arundinis at Whittlesea Mere, 2884 ; economy of, 2931 Zoological Society, proceedings of, 2671, 2710, 2744, 2778, 2805, 2831, 2859, 2890, 2916, 2937 ADVERTISEMENT. fd - ‘Tue Zootoast’ will be continued both as a monthly and an annual publication. As a monthly, tt will contain thirty-two pages of letter-press, occasionally accompanied with illustrations engraved on wood; will be on sale three days before the end of every month ; and will be charged one shilling. As an annual, it will be sold on or about the 1st of December ; will contain twelve monthly numbers, bound and lettered uniformly with the present volume; and will be . charged thirteen shillings. An alphabetical list, both of contributors and contents, will be published once in the year. \ x - / f od . ANTMAD KINGDOM, (O Engraved, (for Mee ahs SS. SYSTEM OF WATVRE. Ie PLLA F << uel —s A hd COW Ww = Su AWN OMASL osm? s DNS is 0 KINGDOM CESSs fa ingraved for lhe 4 ) SYSTEM OF NATURE. THE ZOOLOGIST FOR 1850. Bats flying by Day.—November 9th: shot a specimen of the noctule (Vespertilio noctula)—the ‘altivolans’ mentioned by Gilbert White, in those notes which are beyond praise, as not seen after July. I have, however, seen them repeatedly through the past autumn: and in the very middle of a glaring sun one hot day in August, the pipistrelle was sporting and careering after gnats, apparently quite at his ease. This was at Kenmore, in Scotland. W. D. Crotch ; Taunton, Somerset, October 20, 1849. Hedgehog devouring Bees—The following trait in the gastronomic propensities of the hedgehog may I hope prove, if not practically useful, at least interesting to some of the readers of the ‘ Zoologist.. A gentleman, who prided himself on the number of his bees and the excellence of his honey, was much surprised and vexed to find them diminishing daily, and that too without apparent cause: however, by long and continued watching, the culprit—a fine hedgehog—was caught about daybreak, in the act of scratching at the entrance of the hive, and devouring its ill-fated inha- bitants as they emerged, their stings doubtless tickling his palate, and imparting a piquant or curry-like flavour to his meal. The theft was proved beyond a doubt on a post-mortem examination of the offender, who, freed from the ridiculous charge of sucking cows, may, I hope, be pardoned the casual sin of an epicurean feast of bees, —at all events more excusable than that of Arrius on nightingales.—Jd. British Martens.—Some opinions have lately been given in the ‘ Zoologist’ respecting the identity of the two species of marten found in Britain; and Dr. Morris (Zool. 2619) recommends an examination of the intestines, &c. May I be allowed to call attention to Mr. Jenyns’ paper on “Some of the smaller British Mammalia,” in the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History, vol. vii. page 262? Mr. Jenyns there mentions receiving two young examples of Martes foina, having still the milk teeth, and the bones of the cranium very loosely united; yet even in this young state the skull was larger and heavier than that of an adult specimen of Martes abietum in the collection of Mr. Yarrell; and moreover observes, that the skulls of the two species in the possession of the latter gentleman present the same - differences of size, &c. He adds, “‘ These individuals (M. foina) were of the same size, and measured 17 inches in length, exclusive of the tail, which was not quite 9 inches. The length of the cranium was 3 inches 4 lines; its breadth across the zygomatic arches, 1 inch 10 lines; its weight, 4 drachms 38 grains.” More exami- nations of a like kind would probably decide the point.—Robert F. Tomes; Welford, Stratford-on-Avon, November 5, 1849. VIII B 2638 Quadrupeds. The Wild Cat.—In the October number of the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 2587) you in- sert a query respecting the truth of the existence of a wild cat in the British woods, and will feel obliged to any observer for information on this disputed subject. Allow me to add that this subject might be soon settled if you have any correspondents in the North of Scotland, where it is said to occur frequently. When a boy, residing in Scotland, I have frequently seen what is generally supposed to be our wild cat, and which differs, in my opinion, very much from “ the domestic cat having become wild,” in size, form and colour. And if I mistake not there is a specimen of the wild cat, from Scotland, in the Museum of the Zoological Society, along with a specimen of the Felis maniculata—the alleged origin of our domestic breed. The comparison of these specimens will be of some interest. I have written to a friend in Scotland to procure one and send it to you, that you may have ocular proof of the existence or otherwise of the Felis catus of Linneus—J. Me’Intosh ; Milton Abbey, November 2, 1849. [My correspondent puts the question rather differently from myself. I have not mooted, neither am I prepared to moot, the large question, “ Is there a Felis catus of Linneus?” My question runs thus: “Is there in the woods of Britain a cat spe- cifically distinct from that universally domesticated ?”—Edward Newman.] Puppies nursed by a Barren Cat.—I saw, for the first time, on the 14th of this month, two terrier puppies—about a fortnight old—carefully tended and nestled under a black cat, who appeared anxious and uneasy on my taking one of them out of the basket to examine him. The owner of the puppies—an ironmonger, in Vic- toria Road, Pimlico—told me that their mother having been stolen a few days before, he had placed the puppies in the basket, covered them with a piece of carpet, and fed them by dipping their noses in a saucer of milk and forcing them to swallow the milk. The motherless little ones in their basket, and the operation of feeding them, appeared greatly to interest the house cat, a female five years old, who has never had any kittens, and she frequently stood looking into and rubbing herself against the basket, as though inclined to step in. At length, two days before I saw them, the puppies, having had their noses well soused in the milk, as usual at their meal times, were restored—wet-faced and sneezing—to their basket, when Puss, who had atten- tively watched the whole proceedings, quietly stepped into the basket,—a low hamper, —licked the puppies dry, and cowered over them like an ordinary feline mamma. She has since steadily adhered to her protégés, who often fruitlessly attempt to suck their barren foster-mother, and are in return most tenderly cleaned and caressed by her. The puppies are short-tailed, clumsy little urchins, about the size of half-grown kittens — Edward Brown Fitton ; 53, Upper Harley Street, October, 1849. Food of the Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius).—Several years ago I met with a very large quantity of separated valves of the common mussel in the burrows of water voles, but not one was opened by a portion of the shell opposite the hinge having been eaten away, as mentioned by Mr. Gurney (Zool. 2588): in this instance the hinge itself was eaten, and the valves separated entire. I mention this to show that different means are resorted to, to attain the same end,—and most probably by the same animal,—on different occasions and places; but can give no opinion as to which of the two animals it is to be attributed —Robert F. Tomes; Welford, Strat- ford-on-Avon, November 5, 1849. Birds. 2639 Catalogue of Birds taken in Pembrokeshire, with Observations on their Habits, Manners, &c. By Mr. James TRacy.* Gyr Falcon. The specimen from which Mr. Yarrell made the drawing, in his excellent work on British Birds, was killed on a war- ren on the estate of the Earl of Cawdor, was set up by me, and after- wards given by the Earl to the Zoological Society. It had been. observed by my father (his lordship’s keeper) for eight or ten days, and had almost on each day killed and partly devoured a cock phea- sant. It was very shy, always perched on the highest rocky eminences, and therefore difficult to get at; but was. accidentally come on, and shot in the act of rising from a cock pheasant it had recently killed. Peregrine Falcon. 'Tolerably common on this coast, from Caldy Island round westward to St. David’s Head, breeding in the most in- accessible parts of the cliff; lays four eggs, sometimes five, and in one instance I observed six young. They make no nest, but lay their egg in a cavity of the rock where a little loose clayey earth has been deposited: sometimes in the old nest of the raven, or carrion crow,— but I never saw a nest without a little earth in it: they fix upon the situation early in March, and lay about the first week in April. Both male and female sit in turn on the eggs. I have known an instance where the male hatched and reared the young ones when the female had been killed; and also, when the male had been shot, the female has continued the work of incubation. When they have young ones, they are not to be deterred from their nests, nor will they—even if fired upon—desert their offspring. On one occasion I remember my father and myself firing at a pair of these birds, and the female re- turned to the nest almost immediately: we repeated this three times before we succeeded in getting her, In almost every instance where I observed a nest of this fine bird, the following birds have had nests in the immediate vicinity,—that is, within 100 or 150 yards: the guillemot and razorbill in immense numbers, within a few feet; puf- fins; the kestrel, raven, carrion crow, jackdaw, red-legged crow, great black-backed gull, one nest; lesser black-backed gull, several nests; herring gull, common; kittiwakes, in thousands; common and green cormorants, swifts and sand martins: and yet none of them showed any signs of alarm at the approach of so formidable a foe. I do not recollect a nest where the herring gulls, guillemots, razorbills * Naturalist and Taxidermist, Pembroke. 2640 — Birds. and puffins were not abundant. The old birds give you plenty of no- tice, by their harsh cry, when you are in the immediate vicinity of their nest; and it is not difficult to find the spot selected, the same old arched cavity being occupied every year. In one instance eleven pairs of herons were breeding on the ledges of the rocks, within 150 yards of the nest of the peregrine falcon. Merlin. Scarce; although I have had, during a period of fifteen or eighteen years, as many as eight or nine to set up for different gen- tlemen in the county. Kestrel. Very common; breeding in our cliffs, and also in every old castle in the county. Sparrow Hawk. Very common. Common Buzzard. Used to be very common, but becoming more scarce every year. Marsh Harrier. Also used to be more commonly met with than it is now. Hen Harrier. Common: breeds on heaths and furzy moors, and pretty generally distributed over the county. Long-eared Owl. Not very common. Short-eared Ow]. Very common some seasons, in the months of October and November, in turnip-fields and warrens; its stay here very limited. White Owl. Very common: breeds in cliffs and old castles. Tawny Owl. Not very common. Great Gray Shrike. A specimen, taken near Haverfordwest, is in the collection of R. J. Ackland, Esq., of Boulston. Red-backed Shrike. Common, and pretty equally distributed in pairs over the county; leaves us early in September. Spotted Flycatcher. Very common; leaves in October. Common Dipper. Tolerably common in the upper or more moun- tainous part of the county. Missel Thrush. Very common: breeds early, and has two and sometimes three broods in the year. Fieldfare. Very common: arrives early in October and leaves in March. I have a note in my journal, “ Saw a flock of fieldfares and redwings, Sunday, April 10, 1842.” Song Thrush. Very common. I do not think any migrate from here, although I think some few come here with the fieldfares and redwings. Redwing. Common; arriving with the fieldfares, and departing with them. Birds. * 2641 - Blackbird. Very common. I received a young bird, but very much mutilated by shooting,— perfectly white,—from Carmarthen. Piebald varieties are not uncommon. Ring Ouzel. Rare. I obtained one specimen, killed at Angle, which is now in the collection of Viscount Emlyn, at Stackpole Court. Hedgesparrow: Very common. This species is very subject to warts on the beak and legs: how can this be accounted for ? Redbreast. Common. Redstart. Rather rare. Black Redstart. Very rare. Two examples occurred here in the autumn of 1847; one killed by Mr. George Hughes, of the Coburg Hotel, Tenby, on the eaves of the hotel, and very much mutilated ; the other by me, with an air-cane loaded with small shot, on the water-trough of my neighbour’s house in the street of Pembroke, and is now in Viscount Emlyn’s collection, at Stackpole Court. Stonechat. Very common; remaining all the year. Whinchat. Rather scarce. Wheatear. Very common on our downs and warrens; arriving in April and leaving in October. Grasshopper Warbler. Not very common ; leaves in winter. Sedge Warbler. Like the last-named species, not very common. Blackcap. Common: arrives early in April, leaves in September. Garden Warbler. A specimen obtained by me in September last is the only one I have seen, and is now in Viscount Emlyn’s col- lection. Common Whitethroat. As its name implies, very common; arrives the latter end of March, and a few individuals stay as late as the first week in November. Wood Warbler. Scarce. Although I can mostly procure a few specimens the latter end of April or the first week in May, I think they do not stay here to breed, for I have never found them later ; and being so well acquainted with the voices of the other warblers, the peculiar twitter of the wood warbler could not have escaped me. Willow Warbler. Very common. Chiff-chaff. Also very common. I have seen specimens of this bird in December, January and February, in very severe weather. Golden-crested Regulus. Common and plentiful the year round. Great Tit, Blue Tit, Cole Tit, Marsh Tit and Long-tailed Tit. Common throughout the year. Pied Wagtail. Common. I have long had my suspicions that 2642 Birds. birds I saw here on the coast, particularly young birds, were not the young of our pied wagtail, from their uniform slate-gray heads, backs and rumps; our pied wagtail having the top of the head and rump nearly black at all ages. 1 am now convinced that a few young ones of the continental white wagtail appear on our coast in the months of September and October. Gray Wagtail. Common in winter: some few pairs remain and breed with us. Ray’s Wagtail. Tolerably common in small flocks, at the latter end of August and September, frequenting pasture-fields where cattle are grazing. I have oftentimes wondered how they avoided being trodden on by the cattle. Good old specimens are very scarce. Tree Pipit. Common. I am doubtful whether this bird remains during the winter. Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Skylark and Woodlark. Common all the year. Snow Bunting. Scarce, but often obtained in a severe winter. Common Bunting, Yellow Bunting and Black-headed Bunting. Plentiful all the year round. Chaffinch. Very common. Mountain Finch. Very common some winters, feeding in flocks with chaffinches, in farm-yards, and in woods on the beech-mast or nuts. House Sparrow, Greenfinch and Goldfinch. Common throughout the year. Siskin. Taken occasionally in autumn, feeding on the seeds of the birch and alder. Common Linnet. Common. Lesser Redpole. Rare, although a few frequent the mountainous part of the county. JAMES TRACY. Pembroke, October 4, 1849. (To be continued). Birds and Birds Nests in Aberdeenshire. By Mr. Toomas Epwarp. [I have oftener than once made mention in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 1700, 1910) of Mr. Thomas Edward, shoemaker, in Banff, who is a zealous admirer of Nature and an excellent preserver of animals. Birds. 2643 Occasionally he tears himself, as it were, from the employment to which necessity compels him, and slakes his thirst for the contempla- tion of zoological scenes and objects by a solitary ramble amid the mountains and hills, which so greatly abound in the upper portion of the shires of Aberdeen and Banff. Of some of his adventures during a ramble of this description, in the spring of the present year, he sent me an account. This I considered so interesting, that I have re- written it, and now submit it for insertion in the ‘ Zoologist.’ The facts, the ideas and the reflections are all his own, and in many parts I have retained his own expressions. Upon the accuracy and the minuteness of his observations, and upon his veracity of character, the utmost reliance may at all times be placed. Some of the moun- tains which he traversed are of great elevation: their names are Gaelic. In the part of the county of Aberdeen where I reside my- self,* and down to the very shore, and along all the eastern coast as far as the Firth of Forth, the names of hills, rivers, and other of the more conspicuous objects in Nature, as also the designations of landed estates and even of many of the farms, are to this day either in the Gaelic or in the Welsh language,—proving, in the clearest manner, that the country in early times was occupied by a Celtic race, and that its present Teutonic inhabitants are of more recent introduction. The Picts are supposed to have been a colony of the ancient Cimbr7, and to have had possession, for a length of time, of the eastern coast of Scotland,—‘ the mouth of a river’ in their language being aber, and in that of the Gael inver. On being driven from these territories, it is believed that they were some time in Cumberland, ‘ the land of the Cymbri, and that they finally settled in Wales, the modern Welsh calling themselves Cymry to the present hour, and aber occurring as frequently in proper names in Wales as it does along the eastern coast of Scotland.—James Smith ; Manse of Monquhitter by Turriff, Aberdeenshire, November 21, 1849.] May 14th, 1849. In a ramble among the hills to-day, I had the good fortune to find a curlew’s nest with four eggs, a plover’s (Chara- drius pluvialis) with the same number, and a wild duck’s with ten. * Monquhitter: the name of this parish is Gaelic, and it ought—I am informed by good Gaelic scholars, for I do not understand the language myself—to be spelled with the letter f, instead of guk ; quh occurring in Saxon and not in Gaelic words. The meaning is said to be, ‘the moss where the deer assemble. This name, I can easily conceive, was in remote ages eminently descriptive of the locality. 2644 Birds. The eggs of the plover and wild duck were partially covered with snow, and they had evidently been abandoned by the birds: this . circumstance induced me to examine these eggs with great minute- ness, and, having done so, I found in those of the wild duck perfectly formed birds, while those of the plover were somewhat discoloured, and were beginning to get what may be called miry. By this I was enabled, from what I know of the habits of the wild duck and of the plover, to come to the conclusion that the eggs of the former must have been sat on from sixteen to twenty days, and those of the latter for about five or six. These facts united leave no room to doubt that they had all been laid and sat upon before the commencement of the storm, which raged with such unexpected fury towards the end of April,—which had at the time covered the nests completely over with snow, and which had, in consequence, compelled the birds to abandon them. It is quite evident that, upon these upland and exposed hills, the breeding-season of many other birds must have been put an end to in a similar manner. May 15th. Descending from the Tap o’ Noth, where I had been ranging about for the greater part of the day, I entered a narrow glen, in which runs a burn or rivulet called Ness Bogie, separating Noth from Kirknie. While going along the banks of this streamlet, I ob- served three pairs of ‘kittie-needies’* and a few water ouzels (Cinclus aquaticus), and my ears were, every now and then, greeted with the well-known—and at all times the welcome—call of cuckoo, while my eyes were not unfrequently gratified by a sight of the bird itself. The cuckoo, indeed, appears to be very numerous in this part of the country : this is especially the case among the small patches of natural birch which here and there adorn the sides of the hills, at this particular part of the glen. The ring pigeons (Columba Palumbus) are also seen in great numbers; and, as I passed on, the solitude of the glen was often broken by the clap of their wings, as they arose from the small plantations on my approach. An abrupt turn of the rivulet brought me suddenly and unexpectedly within a few yards of a beautiful heron (Ardea cinerea): 1 immediately stood still: his up- right and motionless attitude indicated plainly that he had been taken by surprise ; and for the moment he seemed, as it were, stunned, and incapable of flight: there he remained as if fastened to the spot,— his bright yellow eye staring me full in the face, and with an expres- * ‘Kittie-needie’ is the name given, in this part of the country, to the common sandpiper (Totanus hypoleucos). It is formed in imitation of its peculiar cry. ——————— Se Birds. 2645 sion that seemed to inquire what right I had to intrude into solitudes where the human form is so rarely seen. As we were thus gazing at each other, in mutual surprise at having met in such a place, I ob- served his long slender neck quietly and gradually doubling down upon his breast; his dark and lengthened plumes were at the same time slightly shaken: I knew by this that he was about to rise: ano- ther moment and he was up. Stretching his long legs behind him, he uttered a scream so dismal, wild and loud, that the very glen and hills re-echoed the sound, and the whole scene was instantly filled with clamour: the sandpiper screamed its kittie-needie,—the pigeon cooed,—the pipit (Anthus pratensis), with lively motion, came flying around me, uttering all the while its peeping * note,—from his heathy lair the moor-cock sprang with whirring wing, and gave forth his well- known and indignant birr bir-bick,—the curlew came sailing down the glen with steady flight, and added to the noise with his shrill and peculiar notes of poo-elie poo-elie coorlie coorlie wha-up,—and from the loftier parts of the hills the plovers ceased not their mournful wail, which accorded well with the scene of which I alone appeared to be a silent spectator. A silent, indeed, I was, but not an uninte- rested spectator, for I enjoyed the whole with the utmost satisfaction ; and I moved not a foot until the alarmed inmates of the glen and the mountain had disappeared, and solemn stillness had again resumed its sway. After descending the stream for nearly two miles, I crossed it, and made for the summit of Kirknie. I had proceeded between twenty and thirty yards from the water, when I observed a ring pigeon rise from the ground a short distance before me. Coming up to the spot, I was surprised at seeing what appeared to be a nest, on which were lying two beautiful white eggs: I could not believe my own eyes: looking again, however, the eggs were still there, and as white as snow: I felt them; they were warm, and I had no longer any doubt that I had found a ring pigeon’s nest on the ground. The nest, which was composed of a few small sticks, was placed on the bare surface of the earth, and under the shade of a branch of a juniper bush (Juniperus communis). The cause of the singular departure, on this occasion, from its usual habits of nidification on the part of the ring pigeon, I shall leave wiser individuals than myself to deter- mine,—merely remarking that it could not have been occasioned by a want of wood, as there were trees at a distance of only about fifty or sixty yards from the spot. I took with me the eggs thus unexpectedly * It is known here by the provincial name of the ‘ heather-peeper. Vill Cc 2646 Birds. obtained, and proceeded upwards till I reached the summit of the hill. Tired with the exertion I sat down to rest, and I had not re- mained long in this position when I beheld two wild ducks moving across the heath, accompanied by a brood of young ones: they came onwards, not thinking of my presence, and, when within a few paces of where I lay, I suddenly made a spring at the whole. Whata splutter ensued! I succeeded in capturing two of the young ones. How they squeaked, and what a melancholy noise the old birds made when they beheld me handling them! After admiring for a while the beautiful silky down with which they were covered, I set the little prisoners at liberty, and they speedily disappeared among the heath. As I went on my way I could hear the quack of the old ducks, who were no doubt busily collecting their young ones, in order to lead them, as quickly as possible, to some friendly pool. May 17th. Towards the evening of this day, as I was crossing the Clashmauch, on my way to Huntly, after having wandered about from morning without finding a single nest, I observed a curlew rise from a marshy part of the hill, to which I accordingly bent my steps, in hopes of falling in with her nest. In this, however, I was disappointed : but in searching about, and within a few feet of the remains of a wreath of snow, I came upon a female wild duck lying beside a tuft of rushes. As I imagined she was skulking with a view to avoid ob- servation, I touched her with my stick, in order that she might rise: she, however, rose not. I was surprised; and, on a nearer inspection, I found that she was dead. She lay raised a little on one side, her neck stretched out, her mouth open and full of snow, her wings some- what extended, and with one of her legs appearing a little behind her. Near to it there were two eggs. On my discovering this I lifted up the bird, and underneath her was a nest containing eleven eggs: these, with the other two, made thirteen in all: a few of them were broken. I examined the whole of them, and found them, without ex- ception, to contain young birds. This was an undoubted proof that the poor mother had sat upon them from two to three weeks. With her dead body in my hand I sat down to investigate the matter, and to ascertain, if I could, the cause of her death. I examined her mi- nutely all over, and could find neither wound nor any mark whatever of violence: she had every appearance of having died of suffocation. Although I had only circumstantial evidence, ] had no hesitation in airiving at the conclusion that she had come by her death in a des- perate but faithful struggle to protect her eggs from the fatal effects of a snow-storm. There cannot be any doubt that the storm, which has Birds. 2647 been taken notice of under the date of May 14th, had terminated her existence. I could not help thinking, as I looked at her, how deep and striking an example she afforded of maternal affection, and how greatly even many of the human race might profit by its contempla- tion! On the cheek of how many a heartless and unthinking mother might not such a spectacle call up the blush of shame! The ruthless blast swept, with all its fury, along the lonesome and the unsheltered hill; the snow rose higher, and the smothering drift came fiercer, as night drew on; yet did that poor bird, in defiance of the warring ele- ments, continue to protect her home and the treasure which it con- tained, until she could do so no longer, and yielded up her life: that life she could easily have saved, had she been willing to abandon the offspring which Nature had taught her so fervently to cherish, and in | the endeavour to preserve which she voluntarily remained and died. And where, on that fatal night, was her partner?. He, too, had doubtless been surprised and overtaken by the unexpected storm; but, having no charge to protect, he had betaken himself to some friendly cover to await the issue of the blast; and that having come at length, he had winged his way to the place where were his com- panion and her nest: but instead of the brown heath and the rushy marsh which had there become so familiar to him, he now found every- thing enveloped in a mantle of snow. For a while, perhaps, he had wheeled to and fro through the air, uttering his call-note often and loud ; but in vain did he call, for she who would have eagerly responded to it was no longer alive. Despairing of finding the object of his anxious solicitude, he had, at last, winged his mournful flight to some distant lake, to spend the summer alone. Occupied by such feelings and reflections as these, which many, perhaps, will consider silly and extravagant, but which I could not at the moment help, I know not how long I might have sat had I not been aroused from my reverie by the barking of a shepherd’s dog. The sun had already set,—the gray twilight had begun to hide the distant mountains from my view,— and, not caring to be benighted on such a spot, 1 wrapped a piece of paper—as a winding-sheet—around the faithful and devoted bird, contrived to form a hole sufficiently large for the purpose, and into it I put both the mother and the eggs: I covered them over with earth and moss, and above all placed a solid piece of turf; and haying done so, and being more affected than I should perhaps be willing to ac- knowledge, I left them to moulder into their original dust, and went on my way. June 26th. Having been out this day, in the plantations about 2648 Birds. Banff, in search of a flycatcher’s nest (Muscicapa grisola), I acci- dentally came upon the nest of a willow wren (Sylvia Trochilus), which was built in a wild rose-bush, at the height of about five feet from the ground. At this I was not a little surprised, as I had never found, nor heard of, the willow wren breeding except upon the ground. The nest contained seven or eight eggs, was built of dried grass, and was of loose texture: its form was round, and it had a hole on one side for the bird to go in and out at: the inside was lined with the fur of the rabbit and hare, and also with some feathers. July 14th. I this day revisited the willow wren’s nest in the rose- bush, to see if it had escaped the unsparing search of the boys: to my satisfaction I found it full of young ones. On my handling one of them they all left the nest, being quite able to fly. Some boys this year, in their nesting excursions, found, in the wood of Mountcoffee—near Banff, and belonging to Lord Fife—the nest of a wild duck in a tree, and about twenty feet from the ground: it con- tained eleven eggs. THomas EpwaRbD. 16, High Street, Banff. Preservation of Birds’ Eggs.—A means of extracting even the fully-formed chick from the egg is worth knowing, and is simply this: make a small hole in the side of the egg and put it in an ant-heap; in a few hours there will be only the dry skeleton left, and the shell fit for the cabinet: by-the-bye all eggs are better if blown with one hole in the side, which may easily be done with a straw or glass blowpipe, and fixed on the cards with rosin and bees-wax mixed.—W. D. Crotch ; Taunton, October 20, 1849. Capture of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) near Marlborough—A fine specimen of the above bird was captured by the gardener of a clergyman in this town, on the 18th of this month: it had struck a blackbird in the garden, close to the house, and was so intent on its prey as to allow the man to approach and knock it down with a stick. It is now in the possession of Mr. Parker, a taxidermist in this town.—G. J. Webb ; Marlborough, Wilts, November, 1849. Peregrine Falcon shot near Market Weighton.—A fine adult male specimen of the peregrine falcon was sent the other day to Mr. Graham for preservation, from the neighbourhood of Market Weighton, where it had been obtained.— Beverley R. Morris, A.B., M.D. ; York, November 8, 1849. Kestrels breeding in Confinement.—A pair of kestrels (Falco Tinnunculus) have, I am informed, recently bred in confinement, in the aviary of the Rev. J. W. Bower, of Barmston, near Bridlington. It is the first instance of the kind I ever heard of. —F. O Morris; Nafferton Vicarage, November 19, 1849. eae Birds. 3 2649 Occurrence of the Goshawk (Falco palumbarius) near Stowmarket.—A fine speci- men of the goshawk, in immature plumage, was shot at Westhorpe, about five miles from this town, on the 20th of November. The farmer who shot it says it “‘ rose out of a bush,” and that is all of its previous history I could get. This is a rare species in the eastern counties.—C. R. Bree ; Stowmarket, December 1, 1849. Capture of the Honey Buzzard (Falco apivorus) at Bridlington Quay.—A fine specimen of the honey buzzard was recently taken at Bridlington Quay. It flew against a person’s window about twelve o'clock at night, and made such a flapping noise that he got up, opened the window, and caught it.—Id. Marsh Harrier (Circus rufus) shot at Wassand.—A fine specimen of this bird was shot early in October, by the keeper, in presence of Sir W. Milner, Bart., at Was- sand, near Hornsea, in this county. It is in Mr. Milnevr’s fine collection Beverley R. Morris, A.B., M.D.; York, November 8, 1849. Ash-colourcd Harrier (Circus cineraceus) obtained near York.—Lord Wenlock’s keeper shot a fine specimen of this harrier at Escrick, about the 15th of ‘October. It is in the collection of the Hon. and Rev. S. Lawley.—Id. Occurrence of Tengmalm’s Owl (Noctua Tengmalmi) in Yorkshire—About. two years ago an individual of this very rare little bird was shot in the woods at Hun- manby, by Admiral Mitford’s keeper. Its occurrence would in all probability have remained unnoticed, had it not fallen under Mr. Graham’s eye during a recent visit to that neighbourhood.—Id. : Occurrence of the Great Gray Shrike (Lanius excubitor) near Bedale-—On Wed- nesday evening last, I had brought to me a male specimen of the great gray shrike, which had been shot near Bedale, in the North Riding of this county, on Saturday, the 10th of November instant. It has two very conspicuous patches of white on each wing ; the upper parts of the plumage are of a fine pearl-gray colour.—James C. Garth ; Knaresborough, November 19, 1849. Occurrence of the Greater Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis) near Knaresborough.— Perceiving, from the cover of the last number of the ‘ Zoologist, that you were wish- ful that the Rev. James Smith would send you a figure and description of the shrike referred to (Zool. 2495), I have great pleasure in forwarding you a pencil drawing (the size of life) and full description of.a specimen of Lanius borealis, which was shot just outside our town, on the 15th of December, 1843, during a snow-storm, by a mason’s labourer (another example was seen on the same occasion, but was not se- cured). I received it the same day: it is a female. Length to the end of tail 9} inches; wing from flexure 41 inches: upper mandible brownish black, lower one rather lighter in colour; iris dark brown; the feet dull black; terminal half of the outer scapulars white, a patch of the same colour on the primaries only ; the tail black, the greater number of feathers tipped with white, the outer one almost entirely of the latter colour, the second from the side half black half white; the upper parts are dark ash-gray, much darker than a specimen which I possess of Lanius excubitor; and the head of L. borealis appears to me to be larger in proportion to the size of the bird than the commoner species; the lower parts are grayish white, and there are numerous transverse brownish lines on the neck and breast; a broad band of black commences on the middle of the forehead, covers the loreal space, extends through the eye as far as the ear-coverts, where it terminates; the wing-coverts, alule and quills brownish black.—Id. 2650 Birds. Occurrence of the Greater Northern Shrike in Warwichshire—During the winter of 1844-5, five specimens of gray shrikes were taken within a few miles of Stratford- on-Avon, all of which I had opportunities of examining when in a fresh state: of these, two were undoubted specimens of Lanius excubitor, and the other three re- sembling the one mentioned by the Rev. James Smith (Zool. 2495). That it was a distinct species I had not at the time any doubt, but neglected to make any close examination. Two were males (ascertained by dissection), the other a female. Sub- sequently I obtained two others; one in the flesh, and one which was killed near Broadway, in Worcestershire, and was exhibited in a bird-stuffer’s window at Evesham for several years. Unfortunately I took no measurements at the time, and the sex was ascertained by the bodies after being skinned by the bird-stuffer ; however, such dimensions as can be taken with any exactness from a preserved specimen I shall proceed to give, first describing the plumage, &c. A comparison with L. excubitor will perhaps be the most satisfactory method. The general colour of all the upper parts is rather a darker but purer gray than in the commoner species ; all the under parts are the same as in the last-mentioned species; the quills, too, are similar, ex- cept that only the primaries have a patch of white about their middle, whereas in L. excubitor the secondaries also have a patch, giving the wing when closed two spots of white instead of one. Buta greater difference exists in the distribution of the white and black of the tail: the outer tail-feather on each side of L. borealis has the outer web white all its length, and the inner for only half its length; the second has the outer web white the whole length, but becoming extremely narrow towards the base, leaving a narrow wedge-shaped space of black along the shaft; the inner web white for a little more than one-fourth from the tip; the third has the outer and inner web nearly equally tipped with white for scarcely so much as a fourth from the tip; the fourth has merely a spot of dirty white at the end; middle tail-feather black: L. excubitor has the outer tail-feather on each side entirely white; the second with only a narrow patch of black on the edge of the inner web near the base; the third with two similarly shaped but larger patches on both webs, opposite each other, the inner one reaching the shaft and the outer one nearly so; the fourth is tipped with dirty white, and has a patch of the same extending across both webs and shaft at its base; middle tail-feather black: in fact, the outer tail-feathers of L. borealis are black, marked with white, and in L. excubitor white, marked with black. The tails of the yellow and gray wagtails are in some measure an illustration of this. DIMENSIONS. L. excubitor. L. borealis. in. lines. in. lines. Bill along the ridge......... » 83 » 8 nearly Wing from carpal joint .. 4 9 4 6! Tail Mnasicerminccscre.. of LO 4 4 4 Mang, ooo cacbeon shore hodenesticg eel 1 0 Middle toe and claw ...... 1 O% 1 1} From these measurements it might be supposed that the two species are nearly of the same size: when, however, in a fresh state, the superior bulk of L. excubitor is sufficiently manifest ; and this circumstance led me at first to imagine that the diffe- rences were merely those of sex. The most recently killed one that has come to my Birds. 2651 knowledge, and the one from which the description has been taken, was shot near Warwick, in December, 1846. One of the specimens of Lanius excubitor above mentioned was taken in a brick-yard, in the suburbs of Stratford, in a most singular manner: a boy had a tame goldfinch in a cage, hanging at the door of a cottage in the brick-yard, in which were a number of people at work: the shrike was observed to make a dash at the goldfinch, but was driven away: a little time after, however, he was seen pulling the captive through the wires of his prison, by the head: he was again driven off, but the poor bird was dead. A small steel mouse-trap, baited with the dead bird, soon secured the assassin, and he was soon after brought to me. The injured condition of the legs and tail bore witness to the boy’s statement.— Robert F. Tomes ; Welford, Stratford-on-Avon, November 5, 1849. Occurrence of the Pied Flycatcher (Muscicapa luctuosa) in Aberdeenshire.—In May of this year there was shot, on the edge of a plantation near to Brucklay Castle, in the adjoining parish of New Deer, a specimen of the pied flycatcher. It was alone, and was flying from twig to twig, but was heard to utter no cry. It was sent to Mr. Thomas Edward, Banff, by whom it was stuffed, and through whose kindness it is now before me. It is a male, and is a fine specimen. In its contour and gene- tal appearance it has a close resemblance to the first of the two figures of the pied flycatcher in the edition of Bewick’s Birds of 1826; but in the white mark on the forehead, and in the distribution and arrangement of white on the other parts of the body, it is much more like the second figure, which he gives as a variety of the spe- cies. On consulting such ornithological works as are within my reach, I find that the appearance of the pied flycatcher, in the locality now mentioned, must be regarded as a very rare, or rather an unexampled occurrence. ‘‘ We are not aware,” says Sir William Jardine, ‘that it has been met with in Ireland, or in any part of Scotland.” (Naturalist’s Library, vol. xxiv. p. 220).—James Smith ; Manse of Monquhitter, Aber- deenshire, November 21, 1849. Note on the Pied Wagiail (Motacilla Yarrellii)—My attention has been drawn to a fact which I believe is not at all generally known, viz., that in very old males, or perhaps males of the age of three years of this species, the black on the back is re- tained perennially in its full intensity. Those specimens which have a mixture, more or less, of blackish gray on the back, in winter, are either birds of the year or one or two years old, or else females. I have had an opportunity of examining a specimen to-day of a black-backed bird ; and what I have advanced appears really to be the case, that the intense black on the back of old male birds undergoes no change of hue, either in winter orsummer. Several specimens of the same kind have been since seen, and this circumstance has led to my suggesting the above proposition — Edward Hearle Rodd; Penzance, November 1, 1849. Occurrence of the Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) and Bluck Redstart (Sylvia Ti- thys) in Norfolk).—I have seen one Norfolk specimen of the cirl bunting and two of the black redstart, all killed about three weeks since. Both these species are very rare visitors in this county —J. H. Gurney ; Easton, Norfolk, November 22, 1849. Late Stay of the Swift (Hirundo apus) on the Southern Coast in 1849.—Three specimens of the swift were seen at Kemp Town, Brighton, on the 29th of October last. Single birds have, I am aware, been seen as late as November, but I never heard of three being seen so late. They were flying about the cliffs, in the same way as they are so often seen in July. I may add that the weather was particularly fine 2652 Birds. and sunny, more resembling August than October.—R. Wakefield ; Lower Clapton, November 5, 1849. Food of the Red Grouse (Tetrao Scoticus)—On opening the crop of a grouse, on the 5th of November, I found it to contain an immense quantity of matter, composed of the tender sprouts, buds and blossoms of the heath plant, and a few small leaves. The whole, when taken from the crop and placed in a scale, weighed three ounces good. The bird was shot, no doubt, while feeding: it was killed near Buxton, Der- byshire.—J. M. Jones ; Montgomery, North Wales, November 8, 1849. Black Grouse (Tetrao Tetrix) in Devonshire—A correspondent speaks (Zool. 2352) of the black grouse occurring in Devonshire and about Taunton as a circumstance worthy of record. I need only mention that several gentlemen residing on the Quan- tock and Blackdown ranges, within five miles of this town, have large numbers breeding on the waste parts of their estates, the poaching only of which, I apprehend, supplies our market.—W. D. Crotch ; Taunton, Somerset, October 20, 1849. Packing of Partridges.—A correspondent (Zool. 2352) mentions his having met with a pack of partridges, about forty in number, which were very wild, &. Now really, were it not that the writer, as an M.D., cannot be supposed to devote any large portion of his time to shooting, this would be unpardonable: this packing of birds is of constant occurrence in the winter months, especially where the country is wild and open, as every sportsman will avow.—Id. Power of producing a White Chick.—During the last summer I spent a few days in Norfolk, and there I heard of a lady who asserts that she has the power of pro- ducing, from any egg of any bird (if sent to her fresh), a perfectly white chick. If I remember right, the story is that her mother on her death-bed imparted this secret to her, on condition of her never telling it to any one until she supposed herself to be dying, and then only to tell one person on the same conditions. Should you wish further information, I doubt not that you will obtain it in the neighbourhood of Diss. —W. W. Cooper; Rectory, West Rasen, November 5, 1849. Turnstone associating with Pigeons.—At Borobridge, in October last, an immature turnstone (Strepsilas interpres) was shot out of a flock of pigeons,—certainly rather curious companions for it, and at such a distance from the sea.—James C. Garth ; Knaresborough, November 19, 1849. Occurrence of the Bimaculated Duck (Anas glocitans) in the Fens of Lincolnshire. —Mry. Gardener, the well-known naturalist of Oxford Street, has just shown me a male specimen of this very rare duck, in a semi-adult state of plumage: the colour of the head is particularly varied, the immature and adult feathers being mixed in about equal proportions ; the legs are bright orange, as stated by Mr. Selby, and not bluish gray, as in the female described (Zool. 2026) by Mr. W. R. Fisher; the bill is blackish blue. The bird was captured in a decoy, was in the flesh, and perfectly fresh —F#. Newman ; December 1, 1849. Remarkable Act in a Duck.—A few years ago, when I was residing at Hornsey, I placed nineteen ordinary ducks’ eggs under a fine Muscovy duck, who sat with great constancy. One day, after she had been off her nest, according to her daily wont, to feed and bathe, before she went on again she carefully passed the point of her bill over every egg, when, singling one of them out, she removed it in her bill to the dis- tance of about three yards from the nest, broke it by a stroke of her bill, and then returned to her duties of incubation perfectly contented: the egg proved to be Birds. 2653 addled. This spring I had an Antigua duck sitting on a little island in a pond at Selborne, and in the course of the period of incubation no less than three eggs were found floating in the pond, evidently removed from the nest by the duck, all of which proved addled. This in reply to Mr. Kennaway’s query (Zool. 2456).—Thomas Bell ; Selborne. Occurrence of the Little Auk (Alcea Alle) at Weston-super-Mare.—A specimen of the little auk was shot last winter at Weston-super-Mare, in this county,—surely far south for such an ice-loving stranger—W. D. Crotch ; Taunton, Somerset, October 20, 1849. Great Strength and Courage in a Gannet.—“ A servant of the Rev. F.1.C. Trenon, rector of Langton, observed on the 23rd ult. an unusual commotion among the swans in the Fleet, near Langton, which proved to be a battle between a gannet and two full-grown male swans, the latter both attacking at the same time, and following up the contest most vigorously with the former, who defended himself most resolutely for a very long time, and ultimately defeated the swans, beating them both off, and laying them prostrate, totally disabled, helpless, and seemingly seriously injured. The gan- net, much exhausted by the protracted struggle, was easily caught alive, and very little the worse for fighting.” —* Sherborne Journal.’ Occurrence of the Gull-billed Tern (Sterna Anglica) in Norfolk.—A fine specimen of the gull-billed tern was shot on the 31st of July, 1849, on Breydon, by Mr. Percy Bellin. Length, from the end of the bill to the end of the tail, 15 inches; bill 1} inch in length, from the end to the feathers on the head; nape, forehead and crown jet black; feet black; plumage above ash-gray ; tail not much forked ; breadth, from tip to tip of the expanded wings, 3 feet—John Smith ; Great Yarmouth, November 25, 1849. [Perhaps the same mentioned by Mr. Gurney, Zool. 2569.—£. N.] Oceurrence of the Little Gull (Larus minutus) at Bridlington Quay.—Mr. Graham, when at Bridlington, a short time back, procured a specimen of the young of the little gull. It was shot near the town, about the 20th of October. It is now in the collec- tion of the Hon. and Rey. S. Lawley. How little is known of the habitat of this ele- gant little bird! I cannot help thinking that it may turn out to be a southern species.— Beverley R. Morris, A.B., M.D.; York, November 8, 1849. Occurrence of the Little Gull near Bridlington Quay.—A specimen of the little gull was recently shot at Auburn House, near Bridlington Quay, by Mr. Jones, the bird-preserver. It was hawking about in company with another.—F. O. Morris; Nafferton Vicarage, November 19, 1849. The Masked Gull (Larus capistratus) in the Mediterranean.—On looking over some late numbers of the ‘ Zoologist, I observed (Zool. 2457) some notes on the masked gull in the Mediterranean, by the Rev. C. A. Bury, on which I would beg to offer the following observations. I was at Gibraltar during the greater part of February of this year, during which time the only gulls I saw there were the common gull (Larus canus) and the black-headed gull (L. ridibundus): the latter especially attracted my attention, and passed often so close to me that I could not be mistaken as to its identity, more especially as it is a bird with which I am perfectly familiar. The number of this species appeared to increase about the beginning of March, at which time the weather was pretty mild. I cannot positively assert that the masked gull (L. capistratus) did not occur during the same period, but I certainly did not VIil D 2654 Birds. once observe it. I may add that within the last two days I have observed several of the lesser black-backed gull (Z. fuscus) in the Pireus, which is the only species here at present.— Wm. Balfour Baikie ; Athens, November 17, 1849. Occurrence of the Fork-tailed Petrel (Thalassidroma Leachii) in Norfolk. i second specimen of the fork-tailed petrel has lately occurred near Yarmouth, haying been killed on Caistor Beach on the 4th of this month (December). The former specimen was a male, the present isa female. The male specimen is decidedly the larger of the two, and the colouring and markings of its plumage are more distinct than is the case in the female.—J. H. Gurney ; Easton, Norfolk, December 8, 1849. Migratory Flights of Birds observed on the North Coast of Cyprus, during August and September, 1849.— Date. Bird. Direction of flight. August 25........00. First flight of herons.......+:0+02+ North. 9) WGseeseceeeseeeee First flight of purple herons ..........0. 9 99 ABevececeeecreeee NECONA flight of herons......seseeccseees 99 sis. Gouesecseccvecavent HITSE MiPNG Of COTETS cpenesia sence sneneinne isha 99:5 oppeeceesecsucnses, Hirst flight Of GUCKS ssoseoscensseesevsses f 99 Si.) slgpiatbovaveaiivn con MAPRt SEE OF BEATED a sas ewens omndeatenact (tate gs BO.seesseeesseeee Second flight of ducks ......sseeeeeseeee North. 9) ap eeeeevevccceees Lhird flight of herons .. sessoecccssers si utins' shcawonenaneaperee ey SIRGLE MOQNDG ashy Saragarapeecarsinente 9 PME 9) BL sseseseeeeeeee Second flight of purple herons .......... North. September 1............ Third flight of ducks....scseessssssseeere 99 5 B.rcccsccecee First flight of geese ...sscccscccesccesoes 99 “9 Avseccoosseee Fourth flight of ducks ....ccssseseeseeee 99 Fr Siadeacahiets=a Second flight of storks .........eee... South. ad B...cccccceee Lhird flight of storks......ssesccsseeepere 99 The second flight of storks amounted to about three hundred, and the third was still more numerous: it contained a number of young ones, whose cries were distinctly heard: this flock, as it arrived just before dark, remained on the island all night. The species of ducks could not be distinctly made out, even with the aid of a glass, as they always flew very low and at a great distance. The hoopoe which I saw had just arrived from seaward: it was considerably exhausted ; but after resting for about half an hour on a date palm, it again continued its southerly course. Rather later I noticed some large flights of swans, but I have unfortunately either mislaid or lost the dates. The first flights immediately preceded the first break in the weather, which took place about the 1st of September. I cannot exactly say whence the various birds proceeded which were flying northwards, but from their course they were no doubt going to different marshes on the coast of Asia Minor, or in the neigh- bourhood of Salonique, where many thousands are annually in the habit of wintering. More lately, on the 7th of this month, while in the gulf of Smyrna, I saw two large flocks of swans proceeding southwards, and thirty hours afterwards the first winter gale of the season commenced. About eight days previously, the first rain and thunder storm of the season was immediately preceded by several small flights of geese and swans.— Wm. Balfour Baikie ; Athens, November 17, 1849. Reptiles. 2655 Interesting Fact on some Alligators in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, Regent's Park.—The account of the lake of alligators in Scinde (Zool. 2611) brings to my mind certain observations I made upon some young alligators, which, some years ago, were in the collection of animals at the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park. As nearly as I can recollect there were three or four of them, and they were from four to five feet long. They were located in a place which had been previously occupied by some aquatic birds, and which had a pond of moderate size immediately before it. The alligators were lazily basking in the sun, when one of the attendants, having a large birch broom in his hand, entered their habitation. They instantly started up and advanced towards him, opening their huge jaws, and then appeared to be ex- ceedingly formidable opponents. The man, however, attacked them with his broom, and drove them into the pond, where they instantly disappeared. As I considered that they must ere long come up to the surface to breathe, I carefully watched the spot where I had last seen one of them; and after the lapse of perhaps five minutes, I saw something gradually rising above the surface of the water which looked ex- ceedingly like the end of a branch of a tree. This ascended to the height of four or five inches, and then as gradually went down again, and wholly disappeared. Sup- posing this might be the snout of one of the alligators, I examined the surface of other parts of the pond, and quickly discovered another of these apparent branches of trees, which in like manner rose a few inches above the surface, and then went down again ; and, by watching attentively the places of disappearance, I saw this process repeated a great number of times. As nearly as I can remember, the time the snout was above the water did not exceed three minutes, and it might be from six to eight minutes before it appeared again. The motion was so gradual that it was scarcely possible, even by the closest attention, to perceive it; and I was at the same time struck with what appeared to me to be rather an extraordinary circumstance, which was, that neither at the first appearance of the snout on the surface, nor on the final disappearance, was there the slightest disturbance of the water,—no ripple,—no circle, in short, nothing to prove that anything was either rising out of the water or going down under it. I was so much interested by these appearances and disappearances that I remained more than an hour watching them, and invariably saw the same re- sults.—John Williams ; Royal Astronomical Society, Somerset House, December 6, 1849. Some Remarks on British Amphibia. By JoHn WoL LEY, Esq. Triton Bibronii, Bell. Mr. Newman (Zool. 2576) hopes that his readers will express their opinions upon Mr. Bell’s newt, Triton Bibronii. I find that I said (Zool. 2267), before the appearance of the new edition of the ‘ British Reptiles,’ “ But it is not only the Lis- sotriton palmipes of Mr. Bell that he has to re-establish in the new edition of his ‘ Reptiles:’ it is to be hoped that he will give further characters of his Triton Bibronii and of Rana Scotica.” At the time I wrote I had reason to suppose that Mr. Bell still believed in his- 2656 | Reptiles. own L. palmipes, for he had not long before informed me that he had recently received some specimens of it; nor did I know that he had changed his opinion with respect to his Rana Scotica, of which I had the pleasure of sending him a number: at the same time I entertained little doubt that on seeing a series of them he would pronounce them to be a variety ; for I had been unable to detect any specific difference, although I had no undoubted common frogs at hand wherewith to compare them. In the case of these two amphibians, Mr. Bell has avoided the necessity of giving further characters, by very properly cutting out the species altogether ; but Triton Bibronii he still retains, without one word additional to the description in the first edition. The specific character is given as follows: “ The same as T. cristatus, excepting that the upper lip is perfectly straight, meeting the lower and not overhanging it. The skin, and particularly that of the head, much more rugous and more strongly tuberculated. Colour darker.” It is aflerwards said, “ The tubercle at the base of the inner toe on each foot is much smaller, and in some cases scarcely perceptible.” Now there appears nothing in this description which will distinguish the Triton Bibronii from specimens of Triton cristatus found under stones or in other situations removed from water, or which have not long returned to the ponds in which they breed. It is the more re- markable that Mr. Bell should not recognize this fact, as he has con- fessed the error into which he fell with respect to L. punctatus, a species in his former edition distinguished from his L. palmipes by the very same character of the straight lip, so that the vignette which formerly was intended to point out the distinction between L. punc- tatus and L. palmipes now serves to show the seasonal appearances of the first species. This vignette, so similar to the one devoted to the heads of T. Bibronii and T. cristatus, must have suggested to our author the probability of a similar error in both cases. But we respect the feeling which may have prevented him from withdrawing a species whose name he had “ chosen as a proper compliment to the first of erpetologists, and one of the most amiable of men.” He acknowledges that with respect to L. punctatus and L. palmipes he was “led into error, by trusting that the accuracy of his lamented friend Bibron was absolutely infallible ;” but that he should announce at the same time a second error of no less importance, from the same source, would have been too much for us to expect: nevertheless, it appears that Mr. Bell corrected the judgment of M. Bibron in this matter. M. Bibron declared that a bottled specimen which he found in the col- lection of the Zoological Society was T. marmoratus of Latreille: Reptiles. 2657 Mr. Bell, having his attention called to it, said, “ It is neither T. cris- tatus nor T. marmoratus, but shall be named T. Bibronii.” In ex- | amining these, and many other kinds of animals and plants, species are only to be identified by a long study of individuals in every age, sex, season and situation. I am confirmed in the opinion I have expressed with respect to T. Bibronii by the experience of a gentleman living in the midland counties, who has devoted the most careful attention to the British newts. I believe I am correct in stating that he has hitherto, in that district of England, only met with the two species T. cristatus and L. punctatus. At the same time it is very possible that in other parts of the country there may be other species, as we know there is L. palmipes: all we say is, that if T. Bibronii be really distinct, we wish Mr. Bell had given characters by which we may re- cognize it. Salamandra palmipes, Daudin. Without wishing to criticise too much the very pretty and useful work of Mr. Bell, I cannot refrain from remarking that the figure of the female “L. palmipes,” of the new edition, is not at all characteristic. It would rather represent L. punctatus, from which indeed the female L. palmipes is not always readily distinguished. The principal characters, the shortness of the toes of the hind feet and the bluntness of the snout, are neither al- luded to in the figure nor in the description ; and no account is given of the less important differences of colour. I would wish, too, that something had been said of the very obvious distinctions in the skele- tons of the two species; but where external characters are so marked, this perhaps was thought unnecessary in a popular work: It is not stated that the “lateral carine” are developed in the skin. The two upper ones are very remarkable, but I even question the existence of the lower ones, to which Mr. Bell alludes. Justice is hardly done to the peculiar reticulated style of markings, and to the three longitudinal zones of colour, which are so beautiful and characteristic. Rana esculenta. Mr. Bell appears to admit this as a truly British species, without the slightest hesitation or warning to his readers. I have formerly expressed my reasons (Zool. 1821) for doubting its true claims ; not that 1 would for a moment question the fact of Mr. Bond having found it at Foulmire, but only that I doubt very much whether it had been there for many years. Mr. Bell does not tell us whether he means that his father lived near Foulmire, by saying that he was a “native of those parts,” or simply that he lived in the fens. Now, that the edible frog is not generally distributed in the fens I feel con- fident. I constantly examined the frogs in the fens of Cambridge- 2658 Fishes. shire and Huntingdonshire during three years, and I am sure that all I saw were of the common species: besides myself, they could not have escaped the notice of far more accomplished naturalists—such as Mr. Jenyns—who have passed a great part of their lives in the fens. Alas! I hear Foulmire is now drained: the subject ought to be most carefully searched into before it is too late. J. WoLLEY. Edinburgh, November 30, 1849. Observations on Salmon, and Suggestions respecting the Regulation of Salmon Fisheries. By the Rev. JAMEs SMITH. IN an extract in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 2195) from Boccius, ‘On Fish in Rivers and Streams,’ there occurs the following passage :— “‘ Salmon and grilse, when taken at the mouth of a river, are of dif- ferent flesh and flavour to those taken up stream, the former being firm, brittle of flesh, and of large flake; but when taken in the latter the flesh is weedy, thin of flake, and wanting in fat.” It appears to me that this assertion is in terms far too general and unqualified, and that it refers to a matter on which there is a very common, but by no means an accurate, impression. The idea would seem to be widely diffused, that, when caught at the mouth of a river, and more especially still when procured from the sea, a salmon must of necessity be of the finest quality, provided that the fish is captured during that particular season when it is naturally in the highest con- dition; and, in like manner, there is an equally extended belief, that, when obtained a considerable way up the river, its quality will, as a matter of course, be very perceptibly inferior to what it would have been had the same identical fish been taken either at the mouth of the river or in the sea. Such, however, is by no means the result of my own individual experience; and my opportunity has not been small for making observation on this particular point. For many years 1 lived at the mouth of one of the Scottish salmon rivers,—the Dovern, —where the fishing is assiduously prosecuted in the river itself as far as a mile or two up its course, and where bag-nets are, also, regularly set in the adjoining bay, into which the river falls. And of two sal- mon, for example, taken in the sea at the same moment, from the same place, and having exactly the same outward appearance, it is by no means uncommon that the flesh of the one is pale, soft, destitute Fishes. 2659 of fat, and even with an earthy and unpleasant taste; while that of the other is red, firm, full of fat, and of a flavour which is rich and highly agreeable. On examining, moreover, a large take of salmon, when newly hauled on shore, in the most favourable circumstances and at the most likely period, it will be impossible to say beforehand what particular specimens will be best fitted for the table and will display the peculiar excellencies of the fish in the highest degree. There are no doubt certain established marks which are found to cha- rac¢terize those salmon which have proved, on trial, to be of the very finest quality: these are a comparatively small head, a hog back, and a great depth from the highest point on the back to the corresponding point of the belly: it is, also, considered as an excellent sign when the skin, on being indented by the finger, returns with a spring, as it were, to its previous form and appearance: and when an experienced fisherman is requested to single out what he thinks likely to prove a fish of superior quality, it is principally by these marks that he would appear to be guided. Although however it but seldom, or rather never, happens that a fish turns out to be a good one which is desti- tute of these marks, it does not always follow that every fish which possesses them will on that account be of first, or even of second rate character. I have repeatedly seen that a specimen, which had been picked out with the greatest care from a large and newly-caught heap, and which had the above-mentioned marks developed to the greatest extent, was found, nevertheless, to be after all but of very inferior ex- cellence, although served up at table only a short hour after it had been swimming in the sea. It is not indeed until the cooked salmon makes its appearance that the most knowing can tell whether or not it is of the finest quality: no sooner, however, does he look upon it in that condition, than a judge will be able, before he tastes it, to pronounce unhesitatingly as to its merits. When of the highest ex- _ cellence, the flesh is of a bright and beautiful pink, its texture is without any appearance of seams, and is close and firm even to the eye; and, when it is separated, it parts—not without resistance—into large and compact flakes or layers, with pieces of fat as white as milk lying thickly between them. Of all such salmon, the taste and flavour are very perceptibly different from those of specimens where the flesh, when boiled, is of a palish red,—where its surface is, as it were, seamed coarsely over,—where it falls, almost of itself, into thinnish flakes,—and where between these there is no white fat, but an oily and strongly tasted substance. And the only way in which, as I con- ceive, a distinction so striking can be accounted for between fish 2660 Fishes. having outwardly the same appearance, and caught at the same time and in the same place, is the supposition that, like human beings, salmon have each their individual constitution,—that this constitution, and consequently their state of health, may be affected in a thousand ways which are imperceptible to the eye of man,—and that upon its particular movements as to locality in the sea, and its success as to quantity and richness of food in that great magazine of nature, must depend the condition and the goodness of each particular fish at the moment when it is captured. These marks, however, of first-rate excellence, of which we e have been speaking, are found to vanish when the salmon in which they are present are allowed to remain in their natural state for but a very limited period; they will disappear even in the course of a day or two, although the fish may have been preserved amid the coolest ma- terials, packed with the utmost care, and transmitted with all due expedition: and hence it should seem that the inhabitants of London can hardly be said to possess the opportunity of eating salmon in its most perfect state, unless a specimen of first-rate quality were to be transferred, with no intermediate stage, from the waters of the Thames to the vessel of the cook,—an event, I presume, which seldom or never takes place. Englishmen, indeed, who visit a Scottish salmon river, feel rather a dislike at first to what have been mentioned as the cha- racteristics of the fish in its finest condition: they prefer it when it has been kept till the fat has melted into another appearance, and till the flakes are less hard and are becoming soft and oily. In the end, however, it is generally the case that they give in their adhesion to the belief and the practice of those who have been accustomed to re- gard what has already been described as the highest excellence in salmon. M. Boccius says, that “ when taken up the stream, the flesh of the salmon is weedy,* thin of flake, and wanting in fat.” This, however, is not always the case, and it depends very greatly on circumstances. When, indeed, the fish has continued for some considerable time in the fresh water, its flesh most undoubtedly falls off, both in appearance and quality: but, as it is the opinion of the most experienced and scientific ichthyologists that the salmon—when unimpeded by artifi- cial obstructions—ascends from the sea with great rapidity, it is per- fectly possible that specimens of the finest quality may be obtained * Weedy flesh is an expression to which I am unable to attach a precise and defi- nite meaning; but I suppose that the word is intended to intimate that the flesh is of coarse and flimsy texture. Fishes. 2661 even at the distance of thirty or forty miles from the mouth of the river, in which it is anxious—at as great a height as possible—to de- posit its spawn ; and this not unfrequently happens. The gray salmon, or, as it is called by the fishermen on the Dovern, the ‘ bull trout’ (Salmo Eriox), is, in that locality, confounded by people in general with the true salmon, of which indeed it is consi- dered by purchasers there as a flabby, ill-flavoured, and perhaps an unhealthy specimen. Such an opinion, however, arises merely from ignorance. It is not in consequence of ill health, but of the natural inferiority of its qualities, that the flesh of what is supposed to be the common—but is in reality the gray—salmon has such an indifferent character as an article of food, It is of a dull orange or buff colour, separates easily into flakes, and has an insipid flavour. Its character as a distinct species is not unknown to the fishermen, by one of whom I was furnished with a specimen, which was found to agree, in the minutest particulars, both with the figure and the description of the gray salmon, as they are given in Mr. Yarrell’s ‘ History of British Ffshes.’ Except on a few leading and incontrovertible points, such of the salmon fishermen as I have conversed with are beset with strong, and, as it would seem, with insuperable prejudices. Almost every individual has his own peculiar notions as to the genera and species belonging to the Salmonidz,—as to the characteristics of those parti- cular species with which they are themselves most especially con- cerned,—and as to the appearances which these put on at certain stages of their existence: every result which has been arrived at by methods the most unexceptionable and convincing, they will be dis- posed to laugh to scorn, unless it may happen to coincide—which it frequently does not—with their own preconceived and long-cherished opinions. Notwithstanding what has been so scientifically and clearly demonstrated by Mr. Shaw, of Drumlanrigg, I never spoke to one of them who did not scout the idea that the ‘ parr’ * is really and truly the salmon in the first stage of its growth. In like manner the * The parr is known on the Dovern by the name of ‘branlin, —that is, brandling, —from the long and narrow brands or bands on its sides: these are about a dozen in number, are disposed vertically with spaces between them, and are ofa beautiful pur- plish pale blue colour. As the young of all the genus Salmo have these bands, al- though not of the same form, it is likely that ‘ branlin’ is a common and indiscriminate term. VIII EK 2662 Fishes. ‘finnock’ * (the Salmo albus of Fleming) was pertinaciously upheld to be a distinct species which never attained to a larger size; and, about a dozen of years ago or more, it was customary at Banff to fish, with small-meshed nets, for finnocks and yellow trout, and to sell them at a penny or two pence the pound. The assertion that they were thus throwing away, in an early stage of its existence, one of the most coveted and valuable productions of the river, the salmon or sea trout (Salmo Trutta),—regarded by some as more delicate even than the salmon itself,—would have been answered only by an incre- dulous, and, it might be, a contemptuous smile. The conclusive ex- periments of Mr. Shaw, however, produced in course of time their proper effect upon the public mind; and the tacksman, uninfluenced by the opinions of his fishermen, gave orders at last that no finnocks should in future either be caught or sold. It is believed that the peculiar character of the bed of a river, and also of the region through which the river flows, is not without a very material influence on the salmon by which it is inhabited. It has been even proved, and that in the clearest manner, that the particular periods at which the salmon go down to, and return from, the sea, are dependent greatly upon the warmth of the water in which they have been bred. These periods are decidedly different in different rivers ; those in which the bottom or bed is of a rocky—and consequently a warm—character being the earliest, and those where the bottom is muddy and comparatively cold being the latest. Between the run, as it is called, of the salmon in one river and that in another, a very con- siderable period may thus intervene. It would, on this account, ap- pear to be a dictate of common sense, that the salmon fishery in Scotland should neither commence, in all the rivers, on one and the same day, nor come to a close in asimilar manner: each river should have a time peculiar to itself. At the same time, it is but fair that what is called the close season should be of uniform extent in every part of the country. Would it not, therefore, be an improvement on the present state of the law, as it regards the important subject of the * In Part I. of the magnificent ‘ Illustrations of the British Salmonide,’ by Sir William Jardine, there is a highly-finished and coloured representation, as large as life, of the finnock, or Salmo albus, which at that time—about 1838—was considered to be a distinct species. Had it continued to be so regarded, albus as a specific term would have been anything but appropriate, inasmuch as it is not nearly so while as the Salmo Salar, and some others of the genus. On the Solway it is called the ‘herling.’ ral : : 7 : 1 | Insects. 2663 salmon fishery, if the legislature were to enact that the close time should be of the same absolute duration in every river, but that it should be observed in different rivers at different periods of the year? And might not the respective proprietors and the tacksmen be selected as the individuals most likely, from their local knowledge and from a regard to their own interests, to determine aright what periods would be best suited as close time to the various rivers in which salmon are to be found? To such periods thus determined upon there might then be given the sanction of the law, to have effect in all time coming, or at least until unforeseen or adventitious circumstances should point out the necessity, in particular cases, of a new arrange- ment, conducted however upon similar principles. This might proba- bly put a stop to the well-founded complaints which are at present to be heard, that in one river the fishery is, by the law, brought to a close when the salmon are still in abundance and in excellent condi- tion,—and that in another, perhaps, it is made to begin when scarcely any fish have made their appearance. JaMES SMITH. Manse of Monquhitter by Turriff, Aberdeenshire, November 9, 1849. —_———— Extracts from the Correspondence of Mr. H.W. Bates, now forming Entomological Collections in South America. Trnkine some of the readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ who are acquainted with Mr. H. W. Bates would like to hear how he is getting on in his rambles in South America, investigating its Natural History, more es- pecially Entomology; I have the pleasure of sending extracts from several of his letters to me; and notwithstanding the many hardships he has undergone, his health continues most excellent, the climate fortunately being very delightful and healthy. Amongst the many charming things now received are several specimens of the remarkable and lovely Hectera Esmeralda, and an extraordinary number of beau- tiful species of Erycinide, many quite new, and others only known by the figures in Cramer and Stoll.—Samuel Stevens ; 24, Blooms- bury Street. 2664 Insects. “Para, March 2nd, 1849. “T get on very well with the Indians, being far more at home and friendly with them than with the Brazilian and European residents. The English people here, you will be sorry to hear, have not shown a disposition to assist us in the least all along, and I am now living with a Portuguese family, who treat me very kindly, and assist me in procuring all little things I need. At Carepi I lived almost entirely on coarse salt fish and cassara root fortwo months. Once I went hunting with the Indians: one day and night we were out in a little boat, threading noiselessly by moonlight through winding narrow creeks, with trunks of monstrous trees slanting over, and the broad leaves of the arborescent Arums in the swamps gleaming in the moon- light: we had five dogs, and, after a laborious day’s work, returned with two pacas and a cutra. The paca is obtained by a person enter- ing the forest with dogs and driving it to the edge of the water, when others remaining in the boat shoot it. On returning, we had to pass over a part of the river clear of islands, ten miles wide, when there was a strong breeze and a heavy swell: we were as near as possible being swamped, the boat being very small and leaky and the sail heavy. I vowed I would never go excursions in Indian boats again ; but still I enjoyed the trip, and got fresh meat for a week into the bargain.” “ Para, March 16th, 1849. “Tn the diurnal Lepidoptera the variety is endless: since the Mischief sailed, when my number was 600 species, I have added five new ones,—one a conspicuous new Papilio (not sent), another the largest Thecla I have seen, a third a Brassolis, &c. I have no doubt you think it must be charming collecting in such a country: it is, but there are many drawbacks: the heat of the climate, the foreign lan- guage, &c., IT don’t care about; but the tediousness of wandering through the same tracks in the woods day after day, at times scarcely seeing an insect for a mile or two, almost exhausts my patience. But the forest scenery is glorious beyond imagination: in some places every fifth tree is a palm, shooting up slender stems to a great height, and suspending their feathery leaves amongst the branches of still loftier forest trees: on all sides the city is surrounded by forest at the ends of the streets, there being no plantations in the neighbourhood ; and the roads through it are very narrow, with the foliage over-arching them. Just now I find butterflies most numerous in the swampy Insects. 2665 grounds; the small lovely Erycinide and Thecle, which were nume- rous in the dry season in dry grounds, being now almost absent. In these swampy grounds sometimes I have a treat, seeing a great variety and number of handsome things flashing about,—the lovely Epicalias darting rapidly about, and settling frequently on leaves, but for an instant,—other species settling on the trunks of trees,—the Helicopes lazily flying, like the English gooseberry moth, and settling on the under-side of the monstrous leaves of Pothos and other gigantic Aracee. The Papilios, Sesostris, &c., are sometimes numerous, set- tling on large yellow blossoms of a lofty tree, and are, I assure you, in such a situation a most lovely sight: then numbers of dusky Satyri are treading along over the carpet of Lycopodiums, or in the virgin forest over the dead leaves. It is by watching carefully the low bushes on the sides of the pathways that the rare and beautiful small butterflies are obtained.” “ Para, June Ist, 1849. “ Mr. E. Doubleday has an erroneous idea of the appearance of this country and the habits of the insécts, in recommending the searching of flowers for Coleoptera: there are naturally no flowers in the coun- try, except a few parasites away up the lofty forest trees and the flowers of the trees themselves. What few flowers grow are in the open grounds, imported ones, and are very few; and, exposed as they are to the heat of a vertical sun, they scarcely ever contain a beetle. The whole country originally is a lofty uninterrupted and gloomy forest, without flowers and almost without sounds of life. When a bird’s note disturbs the silence, the echoes startle one in one’s solitary walks. Insects are found always sparingly flitting about in rays of sunshine which peer through the foliage: there being no flowers, they seem to feed on fallen fruit; and beetles only appear where there is timber felled or clearings: here I have found all the Longicornes, Buprestide and Curculionide, settled on logs and flying about them. The few Gymnetes are found eating leaves. I have collected at all hours from sunrise to sunset, and find that the time of day best for all insects is from 10 to 12, a. mM.” “ Para, August 2nd, 1849. “Since I wrote by the ‘George Glen’ I have taken a trip to the town of Cameta, at the mouth of the Tocantins: it is situated very 2666 Insects. different from Para, being on a high dry bank, whereas Para is on a low flat, almost level with the water in some places: I judged I might take some novelties there. The climate of the place and the hospitality of the people are most delightful; but the woods are not so thickly peopled with the objects of our pursuit as those in the neighbourhood of Para. I filled some five boxes of insects in the six weeks I remained there, and noted about twenty new species, Whilst there I became friendly with the Vice-President of the province, Dr. Angelo Custodio Correa, one of the very few Brazilian gentlemen here of any intelligence or taste: he has travelled a good deal: by his assistance I got a passage in a large commodious vessel for the interior, belonging to his brother-in-law it appears. I shall have an opportunity to proceed on to the frontiers of Ecuador: the owner is commander and supercargo both, and tells me he shall have great pleasure in stopping at any place for a day or two, if I should wish to explore it. I fully expect that in about a week, on my voyage to the interior, [ shall meet with many new species. We shall get along very rapidly: it is now the dry season, and every day a strong trade wind sets from the mouth of the river, and blows with steady force up the valley of the Amazons: for about 1500 miles with this wind the waters are tossed into waves, and squeamish stomachs are sure to be sea-sick. In some parts the river is not unlike the sea; the dark blue waters lash themselves into foam; in part of the view nothing is seen but water and sky, and in other parts merely a dark line of fo- rest. Two species of cetaceans are common, rolling about the vessel, —one about fifteen feet long, which comes to the surface, makes a short grunt and disappears.” “ Para, August 30th, 1849. “The present is probably the last collection you will receive from me of the productions of the lower Amazons. On Sunday, the 2nd of September, I expect to embark for the city of Barra, on the Rio Nigro, from thence intending to set out to some station further on, as may be deemed convenient and desirable. The Mischief sails in three or four days from this. Mr. Wallace and his brother have been gone to Santarem—half-way to the Rio Nigro, or rather more—about three weeks. My present collection is a small one, having searched for those species only which are new or sent sparingly before,—the greatest number of new things being taken at Cameta, and mostly unique. Notwithstanding the length of time we have spent in the : ; Insects. 2667 immediate neighbourhood of Para, and the assiduity with which we have searched it, new things in diurnal Lepidoptera are constantly turning up: during the last seven days I have taken six species I never saw before. I have been miserably delayed in setting out for the interior : we were to have sailed towards the end of July, and it is only this week they began to load the vessel. Preparing has been a troublesome and expensive job; but when once on the water expenses will be trifling, and according to all appearances our life will be all unmitigated enjoyment. I should have liked a sympathising com- panion better than being alone, but that in this barbarous country is not to be had. I have gota half-wild coloured youth, who is an ex- pert entomologist, and have clothed him with the intention of taking him with me as assistant: if he does not give me the slip he will be a valuable help to me. You can inform My. E. Doubleday that I can pair nearly the whole of the beautiful Papilios we find here: in the present collection you will find the glorious P. Sesostris mated,—the only instance in which I have found it in copuld, although long sus- pected it: this makes five species now mated by actual detection in cop., and I have strong circumstantial evidence against four others: one male with a round green spot on its fore wings has for its mate (I have no doubt) the splendid creature with an irregular greenish patch on its fore wings, and a crimson band with pearly lustre on its hind wings: I have seen them fluttering together, and always find them in the same locality very local and scarce. Another strong-bodied spe- cies (male), with wedge-shaped spot dusky white on fore wings, and a crimson band with bluish reflection on hind pair, is no doubt the male of a larger insect with similar markings,—spot of fore wings being rounder, and fore edge of hind wings having a white spot or two in a line with the crimson band: they are found in the same locality, which is neither the shade of forest (like most others) nor the open ground, but weedy and bushy old clearings. Proteus has for its female a spe- cies whose spot on fore wings is round and white, fringe of hind wings white, and crimson band of spots narrow: they are found in similar situations. In Mechanitis I have found two species in copuld, which you have already received, ticketed accordingly: there is scarcely any difference between the males and females, and J think this is the case throughout the Mechanites. In the present collection is a long series of a handsome species, of two very different varieties, —whether male or female I have had no opportunity of detecting: I have reared them from the same caterpillar: the variety you will see is only a substitution of one colour. I think that the Mechanitis with 2668 Insects. one transverse black stripe on hind wings is not of the same sex with the other without the transverse stripe, and that there are many species of these. I have mated a great many Eurygone, not from observation in cop., but from markings on the under-side: the furred fore legs of males, in all Erycinide which I have examined, and naked ones of females, gives a good character for the sexes; and in Eurygona, with similar markings of under-sides of the two sexes, is a good guide in appropri- ating the females to their right partners. I have persevered with these Eurygone much; they will readily be mated. In other genera of Erycinide I have not yet noticed much difference in sexes, neither in Thecle. You will find amongst the Coleoptera a fine series of two species of Inca—the clathratus and bifrons: the former I suppose is common in collections, but the latter I see by the British Museum Catalogue is not at present in the British Museum collection.” Names of Insects. —In consequence of the multitude of new, and frequently ephemeral names, which are introduced into your miscellaneous periodical, I wish you would impress upon your correspondents the necessity of stating the family to which every new subject belongs: this is a most essential addition to render the past intelligible and the future useful ; for if a man in London finds himself at fault, how is it possible for the humble admirer of Nature in the country—without books or col- lections for reference—to guess at the localities and data of half the insects recorded in your useful pages ?—J. Curtis; 18, Belitha Villas, Barnsbury Park, November 19, 1849. [Mr. Curtis is not alone in experiencing this difficulty: the new names occur in Lepidoptera only, and their non-occurrence in any British work on Entomology is a sufficient proof of the want of a synonymic list of this class of insects. Mr. Double- day has now supplied that want, as will be seen by the advertisement on the wrapper of the December number.— Edward Newman.] A new mode of setting up Micro-Lepidoptera—Some years since I saw at the Bri- tish Museum a collection of Micro-Lepidoptera received from Germany, each moth being stuck into a strip of elder pith, and the upper part of the pin cut off close to the insect ; but they were rendered unsightly by the large pin put into the other end of the pith to fix them in the box, and they also occupied a large space. I found also, on trying the plan, that there was another objection: the pins had no hold in the pith, so that the moths did not maintain their position and the stage itself moved about. Mr. Stainton rendered his insects secure by fixing each on a round piece of cork covered with paper, but the other objections still remained. I have now adopted a plan which obviates all difficulties ; and besides, as for some years to come our Micro-Lepidoptera are likely to be in a transition state of arrangement, this mode offers great facility for moving,—an operation which, under the old method of sticking the pins into the cabinet direct, ensures the breaking of many specimens. I take a sheet of cork, one-seventh of an inch thick, cover it with paper, and cut it into strips : : : Insects. 2669 about one-eighth of an inch wide and as long as necessary: upon each of these E place as many specimens of a species as are required, cut off the pins nearly close to the specimen with cutting plyers, and then fasten the whole into a cabinet by a small pin (No. 10) at each end, the lower pin serving also to hold the label. Another inci- dental advantage of this mode is the facility afforded for examination with a lens or microscope, there being no long pin in the way, and no risk in removing from or to the cabinet.—J. W. Douglas ; 2, Eton Grove, Lee, December 13, 1849. Grease in Lepidoptera.—In my cabinets I have had this great enemy much worse than in the generality of collections (more than a third of my insects being affected), and I am quite puzzled as to the cause of its being so bad, as the cabinets are in a very dry situation, against a partition wall, and the room in which is the one con- taining the diurnal Lepidoptera (but which are affected quite as much as the Noctu- idz) has a fire in it daily during the winter, so that damp cannot be the reason of it. The drawers of all the cabinets (except one, which has the bottoms of the drawers made of deal) are made of cedar, and the fronts of all are rosewood. I am told it is on account of the drawers being made of cedar that the insects are so subject to the grease: if this is so, is there any chemical preparation which could be applied to the drawers to destroy the effect of the cedar on the insects? Could any entomologist give me some information or advice on these points, I should feel obliged — _H. Tomp- kins ; School Hill, Lewes, Sussex, November 27, 1849. [My correspondent is mistaking the resinous exudation of the cedar for grease. In this case there is no remedy; but I consider the following advice, from a book which I hope is in the hands of every entomologist, a sufficient caution. ‘“ A well- made cabinet is of the greatest importance, and is not to be obtained without some difficulty: every cabinet-maker will at once take your order, but what is called tradesman-like acumen will prevent him doing you justice. Many parts of a cabinet are not visible from the exterior, and it is almost impossible to persuade a tradesman to use good or seasoned wood for those parts not in sight; it is therefore absolutely necessary to inspect the work while in progress, to examine the wood, and ascertain that it is thoroughly seasoned: if the wood retains any sap it is of no use, as it inva- riably warps, and thus prevents the drawers from moving, and the cabinets become useless. Nothing but the best mahogany must be used : a great variety of wood has been tried, particularly a kind of resinous cedar, which has a colour and grain much resem- bling mahogany, but which is far worse for cabinets than the most resinous deal : after the cabinet has been a short time built, it will become saturated with resin, and all the insects it contains will be speedily spoiled. Other cheap woods are also much in use, and are veneered in front with mahogany, and the parts which are exposed on taking out a drawer are smeared over with a brownish composition, to keep up the deception.” ‘ Familiar Introduction to the History of Insects, * p. 120.—E. N.] Occurrence of Colias Edusa and C. Hyale in the Isle of Wight——Having noticed the communication of my friend Mr. Bond (Zool. 2612) relative to Colias Edusa and C. Hyale, and also the notes (Zool. 2546 and 2583) in respect to the septennial ap- pearance of these interesting subjects of observation, I think it is due to Mr. Des- vignes to state that—during many years of close attention—I never noticed so abundant an appearance of Colias Edusa as that which occurred on the south side of * Van Voorst, Paternoster Rov VIII F 2670 Insects. the Isle of Wight during the present season. From the 15th of August to about the 15th of September, myself and two of my sons captured no less than 150, including four specimens of the white variety, Colias Helice. We captured (as stated by Mr. Bond) only four specimens of Colias Hyale, and saw but one other: these all oc- curred in the middle of September, and were in the most perfect condition. I am the more induced to send this communication in consequence of my not haying met with any other entomologist at the time and place I have mentioned, and from the circumstance that the numerous captures made by us were effected on extremely difficult ground. We frequently observed three or four of these insects on the wing at the same time; and had the ground been favourable, I have no doubt that we might have taken, within the period which I have stated, at least 300 specimens.— NV. B. Engleheart ; Blackheath Park, November 7, 1849. Occurrence of Clisiocampa Castrensis at Rye.—I found the larva of this insect in great abundance on sallows in the marshes, last May. The cocoons I found attached to a water-plant with very broad leaves, resembling the dock, in June. I breda great many from the cocoons, but none from the larva state.—J. B. Ellman; Lewes, December 10, 1849. Remarkable Instance of the Late Appearance of Smerinthus Populi and Plusia Gamma.—On the 7th of the present month I bred a specimen of Smerinthus Populi, and another on the 13th, both males and very finely marked; and on the 15th, a fe- male of the same insect. The cage from which these specimens were hatched is placed in the window of a room where no fire is kept. Also, on the 8th, a very fine specimen of Plusia Gamma was captured in our garden.— A. F’. Sheppard ; Arundle House, Fulham, December, 1849. Habits of Cerigo texta—When rambling over the sand-hills at Lytham, one even- ing in the month of July, in company with my friend Dr. Nelson, I was surprised to see this insect—which has hitherto been considered rare—flying in great numbers. They appeared to be as abundant as the common Hepiali are in many localities ; but owing to their dark colour, and their habit of travelling close to the ground, were not easily distinguished. Dr. Nelson has taken thirty specimens in one night, and might have captured many more: he states that they appear in the month above mentioned, —fly after the manner of Hepialus Lupulinus when in search of the female,—are seen just at dusk, very near the ground, and flying against the wind.— Robert Gray ; West-end, Govan, December 10, 1849. Occurrence of Epunda Lichenea at Lytham.—Eanly last September, assisted by my friend Mr. Gregson, I captured upwards of one hundred specimens of this hitherto rare Noctua. Having by accident found one at rest, by means of a lamp, on the common furze, I looked more closely and found several. A peculiarity was, that they rested on the dead part of the bush, and were very inactive. My friend and I took upwards of twenty one night by this means; but only got one rubbed specimen at sugar, although I tried several nights in the same locality. I bred several from larve I had taken in June, the imago appearing early in September. I have heard of its occurrence in the south a month later, a circumstance difficult to account for.—C. Nelson, M.D. ; Lytham, December 17, 1849. Eo _ chair. Zoological and Entomological Societies. 2671 Proceedings of the Zoological Society. Monthly General Meeting, December 6, 1849.—W. SPENCE, Esq., F.R.S., in the Lord Arthur Hay, Major-General Kenah, Mr. H. Huth and Mr. G. L. Neighbour were elected Fellows. Evening Meeting, December 11, 1849.—R. C. Grirrits, Esq., in the chair. The Secretary communicated to the members present that—by letters dated No- vember 16 and 21—the Hon. C. A. Murray had informed him of the safe arrival of a young living hippopotamus in Cairo, which had been presented to the Society by His Highness the Viceroy of Egypt. This most valuable and interesting gift was accompanied by a beautiful lioness and cheetah ; and Mr. Murray had been further assured by His Highness that a party of his troops were still out on the White Nile, charged with the duty of securing a young female hippopotamus, which was also des- tined for the Society. The liberality of the Viceroy is only exceeded by the earnest- ness of Mr. Murray’s support to the Zoological Society, who are already very largely indebted to his influence for many very valuable additions to the menagerie. The Secretary further stated that he had received letters of interest from Mr. Duncan, Her Majesty's Vice-Consul at Whydah ; and from Mr. Grace, Her Majesty’s Deputy Judge-Advocate at Jaffnah, in Ceylon; from both of whom collections of ~ living animals may be expected in the spring of 1850. The papers read to the Meeting were,—l. “ Description of a New Genus and of several New Species of Terrestrial, Fluviatile and Marine Mollusca, inhabiting New Zealand;” by J. E. Gray, Esq., F.RB.S., &c. The shells described in this paper were sent to the British Museum by Major Greenwood, and are named Nanina Celinde, N. Marie, N. Tallia, N. Erigone, Helix Dunnie, H. Greenwoodii, H. Portia, H. Ida, H. Egesta, Zonites Chiron, Z. Coresia, Bulimus Leimonias, Cyclostoma Aigea, C. Cytora, Latia (a. g.) neritoides, Lamellona Ophione. 2. “On the Animal of Geomelania jamaicensis, Pf.,” with a drawing; by A. Adams, Esq., R.N. 3. “ Descrip- tions of Panopza japonica and Tellina casta,” two new species, from the cabinets of the Zoological Society of Amsterdam and Mr. Cuming; by A. Adams, Esq., R.N. 4. “ Description of Thracia magnifica,” a new species, in the cabinet of Mr. Cuming; by Dr. Jones, of Hamburg. 5. “ Description of Platycercus (Psephotus) citrinoven- tris,” a new species, allied to P. hematogaster; by J. Gould, Esgq., F.RS. 6. “On the Anatomy of the Indian Rhinoceros (Rh. unicornis), deduced from the Specimen recently living in the Gardens of the Society ;” by Professor Owen, F.RS., F.Z.S., &e. The second part of this paper will be read on the 8th of January.—D. W. M. Proceedings of the Entomological Society. December 3, 1849.—G. R. WATERHOUSE, Esq., President, in the chair. Mr. Stainton stated, in allusion to the latter portion of the minutes of the pre- ceding meeting, that it was his own intention to offer the first three volumes of the ‘ Linnea Entomologica’ as a prize for the second best monograph of Tortrices. 2672 Microscopical Society. The following donation was announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the donor. ‘The Zoologist’ for 1849, July to December; by E. Newman, Esq. Mr. Stainton exhibited some specimens of Tinea ferruginella, Hbn. (ustella, Haw., St.), taken in a coal-mine near Glasgow, by Mr. Scott [Zool. 2633], and remarked that it was not a little singular that—though bred in the dark—the specimens were very brightly coloured. Mr. Westwood exhibited a box of exotic Coleoptera, from the collection of A. Melly, Esq., containing a further series of Australian Pselaphide, a Brazilian species of Articerus, and several Australian species of Cryptodus and allied genera. Mr. Westwood also exhibited specimens, in all its stages, of Baridius trinotatus (vestitus, Schénherr), an American species of weevil, about the size of Calandra gra- naria, which had been communicated to him by Mr. Josiah Forster, having been ob- served by Miss Morris, of Germantown, to attack the potatoes in America to such an extent as to have led to the belief of its being the real cause of the potato disease. The eggs are deposited in the leaf buds; and the larve, as soon as hatched, burrow into the stems, within which they feed, descending to the root and causing the decay of the plant. Messrs. Westwood, Stephens and Waterhouse, said, that of course this insect was not the cause of the potato disease, but the fact was certainly interesting ; the identical species trinotatus not being British, the species of the genus Baridius being rare in this country, and none of them frequenting the potato. Mr. Shepherd exhibited a magnificent series of Peronea Hastiana, L., bred from larve and pupz found in sallow leaves, in the neighbourhood of London. Mr. Saunders read a paper on a species of Hesthesis and Agapete carissima, Newm. The President announced that a book had been sent to him, and was on the table, in which any gentleman who wished to become a promoter of the great exhi- bition of the works of industry of all nations was requested to sign his name.— H. T. 8. Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. Abstracts of the Papers read November 14th [See Zool. 2636]. A paper “On the Growth of Grass,” by S. W. Leonard, Esq., was read. After some preliminary observations, he stated that about three years ago his attention was called to this subject, by observing that some grass—which was in a vessel in which he kept some animalcules—increased in height very rapidly, one shoot which he mea- sured having grown as much as an inch and a half in twenty-four hours. He con- sequently thought that, by proper management, he might possibly be enabled to see it grow under the microscope. Being prevented at that time by other avocations from pursuing the subject, he was unable to verify his idea until July last, when, having procured a turf of the common meadow-grass (Poa annua), he manured it, and then found it grew at the rate of an inch or more in twenty-four hours. One of the young stems, with its root, was placed in a small test-tube, which being properly adjusted under the microscope, he had the satisfaction—with a power of 400 diameters—of seeing it traverse the field of view. At first no motion was perceptible; but in about half a minute the point darted forwards considerably, and after remaining stationary = Microscopical Society. 2673 for a short time it again made a spring forwards, and so on at short intervals until it had entirely crossed the field. This was repeated several times, with the same result. Suspecting, however, that this mode of progression by starts could not be natural, he made some alteration in the arrangement, and then found that the motion forwards became gradual and equable. The field of the microscope included rather more than tioth of an inch, and the apex of the grass traversed the whole diameter in somewhat less than ten minutes. In reference to the mode of growth of this part of the plant, he stated his opinion that a gradual expansion and elongation of the cells takes place, causing the increase both in the length and breadth of the blade, but that there might also be additional cells produced near the root, which cells may be gradually deye- loped and matured in the stem during its growth: this he was inclined to think was actually the case, because the outer edge of the grass was serrated at regular dis- tances. When the upper surface or cuticle was brought into focus, certain more or less hexagonal cells, coated with a very thin layer of silica, became visible: this outer covering, however, does not appear to undergo the slightest change during the pro- gress of the growth: the serrations also appeared to cover the whole surface of the grass. Hitherto he had been unable to observe the development and growth of cells near the root, his attention having been more particularly directed to the apex of the blade, the pushing forward or growth of which he considered to be occasioned not by the before-mentioned expansion or elongation of the terminal cells, but by the addition of new matter to the base of the blade. Another paper, “ On the Structure of the Siliceous Lorice of the Genus Arach- noidiscus,” by George Shadbolt, jun., Esq., was read. The author commenced by giving a general account of the Arachnoidiscus,—which name was given to the object under consideration by Mr. Deane, in consequence of the close resemblance of its markings to a spider's web,—and then proceeded to detail his own observations on the subject. .These shells, although closely resembling bivalves, are not, in his opinion, strictly so, but are more properly speaking multivalves, each shell consisting of two circular discoid portions and two annular valves, exactly similar respectively to each other. Each of the discoid valves is capable of further separation into two cir- cular, but dissimilar, portions: this separation is exceedingly difficult to accomplish. Mr. Shadbolt had, however, succeeded so far as to satisfy himself that the discoid portions are thus composed, which may also be verified in another manner which he subsequently described. The disks are composed, first, of a very thin membrane, having on it the web-like markings before alluded to, which membrane is situated internally ; secondly, of a siliceous framework, well adapted to support and strengthen the outer membrane. These portions he was able to obtain separately, by boiling them in nitric acid; but it was in a few specimens only that the separation was ef- fected, and it very rarely occurred that the siliceous framework was obtained entire. He then described the mode of manipulation under the microscope, before alluded to, in which, being viewed as opaque objects, the structure of the shells may be demon- strated to be as he stated. When examined in this manner, there also appears to be a central opening in each disk, which, when in situ, is partially covered internally by a delicate cup-like process, so as to form a.species of valve: this frequently prevents the opening from being satisfactorily shown, and hence some doubt: has arisen as to its existence. The author then proceeded to offer various suggestions as to the uses of the several parts. The paper was illustrated by accurate drawings of the parts described, made by Mr. Legg. 2674 Yorkshire Naturalists’ Club. December 12, 1849.—Grorce Busx, Esq., President, in the chair. A paper by Cornelius Varley, Esq., entitled “‘ Microscopical Observations of a Malady incident to many common House Flies,” was read. It is by no means un- common to see flies attached to the glass of windows and other objects by the pro- boscis; the glass in their vicinity appearing, at the same time, dim, or as though it had been ground. This appearing somewhat remarkable, Mr. Varley was induced to devote some attention in order to ascertain if possible its cause. He considers it to be occasioned by a peculiar disease which first shows itself at the end of the proboscis, which becomes moist and glutinous; and the fly, touching the glass with it, becomes fixed, and shortly after dies. After a short period, a kind of efflorescence appears upon the abdomen of the fly, which is rapidly followed by the evolution of the matter which dims the glass. By careful watching, Mr. Varley was able to obtain the flies immediately after their having fixed themselves and died, as before mentioned; and upon examining them under the microscope, he found that for about half an hour there was no perceptible change, but after that period the divisions between the scales of the abdomen began to put on a white appearance, due to the production of myriads of round-headed cylinders, which after a short time became elongated, their tops be- gan to swell and become pointed, there being also a constriction at about one-eighth of the whole length from the top, giving the appearance of a short neck, within which there seemed to be a kind of diaphragm. Another of these diaphragms appeared at some distance below, and the intermediate space was filled with granular matter. The circulation was seen going on rapidly within the head. After a short time these heads were forcibly driven off in all directions. They appear to be very glutinous, and adhere to whatever they touch; and the dimness of the glass, before mentioned, is due to a vast number of these objects being projected against it. This plant is produced so rapidly, that no more than three hours elapsed between the death of the fly and its coming to maturity. By immersing the fly in water, Mr. Varley found that the mode of growth of the fungus was altered, the heads being no longer pro- duced, but the whole plant became long, crooked and filamentous.—J. W. Yorkshire Naturalists” Club. November 7, 1849.—O. A. Moors, Esq., in the chair. The following gentlemen were, on the recommendation of the committee, elected honorary corresponding members: Messrs. Henry Denny, of Leeds; Henry Baines, of York; and William C. Williamson, of Manchester. Dr Morris read to the club a resolution passed by the council of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, and which had recently been communicated to him, expressing * the council’s gratification at the formation of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Club, and as- suring the members of its hearty co-operation in their laudable objects. Much grati- fication was expressed by the members of the club at the very satisfactory and kind feeling exhibited in the resolution. Mr. Graham reported the occurrence in Yorkshire of the following rare birds :— The ash-coloured harrier (Circus cineraceus) near Escrick, about the 15th of October. The marsh harrier (Circus rufus), early in October, at Wassand. The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) was sent to him in the flesh yesterday, having been obtained Yorkshire Naturalists’ Club. 2675 in the neighbourhood of Market Weighton: it is an adult male. A specimen of that very rare bird, Tengmalm’s owl (Noctua Tengmalmi) was shot about two years ago at Hunmanby, by Admiral Mitford’s keeper. A young specimen of the little gull (Larus minutus) was shot at Bridlington Quay, about the 20th of October. Mr. Graham exhibited the whole of the above specimens except the second. Mr. Baines showed a very interesting specimen of a pear which had thrown out leaves from the side, and which also seemed to have made an effort to produce a stem. This curious production was obtained this season from Scoreby. The Chairman exhibited specimens of the common southernwood (Artemisia Abrotanum) in flower, obtained in St. Cuthbert’s churchyard, in this city. He re- marked that this plant, which so rarely flowers in this district, has, in that partion spot, flowered regularly for some years past. A paper was then read by Dr. Morris, ‘On the power that certain Water-birds possess of remaining partially submerged in Deep Water.” Dr. Morris first showed that diving-birds possess a wonderful power over their own specific gravity in the water, and brought as proofs records of the habits of various birds, which had been made by others, without reference to any particular theory, but simply as facts in the history of the birds. He then considered the explanation which is usually given of the phenomenon, viz., that the bird expels so much air from its body as to. bring: its body to nearly the same specific gravity as water. This he brought several arguments to disprove ; some from the anatomical character of the air-cells, and others from the impossibility of the bird remaining unsuffocated with such a diminished quantity of air. He then brought forward his own explanation of the fact, which was, that the bird so compressed its body as to condense the air in the various cavities to,such an extent as to remove its power of floating on the surface of the water. He first showed that if air was condensed into any vessel, the floating power of the vessel was dimi- nished, compared with the same vessel filled with air at the ordinary atmospheric pressure. He then proved, by quotations from Audubon’s ‘American Birds, that various birds could, and did, voluntarily compress their bodies into less than one half their usual bulk; and, lastly, he showed that the paper nautilus obtained its power of rising and sinking in water by a modification of this plan. Some further observa- tions concluded the paper. Dr. Morris exhibited several diagrams to illustrate his meaning. A discussion then followed, in which Messrs. Baines, Graham, W. Matterson and the Chairman took part. Mr. Baines thought it might be explained by the action of the birds’ feet in the water, in striking up instead of down. The other gentlemen generally were disposed to agree with Dr. Morris’s explanation. Some general conversation was then carried on, after which the members sepa- rated. December 5, 1849.—Epwarp CaarteswortH, Esq., in the chair. A highly interesting memoir of the late Mr. Samuel Gibson, of Hebden Bridge, was read by the chairman. Mr. Smallwood next brought forward a communication from J. Leckenby, Esq., of Scarborough, in which he mentioned the curious fact which he had noticed of a certain shell, which was abundant in a particular locality, having, after the lapse of two or three years, without any apparent cause, entirely disappeared, its place being supplied by a distinct but allied shell, which had previously been extremely rare in that district. 2676 Yorkshire Naturalists’ Club. Mr. Graham exhibited a nest and three eggs, which he believed to be those of the siskin, and which were obtained near Haxby. The nesting of this bird in Eng- land is an extremely rare occurrence. He also exhibited a wild duck, which was evidently a hybrid between the mallard and the pintail, obtained on the estate of H. Preston, Esq., at Moreby, near this city. He placed on the table, at the same time, a light brown variety of the blackbird, which he had preserved for the Rev. J. Preston, of Askham. An account was then read by Dr. Morris of a very extraordinary animal, which was caught in a trap, a few days back, at Moreby, and which had been sent by Mr. Preston to Mr. Graham for preservation. This curious animal presented the general appearance of one of the Mustelide or weasel family, but possessed feet which were very long, bare of fur, and completely webbed, like an otter. Dr. Morris considered the various probabilities of its being a mere variety of one of the weasels; of its being an entirely new animal; and of its being a hybrid between two of the Mus- telide. Dr. Morris's opinion was in favour of the last supposition, and he referred to the union of the otter and foumart. He had examined the fur of the animal with the microscope, and found it to agree much more nearly with the down of the foumart than with that of either the stoat or marten, which were the only ones of the Muste- lide that he had had an opportunity of examining. The following is a description of the animal, which was a young male, probably about half grown :— Body elongate, vermiform, but fuller than that of the stoat. Feet rather long, quite bare of fur, and completely webbed down to the claws, which are sharp but ra- ther short. Ears large and spreading, quite bare, and with a large, bare, oval, reddish patch in front on the side of the head. Margins of the ears brown (white in the stoat, foumart and marten). Tail with short fur at the root, but nearly bare after the first two inches, rather flattened and tapering to a fine point. Teats three on each side. Fur of only one kind, namely the under fur or down, and entirely without the usual long hair, which is so conspicuous in all the Mustelide: it was, however, thick and compact, though very short, being about as long as that of the mole, and much of the same texture. Colour above, reddish fawn. Belly pale yellow, with a reddish yellow band down the centre, very conspicuous, and giving a branch down the inside of each leg. The weight was eleven ounces, but when fresh it would pro- bably have weighed quite twelve ounces. The following are its admeasurements in inches and lines. mn, Length of head and body........ Bdacicucien dena ntaie lO lead ipsscescisstecsescete sesicae «set doods ts eicersiues nase neue Ta Meiicdcc.veslewsisosivaxkweseesesinanmadegcuapeenntinerece! 1:4 Middle toe and Claw ....sccecssececcevescesecseeseeee 1 WiaTicscduviestocnaenases scusevsuewvstys seseenssemetsecesee.e 99 iar ACTOSS pee cence caeepaisnaicasls nsines opislp erjesninasiactlsea) fay Wadthrotehendmcscctsashi cee’ suaddotecceteenecsieseaiehen This account excited much interest among the members, and a conversation followed in which most of those present joined. The meeting broke up shortly after ten = =q SGASOBAAAas o clock. Insects. 2677 Singular Recipe for creating Silkworms, a Fact for the Vestiyians.—Having lately met with a very odd account of the mode of producing silkworms, I take this oppor- tunity of forwarding it, thinking it may afford some amusement to the readers of the *Zoologist, and also be considered curious as affording some insight into the ento- mological knowledge of our ancestors. The article is contained in a work called ‘The Laboratory or School of Arts, by G. Smith, 8vo, 1750: this was the third edi- tion of the book, so that we may suppose it was held in some estimation: it contains a number of recipes in refining, &c., of metals; choice secrets for jewellers; experi- ments in casting in various ways; glass-making; valuable secrets for cutlers, &c.; the art of preparing rockets, squibs and crackers; various uncommon chemical expe- riments ; the art of dyeing, &c., &c.; and is said to be compiled from the German and other foreign authors. At page 237 we have an article entitled “ Of the Gene- ration of Silkworms out of Veal,” the process for doing which is as follows :—‘* Take about ten or twelve pounds of veal, all meat without bones, warm, and as soon as it is killed ; chop this with a chopping-knife as fine as you can, and afterwards put it into a new earthen pot, thus: at the bottom make a layer of mulberry leaves, then a layer of veal, and thus proceed till your pot is full. Then cover the top with mulberry leaves, and take an old shirt which has been well worn and sweated in by a labouring man; put this at top upon the leaves, and then tie the pot close with leather. After this is done set the pot into a cellar which is not too cool, but something warm and damp ; let it stand for three or four weeks, till the veal turns to maggots, which hap- pens sometimes sooner sometimes later, according to the nature of the place into which you put it. Of these maggots take as many as you will, and set them upon fresh mulberry leaves, which they will eat, change their form to silkworms, will soon content themselves with that nutriment, and spin and generate like other silkworms. I have produced them twice, not without the admiration of the late Mr. Sturling, and yet I am of opinion that this generation is not of both, but only of one kind; and the same opinion I have of toads or frogs which are produced out of barren earth. The time wherein silkworms are to be raised is in the beginning of July to the eighth of that month, when the process is to begin. Vida, in his second book of Silkworms, teaches, if a young ox is fed with mulberry leaves, that out of his body after he is killed will grow silkworms.” Reference is then made to a note, which says, ‘“ Since the publication of the second edition we have met with an authentic account, in the Breslaw Philosophical Collections, of a process made by Dr. Lanckish, physician at Lignitz, in Silesia, in the most nicest (sic) manner; but after having tried various ex- periments, for several summers successively, he never could produce any real silk- worms, but the putrefaction of the veal he has prepared, according to the directions given above, turned first into large maggots, and having spun themselves into cryso- lites (sic) they became afterwards beautiful large flies. But as the above account is attested by several credible authors we would not omit it in this edition, for the fur- ther search and enquiry of the curious.” There are several other recipes of the same kind in the book, relating to the generation of eels, serpents and crawfish, and also a mode of regenerating plants; all equally curious and equally certain—John Wil- liams ; Royal Astronomical Society, Somerset House, December 6, 1849. Atherix Ibis.—With regard to Sir Oswald Mosley’s interesting observations (Zool. 2586) on the economy of this insect, I may observe that a similar cluster of them was sent to me many years since, comprising both sexes,—and it is remarkable, but they were principally males; whilst another conglomerated body of them, completely Vill G 2678 Insects. concealing the catkins of the alder, to which the flies were attached, consisted entirely of females. It is greatly to be regretted that good drawings were not made of the larve, so little being known of many insects in that stage of their existence ; and, from the slight description given, it appears to me not quite certain whether the eggs had been laid by the Atherix or some Neuropterous insect.—John Curtis ; 18, Belitha Villas, Barnsbury Park, December, 1849. [It is many years ago—in fact in 1833—that I was first attracted to the vast clusters of Atherix Ibis, which occur under bridges and on twigs of half-submerged willows, in the district of Leominster, in Herefordshire: these clusters were generally purse-shaped, and contained many thousands of this fly, the whole of them females: nearly all were dead, but a few on the outside of each cluster still retained life; and on carefully watching one of these clusters, I found that it continually received acces- sions by new comers settling upon it Year after year I have renewed this observa- tion, but I believe I have never before published anything on the subject, always deferring it in the hope that I might acquire a better knowledge of the object of such extraordinary associations.—Edward Newman.] On the Abundance or Scarcity of the Wasp.—The Rev. Mr. Bree’s communication (Zool. 2614) has naturally induced me to reflect upon the circumstances dwelt upon in his paper, namely, the scarcity or abundance of the common wasp: it were a remarkable fact in the history of insects that the abundance of parents naturally resulted in a scarcity of offspring, and vice versé. That such results may happen I am quite willing to believe, but that such is an undeviating result my own experience does not incline me to believe. Of all Hymenopterous insects in this country, there is perhaps no aculeate species more subject to the “ skyey influences” than the com- mon wasp, and hence—without being exposed to a succession of cold or wet—a frosty night or two were quite sufficient to thin their numbers: and another and very important circumstance has not been noticed by Mr. Bree; I allude to impregnation. It is a well-known and established fact, that the large wasps, which first appear in spring, are females of a former season: these insects, on the approach of cold weather at the latter end of autumn, seek out some nidus in which to sleep during the winter: some pass the inclement season in the nest, and, if the situation is one which secures them from the effects of wet, I doubt not very securely. A fortnight ago a friend of mine dug out a nest, in the upper combs of which he found a number of females nestled together; others, leaving the nest, find safe retreats in holes in walls, trees, &e. The hornet burrows frequently into the decayed heart of trees, and there finds a suitable hybernaculum. Numbers of wasps and also hornets are found in turf- stacks, in Hampshire, where turf is piled up for winter fuel. Now, although large numbers pass the winter in such situations, is it not reasonably to be supposed that many of these may appear the following spring, and yet produce no brood, from want of impregnation? Such we know obtains to a great degree in Lepidoptera; such re- cords have appeared in the pages of the ‘ Zoologist,’ applying to the death’s-head moth, &¢e. Now, should the autumn be cold and wet, with any considerable amount of frost, not only will large numbers perish (more particularly of the male sex), but impregnation must be materially prevented. Mr. Bree’s record of an abundant flight of wasps, during the autumn of the present year, proves to my mind how greatly these insects are subject to the influences which I have pointed out. Last year wasps abounded in the neighbourhood of Hampstead, as they did also in the spring of that season ; but this year, although I have visited the Heath once or twice every week, OO Insects. 2679 from April to October, and have captured—with the exception of perhaps half-a-dozen —all the wasps I have observed, I have not in all met with two dozen, all sexes in- cluded: in the spring, a wasp of any species was a rarity; and in the bank of a field in the middle of Turner’s Wood, Hampstead, where I have known three or four large colonies established some seasons, not one existed during the present season: on se- veral occasions, on warm sunny days in September, when I might have expected swarms of wasps in these localities, I scarcely observed half-a-dozen individuals to- gether. It will be recollected that in spring, about the 3rd or 4th of May, we had two or three nights of sharp frost, and in such exposed situations as Hampstead fruit trees suffered severely: how far this intense cold extended I am not aware, but the scarcity of fruit this year shows its range to have been considerable: to this I at- tribute in a great degree the scarcity of wasps in the locality I visited,—and such a cause may of course happen when the spring flights of wasps appear in numbers or otherwise,—but I am inclined to believe, from observation, that the abundance or otherwise of wasps in spring depends upon the state of the weather during the winter: should it prove excessively wet, and what we term a mild season, it proves destructive to insect life; the nights of the following spring, after such an excess of moisture, are usually cold, and the weather altogether unsuited to the insect tribe. The present year, if Mr. Bree’s proposition were founded on fact (I mean as a consequent result), ought to have proved one of great abundance of wasps at Hampstead, but the reverse was the fact; and although the coincidences recorded by Mr. Bree, of 1833 and 1834, 1848 and 1849, appear to support his proposition, I can only regard them as results from the influence of causes above specified. The number of nests can by no means be taken as a sure index of the abundance of wasps to be expected in the autumn; that must, I believe, entirely be the result of weather suited to their development, de- pendant not only upon the state of the weather as adapted to their habits, but also as producing an abundance of food: strong and weak nests are schoolboy terms, each being the result—probably to a great extent—of weather and food, adapted to the peculiar causes of abundance or scarcity of wasps which I have endeavoured to ac- count for.—rederick Smith; 11, Constitution Row, Gray's Inn. Road, December, 1849. On the Economy of the Halicti.—Since the publication of my observations on a mixed colony of Halictus abdominalis, Andrena and Sphecodes (Zool. 2370), I have diligently followed up my investigations. In the beginning of April, of the present year, I began my observations on a colony of Halictus morio at Hampstead: these little bees were just beginning to make their appearance, and by the 29th were abun- dant; they continued to be so up to the end of June: all these individuals were females ; not a single male had yet appeared, and I searched most diligently at all times of the day, once or more frequently twice a-week up to this period. Subse- quently, until the beginning of August, their numbers were greatly reduced, single individuals being occasionally seen: they at no time altogether disappeared. About the second week in August the males began to appear, and by the end of that month they abounded, which they continued to do until October; and individuals of that sex might be found when all the opposite sex had disappeared. The result of my observations is in amount as follows:—The Halicti are a genus of bees differing in habit from every known section of the Andrenide (Sphecodes probably excepted) with which I am acquainted: contrary to all recorded observations on bees, the fe- males appear first, and immediately set about the business of their economy, forming 2680 Insects. their burrows, provisioning their nests, and thus fulfilling the duties assigned to them uncheered by the attentions of the opposite sex. My solution of this problem is, that the female Halicti which appear late in the autumn are impregnated at that time by the males, and hybernate during the winter, arousing, to fulfil these purposes of economy, with the first warm days of spring. This will probably appear at first sight a startling proposition; but my observations have led me to adopt this opinion, and such is I believe the true history of Halictus. On no occasion did I ever meet with male Halicti until the summer, whilst throughout the spring months the females have abounded ; and every Hymenopterist must have observed the multitudes of male Halicti which are to be met with during the autumnal months. The same observa- tions will probably apply to the genus Sphecodes, and I am inclined to believe that their history will prove to be identical with that of Halictus. Much has been written on the habits of the Hymenoptera, but I doubt if anything more remarkable than the history I have detailed has hitherto been discovered. That social Hymenoptera are impregnated in the autumn, and pass the winter in a torpid state, has long been known and proved, as in cases of the ant, the wasp, the humble bee, &c.; but I am not aware that any solitary wasp or bee has been observed to possess a similar eco- nomy. I readily admit that my observations may prove hereafter to be founded in error ; but until direct evidence is produced to the contrary I shall hold to my opinion, it not being the result of a hasty conclusion, or any desire to court fame by promul- gating a novelty, but the result of observations made during a series of years of ardent and constant attention to the subject; yet, notwithstanding all my care, all my appli- cation to the subject, since “ Nature is only communicative at intervals,” I may still have failed to meet with one of those intervals where the true history of the Halicti was to be discovered.—Id. Increase and Decrease in the Weight of a Hive of Bees.—A hive (a last year’s swarm), suspended from a Salter’s circular balance, has given me an interesting chart, through the working months, of its increase and decrease, by means of self-acting mechanism. Below is a table of the weights through May, June and July: the de- crease from that time to the present has been gradual. Two fine swarms having issued from this hive renders the table more interesting than it otherwise might have been, Observations taken at 9 P.M. Date. Tbs. oz. Weather. Date. Tbs. oz. Weather. May 5..cce0016 Q.eeceeeeeFair, warm, May 19....00..018 8...0000+.F air. PM Gerevescssl ON tOuneces ess Fair. ree UR Gert 18 12.........Fair. praeeGines ly x fe. 16 G.........Rain. Loonie. (19 Qus.seeeee Fair, Greases LOM Gcasescers Fair. Syke Dadteecs cs 19 7..c0cee0.F ait. dap Wi tnsetiashgns Fair. Wis at MO Shs tek Wee POLO eee VSG har ecteok alr: NDA Beets Oe Oidhcteese Fair, warm. ea Yes USOME Ae Fair. ee DOWER. ave TOV see Fair, warm. BD ects. LOM Ftedeeers kt alr: Se O ree cease QOD Oca cles soso Rt lng Se eeess 18 8.........Showers. 9) WTevevceeee2l 12......00.F air, Overcast. Bk hibed i 18 15 Fair. » 28 Dae Re Fair lb 19 5......... Fair. are Oataetees: 24 10 Fair LG. ei 4 Wet. Fe SO aa ae oe Q4. HON eeeed Fair pemlisiawseseces ASmEsecse Wet. COS ie cas 25 10.........Overcast. HAMLGs craved? {Oveteee sce Wet: June Levees 21 8...,.....Fair (swarmed) a ee Insects. 2681 Date. Ibs, oz. Weather. Date. Tbs. oz. Weather. June 2.........21 8... s0000eF air. June 25,..s0000021 | Qeeveveeee Fair, Sy 6S. ctu WO:........Fair: jy 2Gaseceese-21 10seseceeee Fair; gp) Feveveeeee22 10... 00006. air. 99 2Teeseveeee2l 8...000+6. Overcast. Pi Bete 1220 ss cekvevs Raitt, 1,1 2Bddse QB Giecvaee Fain Bia Gancevusec2Pi7 oes dos.dalkvains 99 2Deceoreecs23 Ovcocveces Fair. Rye Mss daceact2O DL ss. cae vain. 7 BOveeseeeee2d = 1,.00226. Overcast. 99 Seveeeeee-20 9....4.-.. RAID. July 1....0.66.24 4.,..0006. Fair. 99, Devesveere20 2....24.5. Overcast. 99 Qeveceveee24 12,,....... Showers. pedi. Geceser 20! » Seasiocsdecil! ate 99, Desereeee Zt Dreeeeesss SHOWETS, yy L1...e000019 0...00426. Cloudy. 99 Aeeeeveeee24 6.200006. 5HOWeIS. 99 LQieesveeeel6 G.seeeeee-Fair(swarmed) 4, 5....0404.24 14.........F air. gp UB ievtea see lG:s Distiaceses Fairs si Gudiedas 2516.5, weiseB air: pyel Aaaniesclese | Gl Sastens sso alts minh Mae 2 ede te 26 171d. dbs airs yp L5ssesseeee16 15..0acre0. Wet. yy Sovveeeeee27 Assseeeeee Fair, peel Gramatsser lO. dive. voasvek aire Ge Osccorsescoet 14: SeegesaE ane RL Adopts. sal eeceesccee alr: rape Uae sted al lea ae eo. Fair. BoE ies a belas's 15 18.........Fair. sat Elicits test OG Okeseteee wk alr: 39 19.....20015 12.........5h0wers. pp LQ sssiev cine 29 14s, ccesess Mars jy Wevevreeee16 GrseceeveeFair, yy WBseveeeeee29 15 .ces0000-Fair, gp Qleseseeee 16 12.....0... Fair. 99 VA sseeveceedO 2.04.44... Overcast. poo saverdescl vii Gtwalcachce L alts 99 LO veeveceee3O Siseeeeeee Fairy jy QBrsssvseeeTS TQsssceeees Fair, yp WG.ecceee31 Qieeeeeees Fair. 99 Qh eveveeeeelD 14.....000.F air. 99 LZ ssee0e00.30 12.....++..Sh0WEIS. From July 17th to 28th the weight fluctuated between 30 and 31 fIbs., and has de- creased very gradually up to the present time (August 30th).—George Fox ; Duncombe Street, Kingsbrook, 8th mo. 31, 1849. Humble Bees and their Parasites Since I named the fly bred from the nests of humble bees by Professor Henslow (Zool. 2584), Meigen’s seventh volume has come into my hands, and he calls it Tachina (not Exorista) devia; and Macquart’s genus Pegomyia has not been adopted by Meigen, who has maintained the integrity of his genus Anthomyia.—John Curtis; 18, Belitha Villas, Barnsbury Park, December, 1849. Nomada armata.—It would be very acceptable if Mr. Smith would inform us where the male of this North-American species was taken, for I hear many of the unique Devonshire specimens in the British Museum must not be considered as na- tives.—Id. On the Capture of Rare Coleoptera in Kent—Upwards of three years have now elapsed since I obtruded myself on the pages of the ‘ Zoologist.’ During that period, however, my love for Natural History has in no degree abated, but more important avocations have occupied my time; and the greater part of that period having been spent in a town, my opportunities for pursuing this delightful study have not been so great. The first of every month, however, brought me the ‘ Zoologist, and I have been thus enabled to know how matters progressed in the different departments of Natural History of which it treats; and I have been most happy to observe a great increase in the number of your contributors, and I trust you will be able this year to record a large increase in the number of your ‘subscribers. Although for the most part I have been otherwise engaged, yet t I have not been entirely idle; indeed I have 2682 : Insects. become a convert to a branch of Entomology, which from my ignorance of it before I rather despised: I allude to the study of Coleoptera. During my residence in Northampton, I had the benefit of the advice and experience of my friend the Rev. Hamlet Clark, and of constant access to his beautifully arranged and most extensive collection of Coleoptera: his cabinet is indeed a library,—each drawer “ contains a folio volume.” With my previous love for Natural History in general, and Entomo- logy in particular, it was impossible that I could be long with so ardent and energetic a Coleopterist without being inspired by his example; and the result is, that I have become a studier and collector of Coleoptera, and I am fain to confess that I now think it a more interesting branch of Entomology than the study of Lepidoptera, al- though the latter are the most showy, and most admired by the ladies. The advan- tages which the study of Coleoptera has over Lepidoptera are not only derived from the much greater number of the insects themselves (and consequently an increased field for research), their peculiar habits, their various localities, their beautiful struc- ture, but also from the simplicity of the modes of capturing them, and the more fre- quent opportunities of taking them,—for there is no month in the year when they may not be found in some situation or other. In the depth of winter, even a bag of moss from the woods, or of lichens scraped off oak and other trees, will oftentimes afford the collector many rare insects. Coleoptera have also this advantage, that they may be set out months after they have been taken, and will look as well as if just captured. I have, for instance, to-day set out some beetles—both small and large— which I took four months since in Kent, and they are in perfect preservation and co- lour, having been kept in a tightly-corked bottle half filled with well-bruised laurel leaves, which not only preserves them, but relaxes the joints of their legs in the most satisfactory way imaginable. But it is high time I proceed to the object I had in view in sending this communication, viz., to give an account of some of my captures in Kent in the past summer and autumn, during which seasons I was staying at my old abode, Kingston Rectory, which is situate between Canterbury and Dover, and is a most excellent locality for the entomologist. Around it are fine woods, filled with oak, ash, willow, hazel, &c. &c.; chalk-pits, chalky banks and numerous copses teeming with wild flowers, which so abound in Kent. The chief scene of my labours, as far as woods were concerned, was in one of 500 acres; and a charming wood it is; beautifully undulated, well timbered, and in places carpeted with flowers. I was more successful in this wood than in any other: here I took Tillus elongatus, Rha- gium Indagator, Cychrus rostratus, Leptura nigra, melanura, abdominalis and levis, Pachyta livida, Cassida nobilis and sanguinolenta, Melasis buprestoides, Ptilinus pec- tinicornis, Nedyus trimaculatus and horridus (in some abundance on thistles), Poly- drusus undatus (abundant), Alophus 3-guttatus, Attelabus curculionides, Apoderus avellane, Barynotus escidii, Molytes Anglicanus and Germanus, Tanymecus palliatus, Balaninus nucum, Elephas, glandium and villosus, Cryptocephalus 6-punctatus (one specimen), C. Morzi (common), Chrysomela Hyperici (abundant on the St. John’s Wort), pallida, 10-punctata and rufipes, Campta lutea, Antherophagus pallens, Me- landrya caraboides, Endomychus coccineus, Pyrochroa coccinea, and Melasoma Populi. On a bank near this wood I took Plinthus caliginosus (which I also found under stones around the heights at Dover) and Callistus lunatus, and last year one specimen of Tetratoma ancora. On the Cistus plants, on the bank, I took Mantura obtusata in some numbers. All the above (with scores of commoner ones) were taken in and around this wood, which, if well worked, would, I have no doubt, be found to Insects. 2683 produce many more good insects. In other localities in the neighbourhood I took Carabus consitus, Leistus spinibarbis and fulvilabris, Licinus depressus and silphoides, Peecilus dimidiatus, Echimuthus cyanocephalus, Sphodrus leucophthalmus, Trachys minuta, Polydrusus micans and undatus, Saperda cylindrica, Aphelocnemia nubila, Chrysomela hceemoptera, Graminis, and one specimen of the beautiful Gettingen- sis, and one of Opilus mollis. The ivy with which the church at Kingston is covered abounds with specimens of Ochina ptinoides. In June I took nearly 200 specimens of Tanymecus palliatus, in a field of clover, close to a wood: I found them first by sweeping, but they were so numerous that I was able to find them on the leaves of the plant,—but on the slightest alarm they fell to the ground, and it was with some difficulty I could distinguish them from the earth, on which they lay feigning death, On the 26th of May I spent a few hours at a village called Swale Cliff, between Herne Bay and Whitstable. There is nothing particularly attractive about the lo- cality to the entomologist: the walk, however, from Herne Bay to Whitstable, would not be without its interest and its captures; but the spot most worthy of a visit, and most likely to repay the trouble, is above the shore, nearly opposite to the church at Swale Cliff, where the Swale itself (or some tributary stream) empties itself into the sea. The soft muddy banks abound with many members of the family of Bembi- diidz, among which I took specimens of Notaphus Ephippium and Lopha Doris. I have been thus particular in describing this spot, thinking that some of the readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ may perchance visit Herne Bay, and would be glad to know of the locality. During my sojourn in Kent, I paid several visits to the now celebrated sands near Deal (once or twice I had for my companion the Rev. J. Dawson, to whom the thanks of the entomological world are due for making known this interesting collecting-ground, and for his discoveries therein): here I had the pleasure of taking the beautiful Lixus bicolor, Hypera fasciculata, Gronops lunatus, Acalles Roboris and echinatus, Sarrotrium muticum, Crypticus quisquilius, Limobius mixtus, &c. &c. I also had the good fortune to take about a dozen specimens of Apion Sedi, and one or two of Ceutorhyncus hirtulus (both first discovered here last year by Mr. Dawson and Mr. Clark). A few years since, a specimen of Melolontha Fullo was found on these sands at Deal: it is now in the Canterbury Museum, where there is, I regret to say, but a poor and ill-arranged collection of British beetles. At Dover, too, they are no better off. Unfortunately in neither place is there now any practical working collector, which is the more to be regretted, as, from their situation, the neighbour- hood of both towns presents a prolific field for Entomology generally, and Coleoptera particularly. The museum at Maidstone, however, established last year by Dr. Plomley,—in connexion with the Kent Natural History and Archeological Society,— I trust may be looked upon as eventually aiding the cause of Entomology: its objects are so excellent that I hope it will meet with the support and patronage it so well | deserves, and that the entomological department will soon become as extensive as the ornithological at present is. I will only add, in conclusion, that I shall be happy to make exchanges with any of your correspondents who may have duplicate Coleoptera, especially in the more northern species.— 7. Pemberton Bartlett; Gorley Cross, Fordingbridge, Hants, December 4, 1849. 2684 Insects. Affinities of the Stylopites, an Essay. By Epwarp NEWMAN. | (Concluded from page 1804). § 3. Anatomy of the Mouth of Stylops. Srybops is a small black insect, about a quarter of an inch in length: its head is transverse and its face prone: the width of the head is greatly increased by two large projecting eyes, a very marked character, and that from which its name is derived: these eyes are lateral, hemispherical, prominent, quasi-pedunculate, having the facets few in number and uniformly of large size: the antenne are inserted in the epicranium, the base of each being equidistant from the eye and a mesial line; they are six-jointed ; the basal joint is cyathiform ; the second small, short, transverse; the third equally short as regards its shaft, but emitting anteriorly a large process or ramus, which ex- tends parallel with the antenna to the apex of the fifth joint; the re- maining joints are of nearly equal length, and each of them is about thrice the length of either the first, second or third; the fourth is ob- long, slightly incrassated externally, and the longest of the six: the fifth and sixth are more slender and nearly equal in length. Such is the general character of the head and its appendages: the face terminates in a distinct and obtusely trigonate clypeus; and beneath this clypeus, and having a direction towards the sternum, is the mouth: it consists of the following parts :— 1. Mandibles or maxille. These are very distant at the base; apparently seated on small protuberances, linear, slender, lancet- shaped, conniving and actually crossing at the tips: these organs are the only conspicuously apparent representatives of either mandibles or maxille. 2. Maxipalpi. Placed exterior to the preceding, and almost im- mediately adjoining the inferior margin of the eye, large, robust, two- jointed; the basal joint somewhat cyathiform; the apical joint attached somewhat obliquely, rather flattened, and having a slightly acuminate apex. 3. Labium or mentum. Small, triangular, immovable, anchylosed, having neither palpi, ligula, nor other appendages. § 4. Comparative Anatomy of the Mouth of Stylops. It must, in limine, be admitted that the characters of so imperfect a mouth do not lead to any certain or inevitable conclusion ; neither Insects. 2685 shall I contend that we are warranted in any arbitrary nomenclature of its parts, much less in any conclusions deduced from such arbitrary nomenclature. Concerning the labrum, it seems to be pretty clearly ascertained that it is absent, or so anchylosed to and mixed up with the clypeus as to elude our search. I am not aware that this absence or concealment of a part can be availed of in the present inquiry. The lancet-shaped organs, therefore, claim our chief attention. Sa- vigny, the facile princeps of gnathology, considers them to be man- dibles, while he makes the basal joint of the palpus a maxilla and the apical joint a maxipalpus: it is impossible not to attach great impor- tance and value to the opinion of so eminent a man. Mr. Curtis, to whom we are indebted for several admirable figures and dissections, and who has thrown great light on the structure of these highly inte- testing but obscure insects, unhesitatingly describes. the lancets as maxille and the palpi as maxipalpi; and this view seems to be almost universally adopted : taken numerically, the suffrages of entomologists would be in favour of what may be called the maxillary theory; but I cannot deny that the authority of Savigny in favour of the mandi- bular theory is of more weight than that of all the rest, for it is to him we are indebted for all our knowledge of cibarian homologies. It is therefore with extreme reluctance, and after long and careful delibera- tion, that I am induced to express an opinion opposed to Savigny’s, and to state my belief that the lancets are true maxille, or, speaking with greater precision, the lacinie of maxilla; and I may perhaps be allowed to observe that Savigny’s decision in this matter seems founded rather on an isolated consideration of a question hastily pro- pounded to him, than on that comprehensive synthetical review which he had previously taken of insect gnathology. I will now state my reason for supposing the lancets as well as the palpi to be maxillary organs: in the first place, they are united to- gether like the maxille and appendages in ordinary Coleoptera or Orthoptera ; there is a connexion and continuity between them which does not obtain between the mandibles and maxipalpi in any other insect, as far as my knowledge extends. Jn very many genera I find the maxille somewhat mixed up with, or by attachment identified as a part of, what might be termed the labial apparatus; but I know of no instance in which the mandibles are so mixed and identified. In the second place, the lancets are seated on something like a tubercle which seems analogous to the stipes of the maxilla, the lancet itself being the lacinia: as far as I am aware, this division into two parts, having a certain although slight quasi-articulation, has never been Vill H 2686 Insects. observed in the mandible ofany insect. No suggestion can be raised as to the character of the palpi, seeing they have no kind of connexion with the labium, which, as already described, exists in an evident although very diminutive state, and situate as distant as possible from the insertion of the palpi: they are therefore maxipalpi. The form of maxilla which I have described as characterising Sty- lops is not of uncommon occurrence. In Lepidoptera it occurs fre- quently among the Bombyces: in Diptera we find it in the Tabanites : in Hymenoptera it exists in some of the bees; but in these three classes there is so great a development of the labial apparatus that the similarity is not carried out, ceasing with the organs in question: in Orthoptera and Neuroptera I recollect nothing analogous to the maxille of Stylops, while the Hemiptera have all the cibarian organs linear and setiform, fully and normally developed palpi—like those of Stylops—being invariably absent throughout the class: in Coleoptera such maxille are of very uncommon occurrence; still they are occa- sionally to be found, although, in every case which suggests itself for comparison, the Coleopterous insect seems not merely to imitate, but to caricature, the linear, lancet-like maxille of Stylops. The first insects I shall cite are two North-American Telephorites, described by Hentz under the names of Chauliognathus marginatus and C. bimaculatus, in which the maxilla and maxipalpus are constructed precisely on the same plan as in Stylops, the only notable differences being that the Chauliognathi have a greater length of lacinia and a greater number of joints to the maxipalpus; but evident as is the similarity between the maxille of Chauliognathus and Stylops, it is still more striking between the latter insect and three species of parasitic Hormocera, the very group with which I have shown that the economy of Stylops presented so exact an analogy: these insects are Macrosiagona dimi- diata (one of the Mordellites), and Nemognatha and Gnathium (two genera allied to Cantharis) ; and it is worthy of remark, as affording some colour to this view of the case, that in all these genera the pe- culiarity is said to be confined to male insects. After a perusal of these observations my readers will, I think, be willing to admit that however slight the tendency of this imperfect mouth towards a Coleopterous type, it certainly has less tendency towards any other class, The other parts of the head require a few words. The eyes of Stylops are remarkable. Those who have studied the eyes of insects with a view of generalizing phenomena must have ob- served that these organs are very largely developed throughout the Diptera; the head has become almost all eye: the accurate observer Insects. 2687 will scarcely fail to remark, in addition, that the greater development in the eye is in the male sex: again, it is a veritable fact that in those Coleoptera which assume a Dipterous character, through the diminu- tion of their fore and the enlargement of their hind wings, the eyes, especially of the male, also assume the Dipterous character of great development: this is the case in Atractocerus, Myodites, Symbius, and many other genera: in these the eyes occupy almost the entire head, being separated by a narrow linear epicranium, scarcely differ- ing from the same part in the common house-fly. Seeing, then, that in Stylops the Dipterous character is exhibited in excess, its large and projecting eyes are in perfect accordance with this notable law of nature, and exactly harmonise with those of certain small groups of Coleoptera, distinguished by that disparity of wing which is so ex- cessive in Stylops as to be the stumbling-block of all systematists when seeking its affinities. The clypeus, or rather that part to which I have assigned the name, has no character, either of figure or magnitude, in any respect ano- malous,—indeed it can hardly be called abnormal: this part may or may not be composed of the anchylosed clypeus and labrum: the presence or absence of such anchylosis would not be extraordinary; the trigonate form of clypeus is not uncommon in Coleoptera, and 1 can find nothing in this part of the head, viewed in any light or subjected to any rule of nomenclature, that at all militates against my theory. Last, and of least importance, are the antenne: those of Stylops, Xenos and Elenchus are of unusual structure for either class; but the fortunate discovery of Halictophagus—so evidently allied to the- other three, yet so simple and even commonplace in the character of its antennz—shows that these organs, however they may vary in struc- ture, afford no character of higher value than for distinguishing those infinitesimally small and purely artificial groups now known under the name of genera, but which differ, toto ccelo, from the groups thus ori- ginally denominated by Linneus and Fabricius. I might cite abun- dant instances of antennz quite as abnormal as those of Stylops, and I might show that the abnormity is of a like kind, the inflation or elongation or branching of a certain joint, and this numerically the same, in the male insect; but it would be an unprofitable labour, seeing that the fact must be universally admitted. 2688 Insects. § 5. Anatomy of the Pro-, Meso- and Metathorax of Stylops. The prothorax is a short transverse ring, about half the width of the head, increased, as I have described it, by the projecting eyes ; and as the mesothorax is of nearly similar proportions, the insect thus acquires a somewhat hammer-headed figure: the prothorax has on each side a longitudinal sinus or depression, which separates the dor- sal from the sternal surface; at this sinus the dorsal surface slightly projects, somewhat overhanging the sternal: the propedes are distant at the base, simple, having the coxe longer than the femora, and both these joints slightly incrassated: the tibie are rather longer than either of the preceding joints, are slightly thickened exteriorly, and are perfectly simple and unarmed, having no spines or other appen- dages: tarsi four-jointed, the joints deeply notched and cushioned beneath ; claws none.* The mesothorax is also a short transverse ring, rather wider than the prothorax: it is divided dorsally, by two slight furrows, into three sections: the dorsal surface is flat centrally, but slopes off on each side, and overhangs the lateral surface like the roof of a house: attached to this segment, near its anterior margin and on its sloping or deflected sides, are two opaque, leathery, narrow, diminutive, slightly curved, rudimentary wings: ¢ these organs, like the elytra of Coleoptera generally, and the halteres of Diptera, are without the characteristics of normal wings, but, as in both these instances, their attachment to a certain segment removes all doubt as to their true nature. This segment also bears the mesopedes, which differ from the propedes only in their shorter coxe. The metathorax is enormously developed, and comprises nearly two-thirds of the entire insect: its surface exhibits numerous well- marked divisions, but it is to be regretted that existing figures and * This description of the tarsi is perhaps conventional rather than absolute: it has been said that a fifth joint had been observed on the pro- and mesotarsi, but that these—being very slender and fragile—have been detached through entanglement in the fabric of the material employed for making the net, whenever the insect may have been taken. + The term twisted, as applied to these organs, although not positively erroneous (since they are not perfectly straight), still conveys an erroneous idea,—since that word, as used in several generic names, implies a complete and somewhat corkscrew- like twisting, and not the deviation from a direct line observable in the fore wings of Stylops. Insects. 2689 descriptions assist us but little in determining their homology.* The dorsal surface consists of eight pieces: drawing a mesial longitudinal line throughout its extent, it will intersect four sections, all of them distinctly marked and conspicuous. In such a case there seems little choice as to nomenclature: we are almost reduced to the necessity of calling them prescutum, scutum, scutellum and postscutellum ; + still I must here observe that I adopt these terms as a matter of course, and not as the result of analytical investigation. The prescutum, scutum and scutellum are of nearly equal size, and all of them ap- proach a triangular form, but the position of the triangle differs: in the prescutum the base of the triangle is towards the head of the in- sect, the apex pointing backwards: in the scutum this position is reversed, the apex pointing towards the insect’s head and meeting the apex of the prescutal triangle ; the base is posterior and meets the base of the scutellum, the apex of which consequently points back- wards : the postscutellum is the largest of the four sections ; anteriorly it emits two processes or limbs, which embrace the scutellum ; poste- riorly it is prolonged over the abdominal segments, and terminates in an obtuse apex. The remaining pieces, exhibited dorsally, are four or two pairs: the anterior pair are large and lozenge-shaped; they occupy the upper pleuro-dorsal arex, and nearly meet at the same point as the apices of the prascutal and scutal triangles : the posterior pair are still larger, of irregular figure, and occupy the hinder pleuro- dorsal are of the segment; they extend laterally as well as dorsally, giving the body a somewhat inflated appearance: it will scarcely be advisable to assign names to these pieces, because the different versions entomologists might assign to such would perhaps rather tend to confuse than elucidate the subject. Immediately below each of the anterior side-pieces is attached a large, membranous, delicate, opaque wing: when the insect is not flying these wings are loosely folded in a longitudinal direction, reposing on each side of the body ; in this folding there is nothing fan-like, a term constantly but errone- ously used in describing them, and one which would be strictly appli- cable to the wings of such Orthopterous insects as Rhipipteryx, * J may also here remark that the homology of the skeletons of insects is not yet sufficiently worked out to be employed unerrin gly in the present inquiry. + It should be borne in mind, that when Stylops was first described the nomen- clature of these parts was much more arbitrary and optional than at present: any discrepancy, therefore, between the names originally used in describing Stylops and those 1 have now for the first time applied does not indicate any difference of opinion. 2690 Insects. Tridactylus and Acridium. The wings of Stylops fold more like drapery when suspended: they have a strong costal nervure, and a few very delicate and obscure discoidal nervures, but are quite with- out regular radiating nervures, which characterise the fan-like wings of Orthoptera. The metapedes are simple, situate near the posterior margin of the metasternum, and differ chiefly from the pro- and meso- pedes in their shorter tibiz and in their closely approximate insertion. The remaining segments of the insect are eight in number, and dif- fer from those described in being soft and flexible, and capable of being twisted about in all directions, turning over the back with ease and agility: each of these segments—except the last, which appears to be the male organ of generation—is most distinctly divided longi- tudinally into four surfaces,—a dorsal, a sternal and two pleural. § 6. Comparative Anatomy of the Pro-, Meso- and Metathorax of Stylops. Many years ago I invited the attention of entomologists to a theory regarding the correspondence in development between the wings and winged segments in insects. I attempted to show that certain condi- tions of the winged segments predicate analogous conditions of the wings. Thus, when the fore wings constitute the real organs of flight, the mesothorax must be capable of imparting their power to these wings, and this power we invariably find to be co-existent with increased bulk, so that the mesothorax is largely developed at the ex- pense of the metathorax. On the contrary, when the hind wings constitute the sole organs of flight, the reverse takes place; the me- tathorax is then largely developed at the expense of the mesothorax. I hope to be pardoned for the egotism exhibited in a reference to what I have previously done; but the revival of a theory which, if noticed at the time, was never accepted, and has probably been en- tirely forgotten, seems essential to the proper understanding of the very interesting structure of the wing-bearing segments of Stylops. Although an unfortunate error crept into the first scientific description of Stylops, all entomologists are, I believe, now agreed on the nomen- clature of the winged segments,—the fore wings being attached as always to the mesothorax, the hind wings to the metathorax. The supposition that any connexion existed between the fore wings and fore legs of course implied that both these were prothoracic ap- pendages, and consequently that the entire arrangement of these parts Insects. 2691 was anomalous.* Now it will be at once obvious to entomologists, that, in the relative development of wings and wing-bearing segments, Stylops offers a peculiarly apt illustration of the theory to which I have alluded: it exhibits the most beautiful and perfect harmony in the relative development of these parts; and this harmony is not con- fined to a comparison of these parts in Stylops znter se, but extends to a comparison of such parts in Stylops with corresponding parts in other insects. In Stylops there is nothing anomalous either in the proportion or disposition of these parts,—at least nothing more than an unimportant discrepancy in degree: perhaps no other insect has fore wings quite so disproportionately small, or a metathorax quite so diproportionately large ; but beyond the excess of a character we have no discrepancy worthy of comment. We have, then, to inquire in which of the established classes do we find the comparative proportions which are excessive in Stylops. In all the Coleoptera and a considerable portion of the Orthoptera— such, for instance, as Phasma and Forficula—the fore wings are totally powerless as organs of flight. In the normal groups of these two classes—such, for instance, as Scarabzeus and Gryllus—they are large and conspicuous appendages, apparently designed to cover the hind wings, while in Atractocerus and Phasma they merely exist in a rudi- mentary form, in a state of uselessness and inactivity: now it is precisely this state of uselessness and inactivity, carried—to use a somewhat paradoxical expression—to its maximum, that we find so apparent in Stylops. And here it may be adduced,—as an argument in recon- ciling the proposed association of Stylops with such genera as Rhi- piphorus, Sitaris and Apalus, which have much larger and almost * The patriarch of British Entomology was led to this conclusion by the gene- ral accuracy of his draughtsman, from whose figure it appears that the appendages which in this essay are called fore wings are really attached to the fore legs, and on this character the order (a primary division of insects) was actually founded. Surely such a conclusion may fairly call forth the following queries :—/irst, if the fore legs of any insect be furnished with such appendages, can these by any possibility be wings at all? Suppose a Dipterous insect—a Tabanus for instance—to be discovered: having appendages exactly identical with the fore wings of Stylops, but positively and obviously attached to the fore legs; such a structure would perhaps justify the characterizing of a new species,—a Tabanus pennipes or Tabanus lobipes,—but nothing more. But, secondly, suppose the juxtaposition of the parts in question was accidental only, the idea that they were attached traceable to a mere error of the pen- cil, then does not the division (whether class, order, genus or species) founded on such error fall to the ground ? 2692 Insects. normal fore wings,—that the Coleopterous genus Atractocerus has the fore wings nearly as small as those of Stylops, and, as in that insect, situated at the extreme anterior margin of the mesothorax ; while in the genera Cupes, Lymexylon and Hylecetus, always united in a family group with Atractocerus, the fore wings have a normal size, figure and situation. Reviewing the other classes, we find that in Diptera the fore wings are the sole organs of flight; in Lepidop- tera and Hymeuoptera they bear a chief part in the function of flight ; in the typical Neuroptera they share it equally with the hind wings; in Hemiptera they subserve the same purpose, although their struc- ture—especially in the Cimicites—partakes rather of the protecting character so marked in Coleoptera. Hence in this respect Stylops has no affinity with any classes except Coleoptera and Orthoptera. The mesothorax, as well as the fore wings, recedes to its minimum of de- velopment in Orthoptera, Coleoptera and Stylops. The hind wings and metathorax, on the contrary, have acquired an exclusiveness of function and a maximum of development in Coleoptera and Orthop- tera; and for these characters Stylops is still more remarkable, ex- ceeding any insect or group of insects previously known in the enormous development of its metathorax. A careful comparison of this segment in Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Stylops, will disclose many points of similarity, more especially as regards Coleoptera and Stylops, —a point which I would willingly discuss at greater length, were it not that the hind wings furnish still more conclusive evidence. To these organs I would invite particular attention: their irregular mode of folding and the paucity of their nervures, together with the entire absence of transverse or reticulating nervures, show that there is no affinity between the hind wings of Stylops and those of the Orthopte- rous locusts, with which the enlarged metathorax had induced us to compare them. But precisely as the hind wings of Stylops recede from the numerously veined and fan-like organs which are so conspicuous and ornamental in Orthoptera, so do they approach the sparingly veined, amorphously folded, inconspicuous hind wings of Coleoptera, so that at this point the line of affinity—previously running parallel between the two great classes—decidedly leaves the Orthoptera and approaches the Coleoptera. This is still more strikingly the case in Halictopha- gus, which, in place of the weak and scarcely discernible nervures of Stylops, has them strong and well marked: one of these, running pa- rallel to the costa and situate immediately below it, is interrupted at three-fourths of its length, thus enabling the wing to fold transversely Insects. 2693 at this point :* below the subcostal nervure is a third, interrupted and forked at a little more than half its length, both branches reaching the outer margin of the wing: besides these there are three other nervures, and all the six, when the wing is extended, radiate from the base to the exterior margin of the wing. This character of hind wing is normally and solely Coleopterous; in fact so precisely is the hind wing constructed after the Coleopterous type,—indeed so nearly does it resemble in miniature the hind wing of a Ripiphorus, a Mordella or a Cantharis,—that no entomologist would think any slight discrepancy he might observe sufficient to warrant its separation from either of those genera. And here I cannot but regret the absolute ignorance which prevails respecting the neuration of the hind wings of Coleop- tera: we have really no knowledge of the important characters which these veins possess; we have mo nomenclature of these veins: and I am unable to do more than beg my readers to institute a comparison, and it cannot be too rigorously exact, between the wings of Halicto- phagus, as portrayed in Mr. Curtis’s beautiful figure, and those of ac- tual specimens of the Coleopterous genera I have mentioned. I am convinced the candid inquirer, after such a comparison, will arrive at the same conclusion as myself. It therefore results, from a comparison of the wings and wing- bearing segments of Stylops with those of insects belonging to the seven received classes, that the structure of this curious insect ap- proaches the ordinary structure of Coleoptera, and recedes from the ordinary structure of the rest,—Orthoptera alone offering any points of similarity, and these points of similarity being few and isolated. In fine, it may be stated that the discrepancies between the wings and wing-bearing segments of Stylops and those of Coleoptera are differences in degree, whereas compared with others of the other classes they are differences of kind. Stylops cannot be associated in an alary system with Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Orthop- tera, Hemiptera or Neuroptera: to me it appears absolutely necessary that they should associate with the Coleoptera; the evidence of de- sign in system requires their association with one of the classes, and * T would here call the attention of entomologists to the interesting fact that this capability of transverse folding is not availed of in several Coleopterous genera, the wings being folded loosely and longitudinally on the abdomen. I have observed this to be the case in Necydalis, Hesthesis, Heliomanes, Rhipidius, Myodites, and many others ; but, as in Halictophagus above described, the interruption of the main alary nervures indicates a structural affinity to that great class in which the transverse folding of the hind wings is a prominent although rarely noticed character. VIII I 2694 Insects. the structure of the alary segments points to Coleoptera. Still an al- ternative remains, and that alternative all our entomologists have adopted,—the creation of a new primary division purposely for the reception of this insect. This is an easy but illogical proceeding: it relieves the mind from the labour of thinking, but loads the system with an unnecessary name: it cuts the knot, does not untie it, and, like Alexander’s celebrated act, it saves a world of trouble. This disposition to create primary divisions results from a confused idea of their object in the first instance, and a deficient power of synthetic association in the second. Minds like Cuvier’s or Humboldt’s make no such divisions: it is not only certain that they have not done so, but it is equally certain that all their writings have an opposite ten- dency: like our own Newton, they combine facts and seek cumulative evidence of their conclusions: such minds would not isolate Aphis, Forficula, Phryganea, Ephemera, Sialis or Stylops, all of which, and several other rather abnormal genera, have for a time taken rank as primary divisions of articulate animals, because it has been found dif- ficult or troublesome to master the homologies of their structure. , Summary. §$ 1, 2. Metamorphotic System. The character of the pupa is found to be necromorphous, and thus the inquiry is at once restricted to the two classes Hymenoptera and Coleoptera: this limitation, however, is not availed of. The character of the larva is Coleopterous, and precisely identical with that.of several parasitic hormocerous Coleoptera. §§ 3,4. Mazxillary System. The mouth is so imperfect that it is difficult to deduce absolute conclusions from the parts yet ascertained, but such ascertained parts throw no difficulty in the way of considering Stylops Coleopterous, while they positively preclude its association with either Lepidoptera, Hemiptera or Diptera. §§ 5, 6. Alary System. The wings of Stylops are purely Coleopterous: they are not in the least anomalous, and are only abnormal in size, the fore wings being a eae Insects— Quadrupeds. 2695 relatively smaller, the hind wings relatively larger than in ordinary Coleoptera. The same remarks are applicable to the segments bearing the wings. EDWARD NEWMAN. Devonshire Street, Bishopsgate, May, 1847. # Curious Act in the Lesser Earwig (Labia minor).—One fine evening in the latter end of July, some years ago, I was sitting near a window, reading, when my attention was attracted to an insect resembling a small earwig (Labia minor), which, alighting on my book and running very nimbly to the top, spread its wings and flew away to the window. Although I was aware that earwigs were winged insects, I had never seen one fly before, and was therefore desirous of observing how it was managed: I consequently secured the insect, and induced it to run up to the top of the book as before, where it again took flight. This I caused it to repeat a number of times, and was much gratified in observing the manner in which this creature prepared its wings for flight. Upon arriving at the highest point it could attain, the insect stood quite still, and raised the elytra; it then, with a very quick motion, thrust the point of one of the caudal appendages, close to the body, under the wing, which was unfolded by its agency: this being repeated on the other side, both wings were fully expanded, and the insect briskly flew away. Thus, then, we see that those appendages which give this insect so formidable an appearance to the uninstructed, and whose office is by no means apparent at first sight, are intended to expand the curiously folded and closely packed wings, which have long been subjects of admiration to those inte- rested in Natural History.—John Williams; Royal Astronomical Society, Somerset House, December 6, 1849. [This is a most interesting fact; but it is remarkable that the common earwig (Forficula auricularia) has the same appendages largely developed, and yet is not known to use its wings.—EZdward Newman.] Occurrence of a Foreign Bat in Orkney—Mr. Newman, in the preface to the volume of the ‘ Zoologist’ for 1849, refers to my paper with the above heading (Zool. 2343). He seems to infer that it was rather “slow” of me not to seize so plausible a pretext for adding a new bat to the British list. Mr. » Mr. and Mr. are men of far better spirit ; they have shown some most exotic-looking birds to be truly British. But as Mr. Newman says that I “do not attempt to ac- count for its presence in the Orkneys, and that the subject requires more minute investigation,” I will now endeavour to say a little more about it than I did in my first communication. I grant that the subject requires further investigation, and such T intended to have given it during a second visit this summer, by ascertaining posi- tively whether any bats are constant inhabitants of the Orkneys, and if so, of what species ; but I was unfortunately only there a few days, and in such weather as no- 2696 Quadrupeds. bats could be expected to withstand. IfJ did not attempt to account for the presence of this bat, I certainly hinted at my views on the matter, by saying that a bat is a very likely animal to be brought in a ship, and by observing that this specimen was looked upon as a very great curiosity, as any bat would have been. Of the circum- stances of its discovery I had undoubted evidence. The people who found it were as much astonished and frightened at it as Mr. Gerard was surprised to see it; and this gentleman preserved it with great care, as a thing of most unusual occurrence, though he did not know it was otherwise than a common bat. I may add that he is now some years past eighty, and has all his life been an observer of Nature, as exhibited in the Orkney Islands, and especially in South Ronaflshay. This country, entirely destitute of trees, and so exposed to every wind, seems very ill adapted for the con- stant residence of any species of bat; and therefore these considerations, with the evidence of the people, at once inclined me to believe it was an accidental visitant. I was told at the British Museum that the characters I had observed—the hairiness of the upper side of the interfemoral membrane, and the yellowish band of hair on the wing underneath the principal bones—were peculiar to a family of American bats, called, from the first circumstance, Dasyurus or Lasiurus; and on my bat (for it has since been very kindly presented to me by Mr. Gerard) being compared with those in the Museum, it was attributed to the species called pruinosus, although considerably larger than the specimens in the collection, and it may perhaps be a nearly allied species. Had any species of the group been known to inhabit Europe, I should have had better hopes of finding that this bat was really indigenous to the north of Britain. All things considered, I have little doubt it was brought by one of the very numerous vessels which pass between South Ronaldshay and John o’ Groats, from various parts of the world, or which lie up in the far-famed roadstead, the Long Reach, of which South Ronaldshay forms the eastern breakwater. Very many exotic insects are in- troduced by vessels at Liverpool and other sea-ports ; and bats can hide in a corner, and do without food in cold weather, almost as well as an insect. I hope the reasons I have now stated will serve to explain my contentment in looking upon this bat as an intruder.—John Wolley ; Edinburgh, December 15, 1849. The supposed New British Mammal (Zool. 2676).—The probabilities in favour of the supposition that the animal is a very young individual of Lutra vulgaris seem to have the predominance. In January, 1845, two of these animals were caught in a trap in the Avon, both of which I examined, and the female, weighing 14 fbs., is now preserved in my collection. On referring to it, I find that the legs are well clothed with thick full fur, but the toes and connecting membranes are covered with very short appressed hair, the division of the two sorts being very abrupt. Is it not possi- ble that the feet may remain free from hair after the body and legs have become well furred? The tail, too, has the fur at and near the base fully twice as long as it is near the extremity, which the same supposition will perhaps account for. Its shape is like that of the supposed new animal, being distinctly “ rather flattened, and ta- pering to a fine point.” The feet being “rather long” may probably be accounted for by the age, as all young Mammalia have the extremities large in proportion to the size of the body: among the Mustelide, the common ferret is a fair illustration of this. The claws are those of the otter, being “sharp, but rather short,’ and the webs occupying the whole length of the toes clearly indicate aquatic habits. The value of colour in many Mammalia is but’ trifling, unless a considerable number of specimens can be obtained, and thus all the variations well ascertained. But the } q j 4 ; a F r Quadrupeds. 2697 most singular part of this description, and where it entirely differs from that of the otter, is the shape of the ears, which are stated to be “large and spreading.” Now the ears of the otter are neither the one nor the other: in my specimen—which mea- sured, when in a fresh state, 28 inches 9 lines from the snout to the base of the tail— they were only 6 lines long, and appear now in the dried specimen to be not more than two-thirds of this in width. If it is not a young otter, to no other of our Mus- telide can it possibly be referred; and the supposition that it is a hybrid between the otter and foumart appears to me quite improbable, if not impossible: the difference in size of the two animals seems to preclude all chance of this. I subjoin measure- ments of such of our Mustelide as occur here (with the exception of the marten, which is very rare), taken from animals when freshly killed. They were taken in the winter of 1846-7, and I have selected such as appeared to be nearest the middle or average size. Polecat (a full-sized male; a female would be less). in. . lines. Head and body © .......c.ccccscesserceveeseeee 17 0 Pca tees eh tices ccre seb tcbecctovieanececaveccsee 0 Oy. Maile cme saceab wees cedacakedcadbasteteetsactessevs 2 On O Stoat Male. Female. in. lines, in. lines. Head and body ..sccccsserssseeesereree 10 9 9 TEI G le ce 8) ee a ae tics eee ae 2 0 [Dr aacette ct sotan dejceeewciastoapeeeceraee sss. fas’ .'D ». 43 Soph 3 0 cal lee SRR aie 5 4 7 Weasel (male). in. lines Head and body ....seceseeseneseeeet ere seeees Flea toc tees i CE Ae ecenc. danatecsvsiees © OE WO HANS) Reach heen ated bacldsboeiceees dadonew Site De yo whe Se Le) WE go aE DE Nest CU Otter (female). in. lines, Head and body ......ssecesesecesceeeeeceeees 28 lead nupecdeesRecacs-qiasssenesAsesepstecacsane OO Tail ...c.c00 Sujeshecemen a TO moO Weight 14 Ibs. ; a aaate pre i. hee same eee weighed 18 Ibs. _ From this it may seem that the otter and polecat do not differ much in size, but in actual bulk there is a vast difference, as the weight of the otter will sufficiently testify. —Robert F. Tomes; Welford, Stratford-on-Avon, January, 1850. Occurrence of the Water Shrew (Sorex fodiens) in Staffordshire—On the 7th of last month, about noon, as I was passing in a pony-carriage along the highway near the corn-mill at. Tutbury, in the county of Stafford, I observed a small black-looking animal in the road before me. It was so busily engaged in searching among some 2698 Birds. horse-dung (for insects, I presume), that it did not perceive our approach, and my servant caught it in his hand without any attempt on its part to escape. It proved to be a water shrew (Sorex fodiens), and is the first specimen I have captured in this neighbourhood, although similar ones have occasionally been seen disporting among the broad leaves of Nympheza alba and Nuphar luteus, with which our waters abound. I suspect that this little animal is not so rare as it is generally imagined to be; and for the guidance of others, who might otherwise perhaps overlook it, I would add the following particulars respecting it. The fur upon the upper parts of the body is of a rich, velvety, brownish black colour, somewhat resembling that of a mole; the breast and fore parts of the belly of a dirty white, with a darker oval spot beneath the throat; the snout is considerably shorter and less pointed than that of the common shrew; the ears are so short that they would scarcely be perceived were it not for a fringe of white hairs which indicate their situation ; the tail somewhat quadrangular, ending in a point, of a similar colour to the back, but interspersed with a greater quantity of minute whitish hairs; feet, particularly the hinder ones, broader than in the common shrew, and the toes rather densely covered with long white hairs; claws long and very sharp-pointed ; the length of the head and body 3 inches 3 lines, and that of the tail 2 inches.—Oswald Mosley ; Rolleston Hall, January 10, 1850. Occurrence of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) near Worcester.—A beauti- ful male specimen of the peregrine faleon was shot near Worcester on the 22nd of November.—Martin Curtler ; Bevere House, Worcester, December 12, 1849. Occurrence of the Merlin (Falco salon) at Lewes——Early in October the merlin made its appearance in this neighbourhood in rather considerable numbers. Five specimens fell into the hands of one person in a very few days.—J. B. Ellman; Lewes, December 10, 1849. Note on the Long and Short-eared Owls (Strix otus and brachyotos).—A very fine specimen of the long-eared owl occurred near the town a few days since, and is now in my possession. The short-eared owl was also taken at the same time, near the same place. Both these species are now getting so very scarce with us that I think their occurrence worth recording.—Id. Occurrence of the Great Gray Shrike (Lanius Exeubitor) near London.—A speci- men of the great gray shrike was picked up at Kentish Town, and another at Kilburn, early in November last.—Frederick Bond ; Kingsbury, Middlesex, January 7, 1850. Singular Variety of the Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio).—A specimen of this bird, of a uniform pale fawn colour, occurred here last August.—J. B. Ellman ; Lewes, December 10, 1849. Migration of the Ring Ouzel (Cinclus aquaticus).—The number of ring ouzels passing southward this autumn has been astonishing. Large flocks were seen conti- nually on the downs from September to nearly the end of October. No one can ever recollect their being so plentiful before.—ZJd. Singular Variety of the Hedgesparrow (Sylvia modularis).—A white specimen of the hedgesparrow occurred in the neighbourhood a short time since. With the ex- ception of a red patch or two on one wing, it is entirely white.—Id. Birds. 2699 Change of Plumage in the Robin (Sylvia rubecula).—On the 8rd of this month I met with what may be called a rarity among the feathered tribe of this country. The bird was a robin, of a kind of pinky white colour. I met with him on the road side while riding, and pulled up to look at him: it was a very cold day, with snow on the ground, and he was very tame, allowing me to come close to him: with a pistol I _ could easily have shot him. I believe ornithologists cannot as yet fully account for this singular change in the plumage of a bird on the approach of winter: for why should a single bird, usually of a dark brown plumage, change that colour and be- come nearly white, while at the same time, and in the same field he always frequents, perhaps a dozen of his congeners retain their accustomed colour? I have in my collection a blackbird of a pure cream colour, shot among the hills near this place, one hard winter, some thirteen or fourteen years ago; and another specimen of the same bird, shot in Derbyshire, of a beautifully mottled plumage, black and white. Now the robin before mentioned could scarcely, one would think, have had his white coat on in September last, nor if he lives do I think he will be the same colour in May next: will he in this case moult, or merely change the colour of his feathers ? —J.M. Jones ; Montgomery, January, 1850. Perfectly White Specimen of the Redstart (Sylvia pheenicurus).—I have in my pos- session a milk-white variety of the redstart, killed by myself last June.—Martin Curtler ; Bevere House, Worcester, December 12, 1849. Occurrence of Three Specimens of the Black Redstart (Sylvia Tithys) in Sussea.— A specimen of this scarce bird was procured at Worthing not long since: this is a rather early appearance in this district. A pair were also procured at Hollington not long since.—J. B. Ellman ; Lewes, December 10, 1849. Occurrence of the Black Redstart at Falmouth.—Mr. Gardener, of Oxford Street, has just shown me a female specimen of the black redstart in the flesh: he received it for preservation from Falmouth, where it had lately been killed. Mr. Gardener thinks the occurrence of this species in the winter a deviation from its usual habits ; but my experience rather tends to prove this bird a winter straggler on our southern coasts.— Edward Newman ; January 8, 1850. Occurrence of the Fire-crested Regulus (Regulus ignicapillus) near Knaresborough. —I have much pleasure in being able to record the capture of a fire-crested Regulus. On the 3rd instant a specimen of this bird was caught by some boys in a lane near Whixley. When first seen it was in company with some titmice. It was sent to me the same day by my father-in-law, who had purchased it, supposing it a very fine specimen of the common species; but the markings at the side of the head, as well as the feathers forming the crest (which in the present example are of an intense flame colour), sufficiently distinguish the species.—James C. Garth ; Knaresborough, December 20, 1849. Oceurrence of an Exotic Grosbeak at Ilford, near Lewes.—A specimen of a species of grosbeak was shot at the above place, about six weeks ago. It was in beautiful plumage, and did not exhibit any marks of confinement. Mr. Yarrell, to whom I wrote on the subject, pronounced it to be the Malacca grosbeak ; but, as my descrip- tion was very imperfect, this name must not be relied on. It is a very small bird, not exceeding 4 inches in length: head and neck black; back, wings and tail red- brown; belly white; legs black; bill horn-colour; black feathers under the vent.— J.B. Ellman ; Lewes, December 11, 1849. 2700 Birds. Occurrence of the Hoopoe (Upupa Epops) at Lewes.—A specimen of the hoopoe was shot in this town about two months since.—Id. Variety of the Swallow (Hirundo rustica).—I have in my collection a dusky white variety of the common chimney swallow, a young bird, shot here last August.— Martin Curtler ; Bevere House, Worcester, December 12, 1849. Occurrence of the Virginian Colin (Coturnix Marylandica) near Tunbridge Wells. —A beautiful specimen of the Virginian colin was shot at Rotherfield, near this place, a few days ago: itisa female. It rose with some partridges, with which it had been feeding. I have made inquiries, but cannot find that any of these birds have ever been turned out in this neighbourhood.— Walter W. Reeves ; Parade, Tunbridge Wells, January 4, 1850. Occurrence of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in Romney Marsh—I have been fortunate enough to obtain that almost extinct bird in England, the great bustard, which was shot at Lydd, in Romney Marsh, on January 4th. The man who shot it informs me that he had in his garden a wounded wild goose, and that the bustard (which he supposed to be a goose also) had been seen several times, by himself and others, steadily flying over his garden, and that on the morning of January 4th, as he was standing at his back door, he saw the bird at a distance flying direct to him: he immediately stept into his house, got his gun, and killed the bird as it was passing over his wounded goose. I believe this to be the only instance of its being killed in Kent; but from the information I obtained during the many years of my residence in Romney Marsh, I think the great bustard was not uncommon formerly in that locality. My specimen is a female, and in beautiful plumage. It measures, from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail, 2 feet 6} inches; across the breast, with the wings closed, 103 inches; from the extremity of one wing to the other, when ex- panded, 53 feet. The crop contained a quantity of vegetable matter, principally sea- kale.—F. Plomley, M.D. ; Maidstone, Kent, January 16, 1850. On the Capture, Habits and Change of Plumage in the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra). —I beg to hand copies of correspondence between the late Robert Anstice, Esq., of Bridgwater, and the late Col. Montagu, on the capture, habits and changes of plumage of the black stork, which is now in the British Museum, and is the first specimen of this interesting bird recorded as a visitor to Britain. Mr. Anstice was better known as an amiable and excellent man, by his intercourse and correspondence with the dis- tinguished men of science and eminent naturalists of his day, than by his published works. Col. Montagu is too well known as an author on various branches of Natural History to require any remark. The Leptocephalus mentioned by Mr. Anstice, in his letter of December 6, 1814, was taken in Bridgwater River, and was the first spe- cimen seen by Col. Montagu.— Wm. Baker ; Bridgwater, December 20, 1849. “ Bridgwater, June 4, 1814. “ Dear Sir, “T have just obtained a bird which is in the list of your desiderata, and I therefore hope it will be acceptable to you. * * * “ As the bird agrees in every respect with the description given of the stork (Ardea Ciconia), except that it is brown or cinereous everywhere but on the belly, which is white, I suppose it to be the young bird of that species. I cannot indeed find, ona short examination of the books which I have on the subject, that such changes take eT es ae ee a Birds. 2701 place or appear previously to those mentioned to belong to that bird, but, reasoning from analogy, I think it is probable to be so. It was shot in one of the moors about five miles south from hence, by the same person who shot on the same spot a spoon- bill, on the 25th of November last, as I think I before mentioned to you. What in- jury this poor fellow has received besides a low fracture of the wing I have not time to examine before the post goes; but the man assures me it has fed on eels and other small fish since Tuesday last, the 3lst ult. * * * “T am, my dear sir, “ Yours obliged, &c., “To Geo. Montagu, Esq.” “ Rost. ANSTICE.” “ Knowle, June 5, 1814. “ My Dear Sir, “Your kind favour is just received; and as you seem desirous of hearing from me immediately, supposing it will reach you before the bird takes its departure, I have taken my pen to say that the bird will be acceptable to me, either dead or alive. It is not easy for me to determine, by your short description, what it may be; and I confess I should not expect, from the history of the stork, as far as I have been able to learn, that it can be of that species, because at this season most birds appear in mature plumage. “ It is true the stork is brown, as well beneath as above, in its first plumage; but I suspected the whole assumed the white attire on the return of the following spring. If it should turn out to be what has been called the black stork (Ardea nigra), which is also an European species, it would be a greater rarity, as at present no instance is on record of its having been seen at large in England. The upper part of these birds is of a violet-brown, in some parts glossed with green; from the breast to the vent white; throat and neck brown, dotted with white. * * * “ Yours ever, dear sir, “ G, Monracu,” “ To Robt. Anstice, Esq.” “ Knowle, June 12, 1814. * Dear Sir, “ Knowing that you will be anxious to hear of the arrival of the stork, I can- not delay repeating my best thanks for so valuable an acquisition. * * It arrived at Knowle about 5 o'clock in the evening, when it took some fish as soon as liberated. The poor fellow was put into a walled garden, having a large pan of water. * * * If I can furnish fish enough, or by degrees induce him to eat flesh, he is likely to live and repay me by the examination of his manners, and perhaps some change of plumage, which I think a few dark glossy green feathers on his back indicate. It is certainly the black stork, and the only instance of this bird having varied its longitu- dinal flight so much to the west. * * * By drooping the left wing I conclude it has a tendonous wound, which prevents flying. * * * How fortunate it is that this solitary instance of this eastern inhabitant straying into this country should have come to the knowledge of a scientific person! Had it not been for your zeal, so valu- able an acquisition to the fauna of British birds would have most probably perished VIII K 2702 Birds. in obscurity. We shall now be able to record it, and, if it lives, with many advan- tages. -*-n*».* “G. Monrtacu.” “To Robt. Anstice, Esq.” “ Bridgwater, June 18, 1814. “ Dear Sir, “T assure you such were the docility and appearance of superior intellect in my friend Stork, during his stay with us, that 1 had no small struggle with my feelings on parting with him, especially on so perilous a journey, considering the con- finement necessary for the poor fellow, whose length of limb I was much afraid would make a close package very uncomfortable at the least. I am therefore delighted in no common degree, and equally obliged by your early information, of his safe arrival at Knowle, and that he proved to be the rara avis you suspected him to be: pleased, therefore, as I should have been to have retained him, I am much more so to have placed him in your hands. * * * I wish to lose no time in answering your in- quiries, as far as my information goes. * * * Some small soles were offered it, but they were refused; however the next morning they had disappeared. Some eels were put before him during the day, and the temptation was too great for him to re- sist: he immediately swallowed them in my presence. “T got a friend to take a likeness of Mr. Stork on Monday, and really he stood for his picture as composedly and steadily as most gentlemen sit for theirs, and looked as if he perfectly understood what was going on. * * * “ His manners indicate him to be in some degree domesticated ; but his plumage is, I think, too perfect for a bird which had been long under confinement. * * * “ Rost. ANSTICE.” “To Geo. Montagu, Esq.” “ Knowle, June 25, 1846. “ My Dear Sir, “« * * * Our friend Stork is well, become quite tame, and comes to the call when hungry. It is evidently beginning to moult, by the apparent increase of dark glossy green feathers on the back. * * * J have by degrees induced it to eat flesh, so I have no fears of its starving. Frogs, its natural food, are as scarce in Devonshire (at least in this part), as toads, it is seldom I see either. * * * “G, Monrtaeu.” “To Robt. Anstice, Esq.” ; “ Knowle, September 11, 1814. “My Dear Sir, “« * * * Your old friend, the stork, is in perfect health, and quite docile, consequently developing much more of its habits: unfortunately a frog in this county is nearly as rare an animal as himself, which I am sorry for, as I have no doubt—by his manner of searching in the grass—that those Amphibia constitute a great portion of its food. * * * He has been moulting slowly all the summer, and is not nearly completed now: as far therefore as I perceive the whole upper part of his plumage Birds. 2703 will be a very dark green, like the green Ibis, which at a distance looks like dingy black, the head and neck excepted, which is not altered in colour. “T am, my dear sir, “ Most truly obliged, yours, “To Robt. Anstice, Esq.” “G@. Montacv.” “ Knowle, December 4, 1814. “My Dear Sir, “Friend Stork is well and very tame, but does not moult kindly: he is be- coming much darker, and will, I expect, by the spring be all over a green-black. I have been waiting this change, in order to give in a paper to the Linnean Society concerning him. é; “@G@. Monracu.” “To Robt. Anstice, Esq.” “ Bridgwater, December 6, 1814. “ Dear Sir, “Tam glad to find the Leptocephali Morrisii which I supplied you with prove so interesting. ‘““T am also pleased to hear that the stork is well, and hope he will put on his best dress before the spring, to enable you to make a favourable report of him. “ Yours affectionately, “ Rost. ANSTICE.” “To Geo. Montagu, Esq.” * Knowle, April 4, 1815. “ My Dear Sir, “ The stork is so much changed in plumage that it would scarcely be known by the drawings taken when first captured. It now better accords with Ardea nigra than heretofore, for at a distance the whole upper parts appear black, but on a nearer view are found to be dark glossy green, except the upper part of the back, which has a resplendence of purple, each feather margined with dark green. As its plumage is now completed, as to the usual moulting, I have sent in a paper to the Linnean Society, with an account of its capture and natural history, as far as I have been able to ascertain them. I have described three intermediate or successive changes. * * “ G. Monraeu.” “To Robt. Anstice, Esq.” Occurrence of the Great Snipe (Scolopax major) at Lewes.—A specimen of this scarce bird was shot in the Levels, near this town, in October last.—J. B. Ellman ; Lewes, December 10, 1849. Occurrence of Scolopax Brehmi (?) near London.—On the 27th of December last I shot a snipe exactly corresponding with Scolopax Brehmi in the relative length of the tail-feathers ; and on Saturday (January 5th) I shot another, having the two outer tail-feathers exactly of the same length. In all other respects both of these specimens exactly corresponded with the common snipe. Now supposing the first to be Scolo- pax Brehmi, what is the second? However, as soon as the skins are dry, I will give 2704 Birds. them to you to add to your collection. I take them to be slight varieties of Scolopax Gallinago.— Frederick Bond ; Kingsbury, Middlesex, January 7, 1850. On some of the Habits of the Waterhen (Gallinula chloropus).—Recent contribu- tions to the ‘ Zoologist, on the subject of the roosting of the common gallinule in trees, have caused it to strike me as very remarkable that so prominent a point of ob- servation on the habits of this very common and very easily observed bird should so long have escaped the notice of naturalists, and of most writers on the subject. No English naturalist that I am aware of, since Willughby, has adverted in his writings to its very common habit of perching in trees. Montagu, indeed, says it does so “‘ when alarmed,” and Macgillivray that it sometimes perches on the stump of a wil- low; but neither seems to have credited the fact recorded by Willughby in these words: “ Ramis insidet, sed iis tantum qui densi et aquis vicini sunt.” In the latter part of this assertion, indeed, he is not quite correct, as although thick bramble- bushes and evergreens, holly, laurels, spruce firs, &c., are its favourite resorts as roosting-places, it by no means makes use of these only to sit upon; but the “ father of British Ornithology” is here, as elsewhere in cases where he has had the opportu- nity of seeing for himself, in the main correct. The bird is extremely abundant in my own county (Leicestershire) and neighbourhood ; and as attention has been drawn to the subject, it may not be amiss to record the observations of this bird’s habits, which numberless opportunities have rendered familiar to myself. The gallinule not only roosts in trees,—for which purpose, as I have remarked, it usually selects a thick bush or an evergreen,—but in the day-time, in winter more particularly, it may very commonly be observed sitting in such situations, and usually close by the bole, if the tree be a larch or spruce. Whenever thus seated, shy as this bird is upon the water or on land, it may be very easily approached. I have frequently gone quite close to the tree without disturbing its occupant, nor does it usually quit its seat unless frightened by noise or by shaking the tree. Where there is a “ spinney” of firs, low and thick, a good thicket of brambles, or copse of evergreens, in the vicinity of a pond or stream tenanted by these birds, numbers (if the place has been previously undis- turbed) may be found on an autumn or winter's afternoon, especially if the weather be cold, congregated together. You may then, by shaking the boughs, send out one or two at a time, affording an easy shot in their flight, should you or your companions be armed and inclined to shoot them, till all are gone. I have known this method frequently adopted, and have myself aided in battues of the kind, where the birds are plentiful enough. Their tameness, however, under such circumstances, is usually their protection with me, and I have often had my gun-muzzle within a yard of them and left them undisturbed. When at roost, I have no manner of doubt, they may he taken with the hand, their whereabout of course having been previously marked. But neither are these rami densi the gallinule’s only arboreal seat. I have often met with them in the day-time, sitting on boughs of small trees, ash or willow, or perhaps a hawthorn, overhanging their pond or stream, quite exposed, and visible at many yards distance: even then you may go, very quietly, almost up to them; and you may see them, as I have done, bridling up their heads with a jerk, flirting up their tails, and uttering their ready half-barking half-crowing cry at your approach, with- out an attempt to evade you further than by walking along the boughs away from you. In doing this, walking namely along boughs, these birds evince a singular fa- culty. I have seen them walk along long bending twigs, that descended and danced with their weight, with the same ease and security as over the broad leaves of the Birds. 2705 water-lily or the floating Potamogeton, and this, apparently, by a power of balancing their bodies, which must far surpass that of the expertest rope-dancer, as their long toes—incompetent to grasp so small a perch—could not lend more than a very trifling aid to their holding on. This act I have more than once viewed with admiration ; and it is a pretty sight, too, to see the bird thread its way out of the middle of a thick thorn-bush, which it will do most cleverly, and apparently without ruffling a feather: and these things must, I should think, have been noticed by many and many a sports- man besides myself. Besides their ordinary food, mollusks, grain, grasses and water- plants, they are partial in hard weather to the water-cress which the unfrozen running streams enable them to procure abundantly. They may very commonly be seen in rick-yards near their haunts, picking up grain, in company with pheasants or pigeons, or sometimes both, with whom they appear to be upon terms of the utmost good- fellowship. I know well a roosting-place of theirs where they and the pheasants slumber in company, and where, too, a whole tribe of redwings and hosts of little birds pass the winter's night. Fieldfares and redwings, I may remark, en passant, in in these parts roost in trees, generally copses and small plantations, and, so far as I have ever observed, not on the ground. In the breeding-time the waterhens appear to fly a good deal by night; at least at that season it is common to hear their cry in the air as late as ten or eleven o'clock: I have frequently wondered what can cause this. Their eggs are usually seven or eight, sometimes fewer, sometimes nine or ten ; and they would be far more numerous than they are but for their many destructive enemies, the rat, the stoat, and, worst of all, the pike. As it is, I know no spot in my own neighbourhood that affords them food and shelter, be it pond, stream or “ pit,” where they are not to be found. They afford excellent eating, either cooked like a duck or in pies. The thick black down that covers the skin requires strong measures to get it off: scalding I believe, is the most efficacious. Aldrovandi speaks of them as having been in his time an esteemed article of food.—A. Evans ; Market Bosworth, December 20, 1849. Occurrence of the Pink-footed Goose (Anser branchyrhynchus) near York.—A very fine specimen of the pink-footed goose was shot on the 15th of January, at Haxby, five miles north-east of York, and came alive into Mr. Graham’s possession. It was one of a flock of six, but its companions all escaped.—W. M. E. Milner ; Nunap- pleton, January, 1850. Occurrence of the Swan Goose (Anser Cygnoides) in Norfolk.—I have just seen in the flesh, a remarkably fine and perfect specimen of the Anser Cygnoides, lately taken in a Norfolk decoy, and purchased by a poulterer in Leadenhall Market. This noble bird seems fitted for all climates in a state of domestication: it is a com- mon ornament of lakes and ponds, not only in this country but on the Continent. Bewick, who includes the swan goose in his ‘ British Birds, informs us that in his time it was pretty common in a wild as well as domesticated state, but does not descend into particulars or give any record of individual instances of its occurrence. It seems probable that its occurrence at large is generally to be traced to some suffi- cient cause, as the escape of a young bird bred in a state of domestication, and before the bill, feet or wings had received any of the marks and mutilations so com- monly inflicted on them.— Edward Newman ; January, 1850. Occurrence of the Merganser (Merganser serrator) near Montgomery.—A mergan- ser was shot on the river Severn, at Bronafron, near Montgomery, by a friend of mine, on the 2nd of this month. There were three of them in company, and they rose from 2706 Birds. under an overhanging bank on the river side. The specimen shot was of very fine and full plumage.—J. M. Jones ; Montgomery, North Wales, January 15, 1850. Occurrence of the Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps rubicollis) near Burton-on- Trent—While staying at the house ofa friend, at Burton-on-Trent, in July last, I saw a very fine bird of this species, which had been shot on the river Trent, in the month of April, previous to my visit. It was obtained in a part of the river between. Burton and Stapenhill. In the spring and summer months a considerable quantity of sedge, rushes, &c., grow to some height above the surface of the river, and appear to offer a very favourable locality for birds of this class to remain in—James C. Garth ; Knaresborough, January, 1850. Occurrence of the Black-throated Diver (Colymbus arcticus) in the Thames.—A male specimen of the black-throated diver was killed yesterday (January 21st), at a place called the Saltings, near Purfleet, on the Thames: it was brought here in the flesh—Edward Newman ; 9, Devonshire Street, Bishopsgate, January 22, 1850. Curious Capture of the Red-throated Diver (Colymbus septentrionalis).—On the 10th of December one of Mr. Clifton’s keepers brought me a live bird of this species, which he found in a wire snare that had been set for rabbits. It is almost an every- day occurrence to hear of their being taken in stake-nets, &c.; but how this bird should have found its way into the snare seems strange, there being no pool of water within some distance of the place.—C. Nelson, M.D. ; Lytham, December 15, 1849. Occurrence of the Little Auk (Alea Alle) at Newmarket.—A specimen of the little auk was picked up alive, but in a very exhausted state, at Newmarket Heath, early in November last, and is now in the collection of Mr. Barlow, of Cambridge.— Frederick Bond ; Kingsbury, Middlesex, January 7, 1850. Oceurrence of the Little Auk near Malvern.—A specimen of the little auk was lately picked up near Great Malvern, in a very exhausted state.— Martin Curtler ; Bevere House, Worcester, December 12, 1849. Occurrence of the Black Tern (Sterna nigra) near Worcester—Two specimens of the black tern were killed near Worcester on or about the 12th of November last. —Id. Occurrence of the Arctic Gull (Lestris parasiticus) near Worcester.—A specimen of this rare skua was lately shot on the river Severn, near Worcester.—Id. Occurrence of the Little Gull (Larus minutus) at Redcar, and some Particulars of its Plumage.—I have now in my possession a fine specimen of the little gull, shot here two days ago, having the whole of the insides of the wings (except the primaries and secondaries, which are tipped or margined with white) of a black or dark lead colour, and the breast to the vent slightly tinged with reddish buff. In other respects it agrees with Mr. Yarrell’s description (in his ‘ British Birds’) of a specimen of the little gull given to him by Mr. Gould.—T. S. Rudd; Redcar, January 18, 1850. Occurrence of the Fork-tailed Petrel (Thalassidroma Leachii) near Worcester—A specimen of the fork-tailed petrel was shot near Worcester on the 12th of November. —Martin Curtler ; Bevere House, Worcester, December 12, 1849. Occurrence of the Fork-tailed Petrel in Warwickshire-—On the 21st of last month I received a specimen of this species, in perfect condition, which had been taken up dead on the estate of J. R. West, Esq., at Alscot, near Stratford. On examination it proved to be a male, and had a shot imbedded in the pectoral muscles, which might have partly been the occasion of the death of the bird during its passage across the interior. Six examples of the fork-tailed petrel in Warwickshire, and one in the Reptiles. 2707 neighbouring county of Worcester, have fallen under my inspection within the last seven years, and I have heard of several others. It is most singular that all of these were of the above species; and I cannot ascertain that a single specimen of the com- mon species, Thalassidroma pelagica, has ever occurred near here. Is it not possible, and even probable, that many of the recorded instances of petrels occurring far inland may be referred to this species?—Robert F. Tomes; Welford, Stratford-on-Avon, December 20, 1849. Occurrence of the Hawks-bill Turtle (Chelonia imbricata) off the Yorkshire Coast. — During my absence from Redcar last summer three of our fishermen, on their passage from that place to Hartlepool, found a large specimen of the hawks-bill turtle of Bell, floating dead upon the sea.—7. S. Rudd; Redcar, January 4, 1850. Occurrence of the Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis) at Herne Bay.— Can any of the correspondents of the ‘ Zoologist’ give me information regarding the haunts, time of appearance and other particulars of the green lizard (Lacerta viridis, Linn.), which I am told by very competent authority has been found to be quite frequent and even abundant at, or in the neighbourhood of, Herne Bay. I may add that there can be no doubt about the species, and that it is certainly not merely the smaller green li- zard of Poole (L. agilis, Linn.), but identical with the species long known to inhabit Guernsey, as my friend Professor Bell has received a specimen from Herne Bay, but not in time to notice the discovery in the second edition of his ‘ British Reptiles,’ lately published. Mr. Bell supposed L. viridis must be only naturalized in its Kent- ish locality, but the difference of climate and latitude between Guernsey and Herne Bay is not so great but that we may conceive it very possible this beautiful reptile may be really indigenous to both places. It was only till very recently that the nativity of the edible frog (Rana esculenta, L.) was fully ascertained in England, although rumour had placed it long since in our indigenous lists. If I am not mis- taken, the L. viridis of Guernsey has been said to have been captured in this country, in which case we have now a similar confirmation of the fact, as in the instance of the Rana esculenta.— William Arnold Bromfield ; Eastmount, Ryde, Isle of Wight, December 22, 1849. [This is a fact of unusual interest. I shall be much obliged for further informa- tion and a drawing, if any correspondent can supply these desideratan—H. Newman]. On the Green Lizard.—I hope the editor of the ‘ Zoologist’ will have the kind- Ness, as soon as possible, to gratify the curiosity which he has ruused by his short no- tice on this subject, in the notices to correspondents on the wrapper of the number for January. We must, before we assent to the discovery of a “ new British Reptile,” learn how far it has been traced in the neighbourhood in which it has been discovered. Ihave several times had reasons for suspecting the green lizard might be British, in- dependently of the passage in White’s ‘ Natural History of Selborne,’ and the stories _ of large lizards, met with elsewhere. Seven or eight years ago a schoolfellow of mine at Eton, a native of Guernsey, assured me he had seen lizards in Devonshire precisely similar to the green lizards of his own island, which latter, if I remember right, he had often caught and kept in confinement. Nearly two years since, a learned profes- 2708 Reptiles. sor of the University of Edinburgh, mentioned that he had dissected a “green lizard,” brought by a botanical party from the Clova Mountains, of which, however, the remnants were not to be found, when search was, at my request, made for them. I hope these two additional indications of the probability of its being Bri- tish may not be unacceptable. I may add that last summer, in answer to my inquiries in Sutherlandshire, I was told a large species of lizard was stated by the shepherds to be found in a particular district, Moudale, which my imagination led me to believe was the green lizard. However, on further inquiry in the place mentioned, the accounts seemed far more applicable to the common warty newt. I saw the com- mon lizard in plenty, though not extending to the Shetland or Faroe islands, and I did not see it in Orkney.—John Wolley ; Edinburgh, January 6, 1850. Foot-prints of a Reptilian Quadruped (Sauropus primzvus) in the Old Red Sand- stones of North America.—* The object of this communication is to announce that I have discovered the foot-prints, in bas relief, of a reptilian quadruped, lower in the series than has yet been observed. On the Sth of April last, in the examination of the strata in the gorge of the Sharp Mountain, near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, where the Schuylkill breaks through it, a large mass of remarkably fine old red sand- stone attracted my attention. Imprinted upon it, I was surprised to find six distinct impressions of foot-marks, in a double row of tracks, each mark being duplicated by the hind-foot falling into the impression of the fore-foot, but a little more advanced. The strata here are tilted a little over the vertical, and the surface of rock exposed was about twelve feet by six feet, the whole of which surface was covered with ripple marks and the pits of rain drops, beautifully displayed in the very fine texture of the deep red sandstone. The six double impressions distinctly show, in the two parallel rows formed by the left feet on the one side and the right feet on the other, that the animal had five toes on the fore feet, three of which toes were apparently armed with un- guinal appendages. The length of the double impression is four and a quarter inches; the breadth four inches ; the distance apart in the length of the step of the animal thirteen inches; across, from outside to outside, eight inches. The mark of the dragging of the tail is distinct, and occasionally slightly obliterates a small part of the impressions of the foot-marks. The ripple marks are seven to eight inches apart, and very distinct, as well as the pits of the rain drops. These foot-marks assimilate remarkably to those of the recent Alligator Mississippiensis, and are certainly some- what analogous to the Cheirotherium. The geological position of this reptilian quadraped is of great interest, from the fact, that no such animal remains have here- tofore been discovered so low in the series. Those described by Dr. King, in the great western coal field, are only 800 feet below the surface of the coal formation. (No. 13, of Prof. Rogers, the State Geologist). The position of the Pottsville “ foot- marks” is about 8500 feet below the upper part of the coal formation there, which is 6750 feet thick, according to Professor Rogers, and they are in the “red shale” (his No. 11) the intermediate silicious conglomerate (No. 12), being stated by him to be 1031 feet thick at Pottsville. These measurements would bring these foot-marks about 700 feet below the upper surface of the old red sandstone. A mass of coal plants exists immediately on the northern face of the heavy conglomerate, here tilted ten de- grees over the vertical, and forming the crest and “ back-bone” of Sharp Mountain. This conglomerate mass is about 150 feet thick at the western side of the road below Pottsville. On the same road-side, about 1735 feet from these coal plants, is the face of the rock, tilted slightly over the vertical, and facing the north. It is proper to state, « er Fishes, &c. 2709 that the limestone of the old red sandstone exists here, about two feet thick, and under- lies these “ foot-marks” sixty-five feet. On the slab there are obscure remains of other organized matter; small spots, with filamentous radiations, and a small bone or seed= like mark, which is difficult to make out. I was fortunate enough to obtain these im- pressions in a large and heavy slab, which is now in my possession. Itis my intention, when more at leisure, to make a more lengthened and accurate description, with correct figures, of this remarkable and interesting specimen, which exhibits on its table the record of the oldest saurian yet observed. When finished, the paper will be sub- mitted to the Society for publication in the Transactions, In the meantime, I pro- pose the provisional name of Sauropus primevus.”—‘ Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. [The correspondence of these foot-prints with those of the American alligator is remarkably interesting, as affording a clew to the place in the system occupied by Cheirotherium.—£. NV.] Occurrence of Hawken’s Gymnetrus (Gymnetrus Hawkenii) on the Yorkshire Coast.— Yesterday, January 3rd, a person walking on the beach near Redcar, found a specimen of Gymnetrus Hawkenii ; it was still living, but somewhat mutilated, the extremity of the tail being wanting, and portions only of the ventral and pectoral fins remaining. The following particulars may be interesting :— ft. in Length (portion of tail wanting) .......... 10 11 WCptbM ewe so nhs Baa sacsaenssaccaserscsanceseree lO RHTCKHESS 01008 DaecasatpienveoasosssimeaneeoiO. ox Wei oeaaectsasc. axaians saxide peeesassbae sear 7: OLDS: This specimen agrees very well with the description you gave (Zool. 2460) of the Cul- lercoats riband fish, as to colour and shape, but it has no crest in front of the dorsal fin, and as no mention is made of the ventral fins in your description, I presume it had none. The present specimen has certainly possessed ventral fins, as their re- mains are still apparent in two strong spines, one of them an inch, the other three quarters of an inch in length. A pilot, named Slater Potts, found a much larger specimen on this coast several years ago: it measured twenty-four feet in length. —T.S. Rudd ; Redcar, January 4, 1850. Occurrence of the Maigre (Sciena Aquila) on the Yorkshire Coast.—On the 24th of December, [1849] a fine specimen of the maigre was found on our coast, between Redcar and the Tees Mouth; it measured five feet and one inch in length.—Id. .» The Tinearist’s Calendar for February.—Let. not the collector imagine nothing is to be done during winter, all the species which exist, are somewhere during the win- ter, either as egg, larva, pupa or imago, and in one or other of these states they may be found: Most of the Crambi are now larve, feeding at the roots of moss ; the Gal- leriz are also feeding or torpid in honeycomb; some of the Phycidee larve may Vill L py. | a Zoological Society. perhaps be found in Fungi; the Taleporiz larve are now in their cases, feeding on grass (?), lichens, &c.; and the larve of Tinea masculella, and other allied species, may be found in their cases among the fallen leaves, in woods: the imago of Mi- cropteryx purpurella appears towards the close of the month, frequenting birch trees: Plutella fissella, and Depressaria applana, characterella, arenella, liturella, Heracle- ana, &c., all hybernating, will occasionally be met with; several of the Gracilarie also hybernate: the pupz of the various Lithocolletes are to be found in dead leaves. —H. T. Stainton. Proceedings of the Zoological Society. Monthly General Meeting, January 3, 1850.—W. Spence, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. The Lord Bishop of Oxford, E. W. H. Holdsworth and T. Paine, Esqrs., were proposed as candidates for the Fellowship. [The Council issued an address to the Members, from which the following pas- sages are extracted. ] “The number of visitors admitted to the gardens during the year 1849 was 168,895 ; presenting an increase, as compared with 1848, of 25,265; and as compared with 1847, of 75,349. “The income of the Society has increased in a commensurate degree, having been for TBA Gass ccincewsrstereensetdes tee eA FOU LOI NG DOA aemrenietenisesiasidteaieeelsctel at £8165 1 3 1849 SieessssverssbancccrnesensOrsl.- 96 “ The collection of living animals has been augmented by additions of great im- portance and value, including sixty-five species which had not been previously exhi- bited; and, notwithstanding the reduction of duplicates which has been effected wherever it appeared advisable, the total number in possession of the Society on the 31st of December amounted to 1352, namely, Mammaillia ......scccceceeseecssseeeeeess OOF IBInGS prea ssceeeieine: oreeetarasener-seareek COS Reptiles ...c0cssuessenesecersercenecseesr, 140 presenting a numerical increase of 180 individuals as compared with the correspond- ing date in 1848, and of 463 as compared with 1846. “The completion of the portion of the new aviary which was commenced in 1848, the erection of a wing at the western end of the giraffe house, and the interior ar- rangement of the reptile house, have supplied some important desiderata in the means of conservation, and added largely to the scientific utility as well as to the attractive- ness of the menagerie. “‘ The Council have great pleasure in being able to announce, at this early period, that they have already received advice of collections of various importance, which are in progress of formation, or already shipped, from Singapore.........by Capt. the Hon. H. Keppel, R.N. Ceylon ............by A. Grant, Esq., M.D., and A. Grace, Esq., Deputy Queen’s Advocate. v4 Zoological Society. 2711 Bombay .........by Alexander Elphinston, Esq., and A. Shaw, Esq., H.E.I.C. Civil Service. Whydah ......... by J. Duncan. Esq., H. B.M. Vice-Consul. St. Lucia .........by Lieut. Tyler, R.E. South Carolina...by J. Davis, Esq., M.D. In addition to which the Council have had the gratification of learning from the Hon. C. A. Murray, that His Highness the Viceroy of Egypt has presented to the Society a young living hippopotamus, which arrived safely in Cairo on the 14th of November, and was thriving there up to the date of the last despatches. This most valuable and interesting gift was accompanied by a beautiful lioness and cheetah ; and Mr. Murray was further informed by the Viceroy, that a party of his troops re- mained out on the White Nile expressly charged with the duty of securing a young female hippopotamus, which was also destined for the Society. That expedition was commanded by His Highness, in consequence of Mr. Murray’s representation of the great interest with which the acquisition of this extraordinary animal in a living state would be regarded by the naturalists of Europe, and the credit which it would secure to this Society as promoters of the science of Zoology. “The able manner in which Mr. Murray preserved the animals presented to the Society by his late Highness Ibrahim Pasha, and others collected by himself in the - winter of 1848-9, until their embarkation in June last, induces the Council to look forward with confidence to the probability of his surmounting the difficulties attendant on the maintenance and transport of the hippopotamus; which without doubt will prove to be the most singular and attractive inmate ever introduced into the mena- gerie. “Tt is proposed, if no unforeseen obstacles intervene, that the hippopotamus shall be shipped in the beginning of May, with the view of its being displayed to the Society at the earliest period of the summer at which its removal can be attempted with safety.” Evening Meeting, January 8, 1850.—W. Yarre tt, Esq., V.P., in the chair. __ Professor Owen read a paper in continuation of his “ Account of the Anatomy of the Rhinoceros,” which contained a description of the digestive organs and abdomi- nal viscera. Mr. Gray read and commented on a list of shells collected in Ceylon, by Mr. Layard. He also communicated an extract from a letter addressed to him by M. Schlegel, the celebrated curator of the Royal Museum at Leyden, containing the cha- racters of a new genus of Batrachians (Myobatrachus, Schl.), the type of which, M. paradoxus, from Swan River, Mr. Gray was inclined to consider identical with the toad described by himself under the name of Breviceps Gouldii, in the Appendix to Capt. Grey's ‘ Travels in Australia.’ But even admitting this to be the case, Mr. Gray assented to the value of the generic distinction proposed by M. Schlegel. Professor Owen read a paper by Professor Van der Hoeven, of Leyden, on the « Anatomy of Nautilus Pompilius,” which was illustrated by a series of carefully ex- ecuted drawings, made by the author in the course of his dissections. The meeting adjourned to Tuesday, January 22nd. 2712 Entomological Society. Proceedings of the Entomological Society. January 7, 1850.—G. R. WateruovseE, Esq., President, in the chair. Mr. Busk, who was present as a Visitor, exhibited two kinds of silken web, for- warded to him by Mr. Kincaid, an extract of a letter from whom was read, stating that “ they were the production of a species of silkworm found in the mountains near Merida, Maracaybo: the insects spin, or rather weave it from tree to tree, sometimes to the extent of several feet in length and breadth.” This production appears to have been hitherto quite unknown in this country. Mr. Busk also presented two specimens of it, mounted on glass sides, for the microscope. A portrait of the late Edward Doubleday, by Maguire, was presented by George Ransome, Esq., accompanied by a letter from Mr. Bowerbank, stating that copies at 5s. each would be furnished to subscribers. Mr. Douglas then read the following memoir :— “The death of my lamented coadjutor, Mr. Edward Doubleday, affords a melan- choly opportunity, which I trust I may be permitted to use, of placing upon our minutes a brief testimony to his worth. Educated in the midst of woodland scenery, the love of Nature—in him strongly innate—grew with his growth and increased with his strength, and led to an intimate acquaintance with the Natural History of his native district. In course of time his enthusiasm led him to North America, and he spent two years in visiting its magnificent scenery and collecting objects of Natural History, chiefly insects, of which he brought home immense quantities. Subsequently he became attached to the British Museum, where, up to the time of his illness, he laboured most assiduously, as the present state of the Lepidoptera in that Institu- tion abundantly testifies. He also contributed largely to the entomological literature of the day, but, most of all, his name will be remembered in connexion with the ‘Genera of Diurnal Lepidoptera, a work which for beauty and accuracy has no equal, though, unfortunately for us, he has not lived to see it completed. Above all we have reason to deplore his loss asa man. Doubtless he had his failings, for, as our great poet says, ‘You, Gods, will give us Some faults to make us men;’ but these were cast into the shade by his better nature; and besides those who had the pleasure of knowing intimately his good qualities and his great and varied at- tainments, many others will ever lament that they have been thus suddenly deprived of his friendship.” The President stated that he had no doubt but that all present who had known Mr. E. Doubleday would fully concur in the remarks of the Secretary, and proposed that, as a tribute of respect to his memory, all further business should be adjourned. - —J. W. D. [In consequence of the adjournment the reading of a paper by Mr. Stainton, on the genus Micropteryx of Zeller, was postponed; but as some of the species occur early in the year, I consider it a matter of importance that the following abstract, obligingly furnished by Mr. Stainton, be laid before my entomological readers.—F. N.] This interesting and very distinct group of insects is sadly in want of investiga- tion, and the metamorphoses of none of the species areknown. Several of the known ei Entomological Society. 2713 species appear very early in the season,—for instance, purpurella in February, and unimaculella and semipurpurella in March,—and it is exceedingly probable that other equally early species lurk undetected. From the affinities of the group to the Adelz, the larve of which are known to be case-bearers feeding on various plants, there is little doubt that the larve of these insects feed in a similar way; and if those collectors who take Calthella in plenty would devote a little of their time to the fur- therance of science, by searching for the larve and pupe of that insect, though they might not enrich their collections by so doing, they would have a better claim to the title of entomologists. A. Head ferruginous. 1. Calthella, Linn. Anterior wings golden, with the base entirely purple. Frequents Caltha palustris, in May. 2, Aruncella, Scopoli. 9 Anterior wings golden, with the base purple on the costa ; 3 with two fascia and a spot silvery. Not scarce, in June and July. . 3. Allionella, Fabr. Anterior wings purple, with two golden fasciz, and a golden spot towards the apex reaching neither margin. Scarce, in May and June. 4. Subammanella, Stainton, Catal. Tin. p. 9. | 5. Rubrifasciella, Haw. Anterior wings greenish golden, with a reddish spot on the costa at the base, a reddish fascia before the middle, and another bifurcate be- yond the middle. B. Head not ferruginous. a. Head cinereous. 6. Subpurpurella, Haw. Anterior wings greenish golden, with a faint paler spot to- _wards the anal angle. Common, on oaks, in May. 7. Semipurpurella, Steph. Anterior wings purple, irrorated with pale golden; an- tennz more than half the length of the anterior wings. Common, on birches, in March and April. 8. Sparmannella, Fabr. Anterior wings golden, with numerous transverse purple fasciz. Scarce, on birches, in May. B. Head dark fuscous ; antenne less than half the length of the anterior wings. 9. Purpurella, Haw. Anterior wings golden, with numerous irregular purple fascie, and the veins purple. Common, on birches, in February and March. 10. Unimaculella, Zetterstedt. Anterior wings golden purple, with a conspicuous whitish spot at the anal angle. Scarce, in March and April. The difficulties in the genus commence with semipurpurella, which in my Cata- logue I have lumped together with purpurella and unimaculella as one species : these are, however, truly distinct, and with fine specimens they are easily separated, though - in the ordinary run of specimens found in collections it is no easy matter to say to 2714 Microscopical Society. which they should be referred. One main reason for our specimens being so poor is that we do not collect them soon enough: they should be sought for in March; by delaying to collect them till April the specimens become wasted. I have no doubt many might be met with in February in forward seasons. Haworth distinctly states that Mr. Hatchett took two specimens of purpurella, in copula, in February. Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. January 16, 1850.—GrorcE Bus, Esq., President, in the chair. A paper “On the Architectural Instincts of Melicerta lingens, an Animal of the Class Rotifera,’ by P. H. Gosse, Esq.,.was read. After some preliminary observa- tions, Mr. Gosse stated that the subject of the present paper was an animaleule so minute as to be almost invisible to the naked eye, inhabiting a tube composed of pellets, which it forms and lays one by one. “ It is,’ to use his own words, “‘ a mason who not only builds up his mansion brick by brick, but who makes his bricks as he goes on, from substances which he collects around him, shaping them in a mould which he carries upon his body.” This animalcule has been long known. In 1703 Leeuwenhoek discovered it at Delft, and described its appearance and habits in a paper published in the ‘ Philosophical Transactions’ (vol. v. 176, abridged). It has since been noticed and described by various observers; and Ehrenberg, in his great work, not only details its former history, but also adds many valuable observations of his own. In one part, however, of his description, viz., the mode of preparing the pellet of which the tube is composed, he appears to have been mistaken; and it is the principal object of this paper to point out and correct this mistake. The animal- cule is found attached to the roots of Lemna, or to the narrow leaves of Chara, Ni- tella, and other subaquatic plants. Its appearance is that of a tube, of a dark yellowish or reddish brown hue, composed of a multitude of round pellets, set very regularly, and apparently agglutinated by a cement insoluble in water. Out of this tube is protruded an animalcule, exhibiting, when fully expanded, a short stem car- rying two large petal-like disks set round with cilia, and two smaller leaflets opposite to the former, also ciliated, and thus giving it the appearance of a flower of four un- equal petals. Its most remarkable anatomical feature is a round cup-shaped cavity situated below the ciliated lobes, on the ventral aspect, within the margin of which a rapid rotation of cilia goes on. The rotation of the cilia of the lobes causes a current which carries any extraneous substances within its influence into this cup, where they are apparently consolidated. Upon adding some carmine to the water containing _ this animalcule, the particles were seen to run in a constant stream through one of the divisions of the petals, and, proceeding round a part of the body of the animal, were deposited in this little cup-shaped cavity, where they were whirled about with great rapidity, and formed into a kind of pellet. Imagining that this organ might have something to do with the construction of the tube, and a favourable opportunity occurring, Mr. Gosse watched the creature attentively, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing it bend itself forward, deposit a pellet on the edge of the tube, and again proceed to fill the now empty cup with another mass of particles of carmine, which, when formed into a pellet, was deposited in a similar manner: this was repeated at Insects. 2715 intervals of from 2} to 34 minutes, until a considerable number of dark red pellets had been added to the former yellowish brown layer. He was thus enabled to ascer- tain decisively that this cavity was an organ expressly formed for the agglomeration of the pellets of which the tube is formed; and consequently that the opinion of Ehrenberg, that these substances were the excrements of the animal, was incorrect. He was confirmed in this by subsequently finding that the anal aperture was situated on the side opposite to that on which the circular disk occurs, and also much lower down. Mr. Gosse concluded by giving the opinions of Ehrenberg and of Leeuwen- hoek upon the formation and deposition of the pellet, those of the latter agreeing more nearly with his own observations than those of the former—J. W. Extracts from the Correspondence of Mr. H. W. Bates, now forming Entomological Collections in South America. (Continued from page 2668). I HAVE been induced to insert the following extracts from my bro- ther’s letters to me, partly from the example of my friend Mr. S. Stevens (Zool. 2663) and partly from the belief I entertain that any- thing relating to one who has left home, kindred, society and all, for the purpose of extending our knowledge of “‘ created things,” would be interesting to every naturalist, and consequently to the readers of those interesting pages, the ‘ Zoologist.’ It is with great pleasure I am enabled to corroborate the statement of Mr. Stevens, that “notwithstanding the many hardships he has undergone his health continues most excellent, the climate fortunately being very delightful and healthy.” Upon this subject be says, “ Not- withstanding the marshes and sultry heat, the climate is undoubtedly one of the most healthful in the world. I am still better and stronger ‘than when I last wrote to you, and English people who have resided here ten, twenty and forty years, retain their florid complexions and ‘John Bull’ appetites.” Again, “ The climate of this country is most delicious: it is impossible to imagine, in England, the charming con- stant warmth and purity of the atmosphere, it being mild until about -9 o’clock, when it begins to wax hot, but not uncomfortably so. I walk in the sun all hours of the day without the slightest languor or inconvenience. About 4 in the afternoon a fanning delicious breeze comes up from the sea, and the evenings are similar to the hottest summer ones in England.” ‘This was the first month of the dry season. : 2716 Insects. One circumstance which rather astonished me was, that all insects, but more especially the Lepidoptera, are more numerous and brightly coloured during the wet season than the dry. In conclusion, I would observe that his “ letters home,” being de- signed to entertain, are of course rather desultory, and more amusing than scientific.—Frederick Bates; King Street, Leicester, January 7, 1850. “ Para, August 16, 1848. “‘ With regard to the insects of this lovely country I cannot hope to give an adequate idea of their interest and beauty: they are not numerous. In a hard day’s search I cannot get more (leaving half-a- dozen common species) than about thirty to fifty specimens of Lepi- doptera and twenty Coleoptera; but nearly all will be different species. I number now 460 different species of butterflies alone, and every time I go out take some new species. They are not found in open places, but in the dense shady pathways of the forest and second-growth woods, flitting across the pathways or settling on the leaves, one at a time. Coleoptera and others are:all on the wing like Lepidoptera, all insects being very active and full of life. In open places and gardens the butterflies are chiefly large yellow ones, of the genera Gonepteryx and ‘Callidryds; a few large swallow-tails, Papilio Thoas, Torquatus, Agavus, &c.; afew whites, Pieris Monuste, &c.; and many species of Euterpe and 'Terias.. The splendid Cethosia Dido, a fritillary or two, Danais Archippus, a few orange-coloured species of Cethosia, and several species of long-tailed skippers: all these it is almost impossible to ‘capture. But in the shady coffee shrubberies there are many species of Papilio,—P..Arbatus, Tullus, &c.,—and many species of the graceful Heliconii, some with transparent wings, and many other things very easy to take. _ In the woods of second growth, which are the skirts or beginning of the ‘ Forest,’ where wood has been cut more or less, I get the splendid Papilios, Sesostris, Proteus, and many others velvety black with. green and crimson bands and spots. Inthe ‘ Forest’ there are fewer insects, and all local and rare ; about twenty species of Satyridz (like our Hipparchiz), some having transparent wings with patches of rosy and blue colours, such as Hectera Piera and Esmeralda. | There is also a countless variety of small species, of varied hues and patterns, of the families Erycinide, Theclide and Hesperide. In the marshy parts of the forest, where splendid palm trees, with feathery leaves fifteen and twenty feet long, curve over the pathways, many very glorious insects may be taken: | e 3 - Obra Insects. 2717 of the family Nymphalide some fifteen different genera! Then again in the forest are the Morphoes: M. Laertes (I think) is one blaze of dazzling blue above. Of the nocturnal Lepidoptera there are plenty of the family Sphingide here, a great variety of them being found on buildings, &c.; and in the woods are a great number of different kinds of Aigeria and Anthrocera or Ino.” “ Para, February 24, 1849. “ After returning from the ‘ Tocantins’ I remained here two months, Wallace going to Marajé. It was then the height of the dry season. The low parts of the forest close by, which are now under water, were then passable, and I collected every day a splendid boxful of butter- flies, besides other things, always taking something new; and, in spite of the furious heat of the sun and great fatigue, enjoyed myself amazingly. These swampy woods, which in similar latitudes on other continents breathe pestilence to Europeans, are here traversable with the greatest pleasure: narrow pathways thread through dense groves of palms ; their fringed leaves, some twenty-five feet long, droop over, and the magnificent foliage of the wild plantains contrasts beautifully with their feathery leaves. Of course I lead rather a solitary life, only occasionally visiting English friends in the evenings; but I am always busy collecting, setting, making notes, &c. I had the greatest diffi- culty in getting to Carepi, being obliged to hire a passage in a Cameta canoe of a villanous Portuguese, who first agreed to take me for two milreas, and afterwards, when I had left my house and got my traps down to the wharf, asked me three times the sum. However, on the 7th of December, 1848, 1 was embarked once more on the waters of the Amazon. The canoe was of the largest kind, 30 tons; no cabin or any convenience whatever: besides myself there were four other passengers,—young Indian fellows going to a ‘festa’ at Cameta,— five sailors, and a runaway slave in irons. We crossed the channel opposite to Para (three miles wide to the islands) at noon on the 7th, and they put me ashore at Carepi about 3 p. M. the next day. I slept in my clothes on deck all night. Landing at Carepi was a perilous job: it is situated (one large house and huts of negroes) on a sandy bay, in a part of the river clear of islands; the tree tops of the island _ of Marajé being just visible ten miles distant. From the city here the passage lies through narrow channels, between islands with forest scenery of the most glorious character conceivable. “Carepi is a beautiful spot, but has one very great deficiency,— Vill M 2718 Insects. there is nothing much to eat. I lived on salt fish and mandioca root nearly two months, having mandioca and fish for breakfast, and, to vary the thing, fish and mandioca for dinner. Once only I ventured on a hunting excursion with some neighbouring Indians, to shoot pacas. We left at 2 o’clock, a. M.,—two darkies, self, and five dogs, —threading our way, with silent paddles, in the dark, through narrow shady creeks: we got somewhere out into a solitary creek, called Oojara, amongst the islands, by half-past 4 a. M.: we then slept till daybreak, when one of the Indians leaped ashore with the dogs, his knife and hatchet, and cut a hole through the dense wall of forest to enter. We shot two pacas and a cutia in a very short time; but as the heat of the day came on we saw nothing more, so cooked and ate the cutia for dinner. The paca is an amphibious Rodent, about the size of a spaniel; meat superior to sucking-pig. “At Carepi there is always a fresh breeze from the sea, which is 100 miles below. A German has squatted in the woods close by, and was a capital companion for me, as he collected beetles: he had been a soldier at Rio Janeiro, and travelled on foot over a great part of the Brazils. We took a great many beetles here (although scarcely one is to be found around Para), about a hundred species of Longicornes, ten Cicindelas, two Megacephala, large Brachini, and many curious genera—such as Ctenostoma, Agra, Brenthus, Inca, &c. Butterflies, birds, ferns, &c., were scarce; but the Urania Leilus was constantly flying by in front of the house, all travelling one way from sunrise to sunset. I was greatly annoyed by the bats here: they awoke me every night, flying around my hammock: I was always careful to keep my feet well covered, but once one bit me on the hip: some were two feet in expanse of wing; but the most dangerous bloodsucker is a small one with a gray breast. Although half-starved I enjoyed my- self much at Carepi, and now find the city dull and inhospitable after the kindness of the neighbouring Indians. “The wet season has now set in: it rains about 1} inch per day, and the water rolls down the streets in torrents. It is finest before breakfast, and I walk for pleasure most mornings in my old haunts. The butterflies are in fine plumage, and all more numerous in the glimpses of sunshine: plenty of Mechanites are out sailing about in their liveries of velvety black and red, with spots of bright yellow. The Callidrye and Rhodocere are very numerous, of some eight or ten species. Pieris Monuste is common; and the glorious Morpho Menelaus is blazing about, flapping its huge wings of dazzling azure along the broad forest roads. There are more flowers too, and the a Insects. 2719 verdure is fresher. In the Una wood, within ten minutes walk from my house, the scenery is most splendid: a lofty forest borders the road, which is open and broad ; but you see no tree trunks, for a dense drapery of climbing plants sweeps down from the tops of the trees to the ground: aloft the feathery heads of the palms Assai, Jupati, Miriti, Murumust and Urucuri peep out. “You wish me to preserve the skulls of animals: I have rather neglected this hitherto. On our voyage up the Tocantins we had ab- solutely no convenience for doing such matters, and it is very rarely we meet with Mammalia. There are plenty of animals (monkeys, &c.) always on sale in the city; to walk through some streets is like visit- ing a menagerie: there are a vast variety of parrots chattering Portu- guese, and some most rare and beautiful monkeys: the other morning I saw a lovely little bluish gray one, no larger than a kitten a month old; it had white whiskers, and was very gentle. In the woods I sometimes see little dusky fellows scampering aloft amongst the branches: generally they are in flocks, and appear to be playing ‘follow the leader,’ making prodigious leaps one after the other. They are chiefly of the genera Cebus, Midas and Ateles; the Midas. ursulus, a very small one, being common.” (To be continued). On the Use and Abuse of a Collection of Insects.—I imagine all persons commence a collection of insects with the notion that they are thereby making something pretty to look at; yet the desire to have them named and arranged treads very closely on the heels of the desire to form a collection; and this naming and arranging is no child’s play, no baby-work: if they are to be named, they must be named correctly ; if they are to be arranged, whose arrangement should be followed? In the first place, how is the collector to ascertain the names of the species he has collected? He may consult books, and refer to descriptions or figures, or he may compare specimens with some collection which is supposed to be rightly named ; and nine-tenths of our collec- tions, I regret to say, are named in this latter way: they are copies of copies; they have never been compared with the original : if there was a blunder in the copy, still they copy it, having no notion of correcting it: the consequence has been that our collections of Lepidoptera, and probably of other orders, were a disgrace to the age and to the country. This is now to be rectified: a new era has dawned: a new Catalogue of British Lepidoptera (except the Fume) has appeared: all collections are to be named and arranged by this,—but are they not still all to be copies?. Who refers to the original descriptions to prove their correctness? Every one takes on ~ trust the saying of this or that entomologist, and names his cabinet. accordingly. 2720 Insects. Why is this so? This is an inquiring age: we do not generally take things on trust in this way, but we make diligent search and inquiry in order to prove them. If any- body were to declare to-morrow that our Machaon was not the Machaon of Linneus, how many persons would there be who could at once declare itis? As long as this is the case there is no fixity for our nomenclature; it is continuously liable to be al- tered ; it stands, as it were, but on the dictum of one man. Now look at the evils of this changing, ever-shifting nomenclature: a person describes accurately, in one year, the habits, food and economy of some species, mentioning it by a Linnean name; a few years after, this name is found to belong to some other species ; and twenty years afterwards, the probability is that an entomologist, reading this account of the “ habits, food and economy,” applies it all to the wrong species. The characterosa of last year and the characterosa of this year are rarely the same. The entomologist who collects has the advantage over him who does not, because in collecting he has many opportunities of observing the habits, &c., of species, thereby frequently proving their distinctness or identity: it is therefore extremely desirable that the professed entomo- logist should also be a practical collector, but it does not follow that because he keeps a collection he should keep a whole row of each species: no collector possessing a long string of a species whieh is to be seen in no other collection can have the slightest claim to the title of entomologist; he becomes really and truly a miser, and an object of universal contempt. There is now little doubt that the person who hoards for the sake of hoarding ought by rights to be considered as a monomaniac: he may be sane enough on other subjects, but on that subject he is insane; and I do not think that entomological misers can show any better claim to be considered sane than other misers. The entomologist who collects diligently will soon find that, in spite of all his efforts, some of his insects will be without names, never having been described. How is this to be remedied? He must describe them himself: otherwise, if he name them without describing them, the first name by which such insects are described will upset his manuscript names. In order to describe a species correctly, and to avoid future mistakes, it is necessary to compare it with the species it most closely resembles, and to point out the differences between it and them. The use of a collection is to point out the minute differences between closely allied species; the abuse is to collect for the sole purpose of saying “‘ I have fifty more species than you,” without making any use of them. It frequently happens, however, that collections of this latter class are of use, though not to the owner: they are like libraries of great extent collected by one who cannot read—of great use if accessible to those who can: if inaccessible, or secluded in a provincial town or quiet country village, they are of little use while the owner lives; but at his death they will probably become the pro- perty of somebody whose notions of a collection are rather different. So collect all ye who are collectors, if not for this generation, for the next; but if ye be capable of better things, proceed by all means from collecting to entomologising—H. T. Stainton; Mountsfield, Lewisham, January 4, 1850. Bees raising an Artificial Queen.—An instance of bees raising an artificial queen came under my observation during the latter part of the summer of 1847. The hive had lost its queen, and appeared exceedingly distressed in consequence; and being one I valued on account of the large produce it afforded me, I removed from a cot- tager’s hive, doomed to the brimstone pit, a small piece of suitable brood, and placed it over the stock hive, in a small bell glass; being thereby enabled to observe all their proceedings with facility. A few hours after giving them the comb, they commenced ey a ee ee “ywer Quadrupeds. 2721 building a royal cell; in this instance at the margin of the comb, contrary to their usual custom when raising an artificial queen. A grub was removed from one of the cells, placed in the royal cell, and assiduously nursed for the usual period, about thirteen days from the hatching of the egg. This is now one of my most prosperous hives, and, never having swarmed, this artificial queen is in all probability the pre- _ sent sovereign of the hive. The weather was, at the time of giving them the comb, cold, and other glasses were in consequence deserted by the bees ; but in this instance they clustered on the comb, and kept up the necessary temperature for the maturing of the young queen. She emerged from the cell on the 13th of August.—George Fox ; Kingsbridge, 2 mo. 5, 1850. Some Remarks on Wild Cats shot in England:—I have at present in my possession a skin of the wild cat, Felis catus of Linneus, I believe, which was got in Wales, and is I think very different from the Felis maniculata, one of which is now in the course of preservation by Mr. Gornal, of this town, for R. A. D. Gresley, Esq.: it was shot in the park at Auckland Castle, and is a fine large animal, but in contour very unlike the other, having—if I may be allowed the comparison—the appearance of the cheetah as compared with the tiger; for the Felis catus appears from the skin to have been a much more powerful animal ; the leg very stout, neck thick and head very large, while the tail assumes almost the appearance of a fox brush. The markings of the two animals are also very different, the one shot here being of a uniform gray, with very distinct black markings almost equal to a tiger; while the colour of the other is a ru- fous gray, with the markings on the side and legs broken and undefined, giving the whole a cloudy mixed appearance ; from the muzzle to the eyes a fawn colour; from the eyes, passing between the ears, are six well-defined black lines, which, after passing the ears, merge into four along the neck, but before reaching the shoulder are lost ; the mark along the back is often broken, as are also the rings on the tail, except the three near the end, which are well defined; tail end black. The following are the admeasurements of the Felis catus, and, as the skin is dry and never has been stuffed, are within its natural size. ft. in. Length from snout to the insertion of tail ............ 2 8 Dreneth, Of tail pp sciiiensegesssecectsncscensramensasnscasnnee Lo Ad Across the neck ....0..ssssssesecesressececsecces ae Wy! Across the chest behind fore legs.....2......s0se000. 1 3 Across the loins ........esesseeesessscrnceesseces ody SaaS pee lee Length of fore leg to the middle of the skin......... 1 33 Height of hind leg do. do. ee ss eee an eee Length of canine teeth .......scssessesseerecssesceeseeees 99 08 The length of Felis maniculata (inclusive of tail, which is 1 ft. 3} in.) is 3 ft. 1 in.; the height 1 ft. 0} in. I think Charles St. John, Esq., considers them as two distinct species.—Joseph Duff; Bishop’s Auckland, January 6, 1850. {I am much puzzled by this communication. May I inquire whether my cor- yespondent considers we have two species of Felis wild in Britain? I have never 2722 Quadrupeds. heard of Felis maniculata occurring in England: it is a Nubian species, discovered by Ruppell, and the only connexion of the name with British cats is in the hypothe- sis suggested by Temminck, that all domestic cats were possibly referrible to this new species as the aborigo. This hypothesis, however, is a mere guess originating in the desire to trace domesticated quadrupeds to wild sources.—Edward Newman.] Note on the Roe Deer (Cervus capreolus)—In Dorsetshire, Mr. Bell, in his de- lightful ‘ History of British Quadrupeds, p. 409, says “the roebuck is now rarely met with in England.” At Milton Abbey, the magnificent seat of the Right Hon. the Earl of Portarlington, we have a herd of somewhat like fifty in our plantations, and are yearly regularly hunted by a pack of hounds kept in the neighbourhood by a gentleman. Some of them are exceedingly tame, while others are quite the reverse : and it is a notorious fact in this county, that if a deer should perchance be found at any distance, even if twenty miles, by the hounds, it makes its way for its protected home, the Milton Park coppices, to which they do considerable damage, particularly in some winters, by browsing the young and tender shoots of the hazel; still in these hilly woods and coppices they find a protection from hounds and guns. They are ex- tremely graceful and active, leaping with the greatest vigour, and to a considerable height: I have seen them leap a wall eight feet high with apparent ease. They bring forth one and sometimes two young: when there are two, it rarely occurs but that there is one of each sex: I remember an instance in which I met with two female fawns. They are generally brought forth in the skirt of the coppice, particularly amongst brambles and long grass, should there be such, and after being carefully at- tended by the parent shift for themselves ; but I can never make out that the offspring of one female attach themselves to each other, as stated by almost all writers on this subject, and I have for the last four years paid some considerable attention to the sub- ject, nor can I prove that they do not; yet it is perfectly true that the buck attaches himself to one female, and protects her from others. They generally pair in Novem- ber, and the female goes with young five months. In about a week after they are born, the young may be seen by the side of the dam, feeding in the low covers and outskirts of the coppice. They seem to be for ever on the alert, night and day; for in all my rambles I have never met with them at rest. In the dusk of the evening they may be seen bounding over the hedges, to feed on the young wheat, &c. ; and in au- tumn on turnips, both tops and roots. I have seen as many as ten in a field at one time, taking no notice, only every now and then keeping a sharp eye, as if watching my movements. I have frequently sat on a fixed chair in the woods till they have been within ten yards of me, when I have sharply with my foot stamped the ground ; in an instant they have bounded off, jumping as much as twenty feet at one bound, uttering their cry of baa baa as loud as the bark of a dog, and sometimes louder, till they are fairly out of sight and reach: some of the more bold will—after taking three or four bounds—stand, and turn round and look at the object of its terror with asto- nishment, when off it goes again, crying baa baa. It is a mistaken idea to suppose they cannot be properly tamed: twenty years ago, in Scotland, I have had them as tame as a dog, and they followed me after the same manner; also the young of the red deer. While on this subject, it may not be out of place here to relate the fol- lowing circumstance. The late General Campbell, of Menzie, in Perthshire, had a red deer, a buck (Cervus elaphus, L.), so tame that it was in the habit of following him to church, and frequently up the stairs of the mansion: he was quite at liberty to roam where he pleased, and in frolic gave many people a knock over, till one day, happen- 0 EE ee eS ee Quadrupeds— Birds. 2723 ing to injure an aged female, he was dispatched soon after to his more natural High- land home. Some of our roe deer are particularly tame, and may frequently be seen feeding in the pleasure-ground around the Abbey.—J. Mc’Intosh; Milton Abbey, February 6, 1850. Note on the Otter (Lutra vulgaris).—I have made a very interesting addition to the Museum, of two young male otters, which were killed on the 19th of January, on the river Bollin, in Cheshire, about ten miles from Manchester. One of the game- keepers of Trafford Trafford, Esq., of Outrington Hall, was in the pursuit of wild fowl, and observed the frequent occurrence of foot-marks of otters in the snow; and after tracing them for about a mile up the banks of the stream, he came upon three lively fellows disporting themselves by fishing: the one in advance of the other two was occupied with a fine eel, which after securing between his teeth he brought to the others, and they all retired to the banquet under the shelter of an overhanging part of the bank. After staying for a short time they reappeared, and commenced again their fishing diversions, which, however, met with a fatal interruption from the gun of the keeper, who killed one instantaneously, and so wounded another that it was cap- tured and killed soon afterwards without any difficulty. On seeing the sad fate of his brothers, the third immediately sped away up the stream at an amazing rate, and so escaped. I have no doubt that they were all of one paternity, as, from their re- semblance in size and social habits while fishing, they seemed linked in the affection- ate ties pertaining to brotherhood. The two which were killed weighed nearly 10 ibs. each. The river Bollin is a narrow winding stream, of about thirty miles in length, flowing through a nearly level country of new red marl; and its soft banks are so deep and water-worn as to afford very considerable protection to an animal of such amphibious habits. Not many years back the river abounded with otters, and regular otter hunts were of ordinary occurrence; but being most unfortunately regarded as enemies to the finny tribe, they have been most mercilessly destroyed, and are now found but sparingly throughout.its course. I have learnt that two were shot in the month of May, 1848; but we may probably be not far distant from the time when it will have totally disappeared from all our inland streams.—John Plant ; Royal Mu- seum, Peel Park, Salford, February 6, 1850, A few Remarks on Nomenclature in Natural History. By the Rev. James SMITH. Berne favoured by a friend with the publications of the Ray So- ciety, I have felt much interest in their volume which is entitled ‘Reports on Zoology,’ and which was published in 1847: These Reports have reference to the years 1843 and 1844.* In perusing * On the most cursory glance at this volume of Reports, one cannot but be struck with the number, the importance, and the critical and philosophical character of German productions in every branch of zoology. In comparison, those of Britain and France are limited; and it may be doubted if, in general, they exhibit the same 2724 Birds. that branch of them which embraces Ornithology, and which is drawn up by Professor Wagner of Munich, I have been powerfully impressed by the rational curiosity, the incessant activity and the untiring zeal, which are in operation, almost in every part of the world, with regard to this beautiful portion of the animal kingdom. Numerous. and hitherto unseen specimens of birds are, in consequence, submitted every other day to what they were doubtless from the beginning in- tended to be by their heavenly Maker—the inspection and the study of man, the chief and most intellectual of his creations in the present world. But I cannot refrain from saying that I have, at the same time, been struck with the excessive desire, which would appear to exist, not only to multiply genera and to fabricate names of a startling character to the common and unlearned reader, but also to change and to throw “way numbers of those which have been already long in existence. There seems, throughout the whole science of Ornithology, to be but little that can be regarded as fixed and permanent; and a chief occupation of every writer who is more eminent than usual, we might almost be tempted to think, was the overturning of what had been proposed and established on the subject by those who had gone before him: and even had the changes which are so frequently intro- duced been imperatively called for by the state of Ornithology in the present day, | am unable—although at the risk of exposing my igno- rance—to conceal the belief that the very principles upon which these are formed are sometimes unphilosophical, and, in more cases than one, are not a little absurd. On this particular point I have already ventured to make a few remarks, more especially on such names in science as end in o7des (Zool. 1909). I was not then aware that ob- jections to names of this description had previously appeared in print, and I was, therefore, not a little pleased to find, by a quotation made by Dr. Wagner (p. 61) from the ‘ Philososophia Botanica,’ that one of the rules laid down by Linneus himself, on the nomenclature to be observed in Botany, is in the following terms: “ Nomina generica in oides desinentia e foro releganda sunt;”—‘ generic names ending in vides ought to be put out of court’ (§ 216). It is obvious that if persevering minute and scientific research. The freedom of disquisition, which in France, but more especially in this country, is allowed on every subject, is understood to be more limited in Germany, and to be exercised there with greater danger from consequences. Has this circumstance any influence in directing the German mind —at once, restless, imaginative and laborious—to the cultivation of some particular branches of knowledge more than to that of others ? Birds. 2725 such a rule is necessary in Botany, it must at least be equally called for in the kindred science of Zoology ; and it is conceived that it may be extended, with the most beneficial results, to species as well as to genera. It is presumed to be the belief of naturalists, with but inconsiderable exceptions, that, in no branch of the kingdom of Nature, has the creation of an additional animal or plant taken place since the moment when our first parents were called into existence; and if this is the case, none of the animals which have been described and arranged by naturalists can, logically speaking, be considered as having in themselves a superiority, either in importance or in time, from the mere circumstance that ages may have elapsed between the discovery by man of the first species belonging to any particular genus and the discovery of another species which may have been added to the same genus only the other day. In reference to man, indeed, they may be looked upon as being of different dates; and those of them which have been most recently brought to light, may be viewed by him as subordinate to those of which he may have long had the know- ledge, and with the habits of which he may be familiarly acquainted : but in a philosophical sense this cannot be admitted; and each must be regarded as individually constituting a distinct and independent species from the period when the whole were simultaneously formed and appointed by their Creator to constitute that genus in the system of Nature which combines more characters, possessed in common by them all, than are to be found in any other group throughout the ani- mal kingdom. And it is this very circumstance that would appear to furnish a strong and an abiding objection against all names in Natural History which end in o¢des. One animal ought not to be deprived of a distinct and independent name, and to be characterized as only re- sembling another animal, merely because the latter has accidentally come to the knowledge of man, and has had its habits investigated at perhaps a much more early period than the former: in the éye of Reason they are both coeval, and independent the one of the other. - In the Reports on Ornithology to which I refer, and which are two in number, we meet with a great many specific names which have their termination in o¢des. A few of these may be enumerated, as, for instance, Emberiza Cioides, or the bunting having a resemblance to the Cia bunting (p. 66) ; Saxicola Leucoroides, or the stone-frequenter or chat resembling the white-tail, but not necessarily meaning—if we regard merely the component parts of leucoroides—that it is the white-tail chat, although it is wished, and doubtless expected, that on the part of the reader that circumstance should be taken as a matter VIII N 2726 Birds. of course (p. 70); Falco Rupicoloides, or the falcon resembling the rock-frequenting, but not, strictly speaking, the rock-frequenting fal- con more than any other object which may be a frequenter of rocks, the same objection applying here as in the last case (p. 283); Tin- nunculus Cenchroides, or the kestrel resembling the Cenchris kestrel (p. 61); Pachycephala Lanoides, or the thick-head resembling the butcher-bird (p. 287); Dacelo Buccoides, or the Dacelo resembling the Bucco (p. 75); Casarea Tadornoides, or the Casarea resembling the shieldrake (p. 299); Eurypyga Phalenoides, or the broad-rump resembling the Phalena (p. 82) ; Podargus Phalenoides, or the white- foot resembling the Phalena (p. 290). So far as I am aware, the Phalena is a kind of moth; so that the specific designation of these two birds, the one in the genus Eurypyga, the other in the genus Podargus, would be comprised in this, that they have each of them a resemblance to a particular moth. But there are two or three other specific names ending in oides, which are entitled to our notice in a still more particular degree. In his ‘ Illustrations of the Zoology of the South of Africa,’ Dr. Smith has figured and described a new spe- cies of bird, which he entitles Mirafra Africana, and another, also, which he names Mirafra Africanoides (p. 66). Now both these birds are found in Africa, and, so far as is yet known, they are to be found there only; and, in plain language, it is conceived that the meaning of their names must be, literally and respectively, ‘ the Mirafra belong- ing to Africa, and ‘the Mirafra belonging to Africa, and resembling the Mirafra belonging to Africa.’ It is no great wonder that after the second of these names Dr. Wagner places a note of admiration. In the ‘Revue Zoologique,’ Lafresnaye has given to a new species of woodpecker, or tree hammerer, the name of Colaptes Mexicanoides. The roots of Mexicanoides are evidently, I should imagine, Meai- canus, ‘ of Mexico, and eidos, ‘resemblance ;’ and if the name of this bird is to be taken by itself, and interpreted in its literal and ob- vious meaning, it presents to us, so far as I can see, neither more nor less than the rather unlooked for intelligence that the bird in question is a Colaptes, or tree hammerer, ‘ having a resemblance to the country of Mexico.’ In this case, also, we find appended to the name the Professor’s mark of astonishment (p. 292). Lafresnaye, moreover, has bestowed upon a new species belonging to a different genus the de- signation of Saltator magnoides, which, viewed by itself and trans- lated according to the meaning of its component parts, would appear to be capable of no signification save that of ‘ the dancer,’ or ‘ vaulter, resembling great.’ This name is likewise followed by a note of asto- oY Birds. 2727 nishment on the part of Dr. Wagner (p. 285). As a crowning speci- men, we have from one of the most zealous, and in pictorial talent one of the most eminent of modern ornithologists, the designation—applied to an Australian wader—of Glottis Glottoides (Gould’s ‘ Birds of Australia, No. 16; p. 298 of Reports). I am unable to see what meaning can, strictly speaking, be conveyed by this name, except it be that the bird to which it is given has to the selfsame bird a re- semblance: and that it has such a resemblance, the most critical. spectator into whose presence it comes will scarcely, it is imagined, be inclined to have any doubt. It is somewhat remarkable that to this name Dr. Wagner has appended no mark of astonishment. It is not unnatural to ask, whether common sense should not be kept in view in the formation of scientific nomenclature, as well as in any other matter? But on the supposition that it should, what are we to make of such a name, for example, as Myiobius diadema? The roots of the generic portion of this name appear to be mua, ‘a fly, and bios, ‘ life, or ‘ the means of existence ;’ and, if this is the case, the translation is ‘ the liver on flies a crown,’ whereas the meaning in- tended is evidently ‘ the crowned liver on flies ;’ and on this account, and in order to give anything like sense, the adjective diadematus must be substituted for the substantive diadema (p. 287). Again, what is the meaning of Zosterops dorsalis? Dorsalis is apparently a barbarous adjective formed from dorsum, ‘ the back,’ and the literal translation of this name would accordingly be ‘the girdled-face of, or with, the back.’ And to an individual to whom it was given such a translation might very naturally suggest the question, was there ever a bird discovered without a back? If, as is most likely, it was wished in this case to show, by the specific designation, that the bird has something peculiar about its back, another word should evidently have been compounded for this purpose along with dorsalis (p. 70). If there is any force in these remarks, they are applicable—in a simi- lar manner and to the same extent—to Fulica femoralis, or ‘ the coot with the thigh;’ Ardea gutturalis, or ‘the heron with the throat ;’ and to Gidicnemus superciliaris, or ‘the swollen knee with the eye- brow’ (p. 82). It is perhaps worth while to pause at this last name, Qidicnemus superciliaris. Odicnemus, as is well known, was given by Linneus, as its specific name, to a bird which he arranged in his genus Otis (Turton’s translation of the ‘Systema Nature, 1806); and, by more recent ornithologists, this name has been erected into a dis- tinct genus by itself. The species of which the genus is composed are remarkable for a peculiar appearance about the knee, and this did 2728 Birds. not escape the eye of the illustrious Swede when he was forming a name for the only species which was at that time known. Instead, however, of thinking it unnecessary to term it any other thing than merely Otis cnemus, or ‘ the bustard with the knee,’ he compounded another word along with kneme, to show that the peculiarity in the knee was ‘a swelling,’ the Greek word for which is oidos, and hence the whole name Otis Gidicnemus, or ‘the bustard with the thick, or swollen, knee. And this was proceeding upon a principle much more philosophical than is to be found in such a name as CGidicnemus superciliaris, where there is no word in composition to show in what the peculiarity about the eyebrow consists. We meet, also, with a bird which is called Drymoica aberrans, which, when translated, must mean ‘the deviating dweller in oak forests’ (p. 70): but from what, it may be asked, does this bird deviate ? To such a question the spe- cific name does not, strictly speaking, supply any answer; but it may be presumed that it is a deviation in structure and habits from the other species of that genus of birds with which it has been associated. Let it be remembered, however, that such an association is caused by the artificial arrangement of writers on Ornithology, by whom the bird has perhaps been forced unnaturally into a position which by its Creator it was never intended to occupy. Its structure, we need not doubt, is admirably adapted to those habits which he designed it to exercise; and to call it aberrant because it adheres to these habits, and to them only, is surely neither natural nor philosophical. Once more: Count Von Muhle proposes to assign the scientific name of Numenius Syngenicos (p. 83) * to a bird which he is disposed to con- sider as a new species of curlew. The specific designation in this case is, I presume, the Greek adjective suggentkos, half in a Greek half in a Latin form. In Scapula’s Lexicon (fol. p. 293 ; Amsterdam, 1652) it is explained as “ generis propinquitate conjunctus—cognatus,” that is, ‘one connected by affinity of race—a blood relation.’ The meaning, therefore, of Numenius Syngenicos, is neither more nor less * In the same page Dr. Wagner says that Blyth (Annals of Nat. Hist. xii. 74) is inclined to place Glareola among the Caprimulgine. Not having seen Mr. Blyth’s paper, I am not aware if, in confirmation of his opinion, he has made reference to the egg of the Glareola torquata. This egg is beautifully delineated —as everything is which comes from his pencil—by Mr. Hewitson, on Plate 160 of his ‘ British Oology’ (Supplement ; 1842). It is altogether unlike the egg of any of the Chari- driadz, and has a very close resemblance to that of our own goatsucker (Caprimulgus Europeus), both in its peculiar outline and in the marble-like blotches and spots with which it is marked. Birds. 2729 than this,—‘ the curlew which is connected by affinity to its race,’ or more plainly perhaps, ‘ the curlew which by blood is a relation of curlews.’ But surely this is a most unphilosophical as well as a very strange designation ; inasmuch as it is the veriest truism which could be thought of, to say that every species of curlew is individually con- nected, by affinity of race, with all the other species, however many, of which the genus Numenius is made up.* If the doctrine is regarded as sound, that the name even of a species should not involve a reference to another species, it will, in all proba- bility, be conceded that a similar doctrine is applicable to the names of genera in a still more emphatic and powerful degree. It is, indeed, as we have already seen, against generic names ending in o¢des that the unqualified and summary denunciation of Linneus is pronounced. He will not give them so much asa hearing. The first name of this description which calls for notice, in the Reports in question, is per- haps Polyboroides typicus (p. 61): and, if the meaning of this name is to be given in English, it must be by some such paraphrase as this, —‘the type of those birds which have a resemblance to the bird the excessive glutton.’ It would seem to be thus implied, that these birds have in themselves no appearances sufficiently distinctive to form a genus, and that they must be referred to a genus already in ex- istence, while; at the same time, they do not harmonize with that genus * In arranging the various species, so far as they have yet been discovered, of the gigantic genus of New Zealand birds which has been named Dinornis, Professor Owen (p. 295) has instituted Dinornis Struthioides, Dromeoides and Didiformis, or the awful bird resembling the ostrich, that resembling the emeu, and that of the form of the dodo. And if, in any case, a specific name ending in otdes is admissable in the nomenclature of science, it would appear to be so in perhaps a case like the pre- sent, where there is too much reason to fear that—however lately in existence—the Dinornis is now finally extinct. And, since we cannot any longer look upon these feathered Goliaths themselves, it undoubtedly assists us in picturing their appearance to our imagination, when we are told that two of the species resembled respectively the ostrich and the emeu. It may, however, admit of a doubt, whether the specific name Didiformis is equally unobjectionable with those just mentioned along with it, inasmuch as it refers us to a form which has itself become extinct, and of which there is, in all probability, but one portrait only in existence which was actually taken from the life, and that too by an artist of celebrity ; and which may, therefore, be looked upon as accurate in every respect: this portrait was for a time lost sight of, and was again brought to light by Professor Owen himself, at the Hague, in 1838 (Penny Cyclopedia, xxiii. 143). The researches and discoveries of Professor Owen im regard to the bones of the extinct Dinornis, and to many other subjects of a kin- dred nature, show that upon him has fallen the mantle of Cuvier: of that great comparative anatomist he would indeed appear to be the worthy successor. 2730 Birds. in such a manner and to such an extent as to be properly included in the species of which it is strictly composed. They cannot be described by characters peculiar to themselves, but by those in their structure and plumage in which they have a resemblance to others. The cha- racter of the genus Polyboroides is, that it resembles the genus Poly- borus: the character of this particular species typicus is, that it furnishes in itself the rule by which are to be determined those other birds which may, more or less, resemble the genus Polyborus. Of what advantage, in the advancement of knowledge, is such a genus as Polyboroides likely to be productive? The bird of which we are speaking, Polyboroides typicus, occurs in Africa: the bird which it appears it resembles, to so great a degree that the most appropriate name for the genus to which it belongs is the ‘ Polyborus resembler,’ is a native of America. If, in future ages, the inhabitants of Africa shall turn their attention, as is to be hoped, to the study of the works of Nature, will it greatly assist their researches and render their infor- mation more clear and precise to be told that the most remarkable thing which science can say to them, about a bird which may be daily before their eyes, is its uncommon resemblance to a certain other bird in America, a quarter of the world in which they have never been, and the natural productions of which they have had no opportunity of seeing? As names of genera, it is also conceived that the gravest ob- jections may be entertained against Todirostrum, or the todybill (p. 68); Struthidea, or the ostrich form, from strwthion, an ‘ ostrich,’ and idea, ‘ form’ or ‘ appearance’ (p. 63) ; Certhidea, or the creeper form (p. 285); Geocichla, or the ground thrush (p. 69) ; Hydrocheli- don, or the water swallow (p. 83) ; and Ornismya, or the bird-fly, for the name of which genus recourse has been had to two distinct and widely-separated divisions of the animal kingdom. It is presumed that this may be the reason why Dr. Wagner has placed after it a mark of astonishment (p. 289). Of the same objectionable character would appear to be the genus Ramphocinclus, or the bill ouzel (p. 71). This unfortunate word is, moreover, made to do service as the name of another and a distinct genus; and this is effected by a transposition of the two words of which it is compounded. It then appears as Cin- cloramphus, or the ouzel bill. And of the species of which the genus is made up, one is denominated Cincloramphus cantatoris, the only translation of which must—so far as I can see—be ‘the ouzel bill of the singer. Such a name, however, is so generally absurd, that can- tatoris is possibly a misprint for some other word (p. 70). Of another genus the name is Megaloperdix, or the great partridge: and with re- a7 4 be ee re 2868 ——— 2 as ci ha ™ - Birds. 2731 gard to such a genus, is it not natural to ask, if this bird is a partridge at all why is it not arranged among the partridges, however great may be its relative size? And if it is not a partridge, could it not have been possible to give to the new genus, which it required, a distinct and independent name, altogether unconnected with any generic name already in existence? (p. 78). The same questions may be put -in reference to the genus Sternula (p. 83), which it is presumed is a di- minutive of Sterna, and means, therefore, the little or lesser tern. In this way it has the additional disadvantage of coming in contact with the vernacular name of Sterna minor. Of a strange nature, at least so far as I can see, is the generic name Holocnemis (p. 286) : of this the component parts are, I presume, holos, ‘whole’ or ‘entire, and kneme, the ‘leg’ or ‘shank.’ That a bird may have its leg of a thick- ness or length greatly disproportioned to its other members, I can easily conceive; but how it can be said to be wholly or entirely a leg is above my comprehension. If it is replied that this is not the mean- ing of Holocnemis, and that it merely points out the circumstance that the various species of this genus have their legs whole or entire; will it, in such a case, be maintained that it is a distinction in Nature that certain birds have their legs entire, while others have them impaired or curtailed? or will the leg of any bird be represented as imperfect, when it is found thoroughly adapted to the purposes for which it was intended by its Creator? Objections of a similar character may, it is conceived, be brought forward against the genus Hemipodius (p. 294), which is doubtless compounded of the words hemisus, ‘ the half, and pous, ‘afoot.’ It is surely unphilosophical to say that Nature has given only ‘a half foot’ to any of her individual productions; and it may be safely affirmed that the foot of the birds composing the genus Hemipodius is to them a foot as complete, and as perfect for their purpose, as is the most amply developed foot which may be found among the kindred genera from which they have been separated. Upon a principle of the same nature, the word Notherodius (p. 297) is not unobjectionable as the name of a genus: its roots are nothos, a ‘bastard’ or ‘ spurious,’ and erodios, ‘a heron.’ But, in the arrange- ment of Nature and in the eye of reason, the bird here termed a spurious heron is as much entitled to a distinct and independent sta- tion as is the heron or any other ; and, by the same kind of reasoning, the heron might be said to be itself spurious, because it does not in all points resemble the bird of which we are speaking. Smicrornis (p. 71) would also appear to be a most vague and indefinite name for a genus, if, as is supposed, it is composed of smikros, the Attic word 2732 Birds. for ‘small,’ and ornis, ‘a bird.’ Are the birds constituting this genus smaller, for example, than those of which are made up the different genera of the humming birds? Lastly, is it captious to say that such generic names as Merganetta (p. 299) would better be avoided? Merganetta means, I presume, the ‘ goosander duck,’ netta being the Athenian name for the Greek word nessa, ‘a duck.’ But if the bird, of which it is said this genus is at present composed, is neither a goosander nor a duck, it is surely not half of the one and half of the other; and if, in ornithological science, it was to be constituted a dis- tinct genus by itself, as it would seem to have been in Nature from its creation, why did it not receive on the occasion a name indepen- dent of others, and not including the names of two genera already established ? Dr. Wagner, whose Reports on Ornithology have given rise to the foregoing remarks, takes occasion, when complaining of the needless separation of the genus Guiraca from Coccothraustes, to say, “ If this confusion in the manufacture of genera continues, we shall soon have as many genera as species,” (p. 65). But highly inconvenient, and, except when necessary, greatly to be deprecated as is such a proceed- ing, even a very considerable multiplication of the genera already in existence, under new and distinct names, seems preferable to the combination and modification of those names which are at present. made use of in established genera and species. It will, in all proba- bility, be found that, in the best and most unexceptionable nomencla- ture that could be devised, the immense array of names and the learned dress in which they are shrouded will be formidable and con- tinued obstacles to a numerous class of individuals, who would other- wise advance in science with much more ease and much more pleasure. It need not be doubted that not a few, who have not had the benefit of what is called a learned education, have been deterred, in conse- quence, from entering with ardour and hope on the delightful and the ennobling study of Natural History. Scientific nomenclature is, however, indispensable; and if it has its evils, these are very greatly overbalanced by its advantages. Still it will scarcely be denied that such a nomenclature should be of the simplest and most intelligible construction ; that it should, in itself, convey as much knowledge as possible in regard to the objects to which it is applied ; and that every means should be employed to soften and to explain it to the student, who is either altogether ignorant of the learned languages, or whose knowledge in this respect is not sufficiently extensive for the decom- position of the involved and learned names which meet him in every Birds. 2733 direction. With this view, it would be of no mean importance, not only to the unlearned, but even to those who, although acquainted with Greek and Latin, are nevertheless not unfrequently unable to get to the roots of those extraordinary combinations which they have to encounter in the nomenclature of science, if it were expected and re- quired from every writer who proposes a new genus, or who first gives a name to a new species, that he should at the time state fully and clearly the meaning of the word employed, point out and explain its component parts if it has any, and intimate the reasons which have led to its adoption. I have but very few acquaintances who have paid attention to Natural History ; but among these, few as they are, there has been a general complaint of the difficulties arising from the multi- plicity and the complexity of scientific names, and from the changes to which those names are almost continually being subjected.* I have no acquaintance with the birds and the names now taken notice of, except from the publication which has been mentioned. On this account, as well as from my own defective knowledge on the subject in general, it is more than likely that many of the foregoing remarks are founded on ignorance and misapprehension: they have, however, occurred to my mind naturally, and in some instances strongly, while looking over Dr. Wagner’s Reports; and it is possible that some of them may have presented themselves to others who are placed—with respect to Natural History and to the consultation of new and expensive publications—in the same isolated circumstances as I am myself. With this view, I now humbly offer them to the pages of the ‘ Zoologist.’ JAMES SMITH. Manse of Monquhitter by Turriff, Aberdeenshire, November 30, 1849. * On this particular point may be quoted the following sentence from Dr. Man- tell: “It was my intention to have given figures of all the genera into which the nu- merous fossil species have been divided by modern observers ; but I found the attempt hopeless, from the changes in nomenclature and arrangement which are constantly taking place.” (‘ Medals of Creation,’ i. 343.) VIll oO 2734 Birds. Description of Lanius Excubitoxides, a new British Shrike; and Correction of an Error respecting Lanius borealis. By R. F. Tomes, Esq. SINCE my communication to the ‘ Zoologist’ on the occurrence of the American shrike in Warwickshire (Zool. 2650), an opportunity has occurred of comparing the specimen described with numerous descrip- tions and specimens, and the result is a full conviction that it must be referred to the species described and figured by Mr. Swainson, in the ‘Fauna Boreali-Americana,’ under the name of Lanius Excubitorides. », Lanius Excubitorides. A partial re-description, or comparison with our L. Excubitor, appears necessary. In the first place, then, it has been stated that it may at once be recognized by having one spot of white on the closed wing. This is certainly necessary to determine the species, but it is not all ~ Birds. 2735 that is necessary: there must be no concealed spot there, as appears in many specimens of the English species. All the specimens of the latter have in fact two spots of white on the wing, that on the se- condaries occupying in some specimens a very small space at their base; and these individuals have also a small proportion of white on the tail. Other specimens have the white on the secondaries a little more extended, so as to show a very small spot of white on the closed wing, and these have a corresponding greater proportion of white on the outer tail-feathers; and so we proceed until we have the full-sized patches on both primaries and secondaries, and the outer tail-feather entirely white. This is probably the adult condition of the bird. Now ny bird is without even the slightest trace of white at the base of the secondary quills; and from the pure gray of the upper parts, the pure black of the wings and tail, the well-defined white tips of the secondary and tertial quills, and the exceedingly faint indications of crescentic gray markings on the breast, it may fairly be supposed that it is an old individual. Dissection proved it to be a male. A speci- men which died lately at the gardens of the Zoological Society, received alive from America, resembles the Warwickshire bird, except that the whole of the colours are less pure, and it is thickly marked with gray bars and crescents on all the under parts: when dissected, this bird was found to be afemale. I may add, that it is the full opinion of Mr. Yarrell that the specimen I have described is identical with Swainson’s Lanius Excubitorides; and I have to thank that gentleman for the great trouble he has taken in the examination of various spe- cimens and descriptions of shrikes for my satisfaction. Mr. George Gray has offered me every opportunity of examining specimens in the British Museum. In the way of synonymy I can only refer to the ‘ Fauna Boreali- Americana’ of Richardson and Swainson with certainty ; but believe that it is the same as the Lanius Ludovicianus of Audubon, as Lanius Excubitorides is included in the synonyms of that species in the ‘Synopsis of the Birds of North America.’ : Lanius Excubitorides, Swains. § Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. 2, p. 115, pl. 34. Lanius Ludovicianus (Linn.), Aud. Synop. of Birds of Amer. p. 158. R. F. Tomes. Welford, Stratford-on-Avon, January 19, 1850. 2736 Birds. The Birds of Oxfordshire and its Neighbourhood. By the Reverends ANDREW and Henry Martruews. (Concluded from page 2626). Additional Notes. Greenfinch (Coccothraustes chloris). A beautiful and very extra- ordinary variety of this species was killed near Weston, in January, 1849. At first sight it much resembles a canary, and from the regu- larity of its markings has not at all the appearance of a casuai variety. The following is a description of its plumage in detail: bill and legs of a pale flesh-colour; crown of the head white; cheeks and neck mottled with cinnamon-brown ; back yellow, marked down the mid- dle and on the scapulars with cinnamon-brown ; rump bright yellow, marked with dusky green towards the sides; upper tail-coverts yellow, the two longest tipped with brown; tail bright yellow, with the two middle and the two outermost feathers on each side tipped with black ; greater and lesser wing-coverts yellow, widely and regularly tipped with cinnamon ; primaries with the outer web bright yellow, inner web white, tipped with black; secondaries and tertials pale yellow, more or less marked with brown and black; under-parts yellow, shaded with cinnamon- brown. Common Sandpiper (Totanus hypoleucos). On the Ist of July, 1849, we found a pair of this species on the margin of the lake in Kirtlington Park. From their unwillingness to quit the spot, we were led to suppose that their nest was not far distant, though we could not at the time discover it. On the following day we left home for nearly a month, and when we next visited the spot the sandpipers were not there. The fact, however, of having seen them at that period of the year, materially corroborates our opinion, expressed in a former note, that this bird occasionally breeds in the neigh- bourhood. Wood Lark (Alauda arborea). From observations made during the past season, we have little doubt that this species resides through- out the year in certain spots on the Chiltern range, near the borders of this county. These localities are but few in number, and the bird itself very sparingly distributed over them. Pink-footed Goose (Anser phaenicopus). Our note upon the Anser ferus seems more properly to refer to the present species, which we have every reason to believe is the most abundant of the two. Birds. 2737 Arrival and Departure of the Migratory Birds in Oxfordshire. The observations from which the following table of the arrival and departure of our migratory birds has been drawn up, were made during the last ten years for our own amusement, without any view to publication, and perhaps with less accuracy than we could now wish. In most of these years the periods of arrival have been regularly no- ticed, and that portion of the list may be regarded as tolerably correct ; but from the much greater difficulty of obtaining an accurate observa- tion of the departure of many of our visitors, the dates below are as- signed to some few with considerable diffidence, though we believe them to be not far wide of the truth. In a general table of this kind, comprehending a period of ten years, many intermediate and unimportant dates must of course be omitted ; and on the whole it appears more useful to mention the week, rather than the day, in which the species was seen for the first or last time. In dividing a month according to this plan, the first week must be un- derstood to finish on the seventh day, the second on the fourteenth, and so on, and the two or three last days of each month must be in- cluded in what is termed the fourth week. Thus the earliest appear- ance of the chiff-chaff, taking this species for an example, happened on the 25th of March, 1846, and the latest, of which we have any note, on the 10th of April, 1840: according to our rule, then, the arrival of the chiff-chaff has always occurred on or between the fourth week in March and the second week in April. And in the same way with re- gard to its departure; in 1845 the chiff-chaff was seen for the last time on the 15th of September, while in 1848 it remained with us until the 18th of October: all other notices of its disappearance happening on days intermediate between these two, the time of its departure may therefore, in a general way, be said to range from the third week in September to the third week in the following month. It has sometimes been a matter of surprise to us that the season should have so little perceptible effect in hastening or retarding the appearance of our earlier visitors. Often after a long succession of fine warm days, at the end of February and beginning of March, have we looked and listened in vain for a chiff-chaff; while in another _ year, towards the end of the latter month, when the ground has been hard frozen and covered with snow (as in the spring of 1837), we have been agreeably surprised by the appearance of our little friend, looking perhaps somewhat cold and cheerless, but still hopping from twig to 2738 Birds. twig in his own lively and inquisitive manner. It is strange that the beneficent rules laid down for the reproduction of plants and insects should not more sensibly influence these tender animals ; but in this part of their economy they seem governed by a law little subject to alteration, and. when the time of year returns, be it milder or colder, with it they return also. With regard to the species which arrive at a more advanced part of the season, the regularity of their appearance—though even more exact than that of the first comers—ceases to create the same surprise : some of these last we have noticed for the first time on the same day in many successive years, and few vary to any great extent. The species are arranged below according to the order in which they most commonly arrive. HR CHAT ccc cesceecesesesve Swallow ...ccceccescseeeoees Willow warbler ....... aaees Wryneck ...eescrreseeeeeveeee Blackcap .....-ceseseeesseees Lesser whitethroat ......... Sedge warbler .........ss+0+ MOMCKOOtEs ccececneststese ss ace AVUsErhinn Wh ty oss va close act cececs Nightingale ........+s0eseee0 Whitethroat........-seecsevee BVPOStATH lacs cscccsindpssc'ensec™ Sand martin causes WHInChat 22.2... cccecceese Pied flycatcher ....-.....+. Yellow wagtail Grasshopper warbler ...... Spotted flycatcher ........- Hobby .ecseeceeceeseeerecseees Red-backed shrike ......... Nightjar .. : Wood warbler ....sesceceeeee Garden warbler ......s0+0++ Turtle dove ......sescccsesees Great plover eaeehs Reed warbler ..........0+00- Tree pipit......sscsseseeereeee WRAMUFAU. sccweewtococscacee Quail stew eee eeeeeeereres Arrival. tv March to 1 April. 1v March to rv April. tv March to 111 April. tv March to mz April. 1 April to mz April. 1 April to rv April. 1 April to rv April. 1 April to rv April. 11t April to rv April. 111 April to 1v April. 111 April to 1v April. 1 April to m1 May. 111 April to 1v April. rr April to 11 May. tv April. tv April to 11 May. rv April to 11 May. 1v April to 111 May. tv April to 11 May. tv April to 111 May. 1 May to m May. 1 May to 1m May. 1 May. 11 May to 111 May. 11 May to 1v May. ut May to 1v May. 111 May to 1v May. 111 May to 1v May. ut May to 1v May. 1y May to 1 June. Departure. 111 September to 111 October. 11 October to 1 November. 11 September to 1v Septemb. 11 September to 1 October. 11 September to 111 Septemb. 1 September to 11 September. 1 September to 111 Septemb. 1 July to rv September. 111 October to 11 November. 11 September to 11 Novemb. 1 September to 111 Septemb. 11 September to 111 Septemb. 11 September to 1v Septemb. 1v August to 1 September. 11 September to 111 Septemb. iv August to 1 September. 11 September to 111 Septemb. 111 August to 1v August. 11 September to 111 Septemb. 1 September to 11 September. 11 September to 111 October. 11 September to rv Septemb. 11 September to 1 October. 1 September to m1 Septemb. 1 September to 11 September. 1 October to 111 October. 11 October to 111 October. 11 September to 111 Septemb, a Z eae ahr ial SWIPE iresascosinsse sesigvese sche Woodcock .......scsecereees Redwing ..0....s.seeceeeeees Birds. Arrival. ir August to 1 October. ut September to 1v October. 1 October to 1v October. 2739 Departure. rir April to 1v April. 11 March to rv March. Iv March to 1 April. Jack snipe ....casseseeseeees 1 October to 1v October. tv April to 1 May. Biel d fare ......c00scecsascaces 11 October to 111 October. —_1v April to 1 May. Gray wagtail ...........600. 1 October tot November. — 11 March to nm March. Teal ......ceeseesseseeerseeeess IE Octobertor1 November. 11 March to 111 March. Merlin ............s00eeeeeee0e IV Octoberto11November. 11 March to 1 April. 111 March to 1v March. t March to 111 March. Iv October to 1v November. tv Novemberto 111 Decemb. Golden plover ..........0006 Mountain finch ........... Ring ouzel .........se0e00e8. Ut April. iv September to 11 October. Wheatear..........see0ee80.8. Ur April to 1 May. 11 September to 1v Septemb. Dotterel ............seseee08. IV April to 11 May. 1 October to 111 October. Common sandpiper.......... rv April to 11 May. u1 August to 11 August. The list of the birds of Oxfordshire and its neighbourhood, though doubtless yet imperfect, has nevertheless far exceeded the estimate we had previously formed of its extent. Of the 346 or 347 reputed Bri- tish species, 232, or more than two-thirds, have been enumerated in the foregoing pages as killed in this central part of the kingdom. A great majority of this number are introduced upon our own authority : of the remainder we have used every endeavour to sift the authenticity of the facts reported, and, although we might naturally have felt in- clined to increase the length of our catalogue, it has been our wish throughout that no species should appear in it whose claim to such position might seem in any way doubtful. In the nomenclature we have been chiefly guided by Yarrell’s ‘British Birds.’ With regard to the Latin specific names, as it is not always easy to be understvod which name is indicated in that work as the proper one to use, we have adopted such as appeared to have either the consent of the majority of naturalists or the sanction of pri- ority, or both, in their favour. We cannot allow ourselves to hope that our remarks are free from error, but can truly affirm that no pains have been spared in their in- vestigation ; and must now leave the list, as it is, in the hands of your readers. : A. & H. MatTTrHews. Errata.—Page 2597, line 17 from bottom, for Mr. Forrey read My. Forrest. _ Page 2599, line 2 from top, for Gallinaces read Gallinacées. gel Rae BY 2740 Birds. Note on the Kingfisher.—Whilst sitting this morning at breakfast, our dining-room windows facing the river, the distance from which is only a few yards, I saw something fall with great speeed into the water, from a considerable height, but so rapidly that I could not distinguish form or colour. It struck me at the moment that it must be a kingfisher; but as it did not appear for some seconds, I thought I was mistaken : such however it proved to be, as in about the space of three or four seconds up he came, with a fish about three inches long in his beak, and returned with it to the tree from which he had watched his prey: he remained there for a short time, and then flew away to a bridge a few yards distant, where I watched him with my glass, and saw him devour his breakfast: he took the fish by the tail, and struck it some score of times against the railing until he had killed it: after several unsuccessful attempts, he succeeded in swallowing the mouthful, remaining on the bridge some minutes after he had finished his meal. This is not the first time I have seen it, for it has occurred repeatedly during my residence here of four or five winters, at about the same time and spot, and probably it is the same individual. I do not know that I should have troubled you with these lines, had I not happened, half an hour after having observed it, to read a similar account in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 2603), in which it is remarked that in some places the kingfisher is said to quit our pools and waters in the winter. I have, however, always observed them more frequently in the autumn and winter than in the summer, during which season I have hardly ever seen them, although they breed regularly in my grounds.—S. Gurney, Jun. ; Carshalton, January, 1850. Reply to Mr. Gurney’s Inquiry respecting the Gray-legged Goose.—We have delayed to answer Mr. Gurney’s inquiry (Zool. 2622) respecting the wild geese found in this neighbourhood, hoping to have done so with greater certainty from the examination of recent specimens during the winter: in this, however, we have unfortunately been disappointed, for, although the season has been upon the whole favourable to their appearance, as yet but few flocks have been seen, and no specimens to our knowledge obtained. With the exception of the common duck, all wild fowl have been unusually searce in this part of the kingdom: in our excursions we have only met with one flock of teal, generally the most abundant of its family ; and on the same ground where a twelvemonth since we might flush from 100 to 300 snipes, it has been a difficult mat- ter to find a single bird. Whether this scarcity of wild fowl has been general throughout the kingdom we have not heard: in this neighbourhood it must be attri- butable to the long continuance of dry weather in the early part of the autumn, by which the standing water was completely dried up, and the springs themselves almost reduced to the same condition. With reference to the subject of Mr. Gurmey’s in- quiry, we must confess that our note upon the Anser ferus was written without that consideration which should have been bestowed upon it. Throughout the whole of our somewhat long list, the remarks were made either from our own observations or from the communications of friends upon whose veracity we could rely, and, except in the matter of nomenclature alone, we derived no assistance from, nor even made reference to, the published works of any other ornithologist ; so that although errors, as in the case before us, may here and there be found, our remarks can at least claim the merit of originality. We never felt sufficiently interested in the genus Anser to investigate its species with much care. In our examination of preserved specimens reported to belong to A. Segetum, the “ diagnosis” kindly alluded to by Mr. Gurney had not been overlooked, yet, strange as it may appear, all the living or unexamined birds were inconsiderately assigned to its congener, A. ferus, or, as it has been falsely Reptiles, &c. 2741 termed, the common wild goose; and hence arose the error, for such it doubtless is, which Mr. Gurney has pointed out. In future we shall pay attention to this genus, and, as soon as we have obtained a more thorough acquaintance with the relative rarity of its species, will again trouble you with some observations on the subject.— A. § H. Matthews ; Weston, January 22, 1850. Occurrence of the Hawk’s-bill Turtle (Chelonia imbricata) in the Parret, Bridgwater. The notice by Mr. Rudd of the occurrence of the hawk’s-bill turtle off the Yorkshire coast, last year (Zool. 2708), induces me to send you notice of one taken alive in the river Parret, many years ago. I find in my memoranda that an apparently healthy hawk’s-bill turtle was brought to me on the 27th of May, 1827, which was taken a few days before, floating up the river with the tide, above Bridgwater. I mentioned this circumstance in a note to my departed friend, Mr. Anstice, whose letters to the late Col. Montagu, on the black stork, appear in the last number of the ‘ Zoologist, and the following reply will, I am sure, interest many readers of this useful and inte- resting periodical. ‘I know the circumstance of a turtle being caught in our river, but of what species I do not know. If, as you say, it was a hawk s-bill, it is not very probable, I think, that it had been assisted hither by one of our trading vessels from abroad, as its flesh is not sufficiently esteemed to induce any one to bring it to the market of the gourmands, and its shell may be brought over in a far less troublesome and expensive manner. I should think they may sometimes accompany the inter- tropical seed-vessels and shell-fish, that are yearly brought to our channel, and to the eoasts of Scotland and Ireland, by the gulf stream. I have seen the species in ques- tion on the coast of Portugal, and once, I remember, in a winter month and gale of wind; and why they should not, therefore, take an excursion across the Bay of Bis- cay occasionally in summer time I do not know.” The following extract from Lyell’s * Geology,’ vol. ii. p. 104, is very appropriate here: “ Turtles migrate in large droves from one part of the ocean to another, during the ovipositing season. Dr. Fleming mentions that an individual of the hawk’s-bill turtle, so common in the American seas, has been taken on one of the West Zetland islands, and, according to Sibbald, the same animal came into Orkney: another was taken in 1774, in the Severn, according to Turton. * * These animals, of more southern seas, can only be considered as stragglers, attracted to our shores, during uncommonly warm seasons, by an abundant supply of food, or driven by storms into high latitudes,"-—Wm. Baker ; Bridgwater, February, 1850. Land and Fresh-water Mollusca found in the Neighbourhood of Norwich. By W. K. Briveman, Esq. _ In the list of species occurring in the eastern counties, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, given in the table of Gray’s edition of Turton’s Manual, from the lists of Sheppard, Pages and Bloxam, seventy-two species are recorded. Of these I have found sixty in Norfolk, with but one or two exceptions in the immediate vicinity of this city, and Vill P 2742 Moilusks. also nineteen others not included in the above list, making together a total of seventy- nine: twelve of the former still remain either undetected here or confined to other eastern localities. Vertigo palustris and Pisidium Henslowianum have been found by Mr. 8. P. Woodward; but not having been able to procure them now, I have thought it best to record such only as have occurred within the last three or four years. A single specimen of Aplexus Hypnorum I have also seen marked “ Laken- ham ;” but as this was doubtful, it too has been excluded: the only place from whence I have obtained it is at Wisbech, in Cambridgeshire, and there it occurred in abun- dance. : I have given the localities and habitats with the hope of inducing others to ex- amine similar situations, as I feel persuaded that if carefully sought for most of the species will be found to be pretty generally distributed; and as this highly interesting branch of Natural History has comparatively but few votaries, it is far from impro- bable that more new species still remain to reward the assiduous collector. The rea- diest way to obtain the more minute species inhabiting the land, is to provide a few small linen bags and a sheet of paper (nothing better than an old newspaper), and, in dry weather, to pull up the moss, &c., and shake out the sand and earth from its roots on to the paper: this may then be put into one of the bags, together with a slip of paper noting the spot from whence it was taken, and, being carefully tied up, may be carried home and examined at leisure. In this manner I have obtained some—as Vertigo and Helix pygmea, Helix crystallina and aculeata, Acme fusca, and several others—which I have never met with in any other way; and being compelled by my professional avocation to limit the extent of my rambles to within a short distance of “home,” I have, in consequence, been led to examine more narrowly the few favor- able localities within my reach, which has convinced me that a small field for opera- tion, carefully and repeatedly worked, is infinitely better than a larger district only visited in portions successively. Neritina fluviatilis. Abundant on thé submerged leaves of the Nuphar lutea, in the river at Heigham. Paludina vivipara. Plentiful in the river and ditches adjoining. Paludina Achatina. Common in the river below the city. Bithinia tentaculata. Very common. Bithinia ventricosa. Sparingly with the Neritina. Valvata piscinalis. In ditches, at the roots of aquatic plants. Valvata cristata. Occasionally with the above. Arion ater. Common; a chocolate-coloured variety common in the Heigham marshes. Arion hortensis. Occasionally met with. Limax maximus. Frequent under stones. Limax flavus. Gardens and cellars. Limazx agrestis. Common everywhere. Vitrina pellucida. Among damp leaves under hedges, and in almost every wood. Testacellus Haliotoideus. In Messrs. Mackie’s nursery-gardens: they appear to be thoroughly naturalized, and are found far away from the buildings. Mr. Arthur Mackie informed me that as many as thirty have been taken in one morning. Up- wards of two dozen have been sent to me at one time. Helix aspersa. ‘‘'Too common everywhere.” Helix hortensis. Common in hedges. Mollusks. 2743 Helix hybrida. Twenty specimens or more from a hedge near New Catton Church, in the autumn of 1847. Helix nemoralis. Abundant. Helix arbustorum. By ditch sides, common; the white variety not infrequent. Helix Lapicida. I insert this on the strength of several shells having been found near Bramerton: these, although empty, had to all appearance not been long unte- nanted. I have no doubt thata closer examination of the woods in that neighbourhood will afford living specimens, especially as it is found in the adjoining county of Suffolk. Helix pulchella. Among sand and earth at the roots of grass and moss, common. Helix costata of Miller, or crenella of Brown. Equally common with the pre- ceding, and both generally found together. There appears to be no doubt of these being the same species, the folds of the periostraca in the one case being rubbed off, the remains of which may often be detected in the sutures of the smooth shell seen under a microscope. Helix cantiana. Abundant in many localities among nettles. Helix fulva. In woods, among dead leaves ; most abundant at Whitlingham. Helix aculeata. Sparingly, Arminghall and Caistor Woods, at the roots of moss. Helix granulata. Osier grounds and damp woods. Helix sericea. In Whitlingham Wood, on the trunks of trees. Helix hispida. Common, among nettles and under stones and wood. Helix concinna. With the above. . Helix rufescens. Not common. Helix virgata. I have never met with this nearer than Swaffham, where it was plentiful about the Station last autumn. Helix caperata. Occasionally abundant on the banks under hedges, in almost every lane near the city. Helix ericetorum. Common in similar localities. Zonites radiatus. Common under stones, timber, &c. Zonites pygmeus. Rare under moss; abundant with the Pupa marginata in Mackie’s sand-pit. Zonites alliarius. Of this I have but one specimen. Zonites cellarius. Very common in woods, at the roots of moss and under leaves. Zonites nitidulus and radiatulus. Common in similar situations. Zonites lucidus. Rare. Zonites crystallinus. In damp woods, frequent; plentiful in the sand-pit. Succinea putris and Pfeifferi. Common by ditch sides. Bulimus obscurus. Whitlingham Wood, on the trunks of trees. lubrica. Common among moss. Pupa umbilicata. Rare, Weston’s Wood, Dereham Road. Pupa marginata. Abundant in one small spot at Mackie’s sand-pit, at the roots of moss. . Vertigo edentula. Near Mangreen Hall, on the under-side of fern-leaves. I have never found it on any other than the fronds of the Filix-mas. Vertigo pygmea. Rare, at the roots of moss. Vertigo alpestris. Found sparingly with the Pupa marginata, as above. Balea perversa. Fourteen specimens, from a wall in Thorpe, beneath ivy. Clausilia bidens. Whitlingham Wood, abundantly on the trunks of elder trees; several other woods sparingly. 2744 Zoological Society. Clausilia nigricans. Very common in moss and on trees. Carychium minimum. Plentiful among dead leaves, in woods. Acme fusca. Two, from Caistor Wood. Lymneus auricularius. Common in the river. Lymneus pereger. Very common in ditches. Lymneus stagnalis. Common in the marshes. ‘ Lymneus palustris. Not uncommon. Lymneus truncatulus. River at Whitlingham. Amphipeplia glutinosa. Rare (See Zool. 2150). Velletia lacustris. Common on the stems of Sparganium simplex. Ancylus fluviatilis. On the Nuphar leaves, in the river at Heigham. Physa fontinalis. Common. Planorbis corneus. Rather common in ditches. Planorbis albus. Sparingly in the river, on aquatic plants. Planorbis carinatus. Not uncommon. Planorbis marginatus. Common. Planorbis vortex. Common on aquatic plants. Planorbis spirorbis. On grass in wet meadows. Planorbis nitidus. Not very common, on Sparganium stems. Planorbis contortus. Common in ditches. Segmentina lineata. Rare, near Yarmouth, Heigham Marshes. Cyclostoma elegans. Whitlingham Far Wood ; plentiful in one small spot only. Cyclas cornea. Common. Cyclas calyculata. Not uncommon. Pisidium pulchellum. Rare, Heigham ditches. Pisidium amnicum. Common, in the river and some ditches adjoining. Anodon cygneus, var. anatina. Very common in the river. Several other varieties not uncommon. Unio pictorum. In the river. Unio pictorum, var. rostrata. In the river at Heigham. W. K. Brineman. Norwich, December 17, 1849. Proceedings of the Zoological Society. Monthly General Meeting, February 7, 1850.—W. Yarre.u, Esq., in the chair. The Lord Bishop of Oxford, E. W. H. Holdsworth, Esq., and Thomas Paine, Esq., were elected Fellows of the Society. Miss M. A. Sulivan, Rev. John L. Petit, and Thomas Tooke, jun., Esq., were proposed as candidates for the Fellowship; and Dr. H. Schlegel, of Leyden, for election as a Corresponding Member. In their Report on the affairs of the Institution, the Council announced that they had accepted the liberal offer made by Col. Peyronnet Thompson, on the part of his son, to present to the Society a pair of living Indian bisons (Bos Gaurus), which he proposes to deliver to the Society's agent at Bombay, for transmission to this country.—D. W. M. Entomological Society. 2745 Proceedings of the Entomological Society. January 28, 1850 (Anniversary Meeting)—G. R. Wareruovuse, Esq., President, in the chair. The Auditor's Report of the Treasurer's Account was read, from which it appeared that the Society was now in a much better financial condition than at the correspond- ing period of last year. Messrs. W. S. Dallas, E. W. Janson, J. F. Parry and J. O. Westwood, were elected members of the Council in the room of Messrs. W. F. Evans, J. Walton, J. J. Weir and the late Mr. E. Doubleday; and the following were elected to the respective offices for 1850: G. R. Waterhouse, Esq., President; W. Yarrell, Esq., Treasurer ; and Messrs. J. W. Douglas and H. T. Stainton, Secretaries. The President then delivered an address on the state and prospects of the Society, for which a vote of thanks was passed, and he was requested to allow it to be printed. Votes of thanks were then passed to the Treasurer, Secretary, and retiring members of the Council. : The Secretary announced that part 2 of vol. v. of the Society’s Transactions, con- taining, among other matter, a general index to the five volumes, and completing vol. y., was on the table. February 4, 1850.—G. R. WatErHovsE, Esq., President, in the chair. The President appointed as Vice-Presidents for the ensuing year, Messrs. Spence, Stephens and Westwood. The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the respective donors: ‘ A Synonymic List of British Lepidoptera, by Henry Doubleday, and the ‘ Zoologist’ for January and February; presented by E. Newman, Esq. ‘ Mémoires de l’Académie Royale de Belgique, tome xxiii.; ‘ Bulletins de ’ Académie Royale de Belgique, tome xv. 2me partie, et tome xvi. lre partie; ‘ Annuaire de YAcadémie Royale de Belgique, tome xvi. lre partie; ‘ Mémoire de Fertilisation des Landes de la Campine et des Dunes,’ par A. Eenens ; ‘ Observations des Phénoménes Periodiques ;’ all presented by the Academy. Two Almanacs of the Art Union of London; presented by the Art Union. ‘ Literary and Scientific Register and Alma- nac for 1850;’ presented by J. W. G. Gutch, Esq., the author. ‘ Descriptions and Figures of some New Lepidoptera from Nepaul;’ by G. R. Gray, Esq., F.L.S. ‘Notice Biographique sur M. C. J. Schonherr,’ par M. le Comte Mannerheim ; pre- sented by the author. ‘ Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, vol. x. part 2; by the Society. ‘The Atheneum’ for September, October, November and December, 1849; by the Editor. A collection of British Lepidoptera; presented by Mr. Bond. Mr. Weir brought for exhibition a box of Micro-Lepidoptera, showing his method 7 of mounting whole series of a species on pieces of cork of an oblong shape. Mr. Douglas exhibited a new species of Tortrix, allied to Stigmonota redimitana, _ Guenée, which he proposed to call Weirana, in honour of the indefatigable Lepidop- terist (he wished he could have said Lepidopterologist) of that name: he also exhi- pited two specimens of a new British Tinea, the Cosmopteryx Pinicolella of Zeller, which he had taken from fir treeg, at Wickham and Mickleham, at the end of June. Mr. S. Stevens exhibited a very fine specimen of Eurycantha horrida from the South Seas: he also exhibited some beautiful new Lepidoptera, which he had 2746 Microscopical Society. received from Mr. Bates, from Para; and he exhibited, still living, the specimen of Lamia textor which had been exhibited at the October meeting. Mr. Stephens exhibited two specimens of a new British Noctua, which appeared to be the ruticilla of Esper, and which Boisduval places in the genus Orthosia: of these specimens one had been sent to Mr. Shepherd by Mr. Edleston, and the other, which was extremely wasted, was taken by Mr. Stainton, at Sheffield, in June, 1847. Mr. Stainton then read a paper on the genus Micropteryx of Zeller, in which he described all the known British species. A conversation followed upon the notes which had appeared. in the ‘ Gardener’s Chronicle, on the danger to be apprehended by horticulturists from the attacks on pears by the larve of Ditula angustiorana, which in some instances referred to were reported to have done some damage to this fruit. Several members concurred in saying that there was but little ground for this opinion, as, except in the instances quoted, this insect had not been observed to have attacked fruit trees, and in fact it was seldom seen in gardens, although its larve were polyphagous, but that the perfect insect was found in the greatest abundance in firs and yews, often far from gardens. Tortrix levigana, on the other hand, was known to be very destructive to fruit trees, both foliage and young fruit, and it was supposed some of the ravages attributed to D. angustiorana may have been the work of this species.—H. T. S. Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. February 13, 1850 (Anniversary Meeting)—Gurorcr Busx, Esq., President, in the chair. Addresses from the Council and Auditors, relating to the present state, prospects and funds of the Society, were read and approved. The President then read an address, in which he gave a lucid review of the Society's proceedings during the past year, including abstracts of papers read, very similar to those that have already appeared in the pages of the ‘ Zoologist.’? He con- cluded by urging on the Society the great importance of publishing Transactions with regularity, and suggested that it would answer a good purpose if the parts could appear more frequently, even though they contained a smaller quantity of matter. A vote of thanks was passed to the President and Council, and the President's address was ordered to be printed. It was proposed, seconded, and unanimously resolved, that an addition be made to the by-laws, to the following effect: ‘‘ That all members who have passed the chair shall in future be members of Council without the ceremony of election.” A ballot then took place for officers during the ensuing year, when Dr. Arthur Farre was elected President, N. B. Ward, Esq., Treasurer, John Quekett, Esq., Secre- tary, and Mr. John Williams, Assistant-Secretary ; and the following gentlemen were elected new members of Council,—Dr. Carpenter, Arthur Henfrey, Esq., and S. B. Simonds, Esq. ; Mr. Bowerbank, Dr. Lankester, and Mr. Woodward retiring. —Z. N. Yorkshire Naturalists’ Club. 2747 Yorkshire Naturalists’ Club. January 16, 1850 (First Annual Meeting).—Professor Puiiuies in the chair. The officers for 1850 were elected, and the Hon. Secretary, Beverley R. Mortis, Esq., M.D., then read the Report. After the termination of the general business, Mr. Graham announced the capture of several specimens of the waxen chatterer (Bombycilla garrula), in the neighbour- hood of York, within the last few days, four of which he exhibited. He also recorded the capture of the eared grebe (Podiceps auritus), at Huggate, on the 18th of Decem- ber, and a fine adult specimen of Bewick’s swan (Cygnus Bewickii), shot at Sutton on the Derwent, on the 21st. Mr. Baines exhibited another fine specimen of the waxen chatterer, shot near York, very recently ; and a most beautiful variety of the blackbird, entirely white, procured within the last week at Beningbrough. After a vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting separated. February 6, 1850.—O. A. Moors, Esq., in the chair. Mr. Graham announced the occurrence of three specimens of the pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) in the York district, within the last few days, all of which had passed through his hands. He also exhibited a very curious wigeon, which he thought might prove to be the American one (Anas Americana), and which he had purchased that day in the York market. Three specimens of the red-necked grebe (Podiceps rubricollis), in the winter plumage, had also come under his notice; one shot in the Ouse, in the middle of York, about a fortnight ago, but which he did not secure; the others, shot at Acaster a few days back, he has preserved: the irides of all these specimens were of a dirty yellowish white colour, and not red as is usually recorded. Dr. Morris had seen these birds in the flesh, and had noticed the same peculiarity. Mr. T. H. Allis exhibited two very remarkable Lepidopterous insects, which were evidently completely hermaphrodites; one was the silver wash fritillary (Argynnis Paphia), one side of which, both wings and antenna, showed all the appearances of the male, while the opposite side was as decidedly female ; the other was a specimen of the emperor moth (Satwrnia Pavonia-minor), one side being completely male, the other female. Since the commencement of the present year the following gentlemen have been enrolled as members of the club: W. R. Read, Esq., of Heyton; D. Russell, Esq., York; F. Cholmeley, jun., Esq., of Spennithorne ; H. Cholmeley, Esq., of Brandsby ; B. T. Wood, Esq., of Thorpe Green; W. Garwood, Esq., York; J. Hawley, Esq., Doncaster; Rev. H. V. Palmer, York; J.C. Robinson, Esq., Clifton; and H. Rooke, Esq., Scarborough.—B. R. M. The Tinearist’s Calendar for March.—Many entomologists will now begin to look ; for the insects which appeared in the preceding month; but March, though it may- ‘certainly display the insects of February, produces many more than the most inde- fatigable collector in February could meet with. Exapate Salicella may be expected _ towards the close of the month, and, though a sallow-feeder, appears rather local: it has occurred at Wanstead and at Wimbledon Common. Chimabacche Fagella will 2748 Insects. be found in plenty, reposing on palings and trunks of trees. Semioscopis Avellanella, apparently frequenting birch, will be found in Dulwich Wood, on the trunks of trees by day, or flying at dusk. S. Steinkellnerana will perhaps appear at the close of the month, among blackthorn. Taleporia inconspicuella (larva) will now be found on various palings, particularly at Penge. Micropteryx purpurella and semipurpurella will swarm among the birches at Wickham and elsewhere; the scarce unimaculella will be sometimes found in their company. Plutella cultrella, a spindle-tree feeder, hybernates, or perhaps sometimes passes the winter as a pupa, and will now appear, occasionally resorting to the sallow-blossoms. Depressaria characterella will also be found among sallows; and various other flat-bodies will occasionally be stumbled upon by those in search of sport. Ocnerostoma Piniariella will be found among fir- trees. Gracilaria stigmatella is another sallow-frequenter which hybernates, as indeed do most of the other species of this elegant genus ; and Elachista testaceella shows its affinity to them by copying this habit, and flits about the leafless hedges by day and night. Lyonetia Clerckella will sometimes be beaten from fir-trees, though hitherto only the dark variety has occurred at this season.—A. T. Stainton. Economy of Tortrix Strobilella—On the 10th of May, 1848, while searching for Lepidoptera in a small fir plantation at Purley, near Croydon, in company with my friend Mr. Waring, we took several specimens of a small Tortrix new to us, which Mr. H. Doubleday has since found to agree admirably with the Linnean description of Strobilella. Having noticed, on this occasion, many small moths flying about the cones of spruce firs, I thought it not improbable that the larve might feed therein: last spring, therefore, I split open several, and at length found a small pupa in a cell formed in the woody stalk of one of them: having little doubt this was the insect in question, I procured a number of cones, and found more pupe and two or three larve, apparently full fed, all in similar cells to the first, the heads of the pupe being turned towards a small hole, by which the larve had evidently entered: from these I bred Strobilella, from the second week of May to the latter end of the month. The larva, which are whitish with a darker head, appear to feed inside the cones while still un- ripe and soft, and when full fed eat their way into the stem to change to pupe: when the time arrives for the moth to emerge, the pupa forces its way out of the hole above mentioned, and passes up between the scales of the~cone to open air: the distance thus to be travelled by the pupa, in the large spruce cones, is often more than an inch. I happened to be looking at one I had split open, containing a pupa, when the moth was about coming out: the pupa managed to get its head into the hole made by the larva, and quickly disappeared : wishing to see how long it would be making its way to the outside, I watched it, and in about five minutes the head of the pupa was pro- truded between the scales about an inch from the cell it had left, and the moth quickly came forth. In many of the cells I found the pupa of a small species of Ich- neumon instead of that of the moth: the flies from these made their way out in the same manner as the Lepidopterous insect, which they had no doubt destroyed. Last summer I found the cells formed by the larva of this moth in the spruce fir cones at Black Park, and no doubt it might be obtained in many places now its economy is known. I was surprised that Mr. Douglas, who, through the information I had given him, succeeded in taking this species, should so hastily announce it, more especially as his note (Zool. 2504), read at the Entomological Society’s meeting on the 4th of June, contains nothing more than I had told all my friends a year previously, Mr. D. amongst the rest —Edwin Shepherd ; Fleet Street, February 1, 1850. Insects. 2749 The Genus Anthrocera.—I shall feel greatly obliged if some of your entomological correspondents will kindly assist me by forwarding to me, during the coming season, a dozen or two of the larve of any of the species of Anthrocera that may happen to occur in their particular locality, with food, &c. The number of species indigenous to this country is anything but satisfactorily fixed, and can only be ascertained with certainty by strict and careful comparison of habits, larve, pupe, &c. I have long felt a desire to investigate the genus thoroughly, and propose to obtain sets of larve from as many different localities as possible, and, feeding each lot in a separate cage, to make carefully accurate figures. and descriptions of them during their several stages, and such notes of peculiarity of habit and economy as may tend to throw light on the matter. Several of my entomological friends have already promised to assist me; and if others—more especially those residing near the coast—will kindly do the same, I shall hope, before the end of the yeaz, to arrive at some conclusions worthy of being recorded in the pages of the ‘ Zoologist. —John Hawley ; Hall Gate, Doncaster, February 4, 1850. Occurrence of Cheimatobia Borearia in Cheshire-—Four males of this moth were captured at Petty Pool, Delamere, Cheshire, on the 31st of October, 1848. They were resting on the trees.— Benjamin Cooke ; Warrington, February 15, 1850, Notes of Captures of Tineide, with Remarks on the Specifie Distinctions of some closely-allied Species. By H.'T. Stratton, Esq. (Continued from page 2633). Where no locality is mentioned, Lewisham is to be understood. Gelechia lobella. Sparingly, in hedges, June 14 to 25. ‘ Gelechia rufescens, Haw., Douglas (Ent. Trans. v. 195), Isabella of Mann, and of my Catalogue. One among sallows, June 19; one at Charlton sand-pit, July 11; ene at Mickleham, July 8; one on palings at Lewisham, July 28 ; and one at Charl- ton sand-pit, August 9. It thus appears to keep out a long time. Gelechia cinerella. ‘Two on Box Hill, July 9. Gelechia Malvella. I bred this in great abundance from hollyhock seeds, June 26 to July 15. The seeds gathered in the preceding autumn require to be kept rather moist, as the larva is not full fed till April or May. Gelechia tricolorella. 1 beat several from oaks, July 28 to August 30. Gelechia maculiferella ? or a closely-allied species. It much resembles tricolorella, but the anterior wings are shorter and blunter; the costal blotch does not touch the costa in its whole extent, but only at its origin; and the fascia towards the hinder _ margin is straighter than in tricolorella. I took five flying along a hedge, on the 5th _ of August, and considered them at the time as tricolorella. Gelechia costella. I beat one (a hybernated specimen) from an oak, May 23; one August 26th and one on the 28th, from oaks. Gelechia maculella. Yn hedges, not scarce, July 28 to August 12. VIII Q 2750 Insects. e Gelechia domestica. One at light, July 27; two at light, August 22. These may have bred in the house. Gelechia peliella. No longer unique in my collection, having been taken at Wickham, last July, by Messrs. Bedell and Douglas. Gelechia affinis. 1 took two very finely-marked specimens on a horse-hair sofa, at Mickleham, July 7; and two on palings, at Lewisham, July 21 and 22. Mr. Douglas and Mr. Farr met with it at Portland. Gelechia mulinella, Tis., Z. (interruptella, Haw. and my Catalogue, not of Hubn.) Common among furze-bushes at Stoat’s Nest, August 2, and these fine; common among broom and furze at Charlton, August 10 to 20, but mostly wasted. It is an insect that very soon wears, probably from its exceeding restlessness, which makes it very difficult to box. Gelechia longicornis. I took a single rather wasted specimen on the moors at Woodhead, June 9. Gelechia proximella. One at Torwood, June 1, among mixed underwood ; three at Wickham, June 23, from birches. Gelechia sequax. One at Mickleham, July 26, from juniper; two from juniper, at Stoat’s Nest, August 2. Gelechia Mouffetella. I found a specimen in one of my cages in which I had kept a number of larve from honeysuckle and other plants. I have no recollection of seeing the larva; the moth appeared July 13. Gelechia triparella. On oaks, sparingly, May 21 to June 25. Gelechia scriptella. Not scarce among maple, May 27 to June 25. Gelechia ligulella. Two at light, June 28. Gelechia teniolella. Not scarce on the downs at Mickleham, in July. Gelechia Anthyllidella. Two at Charlton, August 9, very fine; several at light, August 12 to 26. Gelechia tenebrella, Hub.? Tr., Z., Douglas (Trans. Ent. Soc. n. s. i. 16). Metal- lella of my Catalogue, but not of Stephens: see Trans. Ent. Soc. n.s. i. 24. Gelechia dodecella. I bred this very plentifully in June, from the shoots of Pinus sylvestris. Gelechia vulgella. Very common on palings, in August. Gelechia Artemisiella. This is probably double-brooded. Mr. Gregson met with it at New Brighton, early in June; and I found it swarming on Box Hill, July 9. Gelechia marmorea. Taken in plenty at the beginning of June, by Mr. Gregson, at New Brighton. Gelechia nigrovittella. Two from oaks, August 13 and 19. Gelechia nanella. Three on palings, July 18 and 22. Gelechia albiceps. Sparingly on palings, July 19 to August 15. Gelechia Lappella, L., Douglas (Trans. Ent. Soc. n. s. i. 14). Five specimens bred by Mr. Weir, from the seeds of Arctium Lappa, in June. Gelechia paucipunctella, Z., Douglas (Trans. Ent. Soc. n. s.i.14). Two specimens taken by Miss Sara R. Dunn, on Box Hill, July 9. I took a very fine one at Charlton, August 9, beating it from broom. Gelechia neuropterella. Taken by Mr. 8. Stevens, at Deal, in August. aie - Insects. 2751 The following species of Gelechia are not mentioned in my Catalogue :— Gelechia notatella, Tr., Douglas (Trans. Ent. Soc. n.s. i. 18). Proximella, var. B., Z. Allied to proximella, but smaller and darker: it feeds on the sallow, and has been bred by Mr. Shepherd, in May, from larve found the preceding autumn. Gelechia lutulentella, Z., Douglas (Trans. Ent. Soc. n.s.i.15). I took a specimen on Ham Common, in July, 1842. Mr. Allen Hill has a specimen which he took on the 22nd of July, flying among mare’s tail (Hippuris vulgaris), by the side of Bagwood Brook, some miles from Bristol. Gelechia lucidella, St., Douglas (Trans. Ent. Soc. n.s. i. 15). Stagninella, Z. in litt. See Zool. 2613. Gelechia Atriplicella, F-v-R., pl. 78, Z., Douglas (Trans. Ent. Soc. Nn. s. i. 20). Occurs sometimes at Charlton sand-pit, in July. 4 Gelechia obsoletella, F-v-R. pl. 79, Douglas (Trans. Ent. Soc. n.s. i. 20). Taken rather plentifully, by Messrs. Douglas and Farr, at Portland, in July last. Gelechia atrella, Haw. (spiniferella, Bentl. Mus.) Occurs among furze-bushes, in July. Reslerstammia pygmeana. Four, beat from hedges, at Lewisham, April 26, May 2 and 15; one at Wanstead, fiying over a whitethorn bush, May 3. Reslerstammia fusco-viridella. In a field near York, May 30, common. This species, so common with us, has not yet been detected in Germany. ZEchmia Fischeriella. At Lewisham, May 23 and 24, sparingly; in plenty at Carron, June 4; one on the Dartford Heath fence, June 27; three in Birch Wood, June 27; and common on the downs at Mickleham, July 6 to 11. These specimens, taken through a period of seven weeks, and in such distant localities, all appear to be the same species. Zchmia obscurepunctella (Elachista, No. 31 of my Catalogue, but certainly be- longs to this genus, resembling sericiella in form and habits). Ten, beat from mixed hedges at Lewisham, April 28 to May 2; three at Wanstead, May 3; one at Sander- stead, May 5. Zchmia sericiella. Common at Wanstead, May 3, and at Lewisham, May 4 to 26, on oaks. This is not the metallicella, F-v-R., nor do I think it can be the conti- nental saltatricella, which appears too large and not sufficiently brilliant for our species. Zichmia metallicella, F-v-R. pl. 84, f. 2. New to this country. Differs from se- riciella in being much smaller (little more than half the size); anterior wings darker, with the spots whiter. I took two specimens at Wickham, June 23, among oaks; and one I beat out of a nut-bush, in the lane leading from Birch Wood to Dartford Heath, June 27. Mr. Sircom also met with it at Brislington, June 23. Argyresthia semitestacella. Frequents the beech: taken at Sanderstead by Mr. Bedell, at Duddingstone by Mr. Logan, and at several localities in Stirlingshire by myself, from that tree, in September. This is not the Spiniella of Zeller. Argyresthia spiniella, Z. (Linn. ii. 254). | New to this country. I met with it in Torwood, Stirlingshire, September 17, beating it from mountain-ash (Sorbus Aucu- paria). In my monograph of the genus, I stated (Zool. App. vi) that I had my doubts whether Spiniella, Z., were really identical with our semitestacella: the correctness of these doubts is now proved by the actual occurrence of the two species in this 2752 Insects. country. I quote below the remarks of Zeller on the distinctions between this spe- cies and Pruniella (ephippella, mihi) and Fagetella (albistria, mihi). “ Spiniella most resembles Pruniella and Fagetella, but in size far exceeds both, especially the latter. From the former it is distinguished by the much darker and more uniform colour of the anterior wings, the want of the last short costal streak be- fore the apex, and the want of a fascia reaching to the costa, since it is only to be traced as far as the fold of the wing. In the small Fagetella the ground colour is much paler and more rust-coloured, and the inner margin—from the base to the brown marginal spot—is narrower.” Spiniella more closely resembles semitestacella and semifusca, species that were unknown to. Zeller when he wrote. From semitestacella it may always be readily distinguished by the deeper colour of the anterior wings, and by the distinctness of the fascia on the inner margin, which is there broad and very dark. Zeller states that this fascia forms a right angle with the dark portion of the wing; but this does not appear a constant character, as—though it is the case in most of my specimens— in one of my finest specimens the angle formed is an acute angle: from semifusca, Spiniella is distinguished by its larger size, and the paler (less purple) colour of the anterior wings, which frequently allows of the fascia being traced half across the wing. The semipurpurella of Mr. Curtis’s cabinet appears to be this species, but it does not appear ever to have been described. Argyresthia semifusca. I have not met with this myself, though I beat the hedges where I met with it in 1848 very assiduously. Mr. Bedell took a few specimens among the beech trees at Sanderstead, along with semitestacella, at the beginning of September. Argyresthia abdominalis. Not scarce among the junipers at Mickleham, July 6 to 11, but many of the specimens much wasted. Argyresthia dilectella. Common among the junipers at Mickleham, along with the preceding, and generally quite fine. I also met with several specimens on palings at Lewisham, July 28 to August 4. Argyresthia Sorbiella, Tischer (see Zool. App. xv.) This species, which is new to this country, was taken by Mr. Allis, on the moors near Halifax, from mountain ash. Argyresthia arceuthina. Sparingly, at the end of May, among some junipers in my garden. Argyresthia precocella. Taken at Sanderstead, about the middle of May, by Messrs. Douglas and Shepherd. Argyresthia aurulentella, Z. (see Zool. App. xl). Scarce, among the junipers at Mickleham, July 6 to 11, apparently then just coming out; common there July 23 to 27, and on the downs at Stoat’s Nest, August 2. Your readers will observe (Zool. 2634) the report of the exhibitions before the Entomological Society, of a specimen of Argyresthia amiantella? The true amian- tella should be as large as Piniariella, but with a yellowish head : the specimen taken by Mr. Dunning is much smaller than Piniariella, and the head is unfortunately rubbed; but as the length of the palpi is a certain proof that the insect is quite dis- tinct from Piniariella, we may safely set it down as a new species, though till more specimens are obtained it will be impossible to decide upon its name. This specimen was taken on the 26th of June, in the lucerne field of Agrophila sulphurea notoriety, at Brandon, and in the vicinity of this field were many Scotch and spruce firs and larch trees. —— ee Insects. 2753 Ocnerostoma Piniariella. Very plentiful on the Dartford Heath fence, June 27, and taken there by myself, Messrs. 8. Stevens and G. S. Heales. Coleophora. I do not at present venture to say anything about this genus. Zeller's masterly monograph in the ‘ Linnea Entomologica,’ vol. iv., is now published, -and to the German reader will prove a great treat: as soon as I can get it devoured and digested, I will publish a review of it. Gracilaria. I am not yet in a condition to furnish the proposed monograph (Zool. App. xxiv). I have sent a number of specimens to Herr Zeller for his opinion, and as soon as I can get his reply I will lose no time in working it up. Cosmopteryx preangusta. I observed this sitting in great numbers on the trunk of a willow, July 28. I had previously imagined it was confined to poplars. Cosmopleryx pedella, Linn. (angustipennella, Hbn.) One specimen, beaten from an alder, at Brandon, on the 17th of July, by Mr. Dunning: another specimen is in the collection of Mr. Edleston. Cosmopteryx Lienigiella, Z. Two specimens in Mr. H. Doubleday’s collection, taken at Yaxley, in June. This is a most beautiful new species; and I should have despaired of describing it so as to be recognized, but as Zeller has done so I cannot do better than translate his description, which is in the Isis, 1846, p. 298. “This very beautiful little insect was only once taken by Mme. Lienig. It is somewhat larger than pedella, and has as slender-pointed anterior wings as Ziegler- ella, with which it is also nearest allied in this genus. Head and thorax loam-yellow, darker than the anterior wings, the former with three fine white long lines, of which the two side ones pass close by the eyes to the antennz ; the medial one passes also along the thorax. Antenne brownish, the basal joint very long, at the end thickened like a club, with a fine white long line on the fore side. Lower part of the face white. Palpi as long as the head and thorax together, thin, curved outwardly, shining whitish, externally yellow-brown; the second joint slightly thickened at the end, somewhat shorter than the terminal joint. Tongue scaled above. Legs silky yellow- ish, the-anterior on the light side yellow-brown. Hinder tibie rather thin, scantily haired, before the apex brownish, at the apex with a tuft of whitish hairs. Abdomen gray, on the sides of the rings with silvery white scales. Anal flap large, rounded, externally clothed with yellowish hair-scales. Belly whitish. Anterior wings loam- yellow, on the inner margin very narrowly white as far as the cilia: on the costa a fine white line arises at the base, which soon turns inwards, and is hardly a fourth of the length of the wing: an equally fine white straight line, arising from the middle of the base, reaches rather further, and beneath its apex is a white longitudinal little streak: beyond the half of the wing the costa is again coloured white narrowly: be- yond the middle of the wing two unequal gold shining lines enclose a pale orange- yellow fascia, rather expanded towards the costa; the first has on the fascia, above and below, a deep bldck spot: not far beyond this begins a rather thick white long line, which reaches through the apex of the wing to the end of the cilia: the cilia of the costa are white, the remainder yellowish gray. The gray posterior wings are — much thinner than in pedella: the under-side shining gray. The margins of the anterior wings are (the costa first from the middle) narrowly whitish, which gradually expands, so that the apex of the wing is only run through by a long gray streak.” Cosmopteryx Pinicolella, Z. (Isis, 1839, p. 210). “ Anterior wings bone-yellow, with a distinct brown spot at the anal angle, and generally a faint one before the middle.” Also new to this country. One specimen taken by Mr. Bedell, on the 2754 Inseets. evening of July 13th, “somewhere between Sydenham bridge and the sign-post marked ‘Bee Hive.’” Two specimens taken by Mr. Douglas, at Wickham and Mickleham, from firs, at the end of June. H. T. Srarnron. Mountsfield, Lewisham, February, 1850. (To be continued). Entomological Revelations.— I have for some years maintained that we have very few really rare species of Lepidoptera, yet the word rare is in great request, and is used as the most powerful lever that can be applied to force insects to change their place in one cabinet for a vacant place in another. It is an important object to as- certain what leads to the reported rarity of any given species, and I shall therefore glance at some of those species which have been honoured with this reputation for rarity. The extraordinary success of Mr. Weaver at Rannoch is familiar to all ento- mologists: in 1847 I visited this celebrated locality, and on the very day of my arrival I took Hadena rectilinea, Anarta cordigera, Anarta menalopa, and Acronycta Eu- phorbiz, as well as three specimens of Geometra carbonaria. I found that large blocks of granite were the favourite resting places of A. Euphorbie and A. cordigera, and in such localities I succeeded in taking above eighty specimens of the former: the pupa-cases, as well as the perfect insects, were on these granite blocks: of the lat- ter I took but twenty-seven, as they are extremely wary, taking flight at the least alarm, and when on the wing flying with wonderful rapidity. Of Geometra carbo- naria I met with four specimens only: I believe the season was rather past for them, it being the first week in June. On the very highest and most exposed summits of the hills I captured twenty-seven of Anarta melanopa, starting them up from among the Lycopodia which ‘abound in such situations. This species is not difficult to ap- proach, and is very partial to the wild thyme. Having found a specimen of H. recti- linea on the heath, I sugared for this species, and eventually succeeded in taking above eighty of them. I may here observe that very few species were attracted by the sugar: Hadena adusta and Pisi, Rusina tenebrosa, Acronycta Euphorbiz, a species of Tri- phena and Xylophasia polyodon were all that occurred, the first of these in profusion. On some of the western hills I took a pair of a new Scopula. On Schehallion I was fortunate enough to meet with Psodos trepidaria about three quarters of the way up the mountain. I saw them settling on black stones that looked liked smoked lime- stone, and I observed that they got on the shady side of the stones, the sun being in- tensely hot; with this rare species I succeeded in filling a hundred bowes. On the very summit of Schehallion, just by the beacon erected by the Ordnance Survey, I took a pair of Anarta melanopa. In the Black Forest I took plenty of the beautiful Coc- eyx cosmophorana flying round young pines in:company with C. coniferana: here I also met with three specimens of Tinea picarella on an old lichen-covered stump. Ia the Pass of Killicrankie I took a pair Coccyx lunulana flying in the sunshine. On leaving Rannoch I took about two dozen specimens of Speranza sylvaria. In the Isle of Arran I took twenty-eight specimens of Plusia interrogationis in three days, and no less than forty of Charissa obfuscaria in one day. Subsequently, at Carlisle, I took Insects. D759 Noctua depuncta and Dahlii by sugaring; the latter. wasa complete pest, and of the former one hundred and twenty specimens were taken: this insect was lately doubted as British, and four specimens only had been heard of. Again, I must allude to Mr. Dunning’s capture of Agrophila sulphurea, and still more lately that of Polia Liche- nea by my friend, Dr. Nelson, in such extraordinary profusion. I much wish some of your other correspondents would favour your readers with their views on this interest- ing subject, more especially with regard to the Bombycide.—J. B. Hodgkinson, 12, Friday Street, Preston, January 8, 1850. {I am much pleased to observe the spirit of liberality thus evinced in making known the abundance of insects supposed to be rare. I hope Mr. Hodgkinson will send me up a few boxes of Anarta melanopa, Psodos trepidaria, &c., and Dr. Nelson of Polia Lichenea for distribution among entomological callers: as I have no collec- tion of any kind I cannot use them as levers, but will give a series to every applicant. Edward Newman). On the Identity of Tortrix Penziana of Thunberg with Cnephasia bellana of Curtis. By James Francis StepHens, Esq., F.L.S. In the dissertation on the insects of Sweden, by Becklin, under the presidency of Thunberg,—known by the title of Thunberg’s ‘Insecta Suecica,—a rare work, of which I fortunately possess a copy, the following description appears in page 43 :— “ Tortrix Penziana: Alis albis fusco-irroratis : fasciis tribus obliquis articulatis nigris. “ Habitat in Suecie meridionalibus Provinciis. Consiliar. D. Pentz. “ Tortrice Rosana paulo major et magis oblonga. “ Ale antice oblonge, obtuse supra albz lineolis fuscis irrorate; fascia tres ob- lique, atre, subarticulate articulis quadratis. Subtus fusce, immaculate, ciliate. Ale postice supra fusce, subtus albide margine exteriori fusco maculate.” A plate accompanies the essay, on which a figure of the insect is depicted (t. 2, f.1). The above was published in December, 1791. In 1796 Hubner commenced his beautiful ‘ Europaischer Schmetterlinge, and about 1799 plate 14 of his Tinee appeared, with a figure (No. 85) of an insect called Penziana, but, as usual, without any authority being cited. From that period till 1816 no further notice of the name occurs in all the very numerous authorities which I have consulted upon the point, not by the slovenly habits of investigation of referring to the mere indexes, but by patiently wading through the respective pages. In that year Hubner published his ‘ Verzeichniss, &c. (an arranged index to his great work), in which he refers hts Penziana—which does not accord with Thunberg’s —to the conspersana of the Wien. Verz., thus characterized, &c.,.by Fabricius in his Ent. Syst. (vol. iii. p. 266), 1794 :— “P. alis anticis niveis maculis atomisque nigris sparsis. “ Wien. Verz. 130, 14. “ Habitat in Austria Mus. Dom. Schieffermyller. “Magna. Ale antice nivee maculis parvis atomisque innumeris nigris. Postice cinereex. Corpus niveum.” This description is too indefinite to agree either with Hubner’s or Thunberg’s in- sects, and Treitschke entirely omits any reference thereto. Again, neither Fabricius 2756 Insects. in the place above cited, Iliger in his revision of the Wien. Verz. (two vols. 8vo. 1801), nor Charpentier and Zinc-Somers in their remarks on the insects contained in the Schieffermyller collection (1821), refer to either of the figures in question: in fact Thunberg’s insect is totally lost sight of by a// subsequent writers to the present day, excepting my reference thereto in the ‘Systematic Catalogue,’ in 1829, and Zetterstedt, in his ‘ Fauna Lapponica, in 1840. A few months previously to the publication of the Catalogue I obtained from Weaver a pair of the insect in question, with uninterrupted fasciz on the upper wings, as in Curtis’s figure (pl. 100, 1826), and which I imme- diately identified therewith: remembering, however, the figure and description in Thunberg, I compared them with the insects, and should have been perfectly satisfied with their identity had it not been for the integrity of the fascie: hence I placed a ? to the reference. Subsequently I have procured a series of the insect, which—like the majority of the Tortricide—is very variable, and am confirmed in my opinion that they are identical with Thunberg’s, which, moreover, is a northern species. Duponchel, in his vol xi. (vi. Nocturnes), t. 256, f. 1, a, b (1834), introduces two figures as the Penziana of Hubner: one of these Guenée considers synonymous therewith, and probably with trifasciana of Fabricius; the other he refers to his Diurneana, which again is now supposed to be identical with bellana; but in his (Guenée’s) definition of the upper wings the words “ fusco, nigro, flaveologue inductis” occur, which last colour seems to cast a doubt upon the point. Curtis considers his —or rather Haworth’s MSS.—octomaculana (of which insect, till very recently, I had only once had a casual view) as “ considerably like, if not identical with, Hubner’s Penziana, t. 14, f. 85.’ —(Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1850, p. 112). This last fact sufficiently elucidates the difficulty of the subject; which is further corroborated by Guenée saying, in reference to his Diurneana, “Cum Penziana (Hubner’s) confusa, Synonymiaque feré inextricabilis.” From the above remarks the reader may be enabled to judge how far caprice in- duced me to restore Thunberg’s original name, applied in honour of his friend Pentz ; the total neglect of which, by subsequent writers, has thus formed the basis of a fal- laceous theory much more “ destructive to science” than ignorance, a quality, as above shown, not inapplicable to all parties; which may be further illustrated by the following list of Tortrices, extracted from the ‘ Insecta Suecica,’ of which no subse- quent writer—excepting, in part, Zetterstedt, in the work above noticed, in 1840— has taken notice. Pars 1. 1784. Pars 111. 1791. p- 19. purpurana. p. 43. Penziana.* » montiniana. » Rhenana.* », Osbeckiana.* p. 44. fimbriana.* p- 20. scriptana. » Hirundana.* p- 21. Westriniana.* p- 45. Greenlandiana.* p- 22. Gyllenhahliana.* » Halliana.* p- 23. retusana. » grossana, » ferrugana. 5 punctana. p. 24. lunana = probably Walkerana. * Of these species there are figures, Insects. 2757 Some of these names will, I fear, sadly perplex the advocates of what may not be inaptly termed the mononimique system of Micro-Lepidopterous nomenclature,—as we certainly have purpurana, scriptana, retusana, fimbriana and grossana, applied respectively to very different insects from those bearing the names in question in our catalogues ; and I strongly suspect that lunana will, by the advocates of either system, supersede Walkerana, the now-called prodromana, on the score of priority, as the lu- nana of Fabricius (an East Indian insect) was not described till 1794. J. F. SvEPHENs. ' Eltham Cottage, Brixton Road, March 2, 1850. A few Words on Tortrix pygmeana of Haworth.—Justice to the memory of my late friend Haworth impels me to state that his example of Tortrix pygmzana, now in my possession,—although in beautifully perfect condition as far as regards the size,—is wholly destitute of head and legs, caused apparently from the original bad pinning of the specimen, which was the one whence Wood's figure (No. 1136) of the insect was designed, and a careful investigator might have readily ascertained the same by a reference to Haworth’s work. My original specimen, caught in Darenth Wood, above thirty years since, is in a still worse plight, wanting an upper wing and the abdomen, as well as head and legs. I possess, however, one recently-captured spe- cimen—from Darenth also—in fine condition, which well exhibits its divisional cha- racters.—J. F’. Stephens; Eltham Cottage, Brixton Road, March 2, 1850. Entomology of 1721.—The following extract is from Bradley’s ‘ Works of Nature, 1721, Mr. Dandridge observes that there “are gradual alterations from a perfect moth to the bee kind; and indeed, if we examine the 26th plate, taken from his ca- binet, we may observe a just progression from one to the other. The antennz of all are alike, and their bodies are just different enough to be distinguished from one ano- ther, bearing about the same proportions of difference that a horse does to a mule and a mule to an ass. The wings are four in each, those of the moth (Macroglossa stellatarum) feathered all over: next to which is a degree of moth with transparent wings, feathered only about one-fourth part (Sesta fuciformis). The third with wings like the second, but thinly feathered on the edges (Sesia bombyliformis). And lastly, the humble bee (Apis terrestris), whose wings have no feathers; and so I doubt not but we might proceed as gradually through the bees, wasps, and Ichneumon kinds of flies, and such as have only two wings.” Plate 26 of the above work contains figures of the moths named, very fairly executed.— Edmund Sheppard ; Arundel House, Ful- ham, February 13, 1850. Habitat of Nomada armata.—Mvx. Stevens informs me that the precise locality where he captured the above-named bee was in Buckland Wood, South Devon, near Spitchwick Park. Mr. Curtis has been misinformed respecting the unique Devon- shire specimens in the British Museum, that is if he confines his remark to the Hymenoptera. I observed at page liii of the Appendix to the last volume that I had had the pleasure of confirming the right of some of the unique Devonshire specimens to be considered indigenous. It is possible that some of the unique specimens may VIII R 2758 Insects. not be British species ; but I think it will prove to be so ‘only in cases where no lo- eality is given, and no doubt such have by accident been placed there.—Frederick Smith ; 11, Constitution Row, Gray's Inn Road, February, 1850. Do Bees always select a Residence prior to Swarming ?—In the ‘ Zoologist” for November (Zool. 2613) is a note from Mr. Green, intended to show that bees do not always select a residence prior to swarming. As applied to after-swarms there can be no doubt of this: indeed if there be any doubt upon the subject, it is whether such swarms ever select a residence; but as respects prime swarms, I have as little doubt that they do generally, if not uniformly, make such a selection. The late T. A. Knight, Esq., devoted much time, in several successive years, to ascertain this point, and felt assured that prime swarms invariably selected their future residence; and this opinion is quite in accordance with my own experience. Whether the providence shown by prime swarms, and the improvidence of after-swarms, may be attributed to the first having the circumspection of an old queen,—as apparently shown under some other circumstances,—whereas the last are accompanied by queens that are only a few days old, of course cannot be affirmed, though it seems very probable. The first issue mentioned by Mr. Green I conceive to have been an after-swarm: on the second there may be some doubt; but if it should turn out to have been a prime’ swarm, I should judge that there had been some previous friendly intercourse between the two neighbouring stocks—Hdward Bevan, M.D.; Hereford, January 22, 1850. Increase and Decrease in Weight of a Hive of Bees.—The very interesting state- ment of the increase and decrease of a hive of bees, given by Mr. Fox (Zool. 2680), induced me to contrast it with a similar one made and entered in my diary during the latter period of time given in his chart, viz., from the 18th of June to the 12th of July. A very fine swarm rose in my apiary on the first-named date, consisting of 5 tbs. of bees, which were put into a hive of beautiful clean combs. I weighed them at longer intervals of time, and not daily as Mr. Fox did his hive. My apparatus is portable and convenient for weighing, but as the steelyards are used I cannot come nearer than }ib. Both the hives were prepared with combs; and the following tabular statement will show the gain of each hive, according to the dates which I have taken. Mr. Fox's hive. Ids. oz. Tbs. oz. Increase from June 18 to 23 inclusive ......... 5 0O 215 4 » 24t028 4 siren dete ia 312 rE » 29 Sines na oye a ae Bs » 30 to Julyl,, sigeveane Sete O 1 4 5 July 2 to 8 es eatasenerd eae 3 0 “ aye eee Pen 1) » 10 = 5, 10 to 12 = aatherle 2. 'G Clear gain of each hive from June aa 293 8 1. i to July 12... ..secesceseesescsecreree The gross weight of my hive, on the 12th of July, was 333 Ibs.: it was not weighed again until the 24th of August (when it was 273 Ibs.), about the time I usually take the weight for stocks. There is one striking feature given in Mr. Fox’s table, which I think principally accounts for the difference of weight: his had sent out two fine oO LL Sig ae ee = Insects. 2759 swarms, the second one six days previous to my swarm rising, which would mate- rially diminish the number of working bees in the stock for some time. Indeed this statement clearly shows that the gain was very trifling for some days after, although the weather was fair: it also proves that when the season is genial for breeding, and productive in honey, a hive, after sending out two swarms, although not very early, can get a sufficiency of store to make an excellent stock for the next year. Doubtless much depends on the locality where bees are kept, and very much on the seasons.— John Green ; Melbourne, Derbyshire, March 5, 1850. Notes on the Stylopide.—It is worthy of remark that every one of the specimens that I have seen labelled “Stylops Dalii,’"—excepting my own and those I gave to the British Museum and Mr. Curtis,—are not that species. It is perhaps difficult to distinguish the different species of Stylops properly, but S. Dalii is quite clear at the base of the wings: moreover, there is a difference in the outline of the wings. S. Dalii is only bred from Andrena labialis; whereas the others I have seen have the base of the wings dark, and were bred from Andrena convexiuscula. I suspect the same species does not infest different species of bees. I incline to think that the specimens of Halictophagus which I have taken belong to different species: the Port- land specimen, which was unluckily nearly deprived of its antennz in getting it into the quill, has the nervules or wing-bones much darker and stouter than the others; besides the dates of the capture are very different. I had a fourth in my net, not far from this place, but lost it owing to the wind, which turned the net inside out just at the time I had nearly got it into the quill: this specimen appeared to be smaller than either of the others. I have more than once found Halicti infested with Stylopide, and this circumstance induced me to give the name of Halictophagus to the genus. —J. C. Dale; Glanville’s Wootton, January 8, 1850. On setting different species of Earwigs—Sometimes when rough methods fail, gentler means succeed: this I found to be the case in setting the wings of Labia minor. I first gum the body on a card, setting out the legs and antenne; then I blow the wings out on a small globule of water on each side, and, when they are nicely expanded, draw off the water. The wings of Labidura gigantea I have found to be much more delicate, and smaller in proportion, than those of Forficula auricu- laria, although not quite so delicate as those of Labia minor.—Zd. The Earwig (Forficula auricularia) known to use its Wings.—I observe you say (Zool. 2695) that the common earwig is not known to use its wings. I have had ocular proof to the contrary more than once, by the capture of it by moonlight, at the time I was visiting the trees where I had placed sugar to take moths. I found few moths come when the moon shone; but wasps, hornets, earwigs, Scolopendre, Cara- bus exasperatus, and other smaller Carabide and also other Coleoptera, Acrida varia, Phryganee, Perle, &c. In the day-time I have seen flies innumerable, and also butterflies,—as Vanessa Atalanta, &c.,—and I once saw a fine specimen of V. Antiopa which had been taken on an empty sugar hogshead, in the town of Bridgwater. I formerly asked the late Mr. House if he had ever seen the common earwig on the wing, and he assured me in the affirmative.—Id. [I can feelingly corroborate Mr. Dale’s observation as to the earwigs being at- tracted by the sugar. Night after night I have found my sugarings covered with earwigs, and nothing else; but I always supposed these insects had crawled up the trunks. I shall be much obliged for more communications on this subject.—£. N.] 2760 Insects—Quadrupeds. Appearance of the Locust at Bristol—I think that Bristol remains still unnum- bered among the numerous localities mentioned in the ‘ Zoologist’ as having been visited by the locust during the autumns of 1847 and 1848: it may, therefore, be worth recording that a specimen was brought me on the 19th of October last, which had been captured in Bristol a few days previously : it was much exhausted, and only lived a short time.—P. H. Vaughan; Redland, Bristol, January 28, 1850. Libellule accompanying a Ship at Sea—* We did not remain long enough at the Mauritius to allow us to collect anything of interest: our vessel picked up (apparently there) three Libellule, which remained about us for at least three weeks, hawking, during the sunshine, for flies about the sides of the vessel. I could not succeed in catching one of them.’—Exztract of a Letter dated “ Peradema, Ceylon, January 14, 1850,” from G. H. K. Thwaites, Esq., to W. Spence, Esq. Wild Cats in Britain.—In answer to your inquiry (Zool. 2721) whether I believe we have two species of wild Felis or not in Britain, I must say I believe not; and ought to have said in my communication (as I had intended) that many, if not the most, of what are said to be wild cats, are nothing more than the domestic cat having become such: the one I mentioned as having been obtained here, and which I called Felis maniculata, I believe to be nothing else. To my knowledge there have been three got near this place, which I have examined, and think they were the domestic cat become wild: they all varied considerably in colour: the largest was black and white, and was shot by a friend of mine when out woodcock shooting; but none of them were like the one I have from Wales, which is now mounted, and is in appear- ance every way a different animal. It was this impression that led me to call that got here Felis maniculata, not having seen anything sufficiently strong to overturn the hypothesis of Temminck, that the species discovered by Rippell in Nubia was the stock from which our domestic species was descended.—Joseph Duff ; Bishop Auckland, March 11, 1850. Curious Instinct in a Dog.—About a fortnight since, Henry Tuckett, of Frenchay, was returning home, when he was arrested near the Stapleton Turnpike by the eries of some women, whom two savage and half-drunken fellows were attempting to as- sault. He immediately went to their assistance, and rescued them, and kindly offered them his protection to Frenchay: they thankfully accepted the offer, but were followed by the ruffians, who threatened and abused them and Mr. Tuckett, and would no doubt, but for that gentleman’s firmness, have repeated the assault. Mr. Tuckett had one of them apprehended and punished by the magistrates at Lawford’s Gate, but the other escaped. The singular part of the story, however, is, that since that night, a fine large retriever of his neighbour’s, Mr. Wadham, has attached itself to “Mr. Tuckett, and invariably accompanies him to Bristol and back, at whatever hour of the day or night he may leave, and will not upon those occasions follow any of the family to which it belongs. The dog does not stay at Mr. Tuckett’s, nor does it see him leave the village, though, by some mysterious instinct, it ascertains the fact, and overtakes him on the road, often long after he has left. Whatever stay he makes in town, it will stay with him, and remain for hours outside the door of any friend he ee Quadrupeds. 2761 has been visiting, steadily awaiting his re-appearance, to conduct him home, always ‘keeping near him, and particularly at night, when the footsteps of any one are heard approaching. It is still more curious that, previous to the assault alluded to, the dog used to growl at Mr. Tuckett, who had once punished it for fighting with a small terrier of his own. It would seem as if the animal was impelled by some unaccount- able instinct to defend Mr. T. from a threatened danger.—Communicated by Dr. Hodgkin. Curious Act in a Dog.—Myx. James Reeve, floor-cloth manufacturer, formerly of Little Tichfield Street, about sixty years since had occasion to call at a relation’s in the City Road, and from thence to some part of Hoxton, to settle a large account in the way of business. Somewhere near Finsbury Square a dog suddenly fawned about him, which he endeavoured to drive off, but failed in his efforts; when passing a dead wall, a few minutes after, the dog began to growl, and made a sudden stop under a lamp fixed to the wall, and in the shadow he saw a man standing in a very suspicious manner ; and a few yards further on, under the next lamp, the dog acted in the same manner, and Mr. Reeve in the gloom saw a second man in the same posture as the first: he did not think much of the occurrence at the time. When he reached Hox- ton the party was from home, and he was unable to pay the money: the dog returned with him to near the place where he first saw him, and disappeared. Some weeks after, a man who had occasionally been employed by Mr. Reeve sent an urgent mes- sage to him from Newgate, where he was lying under sentence of death for a burglary : . when Mr. R. went, this man informed him that the night he went to pay the money himself and a confederate intended to waylay and rob him, but seeing the dog pre- vented them, as it appeared so ferocious. The dog was a common-looking dark mongrel, about the size of a large terrier.—Id. The supposed new Mammal (Zool. 2676).—I have carefully examined the animal sent by Dr. Morris for my opinion, and I am convinced that it is only a common stoat. It cannot be a young polecat or pine marten which had lost its long hair, because the teeth are well formed, and agree exactly with those of the stoat, and are much smaller than those of a young polecat or pine marten. It has no relation to the otter; and, indeed, differs so little from the usual appearance of the stoat in change of fur, that T am satisfied if my friend Mr. Tomes had had an opportunity of examining the spe- cimen, he would have seen that it had no affinity to the genus Lutra. There is no ground whatever for believing it a hybrid—Mr. Gray, of the British Museum, in a letter to Professor Bell. The supposed new Animal described by Dr. Morris.—As 1 have hazarded some erroneous opinions on this subject, I now venture a few remarks in vindication of my ignorance. My observations were based on the description given of the animal in a proof sheet forwarded to me by Mr. Newman, and were not at the time intended for publication: however, that gentleman thought the dimensions there given of some of the British Mustelide, from fresh specimens, worthy of insertion, - and in due time therefore they appeared. In the winter of 1846-7 an unusual num- ber of the stoat occurred in the white or ermine fur, and I procured nearly a dozen, more or less in that state, for the purpose of examining closely the change of fur. Having thus made a tolerably close acquaintance with the species, I do not believe I should have made so great a mistake had an opportunity occurred of inspecting the specimen described as something extraordinary.—Robert F. Tomes ; Welford, Strat- ford-on-Avon, February 20, 1850. 2762 Quadrupeds. The supposed new Mammal.—As to the true nature of the animal, I confess myself at a loss. My impression was, at first looking at it, that it was a young marten; and I still cannot help having some leaning to that opinion: certainly not a stoat ; as certainly having no relation to the otter; for I think nothing of the supposed webbed foot. The mark on the throat and the size of the ears are in favour of its being a marten, and its young condition, shown by your observations as to the immaturity of the teeth, is some- what confirmatory of the same solution: but the tail and the general character of the fur do not appear to admit of it. Then comes the question how far hybridism can explain the difficulty. This is extremely rare in wild Mammalia; indeed I do not know a well-authenticated instance. Whether any of the asserted cases of female domestic cats impregnated by the true wild cat are true or not, it would be very difficult to prove ; and in this case, again, one of them is not in a wild state. The subject appears to me to be beset with difficulties, and not one of the hypotheses strikes me as being free from doubt. I am ashamed of so unsatisfactory a reply to your wish for my opinion, but I cannot really come nearer to a decisive judgment on an isolated fact, without either experience or analogy to guide.—Professor Bell, in a letter to Dr. Morris. [Three zoologists, whose names I cannot publish without their consent, have given opinions precisely corresponding with Mr. Gray’s. Ifa doubt still exist on this sub- ject, why not institute a rigorous comparison between the bones of the supposed novelty and those of an ordinary stoat ?—EHdward Newman]. Is the Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) ever Carnivorous ?—In reply to your inquiry about the squirrel, I am decidedly of opinion that it is not carnivorous. I related the anecdote to you exactly as I received it from the mouth of a keeper in the employ- ment of an uncompromising preserver of game, at whose hands all other “ fowls of the air and creeping things” find but little mercy, and squirrels and stoats are in- cluded in the same black list. You may remember my remark that his (the keeper's) statement ought to be received cum grano salis. I have since probed the matter to the quick, and submitted the Jack-in-office to a careful cross-examination, the result of which is a perfect conviction on my part that his story was a pure invention of the brain, got up at the moment as a conclusive argument to repel my attempted vindi- cation of his little victims, several of which, recently killed, were lying about the gravel-walks in all stages of decomposition (for the ferret-hutch had been already glutted, and there was no room on the gable end of the barn for another culprit). My expostulations, I grieve to say, have been equally fruitless with master and man. In the extensive and thickly-wooded district to which I refer, the species may survive for many years, in spite of all this persecution. The real offence is the nibbling off the upper shoots of the Scotch fir, during seasons of dearth and scarcity ; a plausible casus belli is thus established against it, and every other crime, possible and impossi- ble, is laid to its charge. ‘‘ The wish is father to the thought:” the keeper is sure to have a finger in the pie; he is a ready witness against the accused; and, under such -circumstances, a functionary of this description would almost (except for certain legal terrors, and it may be conscientious scruples) rather shoot a child than spare a squir- rel. That some of the Rodentia will occasionally indulge in animal food there can be no doubt: the rat is a familiar example; but I firmly believe that the squirrel rarely or never exhibits carnivorous propensities. As to the conduct of animals when kept in confinement, their nature becomes so completely altered by durance vile and the ignorance or neglect of their captors, that it can never be considered a fair index Quadrupeds. 2763 to their habits in a state of nature. If half-a-dozen field mice were put into a cage, and left without food for a couple of days, the weakest would be devoured by the others ; and if the cruel experiment were prolonged, the same result would follow, until none survived but the strongest individual of the party. Under nearly similar circumstances, even civilized man himself has become a cannibal! That the squir- rel may—during long, dry summers, when the verdure of the woods and on the sur- face of the earth has been parched by the burning sun, when the dead leaves of the previous year have been all explored over and over again for acorns and beechmast, and not another nut remains—have occasionally been detected in the act of devouring the eggs, or even the unfledged young of a small bird, is just possible; although after much patient observation and diligent inquiry, I am bound to say that I have seen nothing of the sort, nor met with a single well-authenticated instance of the kind. I quite agree with Mr. Waterton in his opinion of the harmlessness of this charming little quadruped. After commenting with just severity on the remarks of a writer who had pronounced the squirrel to be carnivorous, from having seen one partake of meat. when in a state of confinement, that accurate and agreeable author records— among several similar instances which had come under his own notice—that of a common fowl devouring flesh. I have myself met with something nearly analogous in the same bird. On the 8th of April, 1847, I was walking with two friends through a farm-yard, in this county, when I observed a large barn-door hen in the act of killing a full-sized frog, by dashing it against the ground, in the same manner as a thrush would perform the operation on a worm or slug: she made several ineffectual attempts to gorge it while yet alive, her appetite being apparently whetted by the in- terference of an old cock, who was indefatigable in his efforts to dispossess her of the prize, which she on her part endeavoured to baffle, by leading him a difficult chase through hurdles, ladders and waggon-wheels, over an ocean of straw, until I lost sight of her as she attempted to evade her pursuer by “ an artful dodge” round the corner of a distant pig-sty. Should we conclude from this that the common fowl is habitually a frog-devourer? Far from it. This is but the exception that proves the rule; and surely it would be equally unjust to condemn the poor squirrel to destruction for an occasional peccadillo. The list of our indigenous quadrupeds is already too restricted to admit of his extermination; and I, for one, earnestly pray that the day may be far distant when the eye of the British naturalist is no longer to be gladdened by the contemplation of his beautiful form and his merry bounds: then indeed will our woods and forests be deprived of one of their greatest ornaments.—A. #. Knox ; Petworth, February 8, 1850. Variety of the Common or House Mouse (Mus musculus).—A few months since there were sent to me, from the town of Elgin, in which they were caught, three living mice, which at first view presented so very singular an appearance that it might have induced one to think he had met with at least a new species. On a closer inspection, however, they turned out to be but a variety of the common or house mouse, a variety far rarer, I believe, than the albino or white mice. The whole bodies of these three little creatures were completely naked,—as destitute of hair and as fair and smooth as a child’s cheek. There was nothing peculiar about the snout, whiskers, ears, lower half of the legs and tail; all of which had hair of the usual length and colour. They had eyes as bright and dark as in the common variety. One of the three escaped: the other two, after living for some weeks in an old grape vase, died,—apparently 2764 Birds. from cold, although surrounded by plenty of dry moss and a variety of food. At least two others were killed in the same house where these were found.—G. Gordon ; Birnie, March, 1850. Golden Eagle.—Mr. Argent has just received for preservation, for the Bishop of Oxford, a magnificent specimen of the golden eagle, trapped on Lord Breadalbane’s Scotch estates —Edward Newman. Occurrence of the Osprey (Falco halizétos) near Colchester.—Mr. Argent has re- ceived for preservation a fine specimen of the osprey, shot near Colchester about the middle of January last: it is the property of J. W. Egerton Green, Esq.—ZJd. Occurrence of the Osprey at Hartlepool_—Dr. Canney, of this place, has just re- ceived a fine female specimen of the osprey, taken on board a ship at Hartlepool, in an extremely exhausted state, during the late storm.—Joseph Duff; Bishop Auck- land, February 9, 1850. Occurrence of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) at Selborne.—On the 22nd of December last I was walking from Empshott towards Selborne with two friends,— both field-ornithologists, and one a remarkably swre one,—when a fine male peregrine falcon crossed the road before us, perhaps about sixty or eighty yards off, as if coming from a fine wooded hill called Nore Hill. You will remember how much Gilbert White was interested about the peregrine which was shot and sent to him by one of the keepers at Wolmer Forest: the place where we saw the peregrine mentioned above was about three miles from that forest.—Thomas Bell; 17, New Broad Street, February 9, 1850. A tame Male Kestrel pairing with a wild Female.— About four years ago my children procured a young kestrel, which, when able to fly, I persuaded them to give its liberty: it never left the place, but became attached to them. In the spring of the following year we missed Billy (as he was christened) for nearly a week, and thought he had been shot; but one morning I observed him soaring about with ano- ther of his species, which proved to be a female. They paired and laid several eggs in an old dove-cote, about a hundred yards from the Rectory ; but that season being disturbed, as I thought, by some white owls, the eggs were never hatched. The next spring Billy again brought a mate: they again built, and reared a nest of young ones. Last year they did the same; but some mischievous boys took the young ones when just ready to fly. This year Billy has again brought his mate, and they have established themselves in the same quarters. Billy, though in every respect a wild bird as to his habits in the fields, and flying away at the approach of a stranger, is quite at home with my children. He comes every day to the nursery window, and when it is opened will come into the room and perch upon the chairs or table, and sometimes upon the heads of the little ones, who always save a piece of meat for him. His mate will sometimes venture to come within a yard or two of the house, to watch for Billy when he comes out of the room with his meat: she will then give chase, and try to make him drop it, both of them squealing and chattering, to our great amusement. During the time of incubation Billy takes his turn on the nest, and when the young are hatched comes two or three times a day for food. When the Birds. 2765 breeding season is over, the female departs, but the male never leaves us; indeed he is so attached to the children, that if we leave home for a time he is seldom seen; but as soon as we return, and he hears the voices of his little friends calling him by name, he comes flying over the fields, squealing with joy to see them again. He is now so well known amongst the feathered tribes of the neighbourhood that they take no notice of him, but will sit upon the same tree with him: even the rooks appear quite friendly. I never saw Billy attempt to catch a bird, but the large black beetles and cockchafers are a favorite food with him in summer.—Henry R. Crewe ; Breadsall Rectory, Derby, March 4, 1850. Occurrence of the Goshawk (Falco palumbarius) in Northumberland.—An imma- ture male goshawk was killed in the vicinity of Bellingham, North Tyne, in October last.—T. J. Bold ; 42, Bigg Market, Newcastle-on-Tyne, February 8, 1850. Occurrence of the Snowy Owl (Strix nyctea) in Norfolk.i—A specimen of the snowy owl was shot at Beeston, near Cromer, on the 22nd of January. It is a male _ bird, apparently of last year. This is the second instance, within a few years, of this species occurring in the parish of Beeston. The readers. of the ‘ Zoologist’ will perhaps also recollect the occurrence of an adult gyrfalcon, not very long since, at the same place.—J. H. Gurney ; Easton, Norfolk, February 1, 1850. Oceurrence of the Snowy Owl in Norfolk.—Another specimen of the snowy owl has lately occurred in this county, having been killed at St. Faith’s about the end of February. It was a male bird, and apparently an older specimen than the one already recorded as having been killed at Beeston. These two specimens, together with ano- ther which was seen, but not shot, about six months since, at Swannington, make together three instances—in the course of half a year—of the occurrence of this rare bird in this county.—Jd. ; March 13, 1850. Tengmalm’s Owl (Strix Tengmalmi) killed near Marsden, Durham.—A specimen of the rare Tengmalm’s owl was killed on the sea-coast near Marsden, in these 1848.—T. J. Bold; February 8, 1850. Varieties of the Blackbird (Turdus merula).—In the beginning of December, 1849, a pair of blackbirds were shot in Happyland Garden, near this place; the cock _ silvery white, without a spot; the hen dirty white, with a few spots of brown on the seapulars.—Joseph Duff; Bishop Auckland, February, 1850. 4 Note on the Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris).—On looking over my notes of last year, I find that I saw a flock of fieldfares as late as the 6th of May.— William Bond ; Frog Island, Leicester, March 15, 1850. Occurrence of the Black Redstart (Sylvia Tithys) in Torbay.—A female black red- start was shot, in November last, on Goodrington Sands, by a gentleman who, two years since, procured a male of the same species at the same place.—Alfred Newton ; Thetford, February 2, 1850. Occurrence of the Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia sylviella) near Carlisle,—My friend Mr. J. Barnes killed a specimen of the lesser whitethroat at Rose Hill, near Carlisle: there was a pair of them in company, evidently breeding, during the summer of 1849.» _ This I believe to be a more northern locality than has been before recorded. I was informed by an eminent ornithologist in Cumberland that its occurrence in that county was a great rarity —J. B. Hodgkinson ; 12, Preston Street, Carlisle, March, 1850. Early Appearance of the Chiff-chaff (Sylvia rufa) in Yorkshire, in 1846.—I have i read with much interest some observations on the arrival and departure of migratory ; birds in Oxfordshire, by the Reverends A. and H. Matthews. On comparing their - VIII 8 1 2766 Birds. list during the last ten years with the one I have kept in Yorkshire for nearly a simi: lar period, I am surprised to find that there is so little difference generally in the times of the arrivals of our migratory birds in the respective counties. In one or two in- stances, indeed, we seem to have the advantage. In 1846, these gentlemen record the arrival of the chiff-chaff on the 25th of March; it was an early spring: the little migrant was with us as early as the 7th of the month, repeatedly uttering his simple bitone, in Sir Joseph Copley’s woods, on the banks of the Don. Is there a possibility of the chiff-chaff ever hybernating so far north? The wood warbler appears to arrive later in Oxfordshire than with us: I generally hear his sibilant notes before the 1st of May: in 1848 he appeared in the woods near the Hall on the 20th of April: this, however, is my earliest record. The tree pipit with us invariably arrives in April: Ihave not one date so late as May. The spotted flycatcher I have never noticed before the 5th of May.—Peter Inchbald ; Storthes Hall, Huddersfield, March 8, 1850. : Occurrence of the Fire-crested Regulus (Regulus ignicapillus) near Lewes.—On the | 3rd of last month I obtained a specimen of this bird. The person who brought it to me furnished me with the following particulars respecting its capture: while walking beneath some fir-trees overhanging a turnpike-road in this neighbourhood, he saw the bird fly from the trees and settle on a fence: here it ran about in a manner simi- lar to the common wren, until he put out his hand and caught it—Charles Potter ; Lewes, February 15, 1850. Occurrence of the Crested Tit (Parus cristatus) on Sunderland Moor.—In the second week of January a male specimen of the crested tit was shot on Sunderland Moor, and is now in the possession of Mr. Calvert, of that place.—Joseph Duff ; Bishop Auckland, March 11, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing (Bombycilla garrula) in England.—In the begin- ning of November, 1849, a fine specimen of the waxwing was killed at Stone Chester, near this place: subsequently to this as many as nineteen of these birds have been got in the southern division of this county, the dates of all I cannot give ; one was got near Darlington, and two near Crook in the last week of December; two at Brancepeth, and one at Byers Crem in the second week in January ; one at Shildon ; one near Wal- singham, and two at Bishop Auckland about the 22nd of January ; one on Thursday, the 31st, and one on Friday, February Ist, by Mr. Gornal, of this town, who has seen five that he did not get; I have not heard of more than two having been seen together, except once four by Mr. Gornal. I also understand there have been seven got in the neighbourhood of Stockton, two by Mr. T. Green, five by a person of the name of Hunter, who had received them to stuff, and one near Stanley, a few miles to the north-west, on the 6th of February. In the third week of February two more speci- mens were shot at Spring Gardens, near Bishop Auckland, and a third was seen, but not killed, on the 2nd of March.—Jd. Oceurrence of the Waxwing near Wisbeach.— A flock of about twenty of these rare and beautiful birds was observed in the immediate vicinity of Wis- beach, at the commencement of January, but from inquiries which I have since made, I cannot learn that any specimen was shot until the 10th, and that was an adult male at Upwell, seven miles from this town. Afterwards eight others were shot, viz., one (a male) in Holbeach Marsh, on the 12th; three at Lynn (one male and two females), on the 13th; one at Terrington, on the 18th; one (a male) at Whittlesea, on the 19th, and two near Manea (females), on the 23rd. Seven of the above were sent al ‘ ; Birds. 2767 to me for preservation, and each, on dissection, contained from one to three hips.—J. W. Foster; Curator of the Museum, Wisbeach. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Deal.—In the last week of January a Bohemian waxwing was shot near here. In the first and second weeks of January, 1848, eight were shot.—J. W. Hulke; Deal, February 18, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing in Norfolk.—A specimen of the waxwing was-shot on the 4th or 5th of last month at Tittleshall, near Litcham, in Norfolk; and another was shot a few days later at the same place.— 7. H. Burroughes ; Harrow, February 5, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing at Redcar.—Three specimens of the Bohemian wax- wing were shot in the neighbourhood of Guisboro’, on or abuut the 15th of last month (Januaty).—T. S. Rudd; Redcar, February 5, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Kingsbridge.—I beg to inform you of the oceur- rence of a male specimen of the Bohemian waxwing; it was shot in the parish of Blackawton, near Kingsbridge, Devon, and is now in my possession. — H. Nicholls ; Kingsbridge, January 3, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing, Sc. in Kent.—Several Bohemian waxwings have been shot in different parts of this county lately ; also on or near the coast the water ouzel, the white-tailed eagle, and the black-throated diver.—F. Plomley, M.D. ; Maidstone, Kent, January 16, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing in Scotland.— A beautiful male of this species was shot on the 22nd instant, in the neighbouring parish of Garyald; _holly- berries and a few pieces of quartz were contained in its stomach: another speci- men was shot in this parish (Whittingham) about sixteen years ago. Newspaper reports of this year state that flocks have occurred near Aberdeen ; although it has been shot in many parts of Scotland, it still ranks as a very rare bird. In the statistical account of the parish of Collington, Edinburghshire, see ‘ Walker's ‘ Essays on Natural History, p. 596, it is stated that the bird “ frequents the river-side in winter, though only during the time of severe frost and deep snow :” this notice was probably written about 1791. Dr. Walker was the predecessor of the present incumbent of the Chair of Natural History in Edinburgh; his ‘ Account of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland’ and the work just referred to, are replete with useful information, well worthy of the attention of naturalists, and especially patriotic Scotsmen; a well informed friend assures me, that his MSS. (which ought to have been published by his trustees), should they ever see the light, will give a curious insight into the fauna of Scotland during the period when they were written.— Archibald Hepburn ; Whitting- ham, January, 1850. Occurrence of the Bohemian Waxwing near London. — I have notices of this bird haying been killed last week in many localities round London: Harrow-on-the-Hill, Kilburn (seven specimens), Eltham, Rainham, Wimbledon, &c. I have seen these in the flesh, principally through the kindness of Mr. Gardner.— Edward Newman ; January 22, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. — Five specimens of the waxwing have been killed at the following places in Cambridgeshire: one at Cam- bridge, one at Abington, one at Wicken, and one at Oakington; three others have been killed at Lynn, in Norfolk, and a fourth also in that county.—Frederick Bond ; Kingsbury, January 24, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing at Walthamstow.—Several specimens of the waxwing 2768 Birds. have been shot in and near Walthamstow, on the borders of Epping a Barclay ; Leyton, Essex. Occurrence of the Waxwing at Piddinghoe. all beautiful specimen of this rare bird was shot at the above place last week. It is uninjured, and is now in the posses- sion of a gentleman in this town.—J. B. Ellman; Lewes, February 1, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing in Norfolk.—NSeveral specimens of the Bohemian waxwing have occurred in Norfolk during the past month. As many as twenty-two have been sent for preservation to the Norwich bird-stuffers—J. H. Gurney ; Easton, Norfolk, February 1, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Worcester.—A very good specimen (a young male) of this bird was killed at the village of Ombersley, near here, a few days ago: [ believe it is above sixteen years since one of this bird was seen in this county.— Martin Curtler ; Bevere House, near Worcester, January 24, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing at Newhaven, Sussex.—Two specimens of this very scarce bird have been obtained at the above place during the last month.—J. B. Ellman; Lewes, February 1, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing at Pevensey, Sussex. — Two specimens of this very scarce bird have been obtained at the above place during the past week.—Id. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Preston.—Several specimens of this rare visitant have been killed in this neighbourhood during the past month. I heard of five being killed on the 27th of January; there were six of them in company, feeding upon haw- thorn-berries, near Freckleton: the fortunate sportsman was Mr. W. Cook. — James B. Hodgkinson ; 12, Friday Street, Preston. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Penzance.—As the late severe frost may possibly have brought several of our rarer British bi-ds to observation, and as it may be inte- resting to record the different localities where they may have been observed, I beg to say that I saw a specimen of the chatterer which had been killed about a mile west- ward from this town during the last week : it was in beautiful plumage, with fine wax- like appendages.— Edward Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, January 21, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Stockton-on-Tees.—F our were shot at Ayton (about ten miles south of Stockton), on January 17th, 1850; and during the same week, two at Normanby (seven miles east), one at Wilton (four miles south-west), one at Norton (two miles north), and I have heard of some others having been observed in the neighbourhood, the exact particulars of whose capture 1 have not heen able to ascer- tain. Though the winter has been severe, the waxwing is the only rare visitant that has occurred ; there was during the storm a considerable number of hoopoes about the Tees’ mouth, several of which were shot. — John Grey ; Stockton-on-Tees, February 8, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Godalming.—A female specimen of the waxwing was shot at Hambledon on the 8th of January, and is now in the possession of F. Yate, Esq., of this town.—J. D. Salmon ; Godalming, February 9, 1849. Occurrence of the Waxwing in Northumberland and Durham.—During the severe weather in January last, we were visited by great numbers of the Bohemian waxwing. Specimens have been killed at Kelso, Belford, Hexham, Minsteracres, Prudhoe, Hed- don-on-the-Wall, Eachwick, Ponteland, Jesmond, Carrshill, Ravensworth, Winlaton- Mill, and near Durham. I am informed that several specimens, shot in Westmoreland, have been sent here for preservation.— 7. J. Bold ; 42, Bigg Market, Newcastle-on- Tyne, February 8, 1850. ee 7 Birds. 2769 Occurrence of the Waxwing near Tunbridge Wells—A waxwing was shot at Brenckley, near this place, on January 6th, 1850.— Walter W. Reeves ; Tunbridge Wells, January, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Hull.— About a dozen specimens of ‘the wax- wing chatterer have been obtained in this neighbourhood; three were killed at a single discharge of the gun, at Cottingham, and several more seen. In Holderness they ap- peared in considerable flocks; the stomach of one which was shot there was filled with the seeds of the privet: they were described as making a chattering noise very much in the manner of the magpie.—G. Norman ; Hull. Occurrence of the Waxwing in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Cornwall.— In the third week in January four waxwings were killed at or near Thetford; of these one was killed at Hockham, ‘another at West Harding, and the remaining two in a garden at Thetford ;' these last were remarkable for their very small size and bright co- lours; their sex, however, was not remarked : all these were taken in Norfolk. About the same time, two were killed near Bury Saint Edmund’s, and one at Barton Mills, in Suffolk. Six specimens which have been killed:in Cambridgeshire have come to my knowledge ;. of these two were bought in the Cambridge market, one was killed at Wil- braham, one at Foulburn, one at Cherry Hinton, and the sixth near Grantchester. I am sorry I do not know any of the dates of these occurrences. I have also heard from a friend at Truro, in Cornwall, that one was killed there about the middle of January, and another at or near Penzance during the frost. I very much regret I cannot give the actual dates of all these captures, as it would be interesting to trace the progress of this flight of birds— Alfred Newton ; Thetford, February 9, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing and Black Redstart (Sylvia Tithys) near Liverpool. I beg to inform you that I saw, in a bird-stuffer’s shop, a fresh-killed specimen of the waxwing and black redstart ; the waxwing was shot in Cheshire, and the redstart at Aigburth, near Liverpool, feeding along with a small flock of Montifringilla nivalis, Brehm. — Henry Johnson ; Curator of the Liverpool Royal Institution, January — 23, 1849. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Lewes.—On the 18th of January I obtained a fine specimen of the waxwing, and another was seen at the same time at Tarring, a hamlet joining that of Itford, from whence I obtained the exotic grosbeak, of which I saw a notice in your last month’s journal. I know that several waxwings have been obtained by gentlemen who reside some six or seven miles from this town—Charles Potter ; Lewes, February 15, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing near London, §¢.—Mr. Argent has received four of these birds to preserve for customers: one shot near Chelmsford, one at Clapton, and two at Walthamstow.— Edward Newman. Occurrence of the Waxwing in various localities in Scotland. —I1 beg to state that the late flight of this rare and beautiful bird to our Island was well marked over a wide district in the north of Scotland,—from the Atlantic to the German Ocean. It was observed in the Isle of Sky; two were killed at Aldourie, near Lochness, on the 18th of January; four were seen (two of them killed) at Glen- fernes, on the river Findhorn, on the 12th ; two were killed near Dalvey, a few miles westward of Forres, on the 21st; four were seen at the distillery close by the town of Forres, about the same day ; one was killed in a garden in the outskirts of rhe town of Elgin ; a small flock, of which two were killed, was seen near Innes House, five miles eastward of Elgin, about the 14th; and the ‘ North of Scotland Gazette’ mentions 2770 Birds. that not less than five were shot near Aberdeen about the 12th of the same month. I have little doubt but future inquiry will show that these strangers were met with, about the commencement and during the continuance of the late severe weather, in many intermediate stations of this lengthened line.—G. Gordon ; Birnie. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Whalley. — A specimen of the waxwing, now in my possession, was shot on the estate of Lady Gardiner, Clark Hill, Whalley, on the 1st of this month—W. Naylor ; Church Street, Burnley, February 19, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing in Leicestershire No less than six specimens of the Bohemian waxwing have been shot in our county on the Ist of January last; one was shot in the parish of Stony Stanton, it is now in the possession of Henry Townsend, Esq., of that place; another at Claybrook, and three more near Bag- worth. I also saw one that was shot at Belgrave, not distant more than one mile from Leicester ; it was stuffed by Mr. Eld, of this town, and from what I can ascertain, all have been shot within a short time of each other during the severe weather we had in January.— William Bond ; Frog Island, Leicester, March 15, 1850. Occurrence of a Pied Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza Scheniclus) in Northum- berland. —It is a male in fine plumage, beautifully mottled with white, brown and black, but the white is the predominant colour: it was flying with a flock of chaf- finches and buntings at Longhirst, Northumberland.—Henry Lawson; Longhirst, February 23, 1850. Mules between the Goldfinch (Fringilla carduelis) and Siskin (Fringilla spinus).— Last summer a person in this town obtained two hybrids, between a cock goldfinch and a hen siskin; one of them could scarcely be distinguished from a goldfinch, but this bird died at the first moult: the other is now alive, and has the wings and back of a goldfinch; the rest of the plumage is like that of the siskin: the parent birds are still alive. Is not this a very uncommon occurrence?—C. Buchanan ; 23, Montpelier Road, Brighton, February 18, 1850. The Exotic Grosbeak (Zool. 2699). — This species is not uncommon in the deal- ers’ shops in London; I think the one referred to had escaped from confinement; the fact of its plumage being in good condition says nothing in favour of its being a wild bird, for if they are kept as they should be, they will be as perfect as possible; witness the numerous beautiful specimens in the Regent’s Park.—/F. Bond; Kingsbury, March 9, 1850. Occurrence of the Parrot Crossbill (Loxia pityopsittacus) near London.—Through the kindness of Mr. Gardner, I have just seen a fine male specimen of the parrot crossbill, killed yesterday at Harrow-on-the-Hill; of course the bird was in the flesh.— Edward Newman; January 22, 1850. The Great Spotted Woodpecker shot near Newcastle-on-Tyne.—A great many spe- cimens of the great spotted woodpecker (Picus major) where shot in our immediate vi- cinity during the months of October and November last.— Thomas John Bold ; 42, Bigg Market, Newcastle-on-Tyne, February 8, 1850. Unusual Abundance of the Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) near Newcastle-on-Tyne.— In the latter part of December and the beginning of January last, great numbers of the common kingfisher visited this neighbourhood. Mr. Pope, game-dealer, of this town, informs me that in the last two weeks of December and the Ist of January, he had more specimens of this bird brought to him than he has had during the whole time that he has been in the business, some sixteen or eighteen years.—Id. Hen Pheasant in Cock’s Plumage.— 1 had sent me last week a very fine hen ee a Birds. 2771 pheasant in the plumage of the cock. I have often heard of the change in feather, of course, but do not know whether they have been known to assume the white ring round the back and sides of the neck; this gue has it very perfectly marked. Perhaps some of your correspondents can give me some information as to this ?—Martin Curt- ler ; Bevere House, near Worcester. Varieties of the Pheasant (Phasianus Colchicus). — At this moment, Mr. Gornal, of this town, has a pair of pheasants under process of preservation, both of them per- fectly white, except that the cock has one coloured feather under the throat.—Joseph Duff ; Bishop Auckland. Appearance of the Quail (Perdix coturnix) in January.— In a farm-yard, about four miles from me, a farmer last week observed, as he thought, a partridge feeding with the sparrows upon the grain ; he shot it, and on picking it up the bird proved to be a quail: the bird is in perfect plumage, and bears no marks of having been in cap- tivity.— Martin Curtler ; Bevere House, near Worcester. Occurrence of the Quail (Perdix coturnix) in January.—There have been three in- stances.of the occurrence of this bird during the late severe weather. A pair was seen at Parson Drove on the 16th, the ground at the time being covered with snow; one of them, a male bird, was shot; the other escaped. On the 30th another specimen was shot near March, and the following day another was caught alive at Guyhirn. I have also heard of others being taken in the neighbourhood.—7. W. Foster ; Curator of the Museum at Wisbeach. Occurrence of the Virginian Colin (Perdix Marylandica) near Tunbridge Wells. —Since my last communication (Zool. 2700) I have seen another specimen of the Co- turnix Marylandica (a male), shot about the same time and place.— Walter W. Reeves; Tunbridge Wells, February 8, 1850. Occurrence of the Pratincole (Glareola torquata) in Northumberland.—I have just received a specimen of that rare and uncertain visitor, the collared pratincole ; it was shot at Bedlington, in Northumberland. — Joseph Duff; Bishop Auckland, Eehrwary 9, 1850. Occurrence of the Crane (Grus cinerea) in Norfolk.—A specimen of the crane (Grus cinerea) was shot at Martham, in this county, about the end of last December. It appears to be a bird of the year; the sex was not noted—J. H. Gurney ; Easton, Norfolk, March 13, 1850. Occurrence of the Bittern (Ardea stellaris) at Walthamstow.—In January a bittern was shot in Walthamstow. It was first observed by a gentleman to rise from some ceabbages in his garden ; he marked it down, and informed a neighbour's gardener, who shot it— Henry Barclay ; Leyton, Essex. [I have received numerous other records of the occurrence of the bittern: it has been much more abundant than usual. I have published Mr. Barclay’s on account of the propinquity of the locality to the metropolis.—E. Newman]. The Snipe (Scolopax gallinago) in South Lancashire.— The snipe, as most people know, is a bird living upon suction; it inserts its bill into soft earthy substances to ob- tain worms, insects, &c. Now, in South Lancashire, there are what are termed “ Mosses,” large tracts of considerable extent, containing within their compass an im- mense quantity of pulpy material, composed chiefly of decayed vegetable matter, with bushes of the heath plant growing thereon. Here and there in the wettest part of the Moss grow reeds, bullrushes, various species of coarse grass, and a kind of low stunted willow, just the sort of locality a sportsman would declare to be a “a magnificent 2772. Birds. place for a snipe.” Two kinds of snipe frequent these Mosses; one usually called the ‘ full snipe,’ and the other the ‘jack.’ To begin, the full snipe usually make their ap- pearance about the latter end of August, ayd continue to arrive all through September, and during that month are very wild, keeping together in whisps of thirty or forty, and when one snipe gets up and gives its alarm-note, whisps frum all parts of the Moss rise also, much to the discomfort of the sportsman. I recollect very well going one morning in the early part of the season of 1848, with a friend, to shoot snipe on one of these Mosses ; it was a warm day, with slight rain, and we were perfectly aware the snipe would be there in great numbers. We reached the Moss and were proceeding cautiously along the edge of it, when a snipe got up, and I fired, but no sooner had the gun sent forth its charge than there arose from all parts of the Moss snipe innu- merable; my friend and I computed the number at between two and three hundred. The wildness of the snipe was caused by the mildness of the day, as in cold windy weather they lie close, and get up either singly or in pairs. When a frost takes place the snipe leave the Mosses and take their departure for the streams, brooks, and ditches, as in frosty weather the pulpy matter of which the Mosses are chiefly composed be- comes hard and impenetrable to the bill of the snipe. Now for the jack snipe. The jack frequents much the same places as the full snipe, but the jack may be found at certain times and in certain places where you will not meet with the full snipe. The reason of this I cannot tell; both kinds of snipe feed on precisely the same kind of food as far as I can see, and if the one kind find the food to their liking, why is not the other there also? This I leave to people more learned than I am in the philosophy of instinct. The flight of the jack is something similar to that of the common lapwing, but quicker, not the furious zigzag of the full snipe, but that flagging kind of flight which cannot be better described than in the flight of the bird alluded to. The jack is by no means an easy bird to kill, as it flies generally so close along the ground that it puzzles many a first-rate stubble shot. The jack lies very close, and will allow a person to walk nearly over him before he will rise. During the frost of last month I found plenty of jacks, but very few full snipe. On the 22nd of last month I was: going through a bushy, wet cover, when one of the beaters put up a snipe of immense size; I think from appearances it must have been the species called the great snipe. The finding the nest of a snipe is rather a rare occurrence, although I am confident many remain all through the summer to breed, as I have flushed them whilst walking- on these Mosses.—J. M. Jones ; Montgomery, North Wales, February 16, 1850. Variety of the Corn Crake (Crex pratensis)—Mr. Barnes lately killed a variety of the corn crake having beautiful white feathers along the breast and wing- coverts. I have seen a variety, killed by my father many years ago, having the wing perfectly white.—J. B. Hodgkinson ; 12, Preston Street, Carlisle, March, 1850. Occurrence of the Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) and Brent Goose (Anser Brenta) near Wisbeach.—One specimen of the former and several of the latter’ have been shot in our marshes, in addition to the usual number of gray-lag, bean and bernicle geese, and other wild fowl. In the middle of last month the frost was intense, which, combined with a heavy fall of snow, completely cut off all means of subsistence for our winter visitants, and they were consequently driven to sea, far out of the reach of our gunners, who uttered loud complaints at the scarcity of birds — T. W. Foster ; Wisbeach, February 18, 1850. Occurrence of the Egyptian Goose (Anser Aigyptiacus) in Sussex.—A few weeks since I had the good fortune to obtain a specimen of the Egyptian goose: it was shot Birds. 2773 in the neighbourhood of Seaford, Sussex.—G@. Grantham ; Barcombe Place, near Lewes, March 15, 1850. Oceur'rence of the Egyptian Goose at Pevensey, Sussex.—A specimen of this rare bird was shot in the marshes last month.—J. B. Ellman ; Lewes, February 1, 1850. Occurrence of the Wild Swan (Cygnus ferus) and Bewick’s Swan (C. Bewickii) near Wisbeach.—In the middle of the month of December seven swans were observed at the estuary of the Nene, and two were shot at, but being only winged they escaped at sea by swimming at a rapid rate on an ebb tide. The man who shot at them, al- though in a small boat, was unable to overtake them. The remainder of them still frequented the adjoining marshes, and their numbers were gradually thinned. Some of the birds were in the second year’s plumage, but two clean adult specimens—one of which is Bewick’s swan, shot on Terrington Marsh, on the 29th ult.—have fallen into my hands.—T. W. Foster ; Museum, Wisbeach, February 18, 1850. Occurrence of Wild Swans near Hull—The late frosty weather brought us a good many unusual visitors from the north. On a shooting excursion on the river Hum- ber, ten days: ago, I observed a long string, consisting of eleven wild swans, flying over at a considerable height.—George Norman; Hull, January, 1850. Occurrence of Rare Anatide in Sussex.—The past month has been one of unusual severity generally, and in consequence the flocks of wild ducks and geese have been enormous. Hardly a day passed but what-specimens of the gray-legged goose, pink- footed goose, brent goose, white-fronted goose, golden-eye, scaup duck, and all the other common species of Anatide, were shot in some numbers throughout the whole of the marsh district in Sussex. The red-breasted merganser has been procured in several instances, and also the hooper, and I believe Bewick’s swan.—J. B. Ellman ; Lewes, February 1, 1850. Occurrence of Rare Anatide, §c., near Bishop Auckland.—The very severe wea- ther we have had lately has been the means of bringing into our neighbourhood many of our rare winter visitants, of which the following have either come into my pos- session or under my own observation, viz., goosander, merganser, red-breasted mer- ganser, smew, golden-eye, long-tailed duck, eider duck, brent goose, red-throated. diver (two specimens), crested grebe, Sclavonian grebe: several large flocks of geese passed over, but at too great a height to ascertain the species: three spoonbills were also seen passing over this place.—Joseph Duff; Bishop Auckland, March 11, 1850. Occurrence of the Ferruyinous Duck (Anas ferruginea) near Redcar.—A specimen of the ferruginous duck was taken in a decoy in Contham Marsh, near the Tees- mouth, on the 17th of January last.—T. S. Rudd ; Redcar, February 5, 1850. Description of a Duck shot near Dunbar.—Thinking you might like to have a description of the duck spoken of in my last letter, I forward you the enclosed sketch. The duck was shot near Dunbar, whilst in company with several individuals of Bos- chas, and may perhaps’ be only a variety or a hybrid, but offers—especially in its sternum—miany'well-marked distinctive characters. I have been through the museum at the University, but cannot see anything like it. Female: ova size of mustard seed. Forehead, occiput and nape of neck black, with green reflections: side of face marked with dusky’stripes, one from gape passing backwards, another from bill to atiterior angle of eye: eat-coverts also dusky: a broad black stripe extending down back of neck: shoulders, back, wing-coverts, tertiaries, primaries and long flank feathers dark brown, with purple and green reflections ; secondaries dark, edged with grayish brown: speculum gray, reflecting green: chin, broad collar round base of VIII Ah 2774 Birds. neck and inside of wings white: cheek, line from frontal plate extending over the eye, and neck, pale brown, with minute dusky stripes: breast and under tail-coverts yel- lowish brown, with dark brown horse-shoe-shaped bars: belly and thighs brownish (rusty) black, without distinct markings: upper tail-coverts very dark, with chesnut- brown spots and bars: tertiaries nearly reaching to the end of the primaries: tail, eighteen feathers, extending 2 inches beyond longest primary: legs and feet dark orange: webs and under surface of foot and tarsus black: bill greenish black: nail black: lamine projecting beyond the margin. Measurements compared with large specimen of Boschas. Boschas. inches. inches. Totaljlengthy, us xpoke Wp vats oukenvsicaory is QOk 243 Length of tail.. es oh Ke coucee date 34 Length of wing detiaaeal quill. Salli longa 10 11¢ Length of bill to rictus . Bee idahial ykesbiln ay eo 2h Length of rictus to back of. ican? S.cavaoeeulie Length of nail to nostril .....c....ceesesseseeeee 13 Length of middle toe........ccccssessecssceesreees 2 2 Lengpthiof tarsug!. tari ddr aoacyaiebgtes«Sentadeoeaae 12 Fl eight atimi@tuss | seis as sdtieesss cawspe sven th sonGeoust $ Width/ag Petey ceesiee vaavqavessbeale oonporer stents 3 Width near point. «<3. adem banaaheestees & Measurement of Sternum as compared with Boschas. Boschas. inches, inches, Length of inner surface following curve...... 33 34 Width of ditto at narrowest point ......0.0. 1f 1? Width of ditto at widest point ..........se000088 2% 13 Length of outer surface following asalent 33 34 Length from point of keel to BY nent 4 3% Length of oval opening... iconic oF ire ide peek le Se 14 In Anas Boschas the keel is jth of an inch deeper in its entire course than in the specimen I have described, and the inner surface is more concave.—Edmund Thomas Higgins ; Edinburgh, February 11, 1850. Ducks Nesting in Trees.—My. Field Nicholson, of Wooton, informs me that two years ago, when fishing near to Thornton Abbey (Barton, Lincolnshire), he saw a wild duck fly out of a large ash tree overgrown with ivy: being surprised at seeing a bird of that species in so singular a situation, he climbed the tree, at the top of which he found a duck’s nest full of eggs —Hdward Peacock, Jun.; Messingham, Kirton Lindsay, March, 1850. {Many instances of this habit have come to my knowledge.—F. N.] Occurrence of the Goosander (Mergus Merganser), Red-breasted Merganser (M. Serrator), and Smew (M. albellus).—On the 7th of December last a fine adult female of the goosander was shot on Guyhirn Wash; on the 9th, three old specimens of the merganser (a male aud two females) were shot on Terrington Marsh; and on the ae Birds. 2775 31st of January, an adult male smew near Ely. The latter specimen is intended for the museum at Ely.—T7. W. Foster ; Wisbeach, March, 1850. Occurrence of the Smew (Mergus albellus) en Northamptonshire-—I saw a fine male adult smew on the river Nene, near Stoke, in Northamptonshire, on Saturday, the 5th of January, 1850, which I fired at, and unfortunately missed. I may as well mention that the place above named is more than thirty miles from the sea, and that it is a river of no great size. I was quite near enough to tell what species it was. I believe the smew in adult plumage to be very rare so far inland —T. L. Powys ; Harrow-on- the-Hill, March, 1850. Occurrence of the Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus Serrator) én the Thames.—1 received on the 28th of January, for preservation, two fine specimens (male and fe- male) of the red-breasted merganser : they were shot in the Thames, near Barking, on the Essex coast, nearly three weeks since: the delicate yellow colour usually ob- servable upon the belly of the male has quite faded, and become nearly white: the gentleman who shot them informed me that the yellow was very bright when the bird was just killed.— Thomas Hall ; 6, City Road, January 31, 1850. Occurrence of the Sclavonian Grebe (Podiceps cornutus) at Piddinghoe, Sussex.— An immature specimen of this bird was shot at the above place last week, by a person who also shot the Egyptian goose and peregrine falcon mentioned in a former com- munication.—J. B. Ellman ; Lewes, February 1, 1850. Occurrence of the Eared Grebe (Podiceps auritus) on Whittlesea Wash.—A beauti- ful female eared grebe, in full winter dress, was shot on Whittlesea Wash, in the middle of December.—T. W. Foster ; Wisbeach. Occurrence of the Black-throated Diver (Colymbus arcticus) at Chesterfield —A very fine specimen of the plack-throated diver was killed. at Chesterfield, in Cam- bridgeshire, a few days since.—Frederick Bond; Kingsbury, Middlesex, January 20, 1850. Occurrence of the Black-throated Diver on Barton Pond.—A male specimen of the black-throated diver was killed, a week or two back, on Barton Pond [where situate ?], and is now in the possession of the Rev. T. Blofield, of Hoveton.—T. H. Burroughes ; Harrow, February 5, 1850. Occurrence of the Black-throated Diver and the Tippet Grebe (Colymbus urinator) in Northumberland.—A male specimen (young) of the black-throated diver, and a male specimen of the tippet grebe, were killed on Thursday last, at Blyth, Northum- berland.—Robert Lewins ; Morpeth, February 15, 1850. Note on the Changes of Plumage periodically incident to the Great Northern, Black- throated and Red-throated Divers.—In the ‘ Zoologist ? (Zovl. 2621) there is an impor- tant’ notice by Mr. Rodd, which appears to me satisfactorily to prove the truth of the opinion held by many naturalists, that the great northern diver assumes at the autum- nal moult a livery closely resembling that worn by the birds of the year for the first six or eight months of their feathered existence. I think I can offer some additional evi- dénce of this being the case. In the great northern diver the beak is much. less de- yeloped in birds of the year than in more adult specimens: the perpendicular diameter of the two mandibles, especially of the lower one at its thickest part, being very ob- viously greater in the older than in the younger specimens ; in addition to which, the colour becomes much lighter, or in fact almost leaves the bill in old birds of this spe- cies, making in, this point also a marked contrast between these and the younger birds. Now, I have met with two specimens of the great northern diver in the cine- 2776 Birds. reous dress, which it was obvious by these tokens were not only adult, but teally old birds, thus affording another proof that in this species the cinereous plumage is not confined to birds of the year on y, but is reassumed at every succeeding autumnal moult. I have myself but little doubt that the rules of ordinary analogy will also be in time substantiated by further observation with reference to the other two British divers, the black-throated and the red-throated, and that the variations of their plu- mage will ultimately be found to be liable to a similar law. The period at which the cinereous plumage of the divers is re-exchanged for the more conspicuous variegated dress, is one which it does not appear easy to define with certainty, both from the dif- ference which exists between different individuals, and also between the different spe- cies. . With regard to the first of these points, my opinion (founded on some degree of personal observation) is, that this change takes place some weeks earlier in adult birds than in birds of the year. As to the second point, I think that this change is accomplished much earlier in the case of the black-throated than of the other species. The black-throated diver having sometimes very neatly attained the full variegated dress by the middle of December, The great northern is, as far as I have observed, the next to change, often commencing in January, but not completing the change till a much later period. The red-throated, I am inclined to think, is still later in its change than the great northern, and according to the account of Audubon, quoted by Yarrell (see ‘ British Birds,’ under red-throated diver), this species on the coast of North America retains the red throat sometimes as late even as the month of February, unless we prefer the alternative of supposing that the specimens which Audubon saw had newly attained the red throat, a supposition which, from all I have been able to see and learn of the bird, seems to me less probable than that of their being specimens which had not yet shed it. I think, however, that this account of Audubon’s is the most obscure point which now remains in connexion with this subject, and any eluci- dation of it, or any further light that could be thrown on the general subject of the changes of plumage in the divers, would I doubt not prove very interesting, both to those ornithologists who may have the opportunity of effecting such investigations,-and also to those who may have the pleasure of learning their result. —J. H. Gurney; Easton, Norfolk, March 14, 1850. Occurrence of the Great Northern Diver (Colymbus gracialis) in Torbay.—An im- mature specimen of the great northern diver was obtained about the middle of last December in Torbay. This bird weighed nine pounds.— Alfred Newton ; Elveden Hall, Thetford, February 1, 1850. The Masked Gull (Larus capistratus) in the Mediterranean.—If I were disposed to be eaptious, I should say, the remarks of your correspondent from Athens respecting the masked gull are somewhat beside the mark. The fact of his seeing the black= headed gull at Gibraltar during the months of February and March, no more dis- proves my statement that I did not see it at Malaga in April and May, than does his not seeing the masked gull at Gibraltar in those earlier prove that it was not to be seen in considerable numbers at Malaga in those later months. The object of the communication I presume to have been (for I will not suppose the writer intended to callin question either my veracity or my accuracy of observation) to show, not that the masked gull does not occur in the Mediterranean, but that the black-headed gull is to be found in those latitudes. It may beso. I stated only my impression on the subject. That impression, however, is deepened by reference to my journal, wherein I was in the habit of noting down each day the different species of birds observed dur- Birds.’ 2777 ingthé day, wherever I happened to be; and it is somewhat remarkable that no men- tion is made of the black-headed gull having been seen either on the western or on ‘the southern coast of Spain. My further impression, therefore, is that Mr. Baikie is mis- _ taken, i.e. that the birds he:saw at Gibraltar were masked, and not black-headed gulls. I will give you my reasons for thinking so. Mr. Baikie states that he is “ perfectly fa- miliar” with L. ridibundus, as, I presume, are most persons who have visited our éoasts ; but can he distinguish it from L. :capistratus on the wing, and in winter plu- ymage? Itrownot. The two birds are so much alike that their specific distinction is doubted by some ; and if I entertain no such doubts, yet of this I am sure, that if examples of both species in winter plumage were laid upon the table before me, I should fail to distinguish them by the eye; I must have recourse to measurement of bill and tarsi, before I could pronounce which was which. Now, Mr. Baikie saw the birds on the wing only ; for\they would not have allowed him to shoot one at Gibral- tar, if his life had depended on his procuring a specimen (my poor dog was forbidden by the zealous authorities to-ascend| the Rock; I suppose, because he was reported by the-sentry as ‘having amused himselfone day with hunting a little grebe), and his observations were made at a time when the birds were in winter plumage. He, therefore, as T opine, mistook the one species for the other — the rarer for that with which he was familiar. He recognised his old acquaintances, as he supposed; and in truth, if he expected to distinguish one species from the other under such circum- stances, his powers of sight must be even more acute than mine were on one occasion supposed to be; when, on’a small bird rising from the ground some thirty or forty yards before me, I cried out “ There’s another short-toed lark!” (I had seen one for the first time that day) upon which, a gentleman, who happened ‘to be in company, turned to my friends, and with the gravest of faces, with a look of surprise, amounting almost to alarm, asked “ What, could Mr. Bury distinguish the short toe at that distance?” Mr. Baikie, therefore, could not at that season of the year distinguish L. ridibundus from L. capistratus, however near the birds may have flown to him. On the other hand, I made my observations at a time when both species would have assumed their sum- mer dress ; and was struck by the fact, that.a bird so rare in England ‘should be so abundant at Malaga. I noted the circumstance at once, and on the spot; and feel certain I did not, and could not, mistake one species for the other, though I do not pos- sess the extraordinary acuteness of vision the acquaintance above alluded to would ‘give me credit for. I passed a fortnight-at Gibraltar during November, 1846, and re- peated my visit, which was of equal duration, in February, 1847. No mention is made in my journal of-either L. ridibundus or L.-capistratus having been seen by me on either of those oceasions, although I have notes on other species of gulls and nu- merous other birds. Mr. Baikie says “the number of this species (L. ridibundus) ap- peared to increase about the beginning of ‘March.’ He may be right as to the species, and observed it on its migration; but he should have known, that the fact of a certain bird having been seen at Gibraltar, by no means proves it to be a native of the Mediterranean. Gibraltar is a sort of posada for numerous migrants that are not found to the eastward of the Rock. I believe, therefore, with most of your readers, the matter will rest very nearly where I left it, in my reply to Mr. Strickland’s enquiry.— Charles Bury ; Cheshunt, Herts, February 22, 1850. Occurrence of the Glaucous ‘Gull (Larus glaucus) in Norfolk.—Four specimens of the glaucous gull have been taken.at Cromer during the past month, two of them in adult plumage, in which state the bird is very rare. One of the latter is now alive in 2778 Linnean and Zoological Societies. my possession, and, like other gulls, seems easily reconciled to captivity —J. H. Gurney ; Easton, Norfolk, February 1, 1850. Occurrence of the Fork-tail Petrel (Thalassidroma Leachii) near Torquay.—A fork- tail petrel was picked up on Tor-Abbey sands, in December last, dying from starva- tion, but on examination it appeared also to have been wounded. For the knowledge of the occurrence of this, as well as several other birds near Torquay, I am indebted to Mr. Burt, of the museum at that place, who has kindly assisted me with all the information in his power.—Alfred Newton; Elveden Hall, Thetford, January 31, 1850. Proceedings of the Linnean Society. February 5, 1850.—Wic1am YarreE Lt, Esq., V.P., in the chair. A complimentary address to the new President was read, from the Royal Bavarian Botanical Society. Mr. Gould exhibited and described a new species of Menura, an anomalous genus of Australian birds; he proposed naming it M. Alberti, in honour of H.R.H. Prince Albert: also a new species of Homarus and two new Lepidopterous insects from the same country. A further portion of Mr. Huxley’s paper on Meduse was read. February 19.—Wi1aM YarRELL, Esq., V.P., in the chair. Grains of maize, from the tomb of an Peruvian mummy, were exhibited. Dr. Wallich read a memoir of the late Professor Schreber. The Secretary read two original letters, addressed by the late Sir James E. Smith to Dr. Dryander. March 5.—Witutam YarreE 1, Esq., V.P., in the chair. The Rev. J. Yates exhibited a cone of Encephalartos horridus, from the Chats- worth Conservatory. Dr. Wallich read a paper by Professor Lehmann, recording the perfection of the seeds of a species of Cycas, in the absence of any male or staminiferous individual of the order Cycadez. Mr. Newport, F.R.S., read a paper on the habits of Monodontomerus, a parasite on a British bee, and described—under the name of Heteropus ventricosus—an aca- rideous parasite on the parasite: he described at great length the habits of this new and very extraordinary creature.—LZ. N. Proceedings of the Zoological Society. February 12, 1850.—W. Yarrett, Esq., V.P., in the chair. Professor Owen read a continuation of his paper “ On the Anatomy of the Rhi- noceros,” in which he described the thoracic viscera and the generative organs in both sexes of that animal. Zoological Society. 2779 The Prince of Canino contributed, through the Secretary, an essay “On the Synonymy of the Genus Eos,” including descriptions of two new species, E. cyano- genia and semilarvata. This paper was illustrated by two drawings, from the pencil of Dr. H. Schlegel. Mr. A. Adams, R.N., communicated a “‘ Monograph of the Genus Anatinella, Sow.,” including the descriptions of two new species, viz. A. dilatata and ventricosa. Mr. Adams also communicated an “ Arrangement of the Stomatellide,” including the characters of a new genus (Microtis) and of several new species, viz. Stomatella castellata, articulata, monilifera, molluccana, orbiculata, japonica, fulgurans, san- guinea, speciosa, coccinea and tigrina, Stomatia australis, angulata, decussata, acu- minata, lirata and notata, Microtis tuberculata, Gerra plumbea, strigosa, striatula, varia, pulchella, lintricula, asperulata, nebulosa, ornata and lineata. Mr. Bartlett exhibited the head and horns of a deer, which he believed to be an adult Cervus leucurus. They are remarkably fine in form, and much larger than those described in the ‘ Fauna Boreali-Americana, which were brought to England by Mr. Douglas. My. Gould exhibited specimens of a new species of Menura, which he had pre- viously described at a meeting of the Linnean Society, under the name of M. Alberti. February 26.—W. Svence, Esq., in the chair. Prof. Owen communicated a memoir (No. IV.) “‘ On the Gigantic Wingless Birds of New Zealand.” Having in the previous memoirs determined and referred to their penera and species the different bones of the leg, he made those of the foot the sub- ject of the present communication, which was illustrated by the exhibition of an ex- tensive series of remains from both the north and south (or middle) islands of New Zealand,—comprising the entire -series of phalanges of one and the same foot of the Palapteryx robustus, a gigantic species from Waikawaite,—a similarly complete series of the Dinornis rheides,—and series more or less incomplete of the phalanges of the Dinornis giganteus, Palapteryx ingens, and other genera and species of the singular extinct wingless birds of New Zealand. The characteristics of the different phalanges were minutely detailed, and the different proportions of the toes character- istic of different species, especially of the two most gigantic, viz., the Dinornis gigan- teus of North Island and the Palapteryx robustus of the turbary deposits of the Middle Island. The adaptation of the claw-bones for scratching up the soil was ob- vious from their shape and strength. The generic distinction of Palapteryx had previously been indicated by a slight depression on the metatarsus, supposed by the author to be for the articulation of a small back toe, as in the Apteryx; and he had since received a specimen of the principal bone of that toe, which was exhibited and described. A nearly entire sternum, a portion of a minute humerus, a cranium of one of the smaller species of Palapteryx, and a cranium of one of the smaller species of Dinornis, were also exhibited and described. This magnificent series of remains of the great New Zealand birds had been collected chiefly by the late Col. Wakefield, and had been transmitted to the author through the kind interest of J. R. Gowen, Esq., a director of the New Zealand Company. ~~ A paper was read by Mr. Adams “ On New Species of Cyclostrema and Separa- tista, from the collection of Mr. Cuming.” 2780 Zoological Society. March 12.—Wi.u1M Spencer, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. The Secretary read the first part of a paper, by Prof. E. Forbes, descriptive of the’ new Mollusca collected by Capt. Kellett and Lieut. Wood during the surveying voy- ages of H.M.S. Herald and Pandora, chiefly on the West Coast of Central America. The Secretary also read'a paper entitled “ First Thoughts on a Physiological Ar- rangement of Birds,’ by Mr. Newman; and intended as an introduction to an entire revision and re-classification of this interesting division of the vertebrate animals. The author began by observing that The systematic arrangement of the Class Aves is more unsettled than that of any other portion of the Animal Kingdom,—a circumstance that may fairly be attributed to our attaching too high a value to characters purely structural or admensural, while we neglect others more intimately connected with reproduction; in a word, to the substitution of physical for physiological characters. In mammals, reptiles and fishes, we have a primary division based entirely on physiology: thus mammals are placental or marsupial; reptiles are oviparous or spawning; fishes aré viviparous or spawning ; and this primary division of these classes is admitted by all physiologists to be strictly natural. Notwithstanding, however, the purely physiological characters on which these primary: divisions depend, it is found that physical characters harmo- nize with physiological, and that intimate structure in each instance bears out physi- ological difference. It were not wise altogether to discard structural differences, even in the outset of an inquiry into system, but it is necessary to use them rather as cor- roborative than as indicative, and, above all, to draw a distinct and permanent line between such as are truly intimate and such as are purely adaptive. It has always appeared to me that one of the chief advantages of an extensive vivarium like that possessed by our Society, is the opportunity it affords for studying animated nature in an animated state, for ascertaining physiological ag well as physical characters. If, then, we avail ourselves of the opportunities which are or ought to be thus afforded us, we shall find that in the very outset of life a physiological character of the most obvious kind will divide birds into groups as distinct as are the placental and marsu- pial mammals, or the cartilaginous and bony fishes. Prior to the extrusion of the egg, observed facts bearing on this subject are so few and so unconnected that. they cannot be rendered available as affording evidence on the question to be considered : it is therefore compulsory that our comparisons begin at that moment when the con- dition of the young becomes. patent by the breaking of the shell. Commencing the inquiry at. this: point, which may safely be regarded as analogous to the birth of a placental animal, we have these obvious grand divisions of the class :— 1. Hesthogenous Birds. In these, immediately the shell is broken the chick makes its appearance in a state of adolescence rather than infancy : it is completely clothed, not with such feathers as it afterwards wears, but still with a close, compact and warm covering. It possesses the senses. of sight, hearing, smelling, &c., in perfection : it runs with ease and. activity, moving from place to place at will: it perfectly under- stands the signals or sounds uttered by its parent, approaching her with alacrity when invited to partake of food she has discovered, or hiding itself under bushes, grass or stones, when warned of danger,—in either case exhibiting a perfect and immediate appreciation of its parent's meaning: it feeds itself, pecking its food from the surface of the earth or water, and not receiving it from the beak of its parent: although en- tering on life in this advanced state, it grows very slowly, and is long in arriving at Zoological Society. 2781 maturity. When full grown it uses its feet rather than its wings; it trusts much to its legs for means. of escape: when it flies, it moves through the air by a series of rapid, powerful, laboured strokes of the wing, and invariably takes the earliest oppor- tunity of settling on the land or water, not on trees; it never takes wing for recrea- ation or food, but simply as a means of moving from place to place: it is polygamous in its habits, the number of females predominating over the males: the males are pugnacious ; they accompany the females only until incubation has commenced, and abandon the duties of incubation and the care of the young solely to the females: the females make little or no nest, a depression scratched on the surface of the soil generally sufficing: the eggs are large in comparison to the size of the bird: neither sex sings or attempts to imitate the voice of men or animals. Birds included in this division approach more nearly to mammals than do those which it excludes ; for instance, the habitual use of land or water for progression, the swiftness of foot, the strength and muscular development of the legs, the polygamous habits, the want of the extraordinary instinct of nest-making, are characters which—while they seem to degrade these birds as birds—certainly raise them in the list of animals, because they are thus brought nearer those animals. which suckle their young, and which are al- ways placed at the head of the animal kingdom. In an economical point of view, and considered in reference to man, the flesh of these birds is wholesome, nutritious, and is generally considered highly palatable. The division comprises the following groups, in each of which partial exceptions to one or other of these general characters occur :— . Galline, or the Poultry order. Brevipennes (Cuvier), or the Ostriches. Pressirostres (Cuvier), or the Plovers. Longirostres (Cuvier), or the Snipes. Macrodactyli (Cuvier), or the Rails. . Plongeurs (Cuvier), or the Divers. 7. Lamellirostres (Cuvier), or the Ducks. 2. Gymnogenous Birds. In these, when the shell is broken the chick makes its appearance in a state of helpless infancy. It is naked, blind, and incapable of loco- motion: it cannot distinguish its parent by means of its senses: it gapes for food, but does not distinguish between proper food offered by its parent and a stick or a finger held over it: it cannot feed itself, and would die were not food placed in its _ mouth: it rapidly attains its full size, often before leaving the nest. When full grown it uses its wings rather than its feet; it flies with a succession of deliberate and easy strokes: it takes wing for recreation and for food, and not merely for the purpose of moving from place to place: it is strictly monogamous, the sexes being equal in number: males share with females'the cares of incubation and feeding the young, until these are able to shift for themselves. Birds possessing these characters build elaborate nests in trees, and perch in trees rather than on the ground: many of them sing melodiously ; others imitate with wonderful facility the voice of man or of animals. As an economical character in connexion with man, their flesh is gene- tally bitter, often offensive and disgusting: hence man has seldom domesticated them for purposes of food. These are birds par excellence : they possess in perfection the essential characters of birds: in the habitual use of air for progression and of trees for resting, in the want of abilities for terrestrial progression, in strength and _ bulk of pectoral muscle, in monogamous habits, in the fabrication of nests, in power Vill U Dap Ode 2782 Zoological Society. of song, they are raised as birds but degraded as animals, since in all these characters they recede from those animals which suckle their young. The division comprises the following groups, in each of which exceptions to one or other of the general cha- racters occur :— 1. Totipalmes (Cuvier), or the Pelicans. . Longipennes (Cuvier), or the Gulls. . Accipitres, or the Birds of Prey. . Cultrirostres (Cuvier), or the Herons. . Passeres, or the Sparrow order. . Grimpeurs (Cuvier), or the Climbing Birds. 7. Columb, or the Pigeons. Of the fourteen groups thus indicated, three appear to the author to require careful revision: these are the Longirostres, the Passeres, and the Grimpeurs or climbing birds, each of which seems to contain genera associated with the rest by admensural rather than physiological characters. It will be seen that two of the divisions, hitherto universally accepted,—the Gralle and Anseres,—are now broken up; but a moment's considera- tion will show that the length of leg in the one and the webbed feet in the other are merely admensural or structural characters, and occur also in the secretary falcon and the puzzling flamingo.* Mr. L. Reeve read an account of Lymnza Hookeri, a new fresh-water mollusk, which he had just received from Dr. Hooker. It was collected by that gentleman during his recent excursion into Thibet, on the north side of the Sikkim Himalaya, at an elevation of 18,000 feet. This new species of fresh-water mollusk belongs to the same type as our well-known Lymnea peregra, and affords an interesting addition to the evidence which has been in part collected touching the wide geographical dis- tribution of corresponding forms of plants and animals over those parts of Europe and Asia where there are no extensive mountain barriers. The European Lymnea stagnalis has been collected as far east as Afghanistan, and the typical form of L. peregra is very characteristic in this species from Thibet. South of the Himalaya range, where Dr. Hooker reckons the snow-line to be 5000 feet lower than it is on the north side, and 3000 feet lower than the locality of this species, the Lymnee are of quite a different type; more especially in the plains of Bengal, where the shell, owing to its being formed in sv much warmer a ‘temperature, is of stouter growth, and characterized by some design of colouring. The European types of Lymnza, ranging over Russia and Siberia, appear abundantly in the stagnant waters of North America, and some are identical in species. Lymnea elodes of Say, inhabiting Pennsylvania, is doubtless the same species as the European Lymnea palustris; L. truncatula of the same author appears to be identical with L. desidiosa ; and L. peregra represented by L. Hookeri, in Thibet, is represented in Pennsylvania by Say’s L. catascopium. The last paper read was by Mr. A. Adams, “ On the Animal of Liotia, and on some new Species of that Genus, and of Delphinula.”—D. W. M. aa rk WW * I shall feel extremely obliged to any reader of the ‘ Zoologist’ who will supply information respecting the young of any bird not universally known. The Cariama (Microdactylus), the trumpeter (Psophia), and the genera Palamedea and Chauna, appear strangely placed at present, although I do not doubt that their admensural and adaptive characters justify their present position in systems dependent on such characters. Can any correspondent supply physiological facts respecting them ?—#, N. j Zs Entomological Society. _ 2783 Proceedings of the Entomological Society. March 4, 1850.—G. R. Wateruovss, Esq., President, in the chair. The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the several donors: A bound copy of Mr. H. Doubleday’s ‘Synonymic List of British Lepidoptera, with written notes by Mr. Stainton of the several dates of publication on each page; ‘ Berichte des Lepidopterologischen Tauschvereins, Jena, 1842-7; ‘Annals and Magazine of Natural History, February, 1850; all presented by Mr. H. T. Stainton. ‘ Entomologische Zeitung, August, September and October, 1849 ; by the Entomological Society of Stettin. ‘Transactions of the Linnean Society,’ 1847-8, pp. 341—401, and 1848, pp. 1—48; ‘Charter and By-laws of the Linnean Society ;’ ‘ List of Members of the Linnean Society, 1849;’ allepresented by the Linnean Society. ‘Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society's: Annual Reports,’ 1847-8 and 1848-9; by the Society. A box of insects, from @/ Dalton, Esq., of George Town, Demerara. 7 The following gentlemen were balloted for, and elected subscribers: Joseph S. Baly and James Shepherd, Esqrs. Mr. Bond exhibited a portion of the stem of a young ash tree, from near Whit- tlesford, Cambridgeshire, covered with the pupa-cases of a Galeruca?, each being enclosed in the shrivelled spiny skin of the larva, which had a longitudinal slit down the back, after the manner of Tiresias serra. Mr. Bond also exhibited some silken production, like felt, supposed to be formed by the larve of Galleria colonella, which he had found between two planks of wood. Mr. Wilkinson exhibited some cocoons of Plutella harpella, found in crevices of the bark of a lime tree. Mr. Bond stated that he had found the larve of this insect on roses and dogwood: it had been reported to feed on the honeysuckle only. Mr. S. Stevens exhibited specimens of Agrotis suffusa and saucia from Venezuela, identical with our British species; and a living specimen of Ceropacha flavicornis which he had taken the preceding day. Mr. H. T. Stainton exhibited some specimens of Micro-Lepidoptera which he had recently bred from leaves gathered the preceding autumn, viz., Lithocolletis Pomifo- liella from hawthorn, and L. Viminiella and Salicicolella from sallow; also one of Gracilaria auroguttella, from a cone formed by the larva on a leaf of Hypericum pulchrum. Mr. Stainton also exhibited a fine series of Gicophora senescens, taken by Mr. Douglas, at Mickleham, in June; and six new species of British Tineide, of which he read the following brief descriptions :— Micropteryx mansuetella, Z. ‘‘ Similar to, and size of, M. Calthella, black- headed, with faint pale fascie on the anterior wings. Near Glogau, in an alder-brake, at the same time as Calthella, on the bloom of Sorbus Aucuparia, in plenty; more rarely on Spirzea Ulmaria and reed-blossoms.” (Schlesisch. Tauschbericht, 1844, p. 16). This species has some resemblance to Calthella, but has on the anterior wings some faint indications of purple fascie, as in rubrifasciella: from both these species it is readily distinguished by its deep black (blue-black) head. Two specimens taken by Mr. Douglas; locality unknown. Ai chmia Stanneella, F-v-R. (p. 248). “ Rather smaller than HX. metallicella, of a pale silvery gray, inclining to a yellowish colour, very glossy: the duller posterior wings have besides a very faint violet tint. Before the anal angle of the anterior 2784 Microscopical Society. wings is a whitish spot, but it is so lost in the pale ground colour that it only becomes perceptible when the sun shines on it.” A single specimen taken by Mr. Douglas, in company with sericiella, May 4, 1849, at Coomb Wood. Myelois Artemisiella, Steph. MSS. Not closely allied to any species I am ac- quainted with. Exp. alar.7—9 lines. Head, thorax and anterior wings pale dirty ochreous, the latter with a paler sinuous hinder fascia, followed by a dark cloud on the costa, and preceded by a similar dark cloud a little removed from the costa, which is continued as a dark streak along the middle of the wing to the base: near the costa, a little before the hinder fascia, is a black spot; and a row of dark spots on the hinder margin: posterior wings pale cinereous. This species has been bred by Mr. Simmons from larve, feeding within the stems of Artemisia campestris. Bucculatrix cristatella, F-v-R. A single specimen, the locality of which is un- known, is in Mr. Douglas’s collection. A note of the distinctive characters of this species appears in the Society’s Transactions, vol. v. p. 128. Gracilaria ? Ocnerostomella, Exp. alar. 4—5 lines. Last joint of palpi stout and not pointed: head, thorax, antenne and anterior wings concolorous, gray, some- times with a slight ochreous tinge: the wings are entirely destitute of markings, which readily distinguishes it from any known Gracilarie, whilst the longer palpi immediately separate it from Ocnerostoma; and the smooth head, long posterior legs, and long cilia at the anal angle of the anterior wings, at once remove it from Argy- resthia. I exhibited an imperfect specimen of this species to the Society in Novem- ber last, as Argyresthia Amiantella?, imagining the hairs on the crown of the head to have been rubbed off: the sight of several fine specimens, taken by Mr. Douglas, at Mickleham, in June, 1848, has convinced me that it is not Amiantella, and not even an Argyresthia ; but from the thickness of the last joint of the palpi it ill accords with any known Gracilaria. Crambus uliginosellus, Z. in litt. Distinguished from C. pascuellus, with which it has hitherto been confounded, by its shorter and less pointed anterior wings, the white streak on which is less gradually pointed ; the posterior wings are whiter, and the palpi and thorax are likewise whiter. One specimen taken at Lewisham, at light, June 21st, 1848. : Mr. Westwood exhibited a specimen of Ophion undulatum, taken in this country. —J. W. D. Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. March 20, 1850.—Dr. Artur Farre, President, in the chair. J.S. Ralph, Esq., H. Taylor, Esq., and J. Dennis, Esq., were balloted for and duly elected members of the Society. A paper, by the President, entitled “An Account of the Dissection of a Human Embryo of about the fourth week of Gestation, with some Observations on the Early Development of the Human Heart,” was read. After some preliminary observations, Dr. Farre stated, that the embryo forming the subject of the paper, was expelled by abortion, about three days before the meeting ; and, although no precise data were af- forded as to the period of the commencement of pregnancy, the condition of the embryo rendered it most probable to have been of the fourth week of utero-gestation. » ee ee Microscopical Society. 2785 ‘The entire ovum weighed 6 drachms, and measured 2 inches in length, and 1} inch in its shorter diameter ; all the membranes were entire and perfectly distinct from each other. The embryo itself measured only 4 lines in length, and notwithstanding the extremely early period of development, the lineaments of the future being could still be distinctly traced. The head, trunk, anterior and posterior extremities, and some of the viscera being clearly distinguished. The head bears a less propor- tion to the trunk than is observed in the second month of gestation. The three masses of nervous matter, constituting the three pairs of ganglia for the corresponding sensual organs of smell, sight and hearing, are of nearly equal size. The division between these three pairs of ganglia, the foundation of the future brain, are here very well seen on viewing the object by transmitted light. The closest examination of the surface fails in detecting any signs of organs of sense, but avery careful examination by transmitted light, with a good lens, discovers the eye and ear in process of formation, being the earliest indication of these organs ever seen by Dr. Farre; and although no external signs of these organs can be perceived, the appearance of a slightly opaque, but well-marked circle, with a minute point in its centre on either side of the head, being the rudiments of the eyes, and another pair of minute bodies representing the internal ears are clearly distinguishable, although there exists no outward indication of their presence; and thus it is seen that the head, at that early period, consists of three primitive pairs of cerebral ganglia, arranged in a triangular form, with traces of the organs of vision and hearing, the whole being invested in a soft, white integument. Immediately below the head, the body forms a gently curved line in which, by transmit- ted light, parallel lines at regular short intervals are’seen, indicating the future vertebral column and its divisions, which are as yet equal throughout its whole length, which line, after curving somewhat abruptly forward at its extremity, ends in a narrow point or tail. On either side of the trunk are minute projections, indicating the future extremities : the anterior are more developed than the posterior pair, and are about one-third of a line in length ; the latter are situated closely on either side of the pointed extremity of the trunk, and are thus rendered less conspicuous than the upper pair. The whole anterior part of the body is perfectly open, from the head to the point of origin of the umbilical vessels. The mouth and nose are not as yet formed, but indications of the commencing formation of the naso-buccal fissure, which itself is again transformed into those organs, are present. The only viscera which can be discovered, are a small mass on the right side, indicating the future liver ; and on the left side, at the same height, a curved vessel or hollow organ, divided into three parts, indicating the future heart. With the exception of the organs just mentioned, no others appear to be as yet formed ; slight traces which may be indications of the primordial kidneys, &c., are, however, visible. Immediately above the curved extremity of the trunk, the mi- nute umbilical cord is seen, blending itself with the chorion and surrounded by the amnion, but the course of the vessels cannot be traced. No indications of the presence either of an umbilical vesicle or of an allantois can be perceived in this embryo. In referring again to the heart, Dr. Farre described it as presenting the appearance of an elongated vessel curved upon itself, and exhibiting three divisions or chambers, repre- senting the single auricle, ventricle, and bulbus arteriosus, which compose the heart of the lowest class of vertebrate animals or that of fishes; and, in order to carry out the analogy, two drawings of the heart in the human fcetus in successive stages of develop- ment, the one at the beginning and the other at the end of the second month, were ex- hibited, the first representing it as composed of two auricles and but one ventricle, thus symbolizing the heart of vertebrate animals next in advance of fishes, viz., reptiles. 2786 Tyneside Naturalists’ Field Club. The second showing still further advance, there being now two auricles, thus assuming the permanent character in the higher classes of animals. A second paper, by George Shadbolt, Esq., being “A Short Description of M. Nachet’s Prisms for the Oblique INumination of Transparent Objects on the Stage of the Microscope, with formule for their construction, and observations on their use,” was also read. In this paper, the author fully described the construction and use of this valuable addition to the microscope, and gave a mathematical demonstration of the mode of its action, and of the best form for producing the most perfect illumi- nation.—J. W. Tyneside Naturalists’ Field Club. The fourth anniversary meeting of the club was held on Friday, March 1st, in the committee-room of the Literary and Philosophical Society. The retiring president, Mr. Alder, read an address, taking a review of the proceedings of the club, and of the discoveries made in Natural History during the past year. Messrs. Hardy and Bold presented the second part of their valuable catalogue of the insects of Northumberland and Durham. The following gentlemen were elected office-bearers for the ensuing year:— President: Dennis Embleton, M.D. Vice-Presidents: Mr. William Kell, Mr. John Thompson, and the Rev. E. Cooper Abbes, B.A. Treasurer: Mr. Thomas Burnet. Secretary: John Storey, F.B.S.E. Committee: Mr. E. C. Atkinson, Mr. Ralph Carr, Mr. Joshua Alder, Mr. Albany Hancock, Mr. George Wailes, Mr. Richard Howse, Mr. T. J. Bold, Mr. R. T. Green, Rev. J. F. Bigge, M.A., Mr. J. H. Fryer, Mr. D. Oliver, jun., and Mr. E. P. Thompson. The places for the field-meetings were fixed as under: Stanley Burn, Staward Peel, Holy Island, the Northumberland Lakes, Fourstones, Wark, and Hartlepool. Mr. John Hare, Newcastle; Mr. E. C. Robson and Mr. Joseph Spencer, Sunder- land ; Mr. George Armstrong, Fawdon; the Rev. George Hunt Smyttan, Charlton Hall, Eglingham ; and the Rev. J. E. Leefe, Creswell, were elected members. The Manchester Natural-History Society. Report of the Council of the Manchester Natural-History Society to the General Meeting, held on January 16th, 1850. “Tt is gratifying to the council to witness the increasing attention to Natural His- tory which is now displayed, especially by the young. Amongst those, too, who have hitherto had but little opportunity of cultivating knowledge of this kind, the facilities offered by the Society seem to be greatly appreciated. During the past year, upwards of 25,000 persons in number have visited the museum ; and, of these, a very large pro- portion belong to the working classes. The liberal manner in which these are ad- mitted, during the holidays and on Saturdays, is most fully estimated by them ; and those habits of quiet and rational enjoyment upon which their own happiness and that of society at large so very much depend, are evidently on the increase. Notwithstand- ing the frequent crowding of the rooms on these occasions, no instances of misconduct have ever occurred. “Many come hither from all parts of the surrounding districts, and show—not only Manchester Natural-History Society. 2787 by successive visits, but in some instances by presents of objects which have fallen in their way, and to which their attention has been directed by what is here presented— that opportunity only is wanted to acquire new tastes, and with these, new and im- proved habits. And without mentioning, in a more particular manner, the well-known fact, that this district can boast of accomplished botanists, even amongst those who are occupied in toilsome employments and furnished but with slender means, it can be stated further, that, in the various branches of Natural History, we can instance many well-informed and scientific observers and students, in this town and neighbourhood. And these are seen not only amongst the more educated, but even amongst those whose avocations have permitted such studies, only in the brief intervals of daily and of ma- nual labour. There is perhaps no provincial institution which exhibits so many objects calculated to interest the attention and to occupy the memory, and so capable of lead- ing human beings to high and worthy aspirations. They not only, indeed, gratify the eye and present an enduring fund of innocent amusement, but offer inexhaustible re- sources of valuable instruction. They tend to increase the mental cultivation, and to humanise the manners and ideas, whilst, at the same time, they cannot fail to increase and confirm a reverence for the infinite wisdom, and power, and benevolence of the Deity. “ Yet, although so much has been already accomplished by the opportunities thus afforded, there still remains a boundless field of investigation, ever open and ever in- creasing to the extending range of vision and of thought. “‘ Without, however, entering further into those higher considerations which so na- turally spring from such a subject, it is sufficient to say that this institution admits of, and now requires, a considerable extension, for the mere purpose only of receiving the large number of valuable specimens constantly presented from all parts of the world. These will still further increase its utility and attraction ; but at present the council have to regret that many rare and beautiful specimens, especially in ornithology, now in its possession, cannot be arranged and displayed for want of room. “ Under these circumstances, the enlargement of the building has become ab- solutely necessary ; but the council, unwilling to lessen the respectability and useful- ness of the Society by borrowing money, confidently rely upon the assistance of the members, and a more extended public support, in order to effect this purpose. The land behind the hall having fortunately been secured to the Society, there is space enough for two wings, each of which, it is calculated, would cost about £1,200. “ Considering this object as one which would contribute powerfully to the general good, and in which all, whether employers or employed — whether in Manchester itself or in the surrounding districts — must feel an interest, the council earnestly make a public appeal, and ask for the means of carrying out this plan, either wholly or in part. “Tn conclusion, the council have great pleasure in acknowledging the continued kindness of our excellent patron, the Right Honourable the Earl of Derby, and the liberal donations of so many gentlemen to whose kind consideration the Society is so much indebted. These gentlemen, whether at home or abroad, have not forgotten the interests of science. Amongst others, Robert Hyde Greg, Esq., of Norcliff, and his son, Robert Philips Greg, Esq., have presented 157 fossils and 110 mineral specimens, many of them very rare. Edward Charles Buxton, Esq., has presented 410 crag fossils, and David Sannat Price, Esq., of Batavia, has given numerous articles from Java. vs ————————e 2788 Insects. The Tinearist’s Calendar for April—This month is generally very trying to the patience of the eager collector, as the first setting in of warm weather immediately produces a number of these tiny gems, and that warm weather rarely comes before the end of the month, though in forward seasons it will sometimes—as in 1848— appear much sooner. Exapete Salicella should now be looked for in earnest by those who want it, or its season will be past. Chimabacche Fagella needs no looking for: the dark varieties are, however, much scarcer than the pale ones. Semioscopis Avel- lanella may perhaps yet be found among birches, and Steinkellneriana should now be no rarity in blackthorn bushes. The cases of Taleporia pseudo-bombycella and inconspicuella will now be found on fences. Tinea masculella and Zinckenii should appear before the close of this month: the latter is a birch-feeder. Tinea comptella and cerasiella may also be looked for when the first warm weather appears. The season for the early species of Micropteryx is now nearly at anend. The blooming sallows should be visited by day in search of Adela cuprella. Juniper bushes should be examined in the hope of finding the larva of Ypsolophus Juniperellus, though hitherto this species has not been detected in this country. £cophora incongruella appears about this time on moors in the North. Hyponomeuta viginti-punctata must be looked for where the Sedum Telephium grows. Many of the species of Depressaria, having hybernated, will now be met with. Reslerstammia pygmzana will now ap- pear, and is not very scarce in the South of England. The larve of many species of Coleophora may now be met with, and the following plants should be diligently ex- amined :—Calluna vulgaris, for pyrrhulipennella; Ulex Europeus, the blossom, for albicosta; roses, for lusciniepennella; Ballota nigra, for lineolea and ochripennella ; * Artemisia campestris, for vibicigerella and ditella; Coronilla varia, for oriolella and Coronille ; Cytisus laburnum, for serenella ; Onobrychis (Saint-foin) for Onobrychi- ella; Anchusa officinalis, for Onosmella; and larve will be found on Glechoma hederacea and Stachys sylvatica, but the species they produce are not yet known. Clover-leaves should be carefully examined for the chance of detecting some of the larve of Metallosetia, none of which are at present known. Gracilaria stigmatella will be found among sallows; and near Warrington, among fir-trees, there occurs a yet unnamed species of this genus, which hitherto I had confounded with elongella : auroguttella, which I have now bred from Hypericum pulchrum, escapes from the pupa in this month and the following. Elachista testaceella may be observed in rather wasted condition; and Epilobiella also appears to hybernate, as does decorella: many of the smaller species of this genus—as nigrella, pulchella, obscurella, rufo- cinerea—appear with the first warm weather. Phyllocnistis suffusella and saligna must be sought for on poplars and willows respectively. Nepticula atricapitella, rufi- capitella and aurella will be found singly after the setting in of the warm weather, and gratiosella gregariously flying round hawthorn twigs. Nearly all the species of Lithocolletis are to be expected on the first appearance of warm weather, having passed the winter in the pupa state within the cuticle of dead leaves.—H. T. Stainton ; Mounisfield, Lewisham, March 15, 1850. * Those in italics are not yet known as British species. : Reptiles, &c. 2789 Toad immured in a Wall.“ 1809. On opening a gap in a wall at Bamborough, [Northumberland], for the passage of carts, a toad, which had been incarcerated in the centre of a wall, was found alive, and set at liberty. A mason, named George Wilson, when building this wall, sixteen years before, had wantonly immured the animal in a close cavity formed of lime and stone, just sufficient to contain it, and which he plastered so closely as seemingly to prevent the admission of air, When discovered, it seemed at first, as must naturally be supposed, in a very torpid state ; but it soon recovered animation and activity, and, as if sensible of the blessings of freedom, made its way to a collection of stones, and disappeared.’—Richardson’s ‘ Borderer’s Table Book, iii. 92. Curious Fact in the History of a Salamander (Salamandra terrestris).—Whilst staying at Dresden for a few days, last year, in the month of July, we took an excur- sion to Thorant, a picturesque little village and watering-place, a few miles distant. It was a splendid evening, after a very showery morning. Whilst walking through a wood I found two salamanders, which I took back with me to Dresden, and put them in a small box, which I procured for the purpose. We went out for a three days’ excur- sion into Saxony and Switzerland, leaving them on the window-sill. On our return I found one of them dead (from the box having been exposed to the heat of the sun), and the other nearly so: it, however, soon revived on being sprinkled with water, and it was our compagnon de voyage till our return home, where I kept it for some months in a glass fish-bowl, with some mould and moss, which was kept slightly moist. My gardener used occasionally to give it a worm, though it seemed to thrive just as well without being fed. I presented it to the Zoological Gardens in January: a few days afterwards it produced some young ones, and in the course of a week or so it had brought forth thirty-two, most of which soon died, but six of them survived nearly a fortnight Samuel Gurney, Jun. ; Carshalton, March 26, 1850. [See some curious remarks on the salamander, Zool. 1033.—E. Newman.] Occurrence of the Boar Fish (Zeus Aper) in the Bay of Portland.—A specimen of the boar fish was taken in the west bay of Portland, by the trawl, a day or two since, alive. I have this day seen it, not yet dry: the fishermen had not seen one before. ‘It is now in the hands of Mr. Damon, naturalist, of this place, by whom it will be con- signed to the British Museum. Length 6 inches.— William Thompson ; Weymouth, March 30, 1850. Extracts from the Correspondence of Mr. H. W. Bates, now forming Entomological Collections in South America. (Continued from page 2719). “ Para, June 15, 1848 [?]. ‘‘ The country is quite level for hundreds of miles: the river oppo- site the city is studded with lovely wooded islands, leaving a free Vill x 2790 Insects. space of about four miles wide; beyond the islands it has twenty miles more width. All around the city are marshes, flooded at high water, and choked up with the most glorious vegetation. About twelve miles from the city the forest commences, which is so dense and end- less that none but Indians and runaway slaves dare penetrate far into it. Notwithstanding the marshes and sultry heat, the climate is undoubtedly one of the finest and most healthy in the world. The people of the country are idle and luxurious. The rich earth and ri- ver produce the necessaries of life almost spontaneously ; scores of delicious fruits grow wild in the woods. A few yards of ground round the cottage yield roots for “farinha” (a kind of wholesome flour), oranges, bananas, coffee, &c.: the ground is everywhere strewn with fallen fruit. The city covers about as much space as Leicester, and has about 20,000 inhabitants: almost every day has been a holiday with them since I landed, being a catholic country ; troops of people go about in procession with bands of music; rockets, fireworks, drums, church-bells, &c., are going constantly. The people are of all colours, from the jet-black of the negro to the white of the European. Children run about naked until about eight years of age; and very little clothing is worn by adults, except European tradesmen, who are so particular with their dress-coats, polished boots, hats, &c., as to be quite a nuisance. “But as to the productions of the country: it teems with all the richest creatures in Nature: the gardens are overrun with mag- nificent creeping plants to the tops of the highest trees; tall palm trees shoot up their arrow-like stems fifty to eighty feet high, crowned with a magnificent head of leaves six to fifteen feet long. Birds are by thousands; humming-birds are vibrating their gilded plumes at the blossoms of the trees overhanging our house ; parroquets are chat- tering everywhere, and others of beautiful plumage cross our path at every step. Insects are in vast variety. Lizards are most numerous in the centre of the city ; they are crawling over the walls of houses, and they scamper over the pathways at every step we take. The ants are the greatest nuisance; I have hundreds of a monstrous kind, run- ning about the wall of the verandah at my elbow, at the present mo- ment; they seize hold of everything eatable, and consume it in a twinkling,—pieces of meat, &c., are seen moving, as if by magic, over the table, carried off by them. But I might proceed in this style through a dozen sheets and not give you the faintest idea of the everywhere-present, the roving and active life in this wonderful country.” Insects. 2791 “ Para, August 31, 1849. “On the day the ‘ George Glen’ started from here (June 8th) with my collections and letters for England, I embarked for the town of Cameta, on the Tocantins. The great sea-ship glided gently down the smooth river, seeking the ocean which was to lead it to my home, the land of civilization, cheerfulness, and activity ; whilst the little canoe I was in turned its prow upwards to thread narrow channels, in the midst of dense melancholy forests, farther into this land of ignorance and barbarism. It was the pleasantest passage, however, I had yet made on these rivers; the crew was cheerful, the weather fine, and the boat a good sailer. On arriving at the mouth of the Tocantins, which is like the sea, in extent and movement of the waters, we had several squalls of wind ; the first caught us with all sail set, and nearly brought us on our ‘beam ends.’ The night after was the loveliest I had ever witnessed ; we anchored at Ave Maria, under the bank of a lovely island, clothed with forest. The men sang: we had a wire- stringed guitar, and the pilot was a capital hand at extemporaneous versifying,— to each verse a chorus, in which all the dusky crew joined,— he put a good deal of humour into the chorus, which would sometimes set all the crew laughing, the musician himself letting fall his instrument and shrieking with delight. The allusions were local ; something like this :— ‘Nos ramos para o Cameta carrejade de cal, Larguemos ferro a pé de Jaguarari. Ora pa na tara pa na. ‘Senor Joao Augusto le bonite & home en pimpao, Mais Senhor Pedro he feio & muite ladrao.’ The allusions being local, you cannot understand this. The trans- lation is :— ‘We are going to Cameta, loaded with lime, We let go the anchor at Jaguarari. Chorus—Oh! para pana, &c. John Augustus is a handsome man and a very good fellow, But Mister Peter is ugly and a devil of a thief.’ We fell asleep shortly: I awoke at 1 a.M., and crawled out of the hole called the cabin, — we were under weigh, with a spanking breeze dead astern,— the moon full, shedding a light almost like day, but softened and mellow, — the air mild and limpid as crystal, and the tossing waters of dark blue foamed about the prow of the vessel: the 2792 Insects. men were all hilarity, had got a fire on deck, and were making herb tea. The wonderful transparency of the atmosphere cannot be imagined in England. After enjoying the scene about an hour, I turned below and slept till break of day, when they called me up to see Cameta, which was yet distant on the far west bank of the Tocantins. We were still bounding before the wind, and sped with wonderful celerity to our landing-place, where we anchored at half- past six, having been four nights and three days on the passage. “T stayed at Cameta until the 16th of July, spending my time agreeably, and I trust profitably. I here made the acquaintance of Doctor Angelo Custodio Carrea, vice-president of the province, who took an interest in my errand, and procured me a beautiful country house to live in—a most charming spot— at the entrance of a broad grassy drive through the forest to the Indian villages. In front of the house I descended a pathway through a grove, always alive with He- liconias, Ageronias, Papilios, and other Diurnes, down to the beach, where was a lovely little sandy bay, the landing-place of fishermen, and where was charming bathing. I generally bathed before break- fast, if tide permitted, and would then sit on shore on a felled palm- tree, enjoying the delicious coolness at sunrise, and looking over the expanse of blue waters, dotted with palm-clad islands; but the beauty of this situation is beyond description. “The forest round Cameta is thickly populated by civilized Indians and mixed breed. Unlike Parad, whose neighbourhood is mostly dense and swampy ‘virgin forest,’ here the land is high, forest partially cut, leaving a shady grove of tall trees in most places ; under the shade are the palm-thatched cottages of the people. There are roads all through the forest for fifteen miles or more from Cameta, with houses, plantations of coffee, cocoa, &c., all the way. “The people are quiet, hospitable, and good-hearted, quite differ- ent from the inhabitants of Para. In entomologizing, I made the ac- quaintance of a great number of them; entering the house, the first thing they do is to sling a hammock for you, the young girls go back- ward and make coffee, whilst the man fills you a pipe of tobacco, lights it, and offers it to you to smoke. If the people are better off, you get still better treated. They lead a happy life in their way. The river abounds in delicious fish; a field, a few yards square of Mandioca, supplies them with bread; they grow a few cotton bushes to make hammocks; coffee, cocoa-nuts, sweet potatoes, melons, and a great variety of fruit grow without any care from them, about their homes: having little work to do, they spend their time in feasts, » Insects.— Birds. 2793 ‘religious festas,’ about as much to do with religion, as Michaelmas fair has in Leicester. “T left Cameta on the 16th of July, five days’ passage to Para. The vessel in which I went leaked wretchedly : the owner, who was on board, told me very coolly, that ‘it was an old boat the owner had left to rot on the beach, and he bought it cheap... The men had to be overboard frequently, diving about it, stopping the leak with old rags and clay. However, the owner was gentlemanly and agreeable. I slept outside every night, wrapped in an old sail ; often it rained at night, when I had to turn into an oven of a cabin, lugging the sail with me to keep it dry; when the rain ceased, no alternative but to turn on deck again to finish sleep. Such are incidents in Amazo- nian travelling. “Dr. Angelo procured me a promise of passage into the interior with his half-brother, Senor Joao da Cunha, owner of a fine schooner ; we were to have started at the end of July, but I have waited until now, and the vessel is still here not half laden; there is not much doubt we shall start next week. I go for eight or ten months, and am preparing provisions, boxes, ammunition, &c., for that time: my first stage is the town of Barra, on the Rio Negro, eight hundred miles from here.” (To be continued). Early Appearance of Saturnia Carpini.—On the 13th of the present month I bred a male specimen of this moth. Is it not unusually early for this insect ?—H. Tomp- kins, School Hill, Lewes, Sussex, March 20, 1850. Capture of Lobophora polycommaria near Lewes.—I found a fine specimen of this rare Geometra on the 12th inst., at rest on a bush, within a short distance of this town. —Id. Capture of Lobophora polycommaria at Darenth Wood, Kent.—I took a fine speci- men of Lobophora polycommaria at Darenth Wood, on Easter Monday last.—P. Bouchard ; '7, North Conduit Street, Bethnal Green Road. The Birds of Melbourne. By J. J. Brices, Esq. (Continued from page 2611). Peewit (Tringa vanellus). A few pairs of lapwings breed with us annually; but formerly, before so much attention was paid to the stirring of arable lands during the spring and summer, these birds 2794 Birds. bred in great abundance. I find that the shells of those eggs which are found on our high grounds are different in colour from those which are laid in the meadows: the former are of a dark red- dish tinge, like a stiff red marl upon which they are found ; the latter have a light brown ground colour. Towards the middle of summer, those birds that breed with us assemble together in flocks, and keep almost exclusively to the meadows and low grounds. Worms consti- tute their chief food, and it is amusing to watch them with a good telescope as they are feeding on a wet, dewy morning. They run along with great velocity, occasionally giving forth their loud wild notes, and pulling out with great eagerness any delicious worm that lies trailed along the turf: they are often so intent upon their food, as to allow of a very near approach. From the middle of August to the middle of October, the resident birds receive consider- able accessions to their numbers, which I suppose are migrants from their northern breeding grounds: these accessions consist principally of young birds. During the winter months, flocks may be seen feed- ing daily in the meadows, but exhibit a striking partiality to particu- lar fields. When rambling by the Trent, on a cold wintry day, the keen wind blowing about my cheeks, and the crisp sleet crumbling beneath my feet, and one met an animated being (however small) as one meets a welcome guest, how delighted have I been to watch the manners and flight of a flock of these interesting birds. When startled from a meadow, they rise into the air in a body, which is changing its form almost every minute, and many of the positions it assumes are graceful in the extreme. Now, the birds scatter them- selves singly over the heavens, almost as far as the eye can reach, which seem, as it were, completely dotted over with them ;— now, they collect together in a group, and form a mass so closely packed, that it seems almost impossible to penetrate it, and resembles a large black cloud, sailing slowly along the air; — now, the birds stretch away into a different shape and form a thin, narrow line, appa- rently elongated to many hundred yards, and presenting an appear- ance like a long-drawn mark shown in high relief against a light blue sky. Indeed, the body being ever in motion, varies in figure con- tinually, and presents almost momently some new and beautiful posi- tion. Towards the beginning of March, the winter birds depart, and leave a few stragglers to pair and breed. Some years ago I was traversing our low grounds, when I per- ceived, by the mournful actions of the parent birds, that I was near a peewit’s nest. After considerable search, I could find neither eggs Birds. 2795 nor young, but still the birds continued their cries. Accidentally, however, my eye caught sight of an object in a small pool of muddy water, which was struggling about like a young toad. On taking it out, it proved to be a young peewit. The birds, I doubt not, had placed it there for security on my approach, as it could not possibly have existed long in such an uncomfortable situation. . Oyster-catcher (Hematopus ostralegus). Occasionally killed off the Trent. A pair were shot by the late Mr. Bowman, off Mel- bourne Pool. Common Heron (Ardea cinerea). A solitary heron may some- times be descried about the shallows of the Trent, or winging his stately flight from one favourite fishing-station to another. This bird evidently journeys many miles for food, as I am not aware of any he- ronry or breeding-place existing within a great distance from this place. I have often watched the heron, and admired his extraordi- nary patience in watching for food. He enters the water — stands knee-deep — his wings closely folded — his body in an erect attitude, and his long bill inclining towards the water, in such a position as to strike immediately at any object that may swim underneath it. Here he stands for hours, if unmolested, looking the very personification of wretchedness, catching a small minnow or large beetle occasionally to reward him for his patience. His occupation, however, is not so lean and unprofitable as a novice would imagine; for on August 24, 1849, I examined a heron which had just been killed, and found no less a number than eighty small jishes in his bill; they seemed like roach, about half an inch long. I am convinced, from repeated ob- servation, that the destructive propensities of the heron in taking large fishes have been much overrated. Here he chooses those sta- tions for fishing which could not swim a large fish, and I believe his general food with us, is small eels (like worms), little minnows and roach, aquatic beetles, and an occasional water-rat. Although this bird occupies a prominent position on the game list, most people put him away as unfit for the table; yet, if the bird is a young one, and cooked after the manner of a leveret, he will be found pretty good eating, but rather inferior to a duck. Bittern (Ardea stellaris). Enclosures, drainage, and cultivation have well-nigh banished the bittern from our neighbourhood; one, however, is occasionally seen. In 1827, a bittern frequented some small beds of reeds and low marshy ground by the margin of the Trent, below Swarkeston Bridge, but appeared shy, secreting itself amongst the herbage, and giving forth towards evening a hollow, 2796 Birds. booming noise. Mr. Plant, of Leicester, writes me word, “ my father remembers a bittern being shot on the Trent, which was winged and brought alive to the Cliff at Weston. As soon as the bird was set at liberty in the house, it ran up to the fire and commenced an attack upon the burning coals!” This bird went into the possession either of Mr. Bowman, of Melbourne, or a Mr. Mills or Wills, it is forgotten which. In September, 1838, I was at the Cliff, and walking on the canal bank from Shardlow, on a gloomy evening in a shower of rain, when I came upon a bittern within the distance of a few feet; as it rose heavily, I struck at it with my umbrella, but it had passed over the Trent. This is the only time I ever saw one alive. Glossy Ibis (Ibis falcinellus). A specimen of this beautiful species was captured a few years ago at Chellaston, a neighbouring village. It was seen passing over at an immense altitude, and being fired at with a fowling-piece, received a wound on the wing. It fell, and being taken alive, lived some months, feeding chiefly on young frogs. It was afterwards preserved by Mr. Cook, Museum, Derby. Common Curlew (Numenius arquata). About six years ago, a pair of the common curlew visited the meadows bordering on the Trent. They came late in the spring or early in summer, and kept about those parts where the herbage grew luxuriant, and also some small pools where reeds and aquatic plants abounded. One bird was several inches longer than the other, which was supposed to be the male, but upon being killed, proved to be the female; the other escaped, and never found a second mate. They had, doubtless, come from the sea-shore to their winter quarters, with the intention of breeding ; but in no instance, either before or since, have I heard of a curlew taking up its abode here on the banks of the Trent. Almost every year, however, a number of these birds are heard passing overhead, generally during the first week in April. These, I sup- pose, are changing their winter quarters on our southern shores for their summer haunts amongst the high grounds in the north of England or the hills of Scotland. They pass over in the evening or night ; but their line of travel is indicated by their peculiar and oc- casionally repeated notes. ; J. J. Brieas. Melbourne, Derbyshire. (To be continued). Birds. 2797 Physiological Classification of Birds.—I1 perceive in the last number of the ‘ Zovlogist’ (Zool. 2780) an abstract of an interesting paper, called ‘ First Thoughts on a Physiological Arrangement of Birds, by Mr. Newman,’ and which was read to the Zoological Society, a month ago. As ornithologists, like other good people, do not read ail that has been published, I take the liberty of referring your readers to my ‘ Essay on the Classification of Birds, published in the July number, 1846, of Prof. Jameson’s ‘ Edinbro’ New Philosophical Journal, at pp. 50—72, which I endeavoured -to arrange principally on physiological characters ; consequently Mr. Newman’s me- moir can hardly be termed in a strict sense—“ first thoughts.” Now, I may observe, that the two “ grand divisions” proposed by Mr. Newman, are virtually the same as my two sub-classes, see Jameson’s Edinbro’ Phil. Journ. p. 55 and p. 63, where they are defined. I had at first divided the class Birds into blind-born and seeing-born, but I soon found that this arrangement was not consistent with other important phy- siological characters, and that some groups, as pelicans, &c., must consequently be se- parated from their true and natural position near the divers, &c., and the herons from near the snipes, &c. Mr. Newman’s terms Hesthogenous and Gymnogenous have evidently been originated from the well known botanical ones— Endogenous and Exogenous: and, indeed, the very word Gymnogenous, or Gymnogens, has been al- ready preoccupied by Dr. Lindley, see his ‘ Vegetable Kingdom,’ (2 edit, p. 221, &c.) The first of Mr. Newman’s terms is clearly incorrect, i.e., Hesthogenous, — which - being compounded of éo6os—a garment or clothing, —is Esthus, not Hesthus, and it ought strictly to be from the genitive case &oe0s, and therefore the word should be Estheogenous. Moreover, I may be allowed to remark, why should Mr. Newman use Cuvier’s French words, Plongenrs, Grimpeurs, &c. instead of Latin ones? The Columbide (at least most of them) are born blind, but noé altogether naked, having a thin covering of hair-like down. And to me it appears now, as it did several years ago, that the two sub-classes cannot with sufficient scientific exactness be entitled Clothed- born (Estheogenous), and Naked-born (Gymnogenous); or, Seeing-born (Visinatz), and Blind-born (Cecinate); but they can, with more accurate physiological charac- ters taken from the feet, be styled, as I have already selected — Aves Inconstricti- pedes— birds with inconstrictile feet; and Aves Constrictipedes — birds having constrictile, or grasping feet :—and these two sub-classes will be found to comprise the “ ©lothed and Seeing-born,” and the “ Naked and Blind-born” birds, or chicks, in a sufficiently regular or normal method—the aberrant forms constituting the exceptions. —John Hogg; Norton House, Stockton-on-Tees, April 12, 1850. [The readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ will have a better opportunity of judging of the similarity of Mr. Hoge’s primary divisions or sub-classes and my own, if that gentleman will recapitulate in these pages the definitions he has employed to distin- guish them, and at the same time say which of my fourteen sub-divisions he has ar- ranged under each of his primary divisions. I am not tenacious of my derivations: my modicum of school Greek is well nigh forgotten; but I thought hesthesis was Greek for vestitus, or clothed, and gumnos for nudus, or naked. Is it otherwise ?— £. Newman). ’ Occurrence of the Kite (Falco Milvus) at Kingsbury —On Wednesday, the 3rd inst., as I was standing in the village(Kingsbury) talking toa friend, a fine specimen passed over our heads within twenty yards: it is the only one I ever saw in this neighbour- hood.—F. Bond ; Kingsbury, April 9, 1850. VIII Y 2798 Birds. Do Fieldfares Roost in Trees? — Mr. Evans remarks (Zool. 2705), contrary, I be- lieve, to the general opinion, that “fieldfares roost in trees.” I have, when a boy, watched them going to roost many a time; and I should say, that they roost very much in bushes,—for instance, low, thick blackthorn brakes, on which I have seen them settling in great quantities at dusk, and very commonly near water. White states (Letter to Pennant, 27), that at Selborne they “ always appear to roost on the ground; * * * and that the bat-fowlers, who take many redwings in the hedges, never entangle any of this species.” Once during a very hard frost many years ago, I had several fieldfares brought to me alive, which had been taken by bat-fowling in the holly bushes in this neighbourhood. Perhaps they might have been driven to have re- course to a more than usually sheltered situation for roosting, by the severity of the weather—W. T. Bree ; Allesley Rectory, April 2, 1850. Occurrence of the Black Redstart (Sylvia Tithys) near London.—I saw last week a fine female which was shot in a brick-field, at Shepherd’s Bush, in October last.—F- Bond ; Kingsbury, April 9, 1850. Occurrence of the Black Redstart (Sylvia Tithys) at Piddinghoe.—A fine male specimen of the black redstart, in adult plumage, was shot at Piddinghoe, a village five miles to the south of Lewes, on the 31st of March ; and is now in the possession of Mr. Tompsett, of the above place. An immature male of the above species was shot on the following day, April the Ist, in the immediate neighbourhood of this town, by Mr. E. Johnstone, through whose liberality it is now in my possession. — Charles Potter ; Lewes, April 16, 1850. Curious Act of Instinct in a House Sparrow,— Among the many instances in the parental attachments of the lower animals, partaking rather of reason, than a mere instinctive principle, I recorded one during the early part of last year, which for its novelty, and unusually rational resource on the part of the bird, may justify my ask- ing a corner in the ‘ Zoologist’ for its insertion. Living in the city portion of the great metropolis of London, I observed one afternoon, in the aperture generally left for the cellar or kitchen window, when underground, an unfledged house sparrow, in- capacitated from flying to any distance, which had been inadvertently precipitated down this same dungeon, across which in an oblique direction was laid an iron bar, ex- tending within a foot of the surface; the mother was at the top, looking down with pity and alarm at the awkward situation of this (perhaps) her only child ; many and inge- nious were the attempts on the part both of parent and offspring for the regaining of the latter’s lost position, each and all proved futile and unavailing. I looked on with a degree of pleasurable excitement, mixed with fear and anxiety lest the drama should be incomplete, by the flying away of the mother and the desertion of the child; but no, Nature’s inculeated ways on these points are perfect and all-sufficient, as most beautifully this case proves, for although each new proposal seemed to be blasted in the carrying out, at length the intelligent creature, after considering for a moment, flies away, returns with a stout straw in its beak, rests for a few seconds on the edge ; then conceive my delight, when the little nestling, after a chirp or two with its mother, learning no doubt the particulars of the project, climbs to the furthest end of the bar, next the ground, receives the proffered straw in its beak, and is raised, to my breath- less and unspeakable astonishment, to the earth on which its now delighted mother stands. Readers, do you deem me puerile, or unmanly, when I say tears of joy and pleasure escaped me on recognising this act of love, and more than instinct, together with the rapturous delight which beat in the breasts of these two small, happy beings, Birds. 2799 on the extrication of the one from its difficult situation ?— William H. Cordeaux ; Canterbury, February 18, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Coventry.— I have in my possession a specimen of the Bohemian waxwing, which was shot in November last, on the high road between Coventry and Kenilworth, in this county (Warwick).—Francis H. Amherst ; St. Mary's, Oscott, March 4, 1850. Occurrence of the Waxwing near Horsham.— As the Bohemian waxwing has ap- peared in unusual numbers this winter, I send you the following notices of its occur- rence in this neighbourhood. On the 12th of January an adult male was shot, whilst feeding on some hawthorn-berries, in the parish of West Grinstead ; and on the 17th of the same month, another was obtained at Horsham: both are beautiful specimens. The sex of the latter was not ascertained; it has considerably less black on the throat than the former, but the yellow on the quills and tail is much more bril- liant ; the stomach contained nothing but haws.— W. Borrer, Jun.; Cowford, Hors- ham, Sussex, March 24, 1850. ¢ Occurrence of the Waxwing in Oxfordshire. — During the late influx of this spe- cies, one specimen only has been killed in Oxfordshire.— A. Matthews ; Weston-on- the-Green, March 29, 1850. Oveeurrence of the Waxwing in Lincolnshire—Four specimens of the waxwing were shot in the neighbourhood of Lincoln, towards the end of last January. About the same time several others were obtained near Boston.— H. Matthews ; Waddington, April 2, 1850. Ferocity of the Magpie (Pica caudata).— Mr. George Leigh Wasey, writing to a contemporary says, “ As I was travelling yesterday between Andover and the railway station, I noticed on the road a magpie struggling with some animal; on the approach of the coach it took flight, bearing away its prize to about sixty yards across a field when it dropped it, and on my brother getting off to see what it was, he found it to be a full-grown redwing: the magpie had pecked its eyes out to prevent its escape, and would soon have killed it if we had not so unceremoniously deprived him of a din- ner. I believe it is not generally known that magpies ever prey upon living birds, es- pecially birds of such magnitude and weight as a redwing. No doubt it was hard pressed by hunger and the inclemency of the season ; but it is a fact worthy of the at- tention of ornithologists, and if you think fit to take notice of the circumstance, I will vouch for its truth.” ‘Mr. Wasey is certainly wrong in imagining (as I presume he does) that magpies never prey upon living birds, for I believe it is pretty generally known, and that to the cost of the housewife, the farmer, and the sportsman, that at a certain period of the year, the breeding season, they commit great destruction among not only the young of feathered game, ducks, and other poultry, but also among the _ full-grown smaller sorts of birds which they kill, to serve as food for their young, and perhaps as well as to satisfy their own voracious appetite; but I never heard that this propensity to prey upon living birds existed, and of course, as far as young game, &c. are concerned, it cannot exist at other times. It is very likely, however, that magpies would never refuse so dainty a morsel as a redwing, but I should think the redwing in question must have been previously wounded or injured in some way, as I do not think that with all/his carnivorous habits, the magpie is of a sufficiently predatory na- ture to pursue to the death a strong and healthy bird, nay, would have no chance of eatching such a bird as a redwing in a fair race, the powers of flight of that bird, both for swiftness and duration, being much greater than its own. I may, perhaps, 2800 Birds. as well mention a circumstance which occurred within my own observation a short time ago. Ina small aviary I kept a magpie, two thrushes, some gold pheasants, a blackbird, and other smaller birds ; the magpie had only been put in a few days, when one morning I found one of my thrushes dead upon the ground, with nearly all its entrails torn out, though not eaten: although I had no direct proof that the magpie was the murderer, still as I knew that no rat or other vermin had found access to the aviary, I fixed him with the crime ; I therefore separated him from the other birds, and no more deaths occurred. I merely mention this incidentally, and of course not at all to show or prove the naturally predatory habits of the magpie, for we well know that in captivity, the habits of birds undergo a considerable change, and I have read that even the squirrel, in a state of confinement, has been known even to prefer birds to other food, and has, on that account, been said erroneously ‘‘sometimes to feed upon birds.’"—M.. Curtler ; Bevere House, Worcestershire, January 30, 1850. Early Appearance of the Martin (Hirundo urbica) near Hull, — Taking a walk yesterday afternoon in company with some friends to Cottingham, I observed a pair of martins flying overhead, which I pointed out to my companions, who also plainly saw them, so that there cannot be any mistake as to their identity. Is not this very early for their arrival? —G. Norman ; Hull, April 8, 1850. On the Autumnal Stay of Martins.— Last year I recorded (Zool. 2391) a striking instance of what not unfrequently occurs, viz., the reappearance of swallows rather late in the autumn (of 1848) after the general flight had departed, and after an inter- val during which none were to be seen. The autumn of 1849 afforded an instance of a different kind: a pair of swallows (Hirundo rustica) remained with us during the whole autumn without intermission till the 9th of November (rather a late period for this part of the country), and a single bird till the 16th. The birds took up their prin- cipal station on the top of one of the neighboux’s chimneys, from which they frequently made little excursions on the wing about the village, &c., returning to the chimney- top at intervals, and remaining there for a considerable time, probably for the sake of warmth. We watched them pretty narrowly ; the pair remained, as I have said, till the 9th of November, and was then reduced to a single bird, which continued about the chimney-top till the 16th, which was the last day we observed it.— W. T. Bree ; Allesley Rectory, April 2, 1850. Occurrence of the Hoopoe (Upupa Epops) at Bembridge.—A hoopoe made its ap- pearance here in the month of October last: it was seen on two occasions, and was each time distinctly observed to erect the long feathers of its crest. In a few days it had disappeared from the neighbourhood. — A. G. More ; Bembridge, Isle of Wight, April 17, 1850. Occurrence of the Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) near the Land’s End.—I received this morning a bird of this species, in full adult plumage, which was shot in the parish of St. Buryan. The occipital, frontal, and dorsal plumes are in perfect development, and I cannot conceive a finer example. The length, from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, 3 feet 13 inches ; weight, 2lbs.140z. I have given the length, as it varies so much from that given by Mr. Yarrell in his description, that the difference is remark- able, showing that there must be an error in the latter’s description, when he says, “ whole length, from the beak to the end of the tail, 29 inches,’— Edward Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, April 8, 1850. The Supposed New Snipe. — Whilst snipe-shooting yesterday at Auchengray (about twenty miles from Edinbro’, on the Lanark line), I was fortunate enough to Birds. 2801 procure, amongst a number of the common snipe, a specimen which may, perhaps, with other evidence, prove that the length or shortness of the tail-feathers, cannot, per se, be considered as a sufficient character of the species Brehmi. In my specimen, which I believe is only a Scolopax gallinago, the tail-feathers are of the usual num- ber, fourteen ; on one side of the tail the outer-feather is considerably longer than the second and third, and nearly as long as the fourth ; whilst on the other side the outer feather is shorter than the second. The bird is in full plumage, with no signs of moulting.— Edmund Thomas Higgins ; Edinburgh, March 15th, 1850. Habits of the Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus).— My. Evans’s remarks on some of the habits of the waterhen (Zool. 2704), many of which I can, from my own expe- rience confirm, call to mind a circumstance relating to this bird, which I witnessed in the early part of last winter. Walking by the side of a mill-pond, I started a water- hen which rose out of the sedges close under my feet, and flying not more than about thirty yards, settled in a wide ditch of water, which formed part of the pool-tail; on going directly up to the spot, I saw a waterhen (the same, I conclude, that I had just before flushed) lying on the surface of the water in the middle of the ditch, perfectly motionless, and with its head apparently under water, at least I could perceive no por- tion of its head or neck; I stood viewing it for some seconds, and took it for a dead bird ; but on my gently stirring it once or twice with a spud I had in my hand, it began to move, and springing up flew into an adjoining osier-bed.. Was this bird feigning death as a means of security ?—or why did it not take shelter among the flags and Carices which abounded on either side of the ditch? A few years ago I was pre- sent at dragging of a river, when a waterhen became entangled in the net and was captured ; it retained such fast hold with its long claws among the meshes of the net, that it was with difficulty we could release it, and some slight degree of force, perhaps, might have been employed in the attempt. After the bird was extricated, and laid upon the bare turf of the meadow, it appeared to be nearly dead and was unable to stand. Some means were resorted to, in the way of cherishing, in the hope of restor- ing animation, but all apparently to no purpose ; as life, however, was not quite ex- tinct, and with a view to give the bird a chance, it was placed among the flags on the margin of the river, when, to our surprise, it immediately roused itself up and ran away into closer shelter, as brisk as if nothing had happened to it. Are we to suppose that in either or in both these instances the waterhen feigned death for the sake of de- fence? In the latter instance, it may possibly be urged, that the bird had been so ter- tified as to have been almost frightened to death ; but in the former, no further alarm had been given to the waterhen, except what was occasioned by my having accidentally intruded upon its haunts.—W. T. Bree; Allesley Rectory, April 2, 1850. Enquiry respecting the Nest of the Flamingo.—Can you or any of the readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ give me any information as to what shaped nest the flamingo makes ? According to some authors its nest is of mud, conical, with a small depression at the top where the eggs are deposited, and of a sufficient height that when the bird sits astride on it, its feet just touch the ground. Now, is this really true? For why should the flamingo build such a nest, when other long-legged birds can sit in their nests with as much comfort as short-legged birds ; for (as Waterton says), the thighs of birds are of a length proportionate to their legs, so that by bending the knee, the legs recede sufficiently towards the tail to allow the feet to come to the centre of the body. I have seen a flamingo sitting bathing itself in a pan of water, in the position 2802 ~~ -Birds. described by Waterton, and it appears to me that if it can do so, it can sit in a nest, instead of sitting in such an unnatural position astride on it. —J. W. Hulke ; Deal, April 4, 1850. {I shall feel much obliged for any observations on this subject ; the simple asser- tion alluded to above, as well as figures of the bird in this strange position, are sufli- ciently abundant.—Z. N.}. Variety of the Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus).—I send you a drawing of the head of a pink-footed goose, which was shot at Wretham, in Norfolk, last January. The bird was remarkable for a few white feathers round the base of the bill, similar to the principal characteristic of the white-fronted goose, but not extending nearly so far on the forehead and cheeks as in examples of that species : in other re- spects, I believe (for I saw the head only), the bird had nothing peculiar about it. A week or two later, my brother saw'a bean-goose which had been killed at Riddles- worth, and which had similar white feathers round the beak; and early in February, I saw in a poulterer’s shop at Cambridge another bird of the last-named species, pos- sessing the like peculiarity. From the above, and the instances mentioned by your correspondent, Mr. Gurney (Zool. 1966 and 2456), it would appear that those species of the British geese besides the Anser albifrons sometimes exhibit more or less of a white forehead ; and it is a question which remains to be answered, whether this re- sults from age, sex, or occasional variety.—Alfred Newton; Elveden Hall, Thetford, April 15, 1850. Sailing of the Swan.—In treating of the habits of the domestic swan, it appears to me that most writers have fallen into a great mistake, when they speak of its sailing. In nearly every ornithological work which one takes up, one sees the grave assertion that the swan raises its wings, or rather the feathers of its wings, in order to assist it in its progress through the water. . Now, the swan never sails, it rows only ; and this is proved by the simple fact of its retaining its wings in the same elevated position, whether it is proceeding with the wind, against the wind, or side-ways to the wind. A circumstance connected with this subject came under my observation a few days since. In this neighbourhood there is a pond of about two acres in extent, situated between two oak woods: on this pond there are three swans, two old birds (male and female), and one last year’s cygnet. The old ones, as is usual at this sea- son, display the most rancorous hostility against their unhappy offspring, constantly pursuing him over the water, and obliging him to take refuge on shore. A few days ago the chase was going on with the wind right astern: the breeze freshened, while the young bird with outstretched neck, and lowered wings was fast outstripping his unnatural parents: the old gentleman and lady found it too much for them, and as a sudden gust blew down the pond, abruptly pulled up, and faced the wind, giving up the pursuit ; but no sooner did they perceive the cygnet advancing against the wind, than they again gave chase, and gained on him at every stroke: after dodging about the weather end of the pool, he was at last put to his wit’s end, and with an airof utter disgust, waddled ashore. The old ones had their wing-feathers raised the whole time. If they had sadled, they would have gained upon him when with the wind, and lost ground in the opposite direction: but the reverse of this was actually the case. If the cause of the swan’s raising his wing-feathers be asked, I should answer, I no more know this than why some birds can raise their crests, and others have a pendu- lous horn upon their heads which they can elevate at pleasure.—Francis H. Amherst ; St. Mary's, Oscott, April 16, 1850. se :: Birds, &c. 2803 [I have registered a number of facts, tending to prove that: birds prefer meeting the wind, on all occasions.— EZ. N.}. Occurrence of the Ferruginous Duck (Anas ferruginea) near Great Yarmouth.—As it is considered rather a rare bird in this neighbourhood, at this time.of year especially, I am induced to communicate to you, that on the 16th of April, 1850, a fine male specimen of the ferruginous duck was shot by a friend of mine, in a marsh adjoining the Meer—Robert Rising ; Horsey, near Great Yarmouth, April 17, 1850. Occurrence of the Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps ruficollis) near Penzance.— I haye just examined a specimen of this bird, which has been brought for preservation to Mr. Vingoe ; the red feathers in the neck are not yet apparent, but on turning back the neck-feathers an active moult was apparent, all the young feathers emerging being bright red, with those on the tip of the head black.— Edward Hearle Rodd; Penzance, April 8, 1850. Occurrence of the Black-throated Diver (Colymbus septentrionalis) in Lincoln- shive.—A fine specimen of the black-throated diver was shot on Frillingham: Pond, near Lincoln, on the 24th of January last.— H. Matthews ; Waddington April 22, 1850. Occurrence of the Black Tern (Sterna fissipes) at Balmer.—A. specimen, of the black tern was shot at Balmer, a village four or five miles to the west of Lewes, on the 9th of April, and is now in the possession of Mrs. Robert Hillman, of this town : this bird was seen hawking over the surface of a fresh-water pond for more than an hour before it was shot.—Charles Potter; Lewes, April 16, 1850. Occurrence of the Black Tern (Sterna fissipes) in Adult Summer Plumage in Mount’s Bay.—.A specimen of this bird I have just seen in its full black plumage: in that state it is of rare occurrence here, and as’such, it may be worth dfaennd ciao Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, April 8, 1850. Occurrence of the Fork-tailed Petrel (Thalassidroma Leachii) near London-—A fine specimen was caught alive, but very much exhausted; on the 4th of January, 1850, by a man at work on the high road. between Edgeware wal Stanmore.—F, Bond; Kingsbury, April 9, 1850. The Great Sea-Serpent again.—Ever since Professor Owen attempted to confound this leviathian with the seals, on which he probably feeds, taking in whole shoals of them at a mouthful, and draining off the water with his seaserpentbone apparatus, in the manner of a whale filling his stomach with Meduse and shrimps: ever since the promulgation of this humiliating hypothesis, the great sea-serpent has felt himself snubbed and has doggedly kept in deep. water, pertinaciously resolved, no doubt, to withhold himself in future from the incredulous malevolence of man. But he has re- lented: the recurrence of St. Valentine has warmed his heart : he has once more risen to the surface, and has wisely concluded to shun the disparaging Britishers, and to select, as of yore, for the scene of his auto-exhibition, the shores of a nation, at once the smartest and most credulous on earth. The papers of the United States are fraught with intelligence respecting him; cannon have been discharged, and re- ports says that he is actually ashore. My first extract is from a religious newspaper, entitled the ‘ Christian Mercury’: —“ The following letter from a eaten of Beau- fort gives exciting news of biog may, by this time, be the ‘seat of war.’ The old 2804 Proceedings of the Linnean Society. fellow has got into close quarters, and if he does not make a sudden and fortunate dash, has nothing better than offering himself as an oblation on the altar of science :-— Beaufort, March 15, 1850. The report of Captain Bankenship and passengers has been verified by many other witnesses. This formidable sea-monster has been seen again to-day, we understand, in our waters. When discovered by those on board the steamer, ‘ his eminence’ was in Port Royal Sound, a distance of seven or eight miles from this town. Since that time he has been lazily making his way up Broad River, and was seen by a gentleman, we understand, to-day in White Branch River, an arm of the Broad. He is reported to be making his way higher up still, when, perhaps, he may be captured. He is described as being from 120 to 150 feet in length, and of proportionate bulk ; has the head of a serpent, which he carries, when in motion, five or six feet out of the water. About ten feet from his head is a hump, resembling a huge hogshead, and as far as he could be seen out of the water a succession of humps was observed. He was pursued for several miles along the bank of the river, at times the party in pursuit coming very near to him. He was shot at with a rifle and shot gun, which had the effect of making him timid, and caused him to sink below the sur- face of the water when nearly approached. We understand that a party from this place has been made up to capture him, if possible. The plan is to man two large flats with a cannon to each, one going below where he is represented to be, and the other above, and then approach each other, and, when he is discovered, to fire into him. In this way he may be taken if, peradventure, he does not take them first. The Whale Branch is not more than 100 yards wide, and there is every probability of an animated conflict with this king of the waters within his own dominions; and I sup- pose it is admitted that the battle must be waged upon his own terms. The ‘ Charles- town Courier’ has a letter from Beaufort, of the same date, and of a similar tenour, to which is appended the following :—‘ Information has just reached us that the said sea- serpent is ashore at the mouth of Skull Creek. If so, the prize is certain, and Beaufort immortalized.’” The London papers have repeated all this, intermixed with a perfect flood of wit: the shafts of which are directed against believers and un- believers in a very pleasing and impartial manner. Is it still a hoax, or a Brachiop- tilon Hamiltoni?—Edward Newman ; London, April 20, 1850. Proceedings of the Linnean Society. March 19, 1850.—Rozert Brown, Esq., F.R.S., President, in the chair. Sir William Hooker communicated a paper, consisting of notices of some plants brought home by H.MS. Herald, lately employed in search of Sir John Franklin. April 2, 1850.—Rosert Brown, Esq., F.R.S., President, in the chair. Mr. Miers read a paper “On the Natural Order of Plants Trimacee,” and de- scribed three new genera and several species, which have been found in the old and new continents: the names of the genera are Sciaphila, Hyalisma, and Loridium. ~ Zoological and Entomological Societies. 2805 Proceedings of the Zoological Society. Monthly General Meeting, April 4.—E. Wynvuam, Esq., in the chair. P. Sclater and T. Dry, Esqrs., were elected Fellows. Samuel Gurney, jun., and I. Ingram Travers, Esqrs., were proposed as candidates for the Fellowship. The Report of the Council stated that Her Majesty had honoured the Society by the gift of a lioness, a magnificent leopard, a pair of ostriches, and a pair of gazelles, recently received from Morocco. The hippopotamus presented by the Viceroy of Egypt was reported to be in vigorous health at the date of the Hon. C. A. Murray's last letter (March 18), and it is expected that the animal will arrive in this country— with several other valuable accessions to the menagerie—about the end of next month. Communications have also been received from A. N. Shaw, Esq., Bombay, and Lieut. Tyler, R.E., Santa Lucia, announcing the shipment of some interesting quadrupeds and reptiles. The visitors to the gardens on Easter Monday and Tuesday amounted to 5940. Proceedings of the Entomological Society. April 1, 1850.—G. R. WatEruovse, Esq., President, in the chair. The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the donors: ‘ Entomologische Zeitung,’ November and December, 1849 ; ‘ Linnea Ento- mologica,’ vol. iv.; by the Entomological Society of Stettin. ‘The Zoologist’ for March and April; by the Editor. ‘ Biographical Notice of the late Edward Double- day ;’ by J. O. Westwood, Esq., the author (from the ‘ Gardener's Chronicle’). “Monograph of the larger African Species of Nocturnal Lepidoptera, belonging or allied to the Genus Saturnia,’ with four plates; by J. O. Westwood, Esq., the author. The following gentlemen were balloted for and elected Corresponding Members of the Society: Herr M. Bach, Boppard, on the Rhine; H. G. Dalton, Esq.; George Town, Demerara. Mr. Westwood exhibited a specimen and drawing of Cholovocera Madere, a new Coleopterous insect, remarkable for having the facetted eyes at the posterior angles of the head, replaced on each side by six small, semiglobose, pellucid ocelli, precisely si- milar to the ocelli at the sides of the head of many larve, being the only species throughout the whole of the metamorphotic winged insects in which this peculiarity had been observed to exist. _ | Mr: Westwood exhibited two insects mounted on gelatine, which he considered was preferable to tale, as it was more transparent, and the insects were more firmly secured, for the gum by which they were fastened was not so liable to scale off. Mr. Westwood also stated that the pupa-cases exhibited at the last meeting by Mr. Bond, and then supposed to be those of a species of Galeruca, belonged to a spe- cies of Chilocoris, and had been noticed by De Geer. _ Mz. Stainton exhibited a British species of Micropteryx which he had previously overlooked, though it was described by Mr. Stephens under the name of concinnella. It appeared that this species was the true Aruncella of Scopoli, and that the insect described under that name by Mr, Stainton, in his monograph of the genus, must now VIII Z 2806 Entomological Society. resume the name of Seppella, Fab. The females of both species, being destitute of markings, would probably be very difficult to distinguish from each other. Mr. S. Stevens exhibited some beautiful new species of butterflies he had recently received from Mr. Wallace, by whom they were captured, at Santarem, on the Ama- zon river: among them he had been able to identify Callithea Godartii, Feisthamel (male and female), and C. Lepreurii, Fetsth. He also read an extract of a letter from Mr. Wallace, stating that the males of C. Godartii frequent the higher parts of trees, and are very difficult to capture. Mr. Douglas exhibited an empty pupa, apparently of some Noctua, in a thistle- stem of last year, and some living larve, found the preceding week, at Darenth Wood, on broom. These larve, which did not seem to be scarce, drew together se- veral of the smaller twigs of the broom, forming a covering, in which they appeared to have hybernated, and in which they fed on the bark: they resembled in appearance and habit the larve of Depressaria assimilella, as described by Fischer-von-Rosler- stamm. : Mr. Douglas exhibited a new species of Elachista, which he proposed to name occultella, and of which he read the following description :— Family Trneipz. ELAcHISTA OCCULTELLA. Caput fuscum ; antenne nigre ; thorax niger; ale antice nigre griseo irrorate, medio fascia levi obscura, maculis duabus oppositis griseis, apicibus ratione ciliorum rotundatis. Ale postice nigre, ciliis fuscis. Expansio alarum 33 lin. Head fuscous ; antenne and thorax black ; anterior wings black, dusted through- out with minute griseous atoms, in the centre a slight obscure fascia, towards the apex on either margin a small obscure griseous spot, and the cilia long. Posterior wings black, with fuscous cilia. Very like E. obscurella, St., but smaller and darker, the anterior wings more rounded on the costa, drawn more suddenly to a point, and by reason of the long cilia the ends appear rounder. He found this species May 25th, 1848, flying above long grass under trees, in a damp part of West Wickham Wood. He also read the following description of a moth he had exhibited at the meeting in February :— Family Torrricipz. GRAPHOLITHA (Stigmonota, Guen.) WEIRANA. Caput fusco-nigrum, fronte palpisque albidis. Ale antice obtuse, fusco-nigre, fascia media curvata obscura subplumbea, punctis sex costalibus albidis, ciliis subplumbeis, micantibus. Ale postice cinereo-fusce, ciliis concoloribus. Subtus omnino cinereo-fusca. Exp. alar. 5 lin. Head fuscous black; face and palpi whitish. Anterior wings obtuse, rounded, soot-black, with an obscure curved medial fascia, and six whitish costal spots, in pairs, of which the first is atthe middle and the other two towards the apex ; cilia lead-coloured, shining. Posterior wings cinereous-fuscous, with concolorous cilia. Underneath, the wings, body and legs are all of an uniform cinereous fuscous hue. Entomological Society. 2807 This species is most closely allied to Stigmonota redimitana, Guen., from which it differs chiefly in being larger, of a lighter colour and less glossy, and the fascia less distinct: underneath, also, the fore legs and breast are not white. Taken at the end of May, flying in sunshine round beech-trees, at Mickleham. He had great pleasure in dedicating this species to him in whose company he captured it, Mr. Weir, who is well known as one of our most acute and industrious entomolo- gists. Mr. Stainton exhibited some small Lepidopterous larve mining in leaves of Helianthemum vulgare, which plant was not hitherto known to afford nourishment to any species of Tinez. A paper by Mr. S. S. Saunders was read, entitled “ Descriptions of two New Strepsipterous Insects from Albania, parasitical on the Genus Hyleus, with some ac- count of their Habits and Metamorphoses,” of which the following is an epitome :— Order Strepsiprera, Kirby. Genus Hytecturvs.* Caput magnum, transversum. Oculiingentes. Antenne 5-articulate ; articulo basali brevi; secundo parvo, truncato ; tertio longissimo, spatulato, tota feré latitudine subequali, quartumque basin versus latere externo ferenti; hoc parvo, annuloso; extimo (5to) tertio simillimo, simul productis, adsistentibus. Palpi parvi, articulo basali crassiori, apice obliquo; apicali graciliori, setoso. Thorax anticé constrictus, disco gibboso, capiti latitudine subequali; scutello maximo, elongato-triangulari, margine antico sinuato, lateribus rectis, angulo postico acuto porrecto. Pseudoelytra parva, apice valdé dilatato, crassiori, subconeavo. Ale, costa dimidio basali inspissata, seu potits nerva subcostali abbreviata quasi conjuncta ; prima discoidali prope basin furcata, ramo antico cum costa parallelo, ultra medium ale evanescenti, ramo postico ejusdem lon- gitudinis, recto, deflexo: prope apicem ale nerva duplex incurva exstat, cujus basis intra furcam retré extendet: nervis reliquis deflexis, quarum due ap- proximate, recte, margine interno propriores ; altera recta analis feré oblite- rata. Abdomen valdé constrictum. Pedes longitudine mediocres, posteriorum tibiis dilatatis, compressis, genubus constrictis; tarsorum articulis quatuor, apicali integro. Mas. Femina (cui, modo congenerarum, alz, pedes, antenne, necnon oculi desunt) vermiformis ; cephalothoracem complanatum, supra subconvexum, infra sub- concavum, e dorso apis educantis tantum modo emittens. Sp. 1. HyLecTurvs rust. Niger, gibbosus ; pedibus luteis; alis lacteis, nervis saturaté piceis. Mas. Long. corp. 3— lin. Expans. alar. feré 13 lin. Femina, cephalothorace pallido, disco utrinque vitta brunnea, quandoque basin versus punctis obscuris duabus, seu lineolis transversis, signato. - Habitat in Epiro, intra corpora Hylzi versicoloris parasiticus. * Hyleus, 2x9p0s, hostis, 2808 Entomological Society. Sp. 2. Hy.ecrarus Quercus. Differt magnitudine duplé majori, alis param obscurioribus, nervisque magis ni- gricantibus. Mas. Long. corp. 3—1 lin. Expans. alar. feré 14 lin. Individuis mutilatis tantum vidi. Habitat in Epiro, Hylei gibbi parasitus. Order HyMENoPTERA. Section Metuirera, Latr. Family AnDRENIDz, Lair. Genus Hy.zvs, Latr. (Prosoris, Jurine). Sp. 1. HyLzvus RvsicoLa. Niger; genis, clypeique puncto, luteis, vel albicantibus, vel denique omnino ni- gris ; antennis subtus ferrugineis ; prothoracis lineola sepe interrupta, humeris, squamaque alarum, flavescentibus ; tibiis tarsisque plus minusve ferrugineis vel pallidis; abdominis segmento primo omnino, secundo nonnunquam ad basin, rufo-fulvis, reliquis nigro-piceis, marginibus posticis pallidioribus ; alis subhyalinis, nervis piceis. Femina. Long. corp. 3, unc. Exp. alar. 4 unc. Mas differt, genis clypeoque albidis; thorace, abdomine, squamaque alarum, nigtis. Habitat in Epiro rubis exsiccatis circum Ambracicum sinum. Sp. 2. HyLtzus vERsIcotor. Niger; genis, clypei linea, prothoracis linea interrupta, humeris, squamaque ala- rum, flavescentibus; antennis subtus ferrugineis; tibiis tarsisque anterioribus feré omnino, intermediis posterioribusque basin versus, pallidioribus; abdo- mine vel toto vel parte majori pallidé flavo; alis subhyalinis, nervis piceis. Femina. Long. corp. unc. Exp. alar. 4 une. Variat genis luteis, clypei puncto concolori, vel disco omnino nigro. Habitat in Epiro rubis exsiccatis cum precedentibus. (An species distincta ?) The dissimilarity in appearance between this and the preceding species is so striking, that, although he inclined to consider the difference as resulting from parasitical attack, it would perhaps be hazardous to assert this without further proof of their identity. It is, however, remarkable that all the male parasites which he has obtained were derived from these pale-coloured specimens, whereas the apterous fe- males were restricted to the former;—a circumstance not unworthy of attention, as connected with the physiology of sexual development. Sp. 3. Hytzus crpsus. Niger, gibbosus; genis, tibiisque anterioribus anticé, luteis; posterioribus ad basin, intermediis vix, tarsoramque quatuor posteriorum articulo primo, albi- cantibus ; antennis subtus ferrugineis; prothoracis lineola interrupta tenui, humeris, alarumque squama, flavescentibus ; abdomine nigro ; alis fuscentibus, nervis piceis. Femina. Long. corp. 3 lin. Expans. alar. 43 lin, eS eee Entomological Society. - 2809 Habitat in Epiro, quercibus prope Sinum Ambracicum. The Hylecthrus querciis was obtained from this species, the abdomen exhibiting irregular rufous patches in some specimens parasitically affected. Having reared two new species from the bodies of bees of the genus Hyleus, Mr. Saunders availed himself of the opportunity to offer some remarks on these para- sites, and certain particulars which had come under his notice. The first species he obtained from oak-galls, which he had placed in a box and forgotten till some months afterwards, when he found—on some Hylei which had been produced and died— abdominal protuberances caused by the presence of Strepsiptera, still in their pupa envelopes, having perished in sité after attaining the imago state. The following year he could find no more Hylei in oak-galls; but knowing that the larve of these bees nidificated in briars, he collected some briar-snags, and on the 28th of May se- lected from their occupants five already-formed pup, the remainder being still in the larva state : of these, three completed their transformations withinéwo days, when he saw the usual parasitic phenomena, not previously apparent ; and the next morn- ing, on placing them in the sun, two winged parasites—smaller than those previously obtained from the Hyleus of the gall—speedily came forth. The remaining selected pupe never attained the imago state. From the ample stock of larve and briars re- maining he expected to have reared numbers of the parasite, but in this he was mis- taken; the gestation of the parasite apparently rendering the Hyleus precocious, for none’ of the bees that came out late produced any parasite: yet although the bees which produced parasites have always been observed to assume the imago state before others not parasitically affected, their appearance has varied according to the season, from the middle of May to the middle of June. The parasitic pupe have almost invariably shown themselves contemporaneously with the imago bee (never sooner), whose contortions in wriggling itself out of the pupa-envelope may not impossibly assist the parasite in driving the prominent dentate apex of the male pupa, or the subeuspidate cephalothorax of the female, through the abdominal folds; though it may indeed also be assumed that this is accomplished, as Dr. Siebold seems to think, by the larva. Among another lot of larve and pupe of Hylei, set apart and care- fully watched, no symptom of Strepsipterous distension could be discovered in either of those stages: however, he at length observed in two pup, on the right side only, the dark markings usually preceding the development of the bee, and found, on the pupa-pellicles being discarded the next day, Strepsipterous parasites ready to burst forth had become conspicuously prominent on the opposite side. So long as the Hylzi remained in the dark, the parasites made no attempt to leave their pupe, as an incentive to which light:appears essential ; for in one instance, some Hylei having become mature in a closed box, where they remained some time, none of the parasitic skull-caps were removed; so that it seems that unless aroused, after assuming the - imago state, by the stimulus of light, they die without emerging from the pupa-case. Adverting to the observations of Mr. Westwood and Dr. Siebold on the hexapod larve of the Strepsiptera, and those of Mr. Newport on the whole series of changes which take place in the ovum within the body of the female Stylops, herself contained within that of the bee, he said that they did not affect the origin of these ova, nor did it appear that their presence had been detected in any larviform Strepsipterous insect obtained from a bee not taken at large, whereby the possibility of extraneous oviposi- tion would be absolutely negatived: but the circumstantial evidence affecting the 2810 Entomological Society. relations of these hexapods with the Strepsiptera is so convincing, and the conditions essential to their future maintenance and propagation—involved in the exploded theory of their hyper-parasitic character—have been so nearly reduced to an argu- mentum ad absurdum by Mr. Westwood, that no reasonable doubt can be entertained upon this point. The male pupz, as Dr. Siebold affirms, always appearing towards the commencement of summer, but never surviving the winter, it follows that the hexapod larve produced in the spring must, by a speedy transition, assume the pupa state at the time when the first pupe of the males are observed; which well accords with the habits and equally rapid metamorphoses of the Polistes, while offering a re- markable contrast to the tardy development of the larve of other Strepsipterous genera, which, like Stylops, Halictophagus, and these parasites on Hyleus, are asso- ciated with bees long retaining their immature condition, and enjoying comparatively but a brief existence after quitting their cells in the imago state. It is therefore to be regretted that Dr. Siebold, by collectively embodying under one category results derived from the Stylops and Xenos, and by simply setting forth the deductions so obtained, should have afforded no opportunity of classifying the evidence for the pur- pose of comparison; whereby its bearing upon other points might be correctly ascer- tained, and a consistent series of well-assorted facts more accurately propounded. With regard to the genus to which these parasites upon the Hylei may belong, the general conformation of the antenne and tarsi might tend to associate them with Xenos, yet their habits, consorting with the Mellifera, bring them into close relation with Stylops and Halictophagus, so that they seem to supply a connecting link be- tween Xenos and Stylops, coinciding with the position which the Hylei themselves occupy between the Vespide and the Mellifera, thus constituting a new genus, for which he would propose the name of Hylecthrus, readily distinguished at first sight by the broad lamine of the antenne, which are nearly of equal width throughout, whereas in Xenos they gradually taper from the middle to the apex ; the palpi in the former being less conspicuous, and the thorax less, considerably more gibbous, as well as wider and shorter in proportion. With regard to an opinion which has long pre- vailed, that the larve of the Hylei are parasitical feeders upon the stores of other Mellifera, it does not appear to be borne out in those which he has reared; for having obtained many specimens from cells adapted to the size of the larve, and constructed in appropriate channels through the pith, the peculiar transparent tapestry of the Hylei being continued throughout each series of cells in uninterrupted succession, he could not but infer that these are no casual intruders or predatory usurpers, but lineal descendants of the original constructors and purveyors. On more than one occasion he had reared Hylezi from briars wherein a species of Osmia was also met with, but the cells of the one were perfectly distinct from those of the other; the Hyleus having simply availed itself of an excavated briar after the Osmia had completed its labours, a deposit of acidulous honey being found intermediate between the two sets of cells. Whence could this honey have proceeded, and for what purpose could it have been collected? Can this be the nature of the food upon which the Hyleus larve subsist, and could it have found its way hither by exuding from the cells of the Osmia? This is a problem involving many points difficult to explain, the solution of which—as de- fining the habits and economy of the Hylezi—offers an interesting subject of inquiry. On one occasion he found some pupe of Hyleus in a mud-cased briar containing the deserted cells of an Odynerus, the Hylei in this instance being arranged obliquely : it will, however, scarcely be contended that the Hylei were parasitical feeders upon Microscopical Society. 2811 the store laid up for the zoophagous Odynerus larve, nor was there any trace of subse- quent occupation by an Osmia. In another instance he found, in an excavated briar, the lower part tenanted by three larve of Cemonus, and the upper portion by several larve of Hyleus: in this case, the time for the appearance of the perfect Cemoni being prior to that of the Hylezi, the latter were destroyed by the former while making their exit. The memoir concluded by saying that the specimens illustrative thereof were now presented to the Society. Referring to Mr. Saunders’s Memoir, Mr. Westwood observed that he had thought the Hylei were parasitic ; and Mr. Smith said that he did not believe they were pa- rasitic, for he had seen individuals excavating bramble-sticks for their cells. ‘Copies of the President’s Address at the Anniversary Meeting, and of Part i. vol. i. of the new series of the Society's Transactions, were laid on the table-—J. W. D. Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. April 17, 1850.—Dr. Arruur Farre, President, in the chair. Capt. R. H. Manners, R.N., J. B. Mummery, Esq., H. Cantis, Esq., Capt. Trotter, C. F. White, Esq., F. H. Wenham, Esq., and R. Meslayer, Esq., were balloted for and duly elected members of the Society. A translation of a letter from M. Nachet, respecting the construction of his prism, was read. f A paper, by F. H. Wenham, Esq., “ On a New Method of Illumination,” was read. After some preliminary observations, in which allusion was made to the want of sufficient aperture in Nachet’s prism, and also to some supposed defects in its mode of action, the author proceeded to describe a construction by which those defects might, in his opinion, be remedied. It consists chiefly in the employment of two of Nachet’s prisms in juxtaposition with a dark well between them, by which means he expects to be able to throw an oblique pencil of light in two opposite directions across an object, and thus not only produce a greater amount of light, but also correct many of the false appearances produced by the former mode of illumination. This arrange- ment, however, he had not as yet had an opportunity of carrying into effect, although he did not doubt of its success. He next proceeded to describe another mode of illumination, consisting of a parabolic reflector of one-tenth of an inch focus, with a polished silver surface, having the apex so far cut away as to bring the focal point to such a distance above the top of the apparatus, as may be equal to the thickest glass commonly used for mounting objects; a disk of thin glass is placed at the base of the parabola, in the centre of which is cemented a dark well, with a flange rather larger than its diameter, being equal to the aperture at the top of the reflector, for the purpose of preventing the direct rays from passing through the apparatus. There are various necessary adjust- ments, and a revolving diaphragm having two apertures may also be applied, by means of which two pencils of light in opposite directions may be obtained, if required. The apparatus was exhibited, in action, after the meeting, and appeared fully to realize the views of the inventor.—J. W. 2812 Tyneside Naturalists’ Field Club. Proceedings of the Tyneside Naturalists’ Field Club. A meeting of the club was held in the committee-room of the Literary and Philo- sophical Society, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on the evening of the 4th of April; the Rev. R. C. Coxe, Vicar of Newcastle, in the chair. The President, Dennis Embleton, Esq., M.D., read two papers: one, “ On the Old English or Black Rat,” skins of which (taken at Stockton-on-Tees), along with drawings of its anatomical peculiarities, were exhibited. The other paper was “ On the Short Sun-fish,” the specimen of which exhibited was taken off Cullercoats last year. Dr. E. entered minutely into its anatomy, pointing out its more prominent peculiarities, and illustrating his remarks with drawings from the pencil of Mr. A Hancock: the paper will form a valuable addition to our knowledge of these strange creatures. * Another paper was by Ralph Carr, Esq., being the second part of his “‘ Observa- tions on Composite Names of Places, chiefly in Northumberland, of Anglo-Saxon derivation ; being a contribution of materials towards the formation of an Archaic and Orthographical Chart of the County.” Mr. James Hardy contributed a paper on the habitats, &c., of some “ New British Homopterous Insects.” In it he characterised a new genus (Dikraneura), and described seventeen new species, viz.— Typhlocyba plagiata. Gibside and Penmanshiel Wood. ————— ewimia. Woods near Winlaton Mill. rubi. Onthe bramble and hazel, at Gibside and Penmanshiel Wood, at the end of October. lutea. Berwickshire. quadrisignata. In meadows and deans, common. octonotata. Beat out of willows, on the Derwent; August. sexemaculata, Gibside. jucunda, Near Winlaton Mill, in August. Stachydearum. Common, being met with so late as December. Dikraneura variata. Abundant amongst grass, and in sea-caverns, on Geranium Robertianum, in October. Aphodrus spilotocephala. Meadows; Newcastle, Berwickshire, and near Edin- burgh. ——— juvenca. Banks of the Derwent. melanopsis. Among short herbage, on barren banks, Berwickshire. marmorata. Beat out of bushes, on the banks of the Derwent and in Berwickshire. Acucephalus adustus. In fields, late in autumn. Parapia pallidipennis. Bents near South Shields ; Berwickshire and near Edin- burgh. Ciwius dorsalis. Taken at Milne Garden, near Coldstream, Berwickshire ; June. At the conclusion of the meeting Dr. Charlton read a letter which he had received from W. K. Loftus, Esq., detailing his late important Chaldean discoveries.—T. J. B. Quadrupeds. 2813 Description of the Individual of a Species of Bat (? Vespertilio pruinosus), found in the Island of South Ronaldshay, in the Orkneys, in the year 1847 (See Zool. 2695, &c.). —I have much pleasure in sending a description of this bat, according to the requests of Mr. Tomes and Mr. Newman. I am sorry that I am not enough of an artist to be able to make a drawing of the more characteristic parts. The teeth appear to be of the insectivorous form: the formula of dentition is, I. 2, C. 2, P. M. 3, M.§ The upper incisor is close to the canine, there being apparently no teeth in front in the upper jaw. The divisions between the teeth of the lower jaw are not very easily made out in this dried specimen, and it is therefore possible that the formula I have given may be incorrect. The ear is somewhat like that of the Noctule: the upper angle is rather more depressed, and the lobe does not appear to descend below the level of the opening of the ear; but as it is somewhat crushed, this is not very certain: also, the tragus is longer than in the Noctule. The ear is nearly covered with hair, inside and out, except at the margin, where the black skin—supported on cartilage curled back from the concave side of the ear—is quite exposed. The orifice of the nostrils is comma-shaped, and the muzzle is of similar proportions to that of the Noctule. The face, head, and the whole of the body, are covered with long hair; each hair divided into four belts of colour, dark brown at the roots, then light tawny, again dark brown, and white at the tips: each of these belts, in those parts of the body where the hair is longest, is an eighth of an inch in breadth, except the white belt, which is less. The hair of the upper surface extends over the whole of the interfemoral membrane and the backs of the toes of the feet: in these situations the colours of the hairs have blended into two only, brown tipped with white. It passes, without decrease in thickness, from the sides of the body upon the flying membrane, and ends abruptly in an imaginary line drawn from the foot across the middle of the humerus to the an- terior margin of the membrane: that is, it extends for an inch, more or less, beyond the body on each side, and over the whole of the membrane of the tail. On the up- per surface of the wing there is also a very small tuft in the hollow of the bend of the elbow, another between the root of the thumb and fore-finger, and a few short scat- tered hairs on other parts near the principal bones of the wing. Underneath, the colours are less bright than on the back. As the hairs leave the body they gradually change to tawny, and they extend in the form of a close pubescence along the ante- rior part of the flying membrane as far as to a little beyond the wrist; indeed nearly the whole of the third metacarpal is accompanied by a narrow strip of hair: opposite the elbow and the wrist it forms a band of an inch in breadth; between these points it is rather less: that part of the membrane where these hairs are implanted on the under surface is tawny, both above and below; the rest of the membrane of the wing and the interfemoral membrane are black. The margin of the hair just described on the under surface of the wing gradually turns, opposite the elbow, towards the knee, and the boundary line is continued through the knee to the middle of the bones of the tail, so that the proximal half of the interfemoral membrane is covered with hair ; but all the hair on the under side of the membranes, as it has gradually changed in colour from that of the body, so it differs from it in being finer and less closely set ; whilst the hair on the upper surface of the membranes, at least the greater part of it, all that is continuous with that of the body, differs little from this last in character. The membrane is in width before the bend of the elbow ths of an inch; behind it nearly 1% inch: it extends to the tips of all the digits of the anterior extremity, except the first, where all beyond the metacarpal bone is exserted, and this digit alone is VIII Qa 2814 Quadrupeds. armed with a claw, shaped like a cat's. The second digit is tied within an eighth of an inch of the third, and as it terminates sooner its weak distal phalanx is supported by a still closer proximity to the penultimate phalanx of its neighbour. The third and fourth digits are nearly an inch and a half apart at their tips, and the last pha- lanx of each appears to be cartilaginous, or is at least bent along the edge of the © membrane in a direction towards the other. From the tip of the fourth to the tip of the fifth is about 23 inches, and from this to the foot is also about 2} inches. The edge of the membrane reaches the outer side of the foot at the distal extremity of the metatarsal bones, and the part of the foot beyond these bones is free. Between the foot and the tail, the membrane starts from the tarsus along the “ spur,’ which sup- ports it for about three quarters of an inch, and it finally reaches the very tip of the coccyx. The dimensions are — Tip to tip of Wings .....:..ss0csseccsroesssescveess Muzzle to end of tail ...........cccecesecesveceseee 44 Head... Gapma deena enasnaildactins oases eccwesanseaaihe ie Dal nal tape stdeas