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JOHN VAN VOORST, PATERNOSTER ROW. 


M.DCCC.LVILI. 


Oh, attend, whoever thou art, 

Whose candid bosom the refining love 

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CiQuN ‘TF EEN. 1 8. 


ALPHABETICAL LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. 


Apams, Artur, F.L.S. 

A systematic list of Coleoptera found 
in the vicinity of Alverstoke, South 
Hants, 5966 

ANDERSON, RoBERT 
Acronycta Alni near York, 6284 
Arxtnson, Rev. J. C., M.A. 

Winter food of the ring dove and stock 
dove, 5977; Contributions towards 
a biography of the partridge, 5977, 
6010; On reason and instinct, 6043, 
6081, 6196; Does the male partridge 
assist in incubation, 6059; Sinall 
variety of the partridge, 6095; Scent 
—an attempt to explain its pro- 
perties and causes, 6124; Contribu- 
tions towards a biography of the red 
grouse, 6257 

ATKINSON, WILLIAM 

Does any insect feed on the tea-tree? 

5925 
BackuHovusk, JoHN CHURCH 

Vanessa Antiopa in the North, Colias 

Edusa at Darlington, 6276 
Baixiz, W. Batroor, M.D., F.R.G:S. 

A systematic list of Coleoptera found 
in the vicinity of Alverstoke, South 
Hants, 5966 

Baty, J.S. 

Capture of Lemophleus Clematidis 

near Gravesend, 5929 
Barrett, C. G. 


Camptogramma gemmaria, 6104; 
Abundance of Psyche nitidella, 
6215 


Bates, HENry WALTER 
Excursion to St. Paulo, Upper Ama- 
zons, 6160 
Brrcwatt, Epwin 
Habits and locality of Anthrocera 
Minos, 5924; Habits and locality 
of Miana expolita, 5926; Bankia 
Bankiana, 6145 


Birks, Rev. B. H. 
The larva of Xanthia Aurago, 6145 
Bisuop, H. S. 
Capture of Heliothis peltigera at Ply- 
mouth, 6101 
BLADON, JAMES 
The loves of the slugs, 6272 
Bop, THomas JonHn 
Description and capture of Platys- 
tethus Capito in Scotland, 5928; 
Note on the flying of Bembidia, 
Capture of Georyssus pygmeus in 
Cumberland, 5973; Notes on the 
British species of Blaps, 5974 
Bott, HENry 
Camptogramma gemmaria and C. 
fluviata, 6251 
Bonn, FREDERICK 
The red and willow grouse, 6264 
Borrer, W., jun. 
Tengmalm’s owl in Sussex, Fulmar 
petrel at Brighton, 5988 
Boypb, THomas 
On the geographical distribution of 
butterflies in Great Britain, 6018 ; 
Retrospective criticism on Dr. Gray’s 
view of the cause of the cells of the 
honey bee being of an hexagonal 
form, 6216; Double-broodedness of 
the Notodontide, 6283 
Bree, Rev. Wittram, M.A. 
Curious variety of Apatura Iris, 5923 
BRETHERTON, CHARLES 
On marine Mollusca 
6231 
Briaes, JoHN JOSEPH 
Remarkable anecdote of the cuckoo, 
6309 
Brown, Epwin 
Acentropus niveus a Lepidopterous 
insect, 5919 


in aquaria, 


Brown, Tuomas 


Larva of Harpalyce sagittaria, 6030 


Bucxkitrey, HENRY 
Wood sandpiper near Birmingham, 
6266 
Burney, Rev. Henry 
Tephrosia Laricaria, Gnophos Obscu- 
raria, 6029; Larva of Tephrosia 
Laricaria, 6103 
CHapmMan, THomas 
Black specimen of Cicindela campes- 
tris, 6286 
ConsTANTINE, W. L. 
On specific distinctions, 5949 
Cook, R. 
Cerura bicuspis and Acronycta Alni, 
6249 
Cooke, B. 
On classification, 5951, 6079 
CoorErR, SIDNEY 
Agrotis lucernea, 6213 
Cox, Capt. 
On the ravages of Scolytus destructor, 
5995 
Crewe, Rev. H. Harpur, M.A. 
Gnophos pullaria, 6029; Undescribed 
Geometra larve, 6031; The Artax- 
erxes question, 6247; Habits of 
Nudaria Senex, Note on Nonagria 
Ty phe, 6283 
Crotcu, W. D. 
New mode of capturing Nonagria 
geminipuncta, 6213 
Daz, J.C 
Gnophos obscuraria, 6102; Sterrha 
sacraria a British insect, 6249 
Dix, JosHua 
Colias Edusa near London, 6310 
Dix, THomas 
Buzzard at West Harling, 5976 
D’OrvittezE, H. 


Deilephila livornica near Exeter, 
6101 

Dovus.Lepay, HENRY 

Trochilium Vespiforme (Lznn. ?), 


Asiliformis (Fab.), 5961; British 
Geometrina, as arranged and named 
in M. Guenée’s first volume of the 
Geometre of the whole world, 5962; 
Eupithecia pernotata in England, 
Two British Geometre included 
under the name Phibalapteryx gem- 
maria—Chilo obtusellus of Stainton 
—Tinea paludella of Hubner, 5963 ; 
British Geometrina, as arranged 
and named in M. Guenée’s second 
volume of the Geometre of the 
whole world, 6027; Hadena pere- 
grina of Treitschke in the Isle of 
Wight, 6067, 6068 ; Plectrophanes 
nivalis, 6093; Gnophos obscurata 
and G. pullata, 6102; The genus 


Oporabia, Description of a British 
Eupithecia new to Science, 6103 
Dovetas, J. W. 

A proposal for a new catalogue of 
British Coleoptera, 5899; Ants’- 
nest beetles, 6067; Metamorphotic 
systems of classifying insects, 6079 ; 
Beetles in Ants’ nests, 6148; Beetles 
at home, 6216; Megachile centun- 
cularis, 6219; Beetles at Lee, 
6286 

DraneE, RoBERT 

Note on the paper by Messrs. Boyd 
and More “On the Geographical 
Distribution of Butterflies in Great 
Britain,” 6099; Correction of an 
error, 6145; Additions to the butter- 
fly Fauna of South Wales, 6246 

Draper, WILLIAM HENRY 

Capture of Endromis versicolor in Til- 

gate Forest, 6066 
Dutton, JoHN 

Marsh harrier on Pevensey Levels, 

6266 
Epieston, R.S. 

Tischeria angusticolella, Heyd., and 
Solenobia triquetrella, Zubn., 5927 ; 
Xysmatodoma argentimaculella, 
Captures near Bowdon, 6214 

Epwarp, THomas 

Capture of Notidanus griseus, a shark 
new to Britain, at Banff, 5959; Are 
there two species of Priapulus allied 
to caudatus? 5976; Ring ouzel 
near Banff, 6094; Supposed new 
Ammocetes, 6097; Thecla Rubi, 
Anthocharis Cardamines and Pieris 
Rape in Banffshire, 6101; Rare 
birds near Banff, 6268 ; Short sun- 
fish near Banff, 6271; Locusta 
migratoria in Shetland, 6288 

Farren, WILLIAM, jun. 

The great gray shrike in Cambridge- 
shire, The great spotted woodpecker 
at Welney Wash, 5958 

Fox, Howarp 
Weasel carrying its young, 6309 
Frazer, Louis 

Proceedings of a Natural-History col- 
lector in foreign countries, 5939, 
6158 

Frey, Professor 
A new mine on Centaurea, 6215 
GARDNER, JAMES 

Avocet in Kent, 5921; Plentiful oc- 
currence of Trochilium vespiforme 
in England, 5924 

GASCOYNE, GEORGE 

Double-broodedness of the Notodon- 

tide, 6248, 6311 


Vi 


Gosse, P. H. 

Short sun-fish at Torquay, 6144; 
Sphinx Convolvuli in Devonshire, 
6282 

Gray, JoHN Epwarp, Ph.D., F.R.S. 

Reply to ‘‘ Remarks on the Sale of the 
Entomological Society’s Exotic Col- 
lection,’ 6070, 6112 

GREENE, T. W. 

Hawfinch building at 

6143 
Grecson, C.S. 

Gnophos pullaria, &c., 6102; Notes 
on the genus Oporabia, 6193; Oc- 
currence of.a Peronea new to Science 
at Liverpool, 6251. 

Groves, W. 

Zeuzera Aisculi feeding on ash, 6283 ; 
Reappearance of Scolytus rugulosus 
at Greenwich, 6286 

GuErNnzius, M. 

On the Habits of Pausside, &c., 5994 ; 
On the habits of the Hymenoptera 
of Natal, 6037 

GuisE, W. V. 

Concerning a venomous lizard in Gu- 

jerat, 5921 
GuRNEY, Joun Henry, M.P. 

Note on sparrows attacking rats, 6009 ; 
Note on a lapwing’s egg with two 
yolks, 6144; Note on the pertinacity 
of the spotted flycatcher in its choice 
of a place for nidification, 6238; 
Note on the late nesting of the wood 
pigeon, 6242; Note ona bird and 
ona quadruped, both found in Natal, 
and both said to prey upon serpents, 
6267 

Gurney, S., M.P. 

Black swans nesting at Carshalton, 

5988 
Guyon, GEORGE 

Clostera curtula in the Isle of Wight, 
6145 ; Newt changing its skin, 6210; 
Bembidium laterale in the Isle of 
Wight, 6220; Note on Cydippe 
Pileus, 6288; Infusoria on a prawn, 
6289 

HabFie.p, Capt. Henry W. 


Tonbridge, 


Emberiza nivalis, 6239; Nidification © 


of Swallows, 6241 
Hatt, J. EarpLey 
Capture of Endromis versicolor in 


Tilgate Forest, Note on _ the 
breeding of Endromis versicolor, 
6066 


Hau, THomas 
Glossy ibis in South Wales, 6096 
Hamitton, Rear-Admiral W. A. B. 
The sea-serpent, 6016 


Hammonp, W. OxENDEN 

Sound produced by the larva of Ache- 
rontia Atropos: beautiful variety of 
the same insect, 6282 

Harpine, G., jun. 

Phibalapteryx fluviata and P. gem- 
maria—are they distinct? 6216; 
Habits of Camptogramma gem- 
maria, 6251 

Harovinea. H. J. 

Lasiocampa Callune—is it a species ? 

5925; Flavicinctaria and cesiaria, 


6030; Polyommatus Artaxerxes 
and P. Agestis, 6211, 6246, 6277, 
6310 


Harrineaton, Capt. G. H. 

Another peep at the sea-serpent, 5989, 

6016 
Hawarp, ALFRED 
Cossonus linearis, 6150 ; Carabide in 
the Isle of Sheppey, 6251 
Hawker, Rev. Wittiam Henry, M.A. 
Blackbirds nesting in December, 5958 
Hewirtson, W.C. 

Notes on the swallow, 5921; Note on 
the early breeding of squirrels, Early 
arrival of the blackcap, 6058; Early 
nesting of the longtailed titmouse, 
6059; Remarks on the sale of the 
Entomological Society’s Exotic col- 
lection—a letter addressed to the 
President, 6069, 6111] 

Hotpswortn, E. W. H. 
Bats flying in the sunshine, 6257 
Huckertt, THomas 

Capture of Cucullia Chamomille near 

London, 6103 
Hussey, Rev. Artuur, M. A. 

Note on Mr. Wallace’s travels, 5942; 
The tzetze, 5965; Reason and 
instinct, 6092; Retention of scent 
by the partridge and other game, 
6094; Domestic ducks nesting in a 
church tower, 6144; Scent, 6206; 
Short sun-fish on the Sussex coast, 
6210; Duck breeding in a church 
tower, 6245; Shark on the coast of 
Sussex, 6246 

JANSON, Epwarp W. 
Scolytus rugulosus near London, 5944 ; 
Lemophleus Clematidis, 5973 

JENNER, EpwarpD 

Ephyra orbicularia at Lewes, 6103 
JERDON, ARCHIBALD 

Destruction of rare birds, 5957 
Jones, Capt. J. M., R.A. 

Spider silk, 5922 
Kipp, WarINnG 

Supposed variety of the partridge, 
6059 


Vill 


Kinanan, G. Henry, C.E., G.S.L. 

Description of a starling roost, at 
Rathkeale, county Limerick, 6003 

Kinanan, J. R., M.D., M.R.T.A. 

Notes on the subaqueous habits of the 
water ouzel, 6001; Descriptions of 
two unrecorded British Isopoda, 
6098; Notes on two Crustacea new 
to Britain, 6274 

Lewis, GEORGE 
Capture of Chlenius Schrankii in the 
Isle of Wight, 6220 
Licuton, Rev. Sir C. R., Bart. 
Serpula contortuplicata, 5976 
Lioyp, ALForD W. 
Note on Holothuria, 6069 
Loean, R. F. 

Notes on Scottish Lepidoptera in 1855 
—6, 6060; Is Artaxerxes a species ? 
6100; Polyommatus Artaxerxes and 
Agestis, 6276; The genus Oporabia, 
6285 

Macuin, W. 
Undescribed Geometra larve, 6030 
Martner, T. 

Roller in Flintshire, 5976 ; Barheaded 

goose near Chester, 5988 

Matuews, Murray A. 

- Rare birds near Barnstaple, 6014; 
Emberiza nivalis, 6207; Note on 
the blackbird sucking eggs, 6208; 
Botys lancealis, 6213; Little gull 
near Barnstaple, 6245; Norfolk 
plover and the ruff near Barnstaple, 
6264 

Martruews, Rev. A., M.A. 

Capture of two Coleopterous insects 
new to the British list, 6032; A 
synonymic list of the British Tri- 
chopterygide, 6104 

McLacutan, Rosert 

Cossus ligniperda at sugar, 6212 
MeveEs, W. 

Snipes neighing or humming, 6244 
Miner, Sir Witiiam M. E., Bart. 

The glossy ibis and _ yellowlegged 
sandpiper killed in Yorkshire, 5958 

More, A. G., F.LS. 

On the geographical distribution of 
butterflies in Great Britain, 6018; 
Migratory birds in the Isle of Wight, 
6270 

NEAvVE, Epwarp 
Spoonbill near Aldborough, 6266 
Newman, Epwarp, F.L.S., Z.S., &c. 

Remarkable variety of Argynnis Eu- 
pbrosyne, 5923; Fungus on a 
Rhbyncophorous beetle, 5927 ; Geo- 
graphical distribution of British 
butterflies, 6065; Deilephila Eu- 


phorbie not taken near Bridgewater, 
Larva of Tephrosia laricaria, 6066 ; 
Larva of MHarpalyce  sagittaria, 
Pterophorus Lienigianus in Britain, 
6067 ; Capture of Vanessa Antiopa 
in Scotland, 6100; Notodonta car- 
melita at Addington, Stauropus 
Fagi, Endromis versicolor and Pe- 
tasia nubeculosa, 6101; Aleucis 
pictaria, 6104; Note on Scolytus 
destructor, 6118; On diminutive co- 
coons of Cossus ligniperda, 6191; 
Epione advenaria, 6213; Another 
talking canary, 6240; The red and 
willow grouse, 6264; Larva of Sa- 
tyrus Semele, 6276; Double-brood- 
edness of Acherontia Atropos and 
Notodonta ziczac, 6281; Sphinx 
Convolvuli in the Metropolis, 6282 ; 
Xanthia ocellaris on the Coast, 
6284 ; Creamcoloured courser in 
Hackney Marshes, 6309; Glea 
erythrocephala on the South Coast, 
6312 
Newman, H. W. 

Movements of swifts and migratory 

birds, 5958 
Newnua, Rev. Putuip H., M.A. 
Remarks on the etymology of names 
of animals, 5857 
Nicnoxs, Henry, jun. 
Bee-eater at Kingsbridge, Devon, 6143 
Norman, Rev. ALFRED MERLE, B.A. 

The Mollusca of the Firth of Clyde 

0875 
Normay, G. 

Hooded crows at Flambro’ Head 
6142; Is the red grouse of Britain 
really distinct from the Norwegian 
willow grouse?. 6209; The red 
grouse and the willow grouse, 6242, 
6266 

Oster, T.J. RK. 

An entomologist’s visit to the Diggings, 

5901 
ParFitt, EpwarD . 

Scolytus supposed to attack only 
ubdhealthy trees—Cossus ligniperda 
does infest the elm, 6146 

Peacu, C. W. 
Locusts in Shetland, 6288 
PENGELLY, WILLIAM 
Sunfish at Berry Head, 6246 
Picot, R. | 
Birds at sea, 5957 
PortTER, JOHN, jun. 
The Alpine accentor near Lewes, 5958 
Power, J. A., M.D. 

Notes on Myrmecophilous Coleoptera, 

6287 


Pratt, J. 
Pieris Daplidice, 6212 
Reapine, J. J. 

Lepidoptera at Plymouth, 5922; Notes 
concerning the capture of several 
interesting species of Coleoptera, 
5927; Myrmecophilous Coleoptera 
captured in the neighbourhood of 
Plymouth, 5929; Scolytus supposed 
a secondary cause of injury—Cossus 
ligniperda does infest the elm, 
6148 

RIcHARDSON, JOSEPH 
Peregrine falcon in Yorkshire, 6058 
Ropp, Epwamp HEARLE 

Firecrested Regulus at Penzance, 
Great Plover at Penzance, 6009; 
Kentish plover near Penzance, 6097; 
Baillon’s crake near the Land’s End, 
6210; Pomarine skua at the Land’s 
End, 6267; Query respecting a 
caterpillar, 6282 

Rocers, F. 
Wild geese in the Isle of Wight, 6097 
Roacers, J. 

Capture of Vanessa Antiopa at Stoke 

Newington, 6190 
Scott, JoHN : 

Notodonta Carmelita in 1858, Why is 
empyrea considered a Phlogophora ? 
5926; What there is beneath our 
noses, 5930 ; Proposed generic name 
for the Phlogophora meticulosa of 
our collections, 5961; A supposed 
new species of Tinea allied to T. 
rusticella, 5964; Additions to 
Messrs. Boyd and More’s “ Geo- 
graphical Distribution of Butterflies 
in Great Britain,” 6065 ; Elachista 
Trapeziella—its food and trans- 
formations, 6146; The Centaurea 
jacea miner, 6215 

SHEPHERD, C. W. . 

Peregrine falcon in Kent, 5976 
Suepparp, A. F, 

Sphinx Nerii at Brighton, 5961 
SLANey, W. H. 

White thrushes, blackbirds, &c., 6141 
SmiruH, Rev. ALFRED Cuartes, M.A. 

On Bavarian sporting, 5870, 6004; 
The sea-serpent, 6015; The red 
and willow grouse, 6265 

SmituH, Rev. B. 
Larva of Dasycampa rubiginea, 6284 ; 
Larva of Ennomos fuscantaria, 6285 
Smita, FrepEerick 
The sea-serpent, 5990, 6017 
SmiTH, Frepertck (Brit. Mus.) 

Notes and observations on the genus 

Necrophorus, 6217 


iX 


SmurRTHWAITE, HENRY 

Breeding of the bustard near Leipzic, 
5986 ; Hoopoe and pied flycatcher 
in Yorkshire, 6093 ; Motacilla cam- 
pestris and M. boarula, 6239 ; 
Spotted crake near Richmond, York- 
shire, 6264 ; Crossbills in Yorkshire, 
6309 

Spicer, Joun W.G. 
Note on the partridge, 6014; The 
small partridge, 6143 
Spicer, Major 
Notes on the hedgehog, 6055 
Stainton, H. T 

Note on a curious little Geometra taken 
in London by Mr. Hunter, 6039 ; 
On the persistence of species, 6153 ; 
Larva of Chilo gigantellus, Cole- 
ophora leucapennella, Larve of 
Cemiostoma lotella, 6214 

STEVENSON, H. 

Early appearance of the hobby in 
Norfolk, 6058; Little bustard at 
Gorleston, Suffolk, 6059; Broad- 
billed sandpiper for the third time 
in Norfolk, Dusky petrel in Norfolk, 
6096; A nest of Montagu’s harrier, 
6207 ; Beautiful variety of the Gar- 
ganey teal, 6210; Extraordinary 
variety of the common nightjar, 
6242; Varieties of black grouse and 
hybrid between blackcock and caper- 
cally, 6243; Appearance of skuas 
off the Coast of Yarmouth, 6309 

SwINHOE, RoBeRT 

A few remarks on the Fauna of Amoy, 

6222 
Syme, J. T. 

Successful removal of the eges of the 
ichneumon from a larva of Deile- 
phila Galii, 603] 

Tomson, Professor WYVILLE 

Anthrocera Minos in the West of Scot- 
land, 6212 

Tuompson, THOMAS 

On the derivation of the English word 
“Mare,” as explained by the Rev. 
P. H. Newnham, 5937 

THompson, WILLIAM 

Actinia) gemmacea at Weymouth, 
6238 ; Pigmy curlew at Weymouth, 
6244; Glossy ibis in Dorsetshire, 
6266 ; Immaculate wrasse at Wey- 
mouth, 6272 

THorNBuRN, W. STEWART 
Colias Edusa in Scotland, 5922 
Tuorncrortr, T. 

Capture of Leucania vitellina at 
Brighton, 6283; Synia musculosa 
at Brighton, 6284 

b 


Tiiiy, Jonn HENry 

Capture of Ennomos fuscantaria near 
London, 5926; Capture of Camp- 
togramma gemmata and fluviata at 
light, near London, 6146 

Tompkins, H. 

Timandra prataria near Folkestone, 
6249 ; Camptogramma fluviata near 
Worthing, 6312 

Tuck,: E.J. 

Nesting of swallows and other birds, 

5920 
Vauaeunan, P. H. 

The larva of Gnophos—is there more 
than one British species, 6101; 
Calosoma Sycophanta, near Bristol, 
6252; A new Nepticula, 6312 

WAILEs, GuorcE 

Notes on Anisolabia maritima, Bon., 
5895, 5965; Larva of Erebia Blan- 
dina, Larva of Erebia Cassiope, 
6276; The distinctive differences 
between Polyommatus Agestis and 
P. Artaxerxes carefully considered, 
6278 

Watcortt, W. H. L. 

Preservation of colour in Casside, 

9929 
WALKER, ALFRED O. 
Connexion of Polyommatus Agestis 
with Helianthemum vulgare, 6248 
Wacker, Francis, F.L.S. 
Notes on Aphis Quercus, 5945 
Wa ker, James S. 
A plea for birds, 6092 
Watwace, ALFRED R. 

Note on the theory of permanent and 
geographical varieties, 5887; On 
the Entomology of the Aru Islands, 
5889; A disputed case of priority in 


nomenclature, 6117; Proceedings as 
a Natural-History collector in foreign 
countries, 6120 

WatTEruHousgE, G. R. 

Descriptions of four species of Staphy- 
linide, 6073; Description of a new 
species of Oxypoda, 6116 

WEATHERHEAD, JoHN EpMuUND 

Sound produced by the larva of Ache- 

rontia Atropus, 6212 
Weaver, RicHarpD 
Remark on Melitza Dia, Is not Satyrus 
Typhon a species? 5923 
Were, Rosert B. 
Anecdote of a dog, 5920 
WEsLEy, J.S. 

Colias Edusa, Macroglossa Fuciformis 
and M. Bombyliformis at Win- 
chester, 6145 

Wi.tpmay, T. 

Two pup in one cocoon of the silk- 

worm, 6213 
Witnor, J. P. 

Remarks on Dr. Gray’s note (Zool. 

6070), 6112 
WINTER, JOHN N. 

Capture of Pieris Daplidice near Rot- 
tingdean, 6212; Deilephila Galii at 
Brighton, 6282 

Wiry, Mari 

Note on the regular pererges of 

leaves, 5927 
Wo taston, T. VERNON 

Capture of a Stenus new to the British 
Fauna, 5928; Chrysomela Bauksii 
in December, 5930 

Woop, C. 

Great spotted woodpecker at Dulwich, 

5920 


y 


ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SUBJECTS. 


Accentor, alpine, near Lewes, 5958 

Acentropus niveus a Lepidopterous insect, 
5919 

Acherontia Atropos, sound produced by 
the larva of, 6212, 6282; double- 
broodedness of, 6281 ; beautiful variety 
of, 6282 

Acronycta Alni, 6249; near York, 6284 

Actinia gemmacea at Weymouth, 6231 

Adalia, 5971 

Adimonia, 5969 

Adonia, 5971 


Agelastica, 5969 
Agrotis lucernea, 6213 
Aleucis pictaria, 6104 
Altica, 5969 

Amara brunnea, 5950 

»  orichalcica, zd. 

»  Tufocincta, zd. 
Ammocetes, supposed new, 6097 
Amoy, Fauna of, 6222 
Anatis, 5971 
Anecdote of a dog, 5920; of the cuckoo, 

6309 


Animals, remarks on the etymology of 
names of, 5857 

Anisolabia maritima, Bon., notes on, 
5895, 5965 

Anisosticta, 5971 

Anomia aculeata, 5886 
»  ephippium, cd. 
»  patelliformis, zd. 
%  Bitiala, 2a. 

Anthidium cordatum, 6038 

Anthocharis Cardamines in Banffshire, 
6101 

Anthophora P 6038 

Anthrocera Minos, habits and locality of, 
5924 ; in the West of Scotland, 6212 

Ants’-nest beetles, 6067, 6068, 6148 

Apatura Iris, curious variety of, 5923 

Aphis Quercus, notes on, 5945 

Aquaria, on marine Mollusca in, 6231 

‘ Aquarian Naturalist : a Manual fur the 
Sea-side, 6255 

Arca lactea, 5882 

Arcade, 5881 

Argynnis Euphrosyne, remarkable variety 
of, 5923 

Aromia, 5966 

Artaxerxes: is it a species? 6100, 6247 

Artemis exoleta, 5877 
sgn aaneta, ed. 

Astarte arctica, 5878 
» compressa, 2d. 
»  elliptica, zd. 
»  sulcata, zd, 
»  triangularis, zd. 

Aviculacee, 5882 

Avocet in Kent, 5921 

Baird, W., M.D., F.L.S., ‘A Cyclopedia 
of the Natural Sciences,’ 6256 

Bankia Bankiana, 6145 

Bats flying in the sunshine, 6257 

Bavarian Sporting, 5870, 6004 

Bee, honey, cells of, 6188 ; the cause of 
the cells being of an hexagonal form, 
criticism on Dr. Gray’s view of, 6216 ; 
death of, supposed to be occasioned by 
a Fungus, 6285; cylindrical forms of 
cells, 6291 

Bees feeding on pollen, 6291 

Bee-eater at Kingsbridge, Devon, 6143 

Beetle, Rhyncophorous, fungus on a, 
3927 

Beetles, ants’-nest, 6067, 6068, 6148 ; at 
home, 6216; at Lee, 6286 

Bembidia, note on the flying of, 5973 

Bembidium affine, 5951 

5 bruxellense, 5950 


# decorum, 5951 

pe femoratum, 5950 

a laterale in the Isle of Wight, 
6220 


Bembidium lunatum, 5951 


‘, monticulum, zd. 
is prasinum, 7d. 

o rufescens, 5950 
A stomoides, 5951 


Birds, rare, destruction of, 5957 ; at sea, 
id.; migratory, movements of, 5958 ; 
rare, near Barnstaple, 6014; a plea 
for, 6092; rare, near Banff, 6268 ; 
migratory, in the Isle of Wight, 6270 

Blackird sucking eggs, 6208 

Blackbirds nesting in December, 5958 ; 
white, 6141 

Blackcap, early arrival of the, 6058 

Blackcock and capercally, hybrid be- 
tween, 6243 

Blaps, notes on the British species of, 
5974 

Blaps Chevrolatii, 5975 
»,  fatidica, zd. 

» gigas, 5974 
»  Mortisaga, zd. 

Botys lancealis, 6213 

Brightwell, Miss, ‘The Life of Linnzus, 
6256 

Bulea, 5971 

Bustard, breeding of the, near Leipsic, 
5986; little, at Gorleston, Suffolk, 
6059 

Butterflies in Great Britain, on the geo- 
graphical distribution of, 6018, 6065, 
6099 

Butterfly of South Wales, additions to, 
6246 

Buzzard, 
5976 

Callidium, 5966 

Calomicrus, 5969 

Calosoma Sycophanta near Bristol, 6252 

Camptogramma fluviata, 6251; near 
Worthing, 6312 

gemmaria, 6104, 6251 ; 
larva of, 6250 ; habits of, 6251 

Camptogramma fluviata and gemmata at 
light, near London, 6146 

Canary, talking, 6240 

Capercally and blackcock, hybrid be- 
tween, 6243 

Captures near Bowdon, 6214 

Carabide in the Isle of Sheppey, 6251 

Cardiadw, 5878 

Cardium aculeatum, zd. 

* echinatum, 5879 
a edule, zd. 


common, at West Harling, 


= fasciatum, 7d. 
» nodosum, zd. 
5 norvagicum, zd. 


a pyginzum, id. 
suecinum, zd. 
Carpocapsa saltitans, 6152 


Cassida, 5971 

Casside, preservation of colour in, 5929 

Cassidide, 5971 

‘Catalogue of the Lepidopterous Insects 
in the Museum of the Hon. East India 
Company,’ 6255 

Caterpillar, query respecting a, 6282 

Cemiostoma lotella, larve of, 6214 

Centaurea, a new mine on, 6215 

Centaurea jacea miner, the, id. 

Cerambycide, 5966 

Cerura bicuspis, 6249 

Chilo gigantellus, larva of, 6214 
»  Obtusellus of Stainton = Tinea 
paludella of Hubner, 5963 

Chilocorus, 5972 

Chlenius Schrankii, capture of in the 
Isle of Wight, 6220 

Chrysomela, 5968 

Chrysomela Banksii in December, 5930 

Chrysomelide, 5968 

Cicindela campestris, black specimen of, 
6286 

Circe minima, 5878 

Classification, on, 5951 

Clostera curtula in the Isle of Wight, 6145 

Clytus, 5966 

Coceidula, 5972 

Coccinella, 5971 

Coccinellide, zd. 

Coleophora Leucapennella, 6214 

Coleoptera, British, proposal for a new 
Catalogue of, 5899 ; notes concerning 
the capture of several interesting 
species of, 5927; myrmecophilous, 
captured in the neighbourhood of Ply- 
mouth, 5929; a systematic list of, 
found in the vicinity of Alverstoke, 
South Hants, 5966; myrmecophilous, 
notes on, 6287 

Colias Edusa in Scotland, 5922; at 
Winchester, 6145; at Darlington, 
6276; near London, 6310 

Corticaria, 5972 

Cossonus linearis, 6150 

Cossus ligniperda dves infest the elm, 
6146, 6148; diminutive cocoons of, 
6191; at sugar, 6212 

Courser, creamcoloured, in 
Marshes, 6309 

Crake Baillon’s, near the Land’s End, 
6210; spotted, near Richmond, York- 
shire, 6264 

Crangon Pattersonii, 6275 

Crania anomala, 5886 

Craniada, 2d. 

Crenella decussata, 5881 

a discors, zd. 
5»  Mmarmorata, zd, 
Crioceride, 5967 


Hackney 


Xil 


Crioceris, 5967 
Crossbills in Yorkshire, 6309 
Crows, hooded, at Flamborough Head, 
6142 
Crustacea, two new to Britain, 6274 
Cryptocephalus, 5968 
Cuckoo, remarkable anecdote of, 6309 
Cucullia Chamomille, capture of, near 
London, 6103 
Curlew, pigmy at Weymouth, 6244 
‘Cyclopedia of the Natural Sciences,’ 
6256 
Cydippe Pileus, note on, 6288 
Cyprina islandica, 5877 
Cyprinide, zd. . 
Dasycampa rubiginea, larva of, 6284 
Deilephila Euphorbie not taken near 
Bridgewater, 6066 
e Galii, successful removal of 
the eggs of the ichneumon from a larva 
of, 6031; at Brighton, 6282 
livornica near Exeter, 6101 
Dibolia, 5970 
Diggings, an entomologist’s visit to the, 
901 


Dog, anecdote of a, 5920 

Donacia, 5967 \ 

Donacide, 5875 

Donax anatinus, zd. 

Doves, ring and stock, winter food of, 5977 

Dublin Natural-History Society, pro- 
ceedings of, 6001 

Dublin University Zoological and 
Botanical Association, proceedings of, 
5956, 6000 

Duck breeding in a church tower, 6245 

Ducks, domestic, nesting in a church 
tower, 6144 

Dyschirius globosus, 5950 


* impunctipennis ? zd, 
a nitidus, zd. 
is salinus, zd. 


thoracicus, zd. 

Egg, lapwing’ Ss, with two yolks, 6144 

Eggs, blackbird sucking, 6208 

Elachista Trapeziella : its food and trans- 
formations, 6146 

Emberiza nivalis, 6207, 6239 

Empyrea: why is it considered a Phlo- 
gophora ? 5926 

Endromis versicolor, capture of in Til- 
gate Forest, 6066 ; note on the breed- 
ing of, id. ; in Scotland, 6101 

Ennomos fuscantaria near London, 5926; 
larva of, 6285 

Entomological Club, 6033; list of 
Geometre desiderata to the, 6034 

Entomological Society, proceedings of, 
5943, 5993, 6035, 6071, 6113, 6150, 
6185, 6221, 6252, 6289 


Xi 


Entomological Society’s Exotic Collec-~ 
tion, remarks on the sale of the, 6069, 
6070, 6111, 6L12 

Entomologist’s visit to the Diggings, 5901 

‘Entomology in Verse, 5932 

Entomology of the Aru Islands, 5889 

Ephyra orbicularia at Lewes, 6103 

Epione advenaria, 6213 

Erebia Blandina, larva of, 6276 

» Cassiope, larva of, zd. 

Eupithecia pernotata in England, 5963 

as viminata, 6103 

Excursion to St. Paulo, Upper Amazons, 
6160 

Falcon, peregrine, in Kent, 5976; in 
Yorkshire, 6058 

Fauna of Amoy, a few remarks on the, 
6222; butterfly, of South Wales, 
additions to, 6246 

Flavicinctaria and Cesiaria, 6030 

Fly, African brize, 6170 

Flycatcher, pied, in Yorkshire, 6093; 
spotted, pertinacity of in its choice of 
a place for nidification, 6238 

Frog, living, discovery of in the solid 
rock, 5959 

Fungus on a Rhyncophorous beetle, 5927 

Galeruca, 5969 

Galerucide, zd. 

Gastrophysa, 5968 

Geese, wild, in the Isle of Wight, 6097 

Geometra, note on a curious little, taken 
in London by Mr. Hunter, 6039 

Geometre, two British included under 
the name Phibalapteryx gemmaria, 
5963 ; undescribed larve of, 6030, 
6031; list of, desiderata to the Ento- 
mological Club, 6034 

Geometrina, British, as arranged and 
named in M. Guenée’s first volnme of 
the Geometre of the whole world, 5962; 
in M. Guenée’s second volume, 6027 

Georyssus pygmeus, capture of in Cum- 
berland, 5973 

Glea erythrocephala on the South Coast, 
6312 

Gnophos, the larva of: is there more 
than one British species ? 6101 

Gnophos obscuraria, 6029, 6102 

is pullaria, zd. 

Gonioctena, 5968 

Goose, barlieaded, near Chester, 5988 

Gracilia, 5966 

Grammuptera, 5967 

Grouse, red, of Britain: is it really dis- 
tinct from the Norwegian willow 
grouse ? 6209; red and willow, 6242, 
6264, 6265, 6266; black, varieties of, 
6243; red, contributions towards a 
biography of, 6257 | 


Gull, little, near Barnstaple, 6245 

Hadena peregrina of Treitschke in the 
Isle of Wight, 6066 

Halyzia, 5971 

Harpalyce sagittaria, larva of, 6030, 6067 

Harrier, Montagu’s, a nest of, 6207; 
marsh, on Pevensey Levels, 6266 

Hawlinch building at Tonbridge, 6143 

Hedgehog, notes on the, 6055 

Helianthemum vulgare, connexion of 
Polyommatus Agestis with, 6248 

Heliothis peltigera, capture of at Ply- 
mouth, 6101 

Helodes, 5969 

Hippodamia, 5971 

Hobby, early appearance of in Norfolk, 
6058 


Holothuria, note on, 6069 
Homalota imbecilla, 6074 
a plumbea, zd. 

Hoopoe in Yorkshire, 6093 

Horsfield, T., and Moore, F., ‘ Catalogue 
of the Lepidopterous Insects in the 
Museum of the Hon. East India 
Company,’ 6255 

Hybrid between blackcock and capercally, 
6243 

Hymenoptera of Natal, on the habits of 
the, 6037 

Ibis, glossy, killed in Yorkshire, 5958 ; 

~ in South Wales, 6096 ; in Dorsetshire, 
6266 

Ichneumon, successful removal of the 
eggs of, from a larva of Deilephila 
Galii, 6031 

Infusoria on a prawn, 6289 

‘Insect Hunters; or, Entomology in 
Verse,’ 5932; two novelties for the 
next edition of, 5961 

Insects, Coleopterous, capture of two new 
to the British list, 6032; metamor- 
photic systems of classifying, 6079 

Isocardia Cor, 5878 

Isopoda, British, descriptions of two un- 
recorded, 6098 

Itea Mengii, 6099 * 

Jones, Thomas Rymer, F.R.S., ‘The 
Aquarian Naturalist: a Manual for 
the Sea-side,’ 6255 

Kellia rubra, 5880, 
»  suborbicularis, zd. 

Kelliade, id. 

Lemophleus Clematidis, capture of near 
Gravesend, 5929; remarks on, 5973 

Lamiide, 5966 

Lamprosoma, 5968 

Lapwing’s egg with two yolks, 6144 

Larva of Harpalyce sagittaria, 6030, 
6067 ; of Deilephila Galii, successful 
removal of the eggs of the ichneumon 


from, 6031; of Gnophos, 6101; of 
Xanthia Aurago, 6145; of Acherontia 
Atropos, sound produced by, 6212; of 
Chilo gigantellus, 6214; of Campto- 
gramma gemmaria, 6250; of Erebia 
Blandina, 6276; of Erebia Cassiope, 
ad.; of Satyrus Semele, zd.; of Ache- 
rontia Atropos, sound produced by, 
6282; of Dasycampa rubiginea, 6284 ; 
of Ennomos fuscantaria, 6285 
Larve, undescribed Geometre, 6030, 
6031; of Tephrosia laricaria, 6066, 
6103; of Cemiostoma lotella, 6214 
Lasiocampa Callune: is ita species? 5925 
Lathridiide, 5972 
Lathridius, zd. 
Leaves, note on the regular perforation 
of, 5927 
Leda caudata, 5881 
» oblonga, id. 
5, truncata, id. 
Leiopus, 5966 
Lema, 5967 
Lepidoptera at Plymouth, 5922 ; Scottish, 
notes on, 6060 
Lepton convexum, 5880 
. oo. mitidum, td. 
Leptura, 5967 
Lepturide, zd. 
Leucania vitellina, capture ofat Brighton, 
6283 
‘ Life of Linneus,’ 6256 
Lima Loscombii, 5882 
» subauriculata, id. 
5,  trians, zd. 
Lina, 5968 
Lizard, concerning a venomous, in Guje- 
rat, 5921 
Locusta migratoria in Shetland, 6288 
Longitarsus, 5970 
Lucina borealis, 5879 
5 dlexuosa, zd. 
>»  Spinifera, zd. 
Lucinidea, zd. 
Lucinopsis undata, 5877 
Luperus, 5969 
Lutraria elliptica, 5876 


Macroglossa Bombyliformis at Win- 
chester, 6145 
a Fuciformis at Winchester, 


id. 
Mactra elliptica, 5875 

»  solida, id 

»  stultorum, 5876 

>»  subtruncata, 5875 

» truncata, zd. 
Mactride, 5875 
*“¢ Mare,” on the derivation of the English 

word, as explained by the Rev. P. H. 

Newnham, 5937 


X1V 


Marine Mollusca in aquaria, 6231 

Megachile centuncularis, 6219 

Melitea Dia, remark on, 5923 

Miana expolita, habits and locality of, 
5926 

Micraspis, 5971 

Micrus, 6107, 6109 

Modiola modiolus, 5880 
as phaseolina, 5881 

Mollusca, of the Firth of Clyde, 5875 ; 
marine, In aquaria, 6231 

Monotoma, 5972 

Montacuta bidentata, 5880 

‘ ferruginosa, td. 
. substriata, zd. 
Motacilla boarula, 6239 
- campestris, zd. 

Mytilide, 5880 

Mytilis edulis, zd. 

Natural-History collectors in foreign 
countries, proceedings of, 5939, 6120, 
6158 

‘ Natural History of the Tineina,’ 6255 

Necrophorus, the genus, notes and ob- 
servations on, 6217 

Nepticula, new, 6312 

Nesting of swallows and other birds, 
5920; of blackbirds in December, 
5958; of black swans at Carshalton, 
5988 ; of the long-tailed titmouse, 
6059; of domestic ducks in a church 
tower, 6144; of Montagu’s harrier, 
6207 ; of the spotted flycatcher, 6238 ; 
of swallows, 6241 ; of the wood pigeon, 
6242 

Newt changing its skin, 6210 

Nightjar, common, extraordinary variety 
of, 6242 

Nomenclature, a disputed case of priority 
in, 6117 

Nonagria geminipuncta, new mode of 
capturing, 6213 

se Typhe, note on, 6283 

Northern Entomological Society, pro- 
ceedings of, 5917, 5947, 6077, 6190, 
6292 

Noses, our, what there is beneath, 5930 

Nossidium, 6] 11 

Notidanus griseus, a shark new to 
Britain, capture of at Banff, 5959 

Notodonta Carmelita, in 1858, 5926; at 
Addington, 6101 


a ziczac, double-broodedness of, 
628] 
Notodontide, double-broodedness of, 


6248, 6283, 6311 
Nucula nitida, 5881 
» Nucleus, zd. 

5 radiata, zd. 

5 tenuis, td. 


Nudaria Senex, habits of, 6283 | 
Oporabia, the genus, 6103, 6193, 6285 
Ostrea edulis, 5885 

Ostreade, 5882 

Ouzel, water, notes on the subaqueous 
habits of the, 6001; ring, near Banff, 
6094 

Owl, Tengmalm’s, in Sussex, 5988 

Oxypoda aterrima, 6116 

ee nigrina, 6073 

bs nigro-fusca, éd. 

Partridge, contributions towards a hio- 
graphy of the, 5977, 6010; note on the, 
6014; does the male assist in incuba- 
tion? 6059; supposed variety of the, 
id.; and other game, retention of scent 
by, 6094; small variety of, 6095, 
6143 

Pausside, on the habits of, 5994 

Pecten danicus, 5884 
»  Islandicus, 5885 
» Maximus, zd. 

»  liveus, 5883 

»  opercularis, 5885 

»  Pusio, 5884 

» similis, 5885 

»  Striatus, 5884 

»  ligrinus, zd. 

» varius, 5883 
Pectunculus glycimeris, 5882 
Pelopzus chalybeus, 6038 
Peronea new to Science at Liverpool, 

6251 
Petasia nubeculosa, 6101 
Petrel, fulmar, at Brighton, 5988 ; dusky, 

in Norfolk, 6096 

Phedon, 5968 

Phibalapteryx fluviata and P. gemmaria: 
are they distinct ? 6216 

Philongria P 6099 

Philescia Couchii, 6098 

Phlogophora meticulosa of our Col- 
lections, proposed generic name for 
the, 5961 

Phratora, 5968 

Phyllobrotica, 5969 

Pieris Daplidice near Rottingdean, 6212 ; 
near Brighton, zd. 

» Rape in Banffshire, 6101 
Pigeon, wood, late nesting of, 6242 
Pinna pectinata, 5882 
Platyarthrus Hoffmanseggii, 6275 
Platystethus Capito in Scotland, descrip- 

tion and capture of, 5928 
Plectrophanes nivalis, 6093 
Plectroscelis, 5970 
Plover, great, at Penzance, 6009 ; Kent- 

ish, near Penzance, 6097; Norfolk, 

near Barnstaple, 6264 
Pogonocherus, 5966 


XV 


Polyommatus Agestis, 6211, 6246, 6276, 
6277, 6278, 6310; connexion of with 
Helianthemum vulgare, 6248 

.. Artaxerxes, 6211, 
6276, 6277, 6278, 6310 

Prawn, Infusoria on a, 6289 

Priapulus: are there two species allied 
to caudatus ? 5976 

‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society 
of London, 6256 

Psyche nitidella, abundance of, 6215 

Psylliodes, 5970 

Ptenidium, 6110 

Pierophorus Lienigianus 
6067 

Pterostichus Aithiops, 5950 

” orinomus, 7d. 

Pteryx, 6106, 6108 

Pteryx mutabilis, 6106 

Ptilium, 6110 

Ptinella, 6106, 6108 

Ptinella britannica, 6032 

Pupz, two in one cocoon of the silkworm, 
6213 

Rats, note on sparrows attacking, 6009 

Reason and instinct, 6043, 6081, 6092, 
6196 

Regulus, firecrested, at Penzance, 6009 

Rhizobius, 5972 

Roller in Flintshire, 5976 

Ruff near Barnstaple, 6264 

Sandpiper, yellowlegged, killed in York- 
shire, 5958 ; broadbilled, for the third 
time in Norfolk, 6096; wood, near 
Birmingham, 6266 

Scent, 6206 

Scent: an attempt to explain its properties 
and causes, 6124 

Scolytus supposed to attack only un- 
healthy trees, 6146; supposed a 
secondary cause of injury, 6148 

Scolytus destructor, on the ravages of, 
5995 ; note on, 6118 

i rugulosus near. London, 5944 ; 
reappearance of at Greenwich, 6286 

Scymnus, 5972 

Sea-serpent, another peep at the, 5989, 
6015 

Serpents, a bird and a quadruped said to 
prey upon, 6267 

Serpula contortuplicata, 5976 

Shark on the coast of Sussex, 6246 

Shrike, great gray, in Cambridgeshire 
5958 

Silkworm, two pupe in one cocoon of, 
6213; diseases of the, 6220 

Skua, pomarine, at the Land’s End, 
6267 

Skuas off the coast of Yarmouth, 6309 

Slugs, the loves of, 6272 


6246, 


in Britain, 


“XVI 


Snipes neighing or humming, 6244 

Solenobia triquetrella, 5927 

Sparrows attacking rats, note on, tee 

Species, on the persistence of, 6153 ; 
the tendency of to form dvieteg 
6293 

Specific distinctions, on, 5949 

Spheroderma, 5970 

Sphinx Convolvuli in Devonshire, 6282; 
in the Metropolis, zd. 
»  Nerii at Brighton, 5961 

Spider silk, 5922 

Spoonbill near Aldborough, 6266 

Sporting, Bavarian, 5870, 6004 

Squirrels, note on ‘the early breeding of, 
6058 

Starling roost at Rathkeale, 
Limerick, 6003 

Stauropus Fagi, 6101 

Stenus new to the British Fauna, capture 
of a, 5928 

Stainton, H. T., &c., ‘ The Natural-His- 
tory of the Tineina,’ 6255 

Sterrha sacraria a British insect, 6249 

Strangalia, 5967 

Sun-fish, short, at Torquay, 6144; on 
the Sussex coast, 6210; at Berry Head, 
6246; near Banff, 6271 

Swallow, notes on the, 5921 

Swallows, nidification of, 6241 


county 


Swallows and other birds, nesting of, 


5920 

Swans, black, nesting at _Carshalton, 
5988 

Swifts, movements of, 5958 

Synia musculosa at Brighton, 6284 

Tapes aurea, 5876 

decussata, zd. 

pullastra, zd. 

virginea, zd. 


93 
99 
99 


Tea-tree: dves any insect feed on it? 
9925 

Teal, garganey, beautiful variety of, 
621 


Tendency of species to form varieties, 
6293 

Tephrosia laricaria, 6029 ; 
6066, 6103 

Terebratula caputserpentis, 5886 

Terebratulida, zd. 

Thea, 5971 

Thecla Rubi in Banffshire, 6101 

Thrushes, white, 6141 

Timandra prataria near 
6249 

Timarcha, 5968 


larve of, 


Folkestone, 


ee 


Tinea, a supposed new species of, allied 
to T. rusticella, 5964 

Tischeria angusticolella, 5927 

Titan, 6108, 6110 

Titmouse, longtailed, early nesting of, 
6059 

Travels, Mr. Wallace’s, note on, 5942 

Trechus Discus, 5950 

lapidosus, zd. 

micros, id. 

»  Yubens, id. 

Trichopterygide, British, synonymic list 
of, 6104 

Trichopteryx, 6109 

Trichopteryx convexa, 6107 

Trochilium Vespiforme, plentiful occur- 
rence of in England, 5924 ; remarks on, 

- O961 

Turtonia minuta, 5880 

Tzetze, the, 5965, 6170 

Vanessa Antiopa, capture of at Stoke 
Newington, 6100; capture of in Scot- . 
land, zd. ; in the North, 6276 

Varieties, permanent and geographical, 
note on the theory of, 5887; of black 
grouse, 6243; tendency of species to 
form, 6293; tendency of to depart 
indefinitely from the original type, 
6299 

Variety, curious, of Apatura Tris, 5923; 
remarkable, of Argynnis Euphrosyne, 
id.; supposed, of the partridge, 6059 ; 
small, of the partridge, 6095, 6143 ; 
beautiful, of garganey teal, 6210; 
extraordinary, of the common night- 
jar, 6242; beautiful, of Acherontia 
Atropos, 6282; of Cicindela campestris, 
6286 

Veneride, 5876 

Venus casina, 5877 

fasciata, id. 

ovata, id. 

striata, zd. 
»  Verrucosa, zd. 

Weasel carrying its young, 6309 

Woodpecker, great spotted, at Dulwich, 
5920 ; at Welney Wash, 5958 

Wrasse, immaculate, at Weymouth, 
6272 

Xanthia Aurago, larva of, 6145 

™ ocellaris on the Coast, 6284 

Xysmatodoma argentimaculella, 6214 

Zeugophora, 5967 

Zeuzera Aisculi feeding on ash, 6283 

Zoological Society, proceedings of, 5915, 
5991, 6040, 6156, 6195 


99 
39 


99 
9? 
99 


* 
THE ZOOLOGIST 


—hOn. Eee. 


& 


Remarks on the Etymology of Names of Animals. 
By the Rev. Puitie H. Newnuam, M.A. 


(Continued from p. 5697). 


Ir is not easy satisfactorily to trace the origin of the word /foz. 
Richardson ascribes it to the Gothic verb fora, to deceive; but it is 
far more probable, from the analogy of similar instances, that the verb 
has its origin in the name of the animal. ‘Talbot refers fox to the 
old English word faz, hair (whence the name of Fairfax), as if the 
creature were named from its long bushy tail. It is, at all events, 
identical with the German /uchs, and this latter word strongly reminds 
us of the Latin adjective fuscus, which properly denotes a reddish 
brown colour; but I would not venture to affirm that this resemblance 
is anything more than accidental. Vixen is only a feminine form of 
fox, and was originally written jizen, or, more anciently, foxin. It 
appears from an early period to have been applied to quarrelsome 
snarling people, irrespective of sex; and, however the ladies may 
rebut the charge, one cannot help remarking the significant fact that 
language. and custom have now made this word the monopoly of the 
fairer sex. In Scotland the fox is known as the tod. This word in 
Gaelic means a clod, or bush, or a quantity of wool, and we ourselves 
use it to denote a measure in Wool weight. As applied to the fox, 
it seems to refer to his bushy tail, and this analogy supports the con- 
jecture of Talbot which has been already alluded to. 

Cat in Latin is catus; French, chat; Greek, yatos; Turkish, ketz ; 
Arabic, kzita ; but | am quite unable to deduce the meaning of the 
name. Kitten, of course, is only a diminutive form. The familiar 

AVI. B 


5858 Etymology of 


title of puss seems to be the same as the Latin pusa, or pusilla, tiny, 
a name of endearment originally applied to a little child, and thus 
transferred generally to any pet, especially to the cat, and, from the 
similarity of its long soft fur, to the hare. 'Talbot’s conjecture as to 
the origin of puss is no less amusing than it is curious and far-fetched. 
Finding that it is applied to both the cat and the hare, he argues that 
the Latin Jepus (hare) may have been corrupted in French into “le 
puss,” and that we have borrowed our word from this. But in Welsh 
the hare is called cdéth eithen, z. e. furze or gorse cat. Little children 
call their warm neck-comforters by the name of “ pussies,” and the 
soft “catkins” of the willow and sallow take their name from the — 
same source, so that I have little doubt that the origin I have suggested 
for puss is the correct one. Grimalkin, a name which‘is sometimes 
given to the cat, is compounded of grey (French, gris) and Malkin, a 
diminutive form of “ Moll,” and is one of the many cases in which a 
Christian name has been applied to some familiar animal. 

Walrus is the Norwegian hvalros, 7. e. whale-horse. Another Nor- 
wegian name for the animal is rosmar, which is similarly compounded 
of vos, horse, and mor, the sea. 

The whale, in the Scandinavian dialects, is called hval or hvalo. 
In Greek it is QaAn and @araive; in Latin, balena. All these are 
identical with our word, and are modifications of the same root as 
appears in our verb to wallow, and which we ultimately trace to the 
Hebrew pdlal, to roll. Old Isaac Walton tells us that Pliny “ speaks 
of the fish called the Balena, or whirlpool;” and assuredly the un- 
wieldy wallowing of these monsters of the deep would naturally sug- 
gest their distinctive appellation. 

Dolphin is the Greek deagis, a name which was in all probability 
originally applied to our porpoise ; and, when we consider the origin 
and affinities of this latter word, we can hardly think the resemblance 
between deagic and déagaé (a pig) to be a purely accidental one. 

Porpoise is corrupted from the French porcpoisson, hog-fish. Simi- 
larly itis called marsouin, and in German meerschwein, @. e. sea-swine, 
and in the Breton dialect morhuc, or sea-hog ; showing that the re- 
semblance of its general contoullild the back of a pig [is generally 
appreciated. 

In Mr. Bell’s ‘ British Quadrupeds’ we read “‘ Grampus, says the 
Rev. Mr. Barclay, is the Saxon hranjisk, which signifies grunting 
fish. I cannot, however, help thinking that the more obvious and 
probable etymology is the French grand poisson, great fish.” There 
is an objection to this latter suggestion, namely, that it does appear, 


Names of Animals. 5859 


from Mr. Barclay’s remark, that hranjisk is a name which actually is 
applied to the grampus, whereas I am not aware that the French ever 
use “ grand poisson” to designate that animal; and, in endeavouring 
to etymologise, we cannot confine ourselves too close to facts as they 
are, or too carefully avoid theorizing on what simply might be. 

I again copy from the ‘ British Quadrupeds’ the remarks upon the. 
name of the caaing whale. ‘ These whales follow their leader with 
blind confidence, and hence their pursuers endeavour to guide the 
leader on shore, as they are then morally sure of the whole herd. 
Caaing is a Zetland name, generally considered by authors as indi- 
cating calling, i.e. leading whale. But Mr. Barclay assures me that 
the real meaning of the word is ‘ driving.’” 

Beluga is a Russian word, and is said by Webster to signify white 
Jish. 

Rorqual is compounded of hval or waale, and rohr, signifying 
whale with folds, in allusion to the series of longitudinal folds beneath 
the throat of the animal. | 

Horse is the Icelandic hross, ross ; Sueth., hors, horsa, ors ; French, 
roussin. ‘These words are of kindred origin with the German recten, 
and our ride, road, &c. We may also compare the Latin word rheda, 
a chariot; and thus Etymology alone would teach us how very ancient 
is the use of the horse as subservient to man. The name mare, too, 
reveals to us some very curious and interesting facts. Although it is 
now restricted to the female horse, yet it is no doubt identical with 
the Celtic march, which simply implied a war-horse, without restriction 
as to sex. We trace this same root in many other words: thus, mar- 
shal (French, maréchal) meant originally the commander of an army ; 
march was strictly the route of an army; the “marches” were the 
boundaries of two countries, which used to be the perpetual scenes of 
border warfare, and, hence, marquis (Lat. marchio) was a name given 
to those barons who lived near the boundaries, and whose especial 
duty it was to keep off marauders. All these words are to be referred 
to one parent stock, which we see in the Latin Mars, the god of war, 
mors, death, and in the first syllable of our own murder. Surely we 
can need no stronger testimony than is afforded by these etymological 
facts to the martial spirit of our Teutonic forefathers, and to the well- 
known efficacy of their cavalry and terrible scythe-armed war-cha- 
riots. 

A steed is properly a stud horse. Colt appears to be etymologically 
identical with the word child, both of them being merely general 
terms for offspring. Foal and jilly are the same as the Latin pudlus, 


5860 Etymology of — 


young, and the Greek z@aos, a foal. It is curious that we have exactly 
preserved the Greek form in the word tadpole, ¢.e. a young toad. 
Pony is doubtless, as Johnson derives it, a small or puny horse. The 
barb reminds us, by its name, of Barbary, the country from whence 
it was first introduced. | 

The etymology of cob is worth the trouble of unravelling. A cob 
is a strong thickset sort of horse, and the adjective “ cobby” is still 
used, in the dialect of some parts of Yorkshire, as-an equivalent for 
stout. In cobloaf, cobnut, and a host of similar compounds, the idea 
is evidently that of size. Our word gaby (the Italian gabbiano) is 
again of the same root, and the signification of these words, which 
mean what we should call a “ thick-skull” or “ blockhead,” all lead 
us up to the original source, which lies in the German kopf; Latin, 
caput; Sanscrit, kepala; all signifying head. In like manner the 
name of the chub is derived from its large head, and the root ramifies 
into a thousand directions, and reappears in a hundred words where 
you would least suspect it, but in every case it is intimately connected 
with one or other of its three leading ideas, which seem to be size, 
strength, and stupidity. 

A dray horse no doubt takes its name from the verb to draw, as 
being specially adapted for the draught of heavy burdens. In hack- 
ney, and its contracted form hack, we are again led back a long way : 
through the French haquenée we can trace it to the Italian acchinea, 
which is a diminutive form from the Latin eguus (horse); and the 
identity of this with the Greek forms ios and iamos, Sanscrit a¢gvas 
(horse) and zbhas (elephant), both of which come froma root signi- 
fying to carry, may be satisfactorily established by a number of inter- 
mediate modifications. From the same source we have hobby; Dutch, 
hoppe; which is almost the same word as the Greek izan, a mare. 
Hobby, as the name of the hawks so called, is one of those curious 
instances in which two words appear to be similar, while they have, 
in reality, nothing whatever in common. Nag is the German nake, 
from the Anglo-Saxon hnegan, our modern neigh, a word which is 
an imitation of the sound which it characterizes. Palfrey is a word 
borrowed from our Norman ancestors, and carries us back to the old 
days of falconry and chivalry: in French it is palefroy; in Italian, 
palafreno; and is clearly derived from par le frein, signifying a 
ladies’ horse, 7. e. one led by the rein, at the hands of the attendant 
page or knight. In.the word roan it is possible that we may have 
another instance of what I have before alluded to under the name of 
a “pregnant” etymology; for although the reference to the colour of 


Names of Animals. 5861 
\ 

the “ red-roan steed ” is abundantly sufficient to account for the name, 
yet it is very possible, as Mr. Talbot suggests, that it may have ori- 
ginally had reference to the celebrated breed of Rowen horses. In 
like manner Sheltie will preserve a geographical fact which may be- 
come curious in some future generation, should this breed ever become 
extinct in its original birth-place, the Shetland Isles. 

Ass is the Latin asinus ; French, dne, which is corrupted from asne. 

The root seems to be identical with that of ear, which is the Gothic 
auso; Greek, ous, and, in the Laconian dialect, ais; Hebrew, dzen. 
There is a common word connected with this root, which would be 
the very last in which we should be likely to suspect any reference to 
an animal: a painter’s easel is the German esel (ass), which is identi- 
cal with the Latin asellus, a diminutive form of asinus. We ourselves 
speak of a clothes’-horse, &c., and so the Germans also use bock (buck), 
and the Greeks vos (ass); while the Greek word for easel is aaias, 
which is compounded of «:aaos, an old word for ass. In Greek we find 
the verb éyxaouat, to bray. Comparing this with our donkey, it seems 
probable that both words originate from thé same idea, vzz. imitation 
of the animal’s voice. 
' Mule is the Latin mulus; French, mulet; and may be connected 
with molior, I labour; in Greek with “arog, labour, and “ode, to go; 
in our own language with the old word mozl, and, indeed, the primi- 
tive orthography of the word was moyle or mozl. In the Cornish 
dialect this latter word signifies darren, and, to say the least of it, 
this is a very remarkable coincidence, and it is quite possible that our 
word may partake of the double parentage ; although it is equally pos- 
sible that the stubborn mulishness of the animal, coupled with its 
sterility, may have suggested the name for a hard and barren soil. 

Pig is the Danish bigghe, vigghe. These two forms strongly remind 
us of the nursery name, “ piggy-wiggy,” and suggest the idea that the 
name of pig is derived from its squeaking cries, just as hog and sow 
are taken from its more sonorous grunting. ‘This idea is confirmed 
by the words which Shakespeare puts into Aaron’s mouth, when he 
murders the nurse: 


“ Weke! weke!—So cries a pig prepared for the spit.” 
Titus Andronicus, Act iv. Scene 2. 


The pig is still the especial food of our labouring poor, and, as many 
writers have remarked, a study of words shows this to have been the 
case for centuries past. The animals which supply our food, so long 
as they are alive, are known by their old Saxon names, as ox, calf, 


5862 Etymology of 


sheep, &c.; but, as soon as they are dead, their flesh receives a Nor- 
man name, such as beef (bus), veal (veau), mutton (mouton). So, 
too, with our present animal, the fresh pork and the dainty brawn 
were for the tables of the Norman lords of the soil; but the Saxon 
churl was allowed to feast on his own bacon. This word is variously 
derived. Johnson takes it as though it were baken, t.e. dried meat. 
Webster refers it to the German bache, a wild sow. But ina curious 
old book, printed in 1605, and intituled ‘A Restitution of decayed 
Intelligence in Antiquities,’ we find the following explanation of this 
term: “ But whereas swyne’s flesh is now called by the name of bacon, 
it grew only at the first unto such as were fatted with Bucon, or 
Beech-mast.” 

We can trace the word hog, in some modification or other, through 
all the cognate languages, and it is, as has been already remarked, 
imitative of a pig’s grunt,—a sound which may be fairly represented 
as “ugh.” In Welsh hog is hwe; in Persian and Zend it is chuk, a 
form which reappears in the old English chuck, and is still retained 
in the name of the American woodchuck. In French this form gives 
us cochon. The Greek word % is an intermediate form, and supplies 
us with the link which binds together the apparently dissimilar words 
hog and sow; for our words sow and its plural seetne are manifestly 
the same as the German sau; Latin, sus; Greek, cvs. 'This last is 
usually derived by lexicographers from cevw, to rush, in allusion to the 
fierceness of the wild boar; but, when we remember how commonly 
the aspirate in Greek is merged into a sibilant, we can hardly help 
considering vs and cvs to be only different forms of the same word. 
This view, too, is confirmed by the call to pigs which we can hear in 
any farm-yard, “Sus! Sus! Sus!” And this is a good example of 
an Etymology which is undoubtedly sound, although, at the first 
glimpse of it, it seems to be the very contrary. , 

Boar is the Anglo-Saxon bar; Dutch, beer. It forms the last syl- 
lable of the German eber and Latin aper, and appears again in the 
Latin verves and Sanscrit varaha. All these words spring from a 
kindred root, which is always connected with the idea of roughness. 
We find it in the Latin barba and in our own leard and bristle, and 
the word boar no doubt refers to the bristly back of the animal. 

Deer affords us an instance of a word which was originally used in 
a very wide sense, but has been gradually restricted to one particular 
animal. The Anglo-Saxon deor, German thier, are the same as the 
Greek 6ng, a name of wild animals in general; but the stag, as the 
noblest of the beasts of chase, has monopolized the title of the beast, 


Names of Animals. 5863 


par excellence. The Greek xp leads us, through its dialectic varia- 
tion gp, to the Latin /era, by which, and the French fer, we arrive 
at our fierce. Buck is from bocker, to strike, and when we compare 
with it the French dowc, a he-goat, we shall readily arrive at the con- 
clusion that it was a general title, applied to the males of horned 
animals, and more lately extended to others, such as the rabbit, &c. 
Still the stag preserves the same pre-eminence which we have seen to 
be indicated by the name of deer, for “a buck” is, again par excel- 
lence, understood to refer to the stag alone ; while, if we apply the name 
to other animals, we always specify the kind. A further instance of 
this is found in the name we give its flesh, venzson. ‘This name was 
originally given to the flesh of all beasts killed in hunting, as we see 
by its derivation from the French vener, to hunt; but it was soon 
restricted to the flesh of the roya! beast of chase alone. 

Doe is the Anglo-Saxon da; Dutch, deyn; French, daim; Latin, 
dama. Richardson derives it from the Greek deiua, timidity ; but this 
is one of those mere guesses which always excite suspicion. May it 
not be akindred form with dzuans, a heifer, and dayaros,a calf? These 
words come from daa, which is identical in meaning and etymology 
with our fame. Doe, like buck, may have originally been a sort of 
generic term, referring to the gentleness and tameness of the female 
animals as compared with the males. 

Fart is the Anglo-Saxon heord; German, hart. It is the same 
word as hard, and is meant to imply strength, an idea which we trace 
very strongly developed in the kindred words in Greek. Hind is 
akin to the Latin hinnus, a mare; Greek, ios, a filly. The Latin 
hinnio, to neigh, and our own word whinny, show us that these names 
are imitative of the voice of the animal; and it seems probable that 
the low quiet cry of the doe has caused the name to be transferred to 
her. In all probability fawn is another word from whence we may 
infer the high estimation in which the stag was held in the old days 
of the chase. It is the French faon, fan, which is contracted from 
the Latin znfans, a word which signifies “ speechless,” and is, properly, 
only applicable to human infants. 

Skinner suggests that the origin of the name séag is to be found in 
the Saxon sézgan, our siick, in allusion to its sharp antlers, an ety- 
mology which requires confirmation from the analogous term buck. 
Junius, with his usual mere punning guess, takes stag from oteixev, to 
goin order. Tooke believes it to be akin to the word stage, and to 
allude to the lofty bearing and erect head of the animal 

Fallow is an adjective, describing the general colour of the deer to 


5864 Etymology of — , 


which it is applied, the Anglo-Saxon fealewe being akin to the Latin 
helvus, gilvus, and to our own yellow. It is most curious to trace this 
word through the almost endless ramifications of its root, which, as I 
believe, may be ultimately carried back to the Anglo-Saxon gyl, and 
to heol, a name of the sun in some old Teutonic dialects. These - 
affinities are most admirably worked out by Mr. Talbot in his ‘ English 
Etymologies,’ but, as is too often the case, his observations are most 
painfully in need of some connecting thread. | 

Roebuck presents us with an ample scope for speculation as to 
whether the first syllable of its name be the Celtic roe, red (as the roe 
of fish is named from its colour), or whether it be not the Anglo-Saxon 
reege, raage (for hrege), signifying a goat, and akin to the Greek 
tpayos. Possibly it may partake of both relationships: certainly its 
scientific name, Cervus capreolus, inclines us to be in favour of the 
latter etymology. In French chevre is a goat, but chevrette is a doe; 
chevreuil is a roebuck, but chevrotine is deer-shot. This confusion 
has partly arisen from a certain resemblance between cerf (Latin, 
cervus), a stag, and chevre (Latin, caper); and the gradual progress 
of form from animals of the goat tribe to those of the deer has in all 
probability tended still further to complicate this etymology. 

Were I to endeavour to trace the various and most dissimilar modi- 
fications of the root which appears in our word goat, I should infal- 
libly, though, as I believe, unreasonably, be accused of romance by 
the general reader. It is the Anglo-Saxon, get, gat; but in German 
the ¢ becomes s, and the word appears as gezs, and also in the still 
harder form gems. It is the Gothic gaztez, gazisa, and this latter form 
reminds us of the Sanscrit adsha, which, be it remembered, was pro- 
nounced with a strong guttural g before the first vowel. Through 
various other forms we trace it to the Hebrew gdz, which is referred 
by Gesenius to the root gdzaz, to be strong. We must, therefore, re- 
ject Junius’s guess, that it is derived from yaitn, hair, as well as 
Wachter’s more reasonable conjecture that it comes from the Saxon 
gytsean, to be lustful. Kid—the Turkish getst and Hebrew gedi— 
belongs also to the same family as goat. 

It may not be out of place to notice here some of our own words 
which are derived from the names of the goat. ‘To caper is precisely 
the same word as the Latin for a goat; and hence, too, comes caprice, 
2. e. a whim as sudden and unlooked for as are the bounds and vagaries 
of akid: Who, again, would have thought that there could be any 
connexion between the name of the London “cab” and that of our 
animal? But it is quite certain that cad is an abbreviation of the 


Names of Animals. 5865 


French cabriolet, a word derived from cabri (caper), a kid, and em- 
ployed to designate a light easy-going kind of vehicle, which was able 
to traverse roads along which the original heavy and lumbering cha- 
riots were unable to venture. 

Sheep is the German schaf. This word is referred by Richardson 
to schaffen, in the sense of to drive, the allusion being to the driving 
of sheep before the shepherd, just as one of the Greek words for sheep 
— mpokatov — may be derived from zeoaivew, to go before. It may be 
that the schdfer, or shepherd, was so called from the scha/t, t. e. stick 
(our “ shaft”) with which he drove his flock, and that thus his name 
may have grown to be applied to the objects of his care ; or, possibly, 
the etymology may embrace both these ideas. 

Richardson derives ram from the Anglo-Saxon hremman, to butt, 

or to ram, as we say; but, as we have already remarked, it is not 
probable that any such verb will be derived from the habit of the 
animal, but rather vice versd. Family resemblance leads us in quite 
another direction. Ram is very nearly the same word as its Greek 
equivalent piv, which is probably only another form of agény, male; 
and this may be traced to an old root signifying strength. So, too, 
tup is taken from a root which is now little used by us, but which is 
found in the Greek tuzrev, to strike. Wether, or wedder, is similarly 
referred by Richardson to the Anglo-Saxon witheran, to resist. 
_ In the word ewe I think we may trace a very interesting story. It 
is the same word as the Latin ovis and the Greek ois, which are, pos- 
stbly, imitative of the low inward bleat of the sheep, which is a very 
distinct sound from its well-known “baa.” There are many old 
words wherefrom we may gather the fact that the wealth of our pri- 
mitive forefathers lay in their cattle. Such words are the Hebrew 
mik’ neh, which signifies both cattle and wealth or riches; the Greek 
xtnvos, cattle, as compared with xtiwa, a possession; and the Latin 
pecus, cattle, as compared with pecunza, money. I believe that our 
present word indicates a similar state of things ; for although ovis is a 
sheep, yet opzlio is a shepherd; and this latter word seems, at all 
events, to be connected with ops, opes, riches. 

Lamb is the Danish Jam; German, lamm. In Welsh llanu is to 
bound, and is nearly akin to Jeap, and other words of the same family. 
I suspect, therefore, that the lamb is so called from its frolicsome 
gambols. , 

We may here refer to a fact which is but little known. The breed 
of sheep from whence we obtain the merino wool was originally de- 
rived from our own country. Stow and Baker tell us that in the year 
XVI. C 


5866 Etymology of 


1404, Edward IV. “ gave a license to pass over certain Cotteswolde 
sheepe into Spain.” These were the origin of the present merinoes, 
a name which is a slight corruption of the Spanish marino, and refers 
to the original importation of the breed from “ beyond the sea.” 

Ox is the Anglo-Saxon owa; Danish, ove; Gothic, auhs. The 
root will be found in the Icelandic aka; Sueth., acka, to draw, which 
is the same verb as is found in the Latin as ago, and in Greek as ya. 
The connexion existing between these words points out to us the 
primitive use of oxen for the yoke; while the horse, as we have seen 
that its names imply, was used for riding, or for war, but not for agri- 
cultural purposes. 

Bull is identical with its Latin equivalent bos ; Greek, Gots; French, 
boeuf; words which are all formed from the root bo, imitative of the 
loud bellowing of the animal. So, too, cowe—which in the Teutonic 
languages appears as ko or kuh; Persian, gau, kau; Malabar, ko; 
Sanscrit, gou, ghau—is also a name imitative of the voice; and it is 
curious that in Greek we have both the verbs Goaw and yoaw, expressive 
of aloud and deep sound. Richardson suggests that cow is derived 
from the Anglo-Saxon ceowan, to chew, from its habit of chewing the 
cud; but this very plausible conjecture is found to be unsupported 
by the analogy of other languages. Professor Donaldson has some 
interesting remarks upon the curious coincidence to be remarked, 
throughout the Indo-Germanic languages, between the words which 
express the idea of Jand and the names of the cattle which till it. 
Thus, in Sanscrit, gaws means both cow and the earth; and in this 
latter sense we find the root in the Greek yu, yaia, and the German 
gau, country. The same analogy may be traced, though not quite so 
evidently, in the words related to bull. Kine is the plural of cow, 
just as seine is the plural of sovw. 

In calf we have another instance of a word which was originally 
used as a general term, but which has been gradually restricted to an 
individual case, although, indeed, we still speak of a hind’s calf, or of 
an elephant’s calf. Our word is the Anglo-Saxon cealf; Swedish, 
kalf; Danish, calv; German, kalb; and it is akin to the Dutch verb 
kalben, to vomit, which comes from a root indicative of gaping, having 
its nearest English analogues in yawn and yean. Calf, therefore, pro- 
perly means any offspring. Webster ingeniously accounts for the use 
of this word to indicate part of the leg. A calf is, properly, as we 
have said, any offspring: hence it comes to mean an offshoot or pro- 
tuberance, and so has been applied to the protuberant part of the leg. 
In the old expression, “ calves of the lips,” it is hard to say whether 


Names of Animals. 5867 


the reference be to the protruding of the lips, or, adhering to the 
strict meaning of the word, to the open mouth. 

I cannot satisfactorily account for the first syllable of heifer. The 
second syllable is, no doubt, identical with the Anglo-Saxon fear ; 
German, farfe; Greek, woptis; all of which words refer to the same 
animal. In Hebrew, too, we find par, a bull, and parah, a heifer, 
words which preserve the analogy of ox, and are formed from the same 
root as has given us our verb to bear. 

I again quote from Mr. Bell: “ When a cow produces two calves, 
one a male, and the other a female, the latter is styled a free martin, 
which, it is said, never breeds. In Scotland a cow or ox which is fat- 
tened is called a mart. Hence, probably, our term originated ; for 
the female, being unfit for breeding, was free, or at liberty, to be fat- 
tened for the mart, or market.” 

The breed of Kyloe oxen are said to derive their name from the 
Scotch islanders having to drive their beasts across the “kyles,” or 
ferries, on their way to market. 

Neat cattle in Anglo-Saxon are called neat, nefen; in Swedish, 
not; in Danish, néd. The Anglo-Saxon geneat, herdsman, is also 
akin. The root will be found in the Welsh cnud, a group, and kin- 
dred words are the Latin nodus, our knot, knead, and need, in all 
which words the common idea is that of pressure. Neat, therefore, 
is a generic name for herded cattle. 

The first letter of steer is merely euphonious, and forms no part of 
the root. The word is identical with the Latin taurus ; French, taw- 
veau 3 Arabic, thawr ; Chaldee, tora. In Hebrew the initial ¢ becomes 
sh, and the word appears as shor. It comes from a root signifying 
strength, which we trace in the Latin forws, muscle. Beeves, it need 
hardly be said, comes from the French beeuf, which also supplies us 
with our word beef. 

Cattle is said to be a general term, corrupted from the Latin capi- 
talia, z.e. the personal property of any individual. We find the same 
word in the legal term “ goods and chattels.” 

Squirrel has a pretty origin. It comes to us through the Latin 
sciuriolus, a diminutive of scturus, which is the Latinized form of its 
original Greek name, cxiovpos, a compound of two words signifying 
** shadow-tail.” 

The first syllable of dormouse no doubt refers to its sleepy propen- 
sities, and is of a root which appears in the Latin dormio, Greek 
daplavw, to sleep, and also, as I believe, in our dream. The second 
syllable of our word is, now, at all events, simply mouse. But as 

Kei 


5868 Etymology of 


hermaphrodite etymologies—by which we mean words compounded of 
two roots which are taken from different languages — are very rare, 
and to be received with suspicion, Talbot has suggested that our word 
may have been originally the French or Norman “la dormeuse,” the 
second syllable of which would soon be corrupted, by country people, 
into mouse. | 

The word mouse, itself, is a very ancient and wide-spread name. 
In Anglo-Saxon it is mus; in German, maus; in Latin, mus; in 
Greek, wis. It is ordinarily derived from a root which is expressed 
in the Greek wveiv, to hide, although Pott considers that it may come 
from the Sanscrit mush, to steal. 

Rat is the French rat, and appears in modern Latin as rattus. 
Wachter refers its origin to the German reissen; Anglo-Saxon, 
hreddan ; our own rid; to which the Latin rodo, to gnaw, is akin. 
The name, therefore, may combine the ideas of gnawing and plun- 
dering. It is difficult to account for the name of Norway rat, as this 
species is aboriginal to Asia, and was not even known to exist in 
Norway when our name was given to it. There is an ill-natured tra- 
dition that it was introduced to our country by the same ship as 
brought in the Hanover dynasty; but this throws no light on the 
name: more probably it was imported on board of some Norwegian 
trader, which may have touched at one of our ports. 

Hare is a word that has sadly puzzled etymologists. Conjectures 
concerning its origin are innumerable, and, as it has no equivalent in 7 
the Latin and its kindred languages, its affinities are very hard to trace. 
It is the Anglo-Saxon hara, and it is the same word in Swedish. In 
Dutch and German the 7 gives way to s, as it is Dutch haas, German 
hase. One very plausible conjecture is that the word is akin to the 
Anglo-Saxon fer, hair; from the long soft fur of the hare. It 
has been suggested to me by a friend that it may come from the same 
root as our hoar, hoary; Anglo-Saxon, hara; in allusicn to its pre- 
vailing colour. ‘Talbot says, ‘“‘ Hare, the most timorous of animals, 
is perhaps named from the Anglo-Saxon earg, timid; earh, swift.” 
Leveret is the French lévre, Latin lepus, and is closely akin to the 
French ldapin, rabbit. Indeed a close search will reveal to us a very 
curious connexion existing between the names for the hare and rabddt, 
in the kindred Janguages. The root is to be found in the Latin levis 
and our word leap, indicative of lightness and agility. 

Rabbit is akin to the Dutch robbe, which probably comes, as Skin- 
ner suggests, from the Latin rapidus, our rapid. It would not be. 
difficult to establish the etymological identity of this word with the 


Names of Animals. 5869 


French lapin, and, so, with lepus, leveret, &c., but the pages of the 
‘Zoologist’ are hardly suited to such an attempt. 

Cony is the Latin cuniculus; German, canichen; Danish, kanig ; 
Welsh, ceeningen. Pliny supposes cuniculus to be so named from its 
burrows, but this can hardly be the case. In Greek we find the forms 
novinros and xvvixaos, but there is some doubt as to whether this be a 
genuine Greek word, or only the Greek way of writing the word which 
they borrowed from the Romans. Should it be a truly Greek word, I 
have little doubt that Mr. Bell’s etymology from xovéw, to hasten, would 
be correct, supported as it is by the analogy of the names for leveret 
and rabbit. 

The Guinea pig is hardly an indigenous animal, but as Mr. Bell gives 
it a place in his ‘ History of British Quadrupeds,’ we may take the 
opportunity of pointing out the solution of a difficulty which he seems 
to have experienced. He says, “ The name by which this little ani- 
mal is commonly known is founded upon an error of which I have in 
vain endeavoured to trace the origin; for 1 do not find, in any author 
by whom it is mentioned, any allusion to its being a native of Guinea. 
The country from which it truly derives its origin is the southern part 
of the South American Continent,—Brazil, Guiana, &c.” Obviously 
its name originally alluded to the latter province; but as this was an 
unfamiliar name to most people, while Guinea was a “household 
word,” the substitution of the wrong name for the right one would fol- 
low almost as a matter of course. 

I have now completed the task which I at first proposed to myself; 
and I would fain hope that at all events some readers of the ‘ Zoolo- 
gist’ have been interested in the remarks I have made. I must again 
repeat one of my preliminary observations, that I have no doubt I 
may have made many mistakes. I therefore most earnestly solicit a 
personal correspondence with any one who is willing to correct me 
or to afford me hints. I have now collected the origins of about 2600 
names of animal, vegetable or mineral objects, and I have exhausted 
all the means of information within my own reach, and have still a 
stock of at least 1200 names of which I can find no explanation, but 
with regard to which I trust that others will be found both willing 
and able to assist me. 


P. H. NEwNHAM. 
Guildford, November 19, 1857. 


5870 Bavarian Sporting. 


On Bavarian Sporting. 
By the Rev. ALFRED CHARLES SmitH, M.A. 


I HAVE just been reading (Zool. 5806—7) Dr. Collingwood’s 
graphic account of the game-market at Vienna, and his description 
brings vividly to my recollection a similar scene at Munich, in the 
winter of 1840—1, which I spent in that capital; and on looking 
back to my journals of that date, by way of refreshing my memory on 
the subject, I have stumbled on some memoranda of various royal 
hunts of which I was an eye-witness, and by which these markets 
were supplied. Thinking that perhaps a short description of them 
may be of interest to the readers of the ‘ Zoologist,’ I venture to tran- 
scribe again from my journals; but, for the benefit of those who have 
had no experience of Munich in the winter, I will first say a few 
words of that capital and its climate during the cold months, when 
these royal battues took place. ~I will premise, then, that Munich is 
the highest capital in Europe, though, not having a Murray at hand, 
I cannot state accurately how many feet it stands above the level of 
the sea. [tis situated in a vast plain, or rather in the centre of a 
large basin, surrounded indeed by mountains, but all of them at 
a great distance; and on whichever side of the city you may ap- 
proach you will see for many a league the great kettle-drum-looking 
domes or cupolas on the summit of the two towers of the Dom 
Kirche, standing up as beacons to guide you on to your journey’s 
end. ‘The plain, too, in which the city stands is truly Bavarian, not 
only so vast and apparently interminable, but perfectly flat, and its 
surface unbroken by hedges, banks or any other kind of fence, since 
fences are not wanted in a country where the cattle are never turned 
out to grass; and in the autumn, when the crops are off the ground, 
you may strike off from the highway immediately after leaving the town, 
and ride in any direction, so long as the open weather lasts. But 
though Munich is one of the sultriest and certainly the very dustiest 
of towns in the summer, it is one of the very coldest in the winter, 
without shelter on any side, and exposed to all the winds of heaven: 
for four months the weather is very severe, and the cold is intense ; 
and there is no gradual change, but in a single night you pass from 
the height of summer to the depth of winter: from November to 
March the snow lies frozen and trodden into a hard, solid mass: all 
wheels disappear from the streets, and the silent sledges, unheard 
save through their jingle of bells (which the police rigidly require 


Bavarian Sporting. 5871 


them to carry), come stealing round the corners and along the streets 
at a very rapid pace. Occasionally sentinels are found frozen at 
their posts, though the guard is relieved at very short intervals, and 
all are well provided with warm clothing against the intense cold. 
The rapid river Tsar is arrested in its course, and soon becomes 
a dense mass of ice; and for four months winter reigns triumphant, 
without an interval of a thaw or the remotest prospect of a thaw for 
a single hour. 

Such is the climate and such the situation of the Bavarian capital ; 
but, notwithstanding the cold, the air is clear and the sun shines 
cheerily ; and when it was announced that the king would shoot 
hares at a certain spot about two leagues distant from the town, 
it required no second summons to persuade four Englishmen to drive 
to the spot, eager to be spectators of the scene. When we reached. 
the ground the royal sportsmen had not yet arrived, but a large num- 
ber of keepers stood ready, and pointed out to us the most astounding 
preparations for sport I ever beheld. For two days previous to the 
hunt a large number of peasants had been employed to beat up the 
country for several miles round: this they effected by making a cor- 
don, encircling the game and walking up towards the centre; and 
thus they gradually drove the hares in immense numbers into a very 
small space, viz., a little cover of perhaps four acres in extent: the 
hares so driven up had been enclosed by a wall of canvas from nine to 
ten feet in height, and when the keepers took us inside the enclosure, 
prior to the arrival of the king, there were the wretched victims lying 
huddled together like a dense flock of sheep, to the number of sixteen 
hundred, as we afterwards ascertained on counting the slain. Pre- 
sently the royal sledges arrived with the king (now the ex-king) Lud- 
wig, the Crown Prince (the present King of Bavaria), Prince Luitpold, 
Prince Max, and two other royal princes, for none but royal princes 
may shoot in these right royal ,battues: immediately they entered 
the canvas wall, and took up their positions at the farther end of the 
enclosure, each within a certain little nook of boughs, waist high, 
which had been previously prepared, of fir branches; whether as a 
protection against the rage of wounded hares, or as a pretence at am- 
bush, I know not: and now the sportsmen are all standing behind 
their respective defences, in a line, about twenty yards apart from one 
another, and with their faces towards the canvas wall, which might 
be thirty yards in their front, each armed with a double-barrelled gun, 
and each with a whole posse of keepers behind him, with other guns 
to load and hand over. The word is given that all is ready ; and now 


5872 Bavarian Sporting. 


the keepers and others, with whom we marched, forming a close line, 
began to walk up from the other end of the enclosure, driving all the 
unfortunate hares in a body towards the guns; as they neared the 
shooters they naturally ran to the sides; and now they were hunted 
round the open space, and made to run the gauntlet in front of all the 
guns: then the murder began in earnest, and for the first ten minutes 
each royal forefinger was continually engaged in pulling trigger after 
trigger, for as fast as each sportsman shot off his gun another was 
handed in its place. The hares at first came round in perfect droves, 
and then it was not only impossible to miss, but also impossible to 
kill without wounding many others; so then a horrible sight ensued, 
of hares unnumbered shuffling about with broken legs, wounded in 
every possible way, half-dead, bleeding, and uttering their mournful 
cry, so like the cry of a child. Soon the ground in front of the 
shooters was white with dead hares; still the slaughter went on, at 
first amidst a roar of guns, then a dropping fire, then single guns at 
longer intervals, then occasional shots, then it ceased, but not till 
every one of the hares enclosed had been driven round and round till 
it had met its death: happy were those first slain, for, once enclosed 
within the canvas, escape was impossible: if the poor animal had 
run the gauntlet before all the shooters once or twice, and had 
escaped unharmed or with a broken leg, the third or fourth round 
must destroy it: nothing living could escape. An unlucky squirrel, 
appalled at the noise, descended a tree close to the king, who, with a 
shout of delight, ruthlessly shot it as it gazed at him in amazement 
from the ground at about ten yards’ distance, proving that if “a cat 
may look at a king” the old adage does not hold good with a squir- 
rel, for this poor unsuspecting innocent paid for its temerity with its 
life. About twenty roe, bucks and does, had been accidentally en- 
closed with the hares, and these, too, must of course suffer the same 
fate, and were shot in like manner, save and except five or six bucks, 
which, terrified at the first noise of the shooting, and not yet having 
been shot at, ran back towards the advancing line of keepers, who 
immediately raised their hands and sticks to turn them; buat, led by 
one noble fellow, the bucks took a spring right over our heads, hats 
and uplifted sticks, not a little to the delight of the Crown Prince, 
who, priding himself on his English habits and ideas, and knowledge 
of the English tongue, told us, he “would give any sum for a hunter 
who shall jump so,” though, as the Germans never hunt or leap, and 
indeed there are no fences in Bavaria, we didnt see of what possible 
use to his Royal Highness such a fencer would have been. Some of 


Bavarian Sporting. 5873 


the roebucks, when driven to desperation, charged the canvas wall, 
and most of them fell back, unable to clear so great a height; but 
three splendid fellows, more nimble and more fortunate than their 
companions, cleared it in great style and escaped. At length the 
shooting grew slacker and slacker, and after two hours’ firing the 
massacre was ended: then before each sportsman’s bower of firs 
were placed, in rows, the hares that were slain by him, and were 
lying dead in front of his stand; then they were counted, and great 
rivalry existed among the shooters as to who had gained the greatest 
score. The whole number killed was above 1600, and the king, who 
was always especially friendly and communicative to the English, 
observed to us, “There is so much more glory in killing them thus 
than if we only killed a dozen or so as you do in England.” It 
would have argued a sad ignorance of Court etiquette to demur at 
any proposition His Majesty might think fit to assert, so we con- 
tented ourselves with a smile and a bow, but we secretly entertained 
rather a different opinion. ‘The hares were now suspended on poles, 
and these were laid across some light waggons, and thus three wag- 
gons loaded with hares trotted triumphantly into Munich to the 
king’s cellar, where on the following day hares killed by royalty were 
sold to the public at thirty-six kreutzers apiece, or about one shilling 
English. Ata subsequent battue the same party killed 1200, and on 
another occasion 900 hares ; but, as all the hare-hunting consisted of 
this abominable massacre, we did not care to go a second time. 

It may be supposed we were a little disgusted with what we had 
seen of Bavarian sport; but when we were invited to witness a stag 
hunt we said to one another, “‘ Now at least we shall see something 
more worthy of the name:” judge, then, of our disappointment when, 
on arriving at the wood fixed on for the rendezvous, we found the pre- 
parations in all respects like those made for the hare hunt; the canvas 
walls, the posse of keepers ready to drive the game round, the nooks of 
fir branches for the shooters, all as before; indeed, excepting that the 
wood was larger, the canvas walls something higher, and that rifles 
were substituted for guns and roe for hares, it was the same unsports- 
man-like massacre we had seen before. There was a good deal of 
bad shooting displayed on this occasion, and some of the stags, after 
being driven about and shot at a good deal ineffectually, became at 
last so terrified that they laid down and refused to get up. At the 
conclusion it was found that about fifty bucks were shot, and these, 
too, were taken to the king’s cellar and disposed of next day, just as 

XVI. D 


5874 Bavarian Sporting. 


the hares; and loyal subjects could there buy royal venison at nine 
kreutzers (threepence) per pound. 

After this fresh instance of barbarous murder we were not very 
sanguine when we started to see “a wild boar hunt,” for in such 
terms it was announced to us; and yet we had a lurking hope that 
there might be some sport in this, but again we were doomed to dis- 
appointment; and when we arrived at the place appointed (the mid- 
dle of a large forest) what was our dismay to find that this hunt, too, 
was to be conducted precisely as the hare and stag hunts had been : 
there were the canvas walls, within which were the poor boars, driven 
up by the peasants as before; and not only boars, but pigs of all sizes 
and ages; all were driven in, and all shot alike, the total number 
amounting to about forty; none of them appeared savage, indeed 
they were only half wild, as every day they came for food, placed for 
them at the skirt of the forest; but some of the boars had tusks of 
considerable size, with which they might have done considerable mis- 
chief if they had courage enough for an attack; but they seemed too 
frightened to make any resistance, and ran squeaking from place to 
place in the extremity of their terror, till a bullet put an end to their 
misery. The head gamekeepers, or “ Jagers,” were splendid fellows 
in their suits of green and gold, with epaulettes and swords and 
sashes, and plumes of dark green feathers in their cocked hats, rather 
a contrast to the shooting-jackets and leggings of the business-like 
men we are accustomed to meet at the cover side; however, it was all 
quite consistent with the sport, and the “J ‘pers ” fine clothes were 
not soiled with hard work, but they looked very smart in the forest 5 
and very valiant, too, they were withal, for, when one poor unfortu- 
nate piggy came running down a green drive towards us, squealing 
with terror, one of these brave armed men, dropping down on one 
knee in a theatrical attitude, exclaimed, to our intense amusement, 
_“ Gentlemen, don’t be alarmed; I will defend you,” with which words 
he drew his sword, and presented it at the pig; but he, poor fellow, 
as soon as he saw us in the way was only too glad to hurry off out of 
sight into the thicket. After this hunt wild boar was as plentiful and 
cheap at the king’s cellar at Munich as hares and venison were at 
other times. 

If any comparison can be instituted among the above atrocious 
massacres, I am inclined to think that the latter was the most barba- 
rous of the three hunts ; and I don’t doubt that those sportsmen will 
agree with me who have been accustomed to hog hunting in India, 
which I conclude to be the finest sport (in the true sense of the word) 


Mollusks. 5875 


that exists, and which undoubtedly requires the greatest exertions 
and skill on the part both of the horse and rider. I had almost ap- 
pended some account of the rifle shooting at a mark by the Tyrolese 
who flock to Munich at certain seasons, and which was really inte- 
resting to witness; and also of the horse racing in the same capital, 
one of the most horrible sights I ever beheld; but, recollecting that 
such subjects scarcely come within the province of the ‘ Zoologist,’ 
and fearing the wrath of its excellent editor, I spare the readers 
of that periodical, at any rate for the present, and conclude. 


ALFRED CHARLES SMITH. 
Yatesbury Rectory, Calne, 


November 9, 1857. 


The Mollusca of the Firth of Clyde. 
By the Rev. ALFRED MERLE Norman, B.A. 


(Continued from page 5713). 


Fam. X. Donacide. 


*Donax Anatinus (Donaxz trunculus). Included in the lists of 
Mr. Smith and Dr. Landsborough, but I have not met with it myself. 


Fam. XI. Mactride. 


Mactra solida. Bute, Cumbrae and Arran, but it is not a com- 
mon shell in the district. 

* 4, truncata. Bute, Smzih; Lamlash Bay, Landsborough. 

* 4,  elliptica. Occasionally taken with the dredge on hard 
ground in the coralline zone. The specimens from off Cumbrae ex- 
ceed in dimensions any that I have taken or received from elsewhere ; 
an individual in my cabinet measures one and a quarter inch long 
and four-fifths of an inch broad. 

* ,,  subtruncata. Is avery abundant shell in the Clyde, and 
is known in the district by the name of “ Aikens.” It is frequently 
used for bait, and is usually found in the sand at low-water mark, and 
is either raked up from the sand, or gathered by the hand when 
thrown to the surface by storms. Millport Bay, Lamlash and Ar- 
drossan are prolific localities for it. It attains a large size here, ex- 
amples commonly exceeding one and a quarter inch long and an 
inch broad. “A large and much-produced variety is very common on 


5876 | Mollusks. 


the Ardrossan sands, in Ayrshire ; a similar but smaller one is also com- 
mon in Lamlash Bay, Isle of Arran, where it is gathered alive at low 
water to feed pigs (Alder),” #. & H. Dr. Landsborough tells us that 
the name “ Aikens,” applied to Mactra subtruncata, is confined to the 
Lowlands; “in the Highlands it is called ‘ Mureck-baan;’ baan de- 
noting the colour, which is white; and Mureck, it is probable, being 
the Celtic origin of the Latin Murex, the shell-fish which yielded the 
Tyrian dye or imperial purple.” — Lands. Excur. p. 218. I must 
confess that my powers of imagination are at fault, and that I fail to 
see any connexion between Murex trunculus and Mureck-baan ! 

Mactra Stultorum (J/actra cinerea). This species, together with 
its variety cinerea, is said by Dr. Landsborengh to occur in Lamlash 
Bay. Ihave not myself met with it there, or elsewhere in the dis- 
trict. Ayr, Seth. 

*Lutraria elliptica. During very low spring tides a sand bank is 
laid bare at Fintry Bay, Cumbrae, extending along the shore, from 
which it is separated by a belt of water a foot or so deep; at such 
times fishermen and others go to the bank for the purpose of pro- 
curing “Spout-fish” and the Lutraria, which they take there abun- 
dantly and of great size. I have likewise taken young specimens 
with the dredge between Clachland Point and the Corriegills, Arran. 


Fam. XII. Veneride. 


*Tapes decussata (Venus decussata). ‘This local, but for the most 
part, where present, abundant shell, must, I think, be regarded with 
some doubt as a native of the Clyde. Dr. Landsborough mentions it 
twice (at pp. 337 and 362) in his ‘ Excursions,’ but he does not give it 
in his more recent lists; nor has it been met with by Mr. Smith or 
myself. 

* 4,  pullastra (Pullastra vulgaris, Venus pullastra). Common 
here as everywhere. Very good examples of the variety perforans, 
with the shell strongly laminated, especially at the posterior end, 
occur in crevices in the masses of shale on the shore of Lamlash Bay, 
and in old Pholas burrows. | 

* 4, virginea (Veniorupis virginea, Pullastra virginea, Venus 
virginea). Ayr, Bute, Clyde, Smith. I have taken unusually large 
specimens, measuring two inches and four-tenths long, and one and 
a half inch broad, off the west of Cumbrae. It is frequent in the 
coralline zone in all parts that I have dredged. 

» aurea (Venus aurea, Venus enea) Mr. Smith records 
this shell from Ayr, and Dr. Landsborough from Arran. At Loch 


Mollusks. 5877 


Ryan, to the south of this district, it may be procured in great abun- 
dance at low-water mark; specimens from this locality are in the Bri- 
tish Museum. 

Venus verrucosa. I include this with doubt. Mentioned once by 
Dr. Landsborough (Excurs. p. 362) in a list of Lamlash Mollusca. 

»  casina (Venus reflexa, Venus cassina). ‘This beautiful Ve- 
nus is met with occasionally on the scallop-bed off the south-west of 
Cumbrae; it is, however, by no means abundant, and I only suc- 
ceeded in procuring some half-dozen specimens. I have likewise 
taken it in Lamlash Bay, and Mr. Smith records it from Ayr. It is 
probably distributed throughout the district. 

* 4, striata (Venus Prideauaxiana, rugosa, gallina and lami- 
mosa). Common, and is found with the concentric costelle at a 
greater or less distance apart, and more or less laminated. 

* ,  fasciata. Frequent throughout the district. The colour 
of these shells from the Clyde are usually dull, and have none of that 
brilliancy which characterizes their more southern brethren. They 
are usually, moreover, when found in the Clyde, invested, especially 
about the umbones, with a black incrustation. 

» ovata. This species is common among nullipore in the 
laminarian and coralline zones. | 

*Artemis exoleta (*Cytherea exoleta). Two very distinct varieties 
are to be found in the Clyde district; the first, the ordinary form, 
occurs in and outside Lamlash Bay and other localities; the second 
is brownish white, entirely devoid of painting, and has the striz much 
more closely arranged than usual, and they, moreover, become some- 
what raised and lamelliform at the extremities. This last variety, 
which measures two inches by two and an eighth, is taken near the 
Tan Buoy, Cumbrae. 

»  lincta (Cytherea sinuata and lincta). Ayr, Lamlash, 
Cumbrae, Largs. The locality in which I have found it to be most 
numerous is between the Cumbraes. I have a distortion in which 
one valve is larger than the other, the one umbone projecting for- 
wards over the smaller one as in the genus Corbula. 

*Lucinopsis undata (Lucina undata). I have occasionally met 
with the Lucinopsis to the south-west of Cumbrae, and Dr. Lands- 
borough has taken it in Lamlash Bay. 


Fam. XIII. Cyprinide. 


*Cyprina islandica (Cyprina vulgaris). The dredge will not un- 
frequently bring up the Cyprina from deep water where the ground is 


5878 Mollusks. 


hard. The west of Cumbrae between Fintry and Shell Bays ; between 
Clachland Point and the Corriegills, Arran; and north-east of Holy 
Island, may be mentioned as localities. | 

Circe minima (Cyprina minima, Cyprina triangularis). This 
often beautifully marked shell is common in the deeper parts of the 
Jaminarian zone in the Clyde district. Wherever suitable ground, 
that is nullipore, is present, the dredge will seldom come up without 
containing one or two examples. 

*Astarte sulcata (Crassina scotica, Crassina danmoniensis, As- 
tarte scotica and danmoniensis). By no means common, though 
now and then to be met with. West coast of Cumbrae, and Lamlash 
Bay; Ayr, Bute, Sinzth. 

* 4, ~ elliptica (Crassina garensis, Crassina elliptica). It was 
first discovered near Helensburgh, mouth of the Clyde, by H. Witham, 
Esq., where it appears to be not uncommon.” — Brown. “The 
earlier specimens which found their way into collections were chiefly 
collected by Mr. Nicol, and distributed under the MS. name of 
gairensis."—/’. § H. It was so named from Loch Gair, or Gare, at 
the mouth of which Helensburgh is situated. Mr. Smith has also 
taken it off Bute. It is, however, very local. 

* 4, arctica (Crassina corrugata and Witham). Mr. Smith 
includes this in his list of recent shells, under the specific names of 
corrugata and Withami, as having been found in the Clyde and off 
Bute. Withami is figured by Mr. Smith in his paper; and he tells 
us that “ one valve was dredged in deep water in Rothesay Bay, ap- 
parently the same as that found by Mr. Witham in Yorkshire.” 
Astarte arctica, if met with in the Clyde, is probably fossil. 

5» compressa (Crassina compressa and striata). Lamlash, 
Landsborough ; Bute, Smith. 
»  triangularis. I have met with a few examples of this little 
Astarte among shell-sand from “‘ Landsborough’s Bay,” Lamlash. 
Isocardia Cor. Dredging one day in deep water between Great 
and Little Cumbrae, I procured two or three single valves of the 
heart shell. This is the only instance of its occurrence in the dis- 
trict with which I am acquainted. Although the shells had been 
some time dead, they were certainly not semi-fossil ; indeed, the Iso- 
cardia has not, I believe, been met with in the glacial beds of 


the Clyde. 


Fam. XIV. Cardiade. 


Cardium aculeatum. Mentioned by Mr. Smith, undoubtedly in 
error, as “ common ” in the Clyde. 


Mollusks. 5879 


*Cardium echinatum (Cardium ciliatum and ciliare). To be found 
in many of the sandy bays, as for example at Fintry Bay, Cumbrae ; 
and in certain parts of Lamlash. 


oe ee edule (Cardium crenulatum). Nowhere, as far as my 
observations go, abundant, though generally diffused. 
uy nodosum. Fine and by no means uncommon. Shell 


Bay, Cumbrae; Largs; Lamlash Bay; and between Clachland Point 
and the Corriegills, Arran. 

i fasciatum (Cardium elongatum). Frequent in the lami- 
narian and coralline zones. Fairleigh ; Tan Buoy, Cumbrae ; Lam- 
lash. | 

is pygmeum (Cardium exiguum). Ayr, Bute, Clyde, 
Smith ; Lamlash, Landsborough. Ihave not myself been fortunate 
enough to meet with it. | 

suecinum. Included by Dr. Landsborough in his last 
corrected catalogue of the Lamlash Bay Mollusca. 

WisF1 4 norvagicum. (Cardium levigatum and serratum). Fre- 
quent and widely distributed throughout the district. There are two 
very distinct forms of this shell: the one which is found in the Clyde 
is subtriangular, the hinder margin being much produced, so that the 
length exceeds the breadth; two inches and three-fourths long and 
two inches and five-eighths broad is the measurement of my finest 
specimen: the other variety, which I have taken off Falmouth, is 
subovate, the hinder margin suddenly sloping, and not at all pro- 
duced, the breadth exceeding the length, as, for example, one inch 
and three-fourths long and two inches and one-fourth broad. On the 
Devon coast I have taken an intermediate form, in which length and 
breadth are about equal; it is this form-which is figured in Forbes 
and Hanley. 


Fam. XV. Lucinide. 


*Lucina borealis (Lucina Radula). Ayr, Smith. It is not uncom- 
mon in shallow water just off the pier at Lamlash, and I have like- 
wise taken a specimen or two in Kames and Shell Bays, Cumbrae. 

»  spinifera (Myriea spinifera). Occurs several times in the 
lists of Lamlash Bay Mollusca in Dr. Landsborough’s ‘ Excursions.’ 
I have not myself met with it. 

* 4, flexuosa (Lucina sinuosa). Bute, Ayr, Smith. Widely 
distributed in the district, though nowhere common. Largs, Cum- 
brae, and Lamlash Bay have given me specimens. The spot in which 
I have dredged it most frequently is close to the Clerk Rock in 


5880 Mollusks. 


Millport Bay ; at least thirty single valves may be taken to every 
perfect specimen. 


Fam. XVI. Kelliade. 


Montacuta ferruginosa. I have met with a few fine examples 
thrown up on the sand at Millport Bay after gales from the West, 
having the animal still in them. It has likewise been taken by Mr. 
Alder and Dr. Landsborough in Lamlash Bay. 

is bidentata. . Occurs occasionally in rock-pools, as for 
example at the outer Allans, Cumbrae; and Clachland Point, Ar- 
ran. It likewise may be found sparingly among Lamlash Bay shell- 
sand. 

53 substriata. Fourteen examples fell to my lot from the 
spines of Spatangus purpureus taken off the west coast of Cumbrae. 
Dr. Landsborough several times met with it in Lamlash Bay (Lands. 
Excurs. pp. 195 and 322). ' 

Turtonia minuta (Montacuta purpurea). By no means rare in 
rock-pools, if the Corallina be gathered and washed, and the sediment 
examined. The Allans, Cumbrae; and Clachland Point, Arran, 
afford it in some plenty. 

*Kellia suborbicularis (Mya suborbicularis). Distributed through- 
out the district. ‘The best situations to look for it in are the interiors 
of old dead bivalve shells filled with mud. The young may be taken 
occasionally in rock-pools. 

»  Yubra. Common, though somewhat lecal. Abundant 
among Balani which clothe the rocks just north of Fintry Bay, Cum- 
brae ; and frequent in rock-pools, among Corallina officinalis and Li- 
china pygmea, at Clachland Point, Arran. A white variety occurs 
in this last locality. 

Lepton convexum. Lamlash, Landsborough. 

5 uitidum. Mr. Webster has informed me that among a 
small quantity of Lamlash Bay shell-sand which I sent him he met 
with a single example of Lepton nitidum. 


Fam. XVII. Mytilide. 


*Mytilis edulis (Mytilis pellucidus). Abundant in the Clyde above 
Greenock, but further down itis by no means so, specimens being 
few and far between. 

*Modiola modiolus (Modiola vulgaris). Frequently taken both at 
low water and with the dredge, but full-grown specimens are scarce, 
and I am not aware of any locality in which it occurs gregariously. 


Mollusks. 5881 


Modiola phaseolina. Lamlash, Landsborough. 

Crenella discors (Modiolu discrepans). 'The young very abundant 
among Corallina in rock-pools ; large specimens, however, rare. A 
small stunted form is found at the outer Allans, Cumbrae. 

* 4, marmorata (AZodiola discors). Ayr, Smith. Not rare 
within the tunic of Ascidia mentula. From a single specimen of this 
Ascidia, dredged at Cumbrae, I extracted no less than eleven Cre- 
nellz, some of them very large, such as I have never seen except 
from the West of Scotland. Dr. Landsborough mentions that Major 
Martin has dredged this species near the Corriegills, “ buried in the 
coriaceous coat of Ascidia rustica” (Lands. Excurs. p. 49). 

»  decussata. Lamlash, Landsborough. 


Fam. XVIII. Arcade. 


*Nucula Nucleus (Nucula margaritacea). Common throughout 
the district in suitable localities: Largs, Fairleigh, Cumbrae, Rothe- 
say, Lamlash, Ayr. 

»  nitida. I have taken one or two specimens at Cumbrae, 
but it appears to be very rare. Bute, Smith; Lamlash, Landsborough. 

Me radiata. ‘‘ Lamlash, Arran (Alder),” F & H. 

ae tenuis. Forbes and Hanley inform us that “this essen- 
tially northern species” occurs in the Clyde district. Mr. Smith 
records it from Bute, and Dr. Landsborough from Lamlash. It must, 
however, certainly be very rare, as it has never fallen to my lot to 
meet with it. 

*Leda caudata (Nucula minuta, Nucula rostrata). Very rare. 
Clyde, Bute, Smith ; Lamlash, Landsborough). A single living spe- 
cimen is now in my cabinet, which was dredged by Mr. W. Templer 
at Largs, and given me by Dr. Lowe. 

* 4, oblonga (Nucula oblonga). Ayr, Smith. 

» truncata (Nucula truncata). Ayr, Smith. On this and 
the last-mentioned species, admitted by Mr. Smith, of Jordan Hill, 
into his catalogue of the recent shells of the Clyde, Forbes and Han- 
ley thus write :— “‘ In consequence of the pleistocene tertiary beds of 
clay on the west coast of Scotland being often laid bare below low- 
water mark, fossil shells are frequently brought up in the dredge along 
with recent ones, and as often cast on the shore. Owing to their ex- 
tremely fresh appearance, even the epidermis in many instances being 
preserved with its pristine colours and lustre, it is very difficult to say 
at a glance whether such specimens be not the exuvize of animals yet 
living in the neighbourhood. This difficulty is yet further increased 

XVI. E 


5882 Mollusks. 


by the possibility which always exists of the species in question yet 
lingering alive (as indeed we have seen in the case of Leda pygmea), 
in some limited tract or boreal patch in our seas. Until, however, 
such is proved to be the case, we cannot admit well-known and cha- 
racteristic drift species into our list of living forms, and in this cate- 
gory we must place Leda oblonga (Nucula oblonga, Brown, Ill. Conch. 
G. B. p. 84, pl. 33) and Leda truncata (Nucula truncata, loc. cit. p. 
84, pl. 33), both of which, however, are still found living in Arctic 
regions. ’—F’. & H. vol. ii. p. 232, 233. 

*Arca lactea. ‘I'wo or three were taken some years since near the 
Corriegills, Arran, by Dr. Landsborough and Major Martin; but 
John Kelso (the boatman whom I would recommend conchologists 
to employ at Lamlash), who accurately described the shells, tells me 
that, though he has repeatedly dredged there since expressly for it, it 
has not since been met with. 

*Pectunculus glycimeris (Pectunculus alone’ Very local. Ar- 
ran, Ayr, Smith. It occurs to the north-east of Holy Island in deep 
water, and there is also a series in the British Museum from the © 
Island of Bute. 


Fam. XIX. Aviculacee. 


Pinna pectinata (Pinna ingens). “The Pinna ingens has only 
once, that I know of, been got at Arran.”—Lands. Excurs. p. 60. 


Fam. XX. Ostreade. 


Lima subauriculata. Ihave met with single valves of this shell in 
Lamlash Bay, where Dr. Landsborough has also taken it. 

»  Loscombii (Lima fragilis). A single valve near the Tan 
Buoy, Cumbrae. Bute, Smith ; Lamlash, Landsborough. 

»  trians (Lima tenera, inflata and vitrina). This is one of 
the most interesting Mollusca of the Clyde, and is abundant almost 
everywhere in the district among nullipore. Kelso tells me that when 
first Dr. Landsborough began to dredge at Lamlash, Lima trians 
could only be found in one confined spot in the Bay: it is now to be 
met with in all parts. Doubtless dredging has been the chief 
means in effecting this diffusion, since in overhauling the nullipore 
young specimens would, as the boat moved on, be thrown overboard 
here and there, and become the parents of a numerous progeny. 
Nothing can be more lovely than the animal of Lima trians; its 
thousand delicate and beautifully ringed vermilion tentacula, each 
maintaining, as it were, a life independent of its neighbour's, turning 


Mollusks. 5883 


and twisting in every direction; the rich crimson foot and snow- 
white shell, form an object which, to my eyes, is unsurpassed among 
the British Mollusca. The animal has the power of darting itself 
through the water, by flapping the valves of the shell in the same 
manner as the Pectens. The economy, however, of this mollusk, as 
found in the Clyde district, is by no means the least interesting part 
of its history. At Herm IJ have taken it living free in rock-pools at 
the Galeomma ground, but in the Clyde it always inhabits a nest; I 
say always, because when specimens are found free I am of opinion 
that the circumstance is merely accidental, from the nest having been 
broken by the dredge, or from the Lima having voluntarily and tem- 
porarily quitted its usual domicile. The nest in which the Lima lives 
is frequently as much as eight or ten inches long ; indeed, I think some 
which I have seen must have been a foot. It is formed of nullipore, 
stones, shells and sea-weeds, strongly fastened together by means of 
byssal threads; the interior is lined with a thick network of similar 
threads, the interstices being filled up with slime, so that it forms a 
smooth tube, in which the Lima takes up its abode, and where it 1s 
free from the attacks of fish and crabs, to assaults from which its 
widely gaping valves would otherwise greatly expose it. Here we see 
one of the many ways in which Providence provides for the safety of 
those Mollusca which, if unprotected by some artificial means, would 
be peculiarly open to attack. We have other instances in the boring 
powers of the Pholades and their allies, the rapidly burrowing abilities 
of the Solens, the curiously formed nest of Gastrochena, and the 
great muscular power of the Patellide, which enables them to cling 
so tenaciously to the rocks. Forbes and Hanley “have never seen 
any but full-grown specimens contained in these curious nests ;” they 
must have been singularly unfortunate, for I have repeatedly found 
the Lima of all sizes encased alike. There is but one thing I have 
to say against this interesting molluscan, and that is, the animal hasa 
peculiar, tenacious, and, to me, sickening odour ; after having handled 
a number of them itis no easy matter to remove the smell from the 
hands with soap and water, and so strong a hold has the nauseous 
smell sometimes taken on my olfactory nerves that a whole night has 
scarcely sufficed to remove the impression. Professor Balfour has 
informed me that the slime with which the nests are lined is very rich 
in Diatomacez, and that its examination will well repay the trouble 
of the diatomist. 
*Pecten varius. Bute, Ayr, Smith; Lamlash, Landsborough. 
ms niveus. Cumbrae, Smith. 


D884 Mollusks. 


*Pecten Pusio (Pecten stnuosus). Very far from common. I have 
taken two or three specimens moored to old shells in the laminarian 
zone to the west of Cumbrae, and as many more at Lamlash. Bute, 
Ayr, Smith. 

5 striatus (Pecten Landsburgii, spinosus and aculeatus). 
This beautiful little scallop was first recognized as British in the 
Clyde, and described and figured by Mr. Smith in his paper in the 
Wernerian ‘ Transactions, under the name of Pecten Landsburgii 
(Mem. Wern. Soc. vol. viii. p. 106, pl. Il. f. 2) from specimens taken 
at Ayr. It is frequent in the district, and is generally found in about 
twenty fathoms. The channel between Largs and Cumbrae, the west 
of Cumbrae by Shell Bay and thence to Fintry, and a bed of rotten 
Pecten (opercularis) shells which hes a little to the south-east coast of 
Hamilton’s Rock at the entrance to Lamlash Bay, are good localities. 
A specimen dredged at Lamlash was, when first taken, one of the most 
lovely shells I ever saw; its chocolate-brown ground-colour was 
sprinkled all over with flakes of azure blue; I am sorry to say, how- 
ever, that this beautiful tint gradually paled, and that now the flakes 
are white. It is a very rare occurrence to find colour evanescent 
in a shell; indeed, this is the only instance that has come under my 
observation of a shell, in the cabinet, losing its colour. 

* 4, tigrinus (Pecten obsoletus and levis). This Pecten is 
found in about equal numbers to the last, and in similar situations ; 
Dr. Landsborough, however, mentions having “ got, on the shore” at 
Catocol, at the north-west of the Isle of Arran, ‘‘ some of the finest 
specimens he had ever seen of the beautiful Pecten obsoletus.” I 
have an example from the Clyde of the “very charming and rare 
variation” mentioned by Forbes and Hanley, which “ displays linear 
fillets of white upon a ground of reddish chocolate colour.” 

5» danicus (Pecten nebulosus and Jamesoni). The first 
British specimen of this shell ever taken was found at Cumbrae by 
Mr. John Blythe, of Glasgow, in 1835, and was described and figured 
by Brown, under the name of Pecten nebulosus, in the first volume of 
the ‘ Edinburgh Journal of Natural History,’ page 49. Another va- 
riety, taken at Bute, was described by Mr. Smith in his paper on the 
recent shells of the Clyde, under the specific name of Jamesoni 
(Smith, Mem. Wern. Soc. vol. vil. p. 106, pl. II. f. 1). This Pecten 
lives in deep water among rocks; it is, therefore, difficult to procure 
it with the dredge; indeed, I have never done so, my specimens 
having all been procured from the fishermen, who now and then 
bring them up attached to the hooks of their long lines. Forbes and 


Mollusks. 5885 


Hanley give Loch Ranza, in forty fathoms, as a locality: my exam- 
ples are from off Little Cumbrae lighthouse, the north of Great Cum- 
brae, and the east side of Holy Island. 

Pecten similis (Pecten tumidus). The only locality in which I 
am aware of this shell being taken is among the old scallops of the 
bed to the south-east of Hamilton’s Rock, Lamlash; I have there 
taken three living examples, and numerous single valves. 

Bites maximus. Occasional in deep water throughout the dis- 
trict. Formerly abundant in Lamlash Bay, but, having been exten- 
sively dredged for the market, it has become scarce. Dr. Lands- 
borough mentions a very large specimen taken at Cumbrae measuring 
“ eight inches in length and seven and a half in breadth.” 

* 4,‘ opercularis. Very common, and in certain spots exces- 
sively abundant. There is a large bed of them extending from the 
Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in a northerly direction, from whence they are 
extensively dredged for bait for the long lines. The most common 
painting in the district is rich brown mottled with white, or the whole 
of the coste (not merely the summits as in lineatus) pink with the 
interstices white ; rich yellow and orange examples are also not un- 
common, but I have never observed pure white examples, nor the 
variety lineatus, among the thousands that have passed through my 
hands in the Clyde. The name by which the scallops are known in 
the West is “ Clams.” | 

* 4,  islandicus. “Is an abundant fossil in the pleistocene 
beds of the Clyde, and may be found in numbers at low water in the 
Kyles of Bute, as was observed by Mr. Smith, of Jordan Hill,” F. & . 
“ Pecten islandicus, which is regarded asa rare shell, is found in con- 
siderable plenty in winter and spring on the shore of Fintry Bay, but 
these are always dead, and I doubt not from some post-tertiary depo- 
sit."—Lands. Excurs. p. 420. It is probable that the deposit from 
which this shell was thus washed up some years ago in Fintry Bay is 
now exhausted, as a single broken valve is all that has rewarded my 
repeated search in that locality after gales. ‘There can be no doubt 
but that all the examples of this shell which have been taken in the 
Clyde, either with the dredge or otherwise, are fossils, comrades of 
Panopzxa norvagica and Tellina proxima, the characteristic forms 
which inhabited the waters of the Clyde during the glacial period. 

*Ostrea edulis (Ostrea parasitica). I am not aware of any spot in 
the Clyde where oysters are sufficiently abundant to reward the 
dredger for his trouble in procuring them; a few, but only a few, may 
occasionally be taken off Fairleigh, and in other widely distant parts. 


5886 Mollusks. 


The variety parasitica occurs at Lamlash, and may be procured also 
from the rocks, at low-water mark, in Balloch Bay, Cumbrae. 

*Anomia ephippium (Anomia squamula and cylindrica). Never 
occurs of large size, the variety squamula being the most common 
form. 

* 5  aculeata. Rare. Bute, Smith ; Cumbrae, Lamlash. 

* 4, patelliformis (dnomia undulata). Very rare. I have 
only procured two or three specimens. 

» striata. I have formerly sent this shell to many of my 
correspondents under the name of “ patelliformis.” My attention was 
kindly called to its being the true striata by my friend Mr. Webster. 
I have little doubt in my own mind as to the specific identity of these 
two shells, believing that the modifications which their form assumes 
are merely due to local causes of food and habitat. I am far, however, 
from prepared to go the length of Mr. Clark, who, taking up his posi- 
tion solely on malachological grounds, would unite all the British 
Anomiz under one species ; indeed, in order to reconcile the mala- 
chological differences which exist between the species, Mr. Clark is 
driven to compare a few isolated specimens of the young of patelli- 
formis with full-grown ephippium. Anomia striata is abundant in the 
Clyde, and is found for the most part attached to the interiors of Pec- 
ten shells, though now and then living on the exterior; and in some 
localities (as outside the Bay of Lamlash) it lives upon stones. Ex- 
amples from these last situations are not developed so evenly in all 
their parts as those found in the interior of bivalves, and present a 
rougher and coarser aspect ; some now and then living on_the edges 
of stones, and not having room to develope themselves, assume a 
tubular saddle-shaped form. 


Div. II]. PALLIOBRANCHIATA. 
Fam. |. Terebratulide. 


Terebratula caputserpentis (Terebratula aurita). The only loca- 
lity which has at present yielded this species in the Clyde is around 
Holy Island, more especially to the north-east, and between that and — 
Hamilton’s Rock. Clyde specimens are smaller, more ventricose, 
and have the costelle larger and fewer in number than is usual in 
those taken among the Hebrides. 


Fam. II. Craniade. 


Crania anomala (Orbicula norvegica, Crania norvegica and perso- 
nata). ‘This remarkable bivalve (which it is impossible to make a 


Theory cf Varieties. 5887 


bivalve of if it be removed from the stone or shell to which it adheres, 
since the under valve is a mere layer of shelly matter insaperably 
united to the substratum) is common in the deeper parts in and out- 
side of Lamlash Bay. I have also taken it, though less frequently, 
to the west of Cumbrae, and in other parts. ‘Lhe largest examples 
from the Clyde do not exceed half an inch in diameter. 


Errata in the previous Part. — Page 5711, line 5, for “ Apatinide” read “ Anati- 
nide”; line 22, for ‘‘ Amphidesma convera” read “* Amphidesma convexum.” Page 
5712, line 15, for “ pellucidens” read “pellucidus.” Page 5713, line 31, dele 
“T have” to “ appears scarce”; line 34, for “ compressa ” read ‘‘ compressum.” 


ALFRED MERLE NORMAN. 
Kibworth, Leicestershire, 


October 28, 1857. 
7 (To be continued). 


Note on the Theory of Permanent and Geographical Varieties. 
By Atrrep R. WALLLACE, Esq. 


As this subject is now attracting much attention among naturalists, 
and particularly among entomologists, I venture to offer the following 
observations, which, without advocating either side of the question, 
are intended to point out a difficulty, or rather a dilemma, its advo- 
cates do not appear to have perceived. | 

The adoption of permanent and geographical varieties has _ this 
disadvantage, that it leaves the question “ What is a species?” more 
indeterminate than ever; for if permanent characters do not constitute 
one when those characters are minute, then a species differs from a 
variety in degree only, not in nature, and no two persons will agree as 
to the amount of difference necessary to constitute the one, or the 
amount of resemblance which must exist to form the other. The line 
that separates them will become so fine that it will be exceedingly 
difficult to prove its existence. If, however, the two things are of es- 
sentially distinct natures, we must seek a qualitative not a quantitative 
character to define them. This may be done by considering the per- 
manence, not the amount, of the variation from its nearest allies, to 
constitute the specific character, and in like manner the instability, 
not the smaller quantity, of variation to mark the variety. In this 
way you define the two things by a difference in their nature; by the 
other, you assert that they are of exactly the same nature, and differ 
only in degree. 


5888 Theory of Varieties. 


Now the generally adopted opinion is that species are absolute in- 
dependent creations, which during their whole existence never vary 
from one to another, while varieties are not independent creations, but 
are or have been produced by ordinary generation from a parent spe- 
cies. There does, therefore (if this definition is true), exist such an 
absolute and essential difference in the nature of these two things that 
we are warranted in looking for some other character to distinguish 
them than one of mere degree, which is necessarily undefinable. If 
there is no other character, that fact is one of the strongest arguments 
against the independent creation of species, for why should a special 
act of creation be required to call into existence an organism differing 
only in degree from another which has been produced by existing 
laws? If an amount of permanent difference, represented by any 
number up to 10, may be produced by the ordinary course of nature, 
it is surely most illogical to suppose, and very hard to believe, that an 
amount of difference represented by 11 required a special act of 
creation to call it into existence. 

Let A and B be two species having the smallest amount of difference 
a species can have. These you say are certainly distinct; where a 
smaller amount of difference exists we will call it a variety. You 
afterwards discover a group of individuals C, which differ from A less 
than B does, but in an opposite direction; the amount of difference 
between A and C is only half that between A and B: you therefore 
say C is a variety of A. Again you discover another group D, exactly 
intermediate between A and B. If you keep to your rule you are 
now forced to make B a variety, or if you are positive B is a species, 
then C and D must also become species, as well as all other perma- 
nent varieties which differ as much as these do: yet you say some of 
these groups are special creations, others not. Strange that such 
widely different origins should produce such identical results. To 
escape this difficulty there is but one way: you must consider every 
group of individuals presenting permanent characters, however slight, 
to constitute a species; while those only which are subject to such 
variation as to make us believe they have descended from a parent 
species, or that we know have so descended, are to be classed as va- 
rieties. The two doctrines, of “ permanent varieties” and of “spe- 
cially created unvarying species,” are inconsistent with each other. 


ALFRED R. WALLACE. 


Insects. - §889 


On the Entomology of the Aru Islands. 
By ALFrepD R. WALLACE, Esq. 


ALMosT all that is known of the insects inhabiting New Guinea 
and the adjacent islands is due to the French naturalists attached to 
the numerous discovery ships which have visited that part of the 
world. Many fine things have thus been made known to entomolo- 
gists, although the total number of species collected is very small; 
and it may, perhaps, be considered as one of the least known and 
most promising regions that remain, now that the most remote, parts 
of the earth are ransacked by enterprising collectors. ‘These consi- 
derations induced me to make a voyage to Aru in one of the native 
prows which trade there annually, going with the west monsoon in 
December, and returning with the east in June. I expected that these 
islands lying so near New Guinea, and known to have some of their 
most interesting animal productions (the birds of paradise for exam- 
ple} identical, would yield me many New Guinea forms, and probably 
some identical species, and my expectations in this respect have been 
fully realized. The Entomology, the Ornithology, and certain pecu- 
liarities in the physical geography of these islands, prove to me that 
at no distant period (geologically) they formed a portion of the 
southern peninsula of that great island, and have been separated from 
it by a depression of the intervening portion (now a shallow sea), they 
themselves remaining almost or quite undisturbed. I believe, there- 
fore, that the insects of Aru and New Guinea are as closely related as 
‘those of Great Britain and the Continent of Europe. 

It was with considerable anxiety that, on January 8th, 1857, I took 
my first walk into the forest. The first insect I saw was not a very 
encouraging one: if was the common Diadema Ange, found over the 
whole Archipelago. A little further, however, and I was rewarded by 
Idea d’Urvillei, a beautiful Hyades, the lovely Damis Coritus, Guér., 
and that superb insect Cocytia d’Urvillei. Two or three pretty Lyce- 
nidz of genera unknown in the western parts of the Archipelago, 
Tricondyla aptera, and two species of the longicorn genus Tmesi- 
sternus, with several smaller insects, composed my first day’s sport; 
and a very satisfactory one it was, for it assured me there was work to 
be done, and that I was really in the midst of a New Guinea Fauna. 

I collected steadily for two months in this jungle, situated in the 
small island of Wamma, at one end of which is the Bugis settlement 
of Dobbo, where I resided. I got a great many nice things, but the 

AVI. F 


5890 . | Insects. 


species were very limited in number, and a new one began to be a 
rarity. With all my exertions I could only muster 90 species of but- — 
terflles and 235 Coleoptera at the end of one month, which had 
increased to 108 and 340 in two months, with 150 Hymenoptera, 120 
Diptera, and other orders scanty, making a total of 850 species of 
insects. Even this I believe is considerably more than all the New 
Guinea species yet known. Among my butterflies the finest thing was 
a superb Ornithoptera, differing very slightly from O. Poseidon of 
Doubleday. Females of this were abundant, some measuring 93 inches 
across, the males scarcer and much more difficult to capture, so that I 
hardly got a really perfect specimen. The excitement of chasing this 
glorious insect may be imagined. The fine Papilio Euchenor, Guér., 
was also by no means uncommon, but very difficult to take, having a 
wild zigzag moth-like flight. P. Ormenus, Gwér., was also often seen, 
but as rarely taken. Of a new species, near A’gistus, I got but.a sin- 
gle specimen, and never saw another, and the rare and magnificent 
P. Ulysses I saw almost daily, without even a chance of obtaining a 
specimen. A Hamadryas, perhaps H. Zoilus, is one of the commonest 
of the forest butterflies, and, from its weak flight, most easily taken: 
It has all the appearance and habits of the Ithomiz of S. America. 
Five or six species of Euplcea, and as many of Pieris, are abundant, 
some pretty little Satyride, and from 20 to 30 species of Lycenidz 
and Erycinide, many of which will bear comparison with the loveliest 
gems of the Amazonian forests. 

Among the Coleoptera the most remarkable things were six or seven 
species of Tmesisternus, a fine Gnoma, and a new genus allied to 
Golsinda, the males of which have the anterior coxze armed with a 
long acute spine. ‘The Curculionide contained several very fine An- 
thribide, one, the giant of the family, being near an inch and a half 
long, with very long legs and rather short antenne; some singular 
Brenthide, the curious Arachnobos Gazella (Bois. Voy. de l’Astrolabe, 
t. 7, fig. 22), and a beautiful blue and black banded Curculio. La- 
mellicornes are almost absent from this region: nine species of the 
whole tribe were all that two months’ work produced, and of these 
half were single specimens only. ‘There is probably no other country 
where this extensive group is so near to being altogether absent. Two 
fine species of Lomaptera, however, are among this little lot,—I think 
both new: they fly about in the jungle near the ground, with a loud 
humming noise, and settle on rotten wood, never on flowers, except 
at the opening spathes of the cocoa nut: they are very shy, and take 
flight so suddenly, keeping among thickets and rotten branches of 


Insects. - 5891 


fallen trees, that it is very difficult to capture them. Almost all the 
other interesting groups are very scarce: Buprestidx, 12 species; 
Lucanide, 1 species; Geodephaga, 12 species; each producing one 
or two good things, the rest small and obscure. 

Having at length, with the greatest difficulty, procured a boat and 
men, I went to the great island of Aru, in which I visited two localities 
and remained two months. Here were numbers of species not found 
on the smaller islands, and I increased my collection considerably. 
In the Lamellicornes and Buprestidae, however, I did not get a single 
new species, almost all my increase being confined to the Longicornes 
and Rhyncophora. I doubled my species of Tmesisternus, which is 
quite a characteristic of the New Guinea Fauna, and I was delighted 
to obtain T. mirabilis, the largest and most beautiful of the group, in 
tolerable plenty. I also added some nice butterflies to my collection, 
and at length succeeded in obtaining two nearly perfect males of 
Papilio Ulysses. Mosquitoes and minute ticks here attacked me so 
perseveringly, that my feet and ankles refused to submit, and, breaking 
out into inflamed ulcers, confined me to the house during a month of 
the very finest weather, when I had hoped to obtain and preserve a 
host of fine insects, for the incessant rain and damp sea air at Dobbo 
had rendered it impossible properly to dry my first collections, a great 
part of which was, I afterwards found, completely spoiled. In no part 
of the tropics have I suffered so much from damp, or found it so ab- 
solutely impossible to preserve my collections, though exposing them 
to every gleam of sunshine, and even to fire heat, which, however, is 
of little use in bamboo houses which freely admit the damp air in 
every direction. Returning to Dobbo I remained a prisoner for ano- 
ther month, before I could again reach the forest. I then worked 
hard for the remainder of my stay, adding many fine Hymenoptera 
and Lepidoptera to my collections. 

Arriving safe at Macassar, and taking up my old quarters, I had a 
most fatiguing task,—to open out, clean and pack my colleciions 
(more than seven thousand specimens), which occupied my whole 
time for three weeks. I was now able to ascertain my total number 
of species in each order, and to determine the identity of many with 
those described by Guérin and Boisduyal from the French voyages. 
These are very numerous, so much so that I think at least half of the 
known insects from New Guinea will be found in my Aru collections, 
which is not a little remarkable, considering that they have been ob- 
tained from various and distant localities in that extensive country : 
for instance, nineteen species of Tmesisternus are known, all from 


5892 Insects. 


New Guinea and the adjacent islands. I have obtained exactly the 
same number in Ké and Aru: ten of these I can identify, the other 
nine being, I think, new. About twenty other Coleoptera peculiar to 
New Guinea I can also easily identify, and no doubt many others 
among the small and obscure ones will also be found to be already 
known from that country. In Lepidoptera I have four of the New 
Guinea Papilios, Pieris Celestina, Bots., Satyrus Osiris, Bots., Emesis 
Leosida, Bois., Damis Coritus, Guér., D. Seba, Bots., and four or five 
other species, besides many beautiful Lycenidz, which will be, I 
think, quite new. In Hymenoptera and Diptera I am very rich, having 
bestowed much attention on these orders. Fifty-nine species of ants, 
collected in Aru, will add much to our knowledge of the distribution 
of this interesting family. Of other Hymenoptera there are 155 spe- 
cies, many of them large and fine. The flies contain many brilliant 
and many curious things, and I am rather proud, amid the attractions 
of Ornithoptere, Lomapterz, and Paradise birds, of having collected 
185 species of this much-neglected order; and there are yet, I am _ 
sure, many more of moderate size, and hundreds too minute for any 
but a professed dipterist to attend to. 

Deducting the time lost by illness and in travelling, I had about 
four months’ clear collecting; and I think I cannot do better than 
give a list of the number of species obtained in the principal groups, 
so that English entomologists may see what a New Guinea island 
does really produce. 


Coleoptera, 572 species, viz. :— 


Geodephaga . . ; 20 Prionide . : : - 2 
Hydradephaga . : : 3 Cerambycide . : - 35 
Brachyelytra . . : 6 Curcnlionide . : . 92 
Xylophaga, &c.. : : 20 Bruchide and Anthribide . 35 
Lamellicornes . : : 18 Brenthide 3 . : 18 
Lreani lk . : : 3 Heteromera : : 42 
Fassali. ° . ‘ 6 Cleride . : : : 16 
Buprestide : : . 23 Malacoderma . : - 45 
Elateride . . é . 30 Cyclica 3 : 3 68 
Lamiide . : : * 77 Trimera. ‘ 7 ; 13 


Lepidoptera, 229 species, viz.:— 


Papilionide . : 16 Erycinide ‘ : : 2 
Pieride . 3 . " 12 Lycenide . ‘ F ; 57 
Satyride . ‘ : : 9 Hesperide ; : : 18 
Nymphalide . : : 33 Moths Pes . 3 72 


Danaide . : z : 10 


Insects. 5893 


And of the following, 563 species, viz. :— 


Hemiptera é : : 80 Orthoptera ; ; i 18 
Homoptera s ‘ ; 50 Neuroptera ; ; 10 
Hymenoptera . ; +. . wld Forficula, Blatta, oy : 6 
Diptera . 2 : ft Aa) 

Total species of insects : ; : 1364 


In the Lepidoptera and Coleoptera it will be seen there is a striking 
deficiency of species. In both Singapore and Borneo I obtained, in 
the same time, more than twice as many beetles, while in South Ame- 
rica either of the families of Erycinidz or Hesperide far outnumber 
the whole amount of the Aru butterflies. Such poverty is a great 
drawback in this otherwise interesting country, and, were it not that 
there are a few remarkably fine things, and a considerable proportion 
of the species are either new or very rare, it would not be worth a 
collector’s while to remain in it. There are scarcely twenty butterflies 
of which I have been able to obtain tolerable series of good specimens. 
I am now convinced that the number of species of butterflies dimi- 
nishes from continental India, as you go eastward. In Java and 
Borneo there are less than in India and Borinah, in the Moluccas and 
New Guinea still less, and in the Islands of the Pacific scarcely any. 
The same rule probably holds in Coleoptera, though of that I am not 
so sure till [ have seen more of the country, as peculiar circumstances 
of station and locality make a great difference in that order. 

I should mention that, in the above list, I have included about 90 
species of various orders taken in a few days at Ké Island, 60 miles 
west of Aru. In no part of the tropics I have visited has so much 
care been required to preserve my collections as in the eastern por- 
tions of the Indian Archipelago. Three or four distinct species of — 
ants are ever on the watch for soft insects, which they find out and 
attack with the most astonishing celerity: two of these are very minute 
and will not be banished. They struggle over water, drop from the 
roof, and lurk in cracks and crannies where it is impossible to dislodge 
them; and again and again have my specimens of minute Diptera 
and Lepidoptera been destroyed by them. The larger species are 
more easily kept out, but far more destructive when they do effect an 
entrance, and they never miss an opportunity. A hanging shelf iso- 
lated by oil had kept my drying box more than a month in safety, 
when one morning I found it swarming with red ants, and several fine 
butterflies taken the day before being carried away piecemeal. 
Searching for the bridge by which they had reached my fortress, I 
found that my Malay boy had carelessly thrown a palm-leaf mat be- 
hind the shelf, the corner of which just touched it, and now presented 


589-4 Insects. 


a double line of entering and returning ants. I called him to see the 
mischief he had done, and then, putting all right, went into the forest, 
and had a successful day, obtaining several fine and some new butter- 
flies. At night, before going to bed, I carefully examined all round 
my shelf, but the next morning the enemy had again entered; again 
my fine insects were being carried away piecemeal, and I was only 
just in time to save one lovely and unique butterfly from total destruc- 
tion: again I searched,—for a ladder I knew there must be,—and 
found my unlucky boy had again done the mischief: he had been 
roasting coffee for our return voyage, packed it in a jar, and tied to it 
a long slender rattan, by which to secure it on board; this he had 
placed on the floor under the shelf, with other sundries, and the rattan 
sticking up its extreme point just touched the shelf beneath. One 
would think the ants must every night explore and wander every- 
where, for they never fail to discover even a hanging thread by which 
to ascend. In no other place have they attacked my birds as well as 
my insects. In all parts of South America, in Malacca, in Borneo, 
they at least were safe on a table or in a box; but in Macassar and 
at Aru they are attacked as voraciously as the insects, and even 
greater precautions are necessary, for the ants establish colonies inside 
the skins, whence they sally out to devour the eyelids, the base of the 
beak, &c., and completely destroy the beauty of the specimens. Here, 
too, it is impossible to keep the insect-boxes free from minute spiders 
which make webs over and under the specimens, and often gnaw them. 
Then there are some minute larve which attack large-bodied Lepi- 
doptera, mining out their bodies, and reducing them to a mass of dust 
which dirties every specimen in the box; and lastly are the mites, 
which the damp sea air of these islands seems especially adapted to 
develope. Long and sad experience of this pest has convinced me 
that there is but one preventative, viz. to dry the specimens rapidly, 
which it is often impossible to do, and then neither camphor, arsenic, 
nor cajeput oil, have any effect whatever. Add to this that every- 
thing must be shut up at night in closely fitting boxes, or the insects 
will be eaten by cockroaches and the bird-skins by rats, and some 
little idea may be formed of a collector’s troubles in the damp climate 
of Aru, while living in a half-open bamboo shed, surrounded by his 
daily increasing stores of beautiful objects, which the most incessant 
vigilance can hardly preserve from destruction. | 


ALFRED R. WALLACE. 


Insects. 5895 


Notes on Anisolabia maritima, Bon. 
By GeEorGE WaILEs, Esq. 


In the early part of the past summer Mr. Bold showed me for a few 
minutes two specimens of what he considered the larve of the rare 
Forficula gigantea, which he had found a few days previously on the 
sea banks near South Shields, underneath stones at the foot of some 
ballast heaps he had been accustomed to examine for Coleoptera, and 
where he took Nitidula flexuosa, as recorded by him (Zool. 5111). I 
at once pointed out appearances which led me to infer that this was 
an error, and determined to wait until autumn, when all our Forficule 
complete their metamorphoses and arrive at maturity, and then inves- 
tigate the subject. Accordingly, on the 22nd of September last, I 
visited the locality, and soon met with the insects in abundance and 
of all sizes, and, being well aware how fragile their delicate antenneze 
were, I took the precaution to collect them into a bottle of spirits of 
wine. From what I saw upon the spot I was convinced that, although 
there were no traces of wing covers, I had perfect insects of both 
sexes, and not merely larvae, before me, and on my return home in 
the evening settled the fact anatomically. I was aware that no work 
on British Entomology contained a genus to which it could be 
referred, and therefore turned to Burmeister’s second volume, as the 
latest descriptive authority I had at hand, and found that no descrip- 
tion or even section would include this species. 1 forwarded, there- 
fore, a specimen to my friend Mr. Westwood, stating that I expected 
I had got something new, and his reply was that he had no doubt it 
was the Forficula maritima of Bonelli and Géné, Forficesila maritima 
of Serville, and the Anisolabia of Fieber. On referring to Fieber’s 
little work I was satisfied that he had had this insect in view (though 
certainly mutilated specimens) when he defined the genus, but as I 
did not then possess Serville’s work I could not determine it to be the 
maritima of Géné; and on again consulting Burmeister, who professes 
to include the species of Géné’s pamphlet, I found not the least allu- 
sion to it. Having in the interim added Serville’s book to my library, 
I observe the species very well described. According to Géné it is 
widely diffused, at the end of spring, along the shores of the Mediter- 
ranean, Genoa, Nice and Tuscany, under stones and cow-dung, though 
it would seem not to be confined to the sea-shore, as Serville men- 
tions it to have occurred on Mount Lebanon, and Fieber adds Sar- 
dinia and Sicily and South Carolina to its habitats. 


5896 Insects. 


Having collected a considerable number of specimens, in all stages 
of growth, I have been induced to examine them, with a view of 
assisting to clear up certain points, which appear to be yet unsettled, 
as to the metamorphoses of this curious family of insects. The result 
I now give. 

I may premise that even so late as the end of September there were 
specimens in apparently their earliest stage, and just disclosed from 
the egg, as I took one not more than two lines long (I speak exclusive 
of the forceps in these notes), which Mr. Westwood gives as the size 
of the corresponding stage of F. auricularia. In this state it seems to 
agree with that insect in having only eight joints to the antenne, of 
which the second (as in all its future stages) is the shortest, and the 
third the longest, except the basal joint. The remaining five are of 
nearly equal length; the fourth is similar to the third in being 
smoother than the four last, which are of the same shape and densely 
pubescent, as in the terminal ones of all the future stages. The palpi 
consist of five joints as in the imago, and the prothorax, mesothorax 
and metathorax have all the shape and are as fully developed as in 
the perfect insect. The head and eyes are large, the latter black and 
prominent. The abdomen consists of nine segments both on the 
upper and under sides, and the integument is very soft, of a pale 
brown colour, with the apical segment of the abdomen and the for- 
ceps nearly transparent. The latter has the straight form of the 
female insect, and the tips slightly curved. The scattered hairs 
with which the perfect insect is furnished, both on its upper and un- 
der surface, are also present. 

In what I take to be the next stage the length has reached 34 lines. 
The joints of the antenne have increased to sixteen; the additional ones 
have assumed something of the various proportions they are hence- 
forward to bear. ‘They are evidently developed after the third joint, 
and probably at the expense of the fourth one of the first stage, as 
the four terminal joints still retain their former shape and dense pu- 
bescence. ‘The segments of the abdomen are nine as before, and the 
forceps continues of the previous shape. ‘Towards what may be 
termed the latter period of this stage the integuments assume the 
pitchy brown colour and nearly the consistence of the perfect insect. 

On what is apparently the next transformation the insect attains 
the length of from 5 to 53 lines. The antenne contain twenty joints, 
though from this period the “ wear and tear of life” renders it very 
difficult to ascertain this precisely, as from their extreme delicacy the 
point of junction can scarcely be seen even through a good lens; and 


Insects... ~ 5897 


in very many cases the two antenne differ in this respect in the same 
individual. The number of the segments of the abdomen remains as 
before, and the forceps has undergone no change except an increase 


in size. 
In the next stage, when the length varies from 63 to 8 lines, the 


first faint indications of sex appear. The antenne have now reached 
twenty-two joints; indeed, one specimen (an incipient male) had 
twenty-three joints in one and twenty-two in the other antenna, of 
both of which the terminal joint was certainly perfect. The number 
of abdominal segments in all the specimens still continues to be nine, 
but the forceps, in such as I presume are to be developed as males, 
has become much thicker at the expense of its length, though the 
basal tooth possessed by the mature insect is yet wanting. The 
whole of the specimens have during the last two changes so com- 
pletely assumed the colour and appearance, and in many examples 
even the size, of the perfect state that at first sight they might readily 
be mistaken for small mature females. 

On the final change there is no longer any doubt of their maturity. 
The antennz of two or three specimens, out of probably a hundred, I 
have ascertained to consist now of twenty-three joints, but [ think this 
is not the maximum when really perfect, for the apical joint in one or 
two instances bears certain marks of not being the terminal one when 
submitted to a powerful compound microscope. A considerable num- 
ber of my specimens possess twenty-two joints in one or other of their 
antennze, but the bulk of them range from twenty-one to nineteen, and 
many even fewer. These have all undoubted traces of mutilation. As 
before remarked, they are not seldom dissimilar in the same insect. 
Fieber gives seventeen as the number; Serville says, “ more than 
twenty.” The antenne may be described as filiform, or tapering 
very gradually towards the apex. The first joint oblong-ovate, nar- 
rowed at the base, as long as the second, third and fourth taken 
together, rather smooth, with a few scattered hairs; the second very 
short, almost quadrate or even transverse, slightly pubescent; the 
third elongate, not quite so stout as the second and three times 
its length, and, like the twelve following ones, slightly contracted at 
the base and pubescent; the fourth short, but rather longer than the 
second; the fifth short, a little longer than the fourth; the sixth and 
following six or seven gradually increasing in length, after which the 
remainder are linear and as long as the second and third united, and 
‘the terminal ones very closely and very densely pubescent. The ab- 
domen of the male still retains the nine segments, and the forceps has 


XVI. G 


5898 Insects. 


become greatly curved, so that the two points overlap each other, 
forming a ring when closed, and having a strong tooth at the base on 
each side. In the female the abdomen now apparently—for Mr. 
Westwood has clearly demonstrated that it is only in appearance— 
consists of seven segments above and only six beneath, and the for- 
ceps retains its simple elongate form, having the mternal edges 
slightly crenulated by a row of impressed dots along the edge, whilst 
the hook at the apex becomes a little more curved. 

I cannot be sure that the above are all the changes these insects 
undergo, as that can only be clearly settled by rearing a single brood 
from the eggs, and tracing them up to maturity; but I believe I am 
correct, as all the specimens readily corresponded, both as to size 
and the number of joints in the antennz, where perfect, with some 
one or other of the above stages of growth. 

These observations appear to me to solve the question as to the 
period at which the change in the visible number of the segments of 
the abdomen, amongst the Forficulide, takes place; and although 
there are certainly faint indications by which the sexes may be dis- 
tinguished in the penultimate state, yet I think we may safely con- 
clude that, so far as those insects are concerned, no propagation 
takes place until the ultimate stage is reached. 

I may now say a few words as to the locality in, and the circum- 
stances under which the insect occurs with us. Every one who 
knows the Tyne is aware that it is an exporting port, and in return 
for the coals we send away we receive the stones, gravel and soil of 
almost every part of the globe, in the shape of ships’ ballast, and in 
such quantity that huge mounds, of the aggregate length of several 
miles, may be found piled up forty or fifty feet high along its shores. 
It is at the base of one of these mounds, containing many millions of 
tons, which has been in the process of deposit for several years past, 
and abuts upon the sandy sea-shore, although far above high-water 
mark, that the insect is to be met with in great abundance, under- 
neath the stones, vitrified scorize from the glass and alkali works, 
&c., which roll down from above and rest upon the bare sand. 
I have noticed that it very frequently clears out for itself cells 
in the sand underneath the stones, as the common earwig does, 
though, as might be expected from the lateness of the season, I did 
not observe any appearance of the females brooding over their young, 
or having them gathered around them as we constantly see in our na- 
tive species. I am fully persuaded that this inhabitant of more 
southern climes is not truly indigenous, but, being peculiarly fitted 


Insects. 5899 


for a long sea voyage, and finding itself landed on a favourable spot, 
it has, like many other insects and plants, become perfectly natu- 
ralized amongst us. Can this be the way it has reached South 
Carolina? 

I may further add that so late as the 13th of November it was, 
including specimens of three lines’ length, in full activity, whilst our 
common earwig is dormant, proving it quite capable of bearing our 
northern climate, which doubtless it has done for several years past. 


GEORGE WAILES. 


Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
November 19, 1857. 


ee 


A Proposal for a new Catalogue of British Coleoptera. 
By J. W. Dovuetas, Esq. 


THE Entomological Society of Stettin has recently published the 
sixth edition of the ‘ Catalogus Coleopterorum Europe,’ or Catalogue 
of the Coleoptera of Europe. ‘This publication serves the coleopte- 
rists of Europe as a guide for naming and arranging their collections, 
and is used also for facilitating exchange of specimens. That it is 
not complete or entirely accurate none know better than the com- 
pilers, for each succeeding edition contains additions to and emenda- 
tions of its predecessors; but notwithstanding its imperfections it is 
accepted as the best thing of the kind procurable, and is found to 
answer all practical purposes. The best thanks of entomologists are 
accorded to the Stettin ‘Society, under whose auspices and at whose 
cost this Catalogue is brought out and sold at the price of sixpence 
per copy, thus placing it within the reach of every one. 

Now, it does seem strange that, while we have a Catalogue of the 
Coleoptera of Europe, we have not one of the Coleoptera of Britain. 
It might have been supposed, seeing the species found in Britain are, 
with few exceptions, common to the Continent, that it would be easy 
to select our natives from the European list; but, unfortunately, the 
nomenclature hitherto used in this country differs materially from 
that accepted abroad, so that to a great extent we cannot recognize 
our species under continental names, nor can continental entomolo- 
gists understand what species are intended to be indicated by our 
English names. The difficulty is further increased by the fact that 
we ourselves are often unable to tell any better than a foreigner what 


5900 Insects. 

“our species are, for a variable species often figures under a dozen 
different names, and foreign descriptions have been translated, and, 
with the names, applied to insects to which they do not belong. To 
disentangle this web of synonymy is no easy task, and is necessarily 
a work of time: some of our best coleopterists have applied them- 
selves to it, and are still engaged upon it, and we may eventually 
have our lists in accordance with those of the Continent. 

But in the meantime the want of a cheap compendious Catalogue 
of Coleoptera is a great drawback to collectors in this country. I do 
not say this without reason, or merely from my own experience, for I 
have had many letters pointing out that the writers cannot accept 
offers of species not British, because they cannot inform their corre- 
spondents abroad what species are natives of our island, and also that 
the arrangement of their British collections is retarded. I know it is 
said that many persons think too much of making collections, and it 
is true; but if we assist them in so doing we shall all have more ma- 
terial to work on for elucidating the natural history and geographical 
distribution of species, and perhaps induce the persons in question to 
become something more than collectors. 

The thing that requires to be done in the present stage of affairs, 
and pending the investigation of synonymy in those families where it 
has not been revised, is, that those persons who have specially 
studied the several families should mark off the species in the Stettin 
Catalogue which they know to be British (and I believe that to more 
than one such a work would not be difficult), filing up the gaps 
where all are at fault with Stephens’ names, and take the list thus 
prepared as the beginning of a new British Catalogue. Synonyms 
need not be added, because part are already given in other works; the 
remainder would follow, and collectors would soon learn to what spe- 
cies the names adopted were to be applied. Such a work I have rea- 
son to know would be received with favour, notwithstanding its faults, 
and in a year or two we should be able to bring out another edition 
correcting many of the errors. This is the course that was pursued 
with the British Micro-Lepidoptera, and the result is that within a 
few years we have assimilated our nomenclature to that of Germany, 
and no longer stand in isolated ignorance. There is no cause to 
doubt that those most capable of doing the work will give the requi- 
site assistance ; nor can I for a moment entertain the idea which has 
been started, that there are persons who would like to see it done 
only for the pleasure it would give them to cut it to pieces and show 
its errors. But, doubtless, if such a course were pursued it would 


Visit to the Diggings. 5901 


be beneficial to us, although the spirit that dictated it would be 
very mean. 

This work is one that the Entomological Society would do honour 
to itself in performing ; indeed, it was once proposed to be done un- 
der its sanction, but was taken out of its hands by an offer to produce 
amore complete Catalogue, which, however, we all now fear is not 
likely to be soon accomplished. But, as large bodies are slow 
to move, and there may be an unwillingness that the Society should 
countenance a work confessedly incomplete, it may come better from 
private hands. After all, I think it would be found that the know- 
ledge possessed by such proficients as Dawson, Clark, Janson, 
Waterhouse, Wollaston, Power and others, if united, would leave 
comparatively little to be desired. 

To recapitulate :—It is required that, taking the Stettin Catalogue 
as the basis, a Catalogue of the British Coleoptera, without syno- 
nyms, should be prepared without delay, and published at such a 
low price that every one interested could buy several copies, so as to 
secure the promoters from loss. The good work of revision, so well 
begun by several persons, could still go on; in a year or two another 
edition would be called for, and after a repetition of the process, as 
in the example of the Tineina before quoted, we should have a list 
worthy of the name of a Catalogue of British Coleoptera. 


J. W. DouGLas. 
Lee, November 380, 1857. 


An Entomologist’s Visit to the Diggings. 
By T. J. R. Oxuey, Esq. 


\ 


INFLUENCED partly by the love of gain, and partly by an insatiable 
desire of collecting insects previously unknown, I determined, imme- 
diately after the loss of an only parent, to visit the gold diggings of 
Australia. ‘Taking with me three assistants, I left Gravesend on the 
14th, and Plymouth on the 20th of May, and sailed for the El Dorado 
of the antipodes. We had an average passage, the weather being 
generally favourable. One serious incident occurred, which I may be 
excused for mentioning: when near the equator we came into collision 
with a homeward-bound ship, and ran some risk of going to the bot- 
tom. On the hundredth day we anchored off Williamstown, and a 
few days afterwards landed at Melbourne. | 


5902 An Entomologist’s 


On the 7th of September I started, with my three assistants and 
several shipmates, for the Diggings: we left Melbourne on foot, and, 
the roads being excessively muddy and slippery, we found that mode 
of progression painful and laborious in the extreme. At Keilor we 
came to ariver, which we crossed in a most antediluvian-looking 
punt, and passed the night in wet clothes on the stone floor of a hut: 
on the 8th we crossed Keilor plains, then a regular sea of mud and 
water, keeping in sight a most picturesque-looking mountain peak, 
which rose many miles distant on the south-west. We passed close 
to some remarkably deep water-courses on the right, and particularly 
noticed a curious little conical hill, covered from its summit to its base 
with honeycombed boulders, the substance somewhat resembling 
pumice stone, but being much heavier. We reached Aiken’s Gap at 
night, after a most fatiguing walk of fifteen miles, and there at last 
found ourselves in comfortable quarters. During this wearisome 
journey I observed hundreds of large caterpillars at rest on the blades 
of grass, or devouring them. A croaking or chirping sort of noise 
was heard throughout the day: it seemed to proceed from the innu- 
merable little pools of water which lay in our course, and we attributed 
it to the frogs, but of the truth of this explanation we had no evi- 
dence. 

On the 9th we set out for a coffee-house near Mount Macedon, a 
distance of seventeen miles, most of our course laying through the 
Black Forest, in passing through which we observed thousands of gum 
trees lying on the ground, deformed and charred by a fire which had 
swept the whole country, in February, 1849, on a day which has since 
been called Black Thursday: thousands of others, of all sizes and 
ages, which had escaped the conflagration were still standing. In the 
midst of rain, and ankle deep in water, we lost the track, and, in our 
attempts to regain it, walked in a circle for hours, fording a small river 
five different times. At last we reached a shepherd’s hut, where I 
left most of the party, and pushed on with an old friend to his home 
near Mount Macedon, which we reached at length after a walk of 
twenty-five miles. At night when | pulled off my boots the skin of 
my heels came with them, and inflammation followed on this, which 
made it impossible to proceed. We took up our abode in the remains 
of a shepherd’s hut, which was sufficiently roofed to keep out the rain. 
We spread Eucalyptus leaves on the ground, and, covering them with 
blankets, made ourselves beds, and used logs of wood for pillows. 
The fatigue we had undergone, combined with the bad water, bad 
mutton, and other bad things we got at this place, caused dysentery, 


Visit to the Diggings. 5903 


which brought us all very low, but from which we eventually reco- 
vered. 

Whilst staying here I contrived, with the aid of a staff, to hobble 
from tree to tree, and amused myself with observing the curious Cole- 
optera which the sun, when it shone, tempted from their winter 
hiding-places. One of these, of the genus Amarygmus, one of the 
Heteromera, with brilliant metallic shades of green and purple, was 
peculiarly beautiful: the beetles of this genus I afterwards found 
everywhere; they are common all the year round. 

We were not long in Australia without finding that the climate was 
very peculiar, days of soaking rain being followed by frosty nights, 
which often cover the pools with ice half an inch thick. Three hours 
after sunrise all this would be melted, and the temperature would be- 
come so warm that exercise would produce a profuse perspiration. In 
the morning I used continually to start up, from the wet or hoar- 
frosted grass, lepidopterous insects, particularly beautifully marked 
Geometre, and I was both pleased and amused to observe how much 
the colours and markings of some of them resembled those of our 
English ones. A small blue Polyommatus, which had survived the 
winter, was also plentiful. Birds were most abundant, although 
thousands of gold diggers had passed and repassed the place where 
I was staying: they were mostly of the parrot tribe, and were remark- 
ably tame ; numbers of magpies and laughing jackasses would come 
within thirty yards of me, and the beautiful satin bird would actually 
come into the hut and pick up its food while I was sitting by the fire: 
this occurred several times, and on one occasion two of them came in 
company. I may here make a general remark, that the birds and 
animals of Australia appear much more readily tamed and domesti- 
cated than with us, being readily reconciled to captivity, and evincing 
such attachment to man as really to induce the conclusion that they 
prefer an artificial to a natural state. I saw many cockatoos shot, 
and always regretted to see such lovely birds destroyed for so little 
purpose: it must, however, be said that they are excellent eating. 

I had an opportunity of examining a laughing jackass, holding it 
in my hand and observing its peculiarities: it lives on reptiles, and 
nothing could be better adapted for this kind of life; it has scarcely 
any flesh, its body being remarkably light, and so thickly covered 
with feathers that it seems almost all feathers; there seems nothing 
about it that a reptile could bite; its beak is very large, pointed, and 
enormously strong, and with this it will seize a large snake, and, re- 
gardless of its writhings and attempts to bite, will rise high in the air, 


5904 An Entomologist’s 


and, letting its prey fall from a height that is always fatal, it will then 
descend and make an undisturbed meal of its senseless victim: on 
contemplating this bird, I was particularly struck with the wisdom 
that had created a form and powers so admirably adapted to its mode 
of life. The neighbourhood in which I was living abounded in the 
diamond snake, one of the most deadly of reptiles: on the 16th of 
September I assisted in killing a large female of this species, four feet 
in length and as thick as my arm. 

On the 23rd we bade adieu to Mount Macedon, and turned our 
faces towards Mount Alexander. After emerging from the Black 
Forest the country ascends gradually for forty miles, and consists of 
a series of hills and dales. The geological formation of the hills is 
sandstone (not trap) and slate in alternate strata, here and there inter- 
mixed with a stratum of milk-white quartz. Indeed immediately after 
leaving Melbourne, and all the way to the Diggings, you continually 
meet with fragments of white quartz whichever way you turn. The 
country is generally wooded with the various species of Eucalyptus: 
they are ungraceful trees, but often grow to a height of eighty ora 
hundred feet. The yellow wattle, a species of Acacia, is a beautiful 
tree, covered with a profusion of golden blossoms smelling most fra- 
grantly. Wherever we went the flowering Epacris attended our foot- 
steps, reminding us, by its heath-like appearance, of our distant home. 
A small bright yellow Narcissus was also common, opening its delicate 
petals to the vernal sun. 

A few days after leaving Mount Macedon my companions and I 
had each paid our thirty shillings license, and had become veritable 
gold-diggers, making our debut on Moonlight Flat or Gully, Forest 
Creek, and Natural History at once became a secondary consideration ; 
still I never omitted an opportunity of admiring the beauties of crea- 
tion, and of adding to my collection of insects. | 

About the middle of October the weather became settled, and the 
sun intensely hot. Insects of course appeared plentifully, more espe- 
cially Coleoptera of the longicorn genus Phoracantha: these, flying at 
sunset, had the most curious appearance, from the great length of their 
outstretched antenne. <A large moth, an undescribed species of Om- 
matophora, was very plentiful in October and November, but always 
in bad condition. A species of the genus Plusia was also very com- 
mon, and whenever I walked through the dried-up herbage, in October 
or the beginning of November, numbers of drab-coloured Noctuz 
would start up before me. 

During the month of November I observed many beautiful species 


Visit to the Digyings. 5905 


of Papilio, Polyommatus, and other Lepidoptera, but I had no means 
of taking them; and this, together with the want of pins and want of 
time for setting them, caused an almost total cessation of collecting ; 
nevertheless [ continued to observe. On the 11th of December I had 
the good fortune to witness one of the most extraordinary flights of 
butterflies that was perhaps ever seen; they were all of one species, 
Pieris Teutonia: from sunrise to sunset the atmosphere seemed lite- 
rally filled with them; before you, behind you, right and left, they 
were passing by hundreds of thousands: they came from the south, 
and flew. directly against a northerly wind. I caught a few in my 
hat, sufficient to ascertain the species. For two following days they 
continued to pass in the same direction, although in diminished num- 
bers each day. The rate at which these butterflies were flying was 
about seven miles an hour, and the flight extended, as I was 
afterwards told, many miles both to the right and left of Forest 
Creek. 

From December to March I saw many insects, of all classes, that 
were new to me, but having no pins (I had lost them in the Black 
Forest) I collected but few. Had it not been for this misfortune I 
_ might now have made a good collection of Micro-Lepidoptera. In 
March I deemed it prudent to return to Melbourne to lay in a stock 
of provisions for the winter. 

I left Melbourne on my return on the Ist of April, in company with 
a shipmate who owned a horse and cart, and pitched my hut on Forest 
Creek on the 6th. On this journey I captured several specimens of 
a very richly marked insect, the Agarista Callisto: as we travelled 
along these beautiful creatures would start up from the cart-ruts or 
clods of damp earth. On camping each night we made aroaring fire 
of cow-dung, and boiled our water for tea; then sat by the fire, 
smoking our pipes before turning in under the cart, where the ground 
served us fora bed. Many insects sacrificed their lives in the fire, 
and I captured while approaching several mutilated specimens of a 
new beautiful and most remarkable Bombyx, which Mr. Newman has 
since named Teara denticulata. On this journey we observed also 
myriads of a small and unnamed lepidopterous insect, probably a 
Crambus, which, on our lighting a candle under the cart, swarmed 
into it in such numbers as actually to extinguish the light; and many 
a time have I found it absolutely necessary to clear away their dead 
bodies from the wick with a lucifer match, or it would have been 
quite impossible to keep the candle alight. Before we retired they 
would fly by scores into the scalding tea, and as they floated lifeless 

XVI. H 


5906 An Entomologist’s 


on the surface, with outspread wings, I have often thought what a 
model for setting they presented to the entomologist. 

As the autumnal months, April and May, advanced, insects became 
less plentiful, but did not entirely forsake us. The Lepidoptera were 
of smaller size, and many Micros used to come into our canvas tent 
at night, probably to shelter from the cold. In May, June, July and 
August we had many frosts: the ice, however, invariably melted be- 
fore the following noon. During this season I found many beetles in 
pools of water, and also Lepidoptera, many of them closely resembling 
in colour our dark brown autumnal insects. 

In July I removed to Barker’s Creek, which in a few weeks re- 
sounded with the unceasing croaking song of innumerable frogs. In 
August and early September the gully was beautifully brightened by 
the golden blossoms of the wattles, which were three weeks earlier 
in flower this year than in the preceding one. 

With the first burst of vernal vegetation, in August and September, 
new insect forms appeared, so curious and so beautiful that I could 
not resist the temptation to collect, but all my pins were gone; what 
could Ido? TI hunted over the collection I had made, and when I 
found more than two of a species I stripped them off the pins, and 
used the pins a second time for the novelties. By this means I ma- 
naged to secure many new species, although for the same reason | 
kept only a single specimen of each. Several lovely Micros were thus 
preserved; they were mostly found settled on low and insignificant 
plants. 

In October the slopes of the ravines were a blaze of bloom. Woody 
and stick-like trees and shrubs of the genus Casuarina, which at no 
period of the year bore anything worthy the name of a leaf, were now 
a mass of the most dazzling inflorescence. From October to the 
third week in November is the best season both for plants and insects 
at this locality. In Specimen Gully, about a mile from my tent, I saw 
more species than in any other spot throughout the Mount Alexander 
Ranges, and here I captured some of my most lovely insects. 

On the 12th of November I received a packet of pins from England, 
which gave me much delight, and I found them of great service during 
what little remained of the entomological season. _I would gladly 
have given their weight in gold to have had them six weeks earlier, 
but the bloom soon after left the ravines, the trees and shrubs resumed 
their stick-like appearance, the herbage was dried up and scorched 
beneath a burning sun, and day after day the sky was without a cloud. 
Collecting insects became a labour not unattended with danger. In 


Visit to the Diggings. 5907 


pursuing some bright insect over rocks and bushes, you ran great risk 
of.setting your foot on some deadly snake, or perhaps on a bunch of 
snakes holding connubial conference. I trod on one most venomous 
species whilst vaulting over bushes in chase of the beautiful little 
Pollaclasis viridipulverulenta, one of the Anthroceride, so like our 
Procris Statices as always to remind me of that familiar species. 

During the hot weather I observed a dipterous insect with habits 
so singular that I cannot refrain from relating them. ‘The size 
was that of one of our largest female bluebottles, but the colour 
totally different, the Australian species being banded with the 
brightest golden yellow: often while searching among the scrub, 
in Launceston Gully, have I seen a pair of these flies “locked 
in love’s embrace,” basking in air in the burning rays of the 
sun. A moment would they seem to rest, poised motionless: they 
would then rock to and fro, describing the lower half of a circle and 
returning in the same-track, both pairs of wings vibrating in unison 
and flashing in the sun. On my attempting to net them, off they 
would dart, still united, but would halt at a very short distance, then 
hang for a few moments again motionless, and again commence their 
pendulum-like vibration as before. Although no dipterist I made 
many attempts to secure this beautiful and unknown fly, and once 
succeeded in getting a pair into my net, but one of them escaped be- 
fore I could secure it, and the other alas! was afterwards accidentally 
crushed and completely annihilated. | 

In December, corresponding to our June, vegetation appeared para- 
lyzed: trees and shrubs continued to grow, but nowhere is seen that 
luxuriant vegetation which the fields, woods and hedges of England 
exhibit during the summer. Australia does not produce that vividly 
green and succulent vegetation which is so beautiful with us: the 
vegetation, too, is very monotonous and unvaried. I have wondered 
how so small a variety of plants can produce so great a variety of in- 
sects: the larve, even of the Lepidoptera, feed much in the stems of 
the grasses and in the bark and wood of trees; indeed the gum trees, 
the wattles and a few grasses seem to bear the entire onus of support- 
ing insect life. I have observed, also, that insects are of less regular 
appearance than with us. Although at the close of 1853 and begin- 
ning of 1854 there were thousands of species, they were not nearly so 
numerous in individuals as twelve months previously, and many spe- 
cies would be excessively abundant one year that were rare or en- 
tirely wanting at a corresponding period of the next year. The influx 
of diggers, the felling of hundreds of thousands of trees, the frequent 


5908 An Entomologist’ s 


fires in the scrub and grass, the upturning of acres of bushy and grassy 
land, may in some measure account for this, for by these causes my- 
riads of insects must be destroyed. As agriculture succeeds to gold- 
digging, and profitable crops take the place of worthless scrub and 
grasses, we shall perhaps lose many local species which are now 
abundant. I recollect that Mr. Dickson told me this was the case 
with heaths: many beautiful species, each confined to a very limited 
locality in its native country, at the Cape, are now found there no 
longer, the demand for sale, together with the extension of building 
and agriculture, and the species not being capable of successful pro- 
pagation here in England, having caused their extermination. Every 
one of these had perhaps an insect depending on it for support, and 
with the heath has perished the insect. In all probability this will - 
be the case in Australia, where the species are excessively local; and 
most earnestly do I exhort our entomological brethren to describe 
and figure all they can, while yet they have the opportunity of 
doing so. 

I made many attempts at breeding Lepidoptera, but succeeded only 
with a few Bombycina and a few dozens of a very abundant Thecla, 
the larve of which I found full fed: most that I got turned sulky and 
would not eat, and so died. One larva, which I never succeeded in 
rearing, particularly attracted my attention: I found it feeding nearly 
all the year round, and appearing gregarious, for 1 sometimes found 
them twisted together in masses as large as my hand, but generally 
there would be perhaps a dozen in company: their colour was nearly 
black, tinged along the sides with a dusky dirty yellow: when dis- 
turbed they would jerk up the head and tail, ejecting a thick filthy 
yellowish fluid from the latter. But the great singularity of the crea- 
ture was that each would turn its head towards some one of the four 
cardinal points: out of a dozen perhaps three would jerk up their 
heads, and hold them exactly facing the south, three others would 
point them to the north, three to the west, and three to the east, the 
four directions of pointing being at right angles; the tails after a 
while would resume the horizontal position, and seem to become en- 
tangled and intertwined with each other, the whole party forming a 
most remarkable figure. Whether this is for warmth, or for coolness, 
or for protection from ichneumons, or for love of one another, or be- 
cause they cannot help it, I am unable to say; but it is a sight worth 
‘seeing. [Mr. Davis has described a similar larva, but has not noticed 
its pointing to the cardinal points, which may possibly be accidental ; 


Visit to the Diygings. 5909 


the pointing at right angles is, however, described as invariable: it is 
the larva of a large short-horned sawfly, Perga bella. ] 

During the summer I frequently found a forbidding-looking carni- 
vorous beetle, velvety black with white spots: it runs over the trunks 
of trees, and is especially fond of prying into the crevices of the bark, 
seizing and devouring every insect it can find: its voracity is bound- 
less. Often on lifting up a piece of loose bark I have found it 
fastened on a poor longicorn thrice its own size, and eagerly engaged 
in devouring its inside while the poor creature was still living: com- 
mon as was this sight it always reminded me of some poor antlered 
stag in the death-grip of a wolf or deer-hound. Vain are the strug- 
gles of the poor Cerambyx when once this creature has fixed its 
formidable jaws in its thorax or abdomen. I have often found on the 
ground, or in the pools, the splendid Lamprima reduced to a mere 
shell by this savage enemy, and dropped from high up the trunk of a 
giant Eucalyptus. 

I spoke of the enormous flight of Pieris Teutonia wiih I wit- 
nessed in 1852. . I looked im vain for a similar phenomenon at the 
same period of the following year; two or three specimens at a time 
were all that saw. The number of butterflies, that is of species, 
seems small in proportion to other insects, and these by no means 
handsomer or more brightly coloured than European species. The 
Noctuina are inferior to our own; there was nothing so beautiful as 
our Thyatira batis and derasa, our Aplecta herbida and Miselia april- 
ina, but the Bombycina were more beautiful, and the Micro-Lepi- 
doptera far surpassed ours both in size and brilliancy of colours. I 
captured many that were previously unknown to Science, particularly 
of the genus Gicophora. 

The Coleoptera are for the most part new, and often very handsome 
species: besides those I brought home I found the beautifully marked 
elytra of others floating in the pools, the perfect insects never having 
been found alive. I think the short twilight, the rapid transition from 
day to night, renders it difficult to find many of the species, both of 
Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, alive. I was particularly struck with the 
extraordinary manner in which the feet of many of the larger weevils, 
Curculionidae, are cushioned or padded: this is evidently designed to 
enable them to walk over the trunks and branches of the smooth- 
skinned Eucalypti. I shall never forget the exclamation of one of my 
assistants when [ pointed out to him this curious structure: “Ill be 
hanged,” says he, “if the beetle has not got pattens on.” 

Several times [ tried sugaring for Lepidoptera, but never succeeded. 


5910 An Entomologist’s 


I could only persuade one small species of Tineina to patronize my 
labours. I tried to account for this in the fact that the smooth bark 
of the gum trees, patrolled incessantly by large ants, does not offer 
the same inviting footing as our rougher barked oaks and other timber 
trees. I have often tried beating, and succeeded poorly with Lepi- 
doptera, better with Coleoptera,—the young wattles, Eucalypti, and 
other less leafy trees, affording poor shelter for Lepidoptera, but being 
much frequented by Coleoptera. Entomologists at home who hear 
of the capture of novelties abroad feel a longing to partake of the ex- 
citement, but, if I except the gratification of finding novelties, I may 
truly say that I have found more pleasure in one day’s collecting at 
dear old Darenth than in all the collecting I ever had in Australia. 
The interminable sameness of ungraceful trees and scrubby bushes; 
the tiresome walking over barren rocks, or in dried-up water-courses, 
destitute both of flowers and grass; a temperature of 120° or 130° in 
the sun; clouds of dust; myriads of annoying Diptera; the glare of 
light reflected from white quartz; and the imminent peril of treading 
on poisonous snakes, are the inevitable concomitants of collecting in 
the summer. To this must be added the fatiguing life of a gold- 
digger and the listlessness caused by sleepless nights, the result of 
attacks from countless fleas. When I had boxed a few insects and 
returned to my tent I was so worn out that I had no heart to kill and 
set them, but laid down and smoked until it was time to turn under 
my opossum rug, and then came the fleas! 

On the 21st of December we moved to Campbell’s Creek, a distance 
of seven or eight miles; it was an old digging-ground, and therefore 
a poor spot for Entomology. However, I obtained many Buprestidz 
and a few brilliant species of Gicophora, despite the bad locality. 
About twenty yards from my tent were some dozen young wattles, 
three feet high, and two or three bushes of Eucalyptus: they were on 
an arid flat, with little or no other vegetation within some hundred 
yards, yet here I took better insects than in any other locality, one of 
which, a Micro, the Boydia criniferella of Newman, I cannot help 
describing. One evening in January I saw in the dusk an insect 
quite new to me; it was sitting on the smooth bark of a gum tree, one 
pair of wings (the hind pair) having the costal margin ciliated in the 
most extraordinary manner; the fore wings were in motion, vibrating 
and beating the air in a very curious way. After continuing this mo- 
tion for several seconds the insect would start off, and run with great 
speed, but stop at the distance of afew inches, and then vibrate its 
fore wings as before. When at rest the costal margin of the hind 


Visit to the Diggings. 5911 


wings projected beyond the costal margin of the fore wings, as in 
Gastropacha Quercifolia, and the wonderful fringe of cilia could be 
seen to great advantage. I-saw about half a dozen specimens of this 
novelty on the same evening, but never saw it before nor since, as 
many ants were prowling up and down the tree, seeking what they 
might devour; and it occurred to me that this motion might be em- 
ployed perhaps in connexion with the wonderful cilia, as a means of 
obtaining information of one of these deadly enemies: the fringe, 
however beautiful in structure and extraordinary in length and situa- 
tion, has doubtless its peculiar object in the economy of the creature. 

And now that I have ants in my mind I must have my say about 
them also. They are the most common insects in Australia, being 
absolutely everywhere. I have seen in Australia the largest and the 
smallest ants that I have ever met with: the largest are fully an inch 
in length, and furnished with the most formidable mandible; their 
bite is severe and most painful. I was told before I left England to 
search the ants’ nests of Australia for Clavigers and other myrmeco- 
philous beetles: I tried the experiment once, but was compelled to 
retire before the thousands of active and courageous insects rendered 
furious by an invasion of their home. “Ah!” thought I to myself, 
“if Sam Stevens wants Australian Clavigers he had better come here 
and hunt for them himself.” If you stop even for a minute to look 
over the bark of a tree, ten to one but the ants run up your boots and 
trowsers in the most aggravating manner, for their homes are almost 
invariably at the foot of trees. They are excessively pugnacious, and 
jealous of an intruder on their territories. I have often seen one qui- 
etly descending a tree, when, on coming nearer than he approved, he 
would stand out horizontally from the trunk, clinging by his hind legs 
only, and in this position would snap at me with his huge mandibles, 
and spar at me with his fore legs just like a pugilist. They are real 
plucky creatures, and seem to have sense and discrimination, for al- 
though they walked about my tent by hundreds, and ran over my face 
day and night, they never molested me while there. Sugar is the 
great attraction to them. I kept mine in a tin box, and, despite my 
care in keeping it covered, they would sometimes get at it and have a 
rare feast, but on my entering the tent they would scamper off in all 
directions, as though self-convicted plunderers. I said then, and be- 
lieve it now, that these ants knew me, and knew that the tent belonged 
to me. If bees know their master, why should not ants. know a 
particular individual? They knew they were not at home; they 


5912 An Entomologist’s 


knew they stole my sugar and that I did not molest them, and, except 
as regards petty larceny, they never molested me. 

In December that beautiful hairstreak, Thecla Evagoras, comes out 
everywhere: it is of a most lovely metallic-blue colour, and has a 

graceful but rather feeble flight. The caterpillar is gregarious. I 
have often gathered a twig of wattle with forty or fifty of the pupx 
attached to it, and unchanged larve still feeding amongst them; but 
I allude to this butterfly solely with the view of mentioning, in con- | 
nexion with it, a peculiarity of the ant tribe. The first batch of 
Evagoras pupe that [ found was on a little conical sprig of wattle; 
at the base of the pyramid were a number of the reddish black pup 
glistening in the sun; above these were others, still undergoing their 
metamorphosis; and at the apex were larve still feeding. Hundreds 
of black ants were bustling about in this colony of butterflies, and I 
supposed at first their object was to devour the soft and newly-changed 
pup, but this was not so. I found that the skins of the larve, imme- 

diately after the change, remained tightly adhering to the tail of the 
pup, and that the pupe had no power to get rid of them. The ants 
ate this skin only, stripping it off, devouring every particle of it, and 
leaving the polished chrysalis glittering in the rays of the sun. These 
ants appeared to delight in running over the backs of the still feeding 
caterpillars, but never did them the slightest injury. I picked many 
of the twigs covered with these colonies, and, bringing them into my 
tent, found the ants most unwilling to leave their companions: how- 
ever, they did not like the absence of sun, and one by one took their 
departure. The larve continued to change, the skins still adhering to 
the pupz. In a few days the butterflies began to appear; those from 
the pup cleansed by the ants were bright and beautiful, the others 
with crippled wings and unable to fly: this might have been occa- 
sioned by the diminished light within the tent, but I could not help 
attributing it to the want of the kind attentions of the ants. 

If any insects in Australia can dispute numerical supremacy with 
the ants it is certainly the flies, the various species of Muscina; one 
in particular, somewhat smaller than our bluebottle, is a dreadful pest. 
It breeds in the offal which abounds at the Diggings, and is perpetu- 
ally buzzing about you, especially when eating: it settles on your 
face, and even in your eyes, and you have a hard task to protect your 
meat, cooked or uncooked; it will settle on it the moment it has 
cooled, and deposit its masses of eggs, which almost immediately be- 
come maggots: some even say it deposits living maggots, but this I 


Visit to the Diggings. 5913 


assert from observation. In December and January they give way to 
a smaller species that is still more troublesome: they come in clouds 
and follow you incessantly, not to bile, but to suck moisture from your 
lips, your eyes, or wherever it is to be obtained. Many of the dig- 
gers wore veils, others bound little twigs of Eucalyptus before their 
eyes; but the best remedy is to smoke perpetually during the sun- 
shine: they appear to have a deep-rooted aversion to the weed. I 
can scarcely distinguish this species from the common house fly 
(Musca domestica) of England. These last till March, when ano- 
ther fly assails you, called the March fly, a species of Tabanus, a dull 
sleepy-looking insect, that bites severely, instantly drawing blood 
from man or beast; but these are not so numerous and therefore not 
so formidable as the smaller pests. Before I conclude these remarks 
on flies I must add that sore eyes and ophthalmia are common com- 
plaints in Victoria. I have observed hundreds of people with one or 
both eyes so swelled that they could not see. The dropsical-looking 
eyelids are puffed up on a level with the cheek and forehead : 
this is called having the blight; it is usually attributed to flies, 
but with what truth I am unable to say. I observed that men 
with large or humid eyes were most liable to this distressing com- 
plaint. 

Among the Lepidoptera of Victoria a green Geomttra, closely 
allied to an English one, was of common occurrence. Many Noctue 
that I should have thought nocturnal flew in the hottest sunshine, and 
the beautiful species of the genus Synemon, now arranged as one of 
the Heterocera, tlew about all day as merrily as any of the butterflies, 
and rested at night with erected wings. The new and unique Teara 
Guenéi of Newman, one of the most lovely and remarkable of its tribe, 
T caught on a hot day in November, about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, 
after a most: severe chase. 

I had not long been in the country before I observed, lying about 
at the foot of a gum tree, several little oval objects, which I at first 
supposed to be eggs fallen from nests among the branches above, but 
on touching them I found they were attached to some substance, as 
the bark of the tree, or to a twig or a blade of grass. On examining 
them I found a case or cap had invariably been pushed off one end, 
and I then concluded they were the cocoons of a Dipteron. At last 
I found one entire, and, having opened it, I discovered they were 
lepidopterous. Incited by this discovery, I searched diligently for 
more, and succeeded in obtaining several. I took them with me 

XVI. I 


5914 Visit to the Diggings. 


down to Melbourne, where a beautiful female made its appearance, 
and to this Mr. Newman has since given the name of Pelora Oxleyi. 
It is wonderful how so large a moth could be contained in so small a 
cocoon. Another Bombyx, Entomela obliqua, is a sacktrager; I 
have often found the larve carrying a most beautiful case, composed 
of the twigs of Eucalyptus, but have been unsuccessful in all my 
attempts to breed a perfect imago. 

As I am now bringing my memoranda to a close, I will just state 
that on my return I placed my collection in the hands of Mr. New- 
man, who felt so much interested that he selected and described 
thirty novel or unique Lepidoptera in his usual lucid and erudite 
style. The paper is published in the ‘ Transactions of the Entomolo- 
gical Society of London,’ and is accompanied by figures, beautifully 
coloured, by my esteemed friend Joseph Standish. The first species 
described by Mr. Newman, Zeuzera Duponchellii, I found in January, 
1854, at rest on one of the wooden legs of my windlass; I borrowed 
a large pin, and at night managed to convey him to my tent. Chei- 
mabacche Cinderella I took at Barker’s Creek, in November. Of 
Tortricopsis Rosabella I saw four or five: this insect is particularly 
interesting as belonging to a group, not uncommon in Australia, 
which seems exactly intermediate between the Tortricide and Ti- 
neidz. Many of the insects described in Mr. Newman’s paper were 
unique or extremely rare, but I could not avoid a feeling of great dis- 
appointment when that gentleman returned the collection to me with 
all the Geometre, which were the gems and my especial favourites, 
unnoticed and unnamed. On my asking Mr. Newman why he had 
left the best and most beautiful insects unnamed, he immediately 
replied, “M. Guenée is now engaged in describing the Geometride 
of the whole world, and I will leave to him the undivided honour of 
naming these lovely insects.” 

In February, 1854, that success which had previously eluded me 
in the gold field began to set in, and Entomology again fell into 
abeyance ; still I never left the tent without my pill-boxes, and rarely 
returned without some addition to my collection. After a while 
fortune again forsook me, and my assistants became incorrigibly 
drunken; so, having secured a few pounds of the hard yellow earth, I 
turned my face homeward. [I sailed from Melbourne on the 24th 
of July, 1854. My last entomological doing was the finding of 
several cocoons of Pelora Oxleyi at Brunswick, near Melbourne. 
Several Saturnias which I had in cocoon emerged when we were off 


Zoological Society. 5915 


- Pernambuco, and one specimen of Entometa in England, in July, 
1855. 
T. J. R. Oxiey. 


Bayswater, near London, 
October 28, 1857. 


Proceedings of Societies. 
ZooLoGicaL Society. 


Tuesday, November 10, 1857.—Dr. Gray, V.P., in the chair. 


Mr. Gould exhibited and described several new species of birds from various parts 
_ of the world. He commenced by calling attention to three species of Australian birds, 
collected by Mr. Elsey during the recent expedition under A. C. Gregory, Esq., from 
the Victoria River, on the north-west coast, to Moreton Bay. Two of these birds 
were of especial beauty and interest, viz.,a Psephotus and a Malurus. The former 
is allied both to P. pulcherrimus and P. multicolor, but differs from either, among 
other characters, by the rich yellow mark on the shoulder; and the Malurus is dis- 
tinguished from all other members of its genus by its larger size, and by the beautiful 
lilac circlet which adorns its crown. The third bird alluded to is a species of Petroica 
allied to P. superciliosa, a bird discovered by the late Mr. Gilbert in the neighbour- 
hood of the Beiderkin Lakes, and which, with the present, would admit of separation 
from the other species of the genus. For these birds Mr. Gould proposed the follow- 
ing names :— ; 7 

Psephotus chrysopterygius 

Malurus coronatus 

- Petroica cerviniventer 


The next species to which he directed attention was a new hawk belonging to the 
genus Spilornis, and which differs remarkably from S. undulatus, or Bacha, of the 
Continent of India, and S. holospilus of Manilla. For this bird Mr. Gould proposed 
the appellation of Spilornis rufipectus. It was obtained in Macassar by Mr. Wallace. 

A new bullfinch of typical form was described under the name of Pyrrbula auran- 
tia. For his knowledge of this pretty species Mr. Gould was indebted to the researches 
of Dr. A. L. Adams, of the 22nd Regiment, who killed it in the Western Himalayas. 

For a new motmot Mr. Gould proposed the name of Momotus equatorialis. This 
is a large and robust species, and differs from all others in the broad spatulate feathers 
of the breast tuft. It was obtained at Ardudona, near the equatorial line, in the Andes. 

A very fine Odontophorus, remarkable for the rich chestnut-red colouring of its 
under surface, received the appellation of Odontophorus hyperythrus. For this bird 
Mr. Gould is indebted to the Messrs. Verreaux, of Paris, who obtained it in a collec- 
tion from Santa Fé de Bogota. 

Mr. Sclater read a note on an unnamed parrot now living in the Society’s Gar- 
dens, and on some other species of the same family.. M. Auguste Salle having called 
his attention to the fact that the whitefronted parrot of San Domingo, commonly 
regarded as the immature state of Chrysutis leucocephala, is in truth quite a different 


v 


5916 Zoological Society. 


species from that bird. It may be distinguished at once by having no red on the 
throat, and a narrower white frontal band than the true lencocephala, which is from 
Cuba. M. Sallé, who has had ample opportunities of observing this bird in its natu- 
ral state, is quite confident as to its distinctness. Mr. Sclater proposed to call the 
San Domingo bird, which has not yet received a specific designation, Chrysotis Sal- 
lei, as a just tribute to one who has made such extensive discoveries in the Natural 
History of the New World. 

Mr. Sclater also read a paper on a aie aon of birds received by M. Salle from 
Southern Mexico, in which he described a new species of Diplopterus, under the name 
of D. excellens. The author’s attention was called to this bird by M. Jules Verreaux, 
whose experienced eye is ever active in distinguishing new species. 

At the conclusion of his paper Mr. Sclater observed that M. Salle had, at his 
request, drawn up a list of birds met with by him in San Domingo, together with 
some interesting observations on their habits. _ He had taken some pains in the veri- 
fication of the nomenclature of M. Sallé’s list, and added a few observations on the 
range of the species 

The Secretary read a paper by Sir John Richardson, M.D., F.R.S., on a new spe- 
cies of Siphonognathus, which he characterized under the name of S. argyrophanes. 

The Secretary exhibited to the Meeting drawings of the Honduras turkeys, and a 
pair of very young Pumas now living in the menagerie. 


Tuesday, November 24.—Joun Goutp, Esq., V.P., in the chair. 


The Chairman called the attention of the Meeting to four new species of rodents 
from Australia, which he described under the names of Mus assimilis, M. nanus, M. 
sordidus and M. manicatus. ‘To these interesting species of the mammals of that 
country a fifth was contributed by Dr. Gray, from the collection made during the ex- 
pedition under A. C. Gregory, Esq., which he has named Hapalotis hemileucurus. 

The Chairman exhibited an unique Australian bat (A/olossus australis) from the 
museum of the United Service Institution, to which it had been presented, in 1832, 
by Major M‘Arthur. 

The Secretary read a paper by Dr. Gray on the genus Furcella of Oken. On 
making an aperture in a perfect specimen of Furcella which recently reached his 
hands, Dr. Gray found that although the animal had two of the characteristics of the 
family Teredinide it wanted the third (the plates within were only the pallets, 
which are simple and somewhat like those of the more common Teredo norvegica) ; 
that there were no proper shelly valves, nor even any rudiments of them; and that 
the animal forms a geuus in that family which has the abnormal character of wanting 
the true shelly valves which are so universal in the Conchifera. The reason of this 
absence seems to be explained by the fact that the animal does not require them to 
protect its head and nervous centre, living as it does in a soft sandy mud; while they 
are required in Teredo and the allied genera, which have to bore their way into hard 
wood or stone to form the hole that is to be lined with the shelly tube. Sir Edward 
Home, in his ‘ Lectures, when describing the animal of Teredo navalis, refers this 
shelly tube to the genus Teredo, and gives a very good figure of the pallets, or, as he 
called them, “ operculum ;” but he was not aware of the absence of the shelly valve, 
for he figures what he considers the “ boring shell of the same Teredo :” what he has 


Northern Entomological Society. 5917 


here taken for the “ boring shell,” or true valves of the animal, is evidently a fragment 
of the plate which closes the end of the tube. 

Mr. Sclater communicated a review of the South American family Momotide, 
containing descriptions of all the known species of these birds, with an account of 
their synonymy and geographical distribution. In this paper the previously unde- 
described species were characterized as M. microstephanus and M. Nattereri, the for- 
mer from New Grenada, the latter from Bolivia ; and it was proposed to employ the 
term Prionirhynchus instead of Crypticus (previously used for a genus of Coleoptera), 
and to elevate the peculiar Prionites superciliaris to generic rank under the title of 
Eumomota. 

Mr. Sclater also read an account of a small but interesting collection of birds 
lately transmitted by Mr. H. W. Bates from the Upper Amazon. Amongst the more 
noticeable species herein contained were a new Capito, proposed to be called C., 
aurantiicollis; and a specimen of Chiroxiphia regina, a new manakin, allied to C. 
pareola, which was until then only known from Natterer’s specimen in the Imperial 
Cabinet at Vienna. 

With reference to Mr. Gould’s Australian mammals, Mr. Sclater remarked that 
the fact of Chiroptera and Rodentia being the only orders besides marsupials met witb 
in Australia was an additional argument in favour of the low position in the series of 
Mammalia lately assigned to the two classes by Professor Owen. 

_ Mr. F. Moore read a paper on the Asiatic species of Neptis and Athyma, in which 
he described eight new species of the former and eleven of the latter. 

The Secretary read a letter addressed to Mr. Gould, from Mr. Cumberbatch, 
respecting the weight of the common partridge in those districts of the New Forest in 
which they appear to feed exclusively on bog plants, and have no access to corn-land. 
Three of these birds weighed respectively 13 0z., 12} oz. and 114 0z.—D. W. M. 


- 


- NoRTHERN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
September 11, 1857.—B. Cooke, President, in the chair. 


Election of Members. 


B. B. Labry, Esq., of Manchester; John H. M’Keand, Esq., and Robert H. 
M’Keand, Esq., of Lawton; and G. A. Almond, of Birkenhead, were elected Mem- 
bers of the Society. Edwin Shepherd, Esq., of London, was elected an Honorary 
Member. 

Exhibitions. 


Mr. Allis, of York, exhibited a large box of varieties of Lepidoptera; amongst 
them were extraordinary varieties of the following species :— Vanessa polychloros 
and V. Urtice, Argynnis Adippe and A. Aglaia, an hermaphrodite A. Paphia, an Apa- 
tura Iris without the usual white markings, an Arctia caja with red markings upon 
the superior wings, Phragmatobia Menthrasti (var. Walkeri), P. lubricepeda (var. 
radiata, Haw.), and a singularly light variety of Ceratopacha ridens. 

Mr. Allis also exhibited a box in which were Hydrecia palustris, Valeria oleagina, 
Agrotis fennica, &c.; also a box in which were a series of the autumn brood of Har- 
palyce silacearia, eight Nonagria concolor, eight Sciaphila bellana, twelve Laverna 


5918 Northern Entomological Society. 


phragmatellus, Bent. (which he distributed amongst the members), a fine speci- 
men of Acidalia rubricaria captured near York, Gelechia inornatella, Melosoma 
bipunctellus, Lithoculletis irradiella, Gicophora formosella, Coleophora chalcogram- 
mella, and C. Frieshella. 

Mr. Buxton exhibited a box of Lepidoptera, the most interesting species in which 
was a fine specimen of Heliothis armigera; he also distributed, a number of Harpa- 
lyce picaria amongst the members. 

Mr. Hague exhibited six hybrids between Smerinthus Populi and S. ocellatus, 
which he had bred from eggs obtained by Mr. A. Loinax, who has devoted much time 
to breeding hybrids. 

Mr. Carter exhibited a box of exotic Coleoptera, from his collection, containing 
twenty-eight species of Longicorns, unnamed; they had recently been returned from 
Mons. Chevrolat, of Paris, as new species. Two of them were from Australia, one 
from Texas, three from Venezuela, two from Silhet, two from Brazil, five from North 
America, one from the East Indies, and of the remainder country unknown. 

Mr. Linton exhibited a box of Hymenoptera containing many interesting species. 

Mr. Greening exhibited a large box containing specimens in several orders, prin- 
cipally Hymenoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera. The most noticeable species in this 
box were,—in Hymenoptera, Cimbex femorata and Hylotoma ustulata ; in Diptera, 
Chironomus rufipes, Erioptera maculata and nodulosa, Limnobia lineola, nigrina, 
punctata, vagans, tripunctata, nubeculosa, dumetorum, glabrata, immaculata, and a 
pretty species allied to trimaculata, Tipula lutescens, gigantea, longicornis, lateralis, 
vernalis, lunata, &c., and a number of interesting Trichoptera. The contents of 
this box were much admired for the beauty of the specimens and the setting of the 
Tipulas, and an interesting discussion ensued on the best way of capturing and set- 
ting them. 

Several members remarked on the unusual abundance of Locusta migratoria (one 
of which, taken at Warrington, was in Mr. Greening’s box), observing that it had ap- 
peared throughout Great Britain and Ireland this season. 

The President exhibited the following insects, captured by himself this season :—~ 
Myrmedonia canaliculata, Antherophagus pallens, Ips quadripunctata, Macrocera 
vittata, phalerata, fasciata, Chironomus virescens, Tipula lutescens, longicornis, - 
scurra, Asilus albiceps, Thereva bipunctata, Platypeza infumata, Sciomyza corregio- 
lata, Osmylus chrysops, &c. 

The Secretary exhibited two specimens of Acontia luctuosa on behalf of Mr. Bat- 
tersby, who had met with this species freely near Torquay; also a box kindly fur- 
nished by Mr. Brown, of Cambridge, containing Tortrix dumetana, Pionea margarita- 
lis, and Polyommatus Arion, recently captured by himself; and a box containing 
Mixodia Turionana, Laverna phragmatellus, and Nonagria concolor, which had been 
presented to him by Mr. Doubleday. 

Mr. Gregson exhibited the larve of twelve species of the genus Bapiteosk upon 
their food-plants, observing that nothing was easier to find in the larva state than this 
hitherto much-neglected genus, and that now was the time to go beating for the tree, 
hedge and shrub feeders, sweeping for the heath feeders, and hunting for those which 
feed upon low plants, or upon plants which grow where beating and sweeping are im- 
practicable, and for the seed feeders, some of which could not well be beaten out 
or swept for advantageously. The principal species exhibited were Eupithecia saty- 
rata, upon flowers of Scabiosa succisa, discovered by Messrs. Logan and Wilson, and 


Northern Entomological Society. 5919 


sent by Mr. Wilson; E. linaria, upon flowers and seed of the common toadflax; E. 
minutarja, flowers of Calluna vulgaris; E. sobrinata, junipers; E. castigaria, seed of 
Lychpis diurna ; E. castigaria from Mr. Wilson ; E. centureata, upon flowers and seed 
of Senecio Jacobea; E. irriguata, sloe-leaves; E. succentureata, found upon wild 
plum where Linum was growing in the same bush, but never observed to eat either, 
also found freely upon Achillea Millefolium (principally sent by Mr. Wilson); E. 
Absinthiata, taken freely on flowers and seed of Senecio Jacobea; KE. assimilata, 
under black currant leaves. 

Mr. Gregson also exhibited a box containing seven varieties of Abraxas ulmaria, 
collected over a series of years, observing that Mr. Dale had kindly sent down a con- 
tinental specimen of Abraxas pantaria, Linn., for comparison, and he had little doubt 
of its being only a variety of ulmaria, for two of his recent light varieties were counter- 
parts of what the foreign one had been when it was first captured (age had taken from 
its beauty); the under side also agreed exactly. 

He also exhibited a box of Coleoptera recently captured; amongst them were 
Anchomenus marginatus and sexpunctatus, Bembidium bipunctatum and pallidi- 
penne, &c. 


Acentropus niveus a Lepidopterous Insect. 


The following paper, contributed by Edwin Brown, Esq., of Burton-on-Trent, was 
read by Mr. B. B. Labry, the author being unavoidably absent :— 

‘“‘T am glad, as a sort of inaugural thesis, to communicate to the Society the fact 
of my having proved Acentropus niveus to be a lepidopterous insect. I had spent 
many hours at various times in search, by means of my boat, after the earlier states of 
this insect, and had carried home many curious larve captured amongst the water- 
weeds, in the hope that some one or other would prove to be the right one, but with- 
out effect, until Ione day found, in the axils of the thread-like leaves of Potamogeton 
pectinatus, several] small silken cocoons, strengthened by the incorporation of small 
pieces of leaves, arranged lengthwise, from the same plant. On reaching home I 
placed them in a deep dish of water, in which were some stones projecting above the 
water, and, having placed the dish in my garden, so as to secure the full light of the 
sun upon it, I covered the whole with a bell-glass. On the following day I had the 
great gratification of observing a perfect male Acentropus niveus resting upon one of 
the stones: I searched for and found the empty chrysalis, and in the evening sent it 
off to Mr. Haliday, in proof of the lepidopterous nature of the insect. Depending 
upon obtaining a further supply of larve on my next visit to the river, [ opened the 
remaining cocoons, and found therein one similar pupa undeveloped, and two or three 
small greenish larve, which I presume to be those of Acentropus niveus. Unfortu- 
nately the heavy rains of last month set in immediately afterwards, and the floods 
prevented me going on the river again until all trace of the early stages of the insect 
was lost. The pupa-case puts the relationship of the Acentropus beyond a doubt: it 
is clearly the chrysalis of a moth, and I presume the proper location of the species in 
our list will be immediately after the genus Hydrocampa.” 

Mr. Brown added that he had before him three examples of Locusta migratoria 
recently captured in his neighbourhood, and that another example was seen but not 
caught. One female had deposited some eggs. 

An interesting conversation ensued, all the members evincing great pleasure that 
this long-disputed question was brought to a close, especially as it had terminated 


5920 Quadrupeds.— Birds. 


in accordance with the opinions of the northern entomologists, and had been deter- 
mined by one of them. 

The Secretary observed that Westwood had certainly placed it as a lepidopterous 
insect many years ago, but in the comparatively recent work, Westwood and Hum. 
phrey’s ‘ British Moths,’ 1845, he had placed it (provisionally it is true) as the very last 
moth before the plumes, observing that “it should probably be placed nearer to some 
of the Hyponomeutide,” and giving the presence of a pair of tippets, and a spur at the 
base of the fore margin of the hind wings, as two charaeters it possessed which are 
distinctive of the Lepidoptera. His generic and specific descriptions of this moth, 
however, are such as tu lead to the conclusion that Mr. Westwood had not an 
opportunity of thorougly examining the Acentropus, the insect being nearly related to 
the Pyralidz, and having no relationship with the Hyponomeutide whatever. 

The special thanks of the Meeting was voted to Mr. Brown for his interesting and 
instructive paper, and, the thanks of the Meeting being voted to the exhibitors for 
their kindness, the members and friends separated, after having had a regular “ red 
letter” Meeting.—C. S. G. : 


Anecdote of a Dog.—Yesterday a dog was brought up from Edinburgh in a 
steamer to St. Katharine’s Docks. It was breught to a gentleman’s office by a man, 
and remained there all day. The gentleman walked home with it to Barnsbury, 
leading it by a chain, and it was chained up in the coach-house. During the night 
it slipped its collar and got away. When the gentleman went to his office this 
morning he found that the dog had been brought there again: it had found its way 
back to the very ship in which it had been brought to London, having walked all the 
way from Barnsbury to St. Katharine’s Docks.— Robert B. Were ; London, November 
17, 1857. 


Occurrence of the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Picus major) at Dulwich.— On the 
6th of the present month a temale specimen of this bird was found dead on a hedge- 
bank in this neighbourhood. To all appearance it had been killed either by a stoat 
or weasel. I have observed it in this locality before, but it is evidently scarce with us 
here. ‘The smaller species, Picus minor, is more commun.—C. Wood ; Dulwich, No- 
vember 13, 1857. 

Nesting of Swallows and other Birds. —In a late number of the ‘ Zoologist’ 
(p. 5790) reference is made to the fact of swallows attaching their nests to the side of 
a wall without being supported by a projecting ledge, as is usually the case. A year 
or two ago a pair of swallows built their nest in a coal-cellar here in the manner de- 
scribed. The nest was quite open at the top, as swallows’ nests usually are, and was 
attached on one side, to the wall only ; it was placed at the distance of a few inches 
only from the roof. The brood was reared in safety. It would certainly seem won- 
derful how the nest could bear them; but young birds, especially swallows and mar- 
tins, cannot be very heavy; and the clay, which they both use alike in the construc- 
tion of their nests, is very tenacious. The writer has also some remarks on the wren 
being a late breeder. Ihave found its eggs in the last week in July, which is, I 


Birds.— Reptiles. 5921. 


think, even later than he mentions ; eggs of the greenfinch are, however, often to be 
found in August, and both this year and last I saw young greenfinches which had not 
left the nest by the end of the first week in September. The barn owl must also, in 
some cases, be a very late breeder, as this autumn I saw a young bird, taken from the 
nest early in September, which was still covered with down, and could not fly in the 
middle of that month.—£. J. Tuck ; Wallington, Herts, October 22, 1857. 

Notes on the Swallow.—The last swallows which J have had the pleasure of seeing 
here appeared on the 4th of this month, and were watched most wistfully until they 
were out of sight. They have delighted, I dare say, as much as we have in the glo- 
rious summer which has lately left us. Their increase has been unusually great: two 
pairs (chimney swallows) came to my outbuildings in the spring, but they had 
increased to sixteen before they left. I never see a new house rise hereabout which 
has not its own swallows during the first or second summer. ‘The rising ground on 
which this house stands, about a mile from the Thames, is one of their favourite 
trysting-places in the autumn, and here they gather from the neighbouring country 
round before they go to roost. The muster this autumn was one of the most interest- 
ing ornithological conclaves it has ever been my good fortune to witness. On one 
evening especially they came in countless numbers, and J think even surpassed the 
multitudes which assemble at some of the breeding-places of the sea birds on the coast. 
The sky was brilliantly blue, and as far as the eye could see they covered the firma- 
ment as the stars cover the heavens on a winter night, and as far as the telescope 
could reach its disk was covered with them. Their cheerful chattering was most de- 
lightful to listen to: it was one unceasing hymn of praise. They had come in groups, 
and chiefly from one direction; but their departure was ina moment: I had turned 
round to speak to Mr. Hancock and his sisters, who were delighted spectators of the 
wonderful scene, and, to the astonishment of us all, they were gone; in a minute 
there was not a single swallow left. The concourse was chiefly of chimney swallows ; 
there were few house martins, and a good many sand martins. House martius are 
scarce here, and I sadly miss them. There is no better climate in England, and the 
only way in which I can account for their absence is by supposing that they have dif- 
ficulty on our gravelly soil in procuring clay with which to build their nests. I am 
told that the swallows sleep on the willow-beds on the river, and one evening, whilst I 
was in the low ground between this and the Thames, a cloud of them passed over very 
near my head in rapid flight.—W. C. Hewitson ; Oatlands, November 15, 1857. 

Occurrence of the Avocet (Recurvirostra avocetta) in Kent.—I have just preserved 
a fine specimen of this bird for Mr. Gateridge, of Faversham, Kent, shot close to the 
town. A few years since it was to be found in numbers in this neighbourhood.— 
James Gardner ; 52, High Holborn. 


! 

Concerning a venomous Lizard in Gujerat.—Can any of the readers of the ‘ Zoolo- 
gist’ who are learned in the Reptilia give me information concerning a venomous 
lizard said to inhabit the district of Gujerat, in Hindostan? Is there indeed upon 
record any well-authenticated instance of the existence of any such reptile anywhere ? 
Yet such I am assured is the case in the instance to which I refer, and I have it 
vouched for upon such unquestionable authority as appearsto me to leave no room for 
doubt upon the subject. My informant, an Indian officer of many years’ experience 


5922  Arachnida.—Insects. 


and of unimpeachable veracity, says there exists a lizard known to the natives by 
the name of the “ Chand ’n ghtr” (the spelling is my own), the bite of which is of so 
deadly a nature that death invariably follows in the space of two or three hours. My 
informant states that three instances came under his own observation in which death 
ensued from the bite of one of these reptiles; and at length he had an opportunity of 
bringing to the test of anatomical dissection whatever doubt he might still have en- 
tertained upon the matter. Within his own “ compound,” and near to an old ruined 
wall, he saw a “ Chand ’n ghtr,” which he transfixed with his spear, and said to the 
doctor of the regiment, who was present and had repeatedly denied the existence of 
venomous lizards, ‘‘ Now, doctor, Pl] make you a bet that this lizard has poison- 
fangs.” “ Done,” replied the doctor; “Tl lay you a gold mohur he has none.” The 
doctor accordingly took home the defunct lizard, and upon dissecting the head found 
the entire apparatus of fangs and poison-glands fully developed, in the same manner as 
in the viperine tribe. ‘The lizard is described as being from 18 inches to 2 feet in 
length, very agile, of a brown colour with ochreous-yellow spots, and is said to delight 
especially in old ruinous walls, in the neighbourhood of which it is always found.— 
W. V. Guise ; Walsingham Abbey, November 3, 1857. ) 


Spider Silk. — Seeing a notice (Zool. 5835) concerning the silk obtained from a 
species of spider, a native of Austria, I beg to say that in the Bermudas, some three 
years ago, I obtained silk from the large spider of those islands, Epeira clavipes, 
which was so strong that I could wind the single thread, from the insect itself, on a 
piece of paper, just as I would wind cotton upon a reel. This is the species of spider 
that forms its web between cedar trees, often ten feet apart; and in this formidable 
net, composed of the silk I have mentioned, are captured a large and powerful species 
of Cicada (Fidicina Tibicen), and sometimes even the little bird locally named “ chick 
of the village” (Vireo noveboracensis). I may also add that the Mudian ladies use 
this silk for sewing purposes. JI had this latter fact from an old lady who had been 
resident in the Bermudas all her life—J. M. Jones ; November 12, 1857. 


Lepidoptera at Plymouth.—Colias Edusa: about a hundred specimens have been 
taken here during the season. C.Hyale: three specimens. Sphinx Convolvuli: I 
have had two specimens brought to me. Acherontia Atropos: one larva was 
brought to me, but a brother collector obtained upwards of fifty” Heliophobus hispi- — 
dus: I have been exceedingly fortunate with this species, having had a large catch.— 
J.J. Reading ; Plymouth, November 21, 1857. 

Colias Edusa in Scotland.— As there is only one recorded capture of this insect in 
Scotland (Zool. 1985), it may be interesting to know that this season eighteen speci- 
mens have been taken in the neighbourhood of Dumfries. Being at Southerness, a 
small sea-bathing place on the Kircudbrightshire coast, I took two males, one on the 
24th and the other on the 31st of August ; but on the 12th of September I was so ex- 
tremely fortunate as to capture a couple of females (one of them so exceedingly fine 
that it must, I think, have emerged from its chrysalis the same day), which are, I be- 
lieve, the first ever taken in Scotland. The same day I caught two more males, and 


Insects. | 5923 


another collector also obtained a pair. About ten individuals were also captured near 
Dumfries at different times, making, with the eight mentioned above, a total of 
eighteen, sixteen of which were males, the only females being the two obtained by 
myself: such a disparity in the numbers of the sexes is very remarkable. I may add 
that on the 14th of September I saw what appeared to be C. Hyale, though it may 
only have been Helice, but I am pretty confident it was Hyale. I had a good view 
of the insect, as it led me a long and exciting chase, which I was at length forced to 
give up from want of breath. I am aware that entomologists do not attach much 
value to the mere “ seeing” of insects ; however, I only wish what I have written to 
be taken for what it is worth.— Wm. Stewart Thornburn ; Southerness, by Dumfries. 

Curious Variety of Apatura Iris.— On the 13th of July I had the good fortune to 
capture, in Ashton Wold, near this place, a very singular and interesting variety of 
Apatura Iris, a notice of which may perhaps prove interesting to some of your 
readers. In this example there is an entire absence of the beautiful white band 
which, in the ordinary specimens, crossing the middle of the hind wing, extends into 
the middle of the fore wing. Of the five white spots extending in a curve from the 
costa to the anal angle one spot only, viz. the fourth, is visible; the two spots near the 
tip are smaller than usual, the second of the two being little more than a speck ; the 
costa and tip strongly powdered with fulvous ; and the usual fulvous ring of the pos- 
terior wing, being broken on the lower side, extends in a strong fulvous marking over 
the anal angle. The rich purple shade is spread over the wings as in the ordinary 
insect, blended, however, in parts with fulvous. The under side is equally remark- 
able, though difficult to describe, the colouring and markings being much confused. 
Different as this is from the ordinary specimens, yet to an experienced eye it is ob- 
viously no other than a variety of Apatura Iris. — William Bree ; Polebrook, Oundle, 
Northamptonshire, December 5, 1857. 

Remark on Melitea Dia.—I see by the ‘Intelligencer’ (iii. 60) that there is a 
record of the capture of a third specimen of Melitea Dia. The other two specimens 
I had the good fortune to capture, in Warwickshire, years ago.— Richard Weaver ; 
25, Pershore Street, Birmingham, November 13, 1857. 

Remarkable Variety of Argynnis Euphrosyne.— Mr. Weaver has placed in my 
hands a specimen of Argynnis Euphrosyne so remarkable that I think the readers of 
the ‘ Zoologist’ will take some interest in a description of it. The specimen is rather 
above the average size, and the spathulate terminal portion of the antenna is of 
nearly double the usual length; the apex itself is very much flattened and twisted 
backwards. The upper surface is nearly black, the usual tawny spaces being almost 
obliterated by the suffusion and union of the black markings; this is more particu- 
larly the case with the hind wings, in which the only remaining traces of tawny are 
confined to the anal angle, and six obscure spots just within the outer margin. On 
the under side the colours of the fore wings are more suffused than usual, but other- 
wise not remarkable, but the distribution ofi colour in the hind wings is totally 
changed ; the prevailing colour towards the base is greenish yellow; the marginal sil- 
ver spots are changed into large silver markings of an elongate-conical form, and the 
middle one of the seven unites with the large silver spot in the centre of the wing. — 
Edward Newman. 

Is not Satyrus Typhon a Species ?—I observe in Mr. Stainton’s useful ‘ Manual of 
British Butterflies and Moths’ there is no mention made of Satyrus Typhon, but only 
of S. Davus. In my opinion there are two species included under this name, and I 


5a>4 Inseets. 


send you for examination a pair of what I believe to be the second species: it is 
smaller, and without the spot on either side. Iam well aware that S. Davus is very 
variable, but there must be some limit to variation. It is said that the larva of Davus 
is unknown, but I have often had the larva and bred the butterfly, and so have many 
others ; and I have always taken what I call Davus on low moors or mosses, like Chat 
Moss; but what I take on the high mountains of Scotland appears to me to be dis- 
tinct, and few men have had the opportunity of examining it in its native habitat as 
I have done.— Richard Weaver ; November 13, 1857. [The mountain specimens sent 
me by Mr. Weaver are exactly as he describes them, without spots; but I do not 
wish to express any fresh opinion as to its specific difference.—E. N.] 

Plentiful Occurrence of Trochilium vespiforme in England.—In the summer of 
1855 a farm servant caught, amongst a host of other insects, two of the above- 
named, but in very sad condition. The following summer none were obtained, but 
in 1857 enough were canght to make a goodly series in my own private cabinet. I 
have every reason to believe that this is another Trochilium taken only in this country, 
and hardly known to the continental collectors. For several reasons I must decline 
giving the locality fur some time to come.—James Gardner ; 52, High Holborn. 

Habits and Locality of Anthrocera Minos. —Although not yet able to trace this 
insect through all its stages, owing to want of suceess in rearing the larva, it may be 
interesting to many entomologists to know that in the pupa state its habits are very 
different from those of our other species of Anthrocera. The cocoon is not pointed 
at the ends, but oval, of an earthy colour, and, in the instances in which I suc- 
ceeded in finding it, attached to a stone at the surface of the ground. From the 
profusion in which the perfect insect exists in a very restricted locality, and the fact 
that only two cocoons rewarded a very careful search, I am inclined to think it is — 
ordinarily placed amoung the roots of the grass, but the locality is one in which the 
most adventurous pupa digger would hesitate to commence operations with his trowel. 
The fields in which alone Minos is found in abundance are of what has been well 
called the pavement order, platforms of solid rock with narrow avenues of verdure be- 
tween: this is the character of extensive districts in the county of Galway, apparently 
caused by the long-continued action of currents of water, which bas removed all 
earthy substances, and left exposed the rocky skeleton of the globe for the edification 
of geologists and the excoriation of the shins of the hasty insect hunter. Little value 
as one would suppose these stony tracts could be to any one but the naturalist, they 
are elaborately divided into sections by huge walls of rounded limestone boulders, so 
ingeniously piled up, without mortar, as frequently to bring down on the unwary tres- 
passer who essays to cross them a dangerous avelanche of stone. JF ilipendule is the 
only other species of Anthrocera I have observed in the West of Ireland; it flies in 
company with Minos, in the proportion of about one to ten, and is readily distin- 
guished on the wing by its larger size and brighter colouring. Minus is apparently 
very little subject to variation : out of one thousand specimens taken this season only 
two presented any noticeable difference from the ordinary type; in these the whole 
surface of the wings is suffused with crimson. They fly actively in the sunshine 
during the early part of the day, but after 4 p.m. are to be captured with the greatest 
ease asleep on the flowers; in some favoured spots every daisy will have its tenant, 
and I have seen as many as eight clustered on a dandelion, giving it at a little dis- 
tance the appearance of a gorgeous crimson flower, enchanting alike to the naturalist 
and the painter.—dwin Birchall; Dublin, November 28, 1857. 


Inscets. 5925 


Lasiocampa Callune : is it a Species ? — Mr. Richard Weaver, as much as nine 
years ago, contended (Zool. 1655) that it was; and since that time many other ento- 
mologists have expressed the same opinion. Nevertheless, the name has never ap- 
peared in our lists. 1 will now present the readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ with my own 
observations on the subject. Early in the present year, that is in March, 1857, 
chance took me to Scotland, and, thus being on the right ground, I resolved to learn 
all I could, and form my judgment from my own personal observations ; and, by the 
way, if all entomologists did the same we should not have so many mistakes made and 
repeated as we have at present. In the April following, while collecting on the moors, 
I found several empty cocoons and two full ones. These were spun up amidst moss 
and heather, and in the very wettest places. This is quite at variance with the usual 
habits of its congener, L. Quercus; and I was, moreover, particularly struck with the 
greater size and peculiar colour of the cocoons. Towards the end of June I ob- 
served several males flying over the moors, but I did not capture one. However, 
early in July a boy brought me a female, which soon deposited a number of eggs, 
much larger than those of L. Quercus. The young larve soon made their appear- 
ance; and I instantly had the pleasure of observing that they were totally diffe- 
rent from those of Quercus: they were of a dark brown colour, with bright yellow 
~ bands between the segments of the body, very much as in the young larve of L. Rubi, 
which, indeed, they much resembled; and they had none of those white hairs 
which distinguish the young larve of L. Quercus. Some of these larve were sent to 
Captain Cox tu figure, and others retained: these, as they advanced towards maturity, 
became moreand more like their congener, especially in the last skin, a fact already 
stated by Mr. Weaver. ‘The larve I retained have spun up, and I have several now 
in pupa. The full-grown larva is larger than that of L. Quercus; it feeds greedily 
on heather (Calluna vulgaris), ivy, birch, raspberry, sallow, and every other plant that 
comes in its way. The imago is much larger, and different in colour. I feel certain 
therefore that L. Callune is a species. Suppose I were to state that Psi and tridens, 
or Cucullia Verbasci and Scrophularie, were one species, and point to the exact simi- 
larity of colouring and marking, would not entomologists at once reply, “Oh, but the 
larve are totally different.” This is considered conclusive and unanswerable, and if 
so in one case why not in another? I may add that L. Callune was found in the 
fens of Huntingdonshire many years back, by Mr. Courtnay, Mr. Standish and my- 
self, as recorded at the time (Zool. 1731). In conclusion, I have only to add that I 
shall have great pleasure in answering any questions or objections that may be raised 
by any one in the pages of the ‘ Zoologist. — H. J. Harding ; 1, York Street, Church 
Street, Shoreditch, November 30, 1857. [The capture of Lasiocampa Callune in 
Huntingdonshire has been regarded as militating against the specific distinctness of 
what is called the Scotch eggar; but this observation will be found to bear only on 
the impropriety of that name. Supposing the two species to be really and perma- 
nently distinct, I should expect to find them domiciled together at Kinloch Rannoch, 
the fens of Huntingdonshire, Hampstead Heath, Dartmoor and the Cornish Heaths, 
If we find a large and dark-coloured insect confined to Scotland, the very excusable 
and immediate conclusion would be, ‘‘ It is only a Scotch variety ;” but a more philo- 
sophic inquiry is opened up by the southward extension of its geographical range. — 
E. N.| 

Does any Insect feed on the Tea-tree ?—Mr. Stainton having, in his * Entomologi- 
cal Botany, led us to suppose that every tree and plant is preyed upon by some 


5926 Insects. 


insect, can any one inform me how it happens that we never meet with any dead 
insect or foreign substance in that article of universal use, tea. As tea cannot be 
sifted like most commercial products, it has always appeared to me a very remarkable 
circumstance that it is so totally free from anything unpleasant. Query, is there 
something so poisonous in the juices of the tea plant that insects will not meddle with 
it ?— William Atkinson. 

Notodonta Carmelita in 1858. — We hear of no fewer than 150 chrysalides of this 
insect having been imported from the Continent, to make their appearance here in 
May next as genuine British examples. We wonder whether it will occur in the 
wvods in the neighbourhood of Sheffield >—John Scott ; Southfield Villas, Middlesbro’- 
on-Tees, November 14, 1857. 

Habits and Locality of Miana expolita.— This insect occurs in abundance in the 
West of Ireland at the end of June; its time of flight is about 4 p.m., but, from its 
small size and the rapidity of its movements, it is extremely difficult to capture. The 
males have the saine habit of assembling round the female as the Bombyces, and by 
watching their flight we were able to take up a position near the centre of attraction, 
and secure them with comparative ease as they approached the spot. I should like to 
know whether any of the night-flying Noctuz have been observed to assemble. The 
Irish specimens of Miana expolita are much brighter and richer in colouring than 
any I have seen from Darlington. When in perfect condition it is a beautiful insect, 
very different from the dingy little thing which represents it in most cabinets. — Ed- 
win Birchall ; Dublin, November 28, 1857. Sy 

Why is empyrea considered a Phlogophora ? —I think some mistake has occurred 
in placing this insect amongst the group of which the meticulosa of our cabinets forms 
the type. In no character whatever does empyrea bear a resemblance to meticulosa, 
or even a species of which we are taught to consider Phlogophora as the generic title. 
The striking feature in this genus is the peculiarly scalloped wing, and empyrea does 
not show this. Besides, the colours of the genus Phlogophora are entirely composed 
of fawns and greens, and although this is of no importance in determining the place 
of the insect in question, yet one cannot help calling to remembrance what impresses 
the eyes and mind most forcibly when we are led to speak of the genus, or on looking 
over foreign species. Now, if empyrea be placed alongside lucipara, even a casnal 
glance will convince any one that the general contour of the two insects are very simi- 
lar, that the dark band of the wings is exceedingly like to each other, and that the 
position of the pale stigmata is the same in both; and I would propose that it be at 
once removed from the genus Phlogophora to that of Euplexia, as being most in har- 
mony with requirements of that genus. — John Scott; Southfield Villas, Middlesbro’- 
on- Tees, November 17, 1857. 

Capture of Ennomos fuscantaria near London.—A few days since, on looking over 
my captures of the past season, my attention was attracted to what I then thought 
was a specimen of Ennomos tiliaria. Upon closer examination and comparison with 
KE. fuscantaria, I observed a similarity ; I could not, however, be certain, and there- 
fore took it to Mr. Newman, to whose kindness I am indebted for a comparison with 
a specimen he has, and with those at the British Museum. I am happy to say 
it proved to be E. fuscantaria. By reference I find I captured it near Kensington, 
on the 27th of August last, on a gas-lamp. I believe it is the first specimen that has - 
been taken in that neighbourhood. — John Henry Tilly ; 3, Bernard Street, Regent's 
Park North, London, November 2, 1857. E 


Insects. 5927 


Tischeria angusticolella, Heyd., and Solenobia triquetrella, Hubn.—I bred the above 
additional species to our list in May last. The former makes a blotch mine in rose 
leaves, the perfect insect resembling Gelechia tenebrosella ; the latter from cases 
found on and under mill-stone, grit-stone, &c., on the moors. This species and its 
habits are fully described in Bruand’s ‘ Psychides,’ pp. 106—7.—R. S. Edleston ; Bow- 
don, December 7, 1857. 

Note on the regular Perforation of Leaves.— May I venture to ask, through the 
medium of the ‘ Zoologist, if a satisfactory explanation can be given of the symme- 
trical perforations found in the inclosed elm leaves? Are they the work of an insect, 
or the natural though unusual form of decay of the leaf? The leaves thus perforated 
were all found on the ground: can they be found in the same state when growing on 
the tree? — Marie Wiry; Lentonfield, near Nottingham, November 10, 1857. [The 
leaves are those of the wych elm, and the holes occur, with wonderful symmetry, at 
equal distances on each side of the midrib. They are evidently the work of the larve 
of a sawfly, which lays its eggs on the midrib of the leaf, and the young larve, de- 
scending right and left, devour the leaf, each making a single hole. It is, however, 
very difficult to account for the close similarity of size and shape observable in each 
opposite pair of holes. Something very similar has been observed in the destructive 
labours of the gooseberry grub, and a leaf thus perforated is very accurately figured at 
p- 59 of the ‘ Letters of Rusticus.—£. N.] 

Fungus on a Rhyncophorous Beetle-—Mr. Ingall has placed in my hands a speci- 
men of Heilipus brachypterus which is in the finest condition, and louks as though it 
had been pinned while living, yet has several specimens of a black thread-like fungus, 
probably a Spheria, growing from various parts of its body ; three of these, about an 
inch in length, issue from the interstice between the prothorax and elytra; a fourth 
issues beneath the head, from the interstice between the head and prothorax ; and 
there are many shorter ones in a diversity of situations; but none appear to have 
pierced the more solid parts of the exo-skeleton.—Kdward Newman. 

Notes concerning the capture of several interesting Species of Coleoptera.— Carabus 
intricatus is no longer a great rarity in this country. I have given a deal of time 
during the last three years to the working up of this insect, but until the autumn of 
1856 had not met with living examples, having found remains only. Last autumn I 
accidentally found a wounded but still living specimen, which gave a clew to a 
habited locality. Having called upon a brother collector, and made known to him my 
fortune, I proposed that we should go and try for other specimens; accordingly, we 
started, and on the first day obtained several examples. I worked the whole of last 
winter and the preceding and present autumns, and find that up to the present time 
I have captured no less than 115 living specimens. The modes of capture are various, 
viz., by sugaring, searching among moss and loose stems of ivy upon trunks of trees, 
and by baiting wide-mouthed bottles with dead slugs. The times of appearance are 
early in summer and autumn, but the best time is the latter, as they are then fresh 
from the pupa condition and still immature ; great care is necessary at this period in 
handling them, or they harden deformed: October is the middle of the season. They 
vary very considerably in size, as well as in intensity and shade of colouring, the size 
varying from 10 to 15 lines in length and from 33 to 53 in breadth, and the colour of 
some being almost black, others possessing fine tintings of green and violet. The period 
of impregnation is the spring ; at no other time have I observed them in coition. The 
larva of this species I have not yet met with. C.intricatus, in common with other 
species of the genus, is supplied abundantly with a powerful acid of a caustic nature, 


5928 Insects. 


as a means of defence against mightier animals; it is a fine adaptation, and one of 
the wonders of animal chemistry: this fluid is ejected from the anus. I have paid 
the penalty upon three occasions by having the acid thrown into my eyes, which for a 
long time were very painful. I will venture to say that no animal which preys upon 
this insect could maintain its hold should the discharge take place in either its mouth 
or eyes. I have, just by way of experiment, taken a male intricatus between my fin- 
gers and squeezed it slightly: it instantly discharged enough to make a patch upon 
my hand the size of a sixpence; a portion of this I placed in contact with my tongue; 
the effect was that of a strong acid, and the pain of course great: my tongue now pre- 
sents a white patch, and I believe the skin is destroyed. I have taken two specimens 
of this beetle with a large puncture through the elytra, as though caused by the beak 
ofa bird: I think it just possible that a bird and intricatus had exchanged shots. 
Of Panageus quadripustulatus I captured eight specimens, on the coast, in April and 
May of the present year. Stenolophus elegans: Dr. Power, with his usual kindness, 
took me to the habitat of this hitherto rare species. My baggings were in a great mi- 
nority compared with the Doctor’s ; still I captured a good set. Aepys marinus and 
A. Robinii are both in plenty upon the sea-shore about Plymouth, the latter species 
in greater abundance than the former. Of the very distinct species, Hydroporus mar- 
ginatus, Dufts., I captured six specimens in the spring of the present year. Melve 
brevicollis, another of the late Dr. Leach’s Devonshire insects, has turned up ; last sea- 
son I took several, and this year I have captured seventeen more: it is a very distinct 
species; there is a good figure of it in the old Linnean Society’s ‘ Transactions.’ — 
J.J. Reading ; Plymouth, November 21, 1857. 

Capture of a Stenus new to the British Fauna. —Whilst on a visit to North Wales 
at the beginning of October, I had the good fortune to capture five specimens of a 
very singular Stenus, new to our British list. The species, which was identified by 
Mr. Janson (and no doubt correctly) with the S. rugosus of Kiesenvetter, is remark- 
able, inter alia, for the excessive roughness of its sculpture, a peculiarity which im- 
parts to its surface a very uneven, and indeed most anomalous, appearance. It isa 
mountain insect, likewise, on the Continent; and I could only detect it, at Caernarvon, 
amongst wet earth and shingle at the edges of a small trickling stream which finds its 
way into the river which flows down from the Snowdon range through the Llanberis 
Pass. I may add that it was in company with the elegant Dianous cerulescens, and 
evidently extremely rare.—TZ. Vernon Wollaston; 10, Hereford Street, Park Lane. 

Description and capture of Platystethus Capito in Scotland.—During a recent visit 
to Ross-shire I picked up a Platystethus which is new to me, and also, I think, an 
addition to the British Fauna. Its more prominent characters are as follows:— 
PuiatystErHus Cariro, Chevrier ; Heer, Faun. Helv. i. 208; Ferm. et Laboul. Faun. 
France. i. 608. Black, shining. Antenne black, nearly as long as the head and tho- 
rax, gradually thickening towards the apex; third joint rather shorter than the 
second ; terminal joint large, oval. Mouth rufescent. Head as wide as the thorax 
in the male, a little narrower in the female; rather thickly covered with large punc- 
tures, those behind the eyes often confluent; labrum and front of the head very 
smooth and glossy; above the base of the antenne, on each side, a distinct glossy 
callus ; a nearly obsolete channel on the head behind. Thorax as wide as the elytra, 
much rounded on the sides, and considerably narrowed behind; dorsal channel dis- 
tinct; the punctures large and distant, with the interstices smooth and shining. 
Scutellum generally with two large punctures. Elytra quadrate, punctured in the 


Insects, 5929 


same manner as the thorax, but less strongly; having a distinct sutural line, and of a 
pitchy brown or black colour. Abdomen shining black, much dilated towards the 
apex, especially in the female. Legs pitchy brown; the trochanters and tibie more 
or less rufescent ; tarsi testaceous. The male has the hinder edge of the sixth seg- 
ment beneath slightly excised, and the seventh deeply channelled; the excision and 
channel smooth and shining. The seventh segment beneath, in the female, a little 
produced and rounded. Length 13 line. Fermaire remarks that this species is incor- 
rectly referred to nodifrons in the Stettin ‘Catalogue. Judging from descriptions, it 
appears to me to differ from that species in being larger, more coarsely punctured, 
with the abdomen more dilated, and in having the anterior portion of the head smooth 
and shining. Ten specimens taken beneath rejectamenta on the shore of Tain Frith, 
Ross-shire, September 14, 1857. — Thomas John Bold ; Long Benton, Newcastle-on- 
Tyne, November 28, 1857. 

Capture of Lemophleus Clematidis near Gravesend.—In June last, when searching 
the Clematis Vitalba, a few miles below Gravesend, for Tomicus bispinosus, I cap- 
tured a single individual of an insect unknown to me; but on my showing it to Mr. 
Janson, who was collecting with me, that gentleman pronounced it Lemophleus Cle- 
matidis, a species new to our British list. He immediately set to work to obtain more, 
and after nearly two hours’ hard labour succeeded in capturing two living and four or 
five dead specimens. I find that in his paper in the ‘ Entomologist’s Annual’ for 
1858, on new British Coleoptera, he has omitted all mention of my name when no- 
ticing this insect, and, as I am naturally anxious to be recorded with himself as one 
of the original captors, I am induced to trouble you with this short note. Every one 
must deplore the unhappy, and I might almost say scurrilous, spirit in which the intro- 
ductory remarks to his paper are written. Surely Mr. Stainton ought to have exer- 
cised his duty as an editor in expunging them. However gratifying to the self-love 
of the author, they cannot fail to be offensive to the many, and must tend to the dis- 
paragement of our science in the eyes of those who hope to pursue its study as a relief 
from the many cares and strifes of daily life. —J. S. Baly ; Kentish Town, December 
22. 1858. : 

Preservation of Colour in Casside. — On looking lately over some foreign beetles 
in a bottle of spirits, I found many specimens of a fine Cassida, which had retained 
their splendid metallic markings, although they had probably been in the spirits seve- 
ral years. When I set some of them, in a few days, all that remained of their former 
brilliancy were dark markings, something like what you sometimes see in portraits 
where the artist had freely used white paint. When I took out my drawer containing 
the English specimens of Cassida nobilis, splendidula, &c., their colour resembled 
that of a seared leaf; and the thought struck me that their metallic beauty might be 
preserved by being placed, when freshly captured, in a fluid in one of the glass slides, 
which contain a well (so called), used for microscopic subjects. I think it would be 
worth a trial, as the coleopterist would be well repaid, if successful, in having his spe- 
.cimens of Casside preserved in their pristine beauty.— W. H. L. Walcott; 11, 
Vyvyan Terrace, Clifton, December, 16, 1857. 

Myrmecophilous Coleoptera captured in the Neighbourhood of Plymouth.—Thiaso- 
phila angulata, Hric., 20 specimens; Dinarda dentata, Grav. (new to Britain), 3; 
Atemeles paradoxus, Grav., 3; A. emarginatus, Payk., 7; Myrmedonia humeralis, 
Grav.,4; M. funesta, Grav., 6; M. laticollis, Maerk., 10; M. canaliculatus, Fab., 
common ; Oxypoda formiceticola, Maerk., 2; Homolota flavipes, Eric., 5; H. anceps, 


XVI. L 


5930 Insects. 


Fric., 2; Leptacinus formicetorum, Maerk., 3; Claviger testaceus, Preyss., 4; Mono- 
toma conicicollis, Awbé, 10; Amphotis marginata, Fub., 2. Myrmedonia funesta 
and Amphotis marginata were taken at Darenth Wood, and I am indebted to Dr. 
Power for the same, for that gentleman took me to one of his favourite nests, where I 
captured the specimens. Mr. E. W. Janson kindly named my captures. —J. J. 
Reading ; Plymouth. 

Occurrence of Chrysomela Banksit in December. — As a proof of the mildness of 
the present season it may be worth while to state that I observed this afternoon seve- 
tal specimens of C. Banksii crawling over the grass, and on the walls of Pendennis 
Castle, near this place. It is an insect, I believe, which is usually more abundant in 
the autumn than during the summer months; for at Killarney, in the South West of 
Ireland, I have been accustomed to capture it commonly in September and October ; 
but to find it thus active within almost a week of Christmas day I cannot but regard 
as most remarkable. Judging, indeed, from the general appearance of vegetation, 
they would appear to have been free from frost in the West of Cornwall, for Fuchsias, 
Hydrangeas and Calceolarias are still in bloom in the gardens; and I remarked the 
dog-violet, abundance of daisies, and a species of wild Geranium and Senecio in the 
open fields about Pendennis.—T7. Vernon Wollaston (on board the ‘ Miranda,’ off Fal- 
mouth) ; December 17, 1857. 

What there is beneath our Noses.— My wish is to draw the attention of all and 
sundry young men who have never bethought themselves about the subject to the won- 
ders which the roadsides, quiet lanes, woods, thickets, moors, or amongst whatsoever 
kind of scenery they may chance to be located, would yield them, if, instead of frit- 
tering away and spending their time without a single thought of seeing into Nature, 
they would only lie in her lap for an odd half-hour at a time, and recount to them- 
selves a few of the many histories which even a couple of yards square of a grassy bank 
furnishes. I feel convinced that one single experiment would astonish them at their 
ignorance. It startled me considerably, some few years ago, when I first heard of 
caterpillars taking up their quarters in leaves of grass, and that they were to be found 
everywhere for looking after ; places where I had lain a thousand times, either resting 
after a day’s hunting, or thrown myself down upon with a friend to enjoy our ottwm 
cum dig., being tenanted by scores of larve mining and working out an existence in 
such narrow houses; yet there they are sure enough, and abundant proofs have been 
shown establishing this fact. Broad-leaved grasses or narrow ones, even like a hair, 
may, on a little examination, be detected occupied by a creature worming its way 
down between the skins, and in some cases so large (as in Elachista cygnipennella) 
that one almost fancies they stretch the grass considerably to find room for their 
bodies. There is no mistaking them when once seen, nor do their jaws ever seem to 
rest. Take a grass so tenanted, mark it at the place where the larva is, leave it for a 
couple of hours or so, and then go back and see the progress. Had it been working 
for a wager, or doing it at so much per yard, it could not have got on faster. Commer- 
cial crises don’t affect them as they do us poor creatures, and out in their natural state 
they never get put upon half-time, although they are to be found on short (grass) com- 
mons as abundantly as anywhere else. The Great Master gives them a piece of work 
to do and they do it, whether it be to work out the natural transformations of the crea- 
ture itself, or as a body on which battens the parasite in its earlier stages. Some of 
them show a decided partiality for a single kind of grass, while others go in wholesale, 
and the larva of the same species is to be found in several kinds. E. albifrontella has 


Insects. 5931 


about as wide a range as any I know, and zonariella seems as fondly attached to the 
rough hair-grass (Aira cespitosa). Adscitella, too, has a peculiar liking for the blue 
moor-grass (Sesleria cerulea), for, although plenty of other grasses grow amongst and 
beside this one, where I find the creature by scores, yet I never found it in any other. 
Each has also its own peculiar manner of working: some merely cut out a channel 
large enough to allow the body to pass down, and others mine the whole width of the 
leaf. The mine of one larva assumes a pinkish tinge, of another brown, and that 
of adscitella is nearly white, and these are the stepping-stones towards the discrimi- 
nation, at first sight, of the different species of larve. Some never venture into the 
stem, others do, the depths of their proceedings being only checked by the roots 
themselves. Then, again, whilst lying looking for these habitations, see the endless 
variety of other creatures which come upon the scene. Numbers of Apions and Sito- 
nas crawl up the leaves, and after a long look at you, as if the sight of such a monster 
was too much for them, they suddenly seem to lose all power over their limbs, and 
drop apparently lifeless to the bottom. Once out of sight, this feigning, however, 
does not last long: up they come again, this time a little more fearless than before; 
and it is only when you make a movement in their direction that they repeat their lit- 
tle piece of juggling. Then there are numbers of Carabide mining about the roots, 
and occasionally Leistus rufescens may be met with running up the stems and leaves 
to have a look round and see what is doing. The Haltice keep hopping about in all 
directions, and “ cocktails,’ as the Staphylinide are politely termed, plunge into all 
sorts of holes and corners should their quiet be disturbed. Ichneumons, too, revel all 
over, in search of some poor unfortunates to act as nurses and be mothers to their fry ; 
and the bugs drop down with a lazy whir-r-r, as if it was taxing their powers too much 
to make them use the appendages given by Nature for transporting them from one 
place to another. Besides these there are spiders of all shapes and sizes, black spi- 
ders and red, gray spiders and brown; some all legs and little or no body, others all 
body and little legs; some with the body as large as the head, and some all body and 
no head; while one little flat fellow has a pair of feelers stretched out in front for all 
the world like a pair of huge lobster-claws, and it seems immaterial to him whether 
he goes backwards or forwards. These are but a few of the many interesting little 
scenes to be met with on any summer’s day and by any one. The great book of Na- 
ture is open to all. Her gifts are alike to each, munificent. There is no stinginess 
on her part; and, indeed, it very often happens that he who knows least about her 
fares best, as if she threw inducements in his way to call him from the forgetfulness 
in which he has hitherto been wrapped to scenes of wisdom, to a very “ fairy land.” I 
don’t ask all to turn butterfly hunters because 1 am one; but I ask them to find some- 
thing todo. Turn over some of Nature’s pages; surely some of them have interest 
for you; so that in after years it may be a sweet recollection to refer to hours and days 
numbered amongst the happiest of your lives. 
** Let Nature be your teacher ; 
Sweet is the love which Nature brings : 


Our meddling intellect 
Misshapes the beauteous form of things.” 


—John Scott ; Southfield Villas, Middlesbro’-on-Tees, December, 1857. 


5932 Notices of New Books. 


NoTIcES oF New Books. 


ee 


‘The Insect Hunters; or, Entomology in Verse’? WUondon: New- 
man. Ils. 6d.. 


* 3 * “ Ballads that 
Speak in tones so plain and childlike, 
Scarcely can the ear distinguish 
Whether they are sung or spoken.” 


From the date of our earliest acquaintance with entomologists and 
Entomology there has been a demand, universal, clamorous, always 
unsatisfied, for a “‘ First Book ;” a book that should induct knowledge 
into the minds of the uninitiated; a book that “ he who runs may 
read.” True we had Kirby and Spence’s ‘ Introduction ;’ but, and we 
say it advisedly, that work really contains no introduction to the 
science. Volumes i. and ii. are, beyond a question, the most de- 
lightful reading that one need wish for ; but we may read them again 
and again, we may digest and appropriate the vast amount of agree- 
able and instructive matter they contain, without stepping over the 
threshold of that temple which may be said to contain the arcana of 
the science. Volumes iii. and iv. are ponderously learned, and, 
shall we venture to say it? totally unadapted for a beginner. To the 
uneducated they are a sealed book, on account of their style and lan- 
grage; to the poor, and it is no disgrace to be poor, they are 
a sealed book, on account of their price; and so true are both these 
positions that we never hear of these two volumes unless some learned 
critic, once in the course of seven years, alludes to them for the pur- 
pose of pointing out some errors of explanation or arrangement which 
he thinks he has detected. The reprint of vols. i. and il. in a con- 
densed form, and at the amazingly low price of five shillings, is 
a boon on the part of Mr. Spence for which we cannot feel too grate- 
ful; this, which in all probability is the last public act of along and 
useful life, will make him as dear to those who succeed us, as his 
truly catholic kindness has made him to all who have enjoyed the 
honour and the pleasure of his personal acquaintance. This cheap 
reprint has recommended Entomology in its most enticing form to 
hundreds who had never before known even the meaning of the word. 
If, therefore, Entomology be a science worthy of study, to Mr. Spence 
alone is due the merit of introducing it to a world of readers totally 


Notices of New Books. 5933 


inaccessible to the more technical and laboured productions of its 
votaries. 

This reprint does not supply, but really seems to suggest, the want 
of a methodical introduction to the science. It shows you a well- 
stocked garden full of luscious fruit and bright flowers: the garden, 
too, is near at hand; you see it clearly and distinctly ; but still there 
is around it a kind of invisible fence, which, while it hides nothing 
within, does not permit one to enter: an entrance-gate is wanting,— 
an entrance-gate that will admit you to the garden, that will meet the 
oft-repeated requiring, “* Oh, how how I should like to know the first 
principles of the science.” The ‘Insect Hunters’ is this entrance- 
gate; it is the very work to satisfy this requiring; and it is one of its 
peculiar merits that it will be as easily understood by the child as by 
the man. ‘The instruction of children is an art, alas! but little un- 
derstood; hence the necessity for such books as these, and hence 
their great value. Children will devour its pages, and thus instruct 
themselves; and parents need not be ashamed to be detected in 
learning from a book bought for their children. Let us never lose 
sight of the fact that we are all children in knowledge with regard to 
the unknown. Indeed, no mistake can be greater than to suppose 
that the hard-headed, thinking man, amid all his pressing avocations 
and cares, desires or requires that knowledge should be presented to 
him in an abstruse or difficult form. The exact converse of this is 
the truth. The chess-player in advancing years contents himself 
with the backgammon board; the mathematician and financier often 
become confirmed novel readers: whether young or old, whether we 
seek instruction or amusement, we like it to be presented to us in the 
easiest and most attractive form. The anonymous author of the ‘ In- 
sect Hunters’ appears to be cognizant of this fact, and has been at infi- 
nite pains to remove from his instructions all that is difficult or repul- 
sive; his work requires no glossary ; it needs no teacher to explain 
its meaning ; it is in itself both glossary and teacher; it explains 
itself. 

The style of the book will be explained to all. who have studied, 
and who has not? Longfellow’s beautiful ‘Hiawatha,’ when we say 
that it is a faithful imitation of that exquisite poem. From the ‘ In- 
troduction’ and ‘ Valediction’ we cite the following passages, simply 
to exemplify the spirit in which the work is written: we leave the 
poetry to speak for itself :— 


~ 


**' Ye who love the face of Nature, 
In the storm or in the sunshine, 


5934 Notices of New Books. 


In the deep shade of the forest, 

On the high and naked mountain ; 

Ye who trace the Maker's finger 

In this world of his creation, 

And look through this bright creation, 

Through these Ios and Edusas, 

These Sybillas and Machaons, 

Through the hosts of minute creatures 

Peopling every blade and blossom, 

Up aloft to Him who made them ; 

Ye whose hearts are fresh and simple, 

And have faith in God and Nature, 

Who believe with all your spirit 

In benevolence eternal, 

Inexhaustible and perfect ; 

Ye who sometimes in your rambles 

Through the green lanes of the country, 

Where the Clematis and brier 

Intertwine their arms in wedlock, 

Pause to drink a draught of pleasure, 

Far apart from all that’s worldly ; 

You I ask to read this Poem, 

Read this short and simple Poem ; 

Ponder oer its peaceful teaching.” 
Introduction, p. 4. 


“ But in learning or instructing, 
In receiving or in giving, 
In that intercourse with mankind 
Into which the path of Science 
Must inevitably lead thee, 
Must most innocently lead thee, 
Mind in all things let the conscience, 
Planted in thy breast by heaven, 
Be thy rule and guide of conduct. 
If through life we yield obedience, 
Cheerful, without hesitation, 
To that everpresent mentor, 
That infallible director, 
Then we find no cause for mourning, 
Vain or unavailing sorrow: 
Memory then, like placid moonbeams, 
Sheds a soft and silvery lustre 
On the days that have departed ; 
Happiness, with smiling features, 
Child of innocent employment, 
Brilliant as the noonday sunshine, 
Lights the now of our existence. 


Notices of New Books. 5935 


Lastly, like this glow of sunset, 

Reddening the westward heaven, 

Prelude of a fair tomorrow, 

Hope illumines the hereafter.” 
Valediction, p. 81. 


“ All this has nothing to do with Entomology.” Granted ; never- 
theless, it accomplishes what we desire: it shows the spirit in which 
the whole is written. We will now give a brief summary of the con- 
tents, selecting a single example of the author’s power of adjusting the 
free and flowing phraseology of verse to the precise requirements of 
accurate description. The first chapter is entitled “the four stages,” 
the egg, larva, pupa andimago. ‘The author represents himself as 
leading by the hand an intelligent little girl eight years of age, and 
showing her the eggs of the vapourer moth ; the caterpillar of Sphinx 
_Ligustri; the chrysalis, in its cocoon, of the lacquey moth; and, 
lastly, as an imago, the common cabbage butterfly. As the two 
insect hunters, old and young, find these, in the course of a short 
walk, the elder explains to the younger all that need be known 
respecting them. The second chapter explains the seeming myste- 
ries of metamorphosis, and the author founds his system on their 
differences. The third chapter describes the tribes of Lepidoptera ; the 
fourth of Diptera; the fifth of Hymenoptera; the sixth of Coleoptera ; 
the seventh of Stegoptera; the eighth of Neuroptera; the ninth of 
Orthoptera; and the tenth of Hemiptera. The names of all the 
tribes terminate in zna, producing a degree of uniformity that assimi- 
lates to that now universally employed in Botany. In giving entire 
the description of one of these tribes, and that perhaps the most 
awkward to deal with, we shall show the manner in which the author 
has mastered them all. We cite the “ Gallflies.” 


“ All the oakapples and inkgalls, 
All the cherrygalls and nutgalls, 
All the bitter Dead Sea apples, 

All the beautiful oakspangles, 

And those freaks of sportive Nature 
Called by children wild mossroses, 
Found in summer in the hedgerows, 
All these, and a hundred others 

Quite as strange, and some far stranger, 
Are the work of puny insects, 

That we always call the Gallflies, 

Or in science Cynipsina. 

These most wonderful formations, 


5936 Notices of New Books. 


Nurseries of Gallfly larve, 
Little white and footless maggots, 
Are not built by skill instinctive 
Of the quiet pent up inmate, 
Or its winged and wandering parent, 
But are merely strange distortions, 
Caused by buoyant sap diverted 
From its true and proper channels ; 
Yet how uniformly fashioned ! 
How alike in size and figure 
Those each kind of fly produces ! 
How unlike to every other ! 
All the Gallflies are small insects, 
With antenne very simple, 
And with bodies flattened sideways, 
And divided in the middle 
Into nearly equal portions, 
Called the abdomen and thorax ; 
And the female has a borer, 
Almost all Gallflies are female, 
With which instrument she pierces 
Leaves or tiny twiglike branches, 
Laying eggs within the fissure ; 
Her clear wings are almost rayless, 
And her feet are all fivejointed.” 

P. 36. 


This will give the readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ a clear conception of 
the plan of the work. All the natural families of insects known in 
Britain are described in this exact manner; and no word, not even 
the familiar “ antenne,” is used for the first time without an accom- 
panying explanation. ‘Thus it is impossible even for those small wits 
whom we so often find purposely mispronouncing a word, in order to 
show how difficult and how unintelligible is Science, —it is impossi- 
ble, we say, even for them to make out their own case. The names, 
owing perhaps to the musical termination, adapt themselves wonder- 
fully to the octosyllabic metre of ‘Hiawatha, which has doubtless 
been adopted on account of the facility with which it may be com- 
mitted to memory. This facility is unequalled, as every one must 
have found who has read the original attentively: it seems to linger 
in the mind that makes no effort to retain it, and to mingle itself with 
our passing thoughts, whatever be their theme. Such an assistance 
is invaluable where so much depends on memory; and we cannot 
doubt that this alone, independent of its higher merits, will render 
the ‘Insect Hunters’ a lasting favourite with all who will con- 


Etymology of the word Mare. 5937 


descend to consider themselves juveniles either in years or know- 


ledge. 
J. G. 


On the Derivation of the English word “ Mare,” as explained by the 
Rev. P. H. Newnham. By Taomas THompson, Ksq. 


I HAVE been much pleased with the Rev. Mr. Newnham’s remarks 
on the etymology of names of animals; but in one instance he seems 
to me to have run into the realms of fancy, both in deriving the word 
mare, a female horse, from the Celtic march, which he says means a 
war-horse (it in fact simply means a stallion), and in the reflections he 
indulges in, arising from what I conceive to be his false derivation of 
the word mare, under the remarks he makes on the horse. 

The truth seems to me to be that our Saxon ancestors had an infe- 
rior breed of horses before the Normans came amongst us with their 
better breed. Hors was the Saxon name of the animal; moere is the 
female’s Saxon name; colt the name of the offspring, both male and 
female, the former being distinguished as a hors colt, as it still is 
amongst our American cousins. When the Normans came and made 
serfs of our Saxon ancestors, the latter, who tended the horses, 
retained their own terms relating to them; but the Normans, the 
gentry of that day, used their own terms, which have descended, for 
the most part, to the upper classes of the present time. Their cheval 
gave the name cavalry to their horse soldiers: those who kept and 
rode horses were chevaliers; but in the instance of the name of the 
animal the Saxon grooms and horse-feeders seem to have come off 
conquerors, and cheval succumbed to horse, which we still use. The 
better breed of Norman horses had probably the same pains bestowed 
on their pedigrees as our modern race-horses have. In that superior 
breed the male was, as at present, called by the Norman term sire 
(the father), the female by the term dam or dame (the lady). Colt 
seems to have then been applied to the male offspring only, dropping 
the compound word horse-colt ; and to the female offspring the Nor- 
man word filly (fille, a daughter) was applied. The dam, when thus 
become a mother, was called by the Norman word mére (a mother), 
now spelt mare, agreeably to the English sound of the French mere. 
This may also have been occasioned by the great similarity of the 
Saxon appellation moere, also signifying a female horse; and it is 

XVI. M 


5938 Etymology of the word Mare. 


singulagythat where the Norman and Saxon words were so much alike 
they did not amalgamate into one common sound; but to this day, in 
Yorkshire and the northern counties, where the Saxon and Danish 
pronunciation of words is still predominant with the lower orders, the 
female horse is, amongst the latter, always spoken of as “the meer ;” 
whilst the upper classes pronounce it “ the mare,” just as our Saxon 
and Norman ancestors respectively did in their day. The Saxon 
word fole (now foal) seems to have kept its ground as a general term 
for the offspring of horses which (after colt had become confined to 
the male) were called, as males, colts or colt-foals, and, as females, 
fillies or filly-foals. 

When we see how naturally the word mare comes from the Norman 
mére and Saxon moere, whence all our other words relative to horses 
are derived, I think we have no occasion to resort to the far-fetched 
word march, Celtic for a stallion (or war-horse if you will), for a deri- 
vation. 

A dray-horse, no doubt, through a number of changes, has its ulti- 
mate root in the words to draw; but its proximate derivation is from 
the horse’s employment in propelling the carriage, used by brewers, 
called “adray:” that word, no doubt, is based on the words 
to draw. 

These remarks, perhaps, are scarcely fit for the ‘ Zoologist;’ but I 
have been led into them by having pen, ink and paper before me 
whilst reading page 5359 of that excellent periodical ; so, being writ- 
ten, I send them. 

THomaAs THOMPSON. 

Hull, January 8, 1858. 


[I may remark that, without the slightest pretension to etymological research, I 
had always considered the French “mére” and English “mare” strictly synonymous 
as applied to the female horse; thus, in France, we continually hear the term mére et 
poulain, “mare and foal,” although our dictionaries give no such expression. I be- 
lieve we shall be quite safe in accepting the English word “ mother” as the meaning 
common to the two. Still the origin of the two words meaning “ mother” may be an 
open question, and I quite incline to agree with Mr. Thompson in discarding the 
word march, or stallion, as that origin.— Edward Newman. | 


Natural-History Collectors. 5939 


Proceedings of Natural-History Collectors in Foreign Countries. 


Mr. Louis Frazer.—Mr. Louis Frazer left England in August last 
to proceed to South America, for the purpose of collecting objects of 
Natural History in the mountain-valleys of the republics of Ecuador 
and Peru. Mr. Frazer left by the West Indian mail steamer on the 
17th of August; arrived off Colon, 10 a.m., on the 9th of September; 
crossed the isthmus next day to Panama by railway * in five hours 
and a half; on the 15th embarked on the Pacific S. N. Co.’s packet 
“New Grenada,” and reached Guayaquil on the 20th at daylight. 
The following are extracts from his letters. 

Guayaquil, September 29.—My boxes are all on board the chatter, 
or large flat-bottomed boat, which will carry them down the Guaya- 
quil river and up the Naranjal. 9 a.m. [ saw Sr. Oreallana, who 
said he was going on board, hastened to get my box, containing 
bread and brandy for the road; by the time I got to the river (not 
more than five minutes) the chatter was well in the river; hailed,— 
no answer. After some delay, secured the captain of the port’s boat, 
and followed. We were gone about two hours, but could not find 
her in the dark. Until one o’clock next morning I was endeavouring 
to hire a boat to follow, but without success. 

30th. Mr. Mocatta and self were hunting all day for a boat; at 
7 P.M. procured one for thirty dollars; at 7.30 P.M. started with 
a strong tide and four oars; at 11 P.M. arrived off the upper end of 
the Island of Puna for the night and tide. 

Oct. 1. 8 a.m. Off the Naranjal river, bar quite dry. Had to wait 
the tide. Some rain. About Puna and up the Naranjal river there 
are magnificent mangrove trees, apparently forming splendid forests ; 
trees thirty and forty feet high and thick in proportion. The Naranjal 
is not more than thirty or forty yards wide anywhere. 3 P.M. arrived 
at the station called Naranjal Port,—it cannot be called a village, as 
it has only one house and two or three miserable huts scattered abont. 
Plenty of birds and lots of filth. On the banks of the Naranjal we 
saw numerous alligators sloping into the water at our approach; but 
there was one party of upwards of twenty-four which never moved; 


* Colonel Totten, the chief engineer and director of the Panama Railway, upon 
hearing who Mr. Frazer was, and the objects for which he was travelling, immediately 
granted him a free pass for himself and his baggage over the railway, thus saving 
him an expense of upwards of £20. 


5940 Natural-History Collectors. 


one or two of them opened their mouths, but I could not hear what 
they said. 

Sr. Oreallana, my cicerone, says the captain of the chatter was 
drunk, and went away without him, and that it cost him four dollars 
for a canoe to overtake her. 

2nd. Planked it for the night, which was very cold. I have a bit 
of a cough and a nasty cold. Much rain. 12 p.m. Started on horses. 
The road was entirely through the bush, with the exception of one 
chocolate plantation, in bad order. Arrived at the town of Naranjal 
at 2.15 p.m. Naranjal is rather large; the houses are built separately 
and on sticks, with split bamboos for walls. The people, for the most 
part, appear dirty, and the place corresponds. All through this 
country they tie pigs up by the neck, as we do dogs. 

3rd. 8 a.M. Having procured mules, we started in pouring rain, 
and I had only white duck trousers on, as I was given to understand 
that the box with my woollen things was gone on ahead. They used 
one of my blankets for a mule-cloth and the other for a saddle-cloth. 
Passed through bush, and arrived at a rancho, kept by a young white 
couple, on the side of a torrent: being wet through, made an ineffectual 
attempt to dry my external clothing. THlalf-past 11 a.m. Rain abated. 
Started again. Crossed the torrent four or five times and over two or 
three ridges; arrived at an open shed called “The Mint,” from a spe- 
cies of wild mint that grows there. We have been travelling in the 
mountains for about an hour after dark: I can only say it was 
not pleasant, the road being bad enough by daylight. Felt as if 
I had ague. 

4th. Took chocolate; Had some little difficulty to make the 
mules take the right direction, and no wonder, for the road was even 
worse than yesterday. Morning cold. Started at 7 a.m. I should 
have stated that “The Mint” was situated on a little plain amongst 
the mountains, with a rivulet running through it. 10 a.m. Arrived at 
Molleturo Pueblo, a pretty valley, with a few Indian huts scattered 
about. Church was going on. In the church the fiddle, drum and 
triangle were playing gaily anything but psalm tunes. After crossing 
two or three water-courses or torrents we arrived at a place called 
Meeweiss at 5 p.M.: this is the best-looking farm or rancho which 
I have seen, having stone walls and wicker fences all round about, 
but the house, as usual, was very miserable. Here we stopped for the 
night. Half-past 5 p.m. A mist or cloud, like a London ‘fog, swept 
quickly through the valley, making almost night of it; with it came a 
very cold wind. 


Natural-History Collectors. 5941 


5th. 6aA.M. Started. Traversed valleys all day, the greater part 
through bog. At a quarter past 2 p.m. this day we stopped at an 
Indian hut, and requested food on payment; this was refused ; there 
was a great war of words; at last Oreallana struck the Indian in the 
face, and I expected a fight would ensue; but no,—the Indian went 
away, and ultimately his wife made us a meal, such as it was. ‘This, 
they tell me, is the usual way of getting what you require ex route. 
During this squabble there were several men and women, travellers, 
looking on, but no one interfered. Some part of this day’s journey 
was very cold, but not so much so as I had been led to expect. The 
mountains here are nearly barren, and have the appearance of gigantic 
Islands of Ascension. Contented myself with two raw eggs and a 
glass of water, which I got at a place called Potosi, and turned in for 
the night. 

6th. Rain in the night: morning beautiful, cool and comfortable. 
Had the pleasure of seeing a longtailed, green-throated humming bird 
flitting from flower to flower, close to the shed in which I slept: the 
male came first, and, when he had been gone some liitle time, the 
female came: this looks like breeding, although they say this is not 
the season. The woman of the hut made me some breakfast, and at 
ten minutes to 9 A.M., started on a pony, and arrived in Cuenca about 
half-past 10 A.M. Why we did not come in last night is more than I. 
can say. The muleteer left me in a house in town, bid me “ adios,” 
and rode off. I had been here about an hour, and was just thinking 
I might remain and starve, when I heard footsteps approaching and 
the sound of English; they proved to be Colonels Talbot and Harris, 
who, having heard of my arrival, had come to see who it was. My 
travelling companion had orders in Guayaquil to introduce me to cer- 
tain persons, but he deserted me last night, so I had to introduce my- 
self, when Colonel Talbot told me that the house I was in was his, and 
that I might remain with him as long as I pleased. And here J am, 
nearly 3000 feet above the sea. Cuenca seems surrounded for miles 
by apparantly well-cultivated farms; the corn is ripe, and for the most 
part cut and carried. 

15th. Went out shooting; but the roads are so intolerably bad that 
I am compelled to give it up until I can procure a mule. Mud, water 
and loose boulders are not pleasant travelling amongst. The re- 
mainder of my boxes arrived. The road from Guayaquil to Cuenca, 
for the most part, may be likened unto travelling up and down deep 
dirty ditches or rucks, with stones stuck in every possible position to 
impede your progress or knock your toes, shins and knees against: 


5942 Natural-History Collectors. 


other portions are open water-courses, either with or without water, 
according to circumstances or seasons; and, even in the more level 
places, which are “few and far between,” the stones seem placed 
on purpose to puzzle the mules to know where to find a footing: the 
ascent is frequently two feet in three: add to this a stone every 
now and then, from 18 to 24 inches in height, to be ascended or de- 
scended according to circumstances. The only wonder to me is how 
the beasts ever managed to get over the road. 

The first day was for the greater part through magnificent forests, 
the trees almost covered with orchids; the second day the trees 
became more stunted, and the orchids not noticeable, but almost every 
hour produced some beautiful flower new to me; the third day was 
through almost barren mountains, at times presenting a view, on 
looking up, of several hundred perpendicular feet of bare rock. I saw 
but few birds and not any mammals er route. 

Cuenca, October 21, 1857. ‘This time I have not much to say. 
I am busy fixing up to join a merchant, who has promised to take me 
with him (I say “ promised,” for, until the thing comes off, I have no 
faith in anybody here) to Gualasio, about twenty-seven miles east- 
ward from here,—a cane country. After a few days’ stay in that 
place, we are to proceed to Gualaquisa, about eighty miles further on 
to the E.N.E., but on the eastern side of the Andes,—a Caskarilla 
country, where [I hope to meet with novelties. In this place I have 
been exceedingly disappointed ; specimens of all kinds are scarce,— 
species still scarcer. I have only obtained about thirty species of 
birds, and these of no great account, although I have been out every 
morning, weather permitting, and have hunted all round the town for 
some four or five miles; moreover, | believe I have nearly all the spe- 
cies to be found here, at any rate at this season. J have only three or 
four Mammalia. I have three or four genera of shells, but only two kinds 
of which I could get any number. Insects are very, very scarce: all 
this perhaps owing to the entire neighbourhood being cultivated. 


Louis FRAZER. 


a 


Note on Mr. Wallace's Travels.—1It appears an object much to be desired by lovers 
of Natural History that (if possible) before Mr. A. R. Wallace returns homeward from 
the Eastern Islands, where he is so zealously pursuing his researches, his attention 
should be directed to Siam. The Fauna of that country is at present quite unex- 
plored, but there is, T think, reason to anticipate that it will richly reward a close sci- 
entific investigation. It is the native land of the (so-called) “ white elephant,” and it 
possesses an extraordinary amphibious fish, which may be seen by persons passing on 


Entomological Society. 5943 


the river, when the soil is wet, gliding over the bank into the jungle. As*yet Siam is 
almost unknown, but several years ago a Mr. Neale published (in, if I recollect rigbt, 
the series styled the “‘ National Library ”’) a little work descriptive of a residence there 
of some duration, and last year produced ‘The Kingdom and People of Siam,’ in two 
vols., by Sir J. Bowring, the result of his official mission thither in his way to China. 
Not only are both these accounts curious from the peculiarities they exhibit, but they 
agree in giving a most interesting and very hopeful view of the present enlightened 
rulers of Siam, who certainly are perfect anomalies among the despotic sovereigns of 
Asia. Neither of the above-named authors is a naturalist, but the latter states that 
the country on both sides of the great central river, the Meinain, to some distance 
above the capital, Bangkok, is generally an impenetrable forest, abounding, however, 
in animals, of which elephants, tigers, deer and monkeys are, I think, especiaily enu- 
merated. The upper portion of the kingdom is more open. Foreigners cannot range 
the country without permission, in obtaining which, however, little difficulty is likely 
to occur (unless the recent treaty and professions of amity prove mere “ moonshine ”), 
and the inhabitants are not hostile to Europeans. Should any fortunate explorer dis- 
cover a white elephant, or even a white monkey, great would be his luck; but to kill 
either would be ruin. Sir J. Bowring considers Siam, as a tropical conntry, very 
healthy. PS.—Mr. Wallace mentions (Zool. 5893—4) the annoyance to himself, and 
the injury to his entomological collection, occasioned by ants and other small insects. 
Very possibly this inconvenience might be prevented by the means found effectual in 
protecting furs from moths, During the Great Exhibition a lady, one of my own 
family, asked the person in charge of the Russian furs how they preserved their wares 
from being damaged, when she was informed that their practice was to distribute 
quills inclosing small quantities of quicksilver among the furs.— Arthur Hussey ; Rot- 
tingdean, January 18, 1858. 


Proceedings of Societies. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


January 4, 1858.—W. Witson SaunDERs, Esq., President, in the chair. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 
donors :—‘ Nota sul genere Opsebius fra i Ditteri Enopidei;’ presented by the Author, 
Achille Costa. ‘The Canadian Journal of Industry, Science and Art, Nn. s., Nos. 11 
and 12; by the Canadian Institute. ‘ Descriptions of eight new Species of Entomo- 
straca found at Weymouth;’ by the Author, John Lubbock, F.G.S. ‘The Zoologist’ 
for January; by the Editor. ‘Memorias de la Real Academia de Ciencias de Ma- 
drid,’ Vol. iv.; by the Academy. ‘The Athenezum’ for December; by the Editor. 
‘The Literary Gazette’ for December; by the Editor. ‘The Journal of the Society of 
Arts’ for December; by the Society. ‘The Insect Hunters; by the Author, Edward 
Newman, F.L.S. ‘The Entomologist’s Annual’ for 1858; by H. T. Stainton, Esq. 


5944 Entomological. Society. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Janson exhibited a root of Monizia edulis, Zowe, from Dezertas Island, near 
Madeira, where it is commonly known as the “wild carrot.” Although brought to 
this country in May, 1857, since which time it had been kept in a dry room, it still 
exhibited traces of vitality, and was infested with a species of Coccus. 

Mr. Waterhouse exhibited to the Meeting his extensive series of the British spe- 
cies of Atomaria. 

Mr. Douglas exhibited a portion of one of the staves of a flour-barrel, perforated 
by the larva of a Rhizopertha, apparently an undescribed species. All the softer por- 
tion of the wood (American oak) was completely eaten away, and considerable leak- 
age and loss of the flour had taken place in consequence. 

Mr. Stevens exhibited some Lepidoptera, lately received from Mr. Bates, taken in 
the neighbourhood of Ega and on the river Janari, Upper Amazons. ~ The collection 
contained Papilio Columbus, P. Bolivar, P. Patros and P. Pausanias, some splendid 
Catagramme and Erycinide, and a number of fine Geometride. The most interest- 
ing portion of the collection, however, was a series of minute Lepidoptera, which had 
arrived in the most perfect state of preservation, and included many most beautiful 
and remarkable species, especially amongst the Pyralidze and Gicophoride. The col- 
lection also contained several species of Pterophoride closely resembling the Euro- 
pean representatives of that family. 

Captain Cox announced his intention to call the especial attention of the Society, 
at the next Meeting, to the fearful ravages committed by the Scolyti on the elm trees 
in the vicinity of the metropolis. 


Mr. Stainton read a “Synopsis of the Genus Elachista.”—£&. S. 


The following paper, by Mr. Janson, was read at the Meeting of July, 1857 :— 


Occurrence of Scolytus rugulosus near London. 


“ §. rugulosus (Koch), Ratzeb. die Forst. Insecten, i. 187 (1837), has been reared 
in considerable nuinbers from the dead branches of a pear tree, gathered by Mr. 
Groves in his garden at Lewisham, and not hitherto recorded as British. The ques- 
tion has been more than once discussed in this room whether the Scolyti attack 
healthy and vigorous trees, or whether they select as a nidus such trees only as are 
already diseased,—whether, in fact, they are the primary or merely an accessory cause 
of the devastation which has been attributed solely to them. Each view has found 
warm and able advocates, but I believe the question still remains open, nor can I 
aspire to close it, but I think, as far as the species now under consideration is con- 
cerned, we may fairly conclude that, under ordinary circumstances, its pabulum con- 
sists of dead wood, since Mr. Groves informs me that it is on the upper dead branches 
alone that the insect is to be found, no trace of it being discernible on any other part 
of the tree; and, in fact, the branches which he has placed in my hands, and from 
which the specimens now exhibited were reared, present every appearance of having 
been destitute of vitality for several years. The present species, however, departs con- 
siderably in habit from that of its congeners which I have had an opportunity of 


Entomological Society. 5945 


studying (destructor, Oliv., intricatus, Ratzeb., and multistriatus, Marsh., Ratzeb.), 
whose larve subsist chiefly on the inner bark, occasionally only attacking the sap-wood 
in their progress, and, when full-fed, assuming the pupa state at the end of the bur- 
tow, or in a very shallow cell excavated in the sap-wood ; whilst, on the other hand, 
the larve of the insect now before us appear to derive their chief sustenance from the 
solid wood, into which they penetrate deeply, the outer surface presenting only faint 
traces of erosion. 

“The genus Scolytus, first instituted by Geoffroy, but to which our continental 
brethren persist in applying the more recent generic appellation of Eccoptogaster, pro- 
posed by Herbst, at present contains upwards of a dozen described European repre- 
sentatives, all of which subsist upon trees indigenous to or generally cultivated in this 
country. Of these five only are at present known to meas natives, viz.,—l. S. Ratze- 
burgii, mihi, Ent. Annual for 1856, p. 87 (destructor, E'ric., Ratzeb., nec Oliv.), fre- 
quenting the birch, and probably confined to the northern portions of our island ; 
2. S. destructor, Oliv., abundantly distributed throughout the southern and central 
portions of England, and which attacks the elm, confining itself, however, to the trunk 
and large limbs; 3. S. multistriatus, Warsh., Ratzeb., also peculiar to the elm, where 
it is occasionally found in company with the preceding, but more generally alone and 
in the small branches; 4. S. intricatus, Raizeb., a denizen of the oak, and, according 
to my experience, attacking the branches only; 5. S. rugulosus, Ratzeb., the species 
now before you, and which, as we have seen, inhabits the smaller branches of the pear 
tree; on the Continent, Ratzeburg informs us, it occurs in plum and apple trees. 
Ratzeburg (l. c.) has thus divided the genus :-— 


§ 1. Abdomen beneath, in at least one of the sexes, with tubercles or teeth. 
§ 2. Abdomen beneath without tubercles or teeth. 


Of the ascertained British species, Ratzeburgii, destructor and multistriatus pertain 
to the first section, intricatus and rugulosus to the second. S. rugulosus may be at 
once distinguished from its near ally (intricatus) by its smaller size, deeper, coarser 
and rugulose sculpture, and by the punctures on the interstices of the elytra, arranged 
in regular rows, being of equal depth and size with those of the true or normal strie ; 
in rugulosus, moreover, the apex of the elytra is usually more or less broadly red. I 
would further remark that the beautiful series of specimens, which I owe to the kind 
forethought of Mr. Groves, has enabled me to determine a solitary individual in Mr. 
Wollaston’s collection, taken by that gentleman, several years since, at St. Neot’s, and 
which has long caused me much perplexity, but which I have now no doubt is refer- 
rible to the S. rugulosus. In conclusion, I would earnestly recommend this genus to 
the careful attention of my brother entomologists, as offering an ample field not only 
for the discovery of new species and the augmentation of their collections, but for elu- 
cidating a question of vast importance to the community at large, and to which I have 
already adverted.” 


At the Meeting of November, 1857, Mr. F. Walker read the following 


Notes on Aphis Quercus. 


“ Having lately taken a few specimens of the Aphis Quercus of Linneus, I beg 
leave to offer to the Entomological Society a few notes on that species. It was first 
discovered by Mr. Ingall, in 1847, on an oak at Dulwich; Mr. Smee found it soon 


XVI. N 


5946 Entomological Society. 


afterwards at High Beech, in Epping Forest; and about a month ago, when I hap- 
pened to meet him, he told me that he had just observed it on an oak at St. George's - 
Hill, Weybridge. He kindly directed me to the spot, and after some search I found 
the oak tree by a foot-path in the wood, and in the neighbourhood there were two 
other oak trees also-infested by the Aphis. The presence of the latter is detected by 
the numbers of the black ant which come to feed on the honey, and whose multitudes 
much add to the trouble of extracting the Aphis, for its body is so soft, and its rostrum 
is buried so deeply in the bark, that it must be cut out of the tree carefully, in order 
to avoid crushing it. I then wrote to Mr. Ingall, and asked him some questions 
respecting the structure of the rostrum, and he with much kindness lent me all the 
specimens which he had preserved in Canada balsam, fifty-five in number, and his 
MS. notes, from which I have extracted nearly all the following observations. 


“THe MALE. 


“This is apterous, like the males of many other species of Aphis, and appears 
about the beginning of October, and continues till November. It is less than one- 
fourth of the size of the female, and about twice the size of the egg (which is large), 
and has no appearance of any mouth either in the young or in the adult state. In 
other species of Aphis the mouth has a like structure in both sexes. 


“Tur WINGED FEMALE. 


‘* This lives early in the year, and seems to be scarce. It does not possess the long 
rostrum which distinguishes the following form, and is very different from it in 


appearan ce. 
x 


“THE WINGLESS FEMALE 


has a rostrum which is more than twice the length of the body, and in the young 
insect is more than four times the length of the body. It seems to be quite distinct 
from the true mouth, which possesses three extremely slender sete (the middle one 
double) ; these are received into the groove of the rostrum or tube, and rather exceed 
itin length. The rostrum is fitted into a ‘sac at the base of the lower lip, which sac 
probably extends nearly the length of the body ;’ it can be folded? and is often con- 
tracted to half its usual length, and more rarely to one-fourth of its usual length, and 
may be seen retracted within the body to the base of the fore legs, or to the base of 
the hind legs, or even to the tip of the abdomen. The joints, also, of the rostrum can 
be withdrawn one within another, like the parts of a telescope, and the whole appara- 
ratus is peculiarly adapted for the extraction of the sap of the oak between the rugged 
clefts of the bark. The eggs are deposited in October and November. 


“I will endeavour to make further observations on this species during next-year, 
and hope that in the meanwhile some person will kindly undertake to dissect it, in 
order to ascertain fully the structure of the rostrum, and how it is received into the 
body.” 


Northern Entomological Society. S947 


NorRTHERN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
December 26, 1857.—B. Cooke, Esq., in the chair. 


Election of Members. 


Mr. John Sang, of Darlington, and Mr. T. Wilkinson, of Scarborough, were 
elected Members. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. N. Cooke, on behalf of Mr, Archer, Surgeon of the “ Great Britain” steamer, 
exhibited a box of Australian Lepidoptera, principally Sphingide and Bombycide, 
captured by Mr. Archer during his last journey. 

The Secretary, on behalf of Mr. Brewer, of Reigate, exhibited a box of Coleoptera, 
in which were six Cicindela germanica, Tarus axillaris, Callistus lunatus, &c. 

Mr. Carter exhibited a dark-coloured variety of Arctia Caja, in fine condition; a 
perfectly brown variety of Halia wavaria; a malformed specimen of Hydrophilus 
piceus, with a spine on the right side of the prothorax ; a specimen of Monvhammus 
Sutor, and another of M. Dentator, taken at Manchester this season; and lastly, 
a specimen of Clytus erythropus, a Mexican species, which has been found in 
Manchester. 

Mr. Carter then called attention to a copy of ‘ Fabricia Entomologica,’ written by 
his friend Mons. H. Jekel. He strongly recommended it to the members, and 
requested their Secretary to note its title, which is as follows: ‘ Fabricia Entomologica ; 
par H. Jekel, Membre de plusieurs Sociétés Savantes Nationales et Etrangers, Paris 
Autographie Typomorphe de l’Auteur, 17, Rue des Saint Peres, 1854.’ 

Mr. Almond exhibited a specimen of Phibalapteryx gemmaria, captured on a lamp 
at Birkenhead, October 14, 1857; the specimen was in beautiful condition: the 
Secretary observed this was the fourth specimen which had been taken near Birkhen- 
head ; two by Mr. Diggles, in Walker’s Lane, in June, and one by Mr. Brockholes, in 
poor condition, at the end of July or in August, the exact locality not known; these, 
with one taken by Mr. Greening, near Warrington, in June, were all he had seen 
taken in the North. He then exhibited Heliothis armigera, taken at Bromborough on 
the 15th of November last, and a specimen of Phragmatobia Menthastri, taken 
on the 14th of October: it was observed that several early species had appeared 
during the past autumn, quite out of the regular course: this led to a discussion on 
double-broodedness ; the result of which was that several species supposed to be double- 
brooded were proved to be continuous appearances, since in most of the species con- 
sidered double-brooded, larve of all sizes and the perfect insect on the wing could be 
taken on the same day. Mr. Greening and Mr. Cooper observed that from Notodonta 
Jarve, taken in August and September, they have had a constant succession of perfect 
insects coming out in their cages from spring to autumn. 

The Secretary exhibited a box of insects from Mr. Machin, of Globe Fields, 
London, in which were beautiful specimens of Laverna Raschkiella and Laverna 
conturbatella. He also exhibited a box from Mr. Wilkinson, of Scarborough, princi- 
pally Micro-Lepidoptera, the most interesting species among which were Lithocolletis 
Amyotella, irradiella and Nicella, Bucculatrix cidariella, Demaryella and cristatella, 


5948 Northern Entomological Society. 


Nepticula angulifasciella, Tityrella and subbimaculella, Trifurcula immundella, 
Laverna propinquella, Gelechia acuminatella and viscerella, Coleophora troglodytella, 
murinipennella and juncicolella, and a magnificent specimen of Stigmanota lunulana, 
all taken or bred by himself this season. 

The Secretary then exhibited a box from Mr. Dutton, of Hammersmith, in which 
were two fine specimens of Nonagria geminipuncta, taken last summer, observing that 
it was generally represented by dealers that this species was exterminated at Hammer- 
smith Marshes, but such was not the fact; a series of Acentropus niveus taken by E. 
Brown, of Burton-on-Trent, on the river Trent, where Potomogeton pectinatus 
was plentiful, and a dozen Pterophorus lithodactylus taken by himself near Heabone ; 
anda box from Mr. Reading, of Plymouth, in which were four of the finest speci- 
mens of Heliophobus hispidus: also a box in which was Glea erythrocephala, which 
Mr. N. Cooke observed had very little resemblance to the continental specimens of this 
species in his cabinet of European Lepidoptera, but it was remarked in Mr. Reading's 
letter that it represented the variety glabra of Duponchel, as did also the specimen 
taken by Mr. Cooke, of Brighton. 

An interesting discussion ensued upon the necessity or advisability of naming 
varieties, the Rev. H. H. Higgins contending for it, and being opposed by other 
members. The Secretary produced a series of varieties in his cabinet to show how 
useless such a course would be, as the same variety could rarely, if ever, occur again ; 
in some genera the Rev. Dr. Hume observed, perhaps it was advisable only to name 
permanent varieties: this led to the old question of what is a species? and many 
scientific and some humorous remarks resulted, the question remaining open for 
further discussion at another time. 

Then followed the exhibition of two More boxes from Mr. Reading containing 
Coleoptera: in the first was a beautiful pair of Melve brevicollis and a fine pair of 
Carabus intricatus ; the most interesting species in the second box were Drypta emar- 
ginata, Leistus montanus, Elaphrus lapponicus, Panageus quadripustulatus, Chlenius 
holosericeus, Stenolophus elegans, H ydroporus marginatus, &c. 

The Secretary then exhibited a box of Lepidoptera, collected in Australia by Mr. 
Diggles, and sent as a present to his friend Mr. Warrington. Amongst them were 
representatives of the following British genera: Satyrus, Polyommatus, Eulepia, 
Sphinx, Procris, Euthemonia, Stauropus, Phragmatobia, Agrotis, Pyralis, Asopia, 
Chlorochroma, Coremia and Acidalia; Peronia was well represented, one species 
nearly allied to, if not identical with, our comparana; Sericoris, Eupoecilia, Xantho- 
setia, Cochylis and Tortricodes; in Tineina, Lampronia, Anesychia, Tinea and two 
species of plumes, one allied to our bipunctidactylus, and the other to our pentadac- 
tylus, but smaller. 

After which was exhibited for Mr. Constantine, of Blackburn, a large box 
of Geodephaga, captured by him in Lancashire, illustrative of a paper upon specific 
differences, which was afterwards read for him by the Secretary. 

In the genus Trechus, discus, micros, lapidosus and rubens were sent: a number of 
Pterostichus, including P. Aithiops; P. orinomus and nigrita were also sent to illustrate 
the paper, as were Amara orichalcica, rufocincta, brunnea, &c.; and among the Bem- 
bidia were rufescens, femoratum, bruxellense, lunatum, decorum, stomoides, monticu- 
lum, prasinum, pallidipenne, &c., forming a series well worthy of attention. Mr. 
Constantine also sent a copy of a list of British Rhynchophora (Walton’s Nomenclature), 
which he had got printed to facilitate exchanges. 


te 


Northern Entomological Society. 5949 


Mr. Gregson exhibited Eupithecia helveticata, bred from a pupa presented to him 
by Mr. Wilson, of Edinburgh, and the pupa-case of the same; the perfect insect 
appeared on the 23rd of December, having been kept in a warm room. After which 
he exhibited six specimens of Pterophorus Loewii, Zell., taken at Southport, 
principally by Mr. and Mrs. Davis. | 

It was observed, whilst on the subject of new species, that it often happened that 
what were thought new species by one person were well known to others; and the 
President remarked this was the case with Mr. Edleston’s Nepticula Myrtilli, he 
having had it in his cabinet for years, from Pettypool Wood, Delamere Forest. 
A member observed here was a singular instance of neglect to name and describe an 
insect, for fear it might possibly have been named in some out-of-the-way place or 
other, whilst it was well known we had not anything like it in our British lists; and 
also of anxiety to name, as expressed in Mr. Edleston’s note in the ‘ Zoologist,— 
this species having actually been named before it was bred or seen by the namer. 

Mr. N. Cooke brought a box of Zygena Minos for distribution among the visitors 
and members. 


Reports of the Society's ‘ Proceedings.’ 

The Secretary read letters from a number of gentlemen who were desirous of seeing 
the Proceedings of the Northern Entomological Society published regularly in the 
‘Zoologist;’ they were under the impression that the Society met monthly and that 
the Secretary had neglected to forward the reports. He had replied to them that the 
Society met only once in the quarter. 

The Secretary also read a letter from the Rev. J. Greene, requesting him to for- 
ward the reports to the ‘ Naturalist’ as well as to the ‘ Zoologist.’ In submitting this 
question to the Meeting, he (the Secretary) observed that he did not keep a clerk, and 
that he had such extensive correspondence amongst naturalists generally that, unless 
the Meeting particularly wished it, he would rather not comply with the request. 
The-subject was then allowed to drop. 


The following paper, by Mr. W. L. Constantine, of Blackburn, was then read by 
the Secretary :— 


On Specific Distinctions. 


‘“T now send you my paper upon the differences of the allied species of Coleoptera 
of which I have sent specimens, and from the want of a knowledge of which I have in 
several instances found the more rare species placed among the allied common species. 
As my principal aim is to enable the coleopterist to recognise them when out 
collecting, and thus prevent waste of time, I have endeavoured to show the most 
prominent differences, some of which can generally be observed even whilst the little 
creatures are struggling to regain their freedom. I have not in all cases drawn the 
comparisons between the nearest allied species, but between the most closely allied 
species which I have taken in Lancashire and sent in the box. All the statements 
with respect to the rarity or otherwise of the species referred to apply only to my own 
observations in this country. If I have failed to make myself understood, it may 
arise from want of practice, for though I find no difficulty in separating any of the 
species sent, I find great difficulty in transferring my observations to paper, so leave 
the matter in your hands. | 


5950 Northern Entomological Society. 


“ Dyschirius nitidus, D. salinus and D.globosus. These three species are very 
distinct, and cannot be confounded with each other. Banks of Ribble. 

“ Dyschirius impunctipennis ? and D. thoracicus in general form resemble each 
other, but are easily distinguished by the anterior tibiz: in the first, they have externally 
two very obsolete teeth, and the external spine at the extremity is incurved ; whereas, in 
D. thoracicus, they are externally very acutely dentate, and the terminal spine is curved 
outwardly. There are other differences, but these are quite sufficient to separate them 
at sight. D.thoracicus is common on the coast below Preston. D. impunctipennis? 
may be taken by scraping the sand where small burrows are seen in the damp 
bottoms, amongst sand hills at Wallasey on our coastin May: these burrows are 
best seen after rain, when the sun has dried the raised sand, which it does in a few 
minutes: they will be found close to the surface. Here also will be found the hitherto 
scarce, but here abundant, staphyline, which seems to be the principal food of 
the Dyschirius: on disturbing one of the burrows in which are both insects, the 
Dyschirius seizes the staphyline in his mouth, and then looks vastly like an aut 
carrying its load. 

“ Pterostichus Avthiops. This species may be distinguished from small specimens 
of P. madidus by the form of the elytra, which are narrowed in front and dilated ; 
behind the middle; whereas in D. madidus they are as nearly oval as possible; the 
difference is best seen on the under side. Scarce. Pleasington and Revidge, near 
Blackburn, in March. 

*“* Pterostichus orinomus. This species, at first sight, resembles P. nigrita very 
much, but is readily distinguished by the elytra being obliquely sinuated and narrowed 
at the apex; it has also five or six deep impressions irregularly placed on the third 
interstice, but P. nigrita has only three, and they are not so deeply impressed as in 
P.orinomus. I have only met with it on the moors near Accrington, where it appears 
to be very scarce. 

“ Amara orichalcica, A. brunnea and A. rufocincta belong to the section with legs 
and antenne entirely red, but are the only species which have the margins of the 
thorax red. JD. orichalcica is easily distinguished by the apex of the elytra being 
testaceous. ‘There is no perceptible difference between A. brunnea and A. rufocincta; 
the distinction is said to be in the form of the mentum: as we cannot dissect in the 
fields, it is best to take all; it is probable they will eventually be united as one species. 
I took a pair of A. orichalcica running on the foot-path near some gardens in Black- - 
burn. The A. brunnea or A. rufocincta in the box is the only specimen I have taken. 
Near Preston. 

“ Trechus Discus and T. micros. T. micros is much duller coloured than T. Discus: 
it is also narrower in proportion to its smaller size, and the dark patch on the elytra is 
never distinctly defined; in A. Discus the dark patch is always conspicuous. Both 
generally distributed on the banks of the river Ribble, but rather scarce. 

“ Trechus rubens is easily distinguished by its general darker colour, &c. Banks 
of the river Darwen. Scarce. 

“ Trechus lapidosus is easily distinguished by its larger size and flatter and broader 
elytra. Banks of river Ribble. Very scarce. 

“ Bembidium rufescens is easily distinguished. Not uncommon. Banks of river 
Ribble. 

“ Bembidium bruxrellense and B. femoratum. These species are very closely allied: 
in B. bruxellense the thorax is broader, and the fovee much larger, with the space 


Northern Entomological Society. 5951 


between them distinctly punctate; the elytra are wider and the sides more rounded ; 
the punctured strie deeper, and the spots are generally smaller and more obscure; the 
antenn have one basal joint entirely, and merely the base of some of the following 
ones, red, whilst B.femoratum has two joints red. B. bruxellense occurs on the banks 
of the Ribble and Morecambe Bay. 8B. femoratum generally distributed. 

“* Bembidium lunatum is easily recognised by its large size and semilunate 
testaceous-red spots at the apex of the elytra. Banks of Ribble. Not uncommon. 

““ Bembidium decorum is easily distinguished by its very elongate form. Banks of 
Ribble. Rather scarce. 

“ Bembidium stomoides, This species may be recognised by its similarity in form 
to Stomis pumicatus, whence its name. First introduced into the British Fauna in 
Dawson’s ‘ Geodephaga Britannica.’ Locality, Cumberland. I have taken it on Ly- 
tham Sands, and banks of Ribble. 

‘¢ Bembidium monticulum. This species may be separated from any of the green 
section by its elytra being so very much broader than the thorax, which is small in 
proportion. Banks of the Ribble; generally distributed. 

“ Bembidium affine. Very closely resembles B. nitidulum, but may be dis- 
tinguished by its palpi being entirely testaceous, whereas in B. nitidulum the penulti- 
mate joint is brown; in B. affine all the joints of the antenne are longer, the thorax 
shorter and more square, and the elytra broader and more rounded on the sides, 
Ribble banks; either scarce or overlooked. 

“ Bembidium prasinum. This species is soon distinguished from B. tibiale by the 
striz on the elytra not being punctured, and by its much wider thorax; the legs are 
also wholly black. Banks of the river Ribble; few specimens captured.” 


The following paper was then read, by the Author, Mr. B. Cooke :— 


On Classification. 


“ Mr. Dallas, in his ‘ Elements of Entomology, after stating his reasons for the 
adoption of the Cibarian system of classification in his work, says (p. 58), ‘ But, for 
my own part, I must confess that I think the adoption of the metamorphosis as the 
foundation of the arrangement of insects leads to a more philosophical result.’ Coin- 
ciding with Mr. Dallas in this view, the object I had in the present paper was to 
carry out this system of arrangement, and to endeavour to show that the orders of 
insects follow one another in a more natural and regular course than in the system of 
classification which is founded on the structure of the mouth. 

‘It struck me, however, that a short review of the subject of classification gene- 
rally, not merely of insects but of all animated nature, would be an important step in 
the inquiry. The object of all classifiers has been to arrive at a natural system; and, 
as Nature is said to be formed on a plan, it seems to me that there ought to be one 
and the same plan throughout in the arrangement of each class of animated beings. 
The plan which will be here advocated is simply this, — to begin with the highest de- 
velopment, and proceed in regular gradation to the lowest; to commence each class, 
each order and subdivision, each family, each genus, with that animal which should 
hold the highest rank in its respective group; to proceed from the most powerful down 
to the most defenceless, from the most noble to the meanest ;— care being taken to 
associate together those which have a close affinity throughout the various stages of 
their existence. 


5952 Northern Entomological Society. 


“It is obvious that carnivorous animals, those which prey upon others belonging to 
the same order as themselves, will possess the highest development; their muscular 
powers in proportion to their size, their strength of bone and of jaws, and their agility, 
are all necessarily greater than those of animals which they have to subdue and subsist 
upon. The predaceous tribes, then, in each class and order, whenever such exist, 
should be placed at the head. Thus in the Mammalia, the lion, the tiger, the 
leopard, &c.; in the Birds, the eagles and falcons, will claim the highest rank; and, 
indeed, such is the position, or nearly so, commonly assigned to them. 

“ Well, then, having suggested the mode of beginning, which is as much as can 
conveniently be done in a paper of this kind, let us proceed to examine the adopted 
arrangements of the orders of Insects inhabiting Britain. : 

“ Coleoptera. In the order Coleoptera, our English authors are agreed in com- 
mencing with the Geodephaga, and in placing at the head of this tribe the family 
Cicindelide; predaceous beetles, diurnal, with strong jaws, and gifted with superior 
powers for flying andrunning. The manner in which the arrangement of this order is 
carried out is in tolerable accordance with our plan; the principal deviation from it 
being, in the position assigned to the Staphylinide by Stephens. 

“ Lepidoptera. The order Lepidoptera contains no truly predaceous insects ; but 
there is no difference in opinion, in assigning the first rank to the Rhopalocera, at the 
head of which stand, undoubtedly in their true position, the Papiliones. The other 
groups follow one another in natural order from the highest to the lowest, the position 
of the Pyrales being perhaps the most in dispute. 

“ Tt appears, then, as if the plan here advocated was the identical plan on which is 
based the arrangement of the above two orders of insects. Let us, however, examine 
the remaining orders, and we shall see a variance, unaccountable, perhaps, unless on 
the supposition that attempts have been made to connect the head of one order with 
the tail of another; thus destroying the harmony which might otherwise subsist in the 
arrangement of the component parts of each, and the relative position which these 
parts or subdivisions might hold, compared with those in the vertebrate animals. 
Proceeding to the order 

“« Hymenoptera. Stephens, in his‘ Catalogue, commences with the Tenthredinide 
and ends with the Cynipide ; Curtis in his ‘Guide, Westwood in his ‘ Modern Clas- 
sification, and the British Museum Catalogue, each commence with the Tenthredi- 
nide and end with the Apide ; the species of this family which is placed last being 
the hive-bee. Surely an insect which has commanded the admiration of naturalists 
in all ages, for its wonderful instinct and economy, and its utility to man in furnishing 
him with wax and honey, should deserve a higher position than the very bottom 
of such an extensive order as the Hymenoptera. But we may suppose here that an 
attempt has been made to reduce to practice the circular system of McLeay, and that 
the circumference of the circle has been cut between the Apide and Tenthredinida, 
so as to allow it to fall into a straight line; but if this be the case, is not any entomo- 
logist at liberty, for the purpose of arranging his collection, to cut the circle at any 
part of the circumference that he pleases? And might not a better starting point be 
found with the Vespide or Formicide than with the Tenthredinide, which are harm- 
less to other insects ? 

“ Diptera. Mr. Walker, in the ‘ Insecta Britannica,’ begins with the Pulicide and 
ends with the Nycteribide. This looks something like another attempt at the circular 
system. Of the family Asilide, he says, ‘These flies are all carnivorous, and are the 


Northern Entomological Society. —  —- 953 


most powerful and generally the largest of the Diptera: they destroy Coleoptera and 
Hymenoptera, as well as insects of their own class. Mr. Walker isa good authority, 
and if we ought to arrange this order, in conformity with the arrangement of 
the Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, and with that of the vertebrate animals, we now know 
where to begin; but it would be just as rational to place a rat at the head of 
the Mammalia, as a domestic nuisance like the flea at the head of the Diptera. 
Stephens divides this order into three: Ist, Diptera; 2nd, Homaloptera, containing 
the families Hippoboscide and Nycteribide ; and 3rd, Aphaniptera, the single family 
Pulicide. He commences his Diptera with the Culicide and concludes with the 
Muscide, placing the genus Lonchopteryx at the end. Curtis and Westwood 
separate only the Pulicide into a distinct order, both, however, placing it first, and 
ending the Diptera with the Homaloptera of McLeay and Stephens. Comparing 
their arrangements of the order as restricted by Stephens, both commence with 
the Culicide the same as he does; Curtis ends with the Phoride, Westwood with the 
(Estride. In the arrangement of the families and of the genera in the family Mus- 
cide our authors widely differ. 3 

“‘ Neuroptera and Trichoptera. Here Stephens, Curtis and Westwood, agree in 
making two orders ; but in the British Museum Catalogue these are united under the 
appellation Neuroptera; the insects constituting the Trichoptera of the above authors, 
being neither placed first nor yet last. Stephens commences the Neuroptera with the 
Boreide and Panorpidae, and concludes with the Perlide. Curtis begins with the 
Libellulide, and ends with the Perlide. In Westwood’s arrangement the Psocide 
are the first, and the Raphidiide the last, of the British families. In the 
British Museum list, the order including the Trichoptera, is begun with the 
Psocide and terminated with the Perlide. If we place at the head of the Neu- 
roptera the most powerful and active of the predaceous insects belonging to it, there 
can be no difficulty in the selection ; Curtis is the only one of our authors who places 
the dragon-flies in that position. 

‘¢ Orthoptera. The British species belonging to this order are few in number. They 
may be divided into five families, and arranged thus: Blattide, Forficulide, Ache- 
tide, Gryllide and Locustide. There are two other families which are not British ; 
the Mantide, which are predaceous; and the Phasmide, which are probably the 
lowest group of the order. Curtis separates the Forficulide and Blattide, each into 
distinct orders; then follow Achetidew, Gryllide and Locustide. Stephens and 
Westwood separate the Forficulide only. The latter author agrees with Curtis in the 
arrangement of the families, whilst Stephens nearly reverses it. 

“ Hemiptera. Stephens begins with the Cimicide, and ends with the Noto- 
nectide. The latter are predaceous insects, and Curtis and Westwood place them at 
the head of the order: they both terminate it with the Pentatomide ; but these do 
not appear to be near the lowest group. 

“ Homoptera. Stephens and Westwood place the Cicadidx first and the 
Coccide last. Stephens introduces the Thripide here, which Westwood places in an 
order by themselves at a gréat distance from this. Curtis also introduces the 
Thripidae, but, placing the Homoptera before the Hemiptera, he just reverses the posi- 
tion of the families, beginning with the lowest group and ending with the highest. 

‘“‘ Having now taken a cursory review of the commencement and termination 
of each order, in the adopted methods of arrangement, and seen the great want 

of some fixed plan applicable to all, let us turn our attention to the relative position 


XVI. O 


5954 Northern Entomological Society. 


to be assigned to the orders themselves, based on the nature of the metamorphosis, 
progressing in each division from the highest rank to the lowest. 

“On this system I shall adopt the classification proposed by Mr. Dallas, 
with but little other alteration than the sinking of the minor orders. 

“‘ The class Insecta, then, will be divided into three sections: — 


“J. MEerasoxa. — Insects undergoing a metamorphosis which is termed complete; 
the pupa unable to take food, and being for the most part quiescent. This 
section comprises 


Order 1. Coleoptera. 
2. Hymenoptera. 
3. Diptera. 
4. Lepidoptera. 
5. Trichoptera. 


“II. Hemimeraspota. — Metamorphosis semicomplete; the pupa being active and 
able to feed. This comprises 


Order 6. Neuroptera. 
7. Orthoptera. 
8. Hemiptera. 
9. Homoptera. 


“III. AmeraspoLta.— Without metamorphosis, undergoing only a change of skin; 
comprising the apterous insects called spring-tails, lice, and bird-lice. 


Section I. 


“1. Coleoptera. Westwood says, ‘This order comprises the extensive tribes of 
beetles, and, in respect to the size of some of these insects, or the number of individual 
Species, must be regarded as occupying the foremost rank amongst insects.’ The 
pupa is covered by a thin skin, through which the limbs are visible. 

“2. Hymenoptera. In the preparatory states, and the mandibulated mouth of the 
perfect insects, this order has a close affinity with the Coleoptera. The larve of the 
Tenthredinide, however, make an approach to those of the Lepidoptera. 

“3. Diptera. As one reason for placing the Diptera next, observe what Westwood 
says, in speaking of the Hymenoptera: ‘It seems to be admitted on all hands that 
the insects, which are the real analogues of the present order, exist in the Dipterous 
order, almost every Hymenopterous group having its representative in the latter. 
Mr. McLeay has also noticed the apodal structure of the larve as analogous in both 
orders.’ There are two forms of pupa among the Diptera, the extricated and the ob- 
tected; the former most resembles the pupa of the Lepidoptera ; in the latter the skin 
of the larva is not shed, but hardens and forms, as it were, a cocoon. The pupez of 
the Culicide and Chironomide are aquatic and are active ; but their movements are 
not by means of legs, and differ totally from those of the pupe of insects belonging to 
the second section. 


“4, Lepidoptera. The position here given to this order is partly explained above. 


Northern Entomological Society. 5955 


There are no predaceous insects among them. Their larve differ more on the whole 
from those of the first and second orders than the larve of the Diptera do. The per- 
fect insects are inferior in strength; in the parts of the mouth, and in the legs 
especially. | 

“5, Trichoptera. In this order I propose to include the following principal 
groups: 1. Panorpide ; 2. Raphidiide ; 3. Hemerobide; 4. Sialide ; 5. Phryganide. 
The term Trichoptera, however, is only partially applicable. Too little is known of 
the transformations of these groups to rest satisfied in regard to their true position. 
The pupe are said to be inactive during the greater period of their existence, 
but some of them acquire sufficient strength, previous to their change, to creep into 
a position suitable to effect it. 

“ In reviewing the above arrangement of the five orders in this section, and taking 
a general survey of each, there may be observed a gradation from a hard-bodied, 
strong, and well-defended insect, to a soft-bodied, weak, and defenceless one. 


Section II. 


‘With regard to the arrangement of the orders in this section, it may perhaps be 
sufficient to say, that the first and second, the Neuroptera and Orthoptera, are mandi- 
bulate, and the other two suctorial. The Neuroptera comprise a wide range 
of insects; the Libellulide being highly predaceous, powerful and active, whilst the 
Ephemeride are short-lived and feeble. The order Homoptera contains several 
families of insects having a particularly low organisation. 

“It remains now to compare the Cibarian system of classification, or that founded 
on the structure of the mouth, which, having been adopted by our leading English 
authors, has hitherto obtained general favour in this country. The great objection to 
this system is, that orders are thereby separated which otherwise have a close 
relationship. Thus, the Diptera are placed at a distance, more or less remote, from 
the Hymenoptera; whilst the Hemiptera and Homoptera are separated from the 
Orthoptera by several orders having little relation to either ; the intervention of the 
Lepidoptera being particularly out of place in a system aiming to be a natural one. 
Even among the mandibulate section the Hymenoptera are removed to some distance 
from the Coleoptera, to which they have a closer relationship than the orders that 
intervene. 

“1 will not contend that a system of classification founded on the nature of the 
metamorphosis alone will be perfect ; but I maintain that, compared with the Cibarian 
system, ‘it leads, as Mr. Dallas says, to a more philosophical result.’” 


On the conclusion of the paper, the President was requested to leave the chair, 
when the Rev. Henry H. Higgins was called thereto, and a vote of thanks given by 
acclamation to the President for his valuable and interesting paper. On the 
resumption of the chair by the President, a vote of thanks was carried to all the 
gentlemen who had so handsomely contributed to the pleasure and instruction of the 
members and visitors present ; and it was moved by Mr. McKeonce and seconded by 
Mr. Cooper, that a special vote of thanks be tendered to Mr. Reading, of Plymouth, 
for his magnificent and valuable exhibition, sent at a great risk; and to Mr. Con- 
stantine, of Blackburn, for his kindness in exhibiting his addition to the Fauna 
of Lancashire, &c., and for his very useful and interesting, though. far too short 
paper, on “ Specific Distinctions.” 


5956 Dublin Asseciation. 


Mr. Greening observed that he had adopted the President’s plan of arrangement 
in his recent re-arrangement of the insects in the Warrington Museum, to which 
institution he is Honorary Curator.—C. S. G. 


Dusiin UnNIvERSIry ZOooLoGIcaAL AND BoranicaL ASSOCIATION. 


December 18, 1857.—W. H. Harvey, M.D., F.L.S., V.P., in the chair. 


Dr. M‘Donnel read a very elaborate and interesting paper on ‘“ The Electric 
Powers of the Actiniade.” The species which the author found to develope most 
electricity was the common smvoth anemone (Actinia Mesembryanthemum) of our 
coasts; the galvanascope used was the lumbar nerves of the common frog, and the 
experiments were conducted with the greatest care. The lumbar vertebre were care- 
fully detached from the pelvis, which with the limbs were placed on a piece of board 
floating on the surface of the water, the vertebre being allowed to hang over the edge. 
On these being seized by the anemone the legs of the frog were immediately con- 
vulsed. 

A prolonged discussion on this important paper followed. 

Mr. Edwin Birchall read some “ Notes on Additions to the Irish Lepidoptera,” 
chiefly taken by himself and Mr. A. G. More in the West of Ireland. These addi- 
tions, thirty-eight in number, were supplemental to the Rev. Joseph Greene's ‘ Cata- 
logue of Irish Lepidoptera, published, some three years since, in the ‘ Proceedings’ of 
the Association. Mr. Birchall exhibited specimens of all the insects enumerated. 

The Chairman expressed his opinion of the importance uf thus working out our 
native Fauna, and of the utility that could not but result from having all these addi- 
tions carefully recorded. 

Professor Kinahan read a paper by W. Spence Bate, F.L.S., “ On a new British 
Hij-polyte.” This prawn had been taken in Moray Firth by the Rev. George Gordon, 
and had been named by Mr. Spence Bate, H. Gordonii, after its discoverer. 

The Rev. Joseph Greene exhibited a fine pair of that very rare moth Deilephila 
Galii, and a specimen of a hybrid between Smerinthus Populi and S. ocellatus. 

The Rev. Professor Haughton exhibited a unique specimen of Euomphalus crista- 
tus, from the University Geological Museum ; alsv a lithograph of it, executed by Mr. 
Campbell. 

J. R. Greene, Professor of Natural History, Queen’s College, Cork, read a paper 
on the present state of our knowledge of the Celenterata. The author began by 
alluding to the various changes which have taken place in the classification of the 
Radiata, and its subdivision into two distinct departments, for one of which the term 
Celenterata had been proposed. He next noticed the various structural modifications 
which these animals present, as shown in the arrangement of the digestive system, the 
mode of secretion and appearances of the stinging filaments, the form and position of 
their locomotive organs, &c. He next gave an account of the numerous discoveries 
which had recently been made in their development, both by British and continental 
naturalists, illustrating his remarks by a series of diagrams representing some of the 
most remarkable phases which these forms exhibit, special allusion being made to the 
reproductive functions as performed in Hydra, Tubularia, Cordylophora, Clava, Eu- 
dendrium, Hydractinia, Sertularia, &c.; the production of the so-called Medusvids, 


Birds. 5957 


and the development of Cydippe, &c. An explanation was then entered into of the 
laws of development as enunciated by modern physiologists, and their application to 
the phenomena in question, showing the prubability of the existence of relations be- 
tween the different classes hitherto unsuspected. He next discussed the various opi- 
nions entertained by naturalists on these subjects, and concluded by giving an account 
of the methods proposed for their classification. 

The discussion of this paper was postponed until the next Meeting. 

William Spence Bate, F.L.S., was proposed for election as a Corresponding 
Member. 


Destruction of Rare Birds.—I regret much to observe, in some late numbers of the 
£ Zoologist, records of the destruction—wanton destruction, I cannot help calling it— 
of several of our rarer birds, and I desire to enter my protest against the same, and to 
call upon all true lovers of Nature to unite in endeavouring to put a stop to the 
practice. It is all very well to shoot a single individual of a species you have never 
seen before, or of which you may wish to preserve a specimen for yourself or a friend, 
but ruthlessly to destroy every individual of any of our rarer species that can be had 
“ by hook or by crovk,” deserves the strong reprobation of every true field naturalist. 
Even supposing the birds so spared did not remain with you, might they not gladden 
-the eyes of some brother ornithologist in another part of the kingdom (or even ina 
foreion land), and is it not selfish to deprive others of the pleasure of viewing these 
rarer specimens of Nature? Besides, might not the spared birds breed, and so 
increase their number? In many cases it would not be difficult to make out a bird 
one did not know by the aid of a telescope, and thus avoid the necessity of shooting 
it, and one might even observe its habits, in some measure, with that instrument.— 
Archibald Jerdon ; Mossburnford, Jedburgh, N.B., December 14, 1857. 

Birds at Sea.—On the voyage from Constantinople to Malta, on the 19th of April 
last, when half-way exactly between the latter place and the Island of Cerigo, the 
vessel, at daylight, was suddenly surrounded by a number of birds, whose flight was 
from the southward ; they consisted principally of titlarks, in a very exhausted condi- 
tion, as also of swallows, wheatears, goatsuckers and whinchats. Flights of turtle 
doves were continually passing, occasionally one or two alighting on the rigging, but 
apparently not in the least fatigued; high over head a flight of eagles or vultures 
passed, apparently as little fatigued as rooks returning home in the evening. Now 
these birds must have traversed at a single flight 270 miles from the African coast, 
with 250 miles yet before them; and I should have observed before that most of the 
titlarks, exhausted as they were, left the ship a few hours after their arrival, ap- 
parently in a very weak state: how they are enabled thus to perform such a passage 
is a mystery, for no doubt, without meeting the vessel, their voyage would have been 
accomplished in safety. On arriving at Malta, quantities of a small description of owl, 
cuckoos, bee-eaters, quails and doves appeared in the market, all of which must have 
performed a voyage of about 220 miles. This year again, while shvoting in Algeria, 
in November, I was astonished at the quantity of jack snipes and woodcocks, which 
must all, to have reached that continent, travelled from the very northernly parts of 
Europe, none certainly from nearer than Denmark. The house martin, I find, leaves 
Algeria on the 23rd of October, only ten days earlier than with us, though the difference 
is about 17 degrees of latitude; but, as I have observed the swallow common at 


5958 Birds. 


Alexandria in January, in latitude 31°, I imagine the flight of the swallow from 
ils summer to its winter residence must be about 33° or 2300 miles, as it is 
numerous in Norway up to latitude 67°. In Algeria I observed large flights of the 
siskin, goldfinch, brown linnet, green linnet and wagtails, all of which no doubt must 
have come to winter from the northward. The house sparrow seemed to be extremely 
common.—R. Pigot; J.U.S. Club, Charles Street, December 26, 1857. 

The Great Gray Shrike (Lanius excubitor) in Cambridgeshire.—I have had the 
good fortune to have sent me no less than three of these rare birds: the first was shot 
at Haddenham in the winter of 1855-6; the second (male) near Ely, on the 2\st of 
November, 1856; the third (male) in the same locality as the last, on the 25th of 
December, 1857.— William Farren,jun.; King’s Old Gateway, Cambridge, January 8, 
1858. 

The Great Spotted Woodpecker (Picus major) at Welney Wash.—I have a splendid 
specimen of this bird, which was shot on the 9th of November, 1857, in a rather strange 
locality, viz. among some osiers on Welney Wash.—Id. 

Blackbirds nesting in December.—Last week a fresh blackbird’s nest, with four 
eggs, was found at Up Park, near here, the seat of Lady Fetherstonhaugh.— Wallzam 
Henry Hawker ; Horndean, Hants, January 1, 1858. 

The Alpine Accentor (Accentor alpinus) near Lewes.—On the 26th of December 
last 1 obtained two specimens of the Alpine accentor, which were shot on the Downs 
near here: one of them I have had preserved, the other unfortunately being too much 
injured by the shot. Mr. Yarrell, in his work on ‘ British Birds, gives but three 
instances of this species being killed in England, but probably more may have 
occurred since the publication of his work, it being not an uncommon bird on the 
Continent.—John Porter, jun.; 8, Hast Street, Lewes. 

Movements of Swifts and Migratory Birds.—I observed the swifts last suinmer 
later by some days than usual, having seen a good many on the 16th, 17th and 18th 
of August, no doubt in consequence of the fineness of the weather and the very high 
temperature. Mr. Orlando Whistlecraft, in his Almanack for 1858, has also men- 
tioned that the house swalluws uear him, in Suffolk, at the commencement of the 
summer, forsook their usual habits and built in open places, like the martins; the 
usual chimneys were not occupied by the house swallow: it is certainly extraordinary 
by what instinct birds can foresee what sort of weather is to come. Mr. Whistlecraft 
is a great observer of the changes of the atmosphere, and has kept a journal for thirty- 
five years. I recommend his Almanack for 1858 to all those who are fond of studying 
the weather. During the last mild weather I have heard of rooks repairing their 
nests, as they do in the early part of the spring —H. W. Newman; Cheltenham, 
January 8, 1858. 

The Glossy Ibis and Yellowlegged Sandpiper killed in Yorkshire.—On the 18th of 
November, 1857, a very fine male of the glossy ibis was taken at Misson, near Bawtry, 
in Yorkshire, which came into the hands of Mr. Hugh Reid, the celebrated bird- 
stuffer, at Doncaster, and is now in my collection. The only British specimen of the 
yellowlegged sandpiper (Totanus flavipes) figured in Yarrell’s ‘Supplement’ was 
taken at the same place, and was brought to Mr. Reid: this specimen is in my 
collection.—-W. M. H. Milner ; Nunappleton, Tadcaster, December 24, 1857. 


Reptiles..— Fishes. 5959 


Discovery of a living Frog in the solid Rock. — There is at present to be seen, at 
Messrs. Sanderson and Sons, George Street, Edinburgh, an extraordinary specimen 
of Natural History,—a frog which had been discovered alive in freestone rock. A few 
months ago, while some colliers in the employ of Mr. James Nasmyth (lessee of Dun- 
donald Colliery, in Fife, the property of R. B. Wardlow Ramsay, Esq., of Whitehill) 
were engaged in taking out the pavement of the seam of coal, which was freestone, 
they discovered a cavity in which a frog was lying. On touching it the frog jumped 
about for some time, and a bucket of water being procured it was put into it, and 
taken to the surface. On reaching it the animal was found to be dead. It was at the 
depth of forty-five fathoms, or ninety yards from the surface, in a perpendicular line 
of strata, consisting of alternate layers of coal and freestone, with ironstone, and about 
four hundred yards from the out crop surface. The frog seems to have much of the 
same character as the present species. It is very attenuated, which cannot be won- 
dered at considering its domicile for so many ages, its original existence being of course 
considered contemporaneous with the furmation of the freestone rock in which it was 
contained.— Caledonian Mercury. [Ne nimium crede Mercurio.—£d. | 


Capture of Notidanus griseus, a Shark new to Britain, at Banff. —It is a pretty 
well-known fact that the people of this country endeavour to have something extra on 
their table on New Year’s Day, a sort of dainty or rarity as it were. Now, I have 
something of this sort myself to-day, and with your leave, kind reader, and our 
esteemed friend Mr. Newman’s indulgence, I will just tell you what it is; not that I 
wish you to tell me what you dine off to-day or any other day: I wish just 
to show you how I in some measure fare as regards food for the mind; and I dare 
say when you read my bill you will think, as I do myself, that it is not every one that 
can boast of such novelties. Well, then, at one corner of the table there is a pretty 
large basin full of fish-stomachs, some of which appear to be well stuffed with shrimps, 
whilst from others the fore legs of Gebia deltura, Calocaris M‘Andree, and some spe- 
cies of Galathea are protruding. In another corner is a basket containing a quan- 
tity of old shells, fresh from the sea, and covered with all sorts of stuff, mostly of 
a marine character, and from the jerking and snapping amongst them I can easily 
perceive that there are hermits in some of the univalves. In the third corner lies as 
pretty and as splendid a Homelyn ray (Rata miraletus) as ever an ichthyologist set 
eyes on; this species is said to be rare on the east coast; the present one was taken at 
Macduff yesterday, and brought here about an hour ago. At the other and last cor- 
ner sits just as strange and as curious a fish as there exists anywhere out of the sea, 
namely, myself, scribbling away here. We now come to the centre of the table, and 
here lies the chief dainty, or king of the feast, weighing nearly four hnndred pounds, 
—a pretty good dish, you will be thinking, for a Lord Mayov’s feast; doubtless it 
would lunch half-a-dozen aldermen; I am sorry to say, however, that it is neither a 
baron of beef, a mountain of roasted turkeys, nor a pyramid of plum-pudding, but a 
rather hideous and terrific.looking and somewhat rare monster from the deep, of the 
shark family. Now, reader, such are the viands that crowd my humble board on 
New Year’s Day. _ Would you like to dine with me? I dare say not, unless you are 
an out-and-out naturalist, and then I have no doubt you would find many of my good 


5960 Fishes. 


viands very palatable. But I must tell you something more about this centre dish of 
mine. I have said that it is a rare one; it is so, in so far that it is entirely new to 
this quarter, and if I am not mistaken is not to be found in Yarrell ; in Gosse, however, 

T think you will find him, under the name of Notidanus griseus. But I will give you 
his dimensions as near as I can, with a few words as to his appearance; and if you 
are in any way versed in these matters you will then in some measure be able to judge 
for yourself. Well, then, first as to his head: it is in length 1 foot 25 inches; lower 
jaw 11 inches; from the head to the dorsal (there is only one) 5 feet 5 inches; from 
the fore to the back part of the dorsal, which reaches the tail, 11 inches; height of 
dorsal 7 inches; tail 33 feet; pectorals 17 inches by 12; ventrals 14 by 5; anal 9 
by 5; distance of ventrals from anal 7 inches; breadth of caudal at commencement 
of tail 63 inches; this, however, gradually narrows until it reaches within a few inches 
of the end of the tail, when it again expands to about 5 inches, and then forms a sort 
of lobe; for about half its length, too, the caudal is very rough and warty. Vent from 
the mouth 5 feet 9 inches; length from the snout, which is blunt and roundish, to the 
mouth 7 inches; nostrils to the mouth 4 inches; ditto to the eye 4 inches; circumfe- 
rence of eye 2} inches by 13. The pupil of the eye is of a most beautiful and 
changing green colour; the iris is of a very deep iron-gray, which with its large size 
gives the animal a most terrific and appalling look. Spiracles six, the last one open- 
ing close to, or rather on the base of, the pectoral. Girth round the head 45 inches ; 
before pectorals 54 inches, behind 55, middle 57 ; before ventrals 47 inches, behind 32; 
tail, where broadest, 20 inches, and in shape flat rather than round. Teeth in two 
rows ; those of the upper jaw with three longish and very sharp points; those of the 
lower jaw, except the centre one, which is wedge-shaped, very much serrated, having 
each from nine to ten deeply jagged points. Gape from 20 to 24 inches. Colour of 
the upper parts of an irony or reddish gray, inclining to leadish on the belly. The 
skin, when stroked downwards appears, and in fact is, perfectly smooth; but 
reverse the action, and then it feels and becomes remarkably rough and prickly, and 
very painful to the hand. The ridge of the tail, which is of a flesh-colour, is very 
thickly set with pretty large, sharp, prickly tubercles, of an oblong form. Now as to 
his appearance: — At first sight you would almost, if not altogether, take him for a 
specimen of the fox shark (Alopias vulpes); but the broad, pointed tail, in having but 
one dorsal, and the broad, bull-like head, soon convinces you that he has nothing at 
all to do with foxy. He was taken on Tuesday last, on a hook baited for haddocks, 
and landed at a place called Whitehills, about two miles from this. He is to be 
preserved for the Banff Museum, for which he has been bought. — Thomas Edward ; 
Banff, January 1, 1858. PS.—I have just been into the stomach of the Notidanus, 
where the fishermen who took him assured me that I should find at least one corpse, 
and perhaps two. This, however, has not been my luck, for it was perfectly empty, 
save that there were about thirty leech-like worms either moving about on or adhering 
to the bare walls. These I have secured in a bottle, and as long as the stock lasts I 
shall be most happy to send specimens to any one who may wish for them, reserving 
one or two for myself and friends here.— 7. £.; January 2. 


Insects. 5961 


Two Novelties for the next Edition of the ‘ Insect Hunters.,— There are 
many very minute insects and beetles which come out only at night. These 
are very interesting to the entomologist, but at the same time very difficult to 
catch. Toads are not unfrequently turned into beetle-traps, and made to catch 
these little night insects. A brigade of skirmishing toads is turned loose into 
the garden in the evening: the toads, unconscious why so much kindness is 
shown to them, do their best to get a good meal; but in the morning their 
master comes and makes them eject all their night work, which he does without 
hurting them. In this way many curious and rare specimens of minute nocturnal 
insects have been obtained. I have heard of a capital way to catch night-moths, with 
little trouble: it was practised by a brave-hearted and gallant artillery officer,—alas! 
now no more. He lived in a charming country house near St. George’s Hill, at Wey- 
bridge. The woods thereabouts are full of curious insects, and he used to catch the 
moths by smearing the trunk of a tree with sugar and beer boiled together. A lantern 
was then placed near the trap; the moths, attracted by it, came flying round, and 
were caught by the sticky mixture.—Buckland’s Curiosities of Natural History. 

Occurrence of Sphinx Nerii at Brighton.—I have lately had the pleasure of placing 
in my cabinet a magnificent specimen of Sphinx Nerii: the insect was accompanied 
by the following note:—“ ‘The specimen of Sphinx Nerii was taken on the 16th of 
August, in a room in Mount Sion Place, at the back of where I live, by a friend of 
mine. Being a large moth, he secured it under a half-pint tumbler, in which it had 
been all night when I first saw it: it appears to have flown in at a window, attracted 
by light. Mr. Samuel Stevens was at Brighton on the day it was brought to me, and 
saw the insect while it was still alive.’—Lewis Tidy ; 16, Crown Gardens, Brighton, 
January 20, 1858. This note will, I think, establish the claim of this individual 
specimen to a place in a British collection.—A. F. Sheppard ; 16, North Buildings, 
Finsbury, January 22, 1858. 

Trochilium Vespiforme (Linn.?), Asiliformis (Fab.).—Mr. Gardner (Zool. 5924) 
wishes to make it appear that this species is almost unknown upon the Continent. If 
‘ he is ignorant of the fact, I beg to inform him that he will not find any great difficulty 
in procuring specimens from Paris, “set in the British style.” I have seen them in 
M. Becker’s boxes as well as in the Paris collections. The larva of this species feeds 
upon the poplar, and its rarity is probably more apparent than real. Mr. English once 
found several pupe-cases protruding from an aspen in our woods, which, from their 
size, I have no doubt belonged to this species. I took three specimens in our garden, 
all of them near the trunk of an aspen used as a support to a tree, and which was 
brought from our woods, and have met with one or two others in this neighbourhood. 
—Henry Doubleday ; Epping, January 14, 1858. 

Proposed Generic Name for the Phlogophora meticulosa of our Collections.—It is 
very possible that on the Continent the geuus Phlogophora, Tretischke and Boisduval, 
and consequently of our cabinets, is described by some other author or authors under 
another title ; but as I am not aware of the fact, not having an opportunity of examining 
any works relating thereto (and until this is ascertained), I propose that the alterations 
in our lists should stand as follows :— 


Puiocoruora, Treit., Boisd. 
lucipara, Hiubn., Linn., §c. (Euplexia lucipara, Steph.). 
empyrea, Hubn., Treit. 
XVI. Pp 


5962 Insects. 


And that meticulosa should be raised to a new genus, under the name of Racoptera, 
referring to the ragged or wrinkled appearance of the insect when at rest. If any one 
is aware of this species, or the Continental ones allied to it, having been described 
otherwise than as Phlogophora, I should feel obliged by their furnishing such infor- 
mation through the medium of the pages of the ‘ Zoologist.—John Scott ; Southfield 
Villas, Middlesbro’-on-Tees, January 5, 1858. 

British Geometrina, as arranged and named in M. Guenée’s first Volume of the 
Geometre of the whole world.— 


Urapreryx NyssIa ~GEOMETRA 
Sambucaria Zonaria Papilionaria 
EPIONE Hispidaria Smaragdaria 
Vespertaria BISTON NEMORIA 
Parallelaria, D. L. Hirtaria Viridata 
Apiciaria — AMPHYDASIS IopEs 
Advenaria Prodromaria Vernaria 
Roumia Betularia Lactearia 
Crategata HEMEROPHILA fEruginaria, D. L. 
VENILIA Abruptaria PHORODESMA 
Maculata CLEORA Bajularia 
ANGERONA Viduaria HEMITHEA 
Prunaria’ Glabraria Thymiaria 
METROCAMPA Lichenaria Ai stivaria, D. L. 
Margaritata BoarRmia EPpHYRA 
ELLOpPIA Repandaria Poraria 
Fasciaria Rhomboidaria Punctaria 
EURYMENE Abietaria Trilinearia 
Dolobraria Cinctaria Omicronaria 
PERICALLIA Roboraria Orbicularia 
Syringaria Consortaria Pendularia 
SELENIA TEPHROSIA Hyria 
Ilunaria Consonaria Auroraria 
Lunaria Crepuscularia ASTHENA 
fllustraria Extersaria Luteata 
ODONTOPERA Punctulata Candidata 
Bidentata GNOPHOS Sylvata 
CROCALLIS Obscurata Blomerata 
Elinguaria Dasypia _ EvrpistTEeria 
ENNomos Obfuscata Heparata 
Alniaria Psopos VENUSIA 
Tiliaria Trepidaria Cambricaria 
Fuscantaria MNIOPHILA Erutaria, D. L. 
Erosaria Cineraria ACIDALIA 
Angularia Corticaria, D. L. Ochreata 
HiImMrERa Bo.iroBIa Perochraria, D. L. 
Pennaria Fuliginaria Rubricata 
PHIGALIA PsEUDOPTERNA Scutulata 
Pilosaria Cytisaria Bisetata 


Insects. 5963 


ACIDALIA ACIDALIA ACIDALIA 
Reversata, D. L. Obsoletaria ? Commutata 
Reversata_ . Ornata Nitidaria, D. L. 
Bisetata, D. L. Promutata Strigilata 
Contiguaria Immutata, D. L. Prataria, D. L. 
Eburnata, Stainton Straminata Imitaria 
Rusticata Marginepunctata, D. L. Emutaria 
Osseata Subsericeata Aversata 
Holosericeata Immutata Inornata 
Incanaria Cespitaria, D. L. Degeneraria 
Virgularia, D. L. ~ Remutata Emarginata 


— Communicated by Henry Doubleday, Esq. [The names added in Ltalics are those 
used in Mr. Doubleday’s ‘ List.’] . 

Occurrence of Hupithecia pernotata in England.—Last summer I bred a specimen 
of an Eupithecia which I thought must be new to this country: I sent it to my friend 
M. Guenée, and he informs me that it is his Eupithecia pernotata, only known as a 
native of Piedmont till last year, when he received a single male captured in France. 
I believe mine was reared from larve kindly sent to me by Mr. Machin, who found 
them upon the golden rod (Solidago Virgaurea); the others produced castigata.— 
Henry Doubleday ; Epping, February 3, 1858. 

[This is quite a large species, pale-coloured with a broad reddish border round 
the wings.— £d.] 

Two British Geometre included under the name Phibalapteryx gemmaria: Chilo 
obtusellus of Stainton = Tinea paludella of Hubner.—i have for some time suspected 
that two distinct species of Geometre were confounded together in this country under 
the name of gemmata. Through the kindness of Mr. Benjamin Standish and of 
Mr. Harding, of Stapleton, I am now able to state that my opinion was correct. In 
‘Lepidoptera Britannica,’ p. 340, Mr. Haworth describes a Geometra, then in the 
collection of Mr. Francillon, under the name of angustata: this is the true gemmata 
of Hubner (Geo. fig. 283, Catalogue No. 3219). Haworth’s words, “* Ale—puncto 
medio ordinario ocellari, iride albida, pupilla atra,’ leave no doubt upon the subject. 
Mr. B. Standish possesses a beautiful female, taken by himself in his garden at Cam- 
berwell, and last autumn another specimen, also a female, was taken near Liverpool, 
and sent to me for examination. Another species very closely allied has occurred 
more frequently: Mr. Harding kindly lent me a male, which he took near Bristol, to 
send to M. Guenée, and a short time afterwards Mr. Norcombe kindly presented me 
with a specimen, alsoa male. My friend M. Guenée has examined these two indi- 
viduals, and informs me that this Geometra is the fluviata of Hubner (Geo. fig. 280— 
281 and Catalogue No. 3220), this and gemmata being the only two species of 
Hubner’s Coitus or genus Plemyria. Although closely allied they are readily dis- 
tinguished ; the central black spot in the superior wing of fluviata is destitute of the 
white iris, and there is a short oblique line at the apex of the wing, which is wanting 
in gemmata. Mr. Greening has taken this species in the North of England, and 
several specimens have occurred in the South. On the Continent it is a Southern 
species, Boisduval only giving Sicily as a habitat; both species are more frequently 
found near the coast than inland. M.Guenée also informs me that the Chilo 
obtusellus of Mr. Stainton is the Tinea paludella of Hiibner, Chilo paludellus of 
Duponchel and Crambus paludellus of Guenée’s Index. I received two specimens 


5964 Insects. 


from M. Becker about twelve years since, but the number attached to them was 
omitted in the list sent, and they remained nameless in my collection of European 
l.epidoptera: upon its discovery at Horning Fen I wrote to M. Becker, sending the 
number attached to the insect, and requesting him tu give the name; in reply he 
stated that he had declined collecting Micro-Lepidoptera, and had mislaid his 
Catalogue, and could not therefore furnish me with the name of this species. A short 
time since I forwarded a pair to M. Guenée, and he kindly gave me the name.— 
Id. ; January 13, 1858. 

A supposed new species of Tinea allied to T. rusticellaa—Some years ago, when 
I was in the habit of visiting the famous district of Rannoch, I used to be astonished 
at capturing, far away in the woods, either at rest on the trunks of the black ffs, or 
by beating these trees, specimens of what appeared to me at the time to be Tinea 
rusticella. From the middle of June until the first week in July they are not un- 
common, and are very frequently to be met with on those trees, at the foot of which 
are the ant-hills which yield us T. ochraceella:. its habit, however, seems to me to be 
so much at variance with the T. rusticella of our cabinets, although its resemblance 
to the insect above-named is very great, that, after long examination, I feel convinced 
they ought to be separated; and first let us set aside the difference in habit, and look 
at a feature impressed on the insect which at once catches the eye of all those who 
see the two side by side, viz. the much more distinct ochreous spot in the middle of 
the wing, and a large ochreous somewhat triangular patch at the anal angle, this 
latter never occurring in examples of our T. rusticella, so far as I am aware; more- 
over, I think the general appearance of the wing is darker in the Rannoch species, 
thereby giving a brighter and more decided character to the uchreous markings: in 
all other respects they seem to harmonize,—the ochreous head and face, pale palpi, 
irroration on the wings, pale ochreous cilia varied with fuscous, and pale gray posterior 
wings; and from these circumstances it may be thought that the distinguishing 
features are of too superficial a nature~en which to found a species, and that these 
may be the result of the difference of climate; but let us now assume that climate 
may have a little to do in the matter. Will climate entirely alter the habits of an 
insect, so that that species which is common enough with us in our houses and out- 
houses should take itself away to the woods, far frum the habitation of man, on being 
found a few hundred miles North or South, as the case might be? Species may vary, 
but the home of the insect has a similarity in all cases, and I think we have grounds 
on which to base a supposition that the two insects are distinct species. Many have 
called my attention to them with the question, ‘‘ Do you think there are two species 
united?” and as often have I looked on them in silence, not daring to hazard a 
positive reply. Length of observance, however, combined with the above oft-repeated 
question, and the convictions of several other entomologists, lead me to describe them 
as such; and any one with but a limited knowledge of the Micros is able to separate 
them at a glance from the description I have given. In the ‘ Insecta Britannica, 
vol. iii. p. 27, and immediately following the description of T. rusticella, Mr. Stainton 
alludes to this insect with a query as to whether it is a variety ; but until both insects 
are bred from the same batch of eggs I will adhere to my present views; and now that 
the gentleman there named as having taken it has passed from amongst us, after a 
long and laborious life spent in enriching our cabinets with rarities from the North 
and from the South, and whose untiring efforts, year after year, when an age had 
grown upon him which unfits and incapacitates most men from working, “ filled 


Insects. : 5965 


our vacant places,” as a slight tribute to his memory, I propose for it the name of 
Tinea Weaverella.—John Scott; Southfield Villas, Middlesbro’-on-Tees, January 5, 
1858. 

The Tzetze.— Mr. Bracy Clark (Zool. 5720) claims the “ identification of the 
tzetze of Africa with C&strus Bovis.” Specimens of the last-named insect may 
be, as Mr. Clark states, ‘‘ exceedingly scarce,” and since he has been so fortunate 
as to obtain examples, it is to be regretted that he did not wait to compare his 
(Estrus with a genuine tzetze, even if he could not accomplish this at the British 
Museum, before publicly broaching a theory for which there is not the slightest 
foundation. Mr. Clark refers to Dr. Livingstone’s report of the annoyance occasioned 
by the tzetze; but he could not, in July last, have seen the detailed account of the 
insect, its operations and its form, as given in Dr. Livingstone’s published ‘ Travels,’ 
which completely disproves Mr. Clark’s imaginary “identity.” In the ‘ Travels’ the 
African fly is represented (magnified) on the title-page, and again at p.571, nearly the 
natural size, as well as magnified, together with the proboscis and the poison-bulb at 
the base greatly magnified: these figures are said to have been from a drawing by 
Mr. J. E. Gray, of the British Museum. The description of the insect will be found 
at pp. 80—83, with incidental notices of it throughout the volume. Dr. Livingstone 
clearly shows that the real tzetze does possess “a weapon of infliction,” and that of 
a very formidable character, it being triple, but has not “a telescopic sort of tube 
for thrusting the egg down upon (into?) the skin” (Zool. 5721). The African fly, 
. moreover, does not cause a mad alarm in the cattle by its “‘susurrus, or whistle,” 
as the gadfly does, while it is ‘‘ the infliction,” and not the noise of its approach from 
which the mischief it occasions proceeds: so that in every respect Mr. Bracy Clark’s 
suppositions are contrary to the actual facts. As some of the readers of the 
‘Zoologist’? may have no opportunity of seeing Dr. Livingstone’s ‘ Travels,’ it may 
interest them to learn, not only what is not the tzetze, but also what it really is. 
The scientific name is Glossina Morsitans; its size rather exceeds that of the 
common house-fly; the colour is nearly that of the hive-bee, with three or four 
yellow bars across the abdomen; the wings project considerably beyond the body, 
and it is very active, except when chilled, which soon happens. The bite is certain 
death to horse, cattle and dog, but the result appears to follow not with equal 
rapidity in all cases: it is harmless to mau, wild animals, mule, ass, goat and sheep, 
even to calves while sucking, though dogs die when fed upon milk. The districts 
where the insect prevails vary, it would seem, even arbitrarily, and that they are 
clearly defined; for instance, it will be found on one side of a river and not 
on the other, at a distance of only fifty yards. Dr. Livingstone also mentions 
reasons for believing that the tzetze has been introduced where formerly it did 
not exist; but how far we are warranted in hoping for the extinction of the 
pest, either partially or generally, time and a closer acquaintance with the country 
are, I think, required to show.—Arthur Hussey ; Rottingdean, January 6, 1858. 

Note on Anisolabia maritima, Bon.—Since my notes on this subject, published in 
the January number (Zool. 5895), were penned, I have submitted the specimen 
mentioned as being the first stage of the insect to a microscopic power of 400 diame- 
ters, in the hope that I might have been able to see some traces of the future develop- 
ment of the additional joints which appear in the next. I was anxious to ascertain 
whether my inference that they were formed at the expense of the fourth joint could 
thereby be strengthened, or whether, as shown by my friend Mr. Murray, in his 


5966 Insects. 


valuable ‘ Remarks on the Metamorphosis and Growth of the Leaf Insect (Phyllium 
scythe), the third joint was the source whence the great increase sprung. ‘The result 
has been that no indication of any divisions can, even with that high power, he per- 
ceived; and therefore the actual observation of the act of transformation can alone, if 
at all, solve the question. I incline, however, to my former opinion, because in Ani- 
solabia and all the Forficule the third joint retains, in all its future stages, its full 
length, and the small joints commence with the fourth, whilst in Phyllium the long third 
joint disappears in the male, in which sex only the great change occurs. It may be 
interesting to know that the micrometer gives ‘0008th of an inch as the width of the 
apical joints of the antenne at their junctions. No wonder they are so often 
imperfect !—George Wailes ; Newcastle-on-Tyne. a 


A Systematic List of Coleoptera found in the Vicinity of Alverstoke, 
South Hants. By Artruur Apams, Esq., F.L.S., Surgeon of 
H.M. Surveying Ship ‘Acteon;’ and WILLIAM BaLrour 
BalkIE, M.D., F.R.G.S. 


(Concluded from page 5843). 


LONGICORNIA. 
1, Fam. CERAMBYCIDA, Kirby. 
1. Aromia, Serv., Steph. 
A. moschata, Linn., Steph. Occasional; on willows near Stokes 
Bay. 


2. Callidium, Fabr., Sleph. 
C. Alni, Linn., Steph. On old palings; rare. 
C. variabile, Linn., Steph. Among felled timber ; rare. 


3. Clytus, adr. 
C. Arietis, Zinn., Fabr. Common; on flowers, and burrowing in 
old palings. 


4. Gracilia, Serv. 
G. pygmea, Fabr. G. minuta, Steph. On willow-sticks and in 
old baskets. 
2. Fam. Lamip2, White. 


1. Leiopus, Serv., Steph. Liopus, Krich. 
L. nebulosus, Zinn., Steph. In dead hedges ; rare. 


2. Pogonocherus, Meg., Steph. 
P. hispidus, Fabr., Steph. Old hedges, ey beating ; rare. 


Insects. 5967 


3. Fam. Leprurip&, Leach. 


1. Strangalia, Serv., Steph. 

S. armata, Herbst. S. elongata, Steph. Very common; on flowers, 
especially of Apiacez. 

S. melanura, Linn. On flowers; Rowner. 


2. Leptura, Linn., Steph. 

L. tomentosa, Fabr., Steph. Not uncommon; on roses in gar- 
dens, on umbelliferous flowers, and on Achillea Millefolia. 

L. livida, Fabr. (Pachyta), Steph. On Apiacee ; tolerably fre- 
quent. 


3. Grammoptera, Serv., Steph. 

G. levis, Fabr., Steph. On apiaceous flowers, at Rowner. 

G. ruficornis, Fabr., Steph. On flowers of hawthorn; tolerably 
abundant. 


EUPODA. 


1. CRIOCERIDE, Leach. - 


1. Donacia, Fabs., Steph. 

D. dentipes, Fabr., Steph. Common; on flowers of Sparganium 
ramosum, at Grange. 

D. sericea, Linn. D. Proteus, Steph. Rare; along ditches at 
Grange. 

D. nigra, Fabr., Sleph. One specimen taken off sedges, at Grange. 

D. Typhe, Brahm, Steph. Off leaves of Carices and Sparganium 
ramosum. 

D. simplex, Fabr., Steph. On leaves of Nymphea alba. 


2. Zeugophora, Kunze, Steph. 

Z. subspinosa, Fabr., Steph. Taken in considerable abundance 
during the early part of September, on white poplars, at Grange. 
This, in the sun, feigns death when captured. 


3. Lema, Fabr. Crioceris, Steph. 
L. cyanella, Linn., Steph. By beating trees in copses. 
L. melanopa, Linn., Steph. On foliage in copses ; not infrequent. 


4, Crioceris, Geoff., Steph. 
A. Asparagi, Linn., Steph. Occasionally met with. 


5968 Insects. 


CYCLICA. 
1. Fam. CHRYSOMELIDA, Leach. 


1. Lamprosoma, Kzrby, Oomorpbus, Steph. 
L. concolor, Sturm., Steph. Very rare. 


2. Cryptocephalus, Geoff, Steph. 

C. minutus, Fabr., Steph. Rare; beating hedges. 

C. labiatus, Linn., Steph. Local and not abundant; on birches, 
at Grange. | 


3. Timarcha, Redt., Steph. 

T. levigata, Linn., Steph. Roadsides and hedgerows; very com- 
mon. 

T. coriaria, Fabr., Steph. Downs and warrens ; common. 


4. Chrysomela, Linn., Steph. 

C. Banksii, Fabr., Steph. Grassy banks ; not uncommon. 

C. staphylea, Linn., Steph. Grassy banks ; common. 

C. Gettengensis, Linn., Steph. Banks; rare. 

C. hemoptera, Linn., Steph. In grass on Southsea Common ; 
scarce. 

C. sanguinolenta, Zinn.. C. distinguenda, Steph. On Galium 
aperine ; very abundant. 

C. polita, Linn., Steph. Grassy banks ; common. 


5. Lina, Redt. Melasoma, Steph. 
L. Populi, Linn., Steph. In some abundance on white poplars in 
Grange Copse. 


6. Gonioctena, Redt. Chrysomela, Steph. : 
G. Litura, Fabr., Steph. On broom-flowers; in great abundance. 


7. Gastrophysa, Chev. Phedon, Steph. 
G. Polygoni, Linn., Steph. In fields; very plentiful. 


8. Phedon, Meg., Steph. 
P. Betule, Linn., Steph. Sides of wet ditches near copses ; most 
abundant. 


9. Phratora, Chevr. Phzedon, Steph. 
P. Vitelline, Linn., Steph. On willows; very plentiful. 


Insects. 5969 


10. Helodes, Payk., Steph. 
H. Phellandrii, Zinn., Steph. On QCénanthe Phellandrium in 
ditches at Grange; common. 


2. Fam. GALERuUCIDA, Steph. 


1. Adimonia, Laich. Galeruca, Steph. 

A. Tanaceti, Linn., Steph. Very local; in great abundance in 
some years on Grange warren; found in August and September ; 
-very scarce in 1856, abundant in 1855. 

A. Capree, Linn., Steph. On bushes in Grange copse. 


2. Galeruca, Fabr., Steph. 

G. Crategi, Forst., Steph. On hawthorn flowers when in full 
bloom. 

G. calmariensis, Linn., Steph. On heather on Browndown. 

G. Nymphee, Linn., Steph. Banks of ponds, and on bushes in 
Grange copse. 


3. Agelastica, Redt. Adimonia, Steph. 
A. Alni, Linn., Steph. On alders at Grange. 
A. halensis, Linn., Steph. Grassy places; not uncommon. 


4, Phyllobrotica, Redt. Auchenia, Steph. 
P. quadrimaculata, Linn., Steph. Along banks of streams, on Po- 
lygonum Persicaria; rare. 


5. Calomicrus, Steph. 
C. circumfusus, Warsh., Steph. Abundant; on foliage of Myrica 
Gale. 


6. Luperus, Geoff., Steph. 
L. flavipes, Linn., Steph. Abundant on alders during June and 
July. 


7. Altica, Linn. Haltica, Steph. (1. Sub-gen. Graptodera, Chev.) 

A. oleracea, Fabr., Steph. (2. Sub-gen. Podagrica, Chev.) Among 
herbage, Rowner, Grange ; common. 

A. werata, Marsh., Steph. Bushes, by sweeping. 

A. tripudians, Kirby, Steph. (3. Sub-gen. Crepidodera, Chev.) 
Bushes, by sweeping. 

A. transversa, Marsh. A. ferrnginea, Steph. Occasional. 

A. rufipes, Linn., Steph. Herbage, by sweeping. 

A, nitidula, Fabr., Steph. Herbage, by sweeping. 

XVI. Q 


5970 Insects. 


A. Helxines, Fabr., Steph. Willows and hazels, by sweeping ; 
common. 

A. Modeeri, Linn., Steph. (4. Sub-gen. Phyllotreta, Chev.) Wil- 
lows and hazels, by sweeping ; common. 

A. Nemorum, Linn., Steph. Meadows and turnip fields; abundant. 

A. antennata, #. H., Steph. Not common. 

A. nigroenea, Marsh. Lepidii, E. H., Steph. (5. Sub-gen. 
Apthona, Chev.) Meadows. 

A. Euphorbia, Fabr., Steph. Hedges, by sweeping. 

A. Pseudacori, Payk., Steph. (6. Sub-gen. Balanomorpha, Chev. 
Mantura, Steph.) On Iris Pseudacorus. 

A. rustica, Linn., Steph. A. semiznea, Steph. Trees, by sweeping. 


8. Longitarsus, Zatr. Thyamis, Steph. 

L. Thapsi, Marsh., Steph. Meadows; common. 

L.. melanocephalus, Gyll. LL. atricilla, confinis, atriceps, Steph. 
Meadows ; common. 

L. ochroleucus, MJarsh., Steph. Meadows; common. 

L. lutescens, Gyll., Steph. Meadows, by sweeping. 

L. tabidus, Fabr., Steph. Copses; rare. 

L. Nasturtil, Fabr., Steph. In grass, by sweeping. 

L. luridus, Oliv., Steph. LL. castaneus, brunneus, nigricans, Steph 
Occasional. 

L. thoracicus, Kirby, Steph. 1. fuscicollis, dimidiatus, atricornis, 
Steph. Meadows, by sweeping. 


9. Psylliodes, Laiv. Macrocnema, Steph. 
P. Hyoscyami, Linn., Steph. Rare. 


10. Plectroscelis, Red¢t. Chztocnema, Steph. 
P. Sahlbergi, Gyl/., Steph. In moss; common. 
P. aridella, Payk., Steph. Hedges; occasional. 


1]. Dibolia, Latr., Steph. 
D. Cynoglossi, EZ. H., Steph. One specimen found in moss. 


12. Spheroderma, Steph. 


S. testacea, Panz., Steph. Marshy places, by sweeping; abun- 
dant. 


S. Cardui, Gyll., Steph. On thistles in waste places. 


Insects 5971 


3. Fam. Cassipip&, Leach. 
1. Cassida, Linn., Steph. 


C. equestris, Fabr., Steph. C. viridis, Zinn. On Mentha viridis ; 
not abundant. 


C. rubiginosa, Jil., Steph. On thistles; rather scarce. 

C. Vibex, Zinn., Steph. On thistles ; not common. 

C. Salicornie, Curt., Steph. One specimen from furze, by beating. 
C. obsoleta, Ill., Steph. Grass in damp places ; scarce. 


4. Fam. CoccinELLIDA, Latr. 


1. Hippodamia, Muds., Steph. 
H. 13-punctata, Linn., Steph. Common. 


2. Anisosticta, Redt., Steph. 
A. 19-punctata, Linn., Steph. Marshy places; rare. 


3. Adonia, Muls. Hippodamia, Steph. 
A, mutabilis, Serib., Steph. Very common. 


4. Adalia, Muls. 
A. bipunctata, Zinn. A. dispar, Steph. Extremely common. 


5. Bulea, Muls. : 
B. pallida, Muls. Rare. 


6. Coccinella, Muls., Steph. 
C. variabilis, J/l., Steph. Abundant. 
C. 11-punctata, Linn., Steph. Rather frequent. 
C. 7-punctata, Linn., Steph. Very common. 


7. Anatis, Muls. Coccinella, Steph. 


A. ocellata, Zinn., Steph. One specimen from an elm at Alver- 
stoke. 


8. Halyzia, Muls. Coccinella, Steph. 
H. 17-guttata, Linn., Steph. One specimen taken. 


9. Thea, Muls. Coccinella, Steph. 
T. 22-punctata, Linn., Steph. Not common. 


10, Micraspis, Redt., Steph. 
M. 12-punctata, Linn., Steph. Grassy banks; abundant. 


5972 Inseets. 


11, Chilocorus, Leach, Steph. 
C. renipustulatus, Serzb., Steph. On blackthorn when in flower. 
C. bipustulatus, Linn., Steph. Furze, by beating. 


12. Scymnus, Kug., Steph. 
S. bipustulatus, Motsch., Steph. Roots of grass in marshy places. 


13. Rhizobius, Steph. 
P. litura, Fabr., Steph. Moss and roots of grass. 


14. Coccidula, Kug. Cacicula, Steph. 
C. scutellata, Herbst, Steph. Onrushes in marshy places. 
C. rufa, Herbst. C. pectoralis, Steph. Occasional. 


5. Fam. LATHRIDIDA, Schaum. 


1. Corticaria, Marsh., Steph. 7 
C. gibbosa, Herbst, Steph. Under bark; not rare. 
C. transversalis, Schiip., Sleph. Under bark; not rare. 


2. Lathridius, Zll., Steph. 
L. lardarius, Deg., Sleph. In débris. 
L. angusticollis, Humm., Steph. Hedges; occasional. 
L. transversus, Oliv., Steph. Occasional. 


3. Monotoma, Herbst, Steph. 
M. picipes, Payk., Steph. Not uncommon. 


Addenda. 


Amara lucida, Deg. A. erythropa, A.infima, Steph. Occasional. 

Bembidium biguttatum, Fabr. BB. fuscipes, B. subfenestratum, 
Steph. Rather frequent. 

Cercyon pygmeum, JJ. C.conspurcatum, stercorator, erythro- 
pum, ruinatum, fuscescens, Steph. Occasional. 

Typhea fumata, Sleph., Kirby. Not frequent. 


Wn. BALFouR BAIKIE. 


Insecls. 5973 


Note on the Flying of Bembidia.—Did any of my brother “ insect hunters ” observe 
how freely the Bembidia made use of their wings during the remarkably hot summer 
of 1857? I most particularly noticed this when in Cumberland, in June. Species 
that I never saw fly before would, on being djsturbed, run at once to the top of a stone, 
open their wings and away. I lost many from another cause: not wishing to bottle 
any but the best I gave every individual a separate examination; many escaped by 
slipping from my fingers, and, taking wing as they fell (after the manner of a. Philon- 
thus), were soon out of danger. From this cause I missed a series of the rare prasi- 
num: J had, on a very hot day, hunted some miles of the banks of the Irthing, with 
poor success, when I came to a large muddy bank, where punctulatum was in plenty, 
with what I took for tibiale amongst them, but they were so very active that every one 
escaped before I could make out what species it was. I bottled a few promiscuously ; 
and when I came to set them out at night, I had the mortification to find that only 
three of prasinum were to be found: one of these, on trying to escape, flew into the 
water, and I now have him mounted, with the wings protruding. Having to return 
home next morning, I was unable to do more than hope to be more fortunate another 
time.— Thomas John Bold ; Angas’ Court, Bigg Market, Newcastle-on- Tyne, January 
30, 1858. 

Capture of Georyssus pygmeus in Cumberland.—I captured a fine series of Geo- 
ryssus pygmeus when in Cumberland, in the beginning of June last year: they were 
running about on the muddy banks of the Irthing, each with its pellet of dried mud 
on the back. I should very much like to know how they acquire this coating: it can 
scarcely be the result of accident, for all had it, and it fitted so close that I had them 
to wash before they could be mounted. Although fitting so close it was of two pieces, 
and in some cases of three, being divided between the thorax and elytra in all, as well 
as between the head and thorax in some. It is very interesting to watch the little 
creature tottering about with its load, which does not appear to impede its motions at 
all; and it really requires sharp eyes to detect so well-eoncealed a creature, of which 
all that can be seen are the tips of the antenne and legs.—Jd. ; February 2, 1858. 

Lemophleus Clematidis.—Perceiving (Zool. 5929) that Mr. J. S. Baly insinuates 
that I have claimed the discovery of this insect, I beg to state that its capture was 
recorded by me, at his request, on the 6th of July, 1857, at the Meeting of the Ento- 
mological Society, and that, inthe published Proceedings of that Meeting, the following 
sentence concludes the paragraph relating to it: “ This species was first taken by Mr. 
J.S. Baly, and subsequently by myself.” In the ‘Annual’ List I merely cited it as 
having been registered during the year, and referred the reader to the ‘ Proceedings’ 
for the original notice. What more Mr. Baly would exact for the insignificant share 
he had in the addition of this species to the British Catalogue I know not: with equal 
justice might it be asserted that I had set myself up as the discoverer of the whole of 
the eighty-four species enumerated in the List. But the true incentive to Mr. Baly’s 
communication is probably to be found in his closing remarks. His strictures on the 
introductory portions of my ants’-nest article in the ‘ Annual, emanating as they do 
from an active participator in proceedings which he does not attempt to justify, I leave 
to the appreciation of an unbiassed public.—Edward W. Janson; 2, Alma Road, 
Upper Holloway, February 2, 1858. 


5974 Insects. 


Notes on the British Species of Blaps. By T. J. Bown, Esq. 


Ir will, without doubt, surprise many of our collectors of Coleoptera 
to be told that neither of our common species of Blaps is the mor- 
tisaga described by Linneus: such however is the case; and although 
Gyllenhal most carefully described it in 1810, yet subsequent authors 
have so bungled the matter that the synonyms of mortisaga, and our 
other two species (Chevrolatii and fatidica), are but a tissue of con- 
fusion. 

Having now before me native examples of the true mortisaga, I 
will endeavour to point out distinctive characters for it and its con- 
geners. The synonyms are part of those given in Mulsant’s Coleop. 
de France, Latigénes. 


1. Blaps gigas, Linn.; Steph. Illust., Mand. v. 23; Mulsant, 
Coleop. de France, Latigénes, 109, J. 


The bulk of this rare insect will lead to its immediate recognition. 
I have not seen a British specimen. 


2. B. mortisaga, Linn.; Gyll. Ins. Suec. 1. 595, 1; Mulsant, 
Coleop. de France, Latigénes, 117. 
Tenebrio mortisagus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 11. 676,15; Faun. Suec. 
See, 


Cylindrical, depressed, black: head large, finely punctured, labrum 
slightly emarginate, ciliated with fulvous hair: clypeus without a me- 
dian line: thorax convex, finely and distantly punctured ; obsoletely 
canaliculate; subquadrate, strongly margined, dilated and rounded 
anteriorly ; narrowed behind; hinder angles acute, and having an ob- 
lique impressed fovea on each side behind: elytra depressed, finely 
but distantly punctured; very little broader at the base than the 
thorax; sides scarcely dilated, greatest width before the middle, at- 
tenuated behind, apical processes much developed. Length 9—11 
lin. ; 

Male.—Opaque ; thorax much dilated anteriorly; elytra narrow, 
acuminated behind, with the apical processes elongate; a tuft of red- 
dish hair between the first and second segments of the abdomen 
beneath: the legs somewhat longer in proportion than in the female, 
and with the hinder tibie slightly bent. 

Female.—More glossy and less opaque than the male. 


Insects. 5975 


The cylindrical depressed form, dilated thorax and attenuated elytra 
will separate this species, at the first glance, from the two following. 

Mortisaga appears to be exclusively a northern species: my speci- 
mens, two males and two females, were taken near Elgin, in Moray- 
shire. 


8. B. Chevrolatii, Solier; Mulsant, Coleop. de France, Latigénes, 
119, 3. 
Blaps mortisaga, Marsh. Ent. Brit. 1. 479,1; Steph. Illust. 
Mand. v. 23,2; Id. Manual, 326, 2558; Westw. Mod. Class. 
ins. 1.319. fig. 39, 7. 
Blaps obtusa, Sturm, Deutsch. Faun. ii. 206, 4, pl. 44. 


This species, the B. mortisaga of British collections, may easily be 
known by its small subquadrate depressed thorax, which has the disk 
more or less uneven, and which gives it a foveolated appearance in 
most specimens: the elytra are greatly dilated, widest at about two- 
thirds their length ;* convex above, almost gibbous behind, and with 
the apical processes very short: when viewed in certain lights the 
elytra appear slightly, ribbed. 

Male.—More elongate, thorax proportionately wider, elytra not so 
gibbous, and legs longer than in the female. 

Mulsant appears to be of opinion that these narrow individuals are 
females; but I think that the dilation of the thorax, narrowing of the 
elytra and elongation of the legs are indicative of the male sex in this 
- genus. ) 

Common everywhere. I found it very abundant in September, 
1857, at Tain, Ross-shire. 


A. B. fatidica, Sturm, Deutsch. Faun. 11. 205, pl. 45; Spry & Shuck. 
48, pl. 57, fig. 1; Mulsant, Coleop. de France, Latigénes, 

121, 4. 
Blaps obtusa, Curtis, Brit. Ent. pl. 148; Steph. Illust. Mand. 
v. 23, 2; Id. Manual, 326, 2559; Samouel’s Ent. Cal. 20, 1. 


The very broad thick form and short legs of this insect will at once 
lead to its identification. Mulsant remarks that it is a more southern 
species than Chevrolatii, being found in the middle and South of 
France. Stephens and Curtis represent it as not uncommon in the 


* Mr. Westwood’s figure, cited above, is a very correct outline of the female of 
this species. 


5976 Radiata— Birds. 


southern portions of England. It has not yet been detected in our 
district. * 
Tuomas JoHN BoLp. 
Angas’ Court, Bigg Market, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
January 23, 1858. 


Are there two Species of Priapulus allied to caudatus ?—Will any of the numerous 
readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ inform me, through its pages, if there are more than one 
species of the tailed Priapulus found in the British seas? ‘There is only one figured 
and described in Forbes, I think. Is there any other published description? My 
reason for asking is simply this,—that it strikes me very forcibly that if we have not 
three distinct species here, we have at least two. But I may be wrong, as all the spe- 
cimens I have seen have been from the stomachs of fishes, so that the difference may 
only be accidental, and not real as is supposed. Any information on the subject will 
greatly oblige — Thomas Edward ; Banff, February 8, 1858. 

Serpula contortuplicata. — For some weeks past I have observed a curious malfor- 
mation (?) in one of these very interesting worms in my aquarium. I have in a former 
number of the ‘ Zoologist’ noticed the fact of the total loss of the trumpet-shaped 
operculum, which in several instances has fallen off, apparently, without any reason, 
and to all appearance in a healthy condition. In the present case there is a redun- 
dancy, as the specimen I now allude to has double opercula, both perfectly developed 
and joined together near the base. I should mention that these opercula are each of 
them decidedly smaller than the single one formerly occupying their place. May I 
ask whether this has been noticed before, or whether it is a common occurrence? — 
C. R. Lighton ; Ellastone, Ashbourne. 


Occurrence of the Peregrine Falcon in Kent.— A male specimen of this bird was 
shot on the 9th of December, 1856, in the parish of Halling, near Rochester, and is 
now in my possession.—C’. W. Shepherd; Trotterscliffe, Kent. 

Occurrence of the Buzzard at West Harling. — A fine female of the common buz- 
zard was shot here and sent to me on the Ist of the present month; it was in high 
condition ; the body was covered with fat, as well as being very fat internally. Itisa 
bird seldom met with in this district. I believe the roughlegged buzzard is not con- 
sidered so scarce, as a winter seldom passes but one or two are seen or obtained. — 
Thomas Dix ; West Harling, Norfolk, February 10, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Roller in Flintshire. —Iam glad to be able to record in the 
‘Zoologist’ the occurrence of this rare visitor to Britain. The specimen, which ap- 
pears to be a young bird, was killed by Captain E. H. Mostyn, of Saethelwyld, about 
a mile from the town of Holywell, whilst sitting on some railings in front of his house. 
Two specimens of the great snipe (Scolopax major) were killed this winter by a gentle- 


man in a field near Chester, on different days. — 7. Mather; Holywell, Flintshire, 
January 22, 1858. 


Birds. 5977 


Winter Food of the Ring Dove and Stock Dove.-—“ Daring autumn and winter 
ring doves feed on acorns, beech-nuts, byrries and turnip leaves.”—Yarrell, ii. 252. 
“The food of the stock dove is very similar to that of the ring dove, viz. young green 
leaves, peas, grain, seeds, berries, turnip leaves, beech-nuts, acorns, &c., according to 
the season of the year.”—Yarrell, ii. 256. I have, on more than one occasion during 
the present month, shot several wild pigeons, including both species named in the 
above extracts; and, once or twice, birds of both species have fallen to the same shot. 
On going to pick them up, a very conspicuons dissimilarity as to their diet, during the 
day just closing as they fell, claimed my attention. The ring doves, without an excep- 
tion, were crammed with holly berries,—so much so that, either from the shock of the 
fall or their dying struggles, the holly berries were disgorged in such quantities as to 
surprise me greatly. One bird shot dead on the wing, and falling some distance, and 
with proportionate impulse, must have ejected fully half a pint. The spot of ground 
it fell on, as seen from a little distance, was coloured red with them. One of the 
stock doves, however, while struggling in my hand, ejected some much smaller and 
less conspicuous substances, and I was led to look more closely and ascertain what its 
food had been: it seemed to have consisted exclusively of the seeds of the charlock,— 
here called ‘ runch,’ and ‘ ketlock’ in the neighbourhood of York,—with which trou- 
blesome weed more farms than one, not far from the plantation in which I shot the 
birds in question, are sadly infested. Nor in any one case have I found the stock 
dove had partaken of the holly berries which at present seem to form the staple food of 
large flocks of the ring dove. There is an ample supply in this neighbourhood: the 
trees—for they are really trees, with trunks from one foot to two or two and a half feet 
in diameter—are, in one or two places, very numerous, and even still, notwithstanding 
the long-continued feasting of flocks of wild pigeons and fieldfares, and great numbers 
of redwings, thrushes and blackbirds, are in many cases quite red with their crop of coral 
fruit. So much are the ring doves’ crops distended by the quantity of holly berries they 
have eaten, that, as they fly over or past, I have been forcibly reminded, by the protu- 
berance of their breast, of the peculiar shape which gives its name to the pouter pigeon. 
One I shot a day or two since, burst its crop in falling, and there was, for the instant, 
a scarlet shower flashing all round it as the berries rebounded from the earth and fell 
back again. I observe that the stock dove usually comes in to roost before the ring 
dove. When shot together, it was usually after they had been disturbed by previous 
shots.—J. C. Atkinson ; Danby, Grosmont, York, January 25, 1858. 


Contributions towards a Biography of the Partridge. 
By the Rev. J. C. ATKINson, M.A. 


“ Or a bird so universally known” as the partridge, “ little that is 
new can be said; with its appearance and its habits almost all are 
familiar.”—Yarrell, 11. 334. This statement is so generally true that, 
even if the disposition existed, there would be but little opportunity 
for disputing it. Still, from time to time, I have observed some slight 
peculiarities in the habits of the partridge which I have not seen 

XVI. R 


5978 Birds. 


noticed in any biography of that bird ; ; and besides, I have also seen 
some statements and theories advaaced in connexion with some of 
its habits, or supposed powers, which I thought were inconsistent with 
facts | had noticed, and have often been able to verify. Moreover, from 
the locality of my more recent and somewhat persevering observations, 
I have been almost induced to think that an account of those observa- 
tions might not be so altogether every-day as to be unacceptable to the 
editor and readers of the ‘ Zoologist.’ On these grounds, then, I rest 
my apology for the present paper. 

The district I am now living in is one of deep narrow valleys,—in 
the main fertile and well cultivated,—between ridges of moorland 
reaching an altitude of 900 to 1400 feet above the sea. The culti- 
vated part of my own immediate portion of this district may be not © 
unaptly figured by supposing a star-fish of five arms, not very regular 
in shape or size, and two of them drawn together for one-third of their 
length towards their points, and leaving an oval space between them 
towards their base. The whole area of this star-fish and its arms may 
be some 7000 or 8000 acres, lying in the midst of twice that amount — 
of moorland. While, then, the productive corn land in the valleys— 
much of it being of that quality which I have heard described as 
‘“‘ sood partridge land,” tha: is, very friable and dry—is highly favor- 
able to the breed of partridges, the close vicinity of the high ground, 
with its thick coverts of ling and bracken, adds yet further to its re- 
commendations as a breeding and dwelling place for these birds. 

The partridge pairs very early. Notwithstanding the intensely bitter. 
cold and frost of the early part of this month, I have already (Feb. 2) 
observed several instances in which the courtship was evidently 
over, and the union effected.* Nor have I ever observed, when once 
the pairing has taken place, that the individuals so paired ever so far, 
apparently, annul the bond as to return to the life-in-common of the 
covey; a circumstance which may repeatedly be noticed with both 
the grouse and the golden eek under the influence of severe 
weather. 

The nest appears to be almost invariably formed on the enclosed 
land; I mean as distinguished fromthe moor or common. This year 
I heard of one well-authenticated instance of the nest being on the 
moor, but still at no great distance from the enclosures ; and I believe 
such instances to be rare: indeed it would not be very convenient to 


* Our gamekeeper yesterday, February 4, told me he had noticed the same cir- 
cumstance. 


Birds. o979 


the old birds to have to convey their young just-hatched brood any 
great distance to their food, especially over or through such obstacles 
as are presented by the moor. But no long space elapses before the 
infant covey is conducted, at least occasionally, and principally during 
the height of the day, to the litile-disturbed quiet and shelter of some 
bracken-bed on “the banks” * in the vicinity of their birth-place. 
This year, in July, I saw a covey, the young birds not so large as 
thrushes, in a spot at least half a mile from the nearest corn-field. 
Still, as a rule, while the corn remains standing, and the potato-fields 
furnish the strong covert they do before the first sharpish frost, the 
coveys do not habitually resort to the moor. When disturbed they 
will, even before September is out, quit the shelter of the potatoes and 
rape, and go to the banks,—often rising very wild to do so,—and 
thence on to the open moor if again disturbed. Later on, when the 
potatoes are gathered and only the turnips are left, the preference for 
the moor is so strong that turnip-fields, which in a level country would 
have held two or three of the coveys bred in the adjacent corn or -hay- 
fields, may be beaten day after day without holding a bird, except under 
the condition that they have been by some means driven in.t Later 
yet, or from the end of October throughout the winter, if the weather 
continues open and mild, some coveys seem to take almost entirely to 
the moor, and wander to a great distance in all directions. Their 
droppings may be observed on the smooth short sward, on the sides 
of the moor roads and paths, and wherever such sward is found, to a 


* Bank or Banks is a word locally applied to the steep side of a hill, and even to 
the road up the said side. In the instance in which I apply it, it is the space which 
intervenes between the line of enclosures and the general or lower level of the moors, 
giving a surface with much the same “ gradient” as a very sharp roof, and of fully 
200 feet in absolute altitude. This space is clothed with coarse herbage, “ breckons,” 
and, here and there, where a spring makes a boggy place, with beds of rushes and 
sedges, here called “ sceaves” or “ clock-sceaves.”? Where these banks on either side 
one of the valleys or “ dales ” begin to approach each other at its termination, they 
break up into separate eminences or hills, of varying height and dimensions. These 
are called “ the hills,” as the termination of the dale is called its head. On many of 
these banks and hills the juniper grows, and sometimes to an enormous size. One of 
these bushes, now growing in Danby Head, is hollow in the centre from age, but is 
nearly 20 feet in diameter and 7 or 8 feet high. 

t+ On September 9th I bagged nine brace in about four hours’ shouting: at least 
six brace were shot on the banks. On October 9th I bagged 63 brace in about two 
hours: every bird was shot on the moor; in fact I only had two shots on the land, and 
in that case the birds had been driven from the moor into the turnips, where I found 
them. 


5980 Birds. 


mile and more from their home. If the sportsman finds them now it 
is “ more by luck than by wit.” 

In three different directions I knew, last season, of the existence of 
large packs, rather than coveys, of partridges, numbering not less than | 
from twenty to twenty-five brace in each case. From circumstances 
I had only been able to visit their several haunts once or twice before 
the middle of October. One of these packs I have never been able 
to find since; another I never saw again till last Monday (February 1), 
when the severe weather had driven it down upon the land; and the 
third T found accidentally one day, and it led me nearly a mile on to 
the open moor in pursuit. If, however, snow falls to any extent they 
forsake the moor, and, however hard pressed by the shooter, manifest 
very little inclination to resort thither for safety. 

From time to time one hears of very large coveys: during the past 
season I have heard of and seen more than one such. One, number- 
ing forty birds, was named to me before the season commenced: a few 
shots were fired at it on September 7th, which reduced its number 
to thirty-seven. At this number it stood for some weeks, when, on 
one or two occasions, it was somewhat reduced: however, as lately as 
February 2nd, it still mustered twenty-eight members. I have seen 
two or three others of from twenty to twenty-five. I believe in the 
latter cases all were the progeny of one pair of old birds, and included 
them of course; 1n the former, and all similar ones, that two hens laid 
in the same nest (See Yarrell, 11. 335). That this does take place, 
from time to time, I am in a position to prove, from a circumstance 
communicated to me last autumn. A partridge’s nest was found in a 
field, in Fingringhoe, in Essex, containing a great number of eggs; 
but one moiety consisted of the eggs of the redlegged partridge, the 
rest of those of the common English bird. 

In general, after the great tameness which characterizes the partridge 
early in the season is worn off, it is much more easy to approach single 
birds, or groups of two or three, than larger numbers ; but their habits, 
in respect of what the sportsman terms their “ wildness,” are very va- 
riable and very unaccountable. I have known fourteen out of seven- 
teen composing a covey killed in detail, the other three being left 
unmolested; and I have seen bird after bird get up, when once the 
gun had been fired or the whirr of one or more of their fellows’ wings 
been heard, without allowing the sportsman another shot. Sometimes 
I have seen two or three rise-very wild once or twice in succession, 
and the third time, with no better cover or concealment than before, 
lie till the shooter almost walked upon them. One day the covey will 


Birds. 5981 


lie till you are in the midst of them; the next, rise from the same 
covert as soon as you are seen entering the field. No doubt there is 
a reason for this variability, but 1 cannot suggest one that is at all sa- 
tisfactory to myself. 

They seem to resort to their feeding-ground at daybreak, and they 
remain there until about 9 to 10 o’clock. They then, with some 
calling, betake themselves to the turnip-field, or the bank, or some 
pasture, especially if it have a dry sunny bank in it, or possibly to a 
bed of rushes, if there be one in any field near. Here they remain 
till about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, when they begin to move, often 
on foot, and calling a good deal. Sometimes their journey on foot is 
so far continued that they have but a short flight to make to their 
feeding-ground,—little more, possibly, than over a fence, and a few 
yards into the field selected. They seem to be very playful when on 
the move, either to or from their food, and with no suspicion of pos- 
sible danger: little sparrings and rivalries as to which shall be fore- 
most in the walk may be observed by the well-placed spectator, and 
all accompanied with a low continued sort of clucking, which cannot 
be heard very far by human ears. I have very commonly observed 
the use of this species of call by a wounded bird. Occasionally the 
louder well-known call is used; but this clucking is very common. 
Twice in the past season I winged a bird with each barrel: in both 
cases the birds, though falling far apart, had drawn together; and in 
one of the cases, the birds having fallen 50 or 60 yards apart, I heard 
this calling quite distinctly, and eventually, after charging, found both 
close together. I have also occasionally seen them, quite contrary to 
their usual habits when driven to covert, manifest great restlessness, 
first one and then another, and then perhaps two or three rising, quite 
undisturbed by any near approach of dog or man, taking very short 
flights and then dropping again. Once I noticed this when some fif- 
teen brace of birds were scattered on the bank, and the whole space 
seemed alive with them, from their restless and incessant motions, ac- 
companied as it all was by continual callings. I have seen, but 
rarely, a single bird, from among what was proved in a few moments 
to be a-considerable covey, rise above the covert, and drop again as 
suddenly as it rose, and in the same place. It is no unusual thing 
for a bird, or more, leaving the bulk of the covey, to rise and go quite 
away. When this occurs, it may often be accounted for on the ground 
of the absence of that particular bird on whose movements and signals 
the covey depends for the regulation of its general conduct. In the 
former case, whenever I have remarked it, the covey had not been 


5982 Birds. 


previously flushed ; in the latter, as far as my memory serves me, it 
was most generally after a previous disturbance and flight of the 
covey, and very probably after the death, at the previous rise, of the 
old bird or birds. They usually rise first (giving a signal just as they 
rise), and, from the fact of being first on the wing, are most frequently 
first fired at: indeed in sporting books young shooters are told that if 
they can succeed in killing the old bird or birds at first, they will find 
it much easier to get shots at the remainder of the covey; and I have 
no doubt that this well-founded piece of advice owes its reason to the 
circumstance that the covey, having lost its director, whom I believe 
originally to be the hen bird, is thenceforward, during that day at 
least, without government or organization or concert; the young 
birds, inexperienced and terrified, have no resource in themselves, and 
wailing, after a purposeless run of a few yards, for the accustomed 
signal for flight, he till they are trodden on or perhaps caught by the 
dog or its master’s hand. In fact, I believe that the whole movements 
of the covey are directed mainly by voice. I have heard the low 
clucking of the parent bird, as she was moving about with her chicks 
in the standing corn, continued, with short intermissions, as long as I 
remained within hearing; I have heard the louder clucking, above 
noticed, when they are on the move to or from their feeding-ground, 
or when wounded; I have heard a low purring sound when I have 
come upon a covey at bask, or at rest during the midday hours, and 
before they had taken alarm from my presence; and all this quite in- 
dependently of the various calls which the most inattentive observer 
is acquainted with. In few words, they could not act with such con- 
cert as they do without very intelligible signals and a recognised 
authority to give them; and it is quite worth notice that the covey 
out of which you kill both old birds, and some of the scattered, disor- 
ganized young members, to day, will be in the course of another day 
or two reorganized and reofficered,—will rise before your dog as one 
bird,—and behave just as if it were still under the guidance of the 
director or directors originally given by Nature. 

To pass to another subject. A few months since there was a good 
deal of ink shed, in a certain sporting Weekly, on the supposed power 
of retention of scent alleged to be possessed by some game birds, and 
especially by a partridge assumed and maintained by some to be al- 
most more than a variety of the common partridge. The arguments 
in favour of both assumptions seemed to me most lame and incon- 
clusive. The supposed variety of partridge, described as exclusively 
frequenting or inhabiting the moors (if I remember right, particularly 


Birds. 5983 


in some parts of Ireland), was said to be distinguished partly by this 
circumstance, and partly by its less size and darker plumage as com- 
pared with the common bird. Here, I am certain, with every oppor- 
tunity and inducement of locality, of all the hundreds of partridges 
which frequent the moor at times, not one in a hundred is bred on the 
moor, and not one at all inhabits the moor to the exclusion of the low- 
lands. Hatched and nurtured in the corn-fields, though they may, in 
the case of a covey or two here and there, take to the moor for days, 
or possibly weeks together in such a mild season as the past has been, 
yet in snow and frost they return to the fields, and when paired are to 
be met with, as the rule, in the fields and not on the moor. Then as 
to size and plumage: he must be a most unobservant person who does 
not note the differences in size and shade perceptible between indivi- 
duals of almost every species of birds, according to sex, age and 
‘other circumstances. In the grouse, for instance, they are most con- 
spicuous ; and one day last week I shot two snipes in succession from 
the same wet place: one was a fine bird, above the average in weight ; 
the other so small I could scarcely believe it was not a jack as I 
stooped to pick it up. Again, I noticed one partridge in a particular 
covey, on two several days, so perceptibly darker than the rest that 
but for flight, &c., I might have been pardoned for taking it, for a 
moment or two, for a grouse. But to return to size: I met a farmer 
one day late in the season; he said to me, ‘I told you there was a 
covey of thirteen very small birds, scarcely able to fly, when you were 
over my farm in September; I have seen them often since, in such 
and such fields.” A week or two after—I believe about the 19th of 
December—I was over his fields again, and killed a bird out of a good 
covey. On picking it up I was struck by its lightness and smallness ; 
it was, however, very plump and in full plumage. I followed the 
covey, and succeeded in bagging three more from it, one of which 
was an old bird. All of the three young ones were alike in size and 
weight, and certainly less than the old one by one-third. On a sub- 
sequent occasion I shot most of the others; and the rule held through- 
out. Most of these small birds, moreover, appeared darker in colour 
than the usual run of partridges. But the difference in size certainly 
could be accounted for in only one way, viz., the very late period at 
which they had been hatched; and I have observed the same result 
of late hatching on a former occasion, nor is it difficult to be ac- 
counted for. : 

As to the alleged suppression or retention of scent, I think the 


5934 Birds. 


supposed power as much a myth as the supposed variety * of partridge. 
No observant person can have had much to do with the pursuit of our 
English game without having, again and again, found himself called 
on to notice the strangest circumstances connected with scent: it 
varies inconceivably in the same field, on the same day, nay in the 
same hour. Sometimes in the case of a wounded bird the scent is so 
strong that, instead of drawing steadily on, the dog points perpetually, 
as if the bird were just ahead of him; at other times he can scarcely 
carry it on at all, losing it again and again, only recovering it after 
repeated casts, and very likely losing it entirely in the end. A few 
weeks since I winged a bird on the moor ; the ling was not high: my 
dog took up the scent, which seemed very strong, immediately ; he 
“footed” the bird for 150 or 200 yards, step by step, turn by turn; and 
then all at once the trail was lost. Though one of the most perse- 
vering dogs I ever saw in pursuit of a wounded bird, and with a most 
excellent nose, he was quite unable to take up the scent again, though 
working every yard of ground for a large space round: the fact was, 
as I thought, that having worked the scent very slowly, pointing re- 
peatedly, as if believing the bird to be in the next bunch of ling, the 
partridge had gained time, and, on getting out of the ling on to a bare 
place,—left bare by a recent fire,—on which, from its dryness and ab- 
sence of vegetation, the scent would scarcely lie at all, even at first, 
and had entirely escaped before the dog came up, had then gone off 
with unimpeded speed, and by the time he came up literally “ left no 
trace behind.” And yet this might have served a retentionist with a 
good “case in point.” Again, I have seen dogs in many cases run 
over a dead bird, sometimes almost or quite touching it, and give no 
token of noticing the scent. I have hunted a dog for ten minutes or 
more over a spot of a few square yards, on which I knew a dead bird 
lay, and have given it up as lost. The next shot I fire brings down a 
winged bird, which runs through a thick bed of broom, breast high; 
thence through a hole in a dry stone wall, into a plantation of young 
larches, with a very dense undergrowth of grass and weeds; and at 
last into the entrance of a drain: the dog hunts it unfalteringly, and 
I bag it in due time. I return over the ground on which I had seen 


* Other circumstances connected with the assumed variety of partridges, even 
more mythical than those noticed in the text, I pass over as scarcely worthy serious 
comment; such, for instance, as that there is no increase, or the contrary, in their 
numbers from year to year,—where there is a covey this year there is one next, and 
no more; that almost all the birds in any covey are males; and so on. 


Birds. 5985 


the bird, looked upon as lost, fall, and while speaking to a farmer find 
myself almost treading on it, my dog being just as far from smelling 
it now as before. Yet no one can contend that the dead bird sup- 
presses its scent. The fact was this bird had fallen into a hollow, so 
that, had I not been occupied with the second barrel, I could not 
have actually seen it to the ground; and in that hollow there were 
probably certain forces — analogous to those producing eddies in 
water, and whirlwinds, small or great, in the air—acting on the currents 
in the atmosphere, which conveyed the scent upwards, instead of hori- 
zontally or nearly so; while the bird, having fallen dead, had left no 
scent on the earth, except just the few inches it covered as it lay. 
But the great objection to the theory of suppression, in my mind, 
is derived from another description of facts. Partridges, to speak of 
them only, are affirmed to be possessed of a power which, when exer- 
cised, baffles the sportsman’s best dogs and his attendant’s most ac- 
curate marking; but nineteen partridges out of twenty, take the 
season through, most unquestionably do not avail themselves of it. 
No doubt every sportsman is often aware he may have left a bird be- 
hind him, but how many has he found for one he believes he has 
left? The succession of points got in September, in a piece of good 
turnips or potatoes in a well-stocked country, or later still in the 
coverts afforded by our banks, in a good partridge year, when the 
young inexperienced partridges are most terrified,—in other words, in 
circumstances calling for, and, by the theorists, supposed to originate 
the exercise of the power of suppression,—is a sufficient reply to any 
one who has no theory to maintain. Surely if a pursued and alarmed 
bird could suppress its scent, it would be done by nineteen pursued 
and alarmed birds out of twenty, instead of by the solitary unit in 
twenty. Every one who has ever noticed the singular freaks with 
which colour spreads itself in water, darkening this place, leaving 
that quite untinged, can easily imagine how there must be analogous 
freaks, more strange still, in a fluid so much more subile than water, 
and with a commingling matter so infinitely less tangible and appre- 
ciable than colouring matter. On the whole I must say that it does 
appear to me a most hasty generalization, from very inadequate facts, 
to assume that a partridge, or other game bird, can suppress its scent, 
because in a few isolated instances—very few, comparatively—a marked 
bird cannot be found by the pointer or trod up by the sportsman. 


J. C. ATKINSON. 
February 5, 1858. 


AVI. S 


5OR6 Birds. 


Breeding of ihe Bustard (Otis tarda) near Leipzic. 
By Henry SMurtTuHwalIrtE, Esq. 


I nap hoped, during the course of last summer, to obtain many 
particulars concerning the habits of the great bustard during the 
breeding season,—a want which, from various reasons, has up to this 
time remained quite unsupplied: residing as I do in the very heart of 
the locality chosen by these interesting birds as their nursery, I ima- 
gined that I should have had an opportunity of studying their nidifi- 
cation, which has not often been afforded to a naturalist; various 
circumstances, however, prevented me from investigating in person, 
and for the somewhat meagre particulars which I send I am indebted 
to the kindness of a friend, who, during the breeding season of 1857, 
himself several times discovered the nest, or rather the eggs, of Otis 
tarda. - 

“Der Trappe,” as our German friends call it, seems to have fixed 
upon the immense level plains between Leipzic and Halle as their 
favourite resort: they are found, however, in the greatest numbers in 
the neighbourhood of the latter town. ‘The females, who appear to 
arrive on the breeding ground considerably later than the males, are 
deserted by the latter soon after the act of impregnation has taken 
place; for the great bustard brings with him into Europe the custom 
of the land he most loves, and indulges in a plurality of wives. The 
eggs are usually laid about the end of May or beginning of June, but, 
as the following list shows, there is every reason to suppose that two 
broods are sometimes hatched in the year, or that in some seasons 
nidification takes place much earlier and later than in others. 

I had employed various persons to procure eggs for me, having 
made the necessary arrangements so early as February, 1857, and re- 
ceived specimens as follows, the date, be it understood, indicating in 
every instance, the day on which the eggs were taken. 

April 28. Two specimens, freshly laid. 

May 20. Two specimens, freshly laid. 

May 29. Three specimens from two nests, the single egg being ad- 
dled, the others quite fresh. 

June 8. One specimen. The nest from which it was taken contained 
three eggs, all fresh. 

June 23. One specimen, quite fresh. This egg was taken within 
two miles of Leipzic. 


Birds. 5987 


_ July 1. One specimen, quite fresh. 

August 12. One specimen, also quite newly laid. 

Those brought me on the 28th of April are smaller than any of the 
rest, with the exception of that which was addled. ‘The eggs in my 
possession differ very considerably both in the ground-colour and in 
the number and shade of the secondary markings, the spots on the 
two brought to me in April being much deeper in hue and more 
clearly developed than in any other specimens which I have ex- 
amined. The finding of the eggs was in most instances, as it were, 
accidental, for the parties in search of them were compelled to limit 
their efforts to walking over the ground which they knew by experi- 
ence was likely to reward them, and keeping a sharp look out for the 
eggs, for in scarcely any instance is a nest formed, and this at most 
consists of a little straw, or occasionally a few feathers, carelessly laid 
together in a slight depression of the earth. On several occasions, 
however, the object was gained by previously taking a careful survey, 
with a good telescope, of the ground about to be tried: by this 
means, more than once, the head and neck of the hen bird were ob- 
served as she sat on her eggs; and although, long before the party 
could arrive at the spot thus discovered, the bird took the alarm and 
escaped, yet the plan was found much better than could have been 
expected. 

The great bustard is, in the district I have above mentioned, by no 
means a scarce bird, although, from the few opportunities which occur 
of getting a view of it, itis considered to be rarer than is really the 
case. Had I been able last year to have aided in person in the 
search, I have no doubt that the number of eggs obtained might have 
been more than doubled: I heard of numerous specimens being taken 
‘by persons who, like myself, are enthusiastic egg- collectors. 

The number of eggs laid is either one, two or three; the second 
number most usually, and one more frequently than three. 

The young are enabled to run with speed soon after their exclusion 
from the egg, and it is at this time that persons desirous of obtaining 
the birds for their aviaries or poultry yards endeavour to secure them. 
If taken whilst chicks their domestication is a matter of very little 
difficulty: they feed greedily on chopped meat, and become so tame 
as to answer their owner’s call and feed readily from his hand,—the 
more singular from the fact of their being in the wild state the shyest 
of all birds: the attempt to hatch and rear them from the egg is at 
best a troublesome and disappointing undertaking, as scarcely one in 
twelve is successfully brought up. 


5988 Birds. 


A word, before I conclude, on the much vexed question of the 
gular pouch. In compliance with the wishes of an English gentleman 
who felt great interest in the subject, I made many inquiries amongst 
persons likely to be well informed, two of them in fact professional 
taxidermists, and the almost universal opinion was that the pouch in- 
variably exists in the adult male bustard, but never in the female of 
any age: the matter, I think, can only be finally decided when some 
good anatomist examines an extensive series of old males; and as 


these are at all times difficult to procure, the question must, | fear, 
remain unsolved. 


HENRY SMURTHWAITE. 
Leipzic, Rossplatz, 
February 8, 1858. 


Occurrence of Tengmalm’s Owl (Strix Tengmalmi) in Sussex.—On the 27th of 
March, 1857, a labouring man, of the name of Day, saw a bird fly into a rabbits’ 
burrow, in Holmbush Park, near Horsham. He dug the bird out and sold it, alive, 
to a bird-stuffer, of the name of Weller, in Roughy Street. This bird was afterwards 
shown to me, and it proved to be Strix Tengmalmi. The sex was unfortunately not 
ascertained. It is now in my possession.— W. Borrer, jun.; Cowfold, Sussex, 
February 15, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Barheaded Goose (Anser Indica) near Chester.—I have bediils in- 
formed, by Capt. E. H. Mostyn, that a specimen of the barheaded goose, a native of 
India, was shot in the spring of 1848, during a hard frost, whilst in company with a 
flock of bernicle geese, by — Congreve, Esq., of Berton Hall, Cheshire, on the shore 
of the Dee, about eight miles below Chester. The specimen is still in his possession: 
it had probably escaped from some aviary. The following is a description of the 
bird. Length about 27 or 28 inches: bill yellow, with a reddish tinge at the base; 
head, upper part of neck and a stroke down each side of the neck white; a bar of 
black at the back of the head reaching to each eye; below this a second bar of black, 
not extending so far; rest of the neck dark gray; the feathers of the belly above the 
legs and thighs brown ; the whole of the rest of the plumage French gray, darkest on 
the wings, the primary feathers of which are dark gray or black; tail tipped with 
white; legs orange-red.— 7. Mather ; Glyn Abbot, Holywell, Flintshire, February 9, 
1858. 

Black Swans nesting at Carshalton.—My black swans hatched off a brood of eight 
young ones on Friday last, all strong and healthy. This is the fifth time they have 
bred at this season of the year. Their nest was entirely exposed to the weather, and 
the most intense cold does not affect them.—S. Gurney ; Carshalton, February 1, 
1858. 

Occurrence of the Fulmar Petrel (Pracelieitia glacialis) at Brighton.—On the 30th 
of January, 1858, a specimen of Procellaria glacialis was picked up, dead, on the 
beach, at Black Rock, Brighton. It was quite fresh, and appeared to have been 


Reptiles. 5989 


recently shot, having fresh blood about the neck. The windpipe was divided into a 
double tube for about half its length upward from the divarication of the bronchial 
tubes. I do not know whether this is the case in all the petrels.— W. Borrer, jun. ; 
Cowfold, Sussex, February 15, 1858. 


Another Peep at the Sea-Serpent.—I beg to enclose you a copy of an extract from 
the meteorological journal kept by me on board the ship ‘ Castilian, on a voyage 
from Bombay to Liverpool. TI have sent the original to the board of Trade, for whom 
the observations have been made during my last voyage. Iam glad to confirm a 
statement made by the Commander of Her Majesty’s ship ‘ Dedalus,’ some years 
ago, as to the existence of such an animal as that described by him.—G. H. Har- 
rington ; 14 and 144, South Castle Street, Liverpool, February 2, 1858. 


“ Copy of an Extract from the Board of Trade Meteorological Journal, kept by Capt. 
Harrington, of the ship ‘ Castilian, from Bombay for Liverpool, 


“ Ship Castilian, Dec. 12, 1857, north-east end of St. Helena, 
bearing north-west, distance 10 miles. 


“© At 6 30 p.m., strong breezes and cloudy, ship sailing about 12 miles per hour. 
While myself and officers were standing on the lee side of the poop, looking towards 
the island, we were startled by the sight of a huge marine animal which reared its 
head out of the water within 20 yards of the ship, when it suddenly disappeared for 
about half a minute and then made its appearance in the same manner again, showing 
us distinctly its neck and head about 10 or 12 feet out of the water. Its head was 
shaped like a long nun buoy, and I suppose the diameter to have been seven or eight 
feet in the largest part, with a kind of scroll, or tuft of loose skin, encircling it about 
two feet from the top; the water was discoloured for several hundred feet from its 
head, so much so that on its first appearance my impression was that the ship was in 
broken water, produced, as I supposed, by some volcanic agency since the last time I 
passed the island, but the second appearance completely dispelled those fears, and 
assured us that it was a monster of extraordinary length, which appeared to be moving 
slowly towards the land. The ship was going too fast to enable us to reach the mast- 
head in time to form a correct estimate of its extreme length, but from what we saw 
from the deck we conclude that it must have been over 200 feet long. The boatswain 
and several of the crew who observed it from the topgallant forecastle state that it was 
more than double the length of the ship, in which case it must have been 500 feet ; 
be that as it may, I am convinced that it belonged to the serpent tribe; it was of a 
dark colour about the head, and was covered with several white spots. Having a 
press of canvass on the ship at the time I was unable to round to without risk, and 
therefore was precluded from getting another sight of this leviathan of the deep. 


*“ GrorGE Henry Harrineron, Commander. 
‘ WittiamM Davixrs, Chief Officer. 
‘“ EpwarD WHEELER, Second Officer.” 


5990 Reptiles. 


The Sea-Serpent.—In your paper of the 5th inst. is a letter from Captain}Har- 
rington, of the ship ‘ Castilian, stating his belief that he had seen the great sea- 
serpent near St. Helena. His confidence is strengthened from the fact of something 
similar having been seen by Her Majesty's ship ‘ Dedalus’ near the same position. 
The following circumstance, which occurred on board the ship ‘ Pekin,’ then belonging 
to Messrs. T. and W. Sinith, on her passage from Moulmcin, may be of some service 
respecting this “ queer fish.” On December 28th, 1848, being then in lat. 26 S., long. 
6 E., nearly calm, ship having only steerage way, saw about half a mile on port beam 
a very extraordinary-looking thing in the water, of considerable length. With the 
telescope we could plainly discern a huge head and neck, covered with a long shaggy- 
looking kind of mane, which it kept lifting at intervals out of the water. This was 
seen by all hands, and declared to be the great sea-serpent. I determined on knowing 
something about it, and accordingly lowered a boat, in which my chief officer and 
four men went, taking with them a long small line in case it should be required. I 
watched them very anxiously, and the monster seemed not to regard their approach, — 
At length they got close to the head. They seemed to hesitate, and then busy them- 
selves with the line, the monster all the time ducking its head, and showing its great 
length. Presently the boat began pulling towards the ship, the monster following 
slowly. In about half an hour they got alongside; a tackle was got on the main yard 
and it was hoisted on board. It appeared somewhat supple when hanging, but so 
completely covered with snaky-lookiug barnacles about 18 inches long, that we had it 
some time on board before it was discovered to be a piece of gigantic sea-weed, 
20 feet long and 4 inches diameter, the root end of which appeared when in the water 
like the head of the animal, and the motion given by the sea caused it to seem alive. 
In a few days it dried up to a hollow tube, and as it had a rather offensive smell was 
thrown overboard. I had only been a short time in England when the ‘ Daedalus’ 
arrived and reported having seen the great sea-serpent,—to the best of my recollection 
near the same locality, and which I have no doubt was a piece of the same weed. So 
like a huge living monster did this appear, that had circumstances prevented my 
sending a boat to it J should certainly have believed I had seen the great sea-snake.— 
Frederick Smith ; Newcastle-on-Tyne, February 10, 1858.—F rom the ‘ Times. 

[“‘ The plants of this family (Laminariacee) are almost all of large size, and many 
of them gigantic, greatly exceeding in bulk any other marine vegetables. The Oar- 
weeds and Tangle of our own coasts have frequently stems six or eight feet long, and 
fronds expanding from their summits to as great a length ; and the Sea-thong (Chorda) 
often measures forty feet in length. But these dimensions are small, compared with 
their kindred on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The Nereocystis, a plant of this 
family inhabiting the north-western shores of America, has a stem, no thicker than 
whipcord, but upwards of 300 feet in length, bearing at its apex a huge vesicle, six or 
seven feet long, shaped like a barrel, and crowned with a tuft of upwards of fifty 
forked leaves, each from 30 to 40 feet in length. ‘The vesicle, being filled with air, 
buoys up this immense frond, which lies stretched along the surface of the sea: here 
the sea-otter has his favorite lair, resting himself upon the vesicle, or hiding among 
the leaves while he pursues his fishing. The cord-like stem which anchors this floating 
tree must be of considerable strength; and, accordingly, we find it used as a fishing- 
line by the natives of the coast.”—Harvey's British Alga, p. 27.—Ep.] 


Zoological Society. 5991 


Proceedings of Societies. 
ZooLoGcicaL Society. 
January 12, 1858. 


Mr. Sclater exhibited a small collection of birds lately transmitted by Mr. Thos. 
Bridges (Corr. Member) from Northern California, accompanied with notes on their 
localities, habits, &c., by the collector. ‘T'wo species, both belonging to the family 
Picide (woodpeckers), were pointed out as of great interest: one of these was the 
elegant Melanerpes albolarvatus, lately described and figured by Mr. Cassin, of Phi- 
ladelphia, and hitherto unknown in European collections: several specimens of both 
sexes of this bird were obtained by Mr. Bridges in Trinity Valley, where it is not un- 
common in the pine forests. The other Mr. Sclater considered as probably new to 
science, and he proposed to call it Melanerpes rubrigularis: it was found in the same 
locality, but is represented as very rare, only one specimen having been procured. 

The Secretary read a “ Monograph of the Genus Nyctophilus,” by Mr. R. F. 
Tomes. The characters of this genus were first briefly given by Dr. Leach, in a com- 
munication to the Linnean Suciety read in March, 1820, but not published until 1822. 
In describing the teeth of the lower jaw, Mr. Tomes considered that two errors which 
have been made respecting their number required correction. Dr. Leach states that 
the lower incisors are six in number, and M. Temminck, describing afterwards from 
the same specimen, could only find four. After diligently examining a considerable 
number of skulls, Mr. Tomes satisfied himself that the account given by Dr. Leach 
is correct, for in no instance could he discover less than six lower incisors; but in two 
examples the outer one on each side is wholly hidden by the one next to it, so that, 
unless the skull be carefully cleared of the investing membranes, it would be extremely 
difficult to see more than four of these teeth: hence has probably arisen the error. 
In the course of the paper Mr. Tomes gives descriptions of two new species under 
the following names,—Nyctophilus Gouldi and N. unicolor. 

The Secretary next read a paper by Dr. L. Pfeiffer, containing descriptions of 
eleven new species of land shells, from the collection of Mr. Cuming. ‘They were 
characterized under the following names, viz.—Helix Wallacei, Testudo, congener, 
Purchasi and Fricki, Achatinella (Newcombia) cinnamomea, gemma, sulcata and 
minnis, Cylindrella eximia and Bulimus Binneyanus. 

The Secretary also read a paper by Mr. Hanley, containing descriptions of a new 
Cyrena from Ceylon, and of new Siphonarie, and which he named as follows, — 
Cyrena Tennantii, Siphonaria brunnea, Carbo, parma, exulorum and redimiculum 
(var.). 

Dr. Gray read a paper on a new arrangement of species in the genus Oliva. 


Tuesday, January 26, 1858.—P. L. Sciarer, Esq., F.L.S., in the Chair. 


Dr. Harley made some further observations on the anatomy of a new species of 
Pentastoma found by him in the lung and air-sac of an Egyptian Cobra, an interesting 
paper on which was read before the Society in June last. 

The Secretary read a notice of a new genus of Uropeltide from Ceylon, in the 


5992 Zoological Society. 


collection of the British Museum, by Dr. Gray. The species was characterized under 
the name of Mitylia Gerrardi. | 

The Secretary also read a paper, by the same author, on the bosch-vark (Potamo- 
cherus africanus) living in the Society's Gardens. Some doubt having been expressed 
as to the distinctness of the painted pig of the Cameroons from the bosch-vark of the 
Cape, it was with great pleasure Dr. Gray was enabled to examine a living specimen 
of the latter, and he is quite convinced that any one who examines the two living 
animals, as they are placed side by side in the Gardens, cannot fail to be satisfied with 
the distinctness of the species, independent of any variation that may occur in the 
ground-colour of the individual. 

The Chairman read some notes on a collection of birds received by M. Verreaux, 
of Paris, from the Rio Napo, in the Republic of Eguador, and stated that, although 
several small collections of birds had been already received in Europe from this lo- 
cality (one of which he had formerly brought before the notice of the Society), the 
present was larger and of a more interesting nature, embracing no less than 170 spe- 
cies, at least 20 of which appeared to be undescribed. The most noticeable objects 
were two Tanagers, which seemed not only generically but specifically different from 
anything hitherto known, and which were characterized as Creurgops verticalis and 
Euchetes coccineus,—a fine series of Formicariide, embracing 33 species, of which 
several appeared to be undescribed,—and a new form belonging to the peculiar South- 
American family Pteroptochide, for which the name Agathopus micropterus was pro- 
posed. The Chairman stated that M. Jules Verreaux had previously examined and 
labelled the birds of this collection, and that the greater part of the new appellations 
were adapted from his MS. 

The Chairman also called the attention of the Society to a very scarce parrot 
lately acquired for the Menagerie, and of which only one other specimen was known, | 
formerly living in the Zoological Gardens at Amsterdam, and new in their Museum. 
This was the Eclectus Cornelia of Prince Bonaparte. 


Tuesday, February 9, 1858.—Dr. Gray, F.B.S., V.P., in the Chair. 


_ The Secretary read a paper ‘ On the Characters of four Species of Bats inhabiting 
Europe and Asia, and the Description of a new Vespertilio inhabiting Madagascar, 
by R. F. Tomes, Esq. After some lengthened remarks on the characters of the fol- 
lowing species, viz. Vespertilio emarginatus, Horsf., V. formosa, Hodgs., V. rufo-pictus, 
Waterh., and V. Pearsonii, Horsf., the paper concluded by describing a new species 
from Madagascar, which was characterized under the name of Vespertilio madagas- 
cariensis. 

Mr. Gould exhibited to the meeting British specimens of the Motacilla flava of 
Ray, which had been shot by Mr. Thirtle, of Lowestoft. 

Mr. Gould also called the attention of the meeting to three beautiful specimens 
of Steller’s duck, which had been brought for exhibition by Mr. Stevens. 

The Secretary read a paper by M. Deshayes, on new shells from the collections of 
Mr. Cuming and himself, in which were descriptions of 75 new species of the genus 
Terebra. 

Dr. Gray read a paper ‘On a New Genus of Mytilide, and on some distorted 
forms which occur among Bivalve Shells.’ 


Entomological Society. 5993 


Dr. Gray also read a paper containing ‘ Observations on the Genus Nerita and 
their Operculum.’ His study of Mollusca had proved to him that few parts offer more 
important and better characters for separation of the families, genera and species, than 
the operculum; and he proceeded to show how well this was illustrated in the family 
Neritida.—D. W. M. 


ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


Anniversary Meeting, January 25, 1858.—W. -Witson Saunpers, Esq., Presi- 
dent, in the Chair. 


F. Smith, J. T. Syme, J. O. Westwood, and J. S. Wilkinson, Esqrs., were elected 
Members of the Council, in the room of J. Lubbock, H. T. Stainton, G. R. Water- 
house, and T. V. Wollaston, Esqrs.; and the following were elected to fill the respective 
offices for the year: Dr, J. E. Gray, President ; 8. Stevens, Esq., Treasurer; E. Shep- 
herd and E. W. Janson, Esqrs., Secretaries. 

The Report of the Council to the Society, which stated that the typical specimens 
had been withdrawn from the collection of exotic insects, and recommended a speedy 
sale of the remainder; was read and received. 

Mr. Stainton, one of the Auditors, read an abstract of the Treasurer's accounts, 
showing a balance of £75 9s. 6d. in favour of the Society, above all liabilities. 

The President delivered an Address on the affairs of the Society and the general 
progress of the Science, for which, and his able services to the Society during his term 
of office, the Meeting passed a cordial vote of thanks, with a request that he would 
allow his address to be printed. 

The President, in returning thanks, expressed his willingness to print the Address 
at his own expense. 

A vote of thanks was then passed to the Treasurer and Secretaries, for their ser- 
vices to the Society. 


February 1, 1858.—F. Smiru, Esq., in the Chair. 


The Secretary read a letter from the President of the Society, Dr. J. E. Gray 
(who was unavoidably absent), in which he nominated as Vice-Presidents for the year 
W. W. Saunders, Esq., J. O. Westwood, Esq., and F. Smith, Esq. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 
donors :—‘ Transactions of the Linnean Society,’ Vol. xxii., Part 2; presented by the 
Society. ‘ Mémoires d’Entomologie publiés par la Société Entomologique des Pays- 
Bas, Livraisons 1, 2 & 3; by the Society. ‘ Exotic Butterflies, Part 25; by W. W. 
Saunders, Esq. ‘Genera des Coléoptéres, Tome iv.; by the Author, Prof. Lacor- 
daire. ‘ Proceedings of the Royal Society, Vol. ix., No. 28; by the Society. ‘ The 


XVI. T 


5994 Entomological Society. 


Literary Gazette’ for January; by the Editor. ‘ The Journal of the Society of Arts’ 
for January; by the Editor. ‘ Biographical Notice of the late Professor Carlo Pas- 
serini. ‘The Zoologist’ for February ; by the Editor. ‘ Description de Longicornes 
Nouveaux du vieux Calabar, par M. A. Chevrolat; by the Author. ‘ Linnea Ento- 
mologica,’ Zwolfte Band ; by the Entomological Society of Stettin. 


Election of a Member. 


R. B. Were, Esq., 35, Osborne Terrace, Clapham Road (formerly a Subscriber to 
the Society), was balloted for and elected a Member. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Stevens exhibited some Lepidoptera and Coleoptera sent from Port Natal by 
M. Gueinzius: amongst the former were specimens of Charaxis, Zoolina, Salamis, 
Cloantha, and some beautiful species of Bombycidz ; also an Adela closely resembling 
the A. Degeerella of Europe: the Coleoptera included Hypselogenia geotrupina, 
Sternetornus Bohemanni, Eunostus Gueinzii, and eight species of Paussus. 

Mr. Stevens observed that Eunostus Gueinzii was stated by M. Gueinzius to be 
nocturnal in its habits, and this appeared to be generally the case with pale-coloured 
insects: the pale Megacephala taken by Mr. Bates on the Amazon was said by him 
to be a strictly nocturnal species. 

Mr. Smith observed, in corroboration of this theory, that the pale-coloured Vespa 
Doryloides, Sauss., lately sent home by Mr. Wallace from Borneo, was said to be 
found at night only, which was the more interesting as no other species of wasp was 
yet known to be nocturnal. 


The following notes, which accompanied the collection exhibited by Mr Stevens, 
were communicated by M. Gueinzius :— 


On the Habits of Paussida, &c. 


“¢ Except the specimens of Pausside which have been attracted by candle-light, I 
have never found a specimen elsewhere than in ants’ nests, except one, and that a new 
species, in this collection, which I found in the hot sunshine, sitting upon a blade of 
grass, no doubt quite accidentally. They all live with species of ants which are car- 
nivorous: Cerapterus, Pleuropterus and Pentaplatarthrus with different larger species, 
but the true Paussi seem to live only with our small species; at least I have found P. 
cucullatus, P. Dohrnii, P. Latreillii, P. Shuckardii, and three other species in the 
collection, all with one and the same species. 

“ One night last summer I heard a slight tap on a window-pane, as from a grain 
of gravel: upon going out with the candle I found it was a Paussus (similar to 
Dohrnii), of which I had not seen a specimen for some years: not half an hour after- 
wards I heard the same sound on the same window, and found a second specimen. 
Although I did not observe the sex, there is little doubt that the first specimen was a 
female, and the second a male. Ina number of instances I have observed that the 
females of Coleoptera move some time before the males. I observed one morning a 


Entomological Society. 5995 


female Eudicella Smithii settle on a branch of a shrub before my door; not half an 
hour after I had removed it a male had settled on the very same spot. An enormous 
female Sternotornis niveisparsa (attracted by the candle) will strike the window so as 
nearly to break the pane, when some time after the smaller-sized male will arrive at 
the same window. In the same way, and under the same circumstances, I have ob- 
tained two rare species of smaller Scarites, always in pairs; and so it appears that 
these beetles are able to trace the flight of the opposite sex through the air, a good 
while after it has passed. Paussi appear in the mouth of November, and last during 
the whole season until April: their caustic juice is squirted out of the sides of the 
abdomen ; part of it evaporates immediately as a blue smoke, distinctly visible by sun- 
light; the remainder covers both sides of the elytra, and remains as a whitish or pale 
yellow unctuous matter. I have repeatedly found P. Latreillii in the act of copulation 
in ants’ nests. The specimens are nearly always found in the part of the nest where 
the eggs and pupe are deposited; and although I have never yet observed a Paussus 
in the act of feeding, yet, from the great and mysterious attachment which the ants 
show them, I am inclined to believe that they feed upon the spoil which the ants con- 
vey into the nests, rather than upon their eggs or pupe: I believe, likewise, that the 
eggs of the Paussi are there deposited and bred, and it is not impossible that their 
larve are fed by the ants as their own offspring. The sunny sides of the margins of 
forests are the places where Paussi are generally met with ; a piece of old dry wood is 
seldom found without an ants’ nest beneath it (stones get too hot in the sun): when 
the weather is very dry they remain below ground, but when moist they ascend and 
carry their eggs and pupz to the surface under the wood: when this shelter is care- 
fully lifted up on one side, I have often observed a Paussus (P. Dohrnii, cucullatus or 
Latreillii), surrounded and covered with ants, apparently sucking nourishment out of 
him, and fondling him all the time with their antenne, as they do the Aphides and 
larve of Centroti, and other lamellicorn Coleoptera found with ants. 

“* When the alarm is given in a nest, and all is hurry and bustle to save eggs and 
pups, two or three ants will seize the sluggish Paussus by the antenne, and he is 
quickly hurried below with the rest. I can discern no difference in the odour emitted 
by P. cucullatus and P. Latreillii, when exploding, and that which is perceived on 
opening an ants nest on a hot day.” 


Captain Cox exhibited some diagrams illustrating the economy of Scolytus 
destructor, and read the following communication, pursuant to notice given at the 
last Meeting :— 


On the Ravages of Scolytus destructor. 


“Ten years have nearly elapsed since the Royal Botanic Society of London 
awarded me their medal, and had my Paper (read before the Society in 1848) published 
for distribution among the Fellows and Members. Mr. R. Marnock (the Curator) 
then stated ‘that the results of the operations recommended in that Paper had been 
mest satisfactory, and had proved highly beneficial to the trees.’ As I feel certain 
that I shall nearly stand alone in the views I have taken of the habits of the Scolytus 
destructor, it is most essential that I should avail myself of the powerful testimony of 
the award made by the Royal Botanic Society of London, and of the report of the 


5996 Entomological Society. 


Curator, to assist me in bringing conclusive evidence before you that we are now per- 
fectly acquainted with the true habits of the Scolytus destructor, and the means of 
arresting its future progress; it is most peculiarly fitting now that Science should step 
in and prove that over one pest at least we have power, and if not made use of the fault 
lies entirely with the public. 

“ Among the various pests that are constantly claiming attention by their 
obnoxious powers, the Scolytus destructor holds no mean rank: the elin is one 
of the most useful trees we have in this country; it suits our climate, is extremely 
ornamental and flourishes where others would not thrive so well, its timber is made 
use of in various ways, and therefore its preservation is alike advantageous to our 
ornamental parks and woodland scenery. Previous to 1840 the Scolytus destructor. 
was known, but its habits not perfectly understood: it was during the furmation of the 
Royal Botanic Gardens that my attention was first directed to the sickly state of the 
elms forming the belt of the inner circle of the Regent’s Park ; the axe was constantly 
being applied, and large and increasing gaps pointed to where the trees had stood 
and where destructiun was going on: on enquiring of the parties laying out the 
erounds as to the cause of the premature decay of these fine young trees, I was 
informed that ‘some had perished by having an inner embankment formed to prevent 
parties outside the garden from looking over, and consequently a portion of earth had 
been raised round their stems, and that others had died, and were dying from their 
roots entering the gravel.’ Now, if this latter information were true, I could not 
understand why the circle of trees, separated by only a few yards from them, and 
forming the next circle, were healthy, all being of the same age. In all cases where 
the destruction was going on I found the Scolytus in great profusion: on mentioning 
this circumstance to the Curator, the old stereotyped answer came in due form, ‘ that 
this beetle always attacked sickly and deceased elms, and were since to be found in all 
places where this timber had fallen or had been conveyed, either decaying along the 
road-side or drawn into the timber-yard.’ Now, in the first place, I was not satisfied 
in my own mind that the trees were perishing from the assigned causes; the coinci- 
dence was too remarkabie not to be noticed, and I felt sure that there was something 
more than the embanking and gravel to account for the rapid death of so many young 
trees in different parts of the belt, more especially as my attention had been called, in 
1842, to the state of the trees in St. James’ Park; with a very little reflection I felt 
convinced that insects had something at least to do with the matter, and that among 
them, if the Scolytus destructor were not the first and absolute cause, their presence 
acted most injuriously by still more disabling the already impeded circulation of the 
sap: being fully impressed, after further close and most attentive examination into 
the subject, of their powerful influence, I made it my business to study their habits, 
and soon became so far master of them that I was induced, in 1843, to read a paper 
upon the subject before the Royal Botanic Society, and detailed a mode of treatment 
I felt almost certain would succeed: as the trees in the park belong to Her Majesty’s 
Woods and Forests, the Council of the Society applied for permission to allow me to 
experiment upon some, and a row of eighteen, fairly selected, were placed at my 
disposal. 


“The following eighteen trees were granted by the Commissioners of Woods and 
Forests in 1843 :— 


Entomological Society. 5997 


No; Scolytus. Cossus. Condition—1843. Condition— 1847. Condition—1849. 
l mt ) Slightly. Nearly recovered. Recovered. 
Be ze Most severely, dying. Dead. Dead, removed. 
3 és a Most severely. Nearly recovered. Recovered. 
4 0 P Slightly. - Recovered. Do. 
5 ms Do. Do. Do. 
6 a 0 Do. Do. Do. 
7 “ 3 Severely. Do. Do. 
8 i? ‘i Slightly. Do. Do. 
9 a " Most severely. Nearly recovered. Do. 
10 0 m Slightly. Recovered. Do. 
11 is 4 Very severely. Do. - Do. 
12 0 43 Slightly. Do. Do. 
13 f ‘i Very severely. Do. Do. 
14 0 Slightly. Do. Do. 
15 if . Most severely. Nearly recovered. Do. 
16 0 a Do. Do. Do. 
17 P a Slightly. Do. Do. 
Lee. @ 3 Most severely Do. Do. 


‘From this table the condition of the trees will be seen previous to being sub- 
mitted to my plan. Now, before we proceed to speak of treatment, there are two very 
important stages to be settled: first, is the tree diseased before it is attacked by the 
Scolytus? and, in the second place, does the attack of the Scolytus prove injurious to 
the tree? 

“ As regards the condition of the tree, I think we had in the Garden of the Royal 
Botanic Society a sufficient number of sickly ones to enable us to come to a very fair 
conclusion. The number first planted was 242; in 1843, 67 had a healthy appear- 
ance; 66 were attacked by the Scolytus, LO by the larve of Cossus Ligniperda ; 
99 had sickened or died, and had been cut down, 62 of which sprouted again, and 37 
quite perished. With respect to the condition of the healthy ones, the embankment 
equally adjoined them in places; but of the 18 that were allotted to me no embank- 
ment existed; therefore this could not have been the cause of Nos. 2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 
15, 16 and 18 having such a sickly appearance; and if it arose from their roots pene-~ 
trating a gravelly soil, the mere fact of partially barking could by no possibility restore 
them to health and vigour. I think we may fairly say that this is a self-evident pro- 
position. And, again, what is the appearance of a tree languishing from defective 
soil? Wesee it first in the leaf, which is small and unhealthy in colour; the termi- 
nal branches next gradually decay, piece after piece breaking away, until the longer 
branches present what is generally called a ‘stag-horned appearance, and the tree 
finally perishes; but this is not brought about in a day or a week, being usually the 
affair of some few years, for as long as nutriment can be obtained the crippled tree 
exists in its withering and fading condition. But when we find a tree dead, with ter- 
minal branches profuse and perfect, we certainly, under ordinary circumstances, 
should not say that tree had died from defective nutrition in the svil, but that, from 


* The presence of either Scolytus destructor or Cossus larve is indicated by ,, 
according to the heading of the column in which they appear. 


5998 Entomological Soctety. 


some cause or another, it had suddenly, as it were, come to an untimely end; and 
such a tree we had in the Gardens; I watched it in its beauty, and in three years saw 
it cut down and carried away dead; but what a sight met our view on removing the 
bark !—the surface of the trunk, as many gentlemen will remember (for I exhibited a 
piece of it, 3 feet long, before this Society), was beautifully scored by the lateral tubes 
of the Scolytus larve ; and we reckoned that this solitary tree gave birth to no less 
than the prodigious number of 280,000 perfect insects! Well may we be transfixed 
with astonishment; but the greater wonder is that an elm should still be found to 
grace our ornamental parks. I may now fairly presume to state that the 18 sickly 
trees were not in the least suffering from defective nourishment at the roots, nor had 
their stems been embanked in soil; and yet many of them were evidently dying; but 
one thing was very apparent, namely, that in proportion to the sickly condition of the 
tree so we found the increase of Scolyti. And this leads us to the second question,— 
Does the attack of the Scolytus prove injurious to the tree ? 

“ ‘The Scolytus destructor is known to many present; it is a small dark beetle, be- 
longing to the family Bostricide of Leach. When the first warmth of spring sets in 
the perfect insect escapes from beneath the bark, by eating its way out; the female 
soon after selects a tree for the purpose of depositing her ova; she commences her per- 
foration always beneath a little projecting piece of bark at the upper end of a crack; 
she bores inwards and upwards until on the surface of the alburnum, when she ascends 
direct; the tube thus formed is from 2 to 33 inches in length, #ths of a line in diame- 
ter, and of equal size throughout, except at a short distance from its entrance, where 
a small cavity is usually found sufficiently large to allow the parent insect to turn ; on 
each side, in small crenules, she deposits her eggs as she advances, and closes the 
aperture with some plastic material; the number of eggs is in proportion to the length 
of tube (and this is very much influenced by the condition of the under surface of 
the bark, for if the Scolyti abound the parent ceases boring, so as not to perforate the 
workings of another when she approaches it); only a small septum divides each; there 
are generally from 60 to 70. On bursting their shells the young larve immediately 
commence feeding on the last deposit of alburnum; they at first form parallel trans- 
verse lines or tubes, which are seen to gradually enlarge and diverge, and are filled 
with exuvize as the larve progress onwards; their increasing size now oblige those 
larve first hatched to bore downwards, the centre ones outwards, and the last upwards ; 
here they continue to feed during the summer, autumn and winter (if mild): when 
full-grown they form a case, in which they change to the pupa state; and then, at the 
end of May or beginning of June, they eat their way out through the substance of the 
bark, and leave those shot-like holes showing their plan of exit: they now fly about 
fur a short time, and then the females commence the process for perpetuating their 
species, by laying their eggs. _I believe after they have once commenced boring and 
depositing their ova they never take wing again: as soon as the female has deposited 
all her eggs, with her head pointing inwards, she dies at the entrance of her tube, 
thus, as it were, even in death performing a maternal duty, by closing the aperture to 
her young ones with her dead body. It is very rare to find a parent tube without the 
insect, although no doubt they occasionally becume a prey to various smaller insects. 
It is the frass the female ejects from the tube that leads to the detection of the pre- 
sence of the brood, for were it not for this fortunate circumstance we should never be 
apprised of the destruction going on within the tree until the escape of the mature 
insect, in spring, shows the exit-holes. 


Entomological Society. 5999 


“ T will not trespass more now inte detail, but simply state that each family will 
destroy nearly four square inches of bark. Granting, therefore, even the possibility of 
the Scolyti being attracted by the sickening state of a tree, here we find one parent 
insect has the power of destroying a large portion of bark, and consequently must 
rapidly hasten the final decay. No doubt where the insect abounds it will perforate 
the bark of fresh-hewed timber; but I have never found one specimen in an elm 
whose juices were dried up. Therefore, irrespective of the cause of disease, it must 
be unanimously granted that an insect which can destroy four square inches of bark 
by detaching it from the alburnum must prove highly destructive, and, whilst permit- 
ted to remain, frustrate any attempt to restore health. If, in the absence of any 
trne and logical cause, we have found elm trees sickening and dying, and their bark 
bearing the unequivocal signs of the Scolyti, and simply by a process of partial bark- 
ing and removing the Scolyti larve, we arrest the decay of those not too far advanced, 
and in a comparatively short period restore them to health and beauty, we have every 
rational right to infer that the Scolyti, and the Scolyti alone, were the aggressors in 
the first instance, and destroyers in the second; and still more, that when we find the 
whole of the diseased trees in the Royal Botanic Gardens perfectly recovered in 
1849, and now (1858) bearing all the impress of vigour, so that in many the fearful 
scars once made are now hidden from sight, and buried by the overlapping of suc- 
ceeding yearly deposits, I think this Society will ask no further proofs at my hands of 
the sound and practical results that have followed the simple and easy process of par- 
tial barking; that the lapse of so. many years establishes beyond a doubt its great 
utility ; and that, in the absence of any other advanced system for arresting the spread 
of the Scolyti in particular, this plan ought to be strongly advocated ere another year 
sends forth its thousands to still more diminish the number of these noble and beauti- 
ful ornaments to our parks and pleasure-grounds. 

‘The plan I adopt for destroying the insect is very simple: as the frass always 
indicates the aperture to the tube, and as this always ascends directly upwards, so by 
paring off the old exuvial bark we lay bare the tube and completely destroy the young 
brood. I strongly advocate clearing off all the old bark of elms where the Scolyti 
abound: in the first place, the trees actually seem to improve by the process; in the 
next place, the Scolyti cannot find the shelter of the overhanging bark, and therefore 
are more liable to become the prey of birds; and finally, you detect at once the 
presence of any fresh attack. I believe the process adopted in France, of taking the 
whole bark off down to the alburnum, is fraught with great risk; it did not succeed in 
a tree that I saw, nor can I conceive a more unnatural operation. I merely cut the 
insect out, the tree is scarcely injured by the process, and a few years obliterates all 
trace of the operation. The instrument I prefer is a simple draw-shave, known to 
coopers and carpenters; it is very easily used, and answers the purpose admirably: in 
using it all we have to do is to cut down to the parent tube, and then lay bare the 
lateral tubes to their end, taking care that no larve remain; the healthy alburnum is 
therefore not injured, ‘ causa sublata eger verelescit.’ ” 


Mr. 8. 8. Saunders read a paper intituled “‘ Observations on the Habits of the 
Dipterous Genus Conops,” and exhibited the larva, pupa and imago of a species of 
that genus, which he had reared from Pompilus audax. 

Mr. Westwood read the description of a new genus of Carabideous insects, be- 
longing to the Scaritides, having the outward appearance of the Heteromerous genus 


6600 Dubiin University Association. 


Adelostoma (differing from all the known Searitides in the opaque surface of the 
body), and remarkable for the two deep oblique canals on the under side of the head, 
united behind in front of the very small neck, and within which the antenne are 
lodged when at rest. The genus is founded ona single species recently sent from 
the River Amazon by Mr. Bates, to which Mr. Westwood applied the name of 
Solenogenys feda. 


Part VI. of the current volume of the Society’s ‘Transactions’ was on the 
table.—E. S. 


Dusiin UNIVERSITY ZOOLOGICAL AND BoTANICAL ASSOCIATION. 


January 15, 1858.—Professor W. H. Harvey, M.D., F.L.S., in the Chair. 

The minutes of last General Meeting being read, were approved of and signed by 
the Chairman. 

Mr. Ik. Percival Wright read a resumé of a paper on the classification of the 
Ceelenterata, which had been laid before the Association in December last by 
Professor J. Reay Greene, of Cork. 

He also made some remarks on our knowledge of parthenogenesis, a subject about 
which much had been written by Owen, Waldo, Burnett, Sallock, Huxley, Siebold 
and others. Not that all these authors used the word to express the same idea— 
perhaps the term should be limited, as it is by Siebold, to the production of a perfect 
individual from a germ cell, without it receiving any stimulus from the sperm cell. It 
is known, to use the language of Quatrefages, that both in plants and animals the 
concurrence of two agents is necessary in order to assure the perpetuity of species. 
Among plants flowers are generally both male and female, thus realizing one of the 
most graceful fictions of pagan mythology. Around the pistil which encloses the 
ovule are grouped the stamens, whose pollen is destined to fecundate this germ and to 
determine its development under the form of seed or fruit. In many cases, however, 
the sexes are separated. Growing sometimes on the same tree, and sometimes on 
different trees, the male and female flowers require the aid of some intermediate agent 
to effect their union, and thus the winds convey to the pistil of these flowers the 
vivifying emanations by which alone it can be fructified. These diverse relations are 
all to be met with in the animal kingdom. Here also the myth of the son of Venus 
and Mercury becomes a reality, and here the ocean’s wave and the river currrent takes 
the place of the winds of heaven. This general law had, however, some exceptions, 
and the startling revelations of Dzierzou, pastor of Carlsmarkt, in Silesia, as told us 
by Siebold, show how that the eggs which the queen bee lays the moment she 
emerges from her chrysalis state are developed into drone bees. 

Professor Harvey had been greatly pleased with Mr. J. Reay Greene’s paper, 
which was on a very interesting subject. It was well known that the male plant of 
one of the Euphorbiacea had never yet been discovered, and yet the female flowers 
produced perfect seeds, which, on being sown, in their turn produced perfect plants. 

Professor Kinahan read a list of the various Jags found in Powerscourt demesne 
on the last excursion of the Association. 

The Rev. Eugene O’Meara also read a list of the Diatomacea found upon the 
same occasion, and exhibited specimens under his microscope. 

Professor R. W. Smith gave an account, illustrated by sketches, of some curious 
monstrosities of ferns he had lately discovered. 


Dublin Natural-History Society. 6001 


_ Professor Harvey read a paper on a new form of fibro-cellular tissue which he had 

discovered in an Alga from the Reef of Florida. 

Professor Kinahan read a paper on the unusual character of the present season. 

Mr. Bailey exhibited a fine pair of the great Goliath beetle, and also a Longicorn 
taken from timber in the Crimea. 

The thanks of the members were given to Mr. Bailey. 

Mr. Edwin Birchall exhibited a collection of Lepidoptera taken on the Swiss Alps. 

The Director of the Museum exhibited some rare Mollusca, collected by Dr. Har- 
vey; among them the fine orange cowry, the rare Cyprea umbilicata, C. Scottii, and 
the pretty Trigonia pectinata, the sole living representative of an extensive genus of 
fossil shells. 

Visitors having withdrawn, the following were, after ballot, duly elected as ordi- 
nary members,—T. M. Dolan, A. H. Hawilton, R. J. Montgomery, J. H. Nicholson, 
and E. J. Smyth: as corresponding member,—C. Spence Bate, F.L.S., of Plymouth. 


Dustin NatTuraAL-History Society. 


Friday, February 5, 1858.—The Presipent in the Chair. 
Mr. W. Andrews, Hon. Secretary, read a note on the capture of the mute swan in 
Dundalk Bay, already communicated to the ‘ Zoologist’ by Lord Clermont. 


Dr. Kinahan read the following 


Notes on the Subaqueous Habits of the Water Ouzel. 


“ During the years 1849 and 1850, having nearly daily occasion to frequent 
that part of the river Dodder which passes through the romantic mountain glens of 
Glenismael and Castlekelly, the great abundance there of the water ouzel, or, as the 
peasantry there call it, kingfisher, induced me to study its habits somewhat particularly. 
I have repeatedly seen them rise to the surface to obtain air, which they do exactly 
like a grebe, merely raising the tip of the bill out of the water. The bird has several 
modes of diving. When seeking food it generally goes down, like most divers, head 
foremost, in an oblique direction, or else walks deliberately in from the shallow edge 
of the pool, the head bent down and the knees (tarsal articulation) crouched. When 
seeking refuge, however, it sometimes sinks like a stone, exactly as the great northern 
diver (Colymbus glacialis) has been observed to do,—that is, gradually, without any 
apparent exertion, sometimes in the midst of its most rapid flight dropping down 
suddenly into the water like a plummet. Its course is indifferently with or across the 
stream, rarely against it. It often remains under water totally submerged for fifty 
seconds and upwards, and during that time will proceed from 10 to 20 yards: when it 
comes out the water may be seen running rapidly off its plumage. It swims with 
great rapidity, and appears to rejoice in the water, as its true clement, hardly ever 
alighting directly on a rock, but even after its longest flight splashing slap into the 
water, at the base of the stone selected as a resting-place, and then scrambling to the 
summit of this. In its motions in the water it more closely resembles the jackass 
penguin than any other aquatic bird I have had an opportunity of studying: like that 

XVI. : U 


6002 Dublin Natural-History Society. 


bird (especially in the breeding season) the birds may be seen at times leaping right 
out of the water in their gambols. That the bird actually does possess the power of 
motion under water, the fullowing notes on a wounded bird, made on the spot, abun- 
dantly prove. 

“*¢ November 29, 1850.—Bohernabreena. Wounded a water ouzel, which, as I 
have observed them all to do, immediately made for shore. On my going to seize him 
he darted into the water, running slap in; waded in after him; under water he looks 
quite glossy, but does not seem increased in bulk, the glossiness probably arising from 
the oiled state of the plumage, or else from its peculiar texture. When I first got up 
with the bird he was perfectly stationary at the bottom, not using any exertion to re- 
main there (this remark applies to two other birds wounded later in the day, which 
also took to the water). The bird next got under a big stone, and when I poked him 
out on one side he ran to the other: after the lapse of a minute or so he put his head 
up out of the water to breathe, always keeping the stone between him and me, and 
when I tried to catch him he would dodge under water again, and come up on the 
other side. Finding that I was still chasing him he took to the stream, and went un- 
der water faster than I could follow him ; he seemed to move now altogether by means 
of his feet, his wings hanging down behind his tail, though his motions were so quick 
that it was difficult to be positive as to the latter part of this observation. At times 
he swam in mid-water, using his wings, crossing the current several times, and seeming 
but little incommoded by it. All at once he turned over on his back, still possessing 
the power of continuing under water; struggling to regain his original position, he 
spun round and round, so that it appeared as though the wounded wing had suddenly 
failed him, and thus prevented his preserving a due equilibrium in the water. At 
length he came to the top, when he immediately righted and swam as at other times: 
every time I tried to lay hold of him he again ducked and dived down to the bottom, 
at first all right, and then the tumbling began again. When captured, at length, I 
found him merely winged.’ I was enabled to confirm these observations several times 
that day, as I obtained seven specimens, five of which necessitated a watery chase be- 
fore I succeeded in catching them, and one got clear off. I ought to explain such 
seeming needless cruelty in shooting so many of these harmless birds, but the speci- 
mens were required for a series of dissections at that time in hand. From these 
observations it would appear that both feet and wings are used in progression, the 
latter in mid-stream (when the bird almost looked as if it were flying), the wings 
doubtless being also of essential use in preserving a proper balance in the water, pro- 
bably acting like the pectoral fins of a fish. The bird’s progression along the bottom 
was certainly by means of its feet alone. 

“Like many water animals the sensation in this bird appears blunted; at least 
two of those I winged and afterwards captured sat coolly looking at me, as though 
uninjured, without leaving their position, perking and jerking their tails as uncon- 
cernedly as possible, so that had I not had some confidence in my gun I should cer- 
tainly have taken a second shot at them. The stomachs of all those I examined 
contained only insect remains. This bird is extremely common in our mountain 
glens: I have counted as many as ten broods in Saggart Slade, and, although called 
an unsocial bird, it is to be always found in pairs. These certainly keep apart, but 
still many pairs will be met in favourable localities in a very limited area. They keep 
nearly altogether to the glens. I saw the bird but once below Rathfarnham bridge, in 
the Dodder: this was at dark. 


Dublin Natural-History Society. 6003 


“To conclude. The fearlessness and curious manner of this bird, the harmless- 
ness of its habits, the adaptive power displayed in the curious elongated valye-like 
opening of the nostrils, the absence of gape-bristles, the partial webs to its feet, the 
dense peculiar nature of the plumage, and the general dissimilarity between it and 
the other thrushes, form a group of characters which, taken in combination with the 
wild and romantic nature of the scenes it mostly loves to frequent, ought to render 
this bird as great a favourite with the field student as it generally is with the fisher 
plying his lonely task amidst its secluded haunts, and hailing as an old acquaintance 
the tidy little white-breasted water blackbird, as it sits jerking and posturing on a rock 
amidst the boiling waters, swimming on the eddying current, diving beneath its 
depths, chattering to its mate, or enlivening the mountain glen with its simple but 
plaintive strain to the fitting and appropriate accompaniment of the ceaseless bubble 
of the sparkling waters of the gushing mountain rill.” 


The Secretary read the following communication, by G. Henry Kinahan, C.E., 
G.S.L.:— 


Description of a Starling Roost, at Rathkeale, county Limerick. 


“ Coming home late one evening after dark, I was surprised, whilst walking along 
the road to the north of Doohyle Lough, near Rathkeale, to hear a tremendous chat- 
tering, which would sometimes suddenly cease, followed by a long continuous 
whirr, like that of a strong rushing wind. It was then too dark to see anything, and 
although I knew they must be birds, yet their kind I could not say. I could hear 
the whirr caused by the flocks getting up nearly the whole way into Rathkeale (over a 
mile). The next day, on returning the same way, the noise of the preceding night 
was fully explained by my seeing innumerable starlings congregated about the lake. 
Some evenings afterwards I went on purpose to watch the birds. I arrived at the 
spot about half an hour before sunset, and immediately afterwards the birds began to 
arrive in flocks of about 300 or 400. The first flock flew round the lake, and then 
alighted in a field to the south; a few minutes more and another flock arrived, which, 
after flying round the lake, joined the first comers; these immediately rose, and all 
took a circuit round the fields and then alighted again. Flocks now came ia thickly 
from all sides, the same performance being gone through at each arrival, until the 
flocks began to come so fast that they had no time to remain on the ground at all. 
The main flock then adjourned to the lake; arriving there it took two or three circuits 
of the lake, and then alighted among the reeds: the arrivals now were not so nume- 
rous as they had been, but many flocks still came in, aud each arrival was the signal 
for a general move and promenade as before. This procedure was kept up till about 
half an hour after dark, and then ceased, so that I presume all had arrived in that 
time (two and a half hours). When I left a constant chattering and gossip was going 
on among the reeds. I could form no accurate estimate of the numbers that were 
there ; but the reeds on the north of the Jake are about a quarter of a mile long and 
200 yards wide, and every reed seemed to have half a dozen on it. I could always 
tell, ever afterwards, when it was getting late, by seeing the starlings going Doohyle- 
wards. 

“With regard to the breeding-place of starlings: in the Court-house Square, 
Rathkeale, at the rear of one of the dwellings, there is an old pigeon-house, in which 


6004 Bavarian Sporting. 


a lot of starlings build; and the owner of the house says that they remain there sum- 
mer and winter. I saw them there in the spring, I suppose over forty of them, just 
as tame as pigeons, about the yard and house.” 


On Bavarian Sporting. 
By the Rev. ALFRED CHARLES SMITH, M.A. 


(Continued from page 5875.) 


Havine learned from its worthy editor that my notes on Bavarian 
Sports are not irrelevant to the pages of the ‘ Zoologist,’ or displeasing 
to its readers, I at once comply with his request, by sending the fol- 
lowing statement of another branch of field pastime, which I have 
extracted from my journal dated 1840; and I think that whatever 
opinion may be entertained of the hare and stag and wild boar 
hunting (which I have described Zool. 5870), all will agree that the 
horse-racing at Munich is not conducted in a very sportsmanlike 
manner. It takes place in October at the great Munich Festival, 
known throughout Bavaria as the “‘ October Fest,” to which the lower 
classes, aye and indeed the upper classes too, look forwards with 
pleasure for many a week: it lasts four days, and a peculiar beer is 
brewed for the occasion, which is consumed then, and then only, by 
law, in astonishing quantities. Itis held on a large open plain outside 
the town, and hither people flock from all the surrounding villages, 
and many from a considerable distance: the horse-racing is the grand 
feature of the principal day, and attracts the largest crowd of spec- 
tators, though there is but one race, which comes off in the afternoon. 

The first thing that strikes a stranger’s eye on entering the plain 
_ where the racing is to take place is the erection of various booths, © 
near different parts of the course, called “ Accident booths,” whither — 
those injured in the race may be speedily conveyed on a stretcher: 
this led us to suspect barbarous proceedings, for, however laudable a 
precaution such preparations may evince on the part of Bavarians, in 
England we should have taken measures to prevent accidents at all. 
However, the sequel showed that the Bavarians were not mistaken in 
anticipating mishaps, and some of the booths at least were not tenant- 
less ere the race was done; and no wonder, as we shall see: in the 
first place, as there is but one race, and any horses may start that 
please, there is quite a crowd of competing racers; and as they go 
round the course three times, yet all in one heat, and as the course is 


Bavarian Sporting. 6005 


about two miles in circuit, these horses, not always in the first racing 
condition, have had galloping enough long before their six-mile run 
is concluded. ‘The course is marked out by about a dozen tall white 
posts, bearing flags, the everlasting sky-blue and white, which meet 
you at every turn in Bavaria; while ropes on one side, and men on 
the other, keep the open space tolerably clear. Of course nothing 
could be done till the king came, and patiently indeed did the spec- 
tators wail, though unusually excited too did these phlegmatic Germans 
become as to the result of their one race, and as to whom should be 
awarded the honour of victor for the year: speculate indeed they did, 
and freely did they back their favourites, but the speculation seemed 
very harmless, and the backing was confined to words of praise and 
encouragement, for I did not discover that their florins were hazarded 
on the occasion, or that any betting took place. At length the king 
and royal party arrived, and proceeded at once to the rough wooden 
platform prepared for them near the starting and winning post. Now 
the course was cleared by soldiers and mounted police, and the bell 
rang for the racers to prepare: thirty-six horses started, and they 
were all crowded together at a large stout pair of gates fixed across 
the course, the sudden throwing open of which was to be the signal 
for the start: the horses were, for the most part, poor lean weak ani- 
mals, of neither bone nor symmetry, and all ridden by boys in their 
usual shabby stable dress, distinguished only by calico sleeves of red, 
_ yellow, blue, &c., which formed their colours. . 

Suddenly the gates are thrown open, and off they dash, one over 
another, helter-skelter, pell-mell: two were knocked over in the rush, 
and fell where they were; two bolted into the crowd at the sides, 
from sheer terror, leaving men, women and children sprawling on the 
ground: all were dashing against each other, so that you could 
scarcely distinguish to what particular horse any particular rider 
might belong: all came out pushing, tearing, jostling, kicking, rearing, 
amid a clatter of hoofs, while the little boys who rode them yelled 
and spurred and flogged, and the spectators shouted and screamed 
and applauded. Such was the “ start;” never was such confusion or 
such a barbarous exhibition seen: seven or eight horses and boys 
were at once put hors de combat, and retired ; the rest became one by 
one disentangled from the mass, found their respective places, got 
away in tolerable order, and came round pretty well together, consi- 
dering their numbers and the length of the course; but after the first 
round wind began to tell, and while some gave up altogether, others 
might be seen straggling in a long string, with considerable intervals 


6006 Bavarian Sporting. 


between them, three or four however keeping well together in the 
front, and the mass following 150 yards in their rear; but when they 
came round the third and last time all showed unequivocal signs of 
distress, and though the winner came in 100 yards ahead of the 
second, and the greater part never attempted to come in at all, they 
all (winner included) seemed ready to drop with fatigue, and their 
panting sides and heaving flanks and drooping heads showed how se- 
vere the struggle had been, and how little qualified they were—either 
by shape, training or condition—to run a course of six miles at the 
top of their speed. And now the accident-booths began to be 
peopled: one poor man was knocked down by a bolting racer, and 
had his leg broken thereby ; one jockey, whose horse fell with him at 
the start, had his knee-pan smashed: these two I saw carried off, and 
I heard that several other (ttle trifles of the kind had occurred. On 
the whole, never was there a more villainous or cruel race, though 
the king seemed highly delighted with the sport (!); and I doubt to 
which should be attributed the palm for barbarity, the horse-race at 
Munich, or that at Rome, where the horses—without riders, but with 
little spurs attached to their backs by springs, which goad them on 
faster at every stride—are driven out from the barrier with a lash, and 
dash down the thronged Corso, infuriated with the spur, maddened 
with the shouts and terrified by the actions of the excited people. 
Now to say that the Bavarians are barbarous and cruel in their no- 
tions would be to shoot wide of the mark, and not be the truth ; but 
the fact is that they do not understand sport in the English accepta- 
tion of the term: if they go out to search for game, they cannot com- 
prehend why they should not shoot a partridge squatting on the 
ground; still more, why they should not fire mto a whole covey of 
them, and bag all they can: if they can find a hare in her form, of 
course they will adopt that method which gives the best chance of 
success, and shoot her as she sits. My notes on the hare, roe and 
wild-boar hunting exemplify this innate ignorance of the principles of 
sport in the German breast, and it is further proved by the details of 
the horse-racing given above. But the Bavarian horse is not made 
for racing, or for sport of any kind; yet he is an active, strong, useful 
little fellow, with a broad chest, a sturdy build and a high crest, and 
he will trot along with a light waggon, or a hackney sledge, at a fa- 
mous pace, and yet he finds no favour in the eyes of the nobles at 
Munich and other German capitals; there English horses are the rage, 
and the very name of an English horse goes a long way in his favour. 
The late king’s brother (Duke Max) was notorious for his love of 


Bavarian Sporting. 6007 


horses and horsemanship, and in his own palace he fitted up a small 
amphitheatre, solely for equestrian feats; and though an English 
‘“‘ Milord” was always the grand butt of the evening, the said English 
nobleman being dressed in a red hunting coat, a cocked hat, anda 
pair of Hessian boots, armed with an enormous pair of spurs and a 
large hunting-whip, supposed to represent the usual modern English 
costume in high life,—and though he was very fond of “ rost-beef,” 
sold his wife in Smithfield, and swore a good deal, the three great 
characteristics of Englishmen in every foreigners mind,—yet it was 
always their best rider who represented Milord; and though he said 
and did many ridiculous things, he never failed in performing on 
horseback all kinds of marvellous feats, which made German eyes 
open with admiration and astonishment, such an idea have they of the 
prowess of the English in this respect. Not only however for the 
Circus, but for ordinary purposes Duke Max had a notoriously fine 
stud of horses, most of them imported from England, and all of con- 
siderable value: at the head of this department was a pleasant smart 
riding-master, with whom we after exchanged a few words as we met 
him in our daily rides: on one occasion he was mounted on a magni- 
ficent bay horse, which he told us with honest pride was his own 
private property, a veritable “ Englander,” just imported and pre- 
sented to him by the duke, and that he had already refused for him 
the almost fabulous sum in Germany of 100 Napoleons. As he told 
us this we were riding on the road near Munich, and after we had 
duly admired his really handsome horse, which he showed off to the 
best advantage, for he rode well, he wished us adieu, and, turning off 
the road into the neighbouring stubble (for there were no fences or 
ditches to intercept him), away he started at a gallop, evidently wishing 
to show off his horse to the English. Now, at some hundred yards 
from the road, there chanced to be a strong net stretched across a part 
of the plain, about breast high, intended to keep in roe, or hares, or 
for some similar purpose: the net hung from a stout rope, which was 
stretched from posts fixed in the ground at considerable intervals: 
the afternoon was foggy, and we could not see this net in the mist, 
nor, it seems, did the riding-master; for what was our astonishment, 
while watching him gallop away, to see horse and man suddenly throw 
a somersault in the air and alight on their respective backs, and from 
no apparent cause. By the time we had reached the spot the riding- 
master had regained his legs, shaken himself, and was not much hurt: 
not so the poor horse; his back was broken, and he lay struggling 
and plunging, but unable to get up; and though, with the help ef 


6008 — Bavarian Sporting. 


some peasants, a rope and a stout ladder, the horse was carried to a 
neighbouring farm, it was of no use, and we learned from the riding- 
master a few days after that it had been found necessary to shoot him. 
But I must apologize for another digression, into which I have been 
inadvertently led in my attempt to draw a picture of Bavarian sport. 
I am well aware that the term “ sport” thus applied will not meet the 
ideas of an Englishman; indeed the word as used by a German is 
not at all synonymous with the word as used by ourselves; for with 
regard to shooting, I was saying that the sole idea of the Germans is 
to obiain the animals they seek, without reference to any laws of 
honour and fairness by which we are governed: they can understand 
nothiwy of the term unsportsmanlike, as applied to any method of 
filling the bay, provided that desirable end is attained; and in their 
eyes to shoot the sparrow or the finch from the bush, or on the ground, 
is as great sport as to shoot the partridge on the wing; and though 
they take the field in most elaborate hunting costume, armed cap-a- 
pie, and with every possible and many impossible appliances to boot, 
the result is hardly commensurate with the preparations, and the 
emptying of the large embroidered game-bag—the unfailing accom- 
paniment of every German gunner—usually displayed a goodly row 
of our smaller Conirostres, not unmixed with a few Dentirostres as 
well, relieved here and there with an occasional partridge or quail, 
these latter birds “rari nantes in gurgite vasto,” proving the truth of 
the adage that “all is fish that comes to the German net.” 

And again, to revert oncé more to their horsemanship, the very 
glimpse of a German on horseback shows what a sorry seat he has; 
but as hunting is unknown there, and you may roam over the vast 
plains of Bavaria without meeting the ghost of a hedge or ditch, his 
erect immoveable seat in the saddle and military mode of riding, how- 
ever ungraceful in our eyes, is perfection in theirs, and answers their 
purpose ; and they ridicule without mercy the English style, while 
they totally disbelieve the possibility of fencing, as they read or hear 
of it in an English hunt,—a disbelief, by the way, very general on 
the Continent, where we have a very great character for exaggeration, 
and very small repute for truthfulness in these matters; and I shall 
never forget the shouts of ridicule, and remarks of disbelief, in which 
I overheard two smart young French officers indulge, when gazing 
through the window of a print-shop in Paris, at some admirable 
English pictures of hunting and steeple-chase scenes, which they did 
not scruple to denounce as absurd caricatures, total impossibilities and 
falsehoods. 


Birds. — 6009 


But to bring this long paper to a close, | apprehend (and I think 
the facts narrated above will bear me out) that total innocence of the 
meaning of the term “sport,” so essentially an English word, so ut- 
terly known on the Continent, pervades all the out-door recreations 
of the Germans, characterizes all their exercises in the field, and ac- 
counts for the barbarous proceedings in their horse-racing, hunting 
and shooting, wherein ail they look to is the end aimed at, and to 
attain which they consider all means lawful. 

ALFRED CHARLES SMITH. 


Yatesbury Rectory, Calne, 
February 18, 1858. 


Occurrence of the Firecrested Regulus at Penzance.—Thiee instances of the oc- 
currence of the firecrested Regulus have come to my notice during the past winter: 
all these have been noticed in a warm sheltered valley, and they appeared to frequent 
close hedgerows and ivy-clad pollards and bushes. The habits of this species appear 
more close and retired than those of the common goldcrested Regulus: the latter 
more frequently appears in large branched trees in open situations, whilst the fire- 
crested Regulus seeks more permanent concealment.—Kdward Hearle Rodd; Pen- 
zance, March, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Great Plover at Penzance.—Three examples of the great plover 
have made their appearance during the last three months: the last I observed on 
Thursday, March 4th, in good condition. I have mentioned before that all the spe- 
cimens which have come to my knowledge, in this district, of this summer migrant, 
have occurred in the winter months: the species is wholly (as far as T know) unknown 
as a summer visitor in the western counties, and I never heard — nor do I know any 
sportsman or naturalist, in this county or Devonshire, who has heard—the loud noc- 
turnal whistle of this bird in the summer months. White, in his ‘ History of Selborne,’ 
appears to have been well acquainted with the bird in his neighbourhood.—/d. 

Note on Sparrows attacking Rats—While sitting at breakfast one day, in the latter 
part of last December, my attention was drawn to some ten or twelve house sparrows 
which were fluttering about in a strange manner on the roof of an adjacent stable, at 
a particular spot where a water-gutter joined the roof. I presently observed a large 
rat emerge from the gutter on to the roof, when it was fiercely attacked by all the 
sparrows, which surrounded it, drove it down the roof, and appeared to have entirely 
got the mastery over it, when it suddenly made its escape by rushing down a water- 
pipe which led from the roof into a drain at the foot of the stable. The sparrows then 
resumed their post at the spot where this rat had first appeared; and very soona 
second rat came out ov to the roof, at the same place where the other one had first 
shown itself: the second rat was attacked by the sparrows even more fiercely than the 
first, and it was not without two severe struggles and one vain attempt that it sue- 
ceeded in gaining the same pipe in which its predecessor had taken refuge, the spar- 
rows appearing much disconcerted at the escape of their enemy.—G. W. Guymer ; 
Catton. The above was communicated to me (in substance) by Mr. Guymer, who is 


XVI. xX 


6010 Birds. 


an intelligent and trustworthy person in this parish.—J. H. Gurney ; Catton, Norfolk, 
February 23, 1858. 


Contributions towards a Biography of the Partridge. 
By the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, M.A. 


(Continued from page 5985). 


I HAvE often heard it alleged that the partridge suffers much in 
long-continued severe weather, and that in many instances they suc- 
cumb altogether. It may be so; but I must say I have never yet 
met with any decided instance of much apparent injury, from cold or 
hunger, to a partridge, in the very hardest weather I have ever known. 
We have had two or three winters, within the last half a dozen years, 
in which, from the depth of snow and the continuance of the frost, I 
confess I expected to meet with proofs of its power upon these birds ; 
but with an almost solitary exception of a bird that had been 
wounded and had not recovered from the effects of its hurt, I cannot 
say my anticipations were ever fulfilled. On the contrary, the birds 
J have killed when snow had laid on the ground three or four weeks 
were as plump and fat as they have been this winter, when the ground 
has hardly once been fairly covered. Their chief food in seasons of 
severity seems to be obtained at the bottom of hedges with a south 
aspect, especially where there is a little oozing of water from want of 
drainage ; indeed at any place which by the same means—the sun’s 
rays or springing water—is kept open or cleared of snow. The grass 
that is found in such places is eaten closely off, and no doubt any in- 
sects or larve inhabiting there are eagerly picked up. Again, I have 
seen them continually, at such times, about the edges of a running 
stream; sometimes at the water's edge; more generally under the 
snow drifts on the bank, especially where the bank faced the sun. A 
place abounding with tufts of rushes, and of course therefore with 
- more or less of moisture both above and below, is much frequented by 
them in severe weather; and there are many places in my beat where, 
from their answering the description now given, I could at any time, 
in continued snow and frost, find partridges day after day. That in 
extreme cases they may suffer extensively may be quite true, but I 
am convinced, from my own observation here (and a reference to my 
thermometrica! and other weather records, carefully kept, shows how 


Birds. 6011 


severe the weather has been for weeks together at the times of observa- 
tion), that such cases are extremely rare. 

There is a question of considerable interest connected with the 
partridge, to which I have never seen a satisfactory answer, and in- 
deed scarcely a satisfactory attempt at an answer. I mean the nature 
of the injury—fatal injury—which causes the bird “ to tower.” In 
some cases the partridge shot at goes away apparently untouched ; in 
others, gives that slight flinch which many an inexperienced person 
would take no note of, but which is significant enough to the sports- 
man’s eye; in others again the legs, one or both, of the wounded 
bird drop, as if paralysed from the thigh joint downwards, it flies with 
a strange unsteady flight, wavering from side to side,—*‘ wobbling” I 
have heard it called,—and after a course of a few score yards, or pos- 
sibly almost half a mile, the bird soars up, sometimes to a great 
height, and falls almost perpendicularly, and always and most evi- 
dently quite dead. When found after towering they almost invariably 
are seen to lie on their back; sometimes, but by no means invariably, 
a little blood is oozing from the bill; but very frequently, when the 
quarry has been shot from some distance, there is no injury whatever 
apparent as it lies in your hand. It may be said it would be very easy 
to settle the question by dissection: let the “ towered” birds be kept 
by themselves and carefully examined after the day’s sport is over. 
My answer to that is, that the result would be less satisfactory than it 
seems likely to be; and for this reason,—that it is so very seldom 
only one grain of shot strikes a partridge that is brought to bag: so 
that, even if the shooter has the requisite skill and experience for 
properly examining so small a body as the partridge’s, still out of a 
hundred cases he might find but one, or not one, with the single wound 
which had caused death accompanied with towering. I am, in theory 
only, inclined to suppose there is—at least in some cases—a twofold 
injury; 1 mean an injury to two vital parts or organs. I have no 
doubt when the leg or legs fall or drop that the spine is injured, and 
J am aware that an injury in the lower part of the heart is not accom- 
panied with instant death.* It is therefore possible at least, that 


* “ T found, on opening the stag, that the ball had passed through the lower part 
of his heart, a wound I should have imagined sufficient to have deprived any animal 
of life and motion instantaneously. But I have shot several deer through the heart, 
and have observed that when hit low they frequently run from 20 to 80 yards. If, 
however, the ball has passed through the upper part of the heart, or has cut the large 
blood-vessels immediately above it, death has been instantaneous, the animal dropping 
without a struggle.”—wSt. John’s Field Notes, ii. 90. 


6012 Birds. 


where the spine is, by the bird’s actions, at once seen to be injured, 
the shot that inflicted the injury, or indeed another, may have also 
penetrated or injured the lower portion of the heart. But even when 
the spine is not at once seen to have sustained injury, | think that 
from the upward effort just before the fall there is evidence of an 
affection of the brain, such as would be produced by lesion of 
some immediately connected parts, e.g. the spinal chord. If this sug- 
gestion be right the occasional bleeding at the mouth is easily ac- 
counted for; the shot that inflicted the fatal injury passed on into the 
lungs, and hence the hemorrhage at the bill. 

I am the more inclined to suppose my hypothesis may be well 

founded from the actions, often to be observed, of a bird shot in the 
head, so that the brain is obviously injured, while great vigour of 
action is still left to the sufferer. Ihave many times observed a par- 
tridge thus wounded fall, generally, but not by any means invariably, 
to the shot; but on going to pick it up it has taken wing again, and 
flown upwards in much the same aimless manner as the towering bird 
does, only not so high, and then again come to the ground with con- 
siderable violence. Such birds often require a second charge of shot 
before they can be secured. 

he efforts of a wounded partridge to escape are very various, and, 
for the most part, very energetic. I have sometimes known a winged 
bird remain just where it fell; but whenever it took place it was in 
strong cover, such as the ling on the moor, in which locomotion was 
not easy. Occasionally the bird seems to be so much astonished by 
its fall that it remains for a space without moving, although the sur- 
face it lies upon is quite bare and unsuggestive of concealment; but 
usually they take to their legs immediately, and seek the nearest 
covert available. I have seen them take refuge in the holes of our 
dry stone walls, in holes scratched by rabbits, at the entrances of 
drains, under the overhanging banks of a water-course, among the 
roots of a tree, as well as in thick herbage or dense coverts; but they 
do not seem willing to go far into a hole or drain, not beyond reach 
of a man’s arm,—probably deterred by the want of light before them 
and the unknown terrors of the dark. I have seen them, after being 
brought by the dog out of water, on accidentally escaping take to the 
water again, and perhaps seek the same hiding-place from which the 
dog had just before taken them. In the turnip or potato field they 
do not, unless much hurt in addition to the broken wing, seem to 
seek any definite place of shelter or concealment, but keep on the 
move, though it may be in a rather desultory manner; and thus they 


Birds. 6013 


ave frequently lost in such places in the earlier portion of the season : 
they then try the patience of the dog very severely ; he is kept so long 
drawing and pointing, from minute to minute, and with no apparent 
result, that at last the most steady dog is disposed to rush in: hence 
many sportsmen are disinclined to use the pointer at all in seeking a 
wounded bird. A dog I have shot to a good deal is remarkably 
steady, and his fault is rather in over caution than the want of it; so 
much so that I can hardly at times get him to advance except in the 
most tediously careful way: but I have seen him so worried, in bigh 
potatoes, by the everlasting running and dodging of a winged bird, 
which he could never see after working it up and down the rows fora 
long time, that on coming on to the scent of fresh birds in another 
part of the field, or in another field, or possibly even another day, he 
equired to be restrained from rushing in as soon as he found the 
birds were running. 

Partridges only winged, or not much hurt otherwise, usually rejoin 
the covey at nightfall about their usual feeding place, and may be 
seen in company with them sometimes for weeks afterwards. If they 
are much hurt it is probable they hide in some hedge, and are soon 
found and killed by some of the common “vermin” of the fields, 
whether four-legged or feathered. It is remarkable how very seldom 
a bird much attenuated by a former wound is met with by the shooter: 
any one who observes the tracks of the stoat, the polecat, and more 
rarely the rat, in the snow, together with those of the magpie and the 
carrion and hooded crows, and remembers how these birds are 
assisted in their unintermitting search for food by their power of 
flight, can easily understand the reason. I do not think that a bird 
wounded, so that its recovery would be either tedious or uncertain, 
ever lives many hours. 

I have sometimes been much astonished at the vast quantity of 
feathers seen on the ground where a partridge has fallen. Usually 
(unlike the ringdove, which parts with its feathers with extraordinary 
facility and in great quantities, a fall against a tree or through the 
branches of a larch causing them, even those of the tail, to fly about 
in clouds) a feather or two is all that marks where the bird has fallen, 
unless so near the shooter as to have been much cut with the shot; 
but occasionally the feathers lie in handfuls, as if the bird, in some 
paroxysm of agony, had torn them off itself. The first time I noticed 
this was in the case of a bird which, as 1 and my attendant both sup- 
posed, had fallen dead after flying some distance from the point at 
which it had been shot at. Under the impression that “ that bird 


6014 Birds. 


? 


would lie still eno’,” as I said to the person with me, I beat several 
fields before going to pick it up. On returning for it I was confounded 
at seeing it rise and fly away,—for I missed it in my hurry and sur- 
prise at being called on to take my gun off my shoulder to shoot it 
again,—but I was more surprised still to see the quantity of feathers 
it had left behind it in two places a yard or two apart. Even the 
towered bird does not shake off more than a feather or two, even if 
that, by its fall from a great height; and this bird had not fallen so 
much as from a height of 7 or 8 feet, and, as the surface on which it lay 
was smooth, short grass or sward, I could not account for the circum- 
stance in any way but by supposing the bird had torn them off 
itself. 
J. ©. ATKINSON. 
March, 1858. 


Note on the Partridge.—1 was much interested in the article on the partridge, by 
the Rev. J. C. Atkinson (Zool. 5977), and I quite agree in his opinions with respect 
to the mountain partridge, so called, and the suppression of scent theory, both of 
which have their advocates in the ‘ Field’ newspaper. I live in much the same 
country described by that gentleman, and equally wild; and I shoot partridges occa- 
sionally, on opening the crops of which nothing is found but the tops of heather, the 
same as is found in the crops of grouse; and where I kill them, the birds possibly, 
and probably, have never tasted corn of any kind, but there is no difference of plumage 
that I can detect, though naturally, from the food, they are a smaller bird. The only 
thing in which I would differ from the Rev. J. C. Atkinson is in the partridge not 
often nesting on heathery and waste land: I think they do with us considerably, but I 
have not sufficiently remarked on this habit. It would not be so difficult for the old 
partridge to convey her active little brood to cultivated ground, as for the wild duck, 
with her splayfooted offspring ; and with us both duck and teal invariably nest out on 
the moor, or waste land, and I have known the nests quite half a mile from water, 
generally on high dry hills, covered with thick heather. There is another vewxata 
questio in the ‘ Field, which is being discussed at the present time,—whether the 
male partridge assists in incubation. I should much wish to have the opinion of so 
good an observer as Mr. Atkinson on this point. I have seen the two old birds 
squeezed together upon the nest, but the young birds were just hatched out, and ran 
that same day. Whether the male bird sits on the eggs, in turn with the hen bird, I 
have not had an opportunity of verifying. —John Spicer ; Fowley, Hants, March 13, 
1858. | eon 
Occurrence of Rare Birds near Barnstaple.—Singular to relate, although the com- 
mencement of the past winter was with us what may be termed unusually mild, birds, 
which are rare visitants here even when the weather is more than ordinarily severe, 
have appeared on our river in some numbers. I refer especially to members of the 
family Colymbide. What seemed to be a small flock of Colymbus glacialis frequented 


| Reptiles. 3 6015 


the river throughout the greater part of December; and at high water, on more than 
one occasion, good sport was had by parties in boats, in chasing one of these divers, 
and they generally had to make a good pull for it, and to expend a considerable quan- 
tity of cartridges before a specimen was hauled dead into the boat. All the birds 
which were shot were in an immature state of plumage. C. septentrionalis has also 
been shot this winter, as well as a beautiful specimen of Podiceps cornutus: this 
grebe is obtained on our river with some regularity nearly every winter. One day, in 
the early part of January, I saw a fine specimen of Lanius excubitor, but did not get 
very near to it: I watched it fly some distance down the valley, its gray and white 
plunage making it visible at a considerable distance: its flight is in a straight line, 
with regular dips, closely resembling that of Turdus viscivorus. I also observed a 
specimen of Emberiza nivalis on a marsh close to the town, a far from common win- 
ter visitant with us: the bird in question I saw frequenting the same spot fur more 
than three weeks; his favourite haunt was a turnip field bordering on the marsh, 
where he associated amicably with a flock of skylarks, always leaving them on the 
approach of any one, and often settling on the top of a tall tree in the hedge-row, 
where, when the sun was shining brightly, he glistened as if a small ball of the purest 
snow were attached to the topmost branch—Murray A. Mathews; Raleigh, near 
Barnstaple, March 15, 1858. 


The Sea-Serpent.—To one who firmly believes in the existence of some huge ma- 
rine monster of the serpent form, such as the Northmen love to descant upon (and I 
am not ashamed to own to such credulity, as I have already declared in my Notes on 
Norway, Zool. 3229), the clear and minute account of Capt. Harrington, of the sea 
monster which he and twenty people saw on the 12th of December last, off the coast 
of St. Helena, was exceedingly interesting ; nor did the subsequent letter of Mr. F, 
Smith tend to shake my belief in the accuracy of Capt. Harrington’s statement, the 
particulars of the two alleged appearances being so very different. I am not, how- 
ever, about to argue the point, the premises before us being far too unsatisfactory and 
vague to argue from. I merely write to express my hope that as you have admitted 
the first correspondence on the subject to the pages of the ‘ Zoologist,’ you will give 
both parties fair play, and insert the remaining letters, which appeared in the ‘ Times’ 
of February 16th and 23rd respectively, copies of which I enclose, so that naturalists 
may have an opportunity of studying the case in all its bearings, before they form 
their conclusions.—Alfred Charles Smith ; Yatesbury Rectory, Calne, March 5, 1858. 


From the ‘ Times’ of February 16th. 


“¢ Sir,— Observing in your paper of yesterday's date a letter from a correspondent 
relative to the marine animal commonly called the ‘ sea-serpent, in the concluding 
paragraph of which he mentions that he has no doubt the object seen from Her 
Majesty’s ship ‘ Dedalus, in the month of August, 1848, when on the passage from 
the Cape of Goud Hope to St. Helena, was a piece of the same seaweed observed by 
himself, I beg to state that the object seen from Her Majesty’s ship on that occasion 
was, beyond all question, a living animal, moving rapidly through the water against a 
cross sea, and within five points of a fresh breeze, with such velocity that the water 


6016 Reptiles. 


was surging under its chest as it passed along at a rate, probably, of not less than ten 
miles per hour. Capt. M’Quhae’s first impulse was to tack in pursuit, ourselves being 
on a wind on the larboard tack, when he reflected that we neither could lay up for it 
or overhaul it in speed. There was nothing to be done, therefore, but to observe it as 
accurately as we could with our glasses as it came up under our lee quarter and passed 
away to windward, at its nearest position being not more than 200 yards from us; the 
eye, the mouth, the nostril, the colour and form, all being most distinctly visible to us. 
We all felt greatly astonished at what we saw, though there were sailors among us of 
thirty and forty years’ standing, who had traversed most seas and seen many marvels 
in their day. The captain was the first to exclaim, ‘ This must be that animal called 
the sea-serpent, a conclusion which, after sundry guesses, we all at last settled down 
to. My impression was that it was rather of a lizard than serpentine character, as its 
movement was steady and uniform, as if propelled by fins, not by any undulatory 
power. It was in sight from our first observing it about ten minutes, as we were fast 
leaving one another on opposite tacks with a freshening breeze and the sea getting up. 

“I feel, Sir, I have already occupied more of your time and space than is justifi- 
able, and have the honour to remain your obedient servant, 


s* An Orricer oF Her Mazrssty’s Sauipe *‘ DaDALUvs.’ 
“ February 13.” 


Sy letter appears in the ‘ Times’ of to-day signed ‘ Frederick Smith’ on 
the subject of the sea-serpent. 

‘“‘ The writer has this advantage over others who have ee the occasional ap- 
pearance of what he fairly calls ‘this queer fish’—that he has handled as well as 
seen it. Still there would seem to be a considerable variety in the genus, for, while 
the specimen obtained by the ‘ Pekin’ in 1848 was 4 inches in diameter and 20 feet 
in length, that seen from the ‘ Circassian’ is described, if I remember rightly, in your 
paper of the 4th inst., as 10 feet or 11 feet in diameter, and upwards of 200 feet in 
length. 

“In this latter instance it was seeing only, and but a passing sight; and testimony 
of this kind is just that which naturalists may be slow to receive as evidence of any 
new fact; nevertheless the practised vision of the Circassian’s commander should go 
for something, and, as it would appear from the following letter that Capt. Harrington 
is to be in town next week and ready to answer any questions, it might be worth the 
while of some of our philosophers to examine a little into the question of what Capt. 
Harrington and his officers really did see. 

‘“‘T have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant, 

| “W, A. B. Hamitron. 
“ Blackheath, February 12.” 


“14, South Castle Street, Liverpool, February 8. 

“ Dear Sir,—I am in receipt of your favour of the 6th of February, and should 
be glad if my communication to the ‘Times’ might be instrumental in dispelling 
many doubts respecting the existence of such a monster as that described by myself 
and officers. 

‘““T communicated it to Capt. Schomberg, R.N., of this place, in the course of 
conversation, who advised me by all means to send a copy of it to the ‘ Times.’ 


Reptiles. 6017 


“‘ Notwithstanding the assertions of men of science to the contrary I am now sure 
that such animals exist. I could no more be deceived than (as a seaman) I could 
mistake a porpoise for a whale. If it had been at a great distance it would have been 
different; but it was not above 20 yards from the ship. 

“IT am of opinion that this animal makes its appearance at the surface at long in- 
tervals only. I am informed by Messrs, Lamport and Holt, shipowners of this place, 
that one of their captains reported a similar thing about two years ago, off the Island 
of St. Helena ; but they took no further notice of it, supposing, as your friends seem 
to do, that he might have been deceived. 

“Twenty people, including Mrs. Harrington and my two officers, saw it as dis- 
tinctly as I now see the gas light which I am writing by. I am well known in Lon- 
don, having commanded a steam transport during the Russian war belonging to the 
North of Europe Steam Navigation Company. 

“ Capt. Claxton, R.N., of the Priory, Battersea, is a personal friend of mine. I 
am also well known to Sir Colin Campbell, who is now in the East. My present ship 
is 1064 tons new measurement, and a new ship, of which I own a good part myself. 
There are, therefore, many reasons (in addition to my holding a first-class certificate 
in the mercantile marine) to hinder me from propagating a report which can do me no 
good, and, if untrue, do injury to science in the room of assisting it to elicit the truth 
im so important a matter as the discovery of the inhabitants of the deep. 

“I shall be in town for three or four days in the early part of next week. A letter 
addressed to me at the Jerusalem Coffee-house will meet with attention, and, if my 
limited time permit, I should be glad to have an interview with yourself, or any of 
your friends who might wish to have a verbal explanation in this matter. 

“ T have the honour to remain, Sir, your obedient servant, 
“G, H. Harrineron. 

‘To Rear-Admiral W. A. B. Hamilton.” 


From the ‘ Times of February 23rd. 


“ Sir,—I beg to explain, in answer to Rear-Admiral Hamilton, that in the water, 
before being divested of its extraordinary-looking living appendages, the diameter of 
my marine capture was above three feet. Some buckets full of splendidly-coloured 
blue and crimson crabs, varying from the size of a shilling to that of a man’s hand, 
were collected from it; and that this quantity of such animal life could be furnished 
with a refuge in the mats of snaky-looking creatures which constituted the moving 
monstrous-looking external will assist those who read my account in believing what I 
before stated, that even when the object was laid on deck we had difficulty in making 
out what it was. Now, sea-weeds of gigantic growth abound near the islands of the 
group of Tristan d’Acunha. From decay or other causes, these will from time to time 
become detached at the roots, and with their living attachments will then, floating 
horizontally, be carried by the well-known currents into the very positions where the 
sea-serpent delights in exhibiting himself. It is not disputed that such was the mon- 
ster picked up by the boat’s crew of my ship. Ido not doubt that more monstrous 
specimens may be seen from time to time, and I expect that your insertion of this 
correspondence will cause more attention to be given to their capture than, as on 
board of Her Majesty’s ship ‘ Dedalus, to the forming of sundry ‘ guesses,’ causing 


AVI. 3 


6018 Insects. 


the observers to ‘ settle down’ to the conclusion, ‘ This must be the animal called the 
sea-serpent. Had the monster I described not been taken, I should have believed, as 
firmly as Capt. Harrington does, that I could confirm the statement of the commander 
of the ‘ Dedalus,’ and that ‘ the animal belonged to the serpent tribe.’ 

“ Everybody knows what different notions are generated by momentary and unex- 
pected appearances of things as compared with the things themselves when examined. 
Perhaps the nostril of the ‘ Dedalus’ sea-serpent was seen in the recollection of one 
spectator, the mouth in that of another, the eye in that of another, and so on. I take 
leave to question the possibility of these ‘ being most distinctly visible’ when the object 
at its ‘nearest position’ was 200 yards distant, the sea getting up, and the observers 
travelling in an opposite direction, the passing of the two being apparently at the rate 
of twenty miles an hour. Naturalists will say whether an animal to answer to the 
habits and attributes of that in question would have a nostril. 

“Tam sure that Capt. Harrington, of the ‘ Castilian, saw an extraordinary ob- 
ject, and described it according to his impression, and having a great respect for ‘a 
first-class certificate in the mercantile marine’ (as I hold a ‘ first-class extra’ myself), 
and also for ‘ Sir Colin Campbell, now in the East, to whom Capt. Harrington is so 
well known, I feel equally sure that, so accredited, he has published his account with 
no other than a good object. Nevertheless, these circumstances do not prove to me 
that Capt. Harrington saw the sea-serpent, because that ‘ queer fish’ so very nearly 
and completely took me in until I took him in. 

“Tam, Sir, your most obedient servant, 


“FRED. SMITH. 
“ Newcastle-on-Tyne, February 19.” : 


On the Geographical Distribution of Butterflies in Great Britain. 
By T. Boyp and A. G. More, Esars. 


THE present paper originated in a desire to ascertain how far the 
plan of Mr. H. C. Watson’s ‘Cybele Britannica’ is available in the 
sister science of Zoology, and for our experiment we have selected the 
butterflies as the best known and most generally studied of British 
insects. It is now offered to entomologists as a sketch which future 
observation may fill up,—as something to which the youngest, if only 
he be accurate, may make useful additions, and so aid in forming a 
list which shall be valuable in a scientific point of view. 

Any one at all acquainted with Entomology, its present immature 
condition, its peculiar liability to error, and the state of feeling among 
collectors, will easily perceive that nothing beyond a bare sketch of 
the distribution of any family of insects is at present possible. We 
are aware that the accompanying list might have been made much 
more complete had a wider range of authorities been taken; but 


~ Insects. 6019 


knowing how much doubt attaches to many names occurring in the 
best works, and the amount of inaccuracy to be found in many local 
lists, it appeared to us that more would be lost in value than gained 
in completeness by quoting authorities indiscriminately: we have 
therefore confined ourselves to one recent work, which we believe to 
be compiled with great care, viz. Stainton’s ‘ Manual of British But- 
terflies, and for the rest we have relied upon the authority of the 
following entomologists, to whom our best thanks are due, and whose 
names will be a sufficient gurantee for the accuracy of their informa- 
tion :—Messrs. Allis, Ashworth (since deceased), Bond, Buxton, Dou- 
bleday, Edleston, Harris, Logan, Salt, and Vanghan. Two or three 
- localities are also added on the authority of McGillivray’s ‘ Natural 
History of Dee-Side.’ 

The names adopted are those of Doubleday’s ‘ Synonymie List,’ 
which we believe are at the present time most generally used in this 
country. The particulars of the “ Provinces,” into which Mr. Watson 
has divided Great Britain, are enumerated below :— 

1. Peninsula: Cornwall, Devon, Somerset. 

2. Channel: Dorset, Wilts, Isle of Wight, Hants, Sussex. 

3. Thames: Kent, Surrey, Berks, Oxford, Bucks, Middlesex, 
Herts, Essex. 

4, Ouse: Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, Bedford, Huntingdon, 
Northampton. 

do. Severn: Gloucester, Worcester, Warwick, Stafford, Salop, Here- 
ford, Monmouth. 

6. South Wales: Glamorgan, Caermarthen, Pembroke, Cardigan, 
Brecon, Radnor. 

7. North Wales: Montgomery, Merioneth, Caernarvon, Denbigh, 
Flint, Anglesea. 

8. Trent: Leicester, Rutland, Lincoln, Notts, Derby. 

9. Mersey: Cheshire, Lancashire. 

10. Humber: York. 

11. Tyne: Durham, Northumberland. 

12. Lakes: Westmoreland, Cumberland (Isle of Man). 

13. West Lowlands: Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Wigton, Ayr, 

Lanark, Renfrew. 

14. East Lowlands: Berwick, Roxburgh, Peebles, Selkirk, Had- 

dington, Edinburgh, Linlithgow. 

15. East Highlands: Fife, Kinross, Clackmannan, Stirling, Perth, 

Forfar, Kincardine, Aberdeen, Banff, Moray (including Nairn, 
Elgin, and the North-east of Inverness). 


6020 Insects. 


16. West Highlands: Dumbarton, Argyle, Inverness, westward of 
Loch Erricht, Isles adjacent, from Arran to Skye. 

17. North Highlands: Ross, Cromarty, Sutherland and Caithness. 

18. North Isles: Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland. 

it is with these provinces alone that the present paper has to do, 
and no attempt has been made to work out an estimate of the coun- 
ties, or the latitude or altitude, to which the various species are con- 
fined, there being at present no sufficient materials for the purpose. 


Papilio Machaon. Area * 2 * 4, Marshes, local. A handsome 
insect, frequently bred in numbers, and therefore occasionally taken 
on the wing in various localities. | 

Pieris Crategi. Areal 2345. Woods and forests, local. 

P. Brassice. Areal 2345* 789101112138 141516. This 
and the two following species seem attached to cultivated land, and 
are probably common everywhere. Mr. Buxton says that he saw 
white butterflies in Sutherland (17), but did not notice the species. 

P. Rape. Areal2345* 78910 1112131415 16. 

P. Napt. Areal2345* 7891011121314 15 16. 

P. Daplidice. Avea* * 345. Stainton’s Manual. 

Anthocharis Cardamines. Areal 2345 * 789 10 11 12 

13 14 * 16. 

Leucophasia Sinapis. Areal2845**8* 10% 12. Woods - 
and forests. 

Gonepteryx Rhamni. Areal 2345* *89101112. Woods 
and cultivated land. 

Colias Edusa. Areal 2345%**89101112*** 16. Culti- 
vated land and downs. This and the next species are most plentiful 
near the coast. 

C. Hyale. Areal 2345 * * 89 10. Cultivated land and downs. 

Thecla Betule. Aveal2345%** 8. Woods. 

T. Prunt. Area * * * 4. Woods, local. 

T. W-album. Areal *345****10. Hedge-row elms. 

T. Quercus. Areal 2345 %*789 10 * 12 * * * 16. Woods. 

T. Rubi. Areal 2345*78910* 1213 * 15 16 17. 

Chrysophanus dispar. Area * * * 4. Marshes, local; apparently 
extinct. | 

C. Phileas. Areal 2345* 7891011 1213 1415 16. 

Polyommatus Argiolus. Area 12345 * 7 * 9 10 * 12. 
Woods. 

P. Alsus. Areal 2345 * 78910 * 1213 1415 16. Downs. 


Insects. 6021 


P. Acis. Area * 2* 45. Cultivated ground, local. 2,4, &. Bond. 
5, Stainton’s Manual. 

P. Aigon. Aveal2345** *910. Uncultivated ground. 

P. Alexis. Areal2345%* 7891011 121381415 * * 18, 

P. Adonis. Areal 23 * 5, Downs, on chalk. 

P. Corydon. Areal 2345 * * 8, Downs, on chalk. 

P. Arion. Areal * * 4. Local. 

P. Agestis. Areal2345* 7 * * 10. 

P. Artaxerxes. Area * * * * *¥* * ** 10 11 * 131415. The 
area of this insect begins where that of Agestis ends: is it a species ? 

Nemeobius Lucina. Area *2345* *8* 10 * 1213. Woods, 
local. 

Limenitis Sybilla. Area * 2345, Woods and forests. 

Argynnis Paphia. Areal 2345%*78%* 101112. Woods. 

A. Aglaia. Areal 2345 * 78910111213 * 1516. Woods. 

A. Adippe. Areal 2845**8*10* 12 * * * 16. Woods. 

A, Lathonia. Areal 2345. Cultivated land, local. (Staznton’s 
Manual). Other species have frequently been mistaken for this, and 
it probably often escapes notice from its similarity to them. 

A. Euphrosyne. Areal 2 845*78910 * 1213 * 151617. 
Woods. © 2 

A. Selene. Areal 2345 * 789 10 * 12 13 14 15 16 17. 
Woods. 

Melitea Artemis. Areal] 2345 * * 8 910* 1213 14 * 16, 
Marshes, local. 

M. Cinzia. Area* 234 * **¥ #** * * * * 15, Uncultivated 
land, local. 

M. Athalia. Areal * 345. Woods, local. 

Vanessa Carduwi. Areal 2345 * *8910* 1213141516. The 
whole of this genus seems to prefer cultivated land. 

V. Atalanta. Areal 2345*78910 * 1213 1415 16. 

V.lo. Aveal2345* 78910 * 12131415 16. 

V. Antiopa. Areal 2345 ** 8910 * 12 * 14, 

V. Urtice. Areal 2345 * 7891011121314 1516 17. 

V. Polychloros. Areal 2345 * * 8910 * 12. 

V.C-album. Areal 2345* 789101112. Local, not found 
in places where it was once common. 

Apatura Iris. Area*2345* * 8. Woods. 

Arge Galathea. Areal 2345 * * 8 * 10. Waste ground, 
local. | 


6022 Insects. 


Erebta.Cassiope:: Area * * 5 Rae Be 8% hk 10 RM 155 Vi ia 
tains, local. 

i. Blandina.;i area * * * See *.* 9 10 11,32 Venki, 
Waste ground, local. 

Satyrus Semele. Areal 2345*7* 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16. 
Waste ground, local. 

S. Janira. Area12345* 78910111213 1415 16. 

S. Lathonus. Area 1234 5 49:10 * 12. 

S. Megera. 12345* 78910 * 12 13. 

S. Aigeria. Areal 2345*78910* 12*14%* 16. Woods. 

S. Hyperanthus. Areal 2345 * 78910 * 1213141516. 
Damp woods. 

S. Davus..~Area;* :**5* 5. * ge 9 10 * 12:% 44 1b Ae Arie: 
Local. 

S. Pamphilus. Aveal 2345 * 78910111218 14 15 16. 

Steropes Paniscus. Area * * * 4 * * * 8. Woods, local. 

Pamphila Tinea. Areal 2345* * 8 * 10 %* * * 14, 

P. Sylvanus. Areal 2345 * 78910 * 1213 14. 

P. Comma:; .Area.1 2 3.4: "ae *,*.* 10... Downs, docaly iu 
Stainton’s ‘ Manual’ Scarborough is given as a locality for this insect, 
but Mr. Allis says that he has frequently examined specimens, said 
to be common, taken in Yorkshire, but they invariably proved to be 
Sylvanus. 

P. Acteon. Areal 2* * 5. 5, Statnton’s Manual. Local. 

Syrichthus Alveolus. Areal2345 * * 8 *10* * 13 * * * 17. 

Thanaos Tages. Areal2345* 78910111213 * * 1617. 

(Chrysophanus Chryseis. Area* 23. Stainton’s Manual). 


Having thus applied Mr. H. C. Watson’s formula, as far as “ Pro- 
vinces” are concerned, we will next endeavour to carry out the 
system of the ‘Cybele Britannica’ a little further, by referring the 
several insects to their respective “ Types of Distribution,” premising 
that, with increased observation, a few changes may become necessary, 
and we may then hope to see Mr. Watson’s plans carried out, for the 
butterflies at least, into some of the other details, which he has suc- 
cessfully employed for our flowering plants. 


I. Twenty-three species are assigned to the “ British Type,” as 
they appear to be widely distributed throughout Great Britain, though 
their range is scarcely so universal as that of the plants which belong 


Insects. 6023 


to the same section. They represent our commonest butterflies, and 
all occur in Scotland, many of them reaching as far as its northern 
extremity: three, however (Argynnis Euphrosyne and Selene, and 
Syrichthus Alveolus), are not enumerated in a list of Irish butterflies 
with which we have lately been favoured by a correspondent. 

The members of the “ British Type” are — 


Pieris Brassicz Vanessa Cardui 


bar Ree o Io 
ay? N@DI Atalanta 
Anthocharis Cardamines oh . elttice: 
Thecla Rubi Satyrus Semele 
Lyczena Phleas ad, 1s See 
Polyommatus Alsus >» Augeria 
uy Alexis »  Hyperanthus 
Argynnis Aglaia »,  Pamphilus 
es Kuphrosyne Thanaos Tages 
? Selene Syrichthus Alveolus. 


Melitza Artemis 


A few of these are local: Melita Artemis and Syrichthus Alveolus 
affect marshy situations; Polyommatus Alsus, Satyrus Semele and 
Thanaos Tages seem attached to a dry or calcareous soil; Argynnis 
Aglaia, A. Selene and Thecla Rubi can hardly be called common. 

Small as this list is already, it is believed that by strictly following 
Mr. Watson’s definition several of its species might be transferred to 
the next group. 


II. The “English Type” comprises twenty-four species, all of 
which are more abundant in the Southern “ Provinces,” decreasing in 
frequency northwards. 


Thecla W-album (E.) 
Polyommatus Acis (E.) 

a Arion (K.) 
Melitza Athalia (E.) 
Vanessa Antiopa (E.) 

x‘ Polychloros (E.) 

ee C-album (E.) 
Polyommatus Agestis (E.) 
Nemeobius Lucina (E.) 
Argynnis Adippe (E. S.) 
Pieris Crategi (E. I.) 
Colias Hyale (KE. I.) 


Thecla Betule (E. I.) 
Leucophasia Simapis (EH. I.) 
Gonepteryx Rhamni (E. 1.) 
Polyommatus Argiolus (E. I.) 
a Aigon (EK. I.) 
Argynnis Paphia (E. 1.) 
Satyrus Tithonus (E. I.) 
Colias Edusa (E. S. I.) 
Thecla Quercus (E. S. I.) 
Satyrus Megera (E. S. I.) 
Pamphila Sylvanus (E. S. I.) 
» . Janeth. SF) 


6024 : Insects. 


The four first, though very local, seem to have their proper place 
here, and not in the “ Germanic Type,” as they do not evince a suffi- 
cient preference for the Eastern side of England: they, with the next 


six, are said to be absent from Ireland.* Six—Colias Edusa, Pam- 
phila Sylvanus and Linea, Thecla Quercus, Satyrus Megera and 


Argynnis Adippe—reach Scotland, but only its southern portion. 
One, A. Adippe, is found in Scotland, though wanting in Jreland. 

The ascertained range of S. Megera does not yet warrant its being 
transferred to the “ British Type.” 


III. In proceeding to illustrate the third group, or “ Germanic 
Type,” comprising the South-eastern species, it is necessary to notice 
the difficulty of drawing a line between it and the former (or 
“English”). For instance, Pieris Crategi and Thecla Betule might, 
but for their occurrence in Ireland, be referred to the “ Germanic,” 
while Argynnis Lathonia and Pieris Daplidice approach the “ Eng- 
lish.” Thirteen species belong to the “ Germanic Type,” its more 
local members being 


Lycena dispar Melitza Cinxia 
Thecla Pruni Steropes Paniscus 
Papilio Machaon 


And those with a wider range, still however preserving the same 
greater frequency on the East side and towards the South-east corner 


of England, 


Pieris Daplidice Polyommatus Adonis 
Argynnis Lathonia “ Corydon 
Limenitis Sibylla Pamphila Comma 
Apatura Iris : Arge Galathea. 


None of these thirteen have been found in either Scotland or Ireland. 


IV. The “ Atlantic” or South-western Type has but one repre- 
sentative, wz. - 


Pamphila Actzon. 


It is wanting in Ireland. 


* Polyommatus Agestis and Nemeobius Lucina have, with Polyommatus Corydon 
and Melitea Athalia, been recorded as Irish, but there is no recent authority for their 
occurrence. 


Insects. 6025 


V. The “ Scottish” or Northern Type contains three species,— 


Polyommatus Artaxerxes Erebia Blandina. 
Satyrus Davus 


VI. The “ Highland” or Mountain Type one only, 
Erebia Cassiope. 


It is remarkable that, of the last four, two only—Satyrus Davus and 
_ Erebia Cassiope—reach Ireland, whereas all of them occur in 
England.* When surprise is expressed at the poverty of our moun- 
tain Fauna, it should be remembered that it 1s analogous to that of 
the Scandinavian, not the European, Alps. 

If we proceed to institute a comparison between our butterflies and 
flowering plants, as to the respective proportions of the several 
* Types,” we shall find there are— 


In Flowering Plants, 
according to 
Among Butterflies. Mr. Watson's Estimate. Proportion. 


British Type (23)...... 2-5ths or nearly 2-5ths... 2-5ths.........e00+0. Lhe same. 
English Type (24) ... 2-5ths nearly........ccoosee 1L-Sth ..occcccessasee Double. 


RePTAING EVE (¥Gj.c. Pedi sea ccnccence ves soecogeme 1-15th to 1-20th... Thrice as many. 
Atlantic Type (1)...... 1-G5th .eecsvcesosecseceveee 1-L5th to 1-20th... One-fourth. 
Scottish Type (3)...... PUY Gis US sc esc cass cap geeeePOURT nececectes The same. 


Pigniond Type'(l) is. E-G5tn, ...ccccc.c+ eee. ccmeeer -LOth ° 2..)..+..060 One-fourth. 


So that the greatest contrast is presented by the striking preponde- 
rance of the “ Germanic ” and “ English ” Types among the insects: 
on the other hand the “ Atlantic” element (which in plants nearly 
balances the “‘ Germanic ”) is in the butterflies quite insignificant, and 
the “ Highland” is equally small. 

The same thing becomes still more evident on adding together the 
“Germanic” and “ English” sections, as they amount to more than 
one-half of the whole number against a quarter in plants: from which 
it seems reasonable to conclude that our butterflies are much more 
unequally and locally distributed than our flowering plants. That 
the insects are also much more influenced by a warmer tempera- 
ture is plain, both from the higher numbers of southern species and 


* Supposing the English P. Salmacis to be a mere variety of P. Arta- 
Xerxes. ; 


XVI. | ow, 


6026 Inseets. 


because Ireland has more than twice as many of them as Scotland.* 
It is believed this will be still further confirmed by a comparison 
drawn between Great Britain and any central portion of the Kuropean 
Continent. 

The readers of Forbes’s Essay will find, in the relative numbers of 
Highland and Lowland species, nothing but what agrees with the 
hypothesis that our alpine Fauna is the more ancient, and has 
descended to us from a period when the summits of our mountains 
existed as islands, or members of a chain of islands, communicating 
with Scandinavia across the “Glacial Sea.” In such a case we 
should expect to find the alpine species few in number, since their 
area was restricted from the first and its climate boreal: the insects, 
too, may have been less able than contemporary plants to survive the 
changes of temperature and the accidents of geological disturbances. 
On the other hand, the higher numbers of the “ British,” “ English ” 
and “ Germanic” Types point to a more recent derivation from the 
adjoming Continent. 

The disproportion, however, among butterflies, between the “ At- 
lantic” and “ Germanic” Types, is worthy of attention, in so far as 
these two nearly agree with Forbes’s “ Norman” and “ North-French ” 
Floras, both of which he supposed (with some reservations) to be 
still older than the “ Scandinavian” or ‘‘ Highland.” Now the high 
numbers of the “Germanic” Type, the difficulty of separating it 
satisfactorily from the “ English,” together with the fact of its plants 
being found (some of them abundantly) in the centre of Germany, 
lead to the conclusion that it is but a branch of and contemporaneous 
with the central European, Forbes’s “ Great Germanic ” Flora. 

Looking, on the contrary, at the “ Atlantic” Type, with its fewness 
of insect species, at the more clearly southern character of its Flora 
(which in great measure consists of plants found towards the Atlantic 
and Mediterranean coasts, and absent from Germany), and at its being 


* The Trish species are thirty-six :— ' The Scotch species are thirty-three :— 
British. Dype..........20 British -[ype......... 23 
English Type ...... 14 Boplish Pb ype” s..sarnee 
Scottish Type ...... 1 F Scottish Type ...... 3 
Highland Type...... l . Highland Type...... 1 


Not one is found in either Scotland or Ireland that does not also occur in England, 
That Ireland, with fewer plants than Scotland, should have more butterflies, shows 
that the number of the latter is less influenced by western position than might have 
been expected. = 


Insects. 6027 


on our shores further isolated from its. original abode, we cannot help 
inclining to the belief that it presents a distinctness of feature which 
the “ Germanic” does not, and approaches closely in character, per- . 
haps also in age, to the Flora of the West of Ireland, which is said to 
be the most ancient of all that still exist in Great Britain. 

In conclusion, we would venture to recommend Mr. Watson’s sys- 
tem to the consideration of those who are engaged in the study of 
other branches of British Natural History: we have no doubt that it 
might be applied, with most interesting results, to the land mollusks 
and other stationary members of our Fauna; and the advantages of 


conforming to a plan already in use itis needless to enlarge upon. 
Much, however, remains to be done before the “ Cybele” of even 


our butterflies can be considered complete : 


we can only hope that a 


point has been attained upon which future observation may be brought 


to bear. 


<a 


T. Boyp. 
A. G. MorE. 


British Geometrina, as arranged and named in M, Guenée’s Second Volume of the 
Geometre of the whole world.— 


~Timanpra NUMERIA ASPILATES 
Amataria Pulveraria Strigillaria 
CaBERA ScODIONA Citraria 
Pusaria Belgiaria Gilvaria 
Rotundaria Favillacearia, D. L. ABRAXAS 
Exanthemaria SELIDOSEMA Grossulariata 
Corycia Plumaria Ulmata 
Temerata FIponia Liepta 
Taminata Carbonaria Acustata 
ALEUCIS Atomaria LomaspIiLis 
Pictaria Piniaria Marginata 
Macartia Pinetaria PacHYCNEMIA 
Alternata Quinguaria, D, L. Hippocastanaria 
Notata Couspicuata HyBERNIA 
Liturata Minoa Rupicapraria 
Hawia Euphorbiata Leucophearia 
Wavaria ScCoRIA Aurantiaria 
STRENIA Dealbata Defoliaria 
Clathrata STERRHA Progemmaria 
PANAGRA Sacraria ANISOPTERYX 
Petraria AEscularia 


6028 


CHEIMATOBIA 
Brumata 
Boreata 
OPpoRABIA 
Dilutata 
Filigram maria 
Autumnaria, D.I., non 
Boisd., var. prec. 
teste Gn. 
LARENTIA 
Didymata 
Multistrigaria 
Cesiata 
Ruficinctata 
Flavicinctata, Steph., 
LD. A... 
Salicata 
Olivata 
Pectinitaria 
EMMELESIA 
Affinitata 
Rivulata, D.L. 
Alchemillata 
Hydraria, D. L. 
Albulata 
Decolorata 
Teniata 
Unifasciata 
Bifasciata, D. L., var. 
prec. teste Gn. 
EFricetata 
Blandiata 
EvuPiTHECIA 
Venosata 
Consignata 
Linariata 
Pulchellata 
Centaureata 
Succenturiata 
Subfulvata, D.L., var. 
Cognata, D. L., var. 
Subumbrata 
Pernotata 
Plumbeolata 


Haworthiata, Doub., n.s. 


Pygmeata 
Helveticaria 
Satyrata 


Insects. 


EvuPITHECIA 
Egenaria 
Castigata 
Pimpinellata 
Pusillata 
Trriguata 
Denotata 
Innotata 
Indigata 
Constrictata 
Nanata 
Subnotata 
Vulgata 
Expallidata 
Absynthiata 
Minutata 
Assimilata 
Tenuiata 
Subciliata 
Dodoneata 
Abbreviata 
Exizuata 
Sobrinata 
Togata 
Pumilata 
Coronata 
Rectangulata 
Debiliata 

CoLiix 
Sparsata 

LoBOPHORA 
Sexalata 
Hexapterata 
Viretata 
Lobulata 
Polycommata 

THERA 
Juniperata 
Simulata 
Variata 
Firmata 


* YPpsIPpETEs 


Ruberata 


Literata, Don? Gn. 


Impluviata 

Elutata 
MELANTHIA 

Rubiginata 


MELANTHIA 
Ocellata 
Albicillata 

MELANIPPE 
Hastata 
Tristata 
Procellata 
Unangulata 
Amnicularia, D. L. 
Rivata 
Alchemillaria, 

D. L., var. pree. 
teste Gn. 
Montanata 
Galiata 
Fluctuata 

ANTICLEA 
Sinuata 
Rubidata 
Badiata 
Derivata 
Berberata 

CoREMIA 
Munitata 
Propugnata 
Ferrugata 
Unidentaria, D. L., var. 

prec. teste Gn. 
Quadrifasciaria 

CAMPTOGRAMMA 
Bilineata 
Fluviata 
Gemmata 

PHIBALAPTERYX 
Tersata 
Lapidata 
Lignata 
Polygrammata 
Vitalbata 

ScorTosia 
Dubitata 
Vetulata 
Rhamnata 
Certata é 
Undulata 

CIDARIA 
Psittacata 

Miata 


Insects. 6029 


CIDARIA CIDARIA CarsIa 
Picata | Fulvata Imbutata 
Corylata Pyraliata ANAITIS 
Ruptata, D. L. Dotata Plagiata 
Sagittata Marmorata, D. L. Preformata ? 
Russata » PELURGA LITHOSTEGE 
Immanata, D. L., var. Comitata Nivearia 
prec. teste Gn. Chenopodiata, D. L. CHESIAS 

Suffumata EvUBOLIA Spartiata 
Silaceata Cervinaria Obliquaria 

. Prunata Mensuraria TANAGRA 
Testata Palumbaria Cherophyllata. 
Achatinata, D. L. Bipunctaria 
Populata Lineolata 


—Communicated by Henry Doubleday, Esq. (The names added in Ltalics are either 
those used in Mr. Doubleday’s ‘ List’ for the same species, or are supposed by 
M. Guenee to be varieties of the species the name of which precedes each in Roman 
characters. | 

Tephrosia laricaria.—I have now by me the pupe of laricaria, which I hope 
shortly to see in their last stage. ‘The larve, which I beat from the larch while in 
Lancashire last August, are so varied in colour that it would not be possible to give an 
accurate description of them unless they were before me. Having also taken and bred 
the larva of crepuscularia (which feeds upon the oak), I state as my firm belief that 
laricaria is not a variety of it. I have taken crepuscularia in the greatest abundance, 
both in this neighbourhood and elsewhere in the Midland Counties, but never took a 
single laricaria nor one intermediate variety— Henry Burney ; Wavendon Rectory, 
February 20, 1858.—From the ‘ Intelligencer.’ 

Gnophos obscurarta.—With regard to obscuraria, as far as my experience goes, I 
should decidedly incline to the opinion that it is a distinct species, and-not a variety 
of pullaria. About eighteen years ago, when mothing on Parley Heath, in Hamp- 
shire, in company with Mr. Dale, we found the former insect in the most wonderful 
profusion that can be conceived. They were at rest in the dry mounds of cut turf or 
peat, on brushing the sides of which with the net they flew out in the most distracting 
abundance. I caught a great number, all of which were exactly alike,—no interme- 
diates between that and pullaria. Indeed, I have generally considered obscuraria to 
be a heath insect. Pullaria I have usually met with in stone quarries and chalk pits, 
Near Bath it is not at all uncommon in the large free-stone quarries, and among the 
Bath Hampton Rocks, also in Portland, and is quite common in the chalk pits on the 
South Downs near Lewes and Brighton. Neither occur in this part of England. 
—Id. 

Gnophos pullaria.—The larva of this specics hybernatés about half fed; it begins 
to feed again in April. I found two some years since near Matlock; they fed up 
upon the salad burnet (Poterium sanguisorba, L.), and from one of them I bred the 
perfect insect. They closely resembled Hubner’s figure of the larva of G. obscuraria. 
I found them by pulling up the grass and low-growing plants by the roots. The 
larva conceals itself by day. There was a great deal of Helianthemum vulgare inter- 


6030 Insects. 


mingled with the Poterium sanguisorba in the locality where I found them.—H. 
Harpur Crewe ; Stowmarket, February 20, 1858.—Id. 

Larva of Harpalyce sagittaria.—Seeing by the ‘Intelligencer’ that the ate of 
H. sagittaria appears to be unknown, I beg to send you the following description 
with particulars:—Larva pale drab, with several fine and distinct lines of a dark 
drab colour running parallel down the sides; a chain of rhombus-shaped markings 
of the same colour down the centre of the back, one on each segment, with a central 
spot in each also dark drab. In July, 1855, 1 captured a female, which laid nearly 
thirty eggs; they hatched in about ten days. I fed the larve upon arrow-head 
(Suagittaria); they seemed to prefer the flowers, but they ate sparingly and grew very 
slowly, as by the end of September they appeared only three parts grown; their num- 
ber had also diminished to about eight or nine. I then gave them to Mr. Bond, who 
kept them alive till October, but they afterwards died. From my failure to rear them 
I conclude either that the larva hybernates or that Sagittaria is not their proper food. 
— Thomas Brown ; 13, King’s Parade, Cambridge, March 5, 1858.—d. . 

Flavicinctaria and Cesiaria.—In M. Guenée’s work on Geometre, I understand 
he unites two species, and makes them varieties of one and the same; I allude to 
flavicinctaria and cesiaria. I believe I can prove that these species are distinct: 
when in Scotland, last summer, ] took and examined fully 1000 specimens of 
cesiaria, and in no instance could I find any of that beautiful deep yellow, which is 
one of the most striking colours in flavicinctaria. In the month of July 1 took some 
larve feeding on the common heath: they were new to me; they were of a dark 
colour, with some purple angular markings on the back: in August these produced 
cesiaria. This insect swarms on all the mountains in Perthshire, and is equally 
abundant in the valleys and on the mountain tops: wherever there is heath there is 
cesiaria. After this species has been out about three weeks, if you go up the burns 
or mountain water-courses, but at some elevation, you will find flavicinctaria just 
out. Of course, as cesiaria is everywhere, you will see them along with flavi- 
cinctaria, but you will not find the latter species at any distance from the water- 
courses, as the larva feeds on Saxifrage, which only grows in the burns. Another 
instance of the specific distinctness of the insects is that, though they are both found 
at rest on the faces of rocks, cesiaria is excessively restless, and flies off before you 
can get to them to box them, but all the flavicinctaria are left behind.— H. J. 
Harding ; 1, York Street, Church Street, Shoreditch, March 8, 1858. [M. Guenée, 
in bis Errata and Addenda, admits that our flavicinctata must be considered distinct, 
but doubts whether it be the Continental species known by that name. However, 
Freyer, who treats of the larva of the Continental flavicinctata, says it feeds on 
Saxifraga petrea; the larva he figures as dull green, with a row of reddish white 
dorsal triangles. |—Jd. 

Undescribed Geometre Larve.—I have repeatedly bred Cabera rotundaria from 
the larva, which feeds on birch: it is very similar to the larva of pusaria, but, 
I think, is rather thicker‘ towards the abdomen, and I believe does not vary from 
pale green to quite brown, as the latter does: the larva of rotundaria is pale 
green. I bred a specimen of Bapta temeraria from a beautiful bright green larva, 
with a red head and marked with red on each segment: it was beat from a wild 
cherry tree at Joydon Wood, in September, and the insect appeared last June. The 
larva of Cheimatobia borearia is not uncommon at West Wickham, in June, on 


Insects. 6031 


birch: this larva is very similar to that of brumaria, but more transparent and 
the lines less distinct; it has a brown head, thus differing from the larva of 
brumaria, the head of which is always green. I have bred several specimens of 
Ypsipetes ruberaria from larve obtained on Wimbledon Common in September; 
they fed in curled-up leaves of sallow: it is a dirty white or grayish larva, and is 
slightly hairy. Of Phesyle miaria I have bred several specimens from larve 
obtained from oak and birch, in Headley Lane, in the middle of August: it is a 
long slender green larva, with two forks projecting beyond the abdomen.—W. Machin ; 
35, William St., Globe Fields, Mile E'nd, March 9, 1858.—Id. 

Undescribed Geometra Larve.—{ bred a specimen of C. miata this autumn 
from a larva beaten off alder, full fed August 18: it so closely resembled the 
larva of C. russata that at the time I did not detect the difference: the pupa was 
covered with a bloom like that of C. trapetzina. I had seven or eight larve of C. 
obliquaria in 1856, and bred the perfect insect in 1857: I beat them off broom 
(Spartium scoparium) towards the middle of August: this larva closely resembles that 
of C. spartiata, but is a much darker green, and wants the yellowish tinge; it is 
also thicker towards the head, and not so smvoth: I think there can be no doubt 
whatever that Lyonet is entirely mistaken in supposing that it feeds on bramble; I am 
convinced that it is exclusively a broom feeder: the perfect insect is out from the 
middle of May tothe middle of July: I took it, this last season, without intermission 
between May 20 and July 7: the larva of C. spartiata is full fed in June and July; 
it has sometimes a regular yellow stripe on each side. M.Guenée remarks upon 
the difficulty of rearing the larva of E. cervinaria through the winter: any one who 
takes the trouble may find the larva abundantly in June by searching among the 
leaves of Malva sylvestris, and sometimes on the common garden bollyhock: it is 
then not at all difficult to rear, but must have plenty of air, as it perspires very freely. 
—H, Harpur Crewe ; Stowmarket, March 9, 1858.—Jd. 

Successful removal of the Eggs of the Ichneumon from a Larva of Deilephila 
Galti.—One day, towards the end of October last, when staying at Deal, we were 
looking for the larva of Deilephila Galii, after the ground had been carefully hunted 
both by Mr. Stevens and myself, so that we scarcely hoped to meet with any, and were 
about to relinquish our search in despair, when we came upon a fine larva nearly full 
fed. This was immediately boxed and carried home in triumph. On opening the 
box, however, our satisfaction was considerably diminished on perceiving some twenty 
or thirty whitish spots, which turned out to be Ichneumon eggs. Having heard that 
the attempt to remove the eggs was sometimes successful, we determined to make the 
experiment. Our first trial was with a fine needle, but this proved a complete failure, 
as the needle would not penetrate the hard shell of the egg: we then tried to crush 
the eggs with a small pair of fine-pointed forceps ; this, though a satisfactory mode of 
destroying the eggs, caused great annoyance to the larva, which jerked itself into a 
circle when they were applied, so that we feared it would impale itself on the sharp 
points. The servant then brought a large darning needle, and this’ proved a most 
efficient instrument, piercing the eggs, and, in some cases, lifting them off entire, 
without apparent inconvenience to the caterpillar. In a few days it laid up to change, 
and soon appeared a fine healthy pupa. Jn the middle of December it was placed in 
a small fern-glass by the fire, the pupa covered with moss, which was kept constantly 
damped, and about a month afterwards came out a fine female, without the slightest 
blemish.—J. 7. Syme ; 11, Gower Street, Bedford Square, february 18, 1858.—Td. 


6032 Insects. 


Capture of two Coleopterous Insects new to the British List. —I have much 
pleasure in recording the capture of two small, but very interesting, genera, Spherius 
and Ptinella, both, as far as I can discover, new to the British Fauna: they were 
taken by myself, some time ago, in Oxfordshire, but, in consequence of the removal 
of our family from that part of the country, had become till lately almost forgotten. 
The Spherius acaroides, Waltl., was found in June, 1854, on a wall in our garden: 
this is a well-named insect; it exactly resembles in size, shape and colour, the black 
shining Acarus often found in decaying vegetable matter, and requires a close 
scrutiny to assure oneself that it is a Coleopterous insect at all. The Ptinella 
belongs to that section of the genus which has no visible eyes or wings: it appears 
to be distinct from any species hitherto described ; the nearest approach to it is the 
Ptilium apterum of Guérin, figured in Gillmeister’s Monograph of the Trichoptery- 
gide, but it differs from that species in many important characters, which I will 
shortly notice: it was taken at Weston-on-the-Green, in Oxfordshire, in July, 1853: 
the velocity of its motions is wonderful, far exceeding the well-known activity of the 
true species of Trichupteryx, and would seem impossible to an animal not endued 
with the power of sight. While I was observing it, it coursed several times along the 
back of a large spotted slug, Limax maximus, whose slimy skin did not in the least 
impede its motions. 


PTINELLA BRITANNICA. 


Elongata, haud depressa, aptera, rufo-testacea, fortius punctata; oculis nullis ; capite 
lato, obtuso, rufo-piceo ; pronoto transversali, postice contracto, rufo-piceo, angulis 
anterioribus productis, posterioribus rectis ; elytris capite atque pronoto longiori- 
bus, magis subtiliter punctatis, testaceis,ad humeros angustis, medio lativribus, 
margine postico valde sinuato ; abdomine elongato, lateribus marginatis, segmentis - 
quinque apertis, penultima magno, obtuso ; antennis et pedibus pallidis, elongatis, 
gracillimis, singulis antennarum articults corona setarum nigrarum ornatis. 


Elongate, rufo-testaceous, deeply punctured, clothed with a pale pubescence. 
Head wide, rounded in front, rufo-piceous behind, paler towards the mouth. Pro- 
thorax rufo-piceous, transverse, about as long as the head, much contracted near the 
base, with the anterior angles produced, embracing the base of the head, and the 
posterior angles nearly at right angles. Elytra testaceous, more finely punctured and 
rather longer than the head and prothorax united, narrowest at the shoulders, and 
widest about the middle, with the posterior margin very deeply sinuated. Abdomen 
long, with its sides deeply margined, five segments uncovered, the penultimate large 
and very obtuse, the apical segment very small. Legs and antenne pale, long and 
slender; on the upper part of each articulation of the antenne is a conspicuous 
whorl of strong black sete. Length @ lin. 


This species differs from P. apterum, Guér., in the much larger size, in the shape 
of the prothorax, which is much wider in front; in the contracted extremities and 
deeply sinuated hinder margin of the elytra, and in the obtuse form and margined 
sides of the abdomen.—A. Matthews; Gumley, Market Harborough, March 16, 


1858. 


Entomological Club. 6033 


Entomological Club. 
(Continued from page 5839). 


Last year we published a statement of the objects of the Entomo- 
logical Club, an announcement of the times during which the collec- 
tion might be consulted, a list of the Members, and a Catalogue of 
the desiderata as far as the new arrangement had been completed. 
Of the then desiderata the following have been acquired :— 


Petasia nubeculosa, by purchase. 
Lithosia complana, presented by Mr. Bond. 

»  pygmeola, by Mr. Birchall. 
Lasiocampa Callunez, by Mr. Bond and Mr. Backhouse. 
Gastropacha Ilicifolia, by the late Mr. Weaver. 
Psyche Febretta, ditto. 

em opacella, ditto. 
Cymatophora fluctuosa, by Mr. Doubleday. 
Acronycta strigosa, by Mr. Doubleday and Mr. Bond. 
Synia musculosa, by Mr. Bond. 
Miana expolita by Mr. Birchall. 
Noctua glareosa, by Mr. Hague and Mr. Killingback. 
Dasypolia Temph, by purchase. 
Epunda nigra, by Mr. Hague. 
Aplecta occulta, ditto. 
Hadena suasa, ditto. 
Cucullia Lychnitis, by Mr. Doubleday. 

»  Asteris, by purchase. 
Stilbia anomala, ditto. 


For all presents votes of thanks have been passed to the donors at 
the monthly meetings of the Club. The collection has been visited 
every Thursday evening by entomologists desirous of naming their 
captures. The new arrangement has been proceeded with as far as 
the end of the Geometre, and a list has been prepared exhibiting the 
exact state of that portion of the collection. ‘The numerous cffers for 
barter have been respectfully declined: entomologists, seeing that 
Chrysophanus Hippothoé (dispar of English collections) was not 
named as a desideratum, have applied for it with very much freedom, 
and have offered Lithosia complana, Noctua neglecta, and several 

XVI. 2A 


6034 Entomological Club. 


Xanthie in exchange; Xanthia cerago has also been offered for Po-| 
lyommatus Acis, “if fine.” The following list of Geometre has been 
drawn up on a somewhat different plan from the previous one: those 
species which are absolutely unrepresented are marked with an aste- 
risk; the rest are not intelligibly represented, that is, the specimens, 
having mostly been taken by myself many years ago, are faded or ill 
set, or injured in some way or other; in some instances the species is 
represented by one or two specimens presented by friends. In all 
instances where the name occurs the space allotted for the species is 
not filled, and, as only four specimens are desired, unless in the 
instance of strongly marked varieties, it will be manifest that the ob- 
ject of thus soliciting assistance is not the acquisition of long series. 


. List of Geometre desiderata to the Entomological Club. 


Eurymene dolobraria * Acidalia contiguaria 


Ephyra poraria 


i trilinearia 
Py omicronaria 
a orbicularia 


Hyria auroraria 
Asthena Blomerata 


* Acidalia rubricata 


re scutulata 
3 bisetata 
‘5 reversata 


Pericallia syringaria ne rusticata 
Selenia lunaria if osseata 
»  ilustraria ante: holosericeata 
Crocallis elinguaria Es incanaria 
* Ennomos alniaria ed ee obsoletaria 
5) tiharia eee straminata 
»  fuscantaria bi subsericeata 
5» —serosaria # immutata 
il »  angularia . commutata 
Nyssia hispidaria pie strigilata 
‘Cleora viduaria “ emutaria 
»  glabraria * a4 inornata 
Boarmia abietaria 59 degeneraria 
RS cinctaria emarginata 
Dasydia obfuscata Cabera rotundaria 
Geometra papilionaria 5»  exanthemaria 
Nemoria viridata Corycia taminata 
Todes vernaria Aleucis pictaria 
»  lactearia Macaria alternata 
Phorodesma bajularia bs notata 
Hemithea thymiaria = liturata 


Strenia clathrata 
Panagra petraria 
Numeria pulveraria 
Scodiona belgiaria 
Selidosema plumaria 
Fidonia carbonaria 


as piniaria 
* pinetaria 
conspicuata 


Minoa euphorbiata 


~ 


Entomological Society. 6035 


Scoria dealbata * Lobophora polycommata 
Aspilates, all Thera juniperata 
Abraxas ulmata »  variata 
Lomospilus marginata .. ( firmata 
Pachycnemia hippocastanaria Melanippe tristata 
Oporabia filigrammaria Anticlea rubidata 

‘3 autumnaria ‘3 badiata 
Larentia multistrigaria ‘ derivata 

if rufocinctata 4 berberata 

»  Salicata Phibalapteryx, all the species 

- olivata Scotosia undulata 
Emmelesia, and Cidaria sagittata 
Eupithecia: any good specimens » populata 

much desired »  fulvata 
Collyx sparsata »  pyraliata 
Lobophora sexalata * Lithostegia nivearia 

i hexapterata Chesias obliquaria 
~ ~ viretata 


Those twelve species to which an asterisk is prefixed are altogether 
absent from the collection; the rest are required to supply the place 
of wasted, discoloured or injured specimens, or to make up the num- 
ber of four specimens, the shortest series which I think can really 
illustrate a species. 

The number of specimens of all classes of insects received since 
the last report is 863; the number of duplicates given away on 
Thursday evenings is 417. 


Proceedings of Societies. 


ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


March 1, 1858.—Dr. Gray, President, in the Chair. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 
donors :—‘* The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Vol. xviii. 
Part 2; presented by the Society. ‘Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean 
Society,’ Vol. ii. No.7; by the Society. ‘The Natural History Review, Vol. v. 
No. 1; by the Dublin University Zoological Association. ‘ List of the Specimens of 
Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,’ Part xiii. Noctuide ; 
by the Author, Francis Walker, Esq., F.L.S. ‘The Zoologist’ for March; by the 
Editor. ‘The Journal of the Society of Arts’ for February; by the Editor. ‘The 
Literary Gazette’ for February ; by the Editor. ‘The Atheneum’ for January; by 


6036 Entomological Society. 


the Editor. ‘The Entomologists Weekly Intelligencer, Nos. 67 to 74; by H. T. 
Stainton, Esq. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Smith exhibited a box of insects sent him by Mr. Foxcroft, by whom they 
were captured in the Free Town Garden and suburbs of Sierra Leone, in December 
last. The Lepidoptera included Papilio Hippocoon and P. Pylades, a fine Charops, 
apparently the female of C. Brutus, and both sexes of Euchromia instructa. Amongst 
the Culeoptera were Tetralobus flabellicornis, Sternotomis mirabilis and S. regalis, 
Prosopocera bipunctata and Dirphya, n. s. 

Mr. Smith also exhibited a Coleopterous insect allied to the genus Myrmedonia, 
which he has found amongst a number of specimens of the driver ant (Anomma Bur- 
meistert), sent from Sierra Leone with the before-mentioned collection. 

Mr. Stevens exhibited some beautiful Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, taken by 
Mr. Wallace in Ke and Aru Islands, near New Guinea, of which the most remarkable 
were the sexes of a variety of Ornithoptera Priamus, Papilio Enchenor, P. Ormenus, 
P. Ambrax, Hestia D’Urvillii, some fine species of Drusilla and beautiful Erycinide, 
mostly hitherto unknown, Cocytia D’Urvillii, and some singular Geometra, &c. The 
Coleoptera included three handsome species of Eupholus, a gigantic new Mecocerus, 
several brilliant Buprestide, some fine and new Lomoptera, numerous species of the 
Papuan genus Tmesisternus, and a noble Batocera, very distinct from all the known 
species of the genus. 

Mr. Smith exhibited some Hymenoptera captured by Mr. Wallace in the Aru 
Islands; amongst the more remarkable were a species of Zuthus, entirely of a fine 
brassy green colour, a new and beautiful species of Tremex, several very beautiful 
Pompili, and numerous Formicide ; amongst the latter the finest species of Myrmica 
perhaps hitherto discovered; three species of Odontomachus, and some entirely new 
forms of the genus Polyrhachis. 

Mr. Westwood observed that it was extremely interesting to see the fin Papilios, 
&e., which had been found seventy years ago by the Dutch in the Islands of the 
Indian Archipelago, and since almost forgotten, were now being re-discovered and 
sent to this country in such adinirable preservation : the best thanks of entomologists 
were due to Mr. Wallace and those who, like him, hazarded their lives in unhealthy 
tropical climates to collect objects of Natural History, and he trusted they would 
receive the pecuniary reward they so well merited. 

Mr. Westwood exhibited a Tortrix of the genus Carpocapsa, allied to C. splen- 
dana of Europe, which had been bred by Mrs. Wood, of St. Leonards, from one of the 
“jumping seeds” sent from Mexico by Mr. Lettsom, and exhibited at the Meeting of 
the Society in October last: he observed that, according to a long statement on the 
subject which had appeared in the ‘Journal des Debats,’ some of these seeds had 
lately been received at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, where the larva had been pro- 
nounced to be Coleopterous ; but the specimen exhibited proved the correctness of the 
opinion entertained by entomologists in this country, that they belonged to a Lepi- 
dopterous insect. The question as to the mode in which the inclosed larve are able 
to execute the jerking movements exhibited by the seeds remained still an interesting 
question, for, supposing they were caused by the caterpillar adopting a process similar 
to that employed by the cheese-hopper, it must be regarded as a solitary instance of 
such action amongst lepidopterous larve. ; 


Entomological Society. 6037 


Mr. Westwood also exhibited the larva of Drilus flavescens, which had been sought 
for in vain in snail-shells during the excursions of the Society at Reigate, where the 
males were not uncommon. He had received the larva from a correspondent who had 
found it in a snail-shell, and it agreed with the figures which had been published in 
France, where its transformations had attracted considerable attention some years ago, 
and where the female had been described as a distinct genus, under the name of 
Cochlevetonus. 

Dr. Gray observed that this larva was known to Petiver one hundred years ago. 

Mr. S. 8. Saunders exhibited two specimens of Leptoderus Hohewartii (Stagobius 
troglodytes, Schiodte, Trans. Ent. Soc., n.s., v. 1, pl. 9, figs. 1, | a), one of the blind 
beetles from the Proteus Cave at Adelsberg, in South Austria. The species, which 
pertains to the Silphade (although the extraordinary elongation of the antenne and 
legs give it an appearance quite dissimilar to that of any other genus in the family), 
was found by Mr. Saunders on a large Stalactite in the deepest part of the cave. 

Mr. Smith exhibited some Hymeuoptera and their nests, sent from Port Natal by 
M. Gueinzius, and read the following note communicated by him :— 


On the Habits of the Hymenoptera of Natal. 


“A species of Stilbum lays its eggs on the collected caterpillars stored up by 
Eumenes tinctor, which constructs a nest of mud and attaches it to reeds, &c., not 
in single cells, but a large mass, in which cells are excavated, similar to the nest of 
Chalicodoma micraria. How does the fly, with such an apparently weak instrument, 
penetrate such a structure? First, it uses it as a gimlet, and when its point has a 
little penetrated, then as a saw or rasp: it likewise feels with its ovipositor, aud, finding 
an unfinished or an empty cell, it withdraws it immediately, without laying an ege. 
A great number of insects breed annually in my house, for which purpose I have 
always a dvor or window open to give them free ingress and egress. I once observed 
a wasp (Synagris calida), flying about my door; I attempted to catch it, when it flew 
off, but I observed that it returned again and again; at length I noticed some fresh 
clay stuck on the door, indicating an intention of building: I was anxious to observe 
its movements and to reconcile it to my standing the door quite back, inwards; this I 
effected by partly closing it and then watching the return of the insect with its clay; 
when it was settled, and was eagerly engaged, I moved the door slowly and carefully, 
and thus by degrees, in the course of two days, I had the satisfaction to see the 
Synagris during its building operations: it soon became accustomed to the closest ob- 
servation, and took no notive of me. One day the Synagris, having finished a cell, 
and not having time to commence a new one, had to perch on the exposed nest 
during the night; the light of my candle, however, attracted it, and it flew into the 
room, and took sheiter behind a window-curtain until the morning. This insect 
collects the larve of Catocala and other Noctuide which secrete themselves in the 
fissures of tree-bark, between seed-vessels or contracted leaves. I once observed this 
Synagris sitting on the leaves of a fine Zinnia elegans; it wandered about as a pointer 
dog would do, inserting its long maxille here and there, and getting more and more 
exciled every moment; at length it began to buzz loudly, and struggling it drew forth 
at last a hidden caterpillar from the middle of one of the flowers of the Zinnia. No 
tiger could have been more furious over its prey: with what fury it ran its sting into 
the abdomen of its helpless victim again and again, and with what a buzz of savage 
glee it dragged it about from leaf to leaf! at length, striding over it, the caterpillar 


6038 Entomological Society. 


lay motionless, but the suckers of its feet stuck fast, the wasp then had to stop to 
loosen them; this it did very cleverly by curving its abdomen like a hook under the 
belly of the caterpillar, using its point like a lever; the stoppages occurred so 
frequently that the wasp got tired of them, so, turning the caterpillar on its back, all 
further obstruction was avoided. 

“Large spiders and caterpillars become immediately motionless on being stung, 
and I cannot help thinking that the poisonous acid of Hymenoptera has an antiseptic 
and preserving property; for caterpillars and locusts retain their colours weeks after 
being stung, and this, too, in a moist situation under a burning sun. 

* Anthidium cordatum. This insect forms its cells of vegetable down, glued toge- 
ther with a balsam or resin, which it procures from a flower which exudes a brown 
balsam ; with this it glues the hair together. I have frequently seen the Anthidium 
in the middle of the flowers, and have no doubt this is the plant which supplies the 
materials for its nest. I think the plant belongs to the Euphorbiacee; it is described 
by Thunberg in ‘ Flora Capensis.’ 

“ Pelopeus chalybeus. A number of this insect annually make their nests under 
my verandah; these they construct in the hollow tubes of the bamboo. Having 
stored up a number of spiders, they resort to the forest, where I have seen them scrape 
the white birds’ dung off the leaves of plants; this they moisten with saliva into a 
pulp, shape it into a lump, and carry it off. With this material they construct the 
divisions between the cells. 

“ Anthophora ? This bee infests the walls of my house inside and out; 
there is not a single hollow or hole that is not tenanted by one of these industrious, 
tame and stingless little bees. The hotter the weather becomes the harder they work. 
They appear twice in the season, November and February. When prevented from 
going abroad they are not idle, but busy themselves in enlarging and cleaning out 
their nests; this I have frequently heard them doing in the middle of the night. This 
bee has a parasite; it is a Crocisa; it inserts its antenne into the cells to ascertain if 
there is a store of pollen collected; if it finds the owner at home it tries to squeeze 
past it; if the passage is too narrow it lays hold of the poor bee, and pulls him out of 
his own door; the bee, without taking any notice of the intruder, flies away after its 
own business. This Crocisa has the same habit as many other species of Apidae, 
namely, that when at rest it does not sit down, but lays hold with its mandibles of the 
outermost points of a twig or shrub, keeping its body out in a horizontal position. A 
number of species, probably all males, may be found every evening, occupying similar 
situations, attached to twigs, blades of grass, &e. It is a strange sight to see a grass 
or shrub bearing a number of gray, brown or black hairy bees in the place of seeds or 
flowers. 3 

“The large (Sphex) Pompilus preys upon a very large hairy spider, which lives 
in thatched roofs, under verandahs, &c. I have seen this spider fly in the greatest 
terror from the Sphex, who, however, soon overtook him; the spider kept his enemy 
at a distance with his long legs for some time, until, exhausted at last, it drew its legs 
close to its body and remained motionless; the Sphex, like a tiger, was soon upon him, 
and, thrusting his sting into his thorax, soon rendered him motionless; the Sphex 
then, walking backwards, dragged his victim out of doors. 

“T have noticed two large species of Xylocopa; the first black, with a ferrugi- 
nous thorax, the male of which closely resembles the female; the second black, with 
Jong white hairs on the margin of the abdomen; both excavate dead branches, posts, 


Entomological Society. 6039 


&c. The male of the latter species I have reason to believe is a large yellow one. 
Two years ago I broke a hollow fence post, in which I found a species of Xylocopa ; 
the females were black, the males of a pale fulvous colour. This species was of 
a smaller size.” | 


Mr. S. Stevens exhibited an entomological store-box lined with Croggon’s patent 
felt, instead of cork, for which, he observed, it appeared to be a tolerably good and 
very cheap substitute. 

Mr. Stevens announced that Mr. Shield proposed to visit Bahia or Paraguay, in 
search of insects and other objects of Natural History, and was anxious to obtain sub- 
scribers to enable him to do so. 


Mr. Stainton read the following 


Note on a curious little Geometra taken in London by Mr. Hunter. 


** Some years ago Mr. Hunter met with a little species of Geometra, apparently of 
the genus Acidalia, in his garden in Bloomsbury Street. ‘The specimen was unfortu- 
nately much injured on one side, and the other side was not so brightly marked as 
could have been wished ; yet enough was left to show that it belonged to none of our 
existing species. 

‘¢In 1855 I examined this specimen, and referred it to the circuitaria of Hubner, 
remarking at the time, ‘No good figure of this exists, from which it may be assumed 
that I did not find a complete agreement between the insect and Hiibner’s figure. 
The reason of this is now obvious: Hiubner’s figure of circuitaria is cited by Guenée 
as an excellent figure ; hence it cannot be intended for Mr. Huntev’s insect. 

** Mr. Huntevr’s insect thus loses the name by which it has passed current for two 
years, and what is to become of it? We all remember how we were startled by the 
announcement of Eriopus Latreillii having been bred at 24, Bloomsbury Street, and 
when I again looked at the little Acidalia I was haunted by lurking suspicions that, 
perhaps, what I had before me was only another case of accidental importation. 

“ Having been lately working at the genus Acidalia, I had the markings of each 
species fresh in my recollection, and I became very strongly convinced that this speci- 
men must be placed near bisetata and trigeminata, in spite of the great difference in 
the ground colour. 

“ Referring again to Guenée’s volume, I found, almost immediately following 
trigeminata, a species which not only answers our purpose of giving a name to Mr. 
Hunter’s late circuitaria, but also affords us an explanation of the peculiar habitat of 
London for a new British Geometra. 

“ The insect in question is Acidalia herbariata and Fischer’s figure of pusillaria is 
referred to as the best representation of the insect. The first glance at Fischer's figure 
was anything but reassuring: instead of the powdery-looking insect I had before me 
I saw a bright neat insect, with a well-defined dark central band. Not content with 
the figure, I referred to the description, which I found far more satisfactory. 

“ The ground colour of all wings is pale loam-colour, mixed with black scales, 
which form fascia and strige, whence the markings appear blackish gray. The space 
between the base and the middle fascia is dull; the fascia is in many specimens ‘ very 
dark’; it seems to have been one of these that Fischer has figured ‘ broadest at an 
externally protruding point in which is a black dot, narrowest below the middle, 


6040 Entomological Society. 


being rather broader again on the inner margin.’ In the broader parts the pale ground 
colour appears through as spots. Beyond the fascia and parallel to it is a line, often 
very dark, behind which the space to the fringes is clouded with dark and bisected 
into two equal parts by a wavy line of the pale ground colour; the inner portion of 
these dark parts has below the middle two contiguous short streaks or spots pointing 
towards the cilia,—a character which no specimen is without. 

“* On the posterior wings are similar markings, except the central fascia, which is 
replaced by a dark cloudy stripe which borders the duller basal portion; beyond it 
near the following line and not far from the costa is a black longish punkstrich. 

“ The elongate form of the central spot of the posterior wings is well shown in 
Fischer’s figure, and is perceptible in Mr. Hunter’s specimen, and the two dark teeth 
so especially mentioned by Fischer are the most conspicuous markings of the anterior 
wiugs; hence, in spite of Fischer’s very different-looking figure, I feel confident that 
his insect and Mr. Hunteyr’s are the same. 

“* Now, how do we account for the insect occurring in London? One-half of the 
world little knows how the other half lives ; and we may suppose that one-half of the 
geometric larve have little conception of what the other half feed npon. At any rate 
the tastes of this particular insect are very peculiar. It does not feed on a fungus like 
our other London friend, Boletobia fuliginaria, it does not feed on lichens or moss. 
On what then? On the dried plants in collections. 

“* We read in Fabricius, Supp. p. 457, ‘ Habitat in herbariis folia plantarum exsic- 
catarum exedens. Mus. Doin. Bosc.’ 

“ T supposed Dom. Bosc. was anything but pleased at this new collecting ground 
opened out to him; but if it be sothat a geometric larva finds nutriment in dried 
plants it is well we should know of it, as a looper casually observed in a herbarium 
would be supposed to be there quite by accident. 

‘“¢ On referring again to Fischer we read that ‘ the perfect insect occurs at the end 
of July on palings and walls near houses, often indeed in houses, but especially in ware- 
houses where dried plants are kept, since the larva feeds exclusively on dried plants, 
and as far as we know never touches green ones.’ 

“Tt feeds all through winter on these dry plants, and is sometimes very injurious 
to herbaria, changes in June to a pupa ina slight cocoon in a corner or between dried 
leaves, and in ten days or a fortnight the perfect insect appears. 3 

‘¢ Now the whole mystery seems explained ; and the occurrence of a devourer of 
dried plants in Bloomsbury Street, in the immediate vicinity of the British Museum, 
where perhaps more specimens might be obtained by a careful search, seems perfectly 
intelligible.”"—Z. S. 


ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


Tuesday, February 23, 1858.—Dr. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. 

Mr. Gould brought before the notice of the Society a highly interesting series of 
birds collected by Mr. A. R. Wallace in the Aru Islands. Among them were two 
species of birds of Paradise—Paradisea apoda and P. regia. Hitherto these magni- 
ficent birds have only been sent to this country in a mutilated condition, their skins 
having been prepared and dried by the Papuans, frequently without their wings, and 


Zoological Society. 6041 


almost always without their legs. Mr. Wallace's skins, however, are perfect, and in 
the highest possible condition: they comprise not only adult males and females, but 
young birds in various stages of development. Mr. Gould remarked that the Orni- 
thology of the Aru Islands, like that of New Guinea, partook more of the character of 
the Australian Fauna than of any other. The woodpeckers (Picide) and hornbills 
(Bucerotide), so common in India and the Indian Islands, are totally wanting, while 
the honeyeaters (Melaphagide) and kingfishers (fZalcyonide@) ave very numerous: on 
the other hand, the collection did not contain a single Malurus or any of the finches, 
forms represented by numerous species even in the northern parts of Australia. 
Mr. Gould, in remarking upon the beautiful plumes which adorn the Paradisee, 
stated that he considered they were assumed, or are in their most perfect state, just 
prior to the breeding-season, and that the bird was then adorned in its greatest 
beauty,— a beauty apparently assumed not only for the purpose of attracting the 
females, but to exhibit to each other their gorgeous finery, when they assemble 
and perform many curious and extraordinary evolutions. In South America 
the cock of the rock (Rupicola) has many singular habits at the like season, 
while in Australia the bower birds attract every one by the curious structures 
they make for a similar purpose. Mr. Gould instanced also the peacocks, the 
turkey, and the well-known ruff of the British Islands, as birds which assemble 
and make such displays. 

Mr. G. R. Gray communicated a paper, containing a list of the birds, with 
descriptions of the new species, obtained by Mr. Wallace in Ké and Aru Islands. 
The collection consisted of 121 species of birds (showing great perseverance and 
energy on the part of Mr. Wallace), many of which were new and highly interesting 
Species, and it also exhibited the sexes of several species that were hitherto un- 
known: Mr. Gray had therefore, in this paper, drawn up a list of them, with 
descriptions. 

Mr. Sclater read notes on some birds from Southern Mexico, lately received by 
M. Edward Verreaux, of Paris,in which he made some remarks on specimeus of such 
of the species as had not been included in his former lists, read before the Society, 
together with a few corrections as to statements made in his previous papers on the 
subject. 

Mr. Sclater communicated a note on the skeleton of the sheathbill (Chionis alba), 
by Mr. T. C. Eyton. | 

The Secretary read a paper by Mr. W. Thompson, containing remarks on the 
British Actiniade, with a proposed rearrangement of the genera. 

The Secretary also read a paper on Nemophis, a new genus of riband-shaped 
fishes, by Dr, Kaup, of Darmstadt. 

! Dr. Gray read a paper containing observations on the genus Cuscus, with 
the description of a new species, characterized under the name of Cuscus Cele- 
bensis. 

Dr. Gray read a second paper containing a list of Mammalia, sent from the Aru 
Islands by Mr. A. R. Wallace. Two new species were described under the following 
names :—Dactylopsila trivirgata and Myoictis Wallacei. 

Dr. Gray read another paper, on Aphrocallistes, a new genus of Spongiade, from 
Malacca: the type, which he named Aphrocallistes Beatrix, was received in 1842 
from Capt. Sir Edward Belcher. Dr. Gray also read a description of Aphrocerus, a 


XVI, Pe 


6042 Zoological Society. 


new genus of calcareous Spongiade, brought from Hong Kong by Dr. Harland: the 
type specimen was named Aphrocerus alcicornis. 


Tuesday, March 9, 1858.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. 


The Secretary read a monograph of the genus Miniopteris, by R. F. Tomes, Esq., 
in which a new species was characterized under the name of M. Australis. It was 
not until after he had arranged and named the specimens in the British Museum and 
other collections that Mr. Tomes found this species to be an inhabitant of Timor 
(and probably other of the islands of the Indian Archipelago) as well as of Australia, 
and that therefore the name of Australis was not strictly appropriate; but, to avoid 
the confusion which might possibly arise from a change of name, he thought it 
desirable that it should remain unaltered. 

Mr. Sclater, at the request of Mr. J. H. Gurney, exhibited some interesting speci- 
mens from the fine collection of rapacious birds belonging to the Norwich Museum, 
and characterized two of them as new, under the names Buteo zonocercus and Scops 
usta, the former being from Guatemala, the latter from Ega, on the Upper Amazon, 
where it was collected by Mr. Bates. 

The Secretary also read papers by Mr. H. Dohrn, Mr. Mérch and Mr. Han- 
ley, describing various new species of shells, principally in the Cumingian 
collection. 

The Secretary likewise read a paper by A. Leith Adams, M.B., Surgeon 22nd 
Regiment, “On the Habits, Haunts, &c., of some of the Birds of India.” Through- 
out this very interesting paper Dr. Adams gave only the result of careful examination 
and experience, no species being named whose identity he had not confirmed; such 
as are doubtful he had left unnamed and had given a description shortly after 
death. 

Dr. Gray read a paper “ On the power of dissolving Shells possessed by the 
Bernhard Crab.” In a note to his paper “On the Formation and Structure of 
Shells,” in the ‘ Philosophical Transactions’ for 1833, he stated it as probable that 
some Bernhard crabs had the faculty of dissolving shells, it not being unusual 
to find the long fusiform shells which are inhabited by these animals with the inner 
lip and a great part of the pillar on the inside of the mouth destroyed, so as to 
render the aperture much larger than usual. Dr. Gray, having continued his 
observations on these shells, was quite convinced that certain species of Bernhard 
crab (Pagurus) have this power, some possessing it to a much greater degree than 
others. 

Dr. Gray read a second paper, intituled “‘ Proposal to separate the Family 
of Salamandride, Gray, into two Families, accoiding to the form of the skull.” 
—D. W. M. 


Reason and Instinet. 6043 


On Reason and Instinct. By the Rev. J. C. Arxinson, M.A. 


In my first paper on “ Reason and Instinct” (Zool. 2333) I gave 
definitions of these two essences or qualities, as follows: “ In the first 
place, as to Reason. ‘The perception of truth, as it is in itself, is 
commonly ascribed to our rational faculties; and these have, by 
Locke and others, been reduced to two, reason and judgment. The 
former is said to be conversant about certain truths, the latter chiefly 
about probabilities.’ Dr. Reid says, ‘We ascribe to reason two 
offices or two degrees: the first is, to judge of things self-evident ; 
the second, to draw conclusions that are not self-evident from those 
that are. Secondly, as to Instinct. Instinct is a ‘ certain power or 
disposition of mind, by which, independent of all instruction or ex- 
perience, without deliberation and without having any end in view, 
animals are unerringly directed to do spontaneously whatever is ne- 
cessary for the preservation of the individual or the continuation of 
the kind.’ ‘Instinct,’ writes the author of ‘ Ancient Metaphysics,’ 
‘is a determination given by Almighty wisdom to the mind of the 
brute to act in such or such a way, upon such or such an occasion, 
without intelligence, without a knowledge of good or evil, and with- 
out knowing for what end or purpose he acts.’ One more quotation, 
which serves, as it were, to bring together and contrast these two sets 
of definitions, and we will be content. ‘ Actions performed with a 
view to accomplish a certain end are called rational actions, and the 
end in view is the motive to their performance. Instinctive actions 
have a cause, viz., the internal impulse by which they are sponta- 
neously performed ; but they cannot be said to have a motive, because 
they are not done with a view to consequences. Thus a man gives 
charity in order to relieve a person from want; he fights for his 
country in order to repel its enemies. Each of these actions is per- 
formed from a motive, and therefore they are rational actions. An 
infant is impelled to suck the breast, but he knows not that it is neces- 
sary for his preservation: it is an action that has no motive, and 
therefore is not rational; but, as it is performed by a spontaneous 
exertion of the infant, it is not to be attributed to mere mechanism. 
It is, therefore, an instinctive action.” And then, in a note, I add, 
“The action of breathing is mechanical, being performed without 
either motive or spontaneous exertion.” 

To the definitions here laid down I endeavoured to adhere, and I 
think not without success, in the paper from which I have extracted 


6044 Reason and Instinct. 


them, and no less in that which was published in two parts last year 
(Zool. 5452 and 5565). I had once thought of prefixing at least a part 
of these definitions to the second paper; and possibly I misjudged in 
not doing so, seeing so considerable a space of time had elapsed since 
the publication of the first paper; not that, if I had done so, I should 
have obviated all Mr. Tagart’s criticisms * (Zool. 5737), or perhaps 
any considerable portion, but at all events the subject might have 
been rendered clearer to those readers who had not my first paper to 
refer to. 

With deference to Mr. Tagart, I venture to think the definitions 
just quoted are sufficient for the purpose of a writer, who makes no 
claim to be considered scientific, in a ‘ Popular Magazine of Natura! 
History.’ I am not careful to contend with him whether Instinct and 
Reason are or are not “terms of ignorance.” I submit that if we 
take the former to imply the origin, in the brute, of action upon ideas 
implanted by the Creator in its mind, and independently of expe- 
rience, of instruction, of deliberation, of any distinctly proposed end 
in view,—and this is what our definitions convey,—“ we know,” quite 
well enough, ‘‘ what we are talking about,” when we use that term, to 
hope that our inquiries or discussions on the subject involved may 
lead to some practical result. We talk of electricity or the electric 
fluid; we talk, too, of magnetism or the magnetic fluid: are not both 
Electricity and Magnetism as much “ terms of ignorance” ¢ as Instinct 
or Reason? What do we know of either that we cannot, after the 
same manner, predicate of Instinct? In either case we observe cer- 
tain phenomena; we observe, further, that these phenomena recur in 
obedience to certain laws: the former testify to the existence of a 


* The paper in question appears to have drawn forth notices from three contribu- 
tors to the ‘ Zoologist.? That from the pen of Mr. Couch gives an explanation which, 
it appeared to him, was rendered necessary, by the form of my quotation from his 
book on Instinct. The other two are critical. Capt. Hadfield’s stands first in order 
of time: the matter at issue between that gentleman and myself depends on the 
meaning of the phrase ‘information properly so called,” and of the two words “allu- 
sions” and “ references ;”’ and therefore, as one good turn deserves another, to requite 
him for referring me to Montagu’s ‘ Ornithological Dictionary, I beg to refer him to 
any tolerable English Dictionary. With Mr. Tagart, who imposingly proclaims his 
“style and titles” as a “ logician and metaphysician,” and is therefore both champion 
and herald in his own single person, I must deal in the text. 

t “We are totally ignorant ... of the manner of the existence of electricity in 
bodies, whether it be a material agent, vibrations of ether, or merely a property of 
matter.”— Somerville’s Physical Sciences, 301. Precisely the same must be said of 
magnetism.—See Id. 342. 


Reason and Instinct. 6045 


certain power, or property, or agent; the latter to some of the quali- 
ties or operations, or both, of such power, property or agent; but 
neither one nor the other, nor both together, reveals to us what elec- 
tricity, what magnetism, really is: and just so it is with Instinct. 
We see the phenomena, and we see some of the laws under which 
they recur; but the rest is all surmise, except in so far as we know 
that the thing we mean is implanted by God the Creator in the living 
creature, just as we know the things we mean by electricity and mag- 
netism are, by the same Mighty Hand, inseparably connected with the 
material creation at large. If men of science had been apt to say, 
“We must know what electricity 7s in amber, glass or silk,—what 
magnetism zs in the loadstone,—before we can decide whether one or 
the other is to be found in metallic veins, in the rocks, in the earth at 
large, in the atmosphere,” I fear we should now know very nearly 
nothing at all about either beyond the bare fact of their existence: in 
other words, such a proposition would have been not simply an unne- 
cessary, but a fatal, obstacle to the acquisition of any sound or cer- 
tain knowledge about either of those mysterious essences. I cannot, 
therefore, agree with Mr. Tagart, that “‘ before we can decide whether 
animals have reason, we ought to know at least what it is in man,” 
(Zool. 5738), any more than I can that we must know what Instinct 
essentially is before we can decide “how far animals, or creatures 
whom we are accustomed to speak of as guided by instinct,* are par- 
ticipants of reason” (Zool. 5737). I think that if all thoughtful men 
are agreed on what are to be considered unquestionable znxdicza of 
Reason, or signs and tokens of its exercise, it matters not, so far as 
our inquiry is concerned, what Reason essentially is, or whether it be 
assumed “ to have its root in sensation” (Zool. 5739), or be considered 
as an emanation from the Divine Mind in the image of which we were 
created. Wherever I can succeed in tracing these ¢ndicia in any 

* IT should say Horne Tooke would express no obligation to Mr. Tagart for making him 
out (Zool. 5737) so great a blockhead or so poora Latin scholar. Butinstead of giving any 
comment of my own on Mr. Tagart’s derivation of Instinet, “ after Horne Tooke,” I 
prefer subjoining the comment of an etymological friend of mine. He says, “ His 
in, tinctus, is the veriest school-boy folly. Instinguo is identical in root with instigo, 
and the root is that of our ‘ stick, —Greek gtigw, otiyuwa, &c. The exact definition 
of any word, I am inclined to hold, may be taken from its true etymology; and hence 
you would define Ln-stinct to be an inward pricking or goading, or something which 
sticks into you within, like a spur. To ‘ distinguish’ is to mark out, or separate 
_ things from each other by points,—to divide into gqjyy or rows: compare ‘ distich.’ 
As an illustration of this sense of sticking or pricking, you will remember Falstaff and 


Justice Shallow, when the former is ‘ pricking’ his men.” See also Richardson’s 
English Dictionary. 


6046 Reason and Instinct. 


individual of the lower orders of animal creation,—to whatever ex- 
tent they are discernible, whether simply so or to a high degree,— 
there, and to that extent, I believe, and I express my belief, that Reason, 
be it what it may in man, exists in the brute: and, in like manner, if 
T can succeed in distinguishing and defining what are the marks of | 
Instinct, the signs and tokens of its presence and operation, without 
any attempt at a metaphysical determination of what that essence or 
quality really is, and without running the risk—which I very likely 
should run if I made the attempt—of making words my masters in- 
stead of my servants, I think I am in a position for carrying on an 
inquiry which depends, in no very perceptible degree, upon anything 
but observed phenomena and logical reasoning upon such phe- 
nomena. 

Before I proceed further, I may as well at once admit the justice 
of Mr. Tagart’s criticism on the expression “ Instincts peculiar to 
man,” and on the use of the word Instinct in the plural; so far, that 
is, as such use “implies that there are many different kinds of in- 
stinct.” The expression was employed inadvertently, and overlooked 
in revision. What I meant and what I ought to have said was, “ the 
instincts in which man is a participant; ” and it would doubtless have 
been more correct—and, possibly, more pedantic as well—to have 
said, all through, “‘ an operation of Instinct” instead of “ an instinct,” 
and “operations of Iustinct” instead of “ instincts,” however much 
ordinary use may seem to excuse, or even to require, such want of 
precision. Perhaps, after this admission, I may be allowed to ask 
how came Mr. Tagart, who assumes to be “a logician and metaphy- 
sician,” when he flings his stone at my window and breaks his pane, 
to forget the vitreous composition of his own domicile so far as to 
confound “elements” and “ operations” ? (Zool. 5742). Surely these 
are not synonymous or convertible terms; at least I, who don’t set 
up as logician and metaphysician, did not use them as such; on the 
contrary, I always thought they stood for things, or represented ideas, 
very essentially distinct and different. Methinks it would sound 
strange to talk of hydrogen and oxygen as the “ operations” of 
water, or of a thorough good drenching as being the “element” ofa 
sufficiency of that fluid properly applied. I might gratify the love of 
mischief, which is a sort of “instinct” im so many of us, by another 
“shy” or two at Mr. Tagart’s “house,” and chuckle as I heard the 
smash ensuing; but I would fain turn to something, less amusing it 
may be, but at the same time, I would hope, less unprofitable. 

I am quite aware that there is a difficulty in the application of the 


Reason and Instinct. 6047 
word Reason in our inquiry; but it does not appear to me that Mr. 
Tagart’s remarks are at all intended to apply to that difficulty. It is 
of course obvious that there is an immense difference, not only be- — 
tween the highest exercise of reason in the brute and the same in 
man, but between the lowest and the highest operations of reason in 
any highly intellectual human creature: and this has led to the desire 
and the effort, in more than one powerful and metaphysical thinker, 
to restrict the use of the word Reason to those of man’s intellectual 
powers capable of the highest exercise, proposing to designate the 
other and lower by the term Understanding. In this sense they deny 
that brutes have Reason at all; and, admitting that they have under- 
standing, yet do not admit even this in the same sense in which they 
speak of the human understanding, but allege that the brute under- 
standing is a merely instinctive understanding, or a necessary develop- 
ment of the powers of Instinct under certain contingent laws, but 
determinable by the nature and habits of the animal itself. While 
holding different views on this latter point—and I shall presently seek 
to show the grounds of my dissent—I am ready most freely to admit 
that it is highly desirable to assert the vast distinction between what 
they severally designate as Reason and as Understanding: yet, as it 
appears to me, there are peculiar difficulties in the way of attempting 
to do so by the appropriation of the word Reason to man’s highest 
intellectual power; one of which is this, that while we should have 
two nouns, Reason and Understanding, standing for things very widely 
distinct, we should have but the one verb, ‘ to reason,’ to denote the 
distinct action of each of the essences designated; and not only so, 
but that this verb would be fully as appropriate when applied in 
connexion with that noun to which it is not paronymous, nor indeed 
even homologous, as when used in connexion with its conjugate; so 
that if we wished to speak of the exercise, by the brute animals, of 
the intellectual faculties they are admitted to possess, while, by what 
we may term verbal necessity, we should have to say that they are 
able to reason and often do reason, we must yet by the definition deny 
to them any possession of the faculty of Reason. This difficulty is 
more clearly seen by a reference to the definitions these writers give 
of Reason and Understanding, which they assert to be “ distinct in 
kind.” The latter, they say, is “ the faculty judging (that judges) ac- 
cording to sense” (Coleridge, ‘ Aids to Reflection,’ i. 168) ; the former, 
“the power of universal and necessary convictions ; the source and sub- 
stance of truths above sense, and having their evidence in themselves ;” 
or, “the source of necessary and universal principles, according to 


AN 
Ba. , 


6048 — Reason and Instinct. 


which the notices of the senses are either confirmed or denied.” (Jd. 
1.181). And there is this further difficulty, that the immense majority 
of mankind will, according to the strict definition, be cut off from all — 
but a nominal possession and exercise of Reason. For my own part, 
therefore, I should be disposed, in preference, to use distinctive terms 
applied to the word Reason itself; thus, the Higher Reason or Pure 
Reason (Kirke’s ‘ Physiology,’ 452), and the Lower Reason or Natural 
Reason; which latter, in the words used by Archbishop Leighton and 
commented on by Coleridge, is the faculty that is said to “judge 
according to sense.” And so I should feel justified in the use — 
objected to by Mr. Tagart—of such expressions as ‘‘ the degree or 
kind of exercise of Reason from its simplest manifestation to its more 
complicated operation.” 

Next I proceed to notice the accounts or definitions alk Instinct 
given by these writers. ‘‘ The word Instinct brings together a num- 
ber of facts into one class by the assertion of a common ground, the 
nature of which ground it determines negatively only,—that is, the 
word does not explain what this common ground is, but simply indi- 
cates that there is such a ground, and that it is different in kind from 
that in which the responsible and consciously voluntary actions of 
men originate. Thus, in its true and primary import, Instinct stands 
in antithesis to Reason; and the perplexity and contradictory state- 
ments, into which so many meritorious naturalists and popular writers 
on Natural History have fallen on this subject, arise wholly from their 
taking the word in opposition to Understanding.”—(‘ Aids,’ i. 190, 
note.) This passage is extracted from a note appended to a series of 
remarks on a portion of a Lecture delivered at the Royal College of 
Surgeons, by Mr. Green, Professor of Anatomy. “ In explaining the 
nature of instinct,” Mr. Coleridge says, “as deduced from the actions 
and tendencies of animals successively presented to the observation 
of the comparative physiologist in the ascending scale of organic life 
—or rather, I should have said, in an attempt to determine that pre- 
cise import of the term which is required by the facts—the Professor 
explained the nature of what I have elsewhere called the adaptive 
power, that is, the faculty of adapting means to a proximate end,— 
I mean here a relative end,—that which relatively to one thing is an 
end, though relatively to some other it is in itself a mean. . . . I give 
as the generic definition of adaptive power, the power of selecting 
and adapting means to proximate ends; and, as an instance of the 
lowest species of this genus, I take the stomach of a caterpillar: I ask 
myself under what words I can generalize the action of this organ, 


Reason and Instinct. 6049 


and I see that it selects and adapts the appropriate means (that is, the 

assimilable part of the vegetable congesta) to the proximate end, that 
is, the growth or reproduction of the insect’s body. This we call 
vital power, or vita propria of the stomach, and this being the lowest 
species its definition is the same with the definition of the kind. 
Well! from the power of the stomach I pass to the power exerted by 
the whole animal: I trace it wandering from spot to spot, and plant 
to plant, till it finds the appropriate vegetable; and again, on this 
chosen vegetable, I mark it seeking out and fixing on the part of the 
plant—bark, leaf or’ petal—suited to its nourishment; or (should the 
animal have assumed the butterfly form) to the deposition of its eggs 
and the sustentation of the future /arva. Here I see a power of se- 
lecting and adapting means to proximate ends, according to circum- 
stances; and this higher species of adaptive power we call Instinct. 
Lastly, I reflect on the facts narrated and described in the preceding 
extracts from Hiiber” (of bees supporting a tottering piece of comb 
until effectually propped by pillars of wax, and ants constructing a 
passage or tunnel to an under-ground chamber), “and see a power of 
selecting and adapting the proper means to the proximate ends, ac- 
cording to varying circumstances. And what shall we call this yet 
higher species? We name the former Instinct; we must call this 
Instinctive Intelligence. Here then we have three powers of the same 
kind, life, instinct, and instinctive intelligence ; the essential charac- 
ters that define the genus existing equally in all three.” I pause here 
for a moment, to ask, if this be so, ought not these three powers to be 
severally termed Organic or Vegetative Instinct, Animal Instinct, and 
Intelligent Instinct, rather than Life, Instinct, and Instinctive Intelli- 
gence? The author continues, “ But in addition to these, I find one 
other character common to the highest and lowest, viz. that the pur- 
poses are all manifestly predetermined by the peculiar organization 
of the animals; and though it may not be possible to discover any 
such immediate dependency in all the actions, yet the actions being 
determined by the purposes, the result is equivalent; and both the 
actions and the purposes are all in a necessilated reference to the 
preservation and continuation of the particular animal or the pro- 
geny.”—(Ld. 1. 190, 192.) 

I have not space for lengthened comments on the foregoing, but I 
must demur to the statements in the italicised portions. I do not 
think that, as to very many recorded instances of brute intelligence, 
these statements can be made with truth. They are not true as ap- 
plied to several of the few instances I adduced in my former paper on 

MVE. 2G 


6050 Reason and Instinct. 


this subject; and, what is remarkable, the anthor, in effect, goes on 
in the succeeding paragraph, to say there are many recorded actions 
of animals which cannot be consistently set down under the category 
he proposes, viz. the “extraordinary” but “‘ numerous and well- 
authenticated actions of dogs for the preservation of their masters’ 
lives, and even for the avenging of their deaths. In these instances 
we have the third species of the adaptive power in connexion with an 
apparently moral end—with an end in the proper sense of the word. 
Here the adaptive power co-exists with a purpose apparently volun- 
tary, and the action seems neither predetermined by the organization 
of the animal, nor in the direct reference to his own preservation, nor 
to the continuance of his race. ... This, I admit, is a problem of 
which I have no solution to offer..—(Jd. i. 195). This problem or 
difficulty, it certainly does seem, arises simply from, so to speak, 
stretching Instinct until it ceases to be instinctive and becomes ra- 
tional. As Professor Green says, after speaking of Hiiber’s Bees_ 
(Id. ii. 9), “ Here we are puzzled; for this becomes understanding.” 
It zs a puzzle, and the thing referred to 7s understanding. But the 
puzzle is avoided (though not in Professor Green’s way), and the 
problem ceases to be a problem by letting Instinct be what its deriva- 
tion makes it and our definitions describe it as being, and by letting 
whatever else in the list of an animal’s actions there may be, which 
cannot be bounded and delineated by those definitions, be termed 
rational or intelligent, or described as due to Reason—albeit to 
Reason, as we are ready to admit—in its lower sense or degree. At all 
events this seems to be better and more consistent, with both fact and 
reason, than the conclusion adopted by Professor Green, that “ though 
instinct is not the same and identical with the human understanding, 
the difference is not in the essential of the definition, but in an addi- 
tion to or modification of that which is essentially the same in both :” 
or, as it stands in Coleridge’s words, “ that if I suppose the adaptive 
power in its highest species, or form of istinctive intelligence, to co- 
exist with reason, free will and self-consciousness, it instantly becomes 
understanding ; in other words, that understanding differs indeed from 
the noblest form of instinct, but not in itself or in its own essential 
properties, but in consequence of its co-existence with far higher 
powers of a diverse kind in one and the same subject. Instinct in a 
rational, responsible and self-conscious animal, is understanding.” 

It scarcely would seem to me that the doctrine that man is moved 
or influenced by Instinct, that he is a participant in Instinct, or in the 
possession of Instinct, is one which calls for elaborate proof; or that 


Reason and Instinct. 6051 


the language which speaks of him asa creature of Instinct, or of his 
instinctive qualities or processes, or of his various instincts,—except 
in so far as this latter expression is open to the emendation admitted 
above,—calls for systematic defence, except on the ground that Mr. 
Tagart “objects” to both the one and the other: but having to 
maintain that doctrine, and being inclined to adopt this language, I 
should be disposed to distinguish carefully between mere desires and 
true Instincts or operations of Instinct. 

To make one more special reference to Mr. Tagart’s paper. He 
writes (Zool. 5743), “ Say, if you please, with Sir B. Brodie, that ‘ the 
desire to live in society is as much an instinct in man as it is in the 
bee, the ant, the beaver, or the prairie-dog;’* but itis no more so. It 
is no more an instinct than any other desire, than all desire, the desire 
to sit, lie or sleep when weary, to eat when hungry, to drink when 
thirsty, to have more clothes or get nearer fire when cold: it is no 
more than saying that man is the creature of desire, or subject to de- 
sire, like all other animated beings. . . . Is there anything special in 
the desire to live in society to make it more than any other desires 
worthy the name of an instinct?” The answer to this question—and 
it is strange a logician did not foresee it—is only too easy after the 
admission in the first period of the passage just quoted. If the desire to 
live in society is as much an instinct in man as it is in any of the 
creatures named,—and it needs not to be more so,—there 7s some- 
thing “ special” in that desire to “make it worthy to be called an 
instinct ;” and that something is this,—that it is not a mere simple 
desire in the case of either of the creatures named, or of any other of 
the social or gregarious animals. It is much more: it is a necessity ; 
a desire or impulse which they cannot resist, which they most certainly 
never attempt to resist: in other words, it is “a determination given 


66 


* IT append Sir B. Brodie’s definition of Instinct. “ Instinct is a principle by 
which animals are induced, independently of experience and reasoning, to the per- 
formance of certain voluntary acts, which are necessary to their preservation as indi- 
viduals, or the continuance of the specics, or in some other way convenient to them.” 
—Psych. Researches, 187. And I add the following extract that the passage criticized 
by Mr. Tagart may be seen in connexion with its context. ‘‘ Man could not exist as 
a solitary being. He has neither swiftness of feet nor any natural means of offence 
and defence, which would enable him to compete with the buffalo, the lion or the wolf. 
It would have been of little avail to him if the Creator had left it to himself to learn, 
by hard experience and any wisdom of his own, that he can procure his own safety 
and his means of subsistence only by associating with others. The desire to live in 
society is as much an instinct in him,” &c.—Jd. 196. 


6052 | Reason and Instinct. 


by Almighty Wisdom to act” in this particular manner, and no other: 
that is Instinct, or an impulse of Instinct.* 

However, it is neither my wish nor intention to found much on an 
argument which, in a measure, may be said to be derived from an un- 
wary admission. If man ever acts under or in obedience to the 
impulses of Instinct, a little careful observation and thought will, 
without doubt, soon render it apparent to any reasonable and candid 
person that the case is so. Now I think that the action of the infant, 
alleged as an illustration of instinctive actions in our definitions above 
given, is one which admits of no question as to its origin. No one 
would ever think of denying that the young animal of any other spe- 
cies save the human seeks its mother’s dug by Instinct; and it is 
simply preposterous to set up a distinction between the act of sucking 
as done by a human infant and the same act as done by an infant 
brute. And be it observed that it is not a simple desire in this case: 
the desire of food may be felt, but it is something beyond the simple 
desire which prompts the seizure of the pap by the lips and all the 
complicated proceedings which constitute the act of sucking, as it is 
something beyond a simple desire which urges the just-hatched duck- 
ling into the water and prompts all the complicated proceedings which 
constitute the act of swimming. What the simple desire of food 
prompts to, as far as I have seen, is squalling in the infant and 
squeaking in the small pig. 

Again, who doubts that if a male and female infant were thrown 
together on an otherwise uninhabited island, and, by a strange com- 
bination of circumstances,—neither unimaginable, however, nor un- 
imagined,—were to arrrive at years of puberty, there would be a 
continuation of the human species in that island? Indeed I may 
distinctly state that I am in possession of facts relative to both sexes 
which establish, beyond all dispute, the existence of the sexual in- 
stinct—I repeat instinct, and not desire, the existence of which needs 
not to be established—in the human species. 

Further, I might quote a hundred different instances in which ani- 
mals,—the cat, the dog, the pig, the donkey, the cow,—having been 
transported to a distance (in some cases by the agency of their own 
limbs, in other cases in baskets, sacks, carriages, ships) from their 
accustomed place of habitation, have, on finding themselves at liberty, 
returned to their former home; very possibly taking long, toilsome 


* “ The child is led to seek the society of other children, by an impulse which he 
cannot resist, and which is independent of any intellectual operation.”"—Brodie, 197. 


Reason and Instinct. 6053 


journeys, and, in several cases, such as required other means of loco- 
motion besides the animal’s own for their accomplishment, before the 
return could be effected. No one disputes that this is done by In- 
stinct, and indeed no one can, for there is no other explanation to be 
given. It is very wonderful and mysterious, but possibly not at all 
more so than what we see or may see almost every day, in a hundred 
different directions, if we have our eyes open. I refer to such things 
as the migration of various birds and beasts, the return of the bee to 
its hive,* and the like. . | 

Well! we go into the vast forests of North America, equally 
boundless, trackless, directionless: but the Red Man + will guide us 
te a point in any given direction, though he has never been there 
before ; and, if we take him by a circuitous route to any given point, 
scores of miles distant, and never before visited by him, he will return 


* In this moorland country it is customary, when the ling (Scottice, heather) is in 
bloom, for the keepers of bees to convey their hives to the close vicinity of the moors. 
You may sometimes see thirty or forty hives placed in some little enclosure connected 
with a cottage or other house just on the verge of the moor. This transportation, I 
hardly need say, is effected after nightfall, and the bees have “ gone to bed.” The 
next morning, after a little seeming ‘* wonder where they have got to,” they go about 
their business as usual, amid the new scenes and flowers and sweets,—and very pow- 
erful and delicious is the aromatic smell of the ling blossom on a fine sunny day in 
August,—and at the usual time return well laden, in their customary direct undoubting 
flight, to their comb, notwithstanding its new “ whereabouts.’ The honey, I may 
add, is almost equal in flavour and scent to the renowned honey of Greece. 

+ “Itis truly wonderful to witness the sagacity and unerring precision with which 
the Indian hunter can trace his route from one spot to another, no matter how great 
the distance may be, through the most dense forests, and over the most rough and 
broken country. It does not signify whether he has travelled through the same 
country before or not; he knows the direction, and that is sufficient. In his native 
forests he is never at a loss; walks evenly and softly at all times, as if he were on the 
trail; seldom speaks or makes a false step, or unintentionally breaks a branch.”— 
Hardy’s Sporting Adventures in the New World, i. 32. I quote from this book as it 
happens to be the volume at hand, but the facts adduced are testified to by many dif- 
ferent authors. Again, “‘ Many are the rules which I have heard laid down by white 
settlers for finding one’s way through the woods.” The writer then mentions two or 
three, such as noticing the bark on the trees, and being “ guided by the mosses and 
lichens, which always grow thickest on the north side,” or observing the “ direction in 
which the top foliage of pines and the hackmatack grows: they will invariably be 
found pointing to the north-east,’ &c. &c. He then proceeds, ‘‘ I have heard all 
these methods described as being resorted to by the Indians in finding their way, but 
T am confident that they do not use them. When I have mentioned them to an 
Indian, he has invariably laughed heartily, saying, ‘ Ingine no want look at bark or 
tree-top, ’cept when he hunt porcupine.’”— Id. 33, 35. 


6054 Reason and Instinct. 


by the chord of the arc, and withont a hesitation or a deviation; and 
moreover I believe that in his case “it is” Not “the peculiarity of 
man not only to be conscious of the ends which he pursues and of the 
methods by which he attains them, but to be able as well to give an 
account of these ends and means, so as to instruct his fellows.” (Zool. 
5743.) Itis said that he can give no explanation of the remarkable power 
of self-guidance he so unquestionably possesses. And it may be added, 
multitudes of instances, more or less analogous to this, from the habits 
and peculiarities of the Australian natives and other uncivilized or 
savage races, might be adduced. Will any one hesitate in affirming 
that Instinct—simple untutored Instinct—is the motive power and 
influential cause in all such cases as the one alleged? 

The instances which have been thus brought forward are instances 
of pure, simple Instinct, as operative in the human species; two of 
them illustrated in the experience of, it may be said, every individual 
in the species, the third only confined to the experience of the savage. 
And besides, it would be easy to adduce other instances, to almost 
any extent, as to which it would be very difficult to make good a 
negative to the question, Are not all these actions due originally to 
Instinct, however much that Instinct may have been restrained, di- 
rected, overruled, in its operation by Reason? and this, too, quite 
independently of all those many actions in every human creature’s 
daily career of doing, which may be ascribed to what Mr. Couch 
describes as unconscious irritability ; such, for instance, as the invo- 
luntary closing of the eye-lid at the sudden approach to the eye of 
any material object, and the like:* but the production of such in- 
stances is quite unnecessary for our purpose. Quite enough has been 
said to justify what my critic “ objects to,” viz. “the application of 
the term Instinct to man;” and, moreover, I shall have to revert to 
the subject in a future portion of the present paper. | 


? 


J. C. ATKINSON. 


Danby Parsonage, Grosmont, York, 
March, 1858. 


* Dr. Carpenter terms such actions Consensual. 


Quadrupeds. 6055 


Notes on the Hedgehog. By Major Spicer. 


THE following notes on the hedgehog may perhaps interest some 
of the readers of the ‘ Zoologist :’— 

Saturday, July 8th. I this morning found a hedgehog, and with her 
four young ones, about the size of small oranges: I took them home, 
and placed them in the kitchen garden, the old one and young, making 
a sort of nest for them amongst some herbs. The old one soon seemed 
to recover her fright and hurts, for she had been much worried by a 
couple of terriers I had with me, till I discovered she had young ones 
with her, when I made them desist. I make a practice of killing all 
hedgehogs as vermin, being confident of their malpractices with regard 
to game. On visiting them the same afternoon I found the old one 
suckling her young, and I stood quietly by watching her for some 
time: she lay at full length on her side, or rather nearly on her back, 
for their convenience, just like an old sow with pigs in a sty, and the 
young ones worked away at her paps, smacking their lips, and making 
almost as much noise about it as young pigs would do: their cry when 
not suckling is a sort of continuous short whistle or chirp, like the cry 
of a bullfinch, and more like a small bird than an animal. 

July 9. ‘They were all in the same place, in the nest I had made for 
them: in the path near I had strewn, the night before, little bits of 
raw meat, and some of this was gone, but whether stolen by birds or 
eaten by the hedgehog or other vermin I could not say. 

July 10. On looking at them in the morning the old one was not 
to be found, but the young ones were all right, and looking as snug 
as could be. On searching for the old one, I found a hole scratched 
under the garden fence, a wooden close paling, about ten yards from 
where the young ones were. 

July 11. The old hedgehog still away, but the voung ones looking 
well and sleeping contentedly, so that no doubt she returned in the 
night to suckle them, whereas had they been deserted and hungry 
they would have been restless and half-starved in the two nights. 
To ascertain whether she returned, I closed the hole under the fence 
loosely with earth. 

July 12. The hole scratched open from the outside, and the young 
hedgehogs strong and well, but no old one to be found; she evidently 
returned to suckle them each night, and they lay sleeping as com- 
fortably and as full as young sucking-pigs or puppies. 

July 13. This morning three of the four young ones are gone, and 


6056 Quadrupeds. 


the remaining one was baking in the sun in the centre of a broad 
gravel-path, which lay between the nest and the hole under the fence, 
the mother having evidently managed to carry off three, but, disturbed 
in her journey with the last, probably daylight overtaking her before 
she calculated. I returned it to its nest or hiding-place to see the 
result. 

July 14. The remaining young one is gone, no doubt carried off 
by the old hedgehog. 


- The sequel is soon told: some few days afterwards my neighbour, 
a farmer, told me, as a remarkable circumstance, that a few mornings 
before, he and one of his men, about five o’clock, saw a large hedge- 
hog, in his meadow adjoining mine, carrying a young one in its mouth 
from the direction of my garden. Between my meadow, which ad- 
joined the garden and his, was a high bank and ditch, which she had 
therefore passed, and altogether she was, when seen by him, 100 yards 
from the garden fence: this was no doubt my hedgehog, in whom 
T had at last taken quite an interest: they watched her for some time, 
carrying the young one a “smartish way,” as they called it, through 
the thick grass heavy with dew; every now and then she put the 
young one down and rested, and this she did many times, setting to 
work again at her task, and so interested was she in what she was 
doing that she took no notice of them, though close to her. She 
carried the young one in her mouth, having hold of it by the back of 
the neck, and her strength was such that she lifted it usually quite off 
the ground, and trotted rather than walked with it. I am sorry to say 
they ended by destroying them both. 

This poor hedgehog had each night to feed herself, travel from her 
own hiding-place to her young, suckle them all, and lastly to transport 
them singly away to a place of safety; thus making three or four 
long journeys on the night she took them away, the mights being 
very short at this season of the year. 

This is the amiable part of their character; but I must, from long 
experience of their habits, give but a very indifferent account of them 
as friends to the game preserver, though it was long before I would 
yield to the popular clamour against them. While on the subject of 
this hedgehog and her young ones, | will mention that, late on the 
evening that I had strewed the pieces of raw meat for her in the path- 
way, | found a large black slug feasting on a piece of raw mutton: 
there was no mistake about it, as I watched him for some time, and he 


\ 
f Nc 


tk to it like a leech; I had no notion that these gentlemen were 


Quadrupeds. 6057 


carnivorous, though it has struck me since that I have found slugs 
about garbage and dead animals. 

A friend of mine, a good sportsman and close observer, has told me 
the following with regard to the hedgehog. He was one day passing 
under a rookery, and was attracted by a young rook on the ground, 
having fallen from its nest before it could fly, which was making a 
great noise, squalling most lustily, and on reaching the spot he found 
a hedgehog had got hold of him, having seized him by the back, and 
was mouthing and worrying him, and would no doubt soon have 
finished him had he not rescued him and destroyed the hedgehog. 
This anecdote seems to me to set at rest the long arguments pro and 
con which IT have read, in the ‘ Zoologist’ and elsewhere, as to whether 
hedgehogs are destructive to game or not: this was not an animal in 
confinement, debarred from his natural food, but, with all the world 
before him, he had chosen a fat young rook as a dainty morsel. 
I have over and over again caught them in traps baited with some 
dead animal, and set for vermin, and used to try and persuade myself 
that they had got there by accident, but I have since had too many 
proofs of their delinquencies. 

The same person to whom I am indebted for the above also 
narrates the following. He found a hedgehog in a meadow, and to 
kill it he kicked it several times, when it uttered a cry, as he says, 
resembling a calf;. so much so, that some cows in the meadow, who. 
had before taken no notice of him or his proceedings, immediately 
came up and bellowed round him, and he fully thinks that they 
imagined he had a calf in some way near him, and he says that the 
cry, had he not known whence it proceeded, would have deceived 
him. Now possibly this will be ridiculed, and the peculiar tone 
emitted by the hedgehog may have been accidental; but there is no 
doubt of the fact, as my friend is by no means an imaginative person, 
but a very matter-of-fact one. Supposing the cry at that time to have 
been the natural cry of the hedgehog, has he the power of uttering it 
at pleasure, or are the strenuous kicks of my friend required to bring 
it forth? And can it be connected in any way with the old notion of 
their sucking cows? as, if they can make the cry at will, it would 
very much facilitate the operation. It is extraordinary how deep- 
rooted a prejudice this still is in the minds of country people, if 
prejudice it is: I confess 1 do not see the great improbability of it. 
Ihe hedgehog has the power of stretching its neck a long way out 
from its body, as anybody who watches them running about of a 
summers evening may remark for themselves, and we know how. 

6 COO a . he. 


6058 Quadrupeds— Birds. 


willing a cow is to be relieved of her burden of milk; indeed it is a 
most pleasurable sensation to her, and if, in addition, the hedgehog 
has the power of imitating the cry of a calf, it might induce a cow, 
when lying down, to bear a little punishment from its prickles for the 
pleasure of having her milk drawn from her. The hedgehog’s 
fondness for milk is very certain, as I have constantly kept them on 
bread and milk, and they would refuse every other sort of food for it. 


However the case may be, it is very generally believed_by the lower 
orders of the South of England. 


Like other animals and birds, hedgehogs are occasionally albinos: 
I have a very large one stuffed, which is perfectly white, the hair of 


the lower part and legs, as well as the prickles of the back. ‘The very 
young ones are always light-coloured. 


JOHN SPICER. 
Fowley, Liphook, Hants, | 
April 7, 1858. 


Note on the early breeding of Squirrels—On the 4th of March several squirrels, 
so young that they were not much bigger than a rat, and scarely fit to leave the nest, 
were running about upon the snow. It is a fable, which I had believed until I came 
here, that squirrels hybernate; here their footsteps are the first which mark the 
unsullied beauty of the snow.—W. C. Hewitson ; Oatlands, April 10, 1858. 


Occurrence of the Peregrine Falcon in Yorkshire.—A fine specimen of this bird 
was caught by a boy in a grass field at Thorne, on the 8th of February last, the bird 
having been shot at, but only winged, and is now in the possession of George Glennie, 
bird-stuffer.—Joseph Richardson ; Thorne. 

Early appearance of the Hobby in Norfolk.—A female hobby, in good plumage, 
was shot near this city on the 20th of March. This bird had evidently been fired at 
before, a portion of both mandibles having been broken, accounting for the sluggishness 
and lean condition of the unfortunate bird. On dissection, a pellet of feathers was 
found ready for excretion, showing that, even in its crippled condition, this hawk had 
succeeded in procuring a meal not long before. I have recorded this instance, as the 
hobby, a summer visitor to this country, almost invariably visits Norfolk in June; 
indeed, with the exception of one killed some years back, near Yarmouth, in February, 
I have never known one to appear earlier than the first week of that month.— 
H. Stevenson ; Norwich, April 12, 1858. 

Early arrival of the Blackcap.—On the 29th of March I heard the blackeap 


singing, ten days earlier than I ever heard it before—W. C. Hewitson ; Oatlands, 
April 10, 1858. ; 


Birds. 6059 


Early nesting of the Longtailed Titmouse—On the 18th of March, last year, 
I traced some longtailed titmice to their nest by watching them carrying large white 
feathers from a neighbouring farm-house: it was in a bush of furze,—a situation 
which they seem to prefer,—and in a few days later the bird was sitting on its eggs. 
I have usually found the nest in June, and was therefore surprised to see it thus 
early.—Id. 

Does the Male Partridge assist in Incubation.—I am not able to give the result of 
personal observation in reply to Major Spicer’s inquiry (Zool. 6014), as to whether the 
male partridge assists the hen in the work of incubation; but I have a note, written 
in 1839, recording certain of the actions of a male partridge, and with that note 
is connected a distinct recollection that the observers added to the information 
recorded a further statement that the male bird did regularly take a part in covering 
the eggs, in the absence of his mate. The observers were the then rector of Great 
Braxted, in Essex, and a young man who lived with him; the latter having many 
opportunities, and using them, of making himself acquainted with the habits of the 
partridge and uther game birds. The actions I adverted to were as follows: the 
partridge’s nest was in the hedge of the pasture in front of the rectory, and during the 
time of incubation a rabbit very frequently came out to feed nearer the nest than the 
partridge approved: whenever this happened the male bird attacked the intruder with 
the partridge’s equivalent to “ tooth and nail,” and always succeeded in driving him to 
a more respectful distance. I have no doubt that my friends were quite correct as to 
the sex of the champion, and the fact certainly proves that the male was in the close 
vicinity of the nest whenever the approach of the rabbit called for a display of his 
prowess, in defence of his wife in esse and children tn posse.-—J. C. Atkinson ; Danby, 
April 3, 1858. 

Supposed Variety of the Partridge.—With regard to the supposed variety of the 
partridge spoken of in the Rev. Mr. Atkinson’s interesting and most valuable paper 
(Zool. 5982, at the bottom of the page), I can only say that, thirty years ago, we used 
to kill the variety spoken of, on Hindhead, and have always called them “ little black 
heath-birds.” They differ most essentially from the usual appearance of our birds, 
almost enough to be taken for another species. They are fully a third smaller in size, 
invariably of a blacker colour, and never frequent cultivated land; they feed on the tops 
of the heath, and, in the season, on the ripe fruit of the whortleberry, which is so abun- 
dant on Hindhead, and always called “ hurts” by the country people. I have no 
doubt their dark colour is due, in some measure, to this food. One day I killed seven 
brace and a half of these little black fellows, all exactly alike, and full three miles from 
the nearest cultivated land.— Waring Kidd ; Ockford Road, Godalming ; April 13, 
1858. 

Occurrence of the Little Bustard at Gorleston, Suffolk.—About the 4th of March 
a female little bustard was shot in the Southdown Marshes, at Gorleston, near Yar- 
mouth, and is now in the possession of J. H. Gurney, Esq., M.P. This bird was in 
fine condition, the stomach being filled with various kinds of green food; the ovaries, 
about the size of small pins’ heads, were easily distinguishable, from their being perfectly 
white; the wind at the time this bird was killed, and for some days previously, was 
N.E. ; the weather intensely cold, with snow on the ground; in fact, exactly such as we 
experienced in December, 1853, when the last Norfolk specimen (a male, in winter 
plumage) was obtained in nearly the same neighbourhood (Zool. 4253): at that time 
several uther specimens were recorded as having occurred in various counties about 


* ~~ 


6060 Insects. 


the same date. It may not be uninteresting, in the case of so accidental a visitant to 
our coast, to enumerate, as far as possible, the portions of herbs and grasses which 
formed the contents of the stomach in this last instance. By far the larger portion 
consisted ofa long fine grass, apparently from the marshes, having a brackish odour ; 
and mixed with this, and matted together, was a species of Conferva from the ditches ; 
two flowers of the common daisy (Bellis perennis) were plainly discernible, as also a 
narrow scolloped leaf, resembling cat’s ear (Hypocheris glabra) ; besides these a small 
fragment of some thistle and a portion of the water ranunculus (Ranunculus aquatilis) 
were all that could be identified.— HZ. Stevenson ; Norwich, March 16, 1858. 


Notes on Scottish Lepidoptera in 1855-6.* By R. F. Locan, Esq. 


THE communication I have to-night to lay before the Society is, as 
its title imports, rather a collection of scattered notes than a regular 
paper. 1 shall first enumerate a few insects which were added, during 
the years 1855 and 1856, to the list of species occurring around 
Kdinburgh ; principally by the industry and energy of the Messrs. 
Wilson. | 

The first species on Mr. Wilson’s list is Anisopteryx escularia, of 
which he obtained a single male specimen from Corstorphine Hill, in 
the spring of 1855. It is probably frequently overlooked, like many 
other brumal and vernal species; but does not appear to be common 
in Scotland. 

Eupithecia innotata. Of this scarce species the Messrs Wilson 
obtained one specimen near Morningside in 1855; and have hitherto 
been unsuccessful in their attempts to find more. The Rev. Joseph 
Greene, in a recent number of the ‘ Zoologist,’ states, that he believes 
the food of the larva to be the ash (Fraxinus excelsior); and this is 
still further confirmed by Mr. Crewe, who states, in the ‘ Naturalist,’ 
that he has taken it from that tree. Kmnoch, however, as quoted by 
Treitschke, says, that it feeds on the various species of wormwood 
(Artemisia Absinthium, vulgaris and campestris), living on the 
blossoms in the month of August, and varying in colour from green 
to brown. 

The curious little Noctua, Euplexia lucipara, although known to 
occur in other parts of Scotland, had not apparently been observed 
near Edinburgh till the summer of 1855, when Mr. Wilson obtained 
a specimen on Corstorphine Hill; and I afterwards found several, in 


* Read before the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. 


Insects. 6061 


the larva state, on the Pentlands, in October, feeding on the common 
fern or braken (Pteris aquilina). These larve formed loose cocoons 
just under the surface of the earth, and produced the perfect insects 
in June, 1856. 

In June and July, 1855, Dianthzcia conspersa was observed by the 
Messrs. Wilson, at Slateford and Currie, in which localities they af- 
terwards found the larve in August, feeding on the seeds of Silene 
inflata, along with those of the rather scarce D. carpophaga. From 
these larvz both species were reared in 1856; but those of D. carpo- 
phaga are not easily reared in confinement, and but few moths came 
to perfection. These are very different in colour from English speci- 
mens of the same insect, being much darker and less ochraceous in 
tint, and are no doubt a climatal or geographical variety. 

The next species 1 have to mention is Demas Coryli, of which 
Mr. Wilson reared one male, from a larva found in the autumn of 
1855. During last autumn Mr. Wilson and I found nine or ten more 
larvee, so that the species does not seem so rare in the district as we 
had imagined it to be, although certainly less common than in many 
other parts of Scotland. 

In 1856 the Messrs. Wilson added five species to the list. Lobo- 
phora lobulata was found among sallows near Penicuik, in April ; and 
in the same locality, in June, Coremia ferrugata and C. propugnata 
occurred,—both common insects, but not before observed in the dis- 
trict. Thera variata (T. coniferata, Curtis; T’. simulata, Gueneée, 
Hib. ?) was reared in July, from rather short green larve, with white 
lines, found on juniper on the Pentlands, in June, along with the 
larvee of Eupithecia sobrinata; and on the 8th of October I beata 
specimen of the perfect insect from one of the juniper bushes, appa- 
rently indicating the existence of a second brood in the year, as in 
Thera simulata. Finally, Mr. Wilson found five or six larve of 
Clostera reclusa on Salix caprza, in Drumshorling Wood, near Brox- 
burn, in the end of August: they were then full grown, and spun 
their cocoons in a day or two after they were placed in captivity. 

Late in October, 1855, when the leaves were rapidly departing from 
the trees, | found the active, green, fusiform larve of Swammerdamia 
eriseo-capitella, in abundance on the dwarf birches at Ravelrig Bog, 
along with the larve of Phleodes frutetana; and forming circular | 
mines in the birch leaves, somewhat like those made in the leaves of 
apple and pear trees by the brilliant litthke Cemiostoma scitella, were a 
few unknown larve of a Nepticula, which produced, in 1856, N, ar- 
gentipedella, almost at the same time that Mr. Stainton bred the 


6062 Insects. 


species from larve collected in England by Mr. Wilkinson. At the 
same time and place, a small larva was found mining in the birch 
leaves, and finally cutting out an oval case, in which it descended to 
the ground to complete its transformations. This curious little arti- 
ficer produced, in June, Tinea bistrigella, an insect already in our 
list, but of which the transformations were unknown until the larva 
was detected in the south of England, in 1855, by Mr. Boyd.* 

A single specimen of Scoparia pallida was taken in the marsh at 
the west end of Duddingston Loch, on the 11th of July, 1856; and 
on the 24th the larve of Notodonta ziczac, Hypermecia angustana 
and Chesias spartiata were found in the vale of the Heriot,—the two 
former on sallow, the latter on its natural food, the common broom. 

The remaining species added during the two past seasons are— 
Gracilaria elongella, which is not scarce in many places during the 
autumn, and must feed on other trees besides the alder; Lithocolletis 
Scopariella, taken at Heriot, in July, among broom; Nepticula 
reared from mountain-ash, in the spring; N. anomalella, mining 
in the leaves of the China rose (Rosa indica), at Duddingston, and 
previously taken at Balgreen; and lastly, the old mines of Nepticula 
Tityrella have been detected this year, by Mr. Shield, in the leaves 
of a beech hedge, between Threipmuir and Balerno. 

Early in May, 1856, 1 bred three specimens of Eupithecia helveti- 
caria of Boisduval, from green larve found on the common juniper, 
on the Pentlands, in the autumn of 1855. I had met with the insect 
in former years, and suspected it might prove to be a new species. © 
It was not until Mr. Doubleday sent specimens to M. Guenée, and 
thus ascertained that it was already named on the Continent, that I 
discovered I had overlooked Boisduval’s description of the insect, 
which he says was bred by Herr Anderregg, in Switzerland, from 
larve found on Juniperus Sabina. The Messrs. Wilson found several 
of the larve on the Pentlands last autumn, some of which, from being 
kept in the house, produced the perfect insects in the month of 
February. 

Another very interesting species of the genus Eupithecia was found 
in some numbers by the Messrs. Wilson, although it is not new to the 
district, having been taken near Edinburgh many years ago by 
Mr. Curtis; and one of its apparent varieties, on several occasions of 
late years, by Dr. Lowe and myself. I allude to the large and hand- 


* I have some slight doubts as to whether the larve found by Mr. Boyd are iden- 
tical with those above mentioned. 


Insects. 6063 


some Eupithecia cognata. Having fortunately obtained the eggs of 
E. subfulvata,* from a worn specimen captured at Duddingston, at the 
same time that Mr. Wilson kindly furnished me with those of E. cog- 
nata, I have no hesitation in saying, from the results of a careful 
comparison of the larve in all their stages, that they are the same 
species, and feed on the same plant, the common yarrow (Achillea 
Millefolium). With regard to the other supposed variety, E. succen- 
turiata, I can say nothing, as I have not seen the larva, which is said 
to feed on the seeds and flowers of Artemisia maritima. Should it 
prove to be the same species, the last mentioned, being Linneus’s 
name, must be retained for the insect. 

In August and September many larve of Kupithecia assimilata were 
found at Duddingston, on black currant (tibes nigrum). The insect 
stands already in our list, and had been bred by Mr. Wilson, under 
the name of E. minutata; but the latter species is said to feed upon 
heath, and to frequent uncultivated localities, while the former is 
always found in gardens. 

During the autumn of 1855 I received a few eges of Coremia 
olivata from the neighbourhood of Loch Rannoch: they hatched 
shortly after I received them, and the young larve fed on the different 
species of Galium, passing the winter without feeding, and com- 
mencing again early in the spring. ‘The full-grown larve were dingy 
brown in colour and remarkably hispid, bearing no resemblance to 
Réaumur’s “ Arpenteuse qui vit de feuilles du fréne.” About the 
same time Mr. Wilson obtained the larve of Coremia munitata from 
the egg, but only one survived the winter: it resembled very closely 
the larva of C. montanata. 

Having likewise received fertile eggs of Erebia blandina from Ran- 
noch, I placed the young larve in a glass cylinder, having the upper 
end covered with a piece of muslin, and the lower end placed in a 
flower-pot containing several species of growing grasses, and exposed 
the whole to the weather in the garden. Here I had the satisfaction 
to perceive that the young larve throve apace, and before the hard 
weather set in they were about three lines in length, of the usual form 
peculiar to the Satyridi; and when resting, as they generally did, 
near the roots of the grasses, they resembled the withered sheaths so 
closely as to be almost undistinguishable. In this position five of 
them survived the winter, but the last of these died on the 19th May, 
1856; and I have been still more unsuccessful in a second attempt, 


* See ‘Zoologist’ for 1857, p. 5719. 


6064 ‘Insects. 


which I was enabled to make last autumn through the kindness of 
the Messrs. Wilson. | 

In April, 1856, I received, from Perthshire, eggs of Petasia nube- 
culosa, Brephos Parthenias and Semioscopis Avellanella—all very 
interesting species to the systematic entomologist, from the positions 
they appear to occupy on the limits of the respective tribes to which 
they belong, each apparently possessing the characters of two of the 
principal divisions of the Heterocerous Lepidoptera. These involved 
affinities are fully borne out by the characters of the ova, which have 
been too much neglected as an aid to classification. Thus, the eggs 
of the Petasia are spherical and ribbed, like those of the Noctuina; 
and the young larva, when first disclosed, arches the central segments 
slightly in walking, like nearly all the larve of the Noctuina, before 
their second moult. The eggs of Brephos Parthenias, which Guenée 
places at the end of his first section of the Noctuina, are oblong-oval, 
smooth, and resemble the eggs of most of the Geometrina; while 
those of Semioscopis Avellanella are flat and scale-like, indicating a 
close affinity with the Tortricina. The young larve of Petasia nube- 
culosa were disclosed from the egg about the middle of May, and 
were then bluish-gray, with small dark tubercles and an amber- 
coloured head. They were very restless at first, and it was some time 
before they commenced to feed. They changed their first skin in 
about fourteen days, spinning a silken carpet on the leaf, in which 
they fastened their prolegs for security of position, and then appeared 
‘of a pale green, with three whitish lines, minute black tubercles, and 
translucent green head; the thoracic feet and a spot upon each of the 
prolegs black. ‘They still looped slightly in walking, resting solitarily 
on the under sides of the birch leaves, with their heads stiffly re- 
curved, like the larva of Endromis versicolor, and dropping, when 
suddenly alarmed, by a silken thread, which they used for the purpose | 
of regaining their position when the supposed danger was over. In 
disposition they were most pugnacious and irritable, hitting and biting 
each other whenever they came in contact, and wandering restlessly 
about when disturbed. In consequence of these habits, several of 
them died from the wounds they received from their companions. 
The second moult was completed in eleven or twelve days, when the 
black tubercles became pale whitish yellow. After the third moult, 
which was again accomplished on the fourteenth day, the young larvee 
were pale yellowish green, the hair-warts sulphur-yellow ; an oblique 
lateral streak on the fourth segment, and a transverse bar on the 
twelfth segment, of the same colour; head unicolorous green; tho- 


Insects. 6065 


racic feet and a spot on each of the prolegs black. After this they 
did not appear to alter much in the succeeding moults, and I was pre- 
vented from completing my observations upon these interesting larve 
by the demise of the last one, before it was full grown; but some of 
the English entomologists were more successful, and, I believe, 
obtained the pupe. R. F. Loean. 


Geographical Distribution of British Butterflie—The paper on this subject by 
Messrs. Boyd and More, at p. 6018 of the ‘ Zoologist,’ is one of those careful and 
thoughtful papers which give me the greatest pleasure to receive and publish: it has, 
however, suggested a few doubts in my mind, the solution of which will, I am sure, 
be as interesting to my readers as to myself. In the first place, I feel a strong 
repugnance to adopting any theory of geographical distribution of insects that does 
not recognise as a primary postulate the abundant presence of suitable foud, and, 
as a secondary postulate, suitable conditions of climate, whether as regards heat or 
moisture: thus, as a familiar illustration, I suppose that Brassice and Rape swarm 
in our London gardens, first, because we provide them so abundantly with suitable 
food, and, secondly, because they find the temperature of the London atmosphere 
conducive to their well being and increase. I cannot imagine that the clouds of 
white butterflies I sometimes see opposite my window are the descendants of a colony 
settled there some hundreds of thousands of years ago, but that they are attracted 
simply by the rows of cabbages, and I arrive at this conclusion because when the field 
is occupied by a crop that the white butterflies do not seek, [ do not see them there. 
Again, for several years we had lucerne near us, and the field produced an abundant 
crop of Polyommatus Alexis, but now mangold wurzel has succeeded the lucerne, and 
Alexis has deserted us: surely in our theories we should allow margin for such 
obvious causes of the presence or absence of species. I may also observe that any 
conclusions drawn from data so obviously imperfect as those to which Messrs. Boyd 
and More have had access, while they aim at rigid truth, may convey a totally false 
impression. Thus I think that working entomologists would agree with me that the 
gloriously varied “ Province” of ‘South Wales” was likely to prove the richest in 
butterflies of all the eighteen, and “Ouse,” on account of its monotonous surface, to 
prove the poorest, but we find that the butterflies of “ South Wales” stand at 0, those 
of Ouse at 59. In both instances the facts of the case are misstated, simply because 
the absence or presence of butterflies is inferred from the absence or presence of 
entomologists.—HKdward Newman. 

Additions to Messrs. Boyd and More's “ Geographical Distribution of Butterflies in 
Great Britain.”— 

Anthocaris Cardamines. Area 15. Very plentiful at Fochabers. 

Vanessa Antiopa. Area 13. Two specimens taken several years ago on the 
banks of the canal, not far from Paisley; one of these, a few years ago, was in the 
possession of a bird-stuffer in George's Street, Edinburgh. 

Satyrus Tithonus. Area 11. Taken by myself at Morpeth: I believe it is also 
plentiful in the neighbourhood of Durham. 

Area 6. This is without a single representative. Has no one visited this portion 
of South Wales who is able to supply any information?—John Scott; Southfield 
Villas, Middlesbro’-on-Tees, April 5, 1858. 


«XVI. 2 E 


6066 Insects. 


Deilephila Euphorbie not taken near Bridgewater—Having seen an_ erroneous 
statement that a specimen of D. Euphorbig, taken by the late Mr. Baker near Bridye- 
water, was still in the collection formed by that lamented naturalist, and having an 
opportunity of tracing the source of the error, by writing to the late Mr. Baker's friend 
and coadjutor, Mr. Clark, of Halesleigh, I find it is simply a misnomer, the insect in 
question being Deilephila Galii. Mr. Clark writes thus, “ There is no specimen of 
Deilephila Euphorbie in the cabinet of the late William Baker, neither has that 
cabinet ever contained one; the species is D. Galii, and the similarity of the two species 
has probably led an incompetent observer into this error. Euphorbia Paralias grows 
to a great extent among the Burnham Sands, a mile or two northward of the mouth of 
the river Parrett,and William Baker used to remark to me that that one might expect 
to find the larva of Euphorbiz there: we searched, but always in vain. There are two 
specimens of D. Galiiin the late W. B.’s collection, and a third in that of the Taunton 
Museum: one of William Baker's was bred from a larva found by himself on the 
southern side of Bridgewater; of the history of the other two I know nothing.” I fear 
that this beautiful insect must now be struck out of the British list, since it appears to 
have been extinct ever since the late Mr. Raddon’s razzia among the spurge at 
Braunton Burrows.—HLdward Newman. 

Capture of E'ndromis versicolor in Tilgate Forest.—On Thursday, the 8th of April, 
in company with Messrs. Andrews aud Tester, we made an expedition to the birch 
woods, further up this line, the usual haunt of E. versicolor, taking with us a bred 
female, which, notwithstanding the comparative dulness of the weather, proved such 
an attraction that, after plying four nets with great rapidity as long as the rain would 
allow us, we found we had captured between us 118 specimens, generally in fine con- 
dition. Sundry specimens of Brephos Parthenias and Ceropacha flavicornis completed 
our captures. To spare the trouble of application we had better add that, after sup- 
plying the wants of our numerous friends, we shall have no remaining duplicates.— 
J. Eardley Hall; William Henry Draper ; Keymer, Hurstpierpoint, April 16, 1858. 

[I hear that more than six hundred of this species were taken simultaneously with 
the above near Brighton.—£. N.] 

Note on the Breeding of Endromis versicolor.—I succeeded in rearing twenty-eight 
specimens this year from thirty-six eggs and ten caterpillars, which I obtained last 
season. I kept the pupz out of doors, during the winter, in a flower-pot covered with 
moss.—J. A. Hall; Keymer, Hurstpierpoint, April 16, 1858. 

Occurrence of Hadena peregrina of Treitschke in the Isle of Wight.—Mr. Bond 
kindly lent me a Noctua, which he captured last summer on the coast of the Isle of 
Wight, to send to my friend M. Guenée for examination, and it proves to be, what I 
supposed it was, the Hadena peregrina of Treitschke. It is a common species along 
the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and will probably be found here along the 
southern coast in those localities which Aporophyla australis inhabits. Mr. Bond’s 
insect is slightly darker in colour than the Continental specimens which I possess.— 
Henry Doubleday ; Epping, April 17, 1858. 

Larve of Tephrosia laricaria.—Mr. Burney has given us most interesting informa- 
tion (Zool. 6029) concerning this previously unknown larva, but I am sure he will 
excuse my asking him to add how he recognises a larva of which no figure or 
description exists, indeed which no one had previously seen, and which he has not 
yet bred, to be that of Tephrosia laricaria? I may mention that I have a decided 
wish to prove the two species distinct; I neither desire to fuse such pairs of species, as 


o 


TInseels. 6067 


M. Guenée has done, nor to pooh! pooh! them, as mere relations of analogy, as 
Mr. Westwood proposes: these opposite conclusions remind me of opinions I have 
sometimes heard expressed of a very attractive lady, the young deciding that she was 
quite passée, the more mature that she was “ridiculously young;” but these views 
did not deprive the lady of existence, any more than the conflicting opinions of 
entomologists annihilate my isomyious pairs—Hdward Newman. 

Larva of Harpalyce sagittaria—Under this title Mr. Brown gives (Zool. 6030) a 
description of a larva reared from the ege; so far this communication is interesting; 
but how comes the writer to confound the name, which is derived from the beautiful 
sagittate mark on the fore wing, with the idea that the larva feeds on the Sagittaria? 
Is there any record or evidence of any kind that this arrow-marked insect feeds on the 
arrowhead? Such a coincidence would be most astounding. Would it not be well 
to try the larva of this insect, when again reared from the egg, with the various species 
of Chenopodium which occur in the neighbourhood where it is found? Will Mr. Bond, 
to whom Mr. Brown has alluded, obligingly give the readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ what 
information he possesses on this subject 9—Jd. 

Occurrence of Pterophorus Lieniyianus in Britain.—In the course of the year 1857 
Mr. Harding recorded, in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 5437), the discovery of a Pterophorus 
in the following words:—“ The larva was feeding on the under side of the leaves of 
the common wormwood ; its presence is easily detected by the white appearance of the 
leaves; the larva is light green; full fed in June ; imago out in July: it is very local, 
and far from common.” Mr. Harding associates with this insect the name of 
similidactylus, but I cannot find the authority for this name. Mr. Doubleday, who 
has well examined the specimens, agrees with me that they differ from all our ascer- 
tained British species; and Mr. Stainton, having carefully compared it with Zeller’s 
description of Pterophorus Lienigianus, in ‘ Linnea Entomologica,’ vol. vi. p. 380, 
believes it identical with that species.—Jd. 

Ants'-nest Beetles—Y esterday I made my first essay at examining an ants’ nest for 
the tenant beetles, and was delighted with the new forms of life and habit revealed - 
tome. I found a nest of Formica rufa, about a small cart-load, and sat myself down 
to examine it. The occupiers, or at least some of them, were lazily clearing out the 
entrances, reminding one of the preparations made for his expected guests by the land- 
lord of a Highland hostelry; but I could not see any hexapod lodgers in this hotel: 
so I boldly thrust in my hands and lifted as much of the nest as I could into a large 
sheet of white paper. The first thing that surprised me was the heat of the nest, the 
temperature being very sensibly greater than that of my hands; but I had no leisure 
to think much about this, for I had to free my hands from the ants, which clung to 
them tenaciously, yet without biting, and while doing this the strong odour of formic 
acid was very perceptible. ~The ants swarmed out-of the heap of wooden débris which 
lay in the middle of my paper: I swept them off with a bit of stick, and after repeating 
the process two or three times I began to move the material before me gently backward 
and forward, taking up the topmost and largest fragments, and throwing them back on 
to the nest. By continuing to do this I soon got free of most of the ants and the 
larger pieces of wood, and among the dusty remainder I saw a little tail curled up, 
which I knew must belong to a Staph.; so I wetted my finger and brought up the 
entire animal by habeas corpus: it was Leptacinus formicetorum. Presently I saw a 
speck shining like ore; I raised it from its degraded position, and recognised Dendro- 
philus pygmeus. Then a browner and smaller brother was visible—the rare Saprinus 


6068 Insects. 


piceus, which was being trampled under foot by Thiasophila angulata. I spent nearly 
an hour over this handful of the nest, which proved the best J examined, and, after 
three hours took stuck and found I had, in all— 

Dendrophilus pygmeus_ . . ‘ : : MBE 


Saprinus piceus ; : : : ‘ 4 
Leptacinus formicetorum : : : , : 5 
Thiasophila angulata : : . : : ° 4 
Oxypoda hemorrhoa : : : : : : 2 
Othius Psp. . ° - : : , : . 1 
Trichopteryx Psp. . : : E . ° 1 


I hope to go again and get more specimens and soa) but Iam desirous to put 
others on the search of the ants’ nests in their neighbourhood now, because the process 
is not only more practicable than it will be later in the season, when the ants are more 
active, but it is probable the beetles are now more centralized than they will be later 
in the season. Every one will, for his own future chances of success, be glad to replace ~ 
the materials he takes from the nest, remembering that it is not every nest that is 
productive of beetles—J. W. Douglas; 6, Kingswood Place, Lee; April 3.— From 
the ‘ Intelligencer.’ 

Ants’-nest Beetles—‘‘ T am sorry to see that England, like France, ‘ openly preaches 
and elevates to a doctrine’ ants’-nest ravaging. Of course there is a difference between 
taking a handful and sifting a nest: the teaching, however, is precisely the same, and 
when it is coupled with such success as yours, and recommended by a person of your 
entomological status, I feel confident the system will be disastrous to the occupants of 
the nests, both Hymenopterous and Coleopterous. Such examinations of ants’ nests 
as you mention, when done tenderly, at this time of the year, may not produce much 
mischief, but if often repeated, at a more advanced season, when their different 
chambers are completed and occupied by larve and pupe in their various stages, 
requiring various degrees of warmth, how are these conditions to be ensured if the 
hands of all the Myrmecophilous Coleopterists of the ‘Great Babylon’ are to be 
‘boldly thrust’ into the nests of their pets, overturning the pillars and divisions of their 
house, letting in the roof, and putting all in confusion? This is what must occur if 
done in your style, and with the most gentle hands: what will be the fate of colonies 
operated upon by ‘roughs?’ It will be no less than spoliation, and you must be pre- 
pared for such scenes to be common, and all nearly equal to the Highgate performance, 
which must necessarily make Myrmecophilous Coleoptera first ‘common,’ soon ‘ rare:’ 
who is there but laments the condition of ‘the light loamy bank?’ Now this is no fault 
of one or two persons, but the fault of a system, and I very much regret that you should 
have identified yourself with a system you may feel to be harmless, but which I think 
will soon prove otherwise.” The foregoing is an extract from a letter I have received 
from a well-known collector, and as every subject is better for being seen on both sides, 
T have requested and received the writer's permission to publish his remarks. [am the 
last person to advocate the wanton destruction of any creatures, and in this case the 
disastrous consequences of the “‘system,” I cannot but think, are greatly overstated, for 
I have seen nests of Formica rufa thoroughly and repeatedly stirred up by boys, and 
yet the ants flourished afterwards as much as ever. It is so clearly the interest of the 
collector not to destroy the nests, that I think no one will do that which will produce 
such an effect, but even if, regardless of consequences, any one were willing to exter- 
minate the ants, 1 doubt if they would let him, so pertinacious and formidable are their 


Radiata, &e. 6069 


attacks directly the weather gets warm. ‘Thie solicitude recently evinced for the welfare 
of ants seems to me to be very singular. Water-beetles are taken out of their element 
by hundreds, moths are attracted to sugar and sacrificed by thousands, nay, whole 
broods of caterpillars are reared from the eggs, only that they may furnish “ fine speci- 
mens” for collections, and not a word is said. But these sepoys of ants, the terror of 
all other insects, whose haunts and homes are strewed with the mangled remains of 
their victims, are selected and recommended to our special care and attention ; why, it 
would be difficult to state, unless the sympathy for them be of that morbid kind which 
is exercised towards the greatest offenders. Certainly there is nothing in the manners 
of these ants to give them a preference in our affections over all other insects, and if 
it is wrong to hurt or disturb them, what may not other insects so remorselessly hunted 
complain of? But, gentlemen, be consoled: it is not necessary to do more than to 
take up and examine the loose bits of stick at the outside of the nest. I said before 
that my first handful was the best, and I have proved that the most of the beetles are 
to be obtained from the loose matter which the ants have carried up, and which it can 
do no harm to remove and replace. At this second search I took all the species I got 
on the first occasion, except the Othius, and in addition 


Quedius brevis : : Y é - : : 3 
Monotoma angusticollis . ; : 3 
ee conicicollis . : 4 A : A 3 


Note on Holothuria.—In 1856 (Zool. 5181) I noticed that a Holothuria (Pentacta 
pentactes), in my possession, had voluntarily thrown off its tentacles, and did not 
appear to be incommoded by the loss. I have now the pleasure of adding that a new 
set of tentacles are forming, and that they have begun to bud out, pale and tender, to 
the extent of one-eighth of an inch. Reproductions of this kind are now so commonly 
known to occur that they are scarcely worth recording, unless, as in the present 
instance, one is able to give positive periods of time. I have notes of many other 
similar cases aS occurring in my practice among other creatures. The water in the 
great glass jar, containing the Holothuria, has not been changed during the whole 
period.— W. Alford Lloyd ; 19 and 20, Portland Road, Regent's Park, London, W., 
April 5, 1858. 


Remarks on the Sale of the Entomological Society's Exotic Collection; a Letter 
addressed to the President. 
Oatlands. 
Dear Dr. Gray, 

I address you, as President of the Entomological Society, myself 
ignorant whether or not you had any hand in the somewhat remarkable proceeding 
which has just taken place. I ask you to use your influence with the Society to 
mitigate, as far as yet may be,—in one instance at least,—a wrong which they have 
done to all those who have contributed to their collection. I ask you to make over 
to the children of the late Mr. Stevens, of Bogota, whatever sum the collections which 


6070 Entomological Society. 


he sent you may have sold for. Mr. Stevens, though a poor man, out of health and 
with children to provide for, made a great self-sacrifice to gratify his enthusiasm as an 
entomologist, that he might send you many rare insects, fondly hoping that he 
was conferring a present and future benefit upon the entomologists of his native 
country. 

The sale of the collection in Paris was most disreputable, and I fear that you may 
apply the tu quoque to yourselves. 

You have done that which may have a most injurious influence upon the welfare 
of other Societies. Who would be at the trouble and expense of sending some rare 
animal to the Gardens of the Zoological Suciety if there is a possibility that the object 
of his care may, by some freak of the Council, be sent to the hammer? You have 
done that which I believe tu be neither lawful nor right. You are only life-tenants of 
the property which you have sold. _ Part of it had probably been so cherished through 
life by its possessor that he left it to your care to prevent its dispersion. 

I am in total ignorance as tu the promoters of this scheme, and therefore mean no 
personal affront to any one. 

I am yours very truly, 
W. C. HEwIrson. 


Reply to the preceding by Dr. Gray. 


British Museum, 
Dear Mr. Hewitson, April 20, 1858. 

In reply to your note to me, without date, received this -morning, 
I hasten to inform you that I have had nothing personally to do with the proceeding, 
and was not even on the Council when the subject was discussed. The resolution 
under which the sale took place was regularly conducted, and expressed, in a legal 
manner, the unanimous wish of the Society, and I believe that no wrong has been 
done to any one, the Society having selected and retained all the specimens which 
have been specially described from its collection. It is the general mistake of Societies 
of the kind to spread their exertions over too large a field, aiming at everything, and 
then finding that they cannot do any part well. Collections of insects, to be well 
kept, require one or more special curators, which the revenues of the Society will not 
afford to pay; the consequence is that the collections are not arranged so as to be 
useful for consultation, and get into a bad state; the library does not increase and is 
not catalogued, and the Secretary, however willing and industrious, is over-worked. 
The Society will therefore, I believe, derive great benefit from what it has done, as its 
officers will be able to give their exclusive attention to its meetings, publications and 
library, and make them more available to the members, and thus advantageous to the 
improvement of the Science. 

I consider that the Society has every right to do as they have done, and every one 
of any experience in England or France must be fully aware that Societies of the kind 
cannot be considered as permanent institutions, and that their property must be liable 
to be distributed, like that of a private individual, though perhaps not as frequently. 
T do not suppose that you think that you or your executors are precluded from selling 
or otherwise parting with the specimeus which have been presented to you by different 
collectors, and that their families should have any right to the proceeds of such 
sale. 


Entomological Society. — 6071 


If you feel so strongly on the subject it is much to be regretted that, as a member 
of the Society, you should not have objected before the sale was finished. The subject 
has been in discussion for several years; the resolution ordering the sale was passed 
at the anniversary meeting, January 28, 1856, more than two years ago; the sale was 
advertised in February last, and the catalogue distributed and sent to you at least 
fourteen days before the sale, and if you had then stated your objection, the evil (if it 
is any evil) might have been prevented, but as it is I fear that you must be considered 
equally in the wrong (if it is a wrong, which I deny) as the other members of the 
Society. 

I am, dear Mr. Hewitson, 
Yours truly, 
JoHn Epwarp Gray. 
To W. C. Hewitson, Esq., M.E.S. 


Proceedings of Societies. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
April 5, 1858.—J. O. WEs1woop, Esq., V.P., in the chair. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 
donors:—‘ Proceedings of the Royal Society, Vol. ix. No. 29; presented by the 
Society. ‘The Zoologist’ for March; by the Editor. ‘Catalogue of British Cole- 
optera, by G. R. Waterhouse, Esq., F.Z.8., &e., two copies, one of them printed on 
one side only; by the Author. ‘The Literary Gazette’ for March; by the Editor. 
‘The Journal of the Society of Arts’ for March; by the Society. ‘ Exotic Butter- 
flies, Part 26; by W. W. Saunders, Esq., F.R.S., &c. ‘Stettiner Entomologische 
Zeitung, xix. jahrgang, Nos. 1—3; by the Entomological Society of Stettin. ‘The 
Entomologists Weekly Intelligencer,’ Vol. iii.; the same, No. 79; by H. T. Stainton, 
Esq. ‘The Atheneum’ for February and March; by the Editor. A pair of Carabus 
intricatus, Linn.; by J. J. Reading, Esq. 


Election of Members. 


Alexander Wallace, Esq., of Bembridge, Isle of Wight, and H.G. Knaggs, Esq., 
of Maldon Place, Camden Town, were balloted for and elected Members of the 
Society. 

Exhibitions. 

Mr. Stevens exhibited a specimen of Papilio Ulysses, taken by Mr. Wallace in 
Aru, and observed that Mr. Wallace saw this species on the wing almost daily during 
his three months’ stay in the island, but, owing to its high and rapid flight, he ouly 
succeeded in capturing two examples. 

Mr. Janson exhibited various Coleoptera, handed to him for that purpose by 
Mr. Douglas, which had been recently taken by that gentleman in nests of Formica 
rufa ; the species most noteworthy were Saprinus piceus, Z//., Dendrophilus pygmeus, 
I, Leptacinus formicetorum, Maerk., and Thiasophila angulata, Hrichs. 


6072 Entomological Society. 


Mr. Janson also exhibited a specimen of Harpalus servus, Duft., which had been 
detected by Mr. H. Squire among a number of unset Coleoptera presented to him by 
Mr. F. Smith, by whom they were captured, near Deal, last autumn. He observed 
that Mr. Squire, who had identified this insect, considered it specifically identical with 
Harpalus maritimus (Kirby), Steph. olim (subsequently sunk, in the ‘ Manual,’ as 
synonymous with H.complanatus, Sturm.), as he found the individual exhibited 
agreed precisely with the specimens thus denominated in the Kirbyan, Stephensian 
and Leachian cabinets. Mr. Janson remarked that he had not himself yet had an op- 
portunity of following Mr. Squire’s investigations in this matter; he was therefore not 
competent either to confirm or contradict the view he advanced. 

Mr. Janson likewise laid before the Meeting the following, which he had recently 
taken :— 


Ocyusa ruficornis, Kraatz, Naturgesch. d. Ins. Deutschl. 11. 158, 2 (1856), a species 
not previously recorded as an inhabitant of Britain, and indeed only recently discovered 
by Dr. Kraatz, near Berlin. It has also been taken in the vicinity of Paris, and is 
described by MM. Fairmaire and Laboulbéne in their ‘ Faune Entomologique de 
France,’ i. 441, 33 (1856), under the name of Oxypoda fulvicornis: the specific title 
imposed by Dr. Kraatz will, however, stand by right of priority, his description being 
anterior in publication by several months. The present species may be at once dis- 
tinguished from its near ally and as yet sole congener, O. maura, Hrichs., by its 
superior size, brown hue, longer antenne, and by the bright brownish red colour of 
those organs and of the legs; other, less apparent, differences exist in the form of the 
thorax and in the sculpture and pubescence of the elytra, &c. 

Hygronoma dimidiata, Grav., Erichs., Steph. 

Stenus picipennis, Rake ar discos and identified by Mr. Edwin Shepherd, 
in the autumn of 1857, a subsequently taken, he had heard, by Dr. Power, in 
Hampshire. 

Ischnodes sanguinicollis, Panzer (Ctenicerus sanguinicollis, Steph.). The female, 
which differs somewhat in size and form from the male, is unquestionably Sericosomus 
fulvicollis of Stephens. 


In answer to a question of Mr. Westwood, relative to the localities in which these 
insects had been found, Mr. Janson stated that he had captured the last-named species 
in the London district; in respect to the other three, he was not certain whether the 
locality was situate within that limit or not,—at all events he might venture to say 
one of the home counties South of the Thames; this he considered quite sufficient for 
all scientific purposes, and most respectfully declined henceforth publicly to indicate 
the precise localities of his captures, an announcement which appeared to afford much 
amusement to some of the Members, as it was greeted with considerable hilarity. 


Mr. Waterhouse exhibited the following species of Coleoptera, believing they had 
not hitherto been recorded as British, viz. :— 


Hister marginatus, Krichs. ‘Two specimens of this insect had come under 
Mr. Waterhouse’s notice, one specimen in his own collection, and one in that of 
Dr. Power. The localities in which they were found are unfortunately unknown. 

Saprinus immundus, Gyll. One specimen taken by Mr. Waterhouse, at the mouth 
of the Orwell, in September, 1855, and several specimens taken by Dr. Power and 
Mr. F. Smith, at Deal. 


Entomological Society. 6073 


Saprinus metallicus, Fabr. Two specimens taken at Deal by Mr. F.Smith. This 
insect is given as British by Mr. Stephens, but he had mistaken the S. rugifrons, Payk., 
for the species. | 

Abreus (Acritus) nigricornis, Ent. H. Found in the months of May and June in 
the corridor of the Crystal Palace. 

Calodera riparia, Erichs. A single specimen taken by Dr. Power at Holme 
Bush. . 

Mr. Waterhouse also exhibited a specimen of a Plegaderus, which he supposed to 
be the P. dissectus, Hrichs., and stated that it was one of two specimens found in 
Windsor Forest by Mr. Samuel Stevens: a notice had already appeared relating to 
the discovery of the insect by Mr. Stevens, and Mr. J. F. Stephens, who published 
this notice in the ‘ Zoologist,’ had regarded the insect as Abreus vulneratus, Kug. 

Mr. Waterhouse then proceeded to describe four species of Staphylinide, which he 
believed to be new :— 


OxyPODA NIGRINA. 


O. Nigra, opaca, sericeo-pubescens, pedibus fuscescentibus, corpore fusiformi, supra 
confertissime punctulato. Long. 1 lin. 


Very close to Oxypoda cuniculina, Hrichs., but rather smaller and usually of an 
uniform sooty black colour; the antenne rather shorter, the terminal joint compara- 
tively short and obtusely pointed; the elytra rather less strongly notched at the pos- 
terior outer angle; the tarsi (more especially the posterior pair) shorter. Head about 
one-third narrower than the thorax, rounded, convex; the parts of the mouth dusky ; 
antenne about as long as the head and thorax, gradually increasing in width to the 
apex, the last joint decidedly the shortest; first and second joints moderately elongate, 
obconic, and nearly equal; third joint about half the size of the preceding ; of the re- 
maining joints the first two or three are quadrate or nearly so, and the remainder (with 
the exception of the last) distinctly transverse. Thorax gradually contracted from the 
base to the fore part, the sides and the posterior margin gently rounded; above con- 
vex and even, or with a very indistinct dorsal furrow. Elytra about one-fourth longer 
than the thorax and rather broader, the puncturing fine, and, being extremely dense, 
produce a dull appearance. Abdomen attenuated and also very finely and densely 
punctured, the last segment and the edge of the preceding one often fuscous. Legs 
more or less dusky, with the knees and tarsi fusco-testaceous. 

I met with this insect at Charlton in June, 1856, and at Erith in July, 1855, and 
some other localities not distant from London; it is also found in Scotland, Mr. Morris 
Young having taken it at Paisley. 


OxyYPODA NIGRO-FUSCA. 


O. Fusco-nigra, thorace, elytris, abdominisque apice fuscis ; pebidus testaceis ; corpore 
Susiformi, supra confertim subtilissime punctulato. Long. 1 lin. 


It was with some little hesitation that I ventured to separate this species from 
O. hemorrhoa, Mannerheim, so much does it resemble that insect in size and form, as 
well as in the structure of the antenne; the fuscous thorax and elytra I at first thought 
might only be indications of immaturity; I found, however, that all the specimens 
which presented this colouring had the thorax dull, whereas in O. hemorrhoa the 
same part is somewhat glossy, and upon placing the two insects side by side under a 


XVI. 25 


6074 Entomological Society. 


low power in the microscope, I soon perceived that the punctuation of the thorax was 
much more dense in the insect I call O. nigro-fusca. 

Found in the débris left upon removing a stack of faggots in Bishop’s Wood, near 
Hampstead. 


HoMALOTA PLUMBEA. 


H. Plumbeo-nigra, opaca, griseo-pubescens, creberrime subtilissime punctata ; antennis 
fuscis, pedibus fusco-testaceis ; thorace subquadrato coleopteris multo angus- 
tiore ; abdomine nitidiusculo. Long. 14 lin. 


This species should be placed in Kraatz’s second section, near to the Tachyusiform 
species, such as Homalota labilis, &c., in which the elytra are ample, distinctly 
broader than the thorax. It reminds one of H. incana, Hrichs., agreeing pretty 
nearly in size, form, and colouring with that insect, but it is much more thickly and 
finely punctured, and the antenne are longer, and none of the joints are decidedly 
transverse; the legs, moreover, are paler. Head rather narrower than the thorax, 
convex and rounded, but with the eyes slightly prominent, and the parts of the mouth 
rather produced, the surface, like that of the thorax and elytra, of a somewhat dull 
and silky appearance, owing to the thickness and fineness of the puncturing, combined 
with a tolerable dense and fine ash-coloured pubescence; palpi and antenne dusky, 
the latter sometimes, with the base, dirty testaceous; they increase very slightly in 
thickness towards the apex; the first three joints considerably elongated and very 
nearly equal; of the following joints the first are rather longer than broad, and the 
penultimate quadrate ; the terminal joint nearly equal in length to the two preceding 
taken together. Thorax subquadrate, slightly emarginate in front; the sides pre- 
senting a very gentle sigmoid curve, being a little dilated and rounded towards tlie 
fore part and slightly contracted behind; posterior margin rounded, posterior angles 
obtusely rounded; anterivr angles rather acute; upper surface moderately convex, 
and with a somewhat large and shallow depression behind. Elytra ample, fully one- 
fourth longer than the thorax, and nearly twice as broad. Abdomen growing rather 
broader towards the hinder part, very thickly and finely punctured throughout. Legs 
testaceous; the femora and tibize more or less suffused with brown. I can perceive no 
differences indicative of sexes in the specimens before me. 

Found by Dr. Power, at Seaford, near Newhaven. 


HoMALOTA IMBECILLA. 


H. Linearis, subdepressa, subtiliter pubescens, nigra, nitidiuscula, antennis pedibusque 
fuscescentibus, ano elytrisque testaceis, his basi fuscis; thorace transversim 
subquadrato ; abdomine supra omnium crebre punctato. Long. 1} lin. 


Head very little narrower than the thorax, rounded and moderately convex, very 
finely and rather thickly punctured ; antenne, if bent back, reaching about to the apex 
of the elytra; slender and with no perceptible increase in thickness towards the apex; 
the penultimate joints as long as broad; the middle joints longer than broad; the 
terminal joint nearly as long as the two preceding joints taken together; palpi fuscous, 
paler at the base. Thorax subquadrate, slightly broader than Jong, straight in front, 
very gently rounded at the sides, and more distinctly rounded behind; above gently 
convex, very finely and thickly punctured, and with a shallow fovea behind. Elytra 
scarcely longer and very little broader than the thorax, and very thickly and rather 


Entomological Society. 6075 


finely punctured. Abdomen with all the segments thickly and finely punctured; the 
punctures, however, on the terminal segments are a little less dense than on the basal; 
from the apex of the abdomen spring numerous longish hairs. First joint of the 
posterior tarsi a trifle longer than the second. 

I found several specimens of this insect under rejectamenta at the mouth of the 
Orwell, in September, 1855. It is a soft and delicate little insect, and subject to con- 
siderable variation in colouring, chiefly in the elytra, these being sometimes entirely 
pale and sometimes entirely pitchy, but usually they are dusky at the base, and this 
dark colour is more or less extended in different individuals ; the apex of the abdomen 
is always pale. 


H. imbecilla, together with H. fluviatilis, Kraatz, H. cambrica, Wollaston, and H. 
thinobioides, Kraatz, may be grouped together as linear species allied to H. elonga- 
tula, but distinguished by the abdomen being thickly punctured throughout. 

H. fluviatilis—or rather an insect (found on the banks of the Thames, near Ham- 
mersmith, by Mr. Squire) which I suppose to be the species so named by Kraatz— 
approaches the nearest to H. elongatula, but differs in being rather smaller, in having 
the body black throughout, the antenne dusky (or impure black) to the base, the head 
rather narrower and less rounded, the sides being nearly parallel, and the thorax 
rather longer. 

H. imbecilla is about equal in size to the smallest specimens of H. elongatula ; 
the antenne are longer and more slender than in that insect, sometimes fusco-testa- 
ceous throughout, and sometimes entirely dusky; the legs of a less bright and clear 
colour, being more or less suffused with brown or dusky at the base. 

-H. cambrica is very like H. imbecilla, but its form is more slender, its elytra are 
longer, and the punctuation is finer and more dense; that on the thorax and elytra, 
indeed, is so delicate as to be scarcely perceptible under a strong Stanhope lens, whilst 
in H. imbecilla the puncturing throughout is tolerably distinct. 

H. thinobioides is the smallest of the group and the most slender in its make, but 
very like H. cambrica: its colouring is darker, and the punctuation of the abdumen 
is still more dense. 

This note is made upon specimens from Madeira, given me by Mr. Wollaston. 


Mr. Westwood remarked the admirable manner in which the Abrus exhibited by 
Mr. Waterhouse was set, every tarsus being spread out. Mr. Waterhouse thereupon 
informed the Meeting that the plan he adopted to set out small Coleoptera, of this 
and some other families, was to gum the insects slightly down on their backs (using 
gum Arabic for this purpose): the legs, &c., were then readily spread out with a 
camel’s-hair pencil, after which the insect was easily removed by gently inserting the 
point of a pen-knife under it, and then placed in its proper position on gummed card: 
by this simple process many species could be set out, of which it is otherwise almost 
impracticable to display the limbs. - : 

Mr. Waterhouse also detailed another plan, which he had found very useful, in 
setting out those tribes of small Coleoptera in which the limbs are rigid, such as the 
Curculionide, &c., viz. to gum the insects on card, without attempting to set out the 
legs, &c., until the gum has dried, when by slightly mvistening the limbs, on one side 
of the insect only, they were very readily brought to their required position with the 
setting needle, and, on their again becoming dry, the other side could be treated in a 


6076 Entomological Society. 


similar manner; by gumming out several insects at once no time need be lost, as 
whilst one specimen was under process, the others would be drying. 


Mr. Tegetmeier exhibited a newly constructed bee-hive, which consisted of two or 
more boxes, designed to be placed one above the other, each one furnished with move- 
able bars, to which the combs are attached, thus affording great facility for the removal 
of the latter, either for the purpose of scientific research, the partial deprivation of 
honey, or the artificial production of swarms, The bars are retained in their places by 
long wooden slides passing between them, which obviate the necessity for covers, 
enable a single bar of comb to be removed without disturbing those remaining, and 
permit the removal of the top boxes to be most readily accomplished. ‘The boxes are 
square in form, and so constructed that bars of brood or honey-comb can be easily 
transferred from one to another. | 

Some discussion having arisen relating to the construction of the cells of the hive 
bee, Mr. Waterhouse stated that he was of opinion that the hexagonal form of cell 
was accidental, so far as the constructors of the cell were concerned; and, having been 
called upon to explain his views, he proceeded, in the first place, to call attention to 
the fact that if a number of cylinders of equal size were packed close together, side by 
side, each cylinder would be surrounded by six others; that, assuming the cylin- 
drical form (or at least a form of cell approaching more or less to the cylindrical, 
and having a circular section) was the type form of isolated cells constructed by different 
kinds of bees, and that, in the case of the hive bee, a number of insects worked 
together, first depositing a small portion of wax, then excavating a small circular 
cavity in the same, for the commencement of a cell ; this then being followed by the de- 
position of more wax and the excavation of more cavities, and these being placed close 
to the first; then neither of the cells could be constructed of their natural diameter, 
provided the first cavity formed had not attained the full diameter of the complete cel). 
The diameters of the cells would intersect each other; but, if partitions be left between 
them, the cell must be six-sided, if the cells remain equal in size. In order to make 
the idea more clear, he (Mr. Waterhouse) would assume for a moment that it were a 
law that a number of equal-sized circles, being packed closely together, side by side, 
and that each circle was then surrounded by seven others; he believed that the cell of 
the hive bee would, in that case, have been seven-sided. Such were the views enier- 
tained many years back by Mr. W., and published by him in the ‘ Penny Cyclopedia ;’ 
and having subsequently had his attention particularly directed to the subject, whilst 
examining the nests of a vast number of Hymenopterous insects, he still believes those 
views to be essentially correct. He now, however, has reason to believe that it is not 
absolutely necessary for the supposed natural diameters of the cells to intersect before 
an angular-formed cell would be produced. The instinct which leads an insect to ex- 
cavate, in order to form a cell, may lead it to excavate beyond what would be neces- 
sary to form a sufficiently large cell, in the case of an insect, which, under ordinary 
circumstances, burrows until it comes in contact with an adjoining cell. Contact with 
other cells was the essential condition which influenced the angular form of any par- 
ticular cell. It has been brought as an objection to his theory, Mr. W. went on to say, 
that, in the case of the wasp or hornet, a single female insect constructs hexagonal 
cells. This is true, but the same principle obtains,—no wasp builds a single, isolated, 
hexagonal cell; when wasps, or allied Hymenoptera, build hexagonal cells, many 
cells are built almost simultaneously, the first cell has made the least possible progress 


Northern Entomological Society. 6077 


before six other cells are commenced around it, and these again have progressed very 
little before others are commenced external to them and in their interstices, so that a 
wasp’s cell may be said to be altered into the hexagonal form as it proceeds, excepting 
in the case of the outermost series of cells, where only the inner side of each cell is 
angular, the outer side being almost always rounded. Mr. Waterhouse said he had 
possessed a very small nest of a hornet which consisted of three cells only ; it was built 
in a small cavity adjoining a large nest, and where there was not rooin for more than 
three cells; they were circular externally and angular internally,—that is to say, each 
cell had two straight sides where it came in contact with two other cells, and was 
rounded elsewhere. P 

Mr. Tegetmeier remarked that he possessed a small piece of honey-comb which 
presented the same peculiarities. 

Mr. Tegetmeier added that he had found it a great improvement to have double 
glass to observatory hives. 

In answer to a question from Mr. Lubbock, Mr. Tegetmeier stated that he had not 
made any observations, confirmatory or otherwise, of the theories advanced by Professor 
Siebold, relative to the reproduction of these insects. 

Mr. Murray observed, with reference to this subject, that Professor Simpson had 
transferred eggs from drone to queen cells, and that a larva produced therefrom grew 
so large that at length it reached the glass of the observatory hive in which the experi- 
ment took place, and then died: he thought it would be interesting to have this grub 
dissected, in order to ascertain whether it was a female or not. 


Part 7 of Vol. iv., new series, of the Suciety’s ‘ Transactions’ was on the table-— 
EUS. 


NoRTHERN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOcIETY. 


March 27, 1858.—B. Cooxe, Esy., President, in the Chair. 


Election of Members. 


T. P. Marrat, of Liverpool, and James Thompson, of Crewe, were elected 
Members. 


Exhibitions. 


Capt. Cox, of Fordwich House, sent for exhibition three volumes, containing 
drawings from life of Lepidopterous larve upon their food-plants, by Mrs. Cox: the 
accuracy and beauty of the drawings were much admired. 

Mr. Greening exhibited a box of Stegoptera, Newman, captured near Warrington, 
and at Llanferras, North Wales, in 1858: amongst them were specimens of Hydropsy- 
che tenuicornis and H. angustata, Polycentropus subpunctatus, Leptocerus inter- 
ruptus, male and female, L. quadrifasciatus, Melanna nigripalpis, Phryganea varia 
and P. grandis, Helisus hieroglyphicus, Limnephilus binotatus, L. notatus, L. preusta, 
&c., and called attention to this beautiful and interesting order, observing that “ the 
more we saw of Newman’s ‘ roof wings’ the nearer we should place them to his 
‘scale wings,’ as described in the ‘ Insect Hunters,’ ” 


6078 Northern Entomological Society. 


A Member observed, he had seen some foreign Stegoptera, which few men could 
separate from Lepidoptera, and which he should have pronounced ‘scale wings’ if 
they had been set. 3 

Mr. Greening also exhibited a fine Cicada hematodes, taken in the New Forest 
by Mr. Bond, and specimens of Trogosita mauritanica, taken at Warrington. 

Mr. Kendrick exhibited a box of Coleoptera and Ichneumonidae, captured around 
Warrington, containing some rare species, and all particularly interesting as illus- 
trative of the Fauna of the district. 

A discussion ensued on the advisability of Members exhibiting local captures 
irrespective of rarity, and it was generally admitted that though very rare species 
might interest naturalists at the top of the tree more than the ordinary run of captures, 
yet, as a rule, more information was disseminated by one good box of local captures, 
however common some of them might be, than by a single species, however rare. 

A Member observed that this seemed to him the great oversight at all the Natural- 
History Society Meetings which he had attended,—the object of the exhibitors seemed 
to be to bring something the President and Vice-President alone could appreciate, 
forgetting that there were always young naturalists and members from a distance 
present to whom their common local species would prove a feast for the eyesight. 

The President exhibited specimeus of Acheta sylvestris, captured in the New 
Forest: also specimens of @tenophora bimaculata, Sarcophaga lineata, &c., bred this 
spring. . 

The Rey. H. H. Higgins exhibited a large box of local Diptera, captured within 
twelve miles of Liverpool Exchange: this interesting exhibition admirably illus- 
trated the remarks which had been made by other Members upon this subject. 

Mr. Higgins then called attention to some dead hive bees, which had been sent to 
him to ascertain the cause of death: he had found the spores of Fungi within them, 
but it was observed that the Fungi formed after death, and little doubt was expressed 
that the loss of the hives arose not so much from Fungi as from placing the hives in 
a bad winter situation, either where the hives had the sun upon them at some part of 
the day, or where the air was damp and ventilation bad. 

A Member, once an unfortunate bee-keeper and afterwards a successful one, ob- 
served that he used to lose many light hives, which, as in this case, might be attributed 
to Fungi: hives of from 37 to 40 Ibs. could only just support themselves through the 
winter, if left in the summer quarters ; whereas, he found, if placed behind a wall with a 
northern aspect, where the wind was free to blow upon them, and where the sun never 
could shine upon them for a moment, Fungi never appeared even in the few bees 
which inevitably die during winter, and the hives lost a very small per centage of 
weight, and came out strong in bees as in honey when placed in summer quarters 
again: this fact was now generally kuown to apiarians, but unfortunately farmers were 
slow to believe it. 

The Secretary, on behalf of Mr. Parfitt, of Exeter, exhibited Latridius filiformis 
(n. s.), Anommatus duodecemstriatus and Leptogramma Parisiana (bred); also a box 
of Coleoptera, from the Rev. A. Matthews, containing Trichopteryx sericans, Heer, 
T. pygmea, Arich., and T. curta, Gyll., Ptilium angustatum, Erich , P. Kunzei, Heer, 
and P.excavatum, Ptinidium apicale, Hrich., aud P. pusillum, and read a letter from 
Mr. Matthews, informing the Meeting that he had recently found two genera new to 
the British list, and which he had described in the April number of the ‘ Zovlogist’ 
(Zool. 6032), 


Northern Entomological Society. 6079 


The Secretary then exhibited two beautiful varieties of Hadena Atriplicis, recently 
presented to him by Mr. Doubleday, and a Continental specimen of Abraxas pantaria, 
and read Mr. Doubleday’s remarks upon this species. 

Mr. Gregson exhibited a box of Coleoptera, capiured during the winter, princi- 
pally in the “ North and South Reserves” at Birkenhead, observing that those who 
desire to work up the Geodephaga and Brachelytra should lose no time, as the 
“* Reserves ” (formerly the bed of Wallasey Pool) are no longer reserved, but intended 
to be converted into docks forthwith. He also exhibited Rhyzophagus bipustulatus 
alive, taken at Garston, whilst waiting for a train: this little beetle had entirely 
destroyed some of the fir trees in the plantations around. 

The Secretary then read the following, at the request of Mr. Douglas :— 


Metamorphotic Systems of Classifying Insects. 


“JT am not going to write an essay on this subject, but as the President, at the 
Meeting on the 26th of December last, as reported in the ‘ Zoologist’ for February 
(Zool. 5951), has proposed a system of classification founded on metamorphosis, I just 
venture to say a word thereon. The principle of adopting the differences of meta- 
morphosis in insects as a basis for dividing them into orders is not new, having been 
employed by Swammerdam, Lamarck, Oken and others, and the particular method 
now brought forward differs in no material respect from that proposed by Newman, 
in a paper read before the Linnean Society in 1834, published in the third volume of 
the ‘ Entomological Magazine, subsequently modified by the author in his ‘ History 
of Insects, p. 76, in the ‘Zoologist’ for 1853 (Zool. App. p. clxxxv.), and in the 
‘Insect Hunters,’ pp. 10—13. The only difference that I can see is that Mr. Cooke 
mixes the Amorpha and Necromorpha, and gives the name Trichoptera tv that por- 
tion of the old Neuroptera which Newman has separated under the name of Stegoptera. 
I do not propose to discuss the truth of the system propounded, but supposing the 
theory adopted by Mr. Cooke to be right in principle, then it is a manifest retrogres- 
sion from that proposed on the same principle by Newman, and I think it is only 
right that author should have the credit of whatever merit may be due to the original 
propounder of the system.” 


The President disclaimed all desire to take to himself any credit due to others; he 
had perhaps attributed to Mr. Dallas that which was due to Mr. Newman, but he was 
the last man to sully the motto of the Northern Entomological Society, “ Honour to 
whom honour is due.” He then read the following paper in reply to Mr. Douglas :— 


“* T beg to be allowed a word in reply to the remarks which have just been read. 

“Of Mr. Newman’s treatise, published in the ‘ Entomological Magazine, I have 
seen no more than the short abstract given in Westwood’s ‘ Modern Classification.’ 
The article “ Proposed Division of Neuroptera into two Classes” (Appendix to 
the ‘ Zoologist’ for 1853), I read at the time it was published; but, not paying much 
attention to the subject then, I did not look at it again until my attention was called 
to it last month: I must own that I had completely forgotten it. 

“ The ‘Insect Hunters’ I did not see until after my paper was read at our last 
Meeting, and knew no more about it than what I was informed by the wrapper of the 
‘Zvologist’ for December. 


6080 Northern Entomological Society. 


“ Mr. Newman applies the name Stegoptera to the order containing the Tri- 
choptera: I think it is a decided improvement, and shall adopt it. I ought also to 
have used the termination ina where a tribe or group of families was intended, as 
Staphylinina, Phryganeina. 

“For the application of the name Trichoptera Mr. Douglas is ready enough to 
find fault with me, but he is apparently blind to a defect of the very same kind in his 
friend: in the order Hemiptera Mr. Newman includes the Cicadina, Coccina and 
Aphidina, which are no more hemipterous than the Panorpina are trichopterous. 

“ Mr. Douglas says that I mix the Amorpha and Necromorpha. I suppose he 
means this: that in my plan of arrangement the first and second orders have the pupa 
necroworphous, the third and fuurth amorphous, and the fifth, the Stegoptera, necro- 
morphous. If Mr. Douglas will examine Newman’s arrangement of the Diptera, 
identical with Walker's, I think he will there see that the word ‘mix’ may be used 
with more propriety. In that arrangement the single tribe Stratiomina, of compara- 
tively small extent, having the pupa obtected, is placed between tribes of considerable 
extent, having the pupa extricated. ‘ 

“But, with regard to the order Stegoptera: I place it close to the Lepidoptera ; 
Mr. Newman places it close to the Coleoptera (with which I see very little affinity), 
and removes it as far from the Lepidoptera as his system will admit of. Now, let us 
see what he says in reference to a great portion of this order. In the Preface to the 
‘ Zoologist’ for 1857 Mr. Newman asks this question, ‘ Why is not the entire tribe of 
Phryganeina lepidopterous? ‘The cased larva is no objection; the form of pupa is no 
objection.” I need not quote any more; surely there can be no objection to placing 
the Stegoptera cluse to the Lepidoptera. Yet it is on this ground, if I have under- 
stood him rightly,—and I do not see how I could have misunderstood him,—that 
Mr. Douglas makes the positive and authoritative assertion that my plan of arrange- 
ment is a ‘ manifest retrogression.’ 

“ But Mr. Douglas is anxious that Mr. Newman should have the credit of what- 
ever merit may be due to the original propounder of the system: I am glad to have 
the opportunity of saying that in this I most cheerfully and heartily concur.” 


An animated discussion followed the reading of the President’s paper. 

Attention was called to Mr. Reading’s notes on the modes of capturing Carabus 
intricatus, &c., in the ‘ Zoologist,’ so different to the usual announcements of captures, 
which were generally mere trumpets sounded by the writers, and gave no practical 
information to other naturalists. 

The attention of the Meeting was also called to the ‘ Insect Hunters,’ by Newman, 
a Member observing that it was the first book from any author who seemed to under- 
stand the art of teaching Natural History pleasantly, particular stress being laid upon 
the advisability of all young naturalists acting up to the text of the valedictory 
chapter. 

A vote of thanks being passed to all who had contributed to the pleasure of | 
the evening, especially to the lady of Captain Cox, the Meeting separated.—C. S. G. 


Reason and Instinct. .,. |/, ~~ 6081 


} 


On Reason and Instinct. By the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, M.A. 
(Continued fru) page 6054). 


WITH regard to the presence and operation of Instinct in man the 
positions which, it appears to me, are most consistent with obser- 
vation and sound reasoning, may be designated thus :— 

I. That man in an uncivilized state* is the most influenced by the 
impulses of Instinct; so that in some of his actions, whether more or 
fewer, that essence or attribute may even predominate over Reason, 
as a practical rule of action ; in an almost isolated action or two, may 
even operate to the exclusion of Reason. 

Il. That, presumably, as he emerges from the uncivilized state, 
Instinct, by degrees, ceases to have any predominant power, and, 
infancy past, in no case utterly excludes the operation of Reason. 

III. That in a fully civilized state Instinct survives indeed, but is 
so restrained and regulated in its operation by Reason, that it 
becomes difficult to allege any but a very few of man’s daily actions 
as influenced by it; or even to distinguish between the workings of 
Instinct and the rulings of Reason in actions, which, according to 
analogy, are originally due to or prompted by Instinct. 

IV. That beyond all this, if by any chance man treads in a back- 
ward order the steps he has already imprinted in his passage from 
the uncivilized to the civilized state, he, at the same time, and as if 


* I purposely avoid using the words “in the state of nature,” as indefinite and 
indefinable. I do not take the condition of any savage tribe or community to be the 
state of nature, hecause it is impossible to say what processes of change, moral, phy- 
sical, psychical, of improvement or deterioration, such tribes may have passed through 
and may be still in course of passing through. Probably, the only human creatures 
in speaking of whom the expression “in the state of nature” could be correctly 
employed, would be our first parents in their earliest experience of life: and just as 
probably there are the materials for a fierce discussion in any attempt at realising 
what that condition was. One theory I have met with is, that they were idealess 
savages, and such as idealess savages anterior to experience must necessarily be: a 
theory I should be sorry to assent to, even for argument’s sake. Another, that they 
were the noblest specimens of humanity ever seen in the world; noblest, physically 
and intellectually ; and that the general tendency of the species since has rather been 
to deterioration than in the opposite direction. The truth, as ever, probably lies 
between these two extremes of opinion, and it would be an interesting theme for dis- 
cussion in the hands of one of sufficient attainment, moderation, and power of vision 
at once comprehensive and discriminating. 


XVI. 2 & 


6082 Whi seh Reason and Instinct. 


‘ 


\ 

inevitably, becomes clothed upon again with some of his instinctive 
habits, and loses some of the finer functions of Reason: and that it is 
difficult to say how far this may hold good; difficult, I mean, from 
the exceeding difficulty, or rather, the impossibility of tracing histo- 
tically the records of continuo¥s declension, in the case of any 
degraded community, from what was, at least presumably, its once 
higher condition as to civilization, its once higher moral and intel- 
lectual standing. 

I hardly know whether the limits of a paper in the ‘ Zoologist’ will 
permit me to do much more than simply trace the outline of observa- 
tion and argument by which these positions are supported. ‘To con- 
vert the sketch into a finished drawing might occupy both too much 
time and too much space. Perhaps our simplest course may be to 
attempt at the outset to enumerate or classify the several lines of force 
or directions of impulse in which Instinct appears to operate in the 
inferior animals, and then to inquire what degree of analogy is 
traceable between such and such actions or lines of action common 
in the several cases of them and of mankind. 

I should say that, allowing for a few anomalous instances which, in 
our present state and degree of information, seem to admit neither of 
explanation or of classification, all, or very near all, the instinctive | 
actions of the various animals may be brought under one or the other 
of the following heads :— 

I. Fear or self-preservation: by which, in various ways, almost 
equally numerous with the varieties of animals themselves, they are 
impelled to the effort to avoid danger. 

II. Food-craving: by which they are enabled to discover supplies 
of suitable aliment; to discriminate between the suitable and the 
unsuitable; to adopt the necessary means of securing it by the 
appropriate use of their various faculties and endowments of sense 
and body; and so on. 

III. Sexual love: by which they are impelled to coition, or coha- 
bitation for one season or more; to nidification, whether more or less 
elaborate ; to the concealment of their young; to the various modes 
of providing for their young; and the hike, pire gle to their several 
tribes or habits or peculiarities. 

IV. Association: by which the various gregarious creatures, 
whether habitually or periodically, according to sex or according to 
season, under the ties of family or under those of species or 
pursuit of some common object—food for instance—live in com- 
munities. 


Reason and Instinct. 6083 


V. Migration: under which vast numbers of creatures of .very 
various tribes and families and species take journeys, possibly of 
enormous extent as contrasted with the powers of the travellers, from 
one district or country to another, at whatever season and with what- 
ever object apparently kept in view by nature; such as a more abun- 
dant supply of food, a more genial temperature, or the continuation 
of the species. : 

VI. Local direction: or the law in virtue of which they retrace 
their course to given places from considerable distances; as for 
instance, the bee to its hive, alike in the forests of America and 
Africa and the cottage gardens of Eugland, the salmon to its birth- 
stream, the swallow to the chimney or shed it was hatched in, the dog, 
the cat, the ass, the deer, the pigeon, and other animals without end, to 
their customary haunts after having been driven or forcibly conveyed 
to great distances therefrom, and under every disadvantage in 
connexion with finding their way back. 

VII. Providence: under which certain species lay up in store, 
while the supply is yet abundant, various materials of sustenance for 
themselves or their young, against a season when the supply shall 
have failed or become inaccessible. | 

VIII. Hybernation: under which again certain species prepare a 
suitable abode for the coming winter, and, in due time, on its 
approach, betake themselves thither and become torpid or dormant 
for the season prescribed by nature.* 

Now, in savage tribes, and in more or less uncivilized or very im- 
perfectly civilized communities, I think one is frequently led to notice 
evidences of the instinctive impulses of Food-craving, of Fear, of As- 
sociation, of Local direction, and, from time to time, of Migration. 


* T am aware that in the list given above it will be difficult to find a place for the 
adimission of such workings of Instinct as are evidenced in the newly-hatched young 
duck or other aquatic bird, when it hastens into the water; in the down-covered 
chicken or partridge, when it takes its food by pecking from the ground; in 
the equally infautile corn crake pecking from the stalks of the herbage it lives among 
and not from the ground; and other instances of the same class. And it is almost 
equally difficult not to construct, but to name a class for their reception. I must, 
therefore, content myself with this notice of all such instincts in young animals. 
Further, I wish to remark that, as will appear by a reference to the instinctive pro- 
cesses or powers enumerated, I have not included mere appetites or desires. Indeed, 
as Dr. Carpenter shows (Human Phys. p. 784) a Desire, properly speaking, depends 
upon a purely intellectual operation for its formation, and especially before it can be 
fnlly entertained. And the same is true of Appetite if it be taken iu its true sense, and 
not, in a lax sort of way, as a mere synonyme to Instinct. 


6084 Reason and Instinct. 


It appears originally to be as much by Instinct that man is 
induced to the pursuit of game,—including under that term every 
creature, from the majestic elephant down to the merest insect, 
the capture of which is profitable to man, and especially for the pur- 
poses of foud,—as it is that the lion and the tiger, the crocodile and 
the shark, the eagle and the hawk, that all animals of prey, without 
exception, are impelled to the attack and capture of their several 
quarries. The savage seems to pursue the wild creatures that 
are the main elements of his subsistence as naturally, or — what 
is here synonymous—as instinctively as they seek to elude or escape 
his pursuit. And, moreover, it is one of the last instinctive impulses 
or longings which seems to die out under the effects of long-con- 
tinued civilization and its concomitants. English Mr. Briggs is just 
as keen, after thirty or forty years of yard-measures and counter- 
skipping, for his salmon-fishing, and deer-stalking, and grouse- 
shooting, as French M. Bourgeois, when expatiating at a distance 
from his accustomed boulevards, for his gibier of sparrows, tomtits, 
and *‘ such small deer.” 

Moreover, the intuitive perception, the marvellous keenness and 
precision, the unfaltering sleight and skill available to the savage or 
nearly savage man for the capture of food-animals or the discovery of 
food-vegetables are worthy of attentive consideration. ‘The Australian 
native, the Bushman, the native of Interior Africa will fare sump- 
tuously for days or weeks where the European would perish help- 
lessly of starvation ; roots, insects, grubs, — affording no appreciable 
token of their whereabouts except to the native eye,—serving to sup- 
ply them with materials for even luxurious enjoyment rather thau 
simply for bare sustenance. The pit-falls too, and hidden traps 
adopted by the savage for the capture of his game, are but parallels to 
the pit of the ant-lion and the web of the spider; while the un- 
faltering wariness and silent footfall which characterise his every 
movement, even when not engaged in the chase, are but a repetition 
of the stealthy pace and noiseless motion of the beast of prey when 
intent upon surprising its intended victim. 

Again, what we understand by a coward is a much greater rarity 
among a savage or uncivilized race than in the dwellings of culti- 
vated life: and yet the shifts and expedients and devices adopted by 
savages, alike individually and collectively, for the purpose of eluding 
or avoiding danger, on this side from human foes, on the other from 
wild beasts, are as various as they are remarkable. Some build their 
habitation—each habitation almost a village—on a foundation of tall 


Reason and Instinct. 6085 


posts; others fly from the neighbourhood of everything which might 
render a locality eligible as a residence, and in consequence liable to 
be visited by a party of possible enemies or marauders; others again 
hide singly, so closely that nothing but cunning equal to their own 
can detect their hiding-place, and even it is often baffled; and others 
yet adopt the most wonderful devices to mislead or evade pursuit. 
Their keen apprehension and almost intuitive perception of lurking 
danger too, is absolutely astonishing. A leaf or twig bruised or set 
awry, the displacement of a pebble ora few grains of sand, the almost 
indiscernible flattening or crushing of a blade of grass or dry lichen 
on a hard rock, a thin column of ascending smoke, the merest talter 
of a torn article of raiment, are in an instant observed, scrutinized 
and made to give up copious information, where to the unremarking, 
unacuminated eye of the civilized man there would be no more sug- 
gestive material than in the filthy wares of the rag-merchant or 
the torn fragment of a copy-book from some village boy’s kite’s- 
tail. : | 

Now, in all this it is impossible not to be struck with the analogy— 
much less modified than might have been expected, by the vastly 
higher intellectual organization possessed by the savage man as com- 
pared with even the highest brute—between the avoidance of danger 
by the uncivilized man and by the other animals of creation. An 
analogy, indeed, so striking, that we are not so much justified 
in calling it instinctive as compelled so to callit. For the purpose 
of showing this analogy more conspicuously, I will not repeat again 
instances of brute caution and stratagem already often repeated, but 
will select one or two observations recorded by Dr. Livingstone, 
which forcibly-arrested my attention in the perusal of his absorbing 
narrative. “It is curious,” he says, ‘‘ to observe the intelligence of 
the game: in districts where they are much annoyed by firearms, 
they keep out on the most open spots of country they can find 
in order to have a widely extended range of vision, and a man armed 
is carefully shunned. From the frequency with which I have been 
allowed to approach nearer without than with a gun, I believe they 
know the difference between safety and danger in the two cases. 
But here, where they are killed by the arrows of the Balonda, they 
select for safety the densest forest, where the arrow cannot be easily 
shot: * * * * and on several occasions I have observed there 
was no sunshine to cause them to seek for shade.”— (‘ Livingstone’s 
Missionary Travels, p. 280). Again, “ Ants surely are wiser than 
some men, for they learn by experience. They have established 


6086 Reason and Instinet. 


themselves on the plain where water stands so long annually as to 
allow the lotus and other aqueous plants to come to maturity. 
When all the ant-horizon is submerged a foot deep they manage 
to exist by ascending to little houses built of black tenacious loam on 
stalks of grass and placed higher than the line of inundation. This 
must have been the result of experience, for, if they had waited till 
the water actually invaded their terrestrial habitations, they would not 
have been able to procure materials for their aérial quarters unless 
they dived down to the bottom for every mouthful of clay.”—(Id. 
p. 328). Once more, “ When the wounded buffalo heard the ap- 
proach of his pursuers he always fled, shifting his stand and doubling 
on his course in the most cunning manner. In other cases I have 
known them turn back to a point a few yards from their own trail 
and then lie down in a hollow for the hunter to come up.”—(Id. 
p- 266). Space will not allow me to do more than allude to 
the habits and stratagems of the fox, the deer, the hare-——not to 
mention other animals — when subjected to pursuit,* many of which 
are familiar as household words from their surprising nature and con- 
tinued publication ; to the devices of the hare when about to resume 
her form; of the rabbit for concealing her young, (actions, all 
of them emanating originally and principally, if not exclusively, from 
Instinct), in the attempt to illustrate the marvellous analogy observable 
between the habits and actions of the savage man, under the apprehen- 
sion of danger, and those of the wild animal when under the powerful 
impulses of instinctive Fear or self-preservation- 

As to Local direction, a remarkable instance of continual occurrence 
is cited above. The white man, in the American forest without his 
compass, loses his way before he has gone out of ear-shot of his tent, 
and possibly spends hours in delineating with his weary feet ring over 
ring within the space of a mile or half a mile square.t ‘The red man 


* See Mr. Couch’s notice on the connexion of Reason and Instinct (Zool. 5667) 
for a very remarkable case in point as regards the hare. 

+ “ Long practice is requisite to enable the white man to walk straight, even for 
half a mile through the bush. At first, he invariably deviates, thinking he is taking a 
straight course, and describes a circle, ending at the very spot whence he started. 
When there has been no sun, I have gone completely round in a square half mile.”— 
(Hardy, i..p. 33). The native of a moorland district, when trying to traverse 
the moor in a fog, if he lose the familiar track, is in the same predicament. An aged 
parishioner of mine once told me his experience in a case of this sort. There was no 
ereat extent of moor where he went astray, but for six hours he was tramping wearily 
on in a never-ending, irregular sort of spiral. The crowing of a cock at last revealed 
to him the neighbourhood of a dwelling, — if I remember right, the very one he had 


Reason and Instinct. 6087 


guides his steps as unerringly as though his eye were fixed on 
his bourne, or an automaton compass, self-explaining, moved on before 
him; I give a similar illustration from Dr. Livingstone: “ The grass 
at this place was so tall that the oxen became uneasy, and one night 
the sight of a hyena made them rush away into the forest to the east 
ofus. * * * Our Bakwain lad had gone after them, but had lost 
them in the rush through the flat, trackless forest. He remained 
on their trail all the next day and all the next night. On Sunday 
morning, as I was setting off in search of him, I found him near the 
waggon. He had found the oxen late in the afternoon of Saturday, 
and had been obliged to stand by them all night. It was wonderful 
how he managed without a compass and in such a country to find his 
way home at all, bringing about forty oxen with him.” — (Id. p. 168). 
Now, this instinctive capacity of self-guidance is a characteristic 
of no insignificant portion of the existing human inhabitants of the 
globe. Many and numerous tribes in America, Africa and Australia, 
are known to possess it in a greater or less degree, and thus present a 
very remarkable instance of the existence and energetic operation in 
the human species of pure, unquestionable Instinct. 

Again, as to Association. The lodges of the American Indians, the 
kraals of the Hottentots and Caffres, the villages or towns of Dr. 
Livingstone’s route from the East Coast of Africa to the West, the 
tribes of Australia possessing no fixed or permanent habitation, but 
always living together—all tell the same tale—all deliver the same 
doctrine. You never hear of individuals of savage or uncivilized 
people living singly, in isolated seclusion from their fellows. Even 
the outcasts from other tribes, fallen and degraded as they are as to 
all that elevates humanity, as to all indeed that worthily characterises 
humanity, though they scarcely know the use of fire, or recognise the 
ties and sanctions of domestic life, yet herd together in their dens and 
caves, live a life in common wherever and whatever the site of their 
squalid common home may be. 

And lastly, to pass to the subject of Migration. This has been a 


left shortly before he lost himselfj—and so put him again into the track he knew. 
I have known the sportsman with his attendant, who almost knew every hollow and 
track on the moor, obliged to sit down and wait the lifting of the fog which had come 
on them unawares. And I have myself, on a narrow strip of moor which I had tra- 
versed scores of times in all directions, and with a companion who knew it as well as 
I did, missed my direction in crossing it, at the first attempt getting 45° too much to 
the south, and the second as much to the north of my true course. 


6088 Reason and Instinct. 


law of man’s nature from the earliest period of his history; a law 
subject to modification under the various circumstances and exi- 
gencies of the race variously modified at various epochs and 
localities; but yet in its great root and principle essentially the same 
as impels the swallow, the crane, the woodcock, the lemming, the rat, 
the salmon, to their annual, or periodical, or occasional journeys of 
removal from old, but no longer fitting scenes and episodes of life, to 
others newer and replete with the requisites which had sustained, or 
were about to sustain, failure in the old. As the family of man in 
the elder ages of human life received ever-continned accessions, and 
the non-existence of sources of proportionate decrease made each 
accession an almost positive gain in population, tribes that were off- 
shoots of the parent tribe must have been thrown off in all directions ; 
and from these again, as new centres of the globe-peopling process, 
others newer went forth into the heretofore untrod, untried wastes of 
Creation. True, at the Flood, such comparatively limited portions 
of the earth's surface as had owned the hand of its human lord were 
again depopulated; but only for the repeopling process to go on 
with a rapidity before unrealised even in idea. And before long, 
numerous families, each family already a tribe in miniature, pushed 
their way and their fortunes into every portion of the world, exploring 
in every quarter scenes and countries hitherto unvisited and unseen 
by mortal foot or eye. ‘Then the Tower of Babel heard the already 
recognised law of migration authoritatively promulgated—beheld it 
branded into the living tablets of human nature. And the Jaw has 
never yet become effete. No portion of it has been annulled. Its 
operation—certainly never for long even suspended—has never 
ceased to afford evident tokens of its continuance. Look at the 
“Great Migration,” as it is called, which Europe saw before the 
medizval times, the colonizations of still and much earlier periods, the 
irruptions of huge hordes of fierce herdsmen-warriors in many an 
age and many a country in Asia and Africa, upon lands and labours 
they knew not of, except it were by a dim, dreamy hearsay, myth-like 
both in its vague dimness and its fundamental element and substratum 
of truth. These illustrations of the Instinct which impels—I use the 
word advisedly, which impels—the human species to migration from 
the scene of failing capabilities and resources to newer ones of 
abundant supplies and exceeding susceptibility of development, are 
as numerous as the ages which have looked upon man’s existence, as 
striking as the succession of scenes that have been ever newly pre- 
sented to his wondering gaze as he has been again and yet again 


Reason and Instinet. 6089 


driven to seck some newer and fitter abiding place. The illustrations 
of our first position, up to this point adduced, cannot be without 
weight to one who thoughtfully and dispassionately considers them. 
There are, however, others of a somewhat similar, or at least analogous 
description, which seem to me both interesting and instructive: I 
mean such as may be derived from observation of the habits or powers 
of the young savage. 

Both the eye and the ear among savage or uncivilized tribes are 
apt to be, so to speak, if not in intention, yet in effect, much more 
carefully trained and strengthened than the other organs of sense ; 
and to such a pitch of delicacy and keenness do the senses of sight 
and hearing attain, that a white man is often astonished at the power 
evinced by both. It is not that there is any anatomical difference in 
the eye or ear of the Savage and the citizen of London or Paris, or 
that the natural organ of him who never heard of a telescope is more 
highly organised than that of the man who rejoices in his Dollond, but 
simply the result of practice or use; but it is the practice or use, not 
of individuals, but of generations and for ages; for it must be ob- 
served that the young savage is to a great degree born with this keen 
vision and sense of hearing. And not only so, without any special 
course of teaching and training, any cumbersome ceremonial of 
“precept and example too,” he begins—long before either years or 
stature place him in advance of the period or pursuits of childhood 
—to exercise the powers by which his father is so mysteriously 
enabled to track the, to other eyes save his own, invisible footsteps of 
the man or the wild beast, to tell how long since it passed, its stature, 
its peculiarities of gesture and gait, may be its very sex and age. 
Nor is he at a loss in the forest: like his father, his compass is 
nature-given, and he threads his unfaltering way through forest 
thickets and tree-canopied shades, that one would think might baffle 
any save one well skilled in following the directions of the unerring 
needle. 

Yet again, the young of any quadruped the first time it finds itself 
plunged into water, if it be of age to have the strength for the re- 
- quisite exertion, instinctively makes the necessary motions for sup- 
porting itself on the surface, and directing its course to the margin ; 
swims, as we express it. So too, where the uncivilized people dwell 
near the coast or on the river bank, the young savage is customarily 
found, when scarcely yet more than a mere infant, able to swim, and 
even delighting to sport in the water. The following testimony is 
noteworthy :—* One day I had repaired to the stream for the purpose 

XVI. 2H 


6090 Reason and Instinct. 


of bathing, when I observed a woman sitting upon a rock in the midst 
of the current, and watching with the liveliest interest the gambols of 
something, which at first [ took to be an uncommonly large species 
of frog, which was sporting in the water near her. Attracted by the 
novelty of the sight, I waded towards the spot where she sat, and 
could hardly credit the evidence of my senses, when I beheld a little 
infant, the period of whose birth could not have extended many days 
back, paddling about as if it had just risen to the surface, after being 
hatched into existence at the bottom. Occasionally the delighted 
parent reached out her hands towards it, when the little thing, 
uttering a faint cry, and striking out its tiny limbs, would sidle for the 
rock, and the next moment be clasped to its mother’s bosom. This 
was repeated again and again, the baby remaining in the stream about 
a minute at a time. * * * * For several weeks afterwards I 
observed this woman bringing her child down to the stream regularly 
every day, in the cool of the morning and evening, and treating it to 
a bath. No wonder that the South Sea Islanders are so amphibious 
a race, when they are thus launched into the water as soon as they 
see the light. I am convinced thatit is as natural for a human being 
to swim as it is fora duck. And yet in civilized communities how 
many able-bodied individuals die, lke so many drowning kittens, 
from the occurrence of the most trivial accidents.”—(Melville’s 
‘ Marquesas Islands,’ p. 252.) No doubt there is involved in this case 
the influence of teaching; and, no doubt, that teaching is, in a sense, 
more intelligent than the presumed teaching of the bird or the beast 
to its young. But, admitting this, and recalling the exceedingly 
tender age of the children alluded to, and the failure that would be 
found attaching to an attempt to teach them something of a nature 
diverse from that bodily act which has been a habit of their pro- 
genitors for ages, it is impossible to assert that there is not here at 
least an approach to what is very like the hereditary instinct of the 
brute animal. This, at least, must be conceded, that the observed 
powers and peculiarities of the young savage, briefly adverted to 
above, must be accounted for either on the ground of pure or simple 
Instinct, or else on that of Hereditary Instinct. To me, I must con- 
fess, it appears that both are involved. 

All that has been so far advanced applies to quite savage or 
uncivilized tribes, and much of it almost as strongly to more or less 
slightly civilized communities. And there are abundant materials for 
carrying out a series of similar observations to a considerable length. 
This, however, I forbear to do, alike from necessity and from a con- 


Reason and Instinct. 6091 


viction that it would be a work of supererogation. I must not, how- 
ever, altogether omit to notice the apprehension which all the 
families, and tribes and nations of the human race, in all ages and in 
all countries, have been found to entertain in some form or other, 
though possibly more or less disguised and obscured, of the existence 
of a Supernatural Being and of a future state of existence. This 
most remarkable fact is, with scarcely a dissentient voice, attributed 
to an inward utterance or impulse of Nature; that is, in other words, 
but with scarcely a shade of variation in meaning, the apprehension 
so universal, and so remarkable in its essential identity as well as its 
universality is an instinctive apprehension. And in so far as itis 
justly so called, it would tend to justify the expression, “ An Instinct 
peculiar to man.” 

Such then are some of the observations and reasonings on which 
our first position depends for its substantiation; but, before taking 
leave of it, | may be permitted to append a few sentences from Sir B. 
Brodie’s ‘ Psychol. Researches :-—“ We cannot but suppose,” we find 
him saying at p. 199, “that when man first began to exist, and for 
some generations afterwards, the range of his Instincts must have been 
much more extensive than it is at the present time. We see the 
infant first deriving nourishment from his mother’s breast, but when 
the period of lactation is over, the experience of his parents supplies 
him with the fit kind of food derived from other sources. The 
absence of such experience must, in the first instance, have been 
supplied by a faculty which he does not now possess (but which we 
see manifested in the lower animals), directing him to seek that which 
is nutritious, and to avoid that which is not so, or which is actually 
poisonous. It is easy to conceive that much besides in the habits 
and actions of human beings, which seem now to be the results of 
experience and imitation, was originally to be traced to Instinct. 
And, indeed, there are many things which cannot well be explained 
otherwise. * * * * The majority of instincts belonging to man 
resemble those of the inferior animals, inasmuch as they relate to the 
preservation of the individual and the continuation of the species. 
To these the social Instinct is superadded, not indeed peculiar to 
man, but in him attaining a greater degree of development than in 
other creatures.” 

J. C. ATKINSON, 

Danby Parsonage, Grosmont, York, 

, March, 1858. 


6092 Birds. 


Reason and Instinct.—An excellent definition of the distinction between Reason 
and Instinct is, as at appears to me, one which I learned long since (when and whence 
it is impossible to recollect at this distant period), namely, that Reason varies its ope- 
rations illimitably according to circumstances, whereas Instinct does not. This 
definition may perhaps be pronounced not strictly philosophical, but its clearness and 
simplicity (as well as accuracy) adapt it better for common persons and purposes than 
more abstruse propositions. I have added, I believe, the word illimitably to my ori- 
ginal authority, because I am aware that instances may occasionally be noticed 
of extraordinary contrivance in animals, not merely among the higher orders, in 
meeting some change of their usual condition. But such departures from customary 
routine must be considered rather the acts of individuals, than as indicating any ad- 
vance of their species generally; for I believe it to be an undoubted fact, and 
one which every close observer of animal habits must have remarked, that among 
irrational, no less than among rational creatures, different degrees of natural intelli- 
gence exist. Besides, even when superior animal talent (so to speak) does diverge 
somewhat from the ordinary track of its congeners, its powers of invention are speedily 
exhausted, and not equal to continued demands upon it, as would be the case with 
Reason. The tendency of these suggestions may be illustrated by some familar ex- 
amples. The chaffinch, when constructing its nest, covers the outside with lichens so 
precisely similar in colour to the branch in which it is placed, that persons will pass 
repeatedly without perceiving it. But the bird, however often its nest may have been 
taken, will perseveringly build in a low tree or a bush, within reach of even children, 
instead of learning the greater security of a high tree. The house sparrow, again, 
in some respects very far from a stupid bird, yet appears particularly so in its nidifi- 
cation. The loose straws usually projecting from the nest render it one of the easiest 
to be discovered, and after it has been pulled completely down, the birds will imme- 
diately form another in the same place; which is so constantly their habit, that the alter- 
nation of framing and demolishing might be carried on through, perhaps, the whole 
breeding-season. When the sparrow builds, as it very commonly does, in a tree, its 
slovenly nest is not unfrequently blown down by a strong wind, in which case a new 
edition is forthwith produced, in the very same position, of exactly similar materials, 
and as utterly devoid, as the first, of any precaution against a misfortune like 
that which has recently occurred, nor will repeated accidents teach the expediency of 
such precautions.— Arthur Hussey ; Rottingdean, May, 1858. 


A Plea for Birds.—In the ‘ Times’ of this morning there is an account of 
the appearance and destruction of a very rare bird, the hoopoe, which was shot by Mr. 
P. Matthews, of Ongar, on Wednesday last. Permit mea brief space to protest 
against this foolish and cruel act. The hoopoe (Upupa epops) is an unusual visitor to 
the British Isles, but has been met with in almost every county in England and in 
many parts of Wales. Itis a most amusing bird in its habits, of peculiar and beauti- 
ful plumage, and, being entirely insectivorous, is perfectly harmless both in our gar- 
dens and orchards. They are numerous in many parts of Europe, particularly in the 
marshes near Bordeaux. They have been known to breed in this country, and would 
doubtless increase, but the moment they appear they are wantonly destroyed, as in 


Birds. — 6093 


the instance above recorded. Owing to this spirit of persecution many species of birds 
which were once numerous in Great Britain have entirely disappeared, and year 
by year many of the Sylviade are becoming exceedingly scarce. Last spring 
a black redstart (Phenicura tithys), being the first recorded in Hertfordshire, took up 
its abode in a friend’s garden in this town, but it was destroyed notwithstanding our 
efforts to preserve it. It has been stated, and I fear with some truth, that the greatest 
enemies to birds are ornithologists, who should be their warmest friends. No sooner 
is a strange bird discovered than war to the death is waged against it, and happy the 
pseudo-naturalist who succeeds in depriving the wretched little wanderer of its life. 
His fame is duly chronicled in the county newspaper, and a skilful taxidermist 
employed to set up “the specimen,” and exhibit it to his admiring friends, I 
am aware that all this is justified as being in the cause of science, but I would ask 
how is science advanced by the death of Mr. P. Matthews’s hoopoe? Ifa specimen 
were wanted it could have been procured from France at the price of a few shillings. 
Last year, in a journal devoted to Natural History, there appeared a notice of 
a nightingale in Devonshire. Now, all naturalists are aware that, from some cause 
which we cannot explain, these sweet songsters seldom visit that or the adjacent 
county of Cornwall. One would have thought that its very unusual appearance there 
would have been hailed with delight, and so it was, probably, by most of the residents ; 
but in an unlucky hour it was discovered by a naturalist, and—with indignation I 
write it—he barbarously and selfishly took its life. ‘‘I was fortunate,’ writes 
this cruel philomelicide, “ to shoot it as it was singing on the topmost sprig of a haw- 
thorn bush.” I protest, as I write, I can hardly restrain my pen within the due bounds 
of courtesy, and I shall not trust myself to comment upon it. But I indignantly deny 
to those destroyers the honourable name of naturalists. To my mind, the great end 
and aim of the study of Natural History is to induce us to note the wonderful instinct 
by which each animal and bird procures its food, conceals and rears its young, and the 
adaptation to the situation and circumstances in which it has been placed by the 
Great Creator, and so to teach us 


“To look from nature up to nature’s God.” 


\ 
Nor do I consider that in any case we are justified in depriving these innocent crea- 
tures of their life, even though it were necessary in the cause of science.—James S. 
Walker ; New England House, Hitchin, Herts, April 19, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Hoopoe and Pied Flycatcher in Yorkshire.—I send you a notice 
of two scarce birds which during the last week have been killed in this neigh- 
bourhood : a male specimen of the hoopoe was shot at Witton Fell, near Middleham, 
on the 24th of April, an unusual time of year for this species to be procured in Great 
Britain ; and on the 29th of the same month a pied flycatcher, also a male, was shot 
near Reeth, the first time the bird has come under my notice in this district.—Henry 
Smurthwaite ; Richmond, Yorkshire, May 1, 1858. 

Plectrophanes nivalis.—In the April number of the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 6015) 
Mr. Matthews states that a snow bunting was in the habit of perching upon a tall 
tree in a hedge-row. Surely this is a mistake. At page 281 of the ‘ British 
Ornithology, Mr. Selby, in speaking of the snow bunting, says ‘“ they run with ease 
and celerity, like the lark genus, and never perch on trees.” I can confirm Mr. Selby’s 
statement from my own observations: I have seen numbers of these birds on the 
coast of Essex, but in no instance have I ever seen one attempt to perch on a bush or 


6094 Birds. 


tree, but they will occasionally upon low, broad railings. I may also say that the pure 
black and white plumage is their summer livery, in which state they are very rarely 
seen in Britain. In winter the black feathers of the back are broadly edged with fer- 
ruginous, and the head, neck and all the under parts are strongly tinged with 
the same colour, becoming of a deep chestnut on the crown of the head and back of 
the neck ; in the breeding plumage these parts are pure white. — Henry Doubleday ; 
Epping, April 16, 1858. 

[There is certainly a mistake in Mr. Matthews’s statement, which it is important 
to correct. Was the pied flycatcher the bird that he saw.—Z£. N.] 

The Ring Ouzel near Banff. — The ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus) appears to be 
getting much more numerous in this neighbourhood than it used to be. I have, this 
year, met with many pairs in places where I had never seen it before, and I have 
in one instance been fortunate enough to find a nest containing four eggs.— Thomas 
Edward ; Banff, May 11, 1858. 

Retention of Scent by the Partridge and other Game.— Reference having been 
made in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zoul. 6014) to an opinion entertained by some persons, that 
game birds (should not the hypothesis be extended to all game animals, whose only 
defence is fight ?) possess the power of retaining their scent, I will subjoin two anec- 
dotes bearing upon the perplexing phenomenon of scent. Holding, myself, no 
theory upon the subject, I draw no conclusion, one way or the other, from what I have 
to relate, which I mention merely as facts, for the authenticity of which I will vouch. 
Though my own adventure occurred very long ago, it was in my native parish, and in 
a part thereof with which I was intimately familiar, beside that peculiar circumstances 
impressed the incident upon my memory, so that even now I could point out 
the locality, though I have not visited the spot for much nearer thirty than twenty 
years. With regard to the second story, which I know merely from the report 
of another, I may state that my informant was an intelligent, well-conducted person, 
whose veracity I have not the smallest ground for doubting. More than forty years 
ago I shot a cock pheasant, which fell winged in an open field, and ran straight for 
the opposite hedge, reaching and passing through it before overtaken by the dogs, 
which followed instantly, hunted him a little distance down the hedge, and then lost 
the scent, which they were unable to recover, when I joined them immediately after. 
Being convinced that the dogs (both very good, and even the youngest of some expe- 
rience) would not have failed to regain the trail of the bird, fresh as it was, had he 
slipped away in any direction, after vainly trying all round for some time I returned 
to the place where the pheasant had come through the hedge, for the purpose of care- 
fully examining it in the course the dogs had shown him to have taken, although the 
hedge, from having been closely browsed by sheep on both sides, was extremely thin, 
without grass or weeds at the bottom to cover even a lark. Before going far I espied 
the tip of my friend’s long tail in a small hole, like a rat’s, under an old stump of 
the underwood composing the hedge, and where, had I trusted sulely to the noses of 
the dogs, the game might have remained in perfect concealment. In this occurrence 
it is to be remarked that the mere feet of the bird left sufficient taint upon the bare 
ground for dogs to pursue unerringly for a distance of (say) about fifteen yards, more 
or less ; while no effluvium from the entire body of the pheasant passed out from its 
hiding-place to indicate its whereabout, though its enemies were eagerly seeking after 
it, with an interval of only a few inches between them. Moreover, and this deserves 
to be especially noted, no scent appears to have been left round the entrance of the 


Birds. 6095 


hole, which was so small that so large a bird must of necessity have pressed against 
the whole circumference of the orifice in furcing its body through. - Very many years 
subsequent to the event related above, the gamekeeper of a friend in the Weald of 
Kent told me, that, when attending his master at some time previously, he had marked 
down a cock pheasant from the hill where he was standing, in a wood upon an oppo- 
site hill, but, upon reaching the spot, no pheasant, nor trace of a pheasant could be 
discovered, though the underwood being of only, I think, one year’s growth, there was 
nothing to puzzle for a moment a team of, probably, from three to five well-trained 
Sussex spaniels. After searching fruitlessly for some distance around, in utter per- 
plexity the man said, either aloud or to himself, “ Iam quite certain I saw the bird 
settle precisely at this bush,” into which, as he spoke, he thrust a switch he carried, 
when the pheasant instantly rose from the very centre, where he had been lying 
quietly while his pursuers, men and dogs, were hunting for him, separated only by a 
few inches of twigs. In this case, if the dogs had been pointers or setters, very pro- 
bably they would have detected the presence of the game, whereas spaniels, working 
with their noses close to the earth, were not aware of the vicinity of the bird, because 
he had dropped at once into the bush without leaving any trail upon the ground. 
When, however, we consider, that several trained dogs with very fine noses (which the 
old Sussex spaniels unquestionably possess) were seeking their own peculiar game, 
and aware they were expected to find some there (which good, experienced dogs will 
understand from the orders given them), it seems strange that they should not discover, 
nor even suspect how very near they were to their object, if the odour of the game had 
been as widely diffused through the atmosphere, as it certainly would be under ordi- 
nary circumstances: the pheasant, while resting upon the underwood-stock, might 
have been raised above the soil perhaps from nine to, in the extreme, eighteen inches. 
—-Arthur Hussey ; Rottingdean, May, 1858. 

Small Variety of the Partridge.— Two of the correspondents of the ‘ Zovlogist’ 
have inserted short notices of the supposed variety of partridge, and in conpexion 
with my paper on that bird, which I trust, they will think, justifies me in addressing 
this note to them. It would appear that their observations have been made on birds 
found in the same district and not in distant parts of it; asthe one writes from 
Godalming, the other from Fowey, near Liphook. Will they permit me to draw their 
attention to the remarkable discrepancy in their several notices of the plumage of these 
birds? Major Spicer writes, “There is no difference of plumage that I can detect.” 
(Zool. 6014). Mr. Waring Kidd, on the other hand, speaks of them as known to him 
and others by the name of “little black heath-birds,” as being “ invariably of a blacker 
colour” than the ordinary partridge; and accounts for their “ dark colour” as origi- 
nating in their food or part of it. (Zool. 6059). I do not know how far apart Fowey 
and Hindhead are,—I think not many miles,—and it certainly is an interesting fact, if 
these partridges differ so greatly and so commonly as the communications of the two 
gentlemen named lead us to infer. I confess when I saw iu the ‘ Field’ a sort of 
challenge thrown out for the production of those smaller birds,— the editor to be the 
judge,—and excuses instead of partridges were forwarded to that gentleman, I began 
to have great doubts as to their existence anywhere, except in imagination. I think 
the concurrent testimony of Major Spicer and Mr. Kidd, both of whom agree in 
Stating the inferiority, in point of size, in comparison with the common bird to 
be about one-third, important; and that it is at least worth while to call their attention 


6096 Birds. 


to the discordancy of their statements as to the plumage of the partridges in question. 
—J.C. Atkinson; Dandy Parsonage, Grosmont, York, March, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Broad-billed Sandpiper (Tringa platyrhynca) for the third time 
in Norfolk. —I have just purchased a specimen of this rare sandpiper, which was 
killed on the 23rd of April, near Yarmouth, I believe on Braydon Broad. This bird 
is a male, gradually assuming its summer plumage: the rufous edgings to the feathers 
appearing over the head, back and scapulars. The first British specimen recorded 
was also, according to Mr. Yarrell, obtained on the muddy flats of Braydon, on the 
25th of May, 1836: the sex in this case was not ascertained. From that time no 
others had been noticed until a male, in very similar plumage to the one recently pro- 
cured, was shot at the same place, and, singularly enough, on the same day of the 
same month, May 25th, 1856. In each case they appear to have been picked out 
from amongst dunlins and ring plovers.—H. Stevenson ; Norwich, May 1, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Glossy Ibis in South Wales.—I have received, for the purpose 
of preservation, a very fine specimen of the glossy ibis, killed on the 19th of this 
month, at Langharne Marsh, near St. Clears, Carmarthenshire, South Wales. Also, 
a male specimen of the gray shrike, killed at Loughton, Essex, on the 12th of 
this month.— Thomas Hall; London Wall, April 29, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Dusky Petrel (Puffinus obscurus) in Norfolk. — A county that 
can claim the first British specimen of Steller’s western duck, and more recently the 
only specimen of the capped petrel ever obtained in this kingdom, besides many other 
rarities, may be fairly considered without further additions a ‘‘ rich ornithological dis- 
trict.’ Ihave the pleasure, however, of recording a not less interesting capture than 
either of those above-mentioned, in the fact of a dusky petrel, the true Puffinus obscu- 
rus, of Gould, having been picked up dead in this county. About the 10th of this 
month a strange bird was found dead by the gamekeeper, on the estate of Captain 
Meade, at Earsham, near Bungay. It was at once sent to a bird-preserver in this city 
to be stuffed, in whose possession I first saw it, but, unfortunately, not until it had 
been skinned and set up. Its smaller size at once distinguished this bird from the 
manx shearwater (Puffinus anglorum), and its exact resemblance to the figure of the 
dusky petrel in Mr. Yarrell’s last ‘ Supplement, added to the length and other mea- 
surements, perfectly agreeing with the description there given of this rare species, no 
doubt could well exist as to its identity. I might also state that the bird-stuffer 
having copied exactly the attitude of the bird as delineated in Yarrell, the resemblance, 
even at first sight, was more strongly marked. This specimen proved to be a male, 
but in very poor condition. It had evidently not been shot, but a wound on one side 
of the head, as though it had been hit, or had flown violently against something, was 
probably the cause of its being found dead. Except on the side of the head, 
as stated, the feathers were perfectly clean and unraffled, but the inner web of one foot 
was partially nibbled away, as though a mouse or some other vermin had been at it, 
luckily without doing further injury. It is particularly interesting, through this 
second appearance on our coasts, to establish the claim of this petrel to a place in our 
British list, especially since the first specimen had no stronger right to be so called, 
than the fact of its having flown on board a sloop near the Island of Valentia, off the 
south-west coast of Ireland. The following description of the plumage, in this 
instance, will be found to differ but little from that given by Mr. Yarrell, except that _ 
this bird is perhaps more ina state of change. ‘Top and sides of the head, neck 


Birds—Fishes. 6097 


above, upper tail-coverts, upper surface of the tail-feathers and of the wings dull 
sooty-black: the feathers of the back, including the scapulars, dark shining greenish 
black, each feather bordered by a very minute darker edging: the chin, throat, sides 
of the head below the eyes and including a narrowed rim over each eye pure white; 
as also the breast, belly and the under wing and tail-feathers: on the sides of the 
neck and passing downwards in front of the pinions, light grayish bars shading off into 
the white of the breast. Not having seen the bird in the flesh, I cannot speak as to 
the true colour of the beak and feet ; the former is now dull black and the latter as 
to the webs yellowish brown.—H. Stevenson ; Norwich, April 29, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Kentish Plover near Penzance.—A female specimen of this 
little plover was killed on our flat sands to-day, and I have had an opportunity of ex- 
amining it minutely in the flesh. 1 have a male specimen, killed here, but I never 
saw a female before, and I was somewhat perplexed in determining whether it was 
a female little plover at first. The following are a few particulars I have noted: 
weight 13 0z.: length from the beak to the end of the tail 62 in.: beak black: legs 
lead-blue: feet black: forehead pure white, extending partly over the eye, the purity 
then giving way to a reddish white passing over and behind the eye; the whole of the 
under parts unsullied white, the sides of the upper breast excepted, which have 
a patch of hair-brown, which in the male are black: the whole upper plumage from 
the top of the head to the centre of the tail pale ash-colour, the remainder of the tail 
nearly black: the shaft of the first quill-feather nearly white, the rest of the quill- 
feathers having the distal portion white, the remainder darker.— Edward Hearle 
Rodd ; Penzance, April 17, 1858. 

Occurrence of Wild Geese in the Isle of Wight.—A fortnight ago last Thursday, 
Mr. Murrow shot four Canada geese and two bernicle geese: a flock of eight came 
in Freshwater Bay; he went off in a boat, and in six successive shots killed six 
out of the eight. I have stuffed three of them: one of the bernicles will be sent to 
the British Museum by Captain Cockburn: I tried to buy the others, but he would 
not part with them.—/’. Rogers; Royal Hotel, Freshwater Gate, Isle of Wight. 


Supposed New Ammocetes.—I beg to send you for insertion in the ‘ Zoologist’ the 
following description of what I take to be a new species of a Petromyzide, perhaps 
an Ammocetes. Should it prove so, that is ifno one points out that I am wrong, I 
will name it and give its locality in a future number of the ‘ Zoologist. In length it 
is about 64 inches; in girth, where thickest, {ths of an inch. In general form it 
is rather compressed than round, being only slightly so for about two inches of 
its length, where it then appears flattish, gradually narrowing towards the tail; but on 
the top of the head, and immediately above the eye, which is remarkably small, and 
almost hid in the centre of a small groove, there is an opening or orifice surrounded with 
a sort of lip of a beautiful yellow colour, beyond which and extending backward there is 
a small depression. Dorsals two, about half an inch apart ; the first commences near 
the middle of the back, and is only a little over an inch in length; the other reaches 
to the caudal, to which it is united, and extends without intermission to about an 
inch on the under side, forming a sort of anal fin: the vent, which is about two inches 
from the end of the tail, has, like the orifice on the head, a kind of lip or fringe round 


XVI. ye 


6098 Crustacea. 


it. Branchial openings, eight on each side, are placed in a curved groove or canal. 
(In this respect it differs from all our Petromyzide, as yet described, so far as I am 
aware). The mouth may be said to be squarish, with the under lip depressed. 
There is no appearance of teeth, but numerons and very delicate cirrhi seem to supply 
their place. When fresh, it was on the top part of a most beautiful oil-green shading, 
and a dull yellow on the sides and belly: a bright yellow line runs along the middle 
of the back, beginning about an inch from the head, and extends round the caudal to 
the belly, dyeing the dorsals of the same colour. From the foregoing it will be at once 
apparent, that though it agrees in some respects with Ammocetes branchialis of 
British authors, still it differs very much in others. The eight branchial apertures 
and the squarish mouth are two most important distinctions, and cannot, I should 
think, allow it to be ranked only as a variety of the species just named. But 
as I have no wish whatever to augment species but on truthful grounds, I leave it to 
the readers of the ‘ Zovlogist’ to decide, if any of them will be kind enough to give 
their opinion.— 7homas Edward ; Banff, April 14, 1858. 

(This description has many points of extreme interest, and I sincerely hope that 
my ichthyological readers will endeavour to throw some light on the subject. The 
family Petromyzontide is made to comprise four genera, Petromyzon, Ammocetes, 
Myxine and Amphioxus: the connexion of the last of these with the other three is 
not very manifest. Petromyzon and Ammocetes have seven lateral orifices or gill- 
openings; in Myxine I believe that two only have been observed. The wonderful 
history of Myxine appears to me to require further elucidation. It seems incredible, 
and yet remains uncontradicted, that this worm-like fish should live within the bodies 
of living cod and haddock, having no other food than the proper substance, the muscle 
of these fishes, just as the larva of the ichneumon-fly feeds on the viscera or muscle 
of the living larve of moths and butterflies. I shall feel sincerely obliged to any 
naturalist who can, from personal observation, confirm, elucidate, or even refute this 
apocryphal-looking theory; as also to any reader who can identify Mr. Edward’s 
description as applicable to any known species of the family Petromyzontide.— 
Edward Newman]. 


Descriptions of Two Unrecorded British Isopoda.— During a short trip to 
Plymouth and Polperro I met with the two. following Oniscoids, which have hitherto 
escaped notice :— 


Purtoscia Coucnul, Kinahan. 


Body smooth. Head rounded, transverse, nearly straight across the front. 
The third ring produced into a small lobe beneath orbits. Telson (last ring of body) 
narrow, triangular. Apex obtusely rounded, fringed with four to six stiff spines; lateral 
margin distinctly excavated. Appendages of telson having the accessory appendage 
scarcely one-fourth the length of the ischium, which latter is elongate-subulate. 
Colour fulvous-gray, with patches of white. Runs with great activity, does 
not roll. 

Habitat.— Among stones and decaying sea-weed near high tide-mark, at Tallant 
Cove, Cornwall, where it was in company with Orchestea littorea, Porcellio scaber, 


Insects. 6099 


Ligia oceanica, Lithobius forcipatus, &c. I have given it a name after the great 
illustrator of the Cornwall Fauna, Jonathan Couch, F.L.S., of Polperro. 


PHILONGRIA gm.1s8.? 
Ivrea Meneut (Zaddack) ?? 


Body scabrous and tuberculated. Eyes very small and black, situated very 
laterally. Third ring produced into a small lobe on each side of the head, sv as to 
give the effect of a lateral lobe. Internal antenne long, three-jointed, very 
conspicuous. First to third abdominal rings granulated ; fourth to telson smooth. Tel- 
son, apex truncate, notemarginate. Abdominal false feetsame as in Philongria celer. 
Colour rose-red, with white median stripe, or white. Runs with great agility, does 
not roll. 

Habitat.—Gardens and cellars, Plymouth, where I had the pleasure of first 
recognising this species in the collection of C. Spence Bate, F.L.S., who kindly 
pointed out the locality in which he had procured it, and where we found it abundantly. 
It so closely approaches Itea Mengii, as described by Zaddack, that I have refrained 
from giving it a name, as I can scarcely persuade myself that there must not 
be some mistake in his description of the “ antenne interne” and rings of the abdo- 
men: should this surmise prove correct the genus Philongria, as established by me 
last year, must give place to Itea of Koch, as limited by Zaddack, and Philongria celer 
will prove identical with either Itea riparia or Itea levis, or perhaps with both. The 
granulations of the cephalo-thorax at once separate this species from that described by 
me last year as above. 

Philoscia Couchii is easily known from the only other described species by 
the form of telson and abdominal appendages. My stay in Cornwall was so short 
that I am sure there were other species overlooked by me. Should any naturalist 
wish to follow up the subject, Mr. James Langhorn, of Polperro, would, I am sure, if 
applied to, willingly point out the locality named, as he was with me when I found 
the animal; his collections of preserved fish, crustacea, &c. would well reward a jour- 
ney, even to Polperro.—John Robert Kinahan; Donnybrook, Dublin, April 30, 1858. 


Note on the Paper by Messrs. Boyd and More ‘‘ On the Geographical Distribution 
of Butterflies in Great Britain.”—I was much surprised at observing in Messrs. 
Boyd and More’s paper on the distribution of butterflies that the South Wales area, 
No. 6, was entirely unrepresented ; and now that Mr. Scott (Zool. 6065) asks, has no 
one visited this portion of South Wales who can give us information? I venture to 
name the species that I have myself seen and taken. 


Butter flies taken in Area 6, in 1856—57. 


Pontia Brassice, Rape and Napi. 

Pieris Crategi. In great abundance; I found the larve feeding a fortnight since 
by thousands upon insulated shrubs of Prunus spinosa, eating out the centres of the 
unexpanded buds or basking in the sun upon their winter webs. 

Anthocharis Cardamines. Common. 

Gonepteryx Rhamni. Common. 


6100 Insects. 


Thecla Betule. I got six or eight specimens last year, and bred others. 

Thecla Pruni. Most abundant. 

Thecla Quercus. Plentiful. 

Chrysophanus Phleas. Common. 

Polyommatus Argiolus. Common. 

Polyommatus Alsus. Very abundant, but local. 

Polyommatus Alexis. Everywhere. 

Polyommatus Agestis. Local. . 

Argynnis Paphia. Plentiful. 

Argynnis Aglaia. Less common than Paphia. 

Argynnis Euphrosyne. By thousands. 

Argynnis Selene. Very plentiful. 

Melitea Artemis. By thousands. 

Vanessa Cardui. Not common. 

Vanessa Atalanta, Io, Urtice, Polychloros and C-album. Plentiful and widely 
spread. 

Arge Galathea. By thousands. 

Satyrus Semele, Janira, Tithonus, Megwra, Aigeria, Hyperanthus and Pamphilus. 
All very abundant on the hills. 

Pamphila Linea and Sylvanus. 

Syrichthus Alveolus. Sparingly. 

Thanaos Tages. Local. 


This list refers to a circle round Cardiff, say of ten miles radius, and results 
from very limited observations in two years, during which not one quarter of the 
ground indicated has been explored. — Robert Drane; Guestwick, Norfolk, May 
1, 1858. 

[I shall feel extremely obliged to the Rev. Mr. Drane for specimens of Thecla 
Pruni, which he mentions as occurring in an entirely new locality.—Z. Newman]. 

Capture of Vanessa Antiopa at Stoke Newington.—On or about the 16th of 
September, last year, a specimen of Vanessa Antiopa was taken: both the wings on 
one side are injured by a piece having been taken out, probably by a bird.—J. 
Rogers ; Green Lane, near the Manor House, Stoke Newington, May 12, 1858. 

Capture of Vanessa Antiopa in Scotland. — Mr. Turner took a hybernated speci- 
men in Scotland, in April: it is one of the largest and finest I have ever seen. 
—E'dward Newman. 

Is Artaxerxes a Species.—With regard to P. Agestis and Artaxerxes, I believe 
them to be merely permanent varieties or races of one species. There is no structural 
difference to warrant their separation; though I should never expect to rear a speci- 
men of Artaxerxes from an egg deposited by Agestis or vice versa. The description of 
the larva of Agestis sent me by Zeller corresponds exactly with that of Artaxerxes 
from this neighbourhood, and not at all with the description of the former larva in 
Stainton’s ‘Manual’; but Zeller’s larva was certainly found on Erodium Cicutarium, 
while those of Artaxerxes feed on Helianthemum vulgare. We, however, so con- 
stantly find that the same species will subsist on many different plants, that the mere 
fact of difference in food cannot be considered of much importance ; nor can the cir- 
cumstance that Agestis is double-brooded, while Artaxerxes has only one brood in the 
year, either, have much weight, as many insects are only single-brooded in Scotland, 


Insects. 6101 


which are double-brooded on the Continent and in the South of England. There 
will still remain, however, a doubt upon the subject, until the transformations of both 
insects have been compared by the same individual ; and I have never yet been able to 
induce any of our southern collectors to send me the larva of Agestis, which must be 
common, and easily found, where it occurs.—R. F. Logan ; Duddingston, Edinburgh, 
May 17, 1858. 

Occurrence of Thecla Rubi, Anthocharis Cardamines and Pieris Rape in Banff- 
shire.—Whilst rambling last week in search of birds’ nests, I was delighted and not a 
little surprised to meet with quite a colony of this pretty little green under-sided 
butterfly, but they were so active that I succeeded in taking but one out of eight or 
nine that I pursued. On the following day I met with another station for the same 
insect. Both the stations are high up on the hills, and agentleman who resides in the 
vicinity told me they were met with there every season. Lower down, Pieris Napi 
and Anthocharis Cardamines were met with on lower ground in abundance.—T7homas 
Edward ; Banff, May 8, 1858. 

Occurrence of Deilephila livornica near Exueter.—The capture of Deilephila livor- 
nica is, I believe (particularly at this season of the year), of rare occurrence. It may, 
therefore, be worthy of a notice in the pages of the ‘ Zoologist,’ that a male specimen 
of this insect was, on the 20th instant, taken at rest on the ground in a garden near 
my house, and is now on my setting-board.—H. D Orville ; Alphington, near Exeter, 
April 22, 1858. 

Notodonta carmelita at Addington.— The park of the Archbishop of Canterbury 
has again been successfully searched for Notodonta carmelita, and this beautiful, but 
local species, seems likely to become general in collections: its season extends from 
the last week in April to the end of the second week in May, thus following the 
equally desiderated Aleucis pictaria.—Hdward Newman. 

Stauropus Fagi.—This insect, now so rare, has turned up in woods to the north of 
London this year, at rest on the boles of vak trees.—Id. 

Endromis versicolor and Petasia nubeculosa,— Mr. Turner has just returned from 
Scotland with an abundant supply of these two beautiful moths. His collection of 
versicolor exbibits rather a remarkable feature, the males and females being in nearly 
equal numbers. Every insect has been pinned before it had taken wing, hence they 
are in the most perfect condition. He offers the versicolor at 5s.a pair, male and 
female; the nubeculosa at 30s. a pair, male and female.—Id. 

Capture of Heliothis peltigera at Plymouth.— During a walk on the 18th 
of April I took a specimen of Heliothis peltigera, at rest on a stone in a steep 
bank near Plymouth. — H. S. Bishop ; Catherine Street, Plymouth, April 27, 1858. 
— Intelligencer. 

The Larva of Gnophos: is there more than one British Species ? — The larve of 
this genus are now full grown: those which I am acquainted with feed by night on 
the rock cistus (Helianthemum vulgare), and may best be taken by searching late in the 
evening with a lamp, but a close search will reveal them by day, concealed under the 
leaves. Of the brown variety, common in this neighbourhood, I have known the 
transformations for some years; the lead-coloured insect, abundant on the upper part 
of the mountains in North Wales, has also been reared by our Northern entomolo- 
gists,—the larve of this variety and their habits are identical with the Bristol insect. 
There are two varieties occurring in the Isle of Wight, on the South Downs and other 
places, one ashy-coloured in abundance, the other semitransparent and rarer: there is 


6102 Insects. 


also a very dark insect, abundant in the New Forest and on various heaths in the 
South of England. It would be very interesting to compare the larve of all the 
varieties and ascertain if any difference exists between them, or whether the great 
and constant difference in the colour of the perfect insects is merely attributable to 
soil. I have not used any specific names for the several varieties, as there seems con- 
siderable confusion among them.—P. H. Vaughan ; Redland, Bristol.—Id. 

Gnophos obscuraria.—Although it is quite true that all the specimens of Gnophos 
obscuraria taken on Parley Heath are of a dark colour, I do not consider that character 
sufficient to distinguish them as a species from the lighter-coloured ones. 1 took one 
specimen on Parley Heath, which, placed by the side of some of the darker specimens 
from Charmouth, would puzzle any entomologist to say to which species it belonged.— 
J.C. Dale; Glanville’s Wootton, near Sherbourne, May 8, 1858. 

[The following extract from the ‘ Entomological Magazine,’ i. 515, dated October 
1833, will show that the excellent entomologist who contributes the foregoing para- 
graph entertained and published the same opinion as to the extending the limits of this 
variable species twenty-five years ago, which is now gaining ground through the advo- 
cacy of that no less accomplished observer, M. Guenée. “I have taken Charissa 
serotinaria on a chalk soil, as in the Isle of Wight, for instance, and always whitish ; 
C. pullaria, on stony chalk, at Dover, is rather darker; and another variety, on Portland 
stone, darker still; besides a variety at Monk’s Wood, which appears intermediate. I 
have taken C. dilucidaria at Teignmouth, between grass and heath; and one, very nearly 
allied, on the Mendip Hills, out of furze and on old walls. C. obscuraria, which I 
have taken on Parley Heath, is very dark indeed. Isit not possible that all these are 
but one species P—J, C. Dale.”—Edward Newman]. 

Gnophos pullaria, §c.—I have before me larve of this insect, taken by Mr. 
Vaughan at Durdham Down, furnished to me by Mr. Greening, and also larve col- 
lected by Mr. Greening, Mr. Almond and myself at Llanferros, Denbighshire, and at 
Prenton, in Cheshire, and of some larve which I met with on Bidston Hill last week. 
Having paid much close attention to the egg, larve and imago of this insect, I have 
no hesitation in pronouncing the whole of these larve to be those of one variable spe- 
cies. It may be said, “So says Guenée;” but, however proud we may be of 
M. Guenée’s admirable works, we must not take all for granted that even he says, as, 
for instance, Cheimatobia filigrammaria and C. autumnaria, which he gravely tells us 
are one species (simply because he was short of information upon this point) do not — 
even appear in the same localities or within a month or two of each other; but, as it 
is more than probable that I shall have the larve of both species this season, I reserve 
my remarks for a time, merely observing that I already possess sufficient information 
respecting both species to warrant me in saying they are distinct. I may also observe 
that I havea full set of another equally distinct species (a birch feeder) in my cabinet, 
under the name Cheimatobia approximaria: the female of this species is even more 
distinct from either of the above species than the female of autumnaria is from the 
female of filigrammaria. — C. S. Gregson ; Stanley, May 9, 1858.—Intelligencer. 

Gnophos obscurata and G, pullata. — In Mr. Stainton’s ‘ Manual’ two species of 
the genus Gnophos are given as British, v2z., obscurata and pullata. Whether we 
have or have not more than one species, it is certain that the pullata of Treitschke, 
Herrich-Scheffer and Guenée, aud which is considered to be the species intended by 
this name in the Vienna Catalogue, has not yet been found in Britain, and therefore 
the name ought not to be applied to either of the varieties or species found here. The 


Insects. 6103 


probability is that we have only one, varying, according to the locality, from a 
very pale gray to a brownish black; but the discovery of the larve of all the varieties 
will settle the question.—Henry Doubleday ; Epping, May 13, 1858. 

The Genus Oporobia.—In the ‘ Intelligencer’ Mr. Gregson states that, in his 
opinion, we have four British species of this genus. I cannot agree with him, and 
think that my friend M. Guenée is right in reducing them to two, dilutata and fili- 
grammaria. The Oporobia autumnata of Boisduval and Gueneée dves not appear to 
have occurred in Britain. O. dilutata is extremely variable in size and colour, and 
the Perthshire specimens are nearly double the size of those taken in the South of 
England. In this locality the late Mr. Weaver captured a species which has since 
been known by the name of autumnaria, and which differs from the Manchester and 
Arran specimens of filigrammaria in nothing but size, being much larger and exactly 
agreeing in this respect with the specimens of dilutata found in the same locality. 
I sent a long series of each sex of this insect to M. Gueneée, and, after a careful 
examination, he came to the conclusion that it was only a local variety of filigram- 
maria. My. Edleston has since seen some of the specimens, and considers them the 
same as the Manchester species, but much finer. The first specimen I ever saw of 
this insect was given to me, many years since, by Sir William Jardine, and I was 
convinced that it was distinct from dilutata, although my late friend J. F. Stephens 
thought at that time it was only a variety. When in Paris, some time afterwards, I 
saw specimens of autumnata in the collections, and thought them identical with the one 
which I possessed. I had not the specimen with me to compare with the French 
ones, and it seems that I was mistaken. Mr. Edleston afterwards took the species 
near Manchester, and Mr. Weaver in Arran, and, more recently, the larger specimens 
near Rannoch.—Jd. 

Description of a British Eupithecia new to Science.-- 


EvupIrHEcIA vimtnata, Doubleday. 


E. Alis omnibus cinerascentibus, anticis puncto minuto ordinario nigro 3 striga 
obsoletissima postica undulata alba. 


All the wings pale ashy brown, with the ordinary black spot in the centre of the 
anterior wings, but very minute, and a very indistinct pale waved line at the posterior 
margin. Posterior wings pale brown, with very faint undulated strige. 


I sent this obscure species to my friend M. Guenée: it does not appear to be a variety 
of any named species, and M.Guenée considered the name viminataa very suitable one 
if the insect was really distinct, as it appears to frequent the osier. Having examined 
several specimens kindly lent to me by Mr. Greening, Mr. Bund and the Rey. P. H. 
/Newnham, I have little doubt of the validity of the species.—Jd. 

Capture of Cucullia Chamomille near London. —I took a fine male specimen of 
this insect, in the neighbourhood of Hornsey, on the 9th instant. I have not heard of 
its being taken so near London before, or at such an early date. ‘The specimen is in 
the collection of the Entomological Club.—Zhomas Huckett ; 26, Britannia Row, 
Lower Road, Islington ; May 17, 1858. 

Occurrence of Ephyra orbicularia at Lewes.— On Saturday evening last my son 
Walter had the good fortune to take a very perfect specimen of Ephyra orbicularia.— 
Edward Jenner ; 2, West Street, Lewes, May 17, 1858. 

Larva of Tephrosia Laricaria.—In a few remarks (Zool. 6067) upon the larva of 


6104 Insects. 


T. Laricaria, the editor very sensibly and naturally asks how I “ recognise a larva of 
which no figure or description exists, indeed which no one has previously seen, and 
which I have not yet bred, to be that of Tephrosia Laricaria?” My reply is that I 
came to the conclusion that the said larve were those of T. Laricaria, and could be 
no other species,—first, because no other known larva of that size feeds upon the 
larch ; secondly, because the size and general appearance resembled generically that 
of its congener ‘I’. crepuscularia, though still distinguishable; and, lastly, because the 
perfect insect is an inhabitant of Lancashire, where T. crepuscularia (at all events our 
pale ashy specimens) are rarely taken. I regret to add that every one of seven larve 
taken last September have, I fear, died in the pupa state, unless indeed they are 
ichneumonized.— Henry Burney; Wavendon Rectory, near Woburn, Bedfordshire ; 
May 18, 1858. 

[I feel much obliged for Mr. Burney’s reply, but I cannot say that I regard his 
reasons as satisfactory: the proof that these seven larve were those of T. Laricaria 
seems to me as far removed as ever.—Hdward Newman. | 

Aleucis pictaria.—The pursuit of this insect has been very hot this year, and very 
successful; but the limits of the one locality now worked have not been extended. 
This is very singular, because the habits of the insect, crawling at the stems, or flitting 
about the white blossoms of the sloe, have for years been familiar to our best collectors. 
I believe MraStevens was the discoverer of this secret, but, so great was his love of 
species preservation, that, to his credit be it spoken, I believe he never disclosed it. 
We have to thank that accomplished Frenchman M. Guenée, to whom Nature seems 
to reveal all her secrets, for making the fact known to the entomolvgical public. 
Within the compass of my own limited information one hundred and twenty-eight 
specimens have been taken at Dartford Heath this year, the collectors on the ground 
being Messrs. Machin, C. B. Newman, Dow, Bouchard, Harding, Baldwin, F. O. 
Standjsh, Phipps (the son of ‘“‘ mine host” where the entomologists renovate the out- 
ward man), Tompkins, Wallace, Latchford, Barrett, Mitford and others. Two of 
these returned with empty boxes. Aleucis pictaria was first taken (in Britain) at™ 
Berechurch, near Colchester, where it was most abundant, rushing madly into the 
flame vf candles whenever an open window or broken pane permitted of its performing 
this act of self-sacrifice at the shrine of Vesta. It has also been taken on the South 
Downs, in Sussex, where the straggling and stunted sloe bushes strive with the sea 
breezes.—Hdward Newman. 

Camptogramma gemmaria.—I had the pleasure to take one specimen of this rare 
species at a gas lamp near Dulwich on the 16th of April. It is not in good condition, 
and had probably hybernated.—C. G. Barrett ; 37, Park Street, Mile End, May 12, 
1858. 


A Synonymic List of the British Trichopterygide. 
By the Rev. A. MaTtHeEws, M.A. 


THE following synonymic list is an attempt to reduce the nomen- 
clature of the British Trichopterygide into something like uniformity. 
I have endeavoured to ‘accomplish this in the hope of rendering the 


‘ Insects. 6105 


study of these curious little atoms more intelligible to a beginner, 
and of avoiding the confusion which now exists from the indiscrimi- 
nate application of the same name to species widely differing from 
each other. For this purpose I have, to the utmost of my power, 
carefully compared the descriptions given by most of the authors 
referred to in the list with specimens of each species, and in many 
cases I have received the valuable assistance of my friend Mr. Water- 
house, who has with much kindness examined those works to which I 
had not the means of access. 

I have made some alterations in the disposition of the genera, since 
it appears to me that this family is closely allied to the Brachelytra, 
not only in the external form and habits of the species, but especially 
in the dissections of the mouth, and that, in a general arrangement of 
the order, it should follow that extensive class. According-to this 
idea the transition through Ptinella to the typical genus Trichopteryx 
is easy and natural, and, however impracticable as a whole a purely 
natural arrangement may be, I do not think it should be entirely lost 
sight of; and again, by placing Ptilium, Ptenidium and Nossidium 
at the end of the family, you leave this group, by an easy descent, 
either to Scaphidium or Choleva, to which in many points they bear 
an evident affinity. 

With regard to the separation of Ptinella and some others from the 
genera with which they have been hitherto associated, [ conceive that 
I am justified in thus dividing them by their great external dissimi- 
larity; and where external characters are the almost only available 
points of distinction, they carry with them a weight which they would 
not otherwise possess. I much regret that, owing to the extreme 


_ rarity of many of these species, I have been unable to obtain dis- 


sections, as I believe that such an examination would fully sanction 
their separation. In order to avoid muitiplying terms, I have adopted 
for these genera names previously used in the same family by Mots- 
choulsky and other writers; but as these names were not in every 
case originally applied to the species to which I have assigned them, 
T subjoin descriptions of the genera and species now characterized 
for the first time. 

I have, for the same reason, retained the name of Ptilium for the 
genus to which Erichson assigned it, as he appears to have been the 
first to publish its characters: all reference to Gyllenhal must how- 
ever be expunged, as that author not only did not intend the name 
for any of the species to which it is now given, but actually assigns 


it to two species of Ptenidium, vz. pusillam and punctatum. 
XVI. 2K 


6106 


Insects. 


PTINELLA, Mots. 


Antenne articulis undecim, duobus basalibus maximis, cylindricis, 


sex sequentibus parvis, gracillimis, gradatim incrassatis, apicali- 
bus tribus magnis, ovatis, terminali acuminata; caput magnum, 
Jatum, fronte obtusa, pronoto profunditer insertum; pronotum 
transversum, anterius dilatatum, posterius valde constrictum, 
elytroruam humeris bene compactum; scutellum amplum, trian- 
gulare; elytra brevia, truncata, vix dimidium abdominis tegen- 
tia; abdomen amplum, elongatum, minime retractile, lateribus 
alte marginatis, segmentis quinque apertis, prioribus tribus 
equalibus, penultimo magno, obtuso, apicali minimo; femora 
robusta, elongata; tibiz compressz, posteriores duo medio di-- 
latate ; tarsi exigul. 

Forma pronoti, elytris permulto brevioribus, et abdomine 
prelongo ac robusto ab omnibus aliis Ptinella differt. 


Preryx, Matthews. 


Antenne articulis undecim, duobus basalibus maximis cylindricis, 


di 


tertio exigua, sex sequentibus ferme paribus, gradatim incras- 
satis, duobus apicalibus magnis, rotundatis; caput magnum, 
latum, fronte valde rotundata; oculi parvi; pronotum trans- 
versum, anterius contractum, posterius dilatatum, elytrorum 
humeris permulto latius; scutellum modicum, triangulare; 
elytra ovata, truncata, abdominis partes 2 tegentia; abdomen 
ovatum, retractile, segmentis quinque ferme equalibus apertis, 
lateribus haud marginatis; cox magne, posteriores parum 
dilatatz ; tibiz longe, paulo compresse, posteriores indistincte 
calcaratz, ac medio parum dilatate ; tarsi longiores gracillimi. 

Forma corporis, preeserlim pronoti, hoc genus Trichopterici 
assimilat, coxis tamen parum dilatatis, antennisque dissimilibus 
facile potest distingul. 


Pteryx mutabilis, Matthews. 


c. 3—,, lin. Elongata, ovata, rufo-testacea, aureo pubescens, 
crebre ac fortius punctata; capite magno, rotundato; pronoto 
transverso, longitudini capitis vix equali, anterius valde con- 
tracto, angulis rotundatis, angulis posterioribus rectis, margine 
posteriori et anteriori recta; elytris ovatis, ad humeros pronoto 
angustioribus, apicibus truncatis, ad suturam sinuatis; pedibus 


Insects. 6107 


atque antennis pallidis, translucidis, antennarum articulis corona 
selarum nigrarum ornatis. 

Color specie1 hujusce post mortem est varius, viventibus 
rufo-testaceus aut dilutior, aut intensior, sed post mortem vari- 
etatum harum aliam aut aliam adhibeat, videlicet, 

Var. a. Ut in vita testacea, aut rufo-testacea, colore uno. 

Var. 8. 'Testacea, elytris translucidis, ala utraque plaga nigra, 

media, longitudinali, visa. 

Var. y. Rufo-testacea, elytris subtranslucidis, capite, pronoto, 

apicibusque latis elytrorum, piceis. 

Permultum dubito annon hecce species T.suturalis D. Erich- 
son atque aliorum sit, et ei tributam’ esse vellem, ni figura in 
Monographia D. Gillmeister determisset; cujus figure aliz 
omnes adeo sint perfectz, ut sit vix verisimile hac una falli. 

Capta prope Weston in agro Oxoniensi. 


Trichopteryx convexa, Matthews. 


L.c.$lin. Valde convexa, punctata, nigra, nitida, capite magno 
prominulo; pronoto valde convexo, posterius dilatato, leviter 
sed distincte punctato, ad basim linea punctata, transversal, 
profunde impressa, marginibus lateralibus adjuncta; lateribus 
ipsis leviter marginatis, et ad modum T. grandicollis rotundatis ; 
margine basali subsinuata, angulis posterioribus ferrugineis, 
acutissimis, et valde productis elytrorum humeros amplexis ; 
elytris brevioribus, longitudine pronoti vix excedentibus pallide 
pubescentibus, magis profunde punctatis, apicibus ferrugineis 
subrotundatis ; antennis ac pedibus ferrugineis. 

Forma convexissima, et pronoti linea transversali ab aliis 
cognoscitur. 
in agro Oxoniensi semel capta. 


Micrus, Mots. 


Antenne pilose, articulis undecim, duobus basalibus elongatis, 
robustis, cylindricis ; tertio exiguo, parti trienti sequentis vix 
equali, quinque proximis zqualibus, elongato-ovatis, apicalibus 
tribus elongatis, gradatim incrassatis; palpi maxillares magni, 
articulis quatuor, basali minuto, secundo elongato, parum re- 
curvato, tertio maximo ovato, apicali minutissimo, acuminato ; 
caput magnum, latum; oculi prominuli; pronotum subquad- 
ratum, paulo anterius dilatatum; scutellum amplum, triangu- 
lare; elytra oblonga, truncata, apicibus fere rectis; abdomen 


6108 


Insects. 


obtusum, segmentis quatuor apertis, prioribus tribus fere equali- 
bus, postremo maximo obtuso; pedes parum elongati, coxis 
anterioribus magnis posterioribus paulo dilatatis; tibiis posteri- 
oribus calcaratis, tarsisque brevioribus, gracillimis. 

Forma oblonga et obtusa, pronoto subquadrato, atque coxis 
minus dilatatis a Trichopterice hoc genus differt ab aliis autem 
coxis evidenter dilatatis elytrisque truncatis. 


Titan, Newman. 


Antenne articulis undecim, basali maximo cylindrico, secundo 


magno orbiculato, sex sequentibus brevibus rotundatis, fere 
zequalibus, tribus ultimis majoribus rotundatis, apicali acumi- 
nato; caput magnum, fronte rotundata; pronotum transversum, 
posterius parum dilatatum, capite vix longius, lateribus rotun- 
datis, angulis fere rectis; scutellum magnum triangulare; elytra 
abbreviata, quadrata, abrupte truncata, posterius parum dilatata, 
ad humeros pronoto parum angustiora; pedes breviores, coxis 
omnibus magnis, posterioribus haud laminatis, tibiis anteriori- 
bus dilatatis, intus calcaratis posterioribus quatuor robustis, 
tarsis mediocribus, articulis basalibus parum dilatatis. 

Hoc genus coxis haud laminatis Trichoptericibus propriis 


differt, a sequentibus elytra brevissima ad distinguendum 
valent. 


SYNONYMIC LIST. 


Fam. TricHopreryGip&, Halliday, Dub. Nat. Hist. Rev. (Proe. of 


Soc. pp. 121—123; Faune Francaise. 


Trichopterygia, Gillmeister, Deuts. Ins. von J. Sturm. xvii. Tri- 
chopterygia, Hrichson, Nat. der Ins. Deuts. 11.13. Ptilina, Heer, 


Faun 


. Col. Helvet. 


Gen. 1. PTINELLA. 


Trichopteryx, p., Gzllm. Ptilium, p., Hrichson, l. c. 11. 31—33; 
Guérin; Faune Francaise, i. 388; De Jean, Catal. 3rd ed. 138. 
Omalium, Waltl, in litt. test. Gillm. 


1. Britannica, Matthews, Zool. 6032. 


Gen. 2. PTERYx. 


1. Mutabilis, Matthews. 


Insects. 6109 


Gen. 8. TRICHOPTERYX. 


Trichopteryx, Kirby, Int. to Ent. iii. 40; Stephens, Ill. Br. Ent. ; 
Curtis, Guide; Erichson, l. c. 18; Heer, Faun. Col. Helvet. 1. 374; 
p-, Gillmetster, l. c. 1; Faune Francaise, 1.; Haliday, 1. c. 122. 
Acrotrichis, p., Motschoulsky ; Wollaston. Silpha, p., Marsham. 
Scaphidium, p., Gyllenhal. Latridius, p., Herbst. Dermestes, p., 
De Geer. Ptilium, p., Sturm’s Catal.; Motschoulsky. 


1. Grandicollis, Erichson, 1. c. 20; Haliday; Faune Francaise: 
fascicularis, Heer ; Gillm.: minutissima? Marsh.: atomaria, Steph. : 
lata, Mots. 

2. Convexa, Matthews. 

3. Fascicularis, Herbst, Kaf. v. 8, pl. 41, f.7; Hrichson; Faune 
Franc.; Halday: intermedia, Gillmeister: grandicollis, Maerkel, 
Mann. 

4. Atomaria, De Geer, Ins. iv. 218, t. 8, f. 16—20 (test. Gillm.); 
Gyllenhal; Erichson; Heer; Gillmeister; Faune Fr.; Redten- 
bacher; Motschoulsky; Haliday: minima, Marsham; Stephens: 
flavicornis, Walil: marina, Motschoulsky: Var. Chevrieri, Allibert. 

5. Thoracica, Gillmeister, l. c. 48; Faune Fr. 

6. Mollis, Haliday, l..c. 123, pl 3, f. 7. 

7. Suffocata, Haliday, 1. c. 123. 

8. Brevipennis, Hrichson, l. c. 21; Faune Francaise: clavipes, 
Gillmeister : picicornis, Mannerheim. 

9. Sericans, Schuppel; Heer, l. c..374 (test. Gillm.); Erichson ; 
Faune Franc. ; Motschoulsky ; Haliday: depressa, Sturm’s Catal. ; 
Gillimeister ; Redtenbacher: Var. volans, var. acuminatum, var. bo- 
vinum, var. brevis, Motschoulsky. 

10. Pumila, Evichson, l.c. 22; Faune Francaise; Haliday: seri- 
cans, Gillmetster : Montadoni, rivularis, A/libert : longicorne, quadra- 
tum, Motschoulsky. 

11. Similis, Gellmeister, l. c. 53. 

12. Pygmea, Hrichson, l.c. 21; Faune Fr.; Haliday: parallel- 
ogramma, Gillmeister ; Redtenbacher: Chevrolati, Allibert. 


Gen. 4. Micrus. 
Micrus, Motschoulsky. Ptilium, Faune Fr. i. 334. 
1. Filicornis, Faune Fr. i. 338. 


2. Pulchellus, Allibert, in lilt. Dom. Aubé (test. Gillin. l. ec. 95) ; 
Faune Fr. 


6110 Insects. 


Gen. 5. TITAN. 


Titan, Newman. ‘Trichopteryx, p., Heer, Hrichson; Faune Fr. 
Gillmeister ; Allibert; Haliday. 


1. Abbreviatellus, Heer, l. c.1. 375; Erichson; Faune Francaise: 
curta, Allibert ; Gillmeister; Haliday: Titan? Newman, Ent. Mag. 
th. 201, 


Gen. 6. PTILIUM. 


Ptilium, Hrichson, l. c. 24; Redlenbacher ; Comolli; Faune Fr.; 
Flaliday.  ‘Trichopteryx, p., Stephens; Motschoulsky ; Allibert; 
Mannerheim; Gillneister. Latridius, p., Herbst. Elophorus, p., 
Gyllenhal; Weber § Mohr.  Ptinella, Micrus, Ptenidium, Mots- 
choulsky. 


1. Kunzei, Heer, 1. c. 375; Erichson; Redtenbacher; Mots- 
choulsky ; Gillmeister ; Faune Francaise : nana, p., Stephens: lon- 
gicorne, Walil; Maerkel; Mannerheim: spinipenne, Comolli. 

2. Angustatum, Spence, in litt.; Erichson, l. c.29; Faune Fr. ; 
Halliday: oblongum, Maerkel; Gillmeister; Redtenbacher: rugu- 
losum, Allibert. 

3. Fuscum, Waltl, in litt.; Erichson, l. c. 28; Gallmeister ; Faune 
Fy.: Var. fascipenne, Forster. 3 

4, Canaliculatum, Maerkel, in litt.; Hrichson, l. c. 25; Gill- 
meister : minutissima, Heer. 

5. Minimum, Herbst, 1. c. tab. 44, f. 8 (test. Gillmeister) : exca- 
vatum, Maerkel; Erichson; Gillmeister; Faune Franc.; Redten- 
bacher: foveolata, Allibert: limbata, gallicum, Motschoulsky : 
clandestinum, Haliday. 

6. Coarctatum, Haliday, l. c. 122. 

7. Minutissimum, Weber & Mohr; Gyllenhal, Ins. Suec. i. 136; 
EBrichson; Gillmeister; Faune Fr.: trisulcatum, Stephens; Aubé: 
lesicolle, Waltl.: excavatum, Haliday. 


Gen. 7. PTENIDIUM. 


Ptenidium, E’richson, 1. c. 84; Redtendacher; Wollaston; Faune 
Fr.; Haliday; p., Motschoulsky. Trichopteryx, p., Kirby; Heer ; 
Mannerheim ; Motschoulsky; Allibert; Gillmetster. Anisarthria, 
p-, Waterhouse ; Stephens. Scaphidium, p., Gyllenhal. Silpha, p., 
Marsham. FPtilium, Schuppel (test. Gyll.) 


Entomological Society. 6111 


1. Pusillum, Gyllenhal, l. c. i. 189, iv. 293; Evrichson; Redten- 
bacher ; Gillmeister; Faune Francaise; Haliday: winutissimum, 
Stephens: nitidum, Heer: 4-foveolatum, Allibert: evanescens, 
Marsham. 

2. Levigatum, E’richson, l. c. 35; Gillmeister ; Faune France. ; 
Haliday: punctatum, Stephens. 

3. Punctatum, Gyllenhal, l. c. iv. 293; Faune F'r.; Wollaston ; 
Haliday: fuscicorne, E'richson: alutacea, Gillmeister : littorale, ob- 
scuricorne, Motschoulsky. 

4. Apicale, Erichson, 1. c. 35; Sturm; Redtenbacher; Gill- 
meister ; Faune Francaise ; Haliday: perpusillum, melas, Marsham ; 
Stephens: nitidum, Stephens: evanescens, Heer; Motschoulsky : 
punctatum, elongatum, myrmecophilum, Motschoulsky. 


Gen. 8. NoSsIDIUM. 


Nossidium, E’richson, l.c.17; Faune fr.; Haliday. Anisarthria, 
p-, Stephens ; Motschoulsky. Ptilium, p., Redtenbacher. Dermestes, 
p., Marsham. 


1. Pilosellum, Marsham, Col. Brit. 78; Stephens; Erichson ; 
Faune Francaise; Haliday: nitidulum? brunneum? Marsham ; 
Slephens: Ferrari, kedtenbacher. 


A. MATTHEWS. 
Gumley, Market Harborough, 
May 15, 1858. 


Remarks on the Sale of the Entomological Society's Exotic Collection: a Letter 
addressed to the President. 


Dear Dr. Gray, Oatlands. 


As you have taken no notice whatever of the only part of my letter which 
was particularly addressed to you, I suppose I must come to the conclusion that the 
Council do not mean, by a small act of grace, to extenuate a great injustice. 

Unconvinced by your lecture, I stick to my text that you have done that which is 
neither lawful nor right. 

The Society may, as you say, “derive great benefit from what it has done.” Tt 
may prosper by the aid of that which I believe to be ill-gotten wealth; but I consider 
that its stability and good name went with the tattered fragments of the collection 
which was dispersed at the sale-room. 

Before then I would not have presumed to compare my private collection with 


that of a Society, but since you have done su I accept the comparison. My life, in a 


6112 Entomological Society. 


business point of view, may be worth fifteen or twenty years’ purchase, and I suppose 
this is your notion of the duration of the Society since its fall. I see no further 
analogy between a public and a private collection. One is known to be of short 
duration, the other is supposed to belong to the future. My collection is my own, to 
dispose of as I please; yours was entailed and left to you in trust: mine, when I am 
done with it, will, I hope, be placed in the hands of those who have more regard for 
the feelings of others than the Council of the Entomological have shown. 

You attempt to connect me, as an M.E.S., with the misdeeds of the Council. 
The fourteen days’ notice of the sale, when the collection was already doomed and at 
the sale-room, was—or my memory fails me—the only notice which, as a member of the 
Society, I have ever had of the intentions of the Council, and this notice was sent me 
not by them, but by the auctioneers. Of the years of discussion of which you speak 
I have never heard one syllable, except by rumour. Until that fourteen days’ notice 
was given my belief was that the better feelings of the Council had prevailed, 
and that the rumoured sale had been considered, as it ought to have been, an 
impossibility. 

I am yours very truly, 
W. C. Hewirson. 


Reply to the preceding by Dr. Gray. 


British Museum, May 12, 1858. 

My dear Mr. Hewitson, 

I have this moment received from you a note, without date, respecting 
the sale of the Society’s collection, and as you inform me that you have sent it to 
Mr. Newman, as you did the former note, before it reached my hands, I reply through 
the same channel. I cannot agree with you that the Society has done anything 
“which is neither lawful nor right; but I believe that they have acted in a most 
proper, regular and legal manner throughout, and with your implied sanction. 

It is true that the Society hold the collection and other property in trust for the 
benefit of the members at large; but the trust has nothing to do with the persons who 
have presented specimens to the Society without any condition or reservation of any 
kind. I think you overlook the fact that the members of the Society who do not 
attend the meetings of the Society when duly invited are bound by the acts of those 
that do attend, and that you cannot excuse yourself because you have neglected your 


duties as a member. 
My dear Sir, 


Ever yours truly, 
J, E. Gray. 


Remarks on Dr. Gray's Note (Zool. 6070). 


To the Editor of the ‘ Zoologist.’ 
Will you allow me to protest against the doctrine laid down in Dr. J. E. 
Gray’s letter (Zool. 6070), viz. that public bodies stand on the same footing as indi- 
viduals, with respect to the right of converting into money objects of Natural History 
that have been presented to them. Surely there must be general concurrence in Mr. 


Entomological Society. 6113 


Hewitson’s view, that Collections are given to public Societies to prevent the dispersion 
of them: gifts to individuals, for the gratification of friendly feeling, stand on a very 
different footing ; yet, even in the latter case, the conversion of the gift into money 
would be generally deemed a most ungrateful proceeding. I know nothing more of 
the matter in dispute than what is to be collected from the two letters, and my sole 
object iu troubling you with these few lines is to avert the discouragement of dona- 
tions to public Institutions, which Dr. Gray’s avowal that “ their property must be 
liable to be distributed like that of a private individual” must necessarily produce. I 
most strongly dissent from the Dr.’s doctrine that the legality of the sale is the only 


question for consideration. 
I am, Sir, yours obediently, 


J. P. Witnort. 
Leamington, May 12. 


[The discussion on this subject will now cease.— Edward Newman. | 


Proceedings of Societies. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


May 3, 1858.—Dr. Gray, President, in the Chair. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 
_donors:—‘ Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou,’ 1856, Nos. 
2—4, and 1857, No. 1; presented by the Society. ‘Catalogue of the Lepidopterous 
Insects in the Museum of the East India Company,’ by Thomas Horsfield, M. and 
Ph. D., F.R.S., Keeper of the Company’s Museum, and Frederic Moore, Assistant, 
Vol. i.; by the Hon. Court of Directors of the East India Company. ‘ Proceedings 
of the Royal Society, Vol. ix, No. 30; by the Society. ‘ Proceedings of the Zoolo- 
gical Society,’ Nos. 339—349, both inclusive; by the Society. ‘The Zoologist’ for 
May; by the Editor. ‘ Abhandlungen de Mathemat-Physikalischen Classe der Ko- 
niglich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenchaften,’ Vol. viii. Part I.; ‘ Ueber den 
Auban und Ertrag des Bodens im Konigreiche Bayun,’ Part I., by Dr. F. B. W. 
Hermann; by the Akademie. ‘The Atheneum’ for April; by the Editor. ‘The 
Literary Gazette’ for April; by the Editor. ‘The Journal of the Society of Arts’ 
for April; by the Society. ‘List of the Specimens of Homopterous Insects in the 
Collection of the British Museum,’ by Francis Walker, F.L.S., &c.—Supplement ; 
by the Author. ‘A Manual of British Butterflies and Moths,’ No, 16; by the 
Author, H. T. Stainton, Esq. ‘The Entomologists Weekly Intelligencer, Nos. 
79—83; by the Editor, H. T. Stainton, Esq. 


Elections, 


Robert Mc Lachlan, Esq., of Park Road Terrace, Forest Hill, and Alfred Boot, 
XVI. 2 L 


6114 _ Entomological Society. 


Esq., of Park Row, Greenwich, were elected Members; and Joseph Stevens, Esq., of 
Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth, a Subscriber to the Society. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Majendie sent for exhibition a piece of beech bark covered with a white sub- 
stance, which Mr. Westwood pronounced to be a secretion exuded from the body of 
the female of a species of Coccus, of which the male is as yet unknown. 

Mr. Shepherd exhibited specimens of Stenus solutus, Frichs., taken in the Lon- 
don district, observing that the species had been recorded as British in Mr. Water- 
house’s recently published Catalogue, on the authority of a single specimen in the 
collection of Dr. Power. 

Mr. W. F. Evans sent for exhibition living examples of the larva and imago of a 
species of the Rhynchophorous genus Prypnus, Schoenh., which he had found in 
bulbs imported from the Cape of Good Hope. 

Mr. Horace Francis exhibited various Coleoptera which he had met with in the 
vicinity of Folkestone, in September last, including beautiful examples of Anchome- 
nus livens, Gyll., and Ocypus (Goerius) cyaneus, Fab. 

Mr. Janson exhibited the following Coleoptera, recently captured by him within a 
short distance of the metropolis :— 

Oodes Helopioides, Fab., a species which he had not before taken, and which ap- 
pears to be this year unusually abundant, having been found in considerable numbers 
in Kent, by Mr. Lewis, Mr. Douglas, Dr. Power and others: the series now before 
the Meeting were taken in the adjoining county of Surrey. 

Badister peltatus, Panzer, a single individual found on the 19th of March last, © 
under loose bark of willow, in the notorious Hammersmith, or, perhaps more cor- 
rectly, Shepherd’s Bush:Marshes. The synonymy of and references to this species 
should be thus expressed: Carabus peltatus, Panzer, Faun. Ins. Germ. Fas. xxxvii. 
tab. 20 (1797), probably figured and described from a very immature specimen, with 
the head and thorax ferruginous, the elytra pale brassy, and the antenne and legs 
entirely testaceous, a state of things so different from the ordinary aspect of the insect 
as to render identification, if not impossible, at least very problematical and unsatis- 
factory; Illiger, Verzeichn. d. Kafer Preuss. 197, 80 (1798); Duft. Faun. Austr. ii. 
147, 193 (1812). Amblychus peltatus, Gyll. Ins. Suec. ii. 76, 2 (1810). Trimorphus 
Erro, Newman (olim), Ent. Mag. v. 489 (1838); Steph. Man. Brit. Col. 23, 134 
(1839). Badister peltatus, Sturm, Deutschl. Faun. Ins. iii. 189, 3, tab. Ixxvi. fig. a, 
A (1815); Dej. Spec. ii. 408, 4 (1826); Tconogr. ii. 226, 4, tab. 101, fig. 3 (1830) ; 
Heer, Faun. Col. Helv. i. 49, 3 (1838); Erich. Kaf.d. Mark Brand, i. 24, 4 (1839) ; 
Schaum, Ent. Zeit. Stett. ix. 37 (1848); Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 2nd series, iii. 35 
(1849); Newman, Zool. 2276, 2277 (1848); L. Redib. Faun. Austr. 82 (1849), 2nd 
ed. 31 (1857); Dawson, Geod. Brit. 61, 3, tab. 1, fig. C (1854); Fairm. § Laboulb. 
Faun. Ent. France. i. 68, 4 (1854); Schaum, Naturg. d. Ins. Deutschl. i. 352, 4 
(1857). 

Cossonus linearis, Linn., Schoenh., Steph., Walton. A species, judging from the 
old cabinets, frequently met with in Britain in days of yore, but which has probably 
not occurred for nearly twenty years, specimens having been taken by Dr. Power, in 
Cambridgeshire, about that period, since which apparently no instance is on record of 
its capture. The series now exhibited was taken a few days since in an old elm, which 
literally teemed with the insect in all its stages, the semi-decayed portions of the tree 


Entomological Society. 6115 


being riddled in all directions by the larve, and the débris mingled with the remains 
of countless members of bygone generations, 

Stenus solutus, Eric., captured at the same time and place as the specimens pre- 
viously exhibited by Mr. Edwin Shepherd, to whom I am indebted for the opportunity 
of taking this scarce and local species. 

Lathrobium punctatum, Zetterstedt, Faun. Ins. Lappou. i. 84, 5 (1828), to whom, 
and not to Nordmann, this species must be assigned, he having first elaborately 
described it under this name. 


Mr. Westwood remarked that Cossonus linearis used to be taken in Battersea 
Fields. 

Mr. Janson rejoined that it was certainly not there that be had met with it: little 
anxiety need, however, be felt as to the precise locality which had yielded it, as he had 
not only secured but set out an ample supply for all his friends, and specimens (a 
dozen if he desired them) were quite at Mr. Westwood’s service. 

Mr. Gloyne observed that he had taken a specimen of Oodes Helopioides on the 
banks of the Thames, near Mortlake. 

Mr. Stainton exhibited a new species of Cemiostoma, bred by Mr. Wailes, of 
Newcastle-on-Tyne, from larve mining the leaves of Genista tinctoria, for which the 
name Wailesella had been proposed: the insect was closely allied to C. spartifoliella 
and Jaburnella, but smaller, and with a bluer tint than those species. 

Mr. Westwood wished to know whether the larve of these closely-allied species fed 
on closely-allied plants ; if so it was most probable that they were not distinct species, 
but merely modifications produced by the difference in the food plant. 

Mr. Stainton observed that, independently of the differences in the larve and 
perfect insects, differences which truly were minute, there were differences of habit, 
especially between the larvee, which would render it difficult to refer them to the same 
species ; and to assume that because the differences were small, and because the larva 
fed on a different plant, the difference of food should so modify the insect in all its 
stages, seemed rather like begging the question: it was possible the effect of the food 
might be to alter the appearance of the insect, but that was certainly a point which 
required to be proved before it could be admitted. 

Mr. Smith exhibited a Stylops which he had bred from a living example of 
Andrena fuscata, Kirby: it emerged from the pupa at half-past nine o’clock that 
morning, and although he endeavoured, by keeping it in as cool a place as possible, to 
preserve it alive to exhibit that evening, it died at about half-past four o'clock: he 
believed it to be the same species which he had lately figured in the Society’s 
‘ Transactions,’ or certainly a very closely-allied species. 

Mr. Smith also exhibited a piece of tube formed of vulcanized India-rubber, con- 
taining cells of the leaf-cutter bees: the cells were placed transversely in the tube, 
which he considered an extraordinary instance of sagacity in the bees. 

Mr. Stevens exhibited some butterflies, taken in Amboyna by Mr. Wallace, in- 
cluding beautiful males of Papilio Ulysses, and the female of this species, the Papilio 
Diomedes, Cram.; also Papilio Codrus, and some fine Pieridae. : 

Mr. Waterhouse exhibited the following Coleoptera, from the Collection of Dr. 
Power :-— 

Lachyusa sulcata. Taken at Southend. 

Homalota orbata. Taken at Merton. 

Agaricochara levicollis. Taken at the Holt, Hampshire. 


6116 Entomological Society. | 


Oligota granaria. Taken at the Holt, Hampshire. 

Xantholinus glaber. 'Taken at Holme Bush. 

Quedius fuscipes. Taken at Addington. 

Stenus solutus. Taken at Cowley and Lee. 

Stenus (sp. 20 of Mr. Waterhouse’s Catalogue). Taken at Shirley. Mr. 
Waterhouse observed that this insect, in some respects (especially in the dark colouring 
of the palpi), more perfectly agreed with the description of S. providus, Erichs., than 
did the species which he had supposed was that insect, and which, from its more cy- 
lindrical form, he now thought might prove to be Kraatz’s S. Rogeri. Before, how- 
ever, this point could be settled, it would be necessary to ascertain the sexual characters 
of Dr. Power's insect, of which one specimen only had been found. 

Philonthus signaticornis. ‘Taken at Eastcot and Merton. 

Philonthus nigrita. Taken at Eltham, 

Philonthus pullus. Taken at Portsea. 

Philonthus lepidus. Taken at Deal. 


Mr. Waterhouse also exhibited the following species from his own collection :— 


Oxypoda aterrima, Nov. sp. 

Anisotoma obesa, Schmidt, A. ciliaris, Schmidt, A. brunnea, Sturm, A. parvula, 
Sahlb. 

Cyrtusa minuta, Ahrens. 

Agaricophagus cephalotes, Schmidt. 

Leiodes orbicularis, Herbst. 

Euthia plicata, Gyll., EB. truncatella, Evichs. First taken by Mr. Whittingham 
at Leytonstone, and subsequently by Mr. Waterhouse at the Crystal Palace. 


Mr. Waterhouse read the following description of the new species of Oxypoda 
exhibited by him :— 


“ Oxypona ? ATERRIMA. 


“ ©, linearis, aterrima, nitidiuscula, antennis pedibusque piceo-nigris, thorace ely- 
trisque crebre punctatis, abdomine parcius punctato; thorace coleopteris longi- 
tudine subaquale, bast foveola impresso. Long. corp. 1 lin. 


“ This little insect is extremely like Homalota analis, but is usually a trifle larger: 
the antenne are distinctly shorter, a little stouter, and with the intermediate joints 
strongly transverse; the head rather more globose and less suddenly constricted 
behind; the thorax rather less transverse, but in other respects like, with the same 
posterior fovea and indistinct dorsal channel; the punctuation, however, of this part, 
as well as of the elytra, is rather stronger: the elytra are very nearly equal to the 
thorax, both in width and length, and present scarcely a trace of the posterior netch: 
the abdomen is rather less finely and less thickly punctured than in H. analis; the 
three visible segments nearest the elytra are transversely impressed at the base; the 
jaws are testaceous; the palpi dusky. | 

‘Several specimens of this insect have been taken by Mr. Morris Young near 
Paisley: its general appearance is so like that of a Homalota (especially H. analis) 
that I was much surprised, upon placing it under the microscope, to find five joints to 
the fore tarsi, and this character accompanied by a somewhat elongated basal joint to 
to the posterior tarsi: this joint, however, though decidedly longer than the following 
joints, is less elongated than in most of the Oxypode.” 


Entomological Society. 6117 


Mr. Westwood exhibited a drawing of a dark variety of Acronycta Ligustri, and 
of the larva from which it had been bred by Mr. Henry Boyle. 

Captain Cox sent for exhibition a portion of a hop-pole perforated by the larva of 
a Coleopterous insect, apparently a Callidium. 

Mr. Stevens communicated the following extract from a letter written by Mr. H. 
W. Bates, from Sto. Paolo, Upper Amazons : — 


“ On arriving at this station, one of the first new acquaintances in the butterfly 
department which greeted me was the very beautiful Pandora Prola, Bowsd.,—at least 
I suppose it to be this species, from the nearly spotless scarlet colour of the under 
surface of posterior wings; it was flying wildly about the streets of the village, en- 
tering houses by the windows and settling on the walls: since then I have always 
seen one or two on every very hot sunny day: the species does not penetrate the 
forest; it is found only about the houses, and ata spot on the borders of the forest 
where the vultures roost: its habits altogether are unlike those of any other species of 
Nymphalide ; it settles frequently, sometimes on the ground, attracted by offal, but 
frequently on the trunks of trees, bare walls, &c., holding in repose its wings slightly 
raised: it is excessively wary, and only during the very hottest weather allows itself 
to be approached: I have captured several on my own person, as, when standing about 
waiting an opportunity to obtain it, it is apt to sail up boldly and settle on one’s 
clothing; its habit of settling on the trunks of trees and its bold rapid style of flight 
very much resemble the inanner of the Ageronia, and I am quite satisfied that the 
true position of the genus Pandora is in proximity with Ageronia. There are two 
grand species of this latter genus new to me also found here, one of which has the . 
greater part of the under surface of the hind wings red, and the other has the same 
part saffron-yellow: they fly in company with Pandora at the place on the borders of 
the forest, but do not wander so far in their flight. I wish to mention here 
that I think there is quite an erroneous conception established by lepidopterists, of the 
nature and affinities of the Ageronie. M. Lacordaire and Mr. Wallace have said 
that the chrysalis is secured by a ligature round the body ; I think there is some mis- 
take about this: I have bred two species of the genus, and most certainly the chry- 
salis is suspended by the tail like all the other Nymphalide. In our systems 
the Ageroniz are placed at the head of the Nymphalidae, near the true Papilionide, 
as though forming the connexion between the families. I think all this is a mis- 
conception. There is no proximate affinity at all between the Papilionide and 
the Nymphalide ; the two families are separated by the whole mass of the Ery- 
cinida. I should as little expect to find an Ageronia chrysalis with a ligature round 
the body, as a true Papilio chrysalis suspended only by the tail. The larve of 
Ageronia are spinose; the lines of thoracic segments densely ramose. In their flight 
they make a smacking noise with their wings like the clicking of castanets, but rarely 
repeated. The Pandora does not produce this noise.” 


The Secretary read the following paper by Mr. A. R. Wallace :— 


A disputed case of Priority in Nomenclature. 


“ Allow me to call the attention of the Entomological Society to what seems to me a 
novel and most erroneous as well as inconvenient interpretation of the law of priority: 
it is, that of transferring a name long borne by one insect (but which it has lust by 
being found to be but a sex or variety) to another insect which has been erroneously 


6118 Entomological Society. 


referred to the same species. This has been done by the late Mr. Doubleday, who has 
changed Ornithoptera Remus, a name which for fifty years has been invariably borne 
by one well-known species, into O. Panthous, a name which for a still longer period has 
been applied to the female of O. Priamus. Such a change would be most inadvisable, 
even were the principle on which it was made a good une ; whereas it is one which 
gives, at it were, a premium to error. Linneus described the female of Priamus as a 
distinct species (Panthous) and Remus as the male of Panthous. Cramer corrected the 
latter error and figured the two sexes of Remus correctly, giving the species for the 
first ume a distinct name. This name it appears to me cannot be changed for that of 
Linnzus, who erroneously supposed the species to be the sameas one he had previously 
named, although that name has been reduced to a synonym. The two errors of Lin- 
neus should not be allowed to take precedence of Cramer, who first correctly named 
the species. The question here raised is of importance because an analogous case is 
now open for decision. P. Darsius of G. R. Gray was previously figured by 
Doubleday as the male of Amphimedon. Now, Amphimedon is certainly the female 
of Helena, and, if the rule holds good, the new species Darsius must take the old name 
of Amphimedon, just as Remus has been made by Messrs. E. Doubleday and G. R. 
Gray, to take the name of Panthous. Such a practice will certainly not be generally 
followed, and I would humbly suggest that it is one of the duties of an Entomological 
Society, to check, by an expression of their opinion, all that tends still further to con- 
fuse the nomenclature and synonymy. 


“ Amboyna, January 1, 1858.” 


The Secretary read “ Descriptions of six New British Neuroptera sent by 
Mr. Dale to the British Museum,” by Dr. Hagen; and the following paper by Mr. 
Newman :— 


Note on Scolytus destructor. 


“ Having heard from Mr. Stainton that the Royal Botanic Society had awarded 
a gold medal to our fellow-member, Captain Cox, for certain successful experiments 
in recovering elm trees from the attacks of Scolytus destructor, I was delighted to 
receive for the press that elaborate paper with which the Society was favoured at its 
last meeting. That paper is published in our ‘ Proceedings,’ and will afford to 
the world abundant proof that we are now regarding Entomology in a utilitarian as 
as well as a scientific spirit. ‘It is, as the writer observes, ‘ peculiarly fitting that 
Science should step in and prove that over one pest at least we have power, and if not 
made use of the fault lies entirely with the public. I cannot sufficiently regret my 
absence from so interesting a meeting, since, had I been present, I should have en- 
deavoured to elicit still further information from a gentleman who has so successfully 
studied this important branch of rural economy; more especially, as the Parisians, in 
their bungling attempts to employ the draw-shave, have sacrificed the finest elm trees 
around the French metropolis. I may perhaps be allowed to state, touching the 
bibliography of Scolytus destructor, that I think Captain Cox scarcely goes back far 
enough, when he dates the knowledge of its economy from 1840: previously to that 
year the late M. Audouin had thoroughly mastered its history; and six years earlier 
still, an obscure writer in the ‘ Entomological Magazine’ (i. 425), under the assumed 
name of ‘ Rusticus ’:—the habit of assuming vames cannot be sufficiently reprobated— 
described its economy so minutely as to induce the idea that Captain Cox must have 


Entomological Society. 6119 


been at the writer’s elbow even while he held the pen, and dictated what he wrote: 
before Rusticus, Kirby and Spence seem to have been cognizant of its doings; and to 
go back still further, the very name carries with it an idea of some knowledge of its 
economy. Captain Cox has, however, added one most interesting fact overlooked by 
previous writers: that ‘ the female dies at the entrance of her tube, thus performing a 
maternal duty by closing the aperture to her young ones with her own dead body.’ 
The points, however, on which I would solicit for the Society additional information 
are these: Captain Cox states his firm conviction that healthy trees are attacked by 
Scolytus ; and that this insect is the cause of premature decay and eventual death. 
He narrates with great perspicuity that eighteen dying elm trees were placed at his 
disposal, that he experimented on every one of them, by taking off the surface bark 
with a draw-shave; and that seventeen out of the eighteen completely recovered: the 
the operation is most simple, and I believe every one will admit that its very simplicity 
adds to its beauty and its value. Before commencing his experiments, Captain Cox 
numbered the trees from 1 to 18, and made a careful memorandum of the state of each ; 
the summary of these memoranda may be thus briefly stated. Fifteen were suffering 
severely from the ravages of Cossus ligniperda; and out of these fifteen, nine were 
also infested with Scolytus: three, making up the eighteen, were attacked by 
Scolytus, but all these three “slightly.” Now, to a superficial observer, it will occur 
that the state of the trees, scarcely bears out the author’s own conclusion as to Scolytus 
attacking sound trees, since fifteen out of the eighteen were manifestly attacked by 
the most deadly enemy that a timber tree can possibly have: and to a superficial 
observer, I purposely repeat this qualifying expression, nothing can present a more 
sickly or abnormal appearance than a tree, the solid timber of which is riddled 
through and through by the enormous larve of Cossus ligniperda: such trees, with 
or without the smaller pest, I should have unhesitatingly pronounced in an unhealthy 
state. When Captain Cox favours us, as I doubt not he will, with an explanation of 
this apparent inconsistency, arising probably from some accidental oversight or trans- 
position of words, may I ask him to reexamine the larve which he denominates those 
of Cossus ligniperda, and which had so severely injured the fifteen trees under con- 
sideration ; because I never happened to find that insect feeding on elm, and had not 
the statement been made by an entomologist who possesses an unusually extensive 
knowledge of the larve of our British Lepidoptera, I should have fancied that 
the trees were dying from some other and undiscovered cause. One other slight diffi- 
culty occurs to me which will, doubtless, be removed without causing any additional 
or unnecessary trouble to Captain Cox. Seeing that the larva of Cossus mines 
the solid wood, and not the bark, except in its very juvenile state; and seeing that the 
fifteen Cossus-mined trees completely recovered after their outer bark had been merely 
draw-shaved, how is it to be explained that this simple external process affects 
the deadly Cossus deep in the interior? The author has not explained this, 
probably concluding that entomologists were more intimately acquainted with the 
reciprocal offices of bark and solid wood, than I fear is the case. I trust that 
these queries, unimportant in themselves, will not be deemed irrelevant, but will 
acquire some importance from the acknowledged importance of the subject; I hupe 
they will induce Captain Cox to enrich our ‘ Proceedings’ with a second paper still 
more explanatory than the first. As an observation on Scolytus, quite independent of 
the paper to which I have been alluding, it is rather interesting that in the two great 
London colonies of this insect, Greenwich Park and Camberwell Grove, its advent 


6120 Natural-History Collectors. 


dated two years subsequently to the introduction of gas, and its ravages have not yet 
extended beyond the reach of the gas influence: that gas has an injurious effect on 
elms is a self-evident fact, so probably have all gases evolved by combustion in facto- 
ries, since we always see elms in manufacturing cities losing their leaves six or seven 
weeks earlier than in the country: in this weakened state trees are particularly obnoxious 
to the attacks of insects, and about London elm trees are generally infested with 
the larve of Scolytus destructor and Zeuzera Hsculi. I am well aware of the alleged 
fact of the trees in the Hartz forest and elsewhere in France and Germany being 
destroyed by Scolytus, still the coexistence of elm failure and gas-lights must remain 
an indisputable fact, although at present a fact from which no general conclusions can 
be safely drawn.” 

Mr. Westwood observed, with reference to the latter part of Mr. Newman’s paper, 
that the pealytus was abundant in Christ Church Meadows, Oxford, far away from 
gas-lights.” 


Proceedings of Natural-History Collectors in Foreign Countries. 


Mr. A. R. Watiace.*—“ Amboyna, December 20, 1857.—My col- 
lecting this year has been so peculiar and so different from anything 
I have yet done in the tropics that I must give you some little | 
account of it; my locality was at the foot of the mountains about 
thirty miles north of Macassar, the whole country between this range 
and the sea is a dead level of paddy fields, flooded for half the year, 
and of course absolutely barren of insects; the mountains are of 
limestone or basalt, the former rising from the plain in immense per- 
pendicular walls quite inaccessible, except where a few streams break 
through them; the basalt hills are more rounded, and at the foot of 
one of them is a forest of palms and jack fruit. I had a small bam- 
boo house built; when I arrived in August there had not been rain 
for two months and it was fearfully hot and parched ; dead leaves 
strewed the ground, and a beetle of any kind was sought for in vain. 
After some time I found a rocky river-bed issuing from a cleft in the 
mountains, and though dry it still contained a few pools and damp 
hollows; these were the resort of numerous butterflies,—Papilio Eury- 
philus, the new species near Sarpedon, P. Rhesus, P. Peranthus and 
the rare P. Encelades, Bois., the beautiful Pieris Zaranda was rather 
abundant, and several interesting Nymphalide. Here, therefore, I 
made daily excursions and procured good series of many of these 
insects; the paths in the forest adjoining this stream were pretty 
abundant in Ornithoptera; of two species, O. Remus and the very rare 


* Communicated by Mr. S. Stevens. 


Natural-History Collectors, 6121 


O. Haliphron, Bots., both sexes of which I took, and twice in copula ; 
the female something resembles O. Amphimedon, which is the 
female of O. Helena. About the mud holes Hymenoptera were 
abundant and on the fallen palm stems; in dry gulleys, &c. were 
many very curious Diptera; Coleoptera, however, were not to be 
found: I searched dead trees, and bark and leaves, with no other re- 
ward than a very few species of minute Curculios and obscure Chryso- 
melide. After a few weeks of this work the mud holes got baked 
hard, the pools of water disappeared one after another, and with them 
the butterflies and other insects, and for some days I got almost nothing. 
I now set to turning over the stones and dead leaves in the sandy 
river-bed, and soon found that there were some minute Coleoptera 
under them, namely, Anthici and very small Carabide ; to catch them 
I made my boy bring a basin of water and a spoon, and by shovelling 
in the sand J could pick off the insects which floated on the surface : 
in this way I got many Carabidae, the largest not more than 14 line; 
two or three species of Anthicus and some Steni and other Brach- 
elytra. I now turned my attention to buffalo-dung, which, though 
very barren compared with genuine British cow-dung, would I found 
yield something to a persevering search,—I obtained Histers, Ontho- 
phagi, and a considerable number of minute Staphylinide. A 
few days, however, soon exhausted this collecting-ground, for, except 
in the river-bed, the dung was absolutely uninhabited, when chance 
showed me a new and very rich beetle station. My lad brought me 
one day a fine large Nitidula which he had found in an over-ripe 
Jack fruit (Artocarpus sp.); this set me to searching these fruits, of 
which there were a number about in various stages of decay, and I 
soon found that I had made a discovery, — Staphylinide, large 
and small, Nitidule, Histers, Onthophagi, actually swarmed on them: 
every morning, for some weeks, I searched these rotten fruits, and 
always with more or less success; I placed ripe ones on the fruit 
here and there, which I visited once a day, and from some of them got 
even Carabidz; in all I found not much short of one hundred species 
of Coleoptera on the fruit, including most that I had before found in 
dung, so that it seems probable that, in tropical countries, the large 
fleshy fruits in a state of decay and putrescence are the true stations of 
many of the Carpophagous and Necrophagons Coleoptera, a fact of 
some importance, as explaining the presence of Onthophagi, &c. 
in places where there are no ruminating animals: at length the rains 
began to fall almost every evening, and the fruits, soaked with water, 
ceased to be productive, but I was compensated by discovering that 
XVI. 2M 


6122 Natural-History Collectors. 


the margins of the streams, which when dry were so rich in 
Lepidoptera, were now an excellent collecting-ground for small Co- 
leoptera; under the moist dead leaves that lay on the rocks I found 
numbers of small and very interesting Carabide, with hosts of Anthici, 
and a good many Pselaphide and Hydrophili: with the rains 
the butterflies almost disappeared, while the Cicindelide came out in 
great abundance, four species being different from those I took last 
year; small Melolonthidz also now became abundant on the foliage, 
and I took two or three species new to me, with several pretty Chryso- 
melas and Curculios. After a fortnight’s close work at minute 
Coleoptera, the weather became so wet and cloudy, as to admonish 
my return to Macassar to pack my collections before the commence- 
ment of the continuous heavy rains. 

To persons impressed with the idea of the prevalence of large 
insects in the tropics, my Macassar collections will appear most ex- 
traordinary ; the average size is certainly less than that of our British . 
species, and the colours not at all more brilliant. Of the Carabide 
(more than one hundred species), the greater part are under 4 lines 
and a very large number under 2 lines, whilst several under 1 line 
are perhaps the smallest of the family: the Brachelytra (eighty or 
ninety species) are, with the exception of about a dozen, very minute 
and obscure: the Rhynchophora are all small, and there are about 
one hundred species of minute Necrophaga, Xylophaga, &c., and 
about eighteen species of the elegant little Anthici, whilst the Longi- 
cornes, Buprestidae and Cetoniz, usually so abundant, are very scarce: 
if we were to take away some dozen purely tropical forms, the 
collection would have all the appearance of one from an extratropical 
and even northern locality, owing to the large proportion of Carabide, 
Staphylinide and Necrophaga, the small average size of the species 
and the obscurity of their colours. 

Amboyna, where J am staying a month only, on my way to Ternate, 
offers a striking contrast to the country I have just quitted: it is emi- 
nently tropical; the number of large and handsome species in all 
orders of insects is perhaps greater than in any other place I 
have visited, and the forms far’more closely resemble those of Aru 
than of Borneo or Macassar; a number of the common species of the 
surrounding island are represented at Amboyna by others very closely 
allied or by varieties, but in almost every instance they are of larger 
size and more brilliant colours,—Papilio Severus and Ulysses are 
larger here than at Aru, whilst Deiphobus is larger than the closely 
allied Memnon of the Sanda Island or Ascalaphus of Macassar. In 


Natureal-History Collectors. 6123 


the Hymenoptera, the species of Vespide and Pompilide are gayer 
than the allied species I have found in other countries ; a Laphria 
and an Anthrax are larger than any Diptera I have yet found of the 
same genera; while the Coleoptera include the gigantic Eucheirus 
longimanus and a number of large and handsome Longicornes, 
Buprestide and Anthribide: it may be easily imagined, therefore, 
that Amboyna is a tempting place, well worth a thorough exploration, 
and I shall probably return to it unless I shall be able to visit Ceram, 
which I expect will contain almost all the Amboyna species, and pro- 
bably many more, as is known to be the case with the birds. Though 
everybody says this is the dry and hot season, yet the weather has 
been terribly wet and windy, and during the twelve days I have now 
resided in a little hut in the jungle I have not had a single hot sunny 
day ; here, as everywhere in the East, there is no forest left for many 
miles round the town, and there was the usual difficulty in finding a 
locality and a home, and in conveying my baggage. In the town 
I reside with Dr. Mohinke, the chief physician of the Moluccas, 
a German, an entomologist, and a very learned and hospitable man ; 
he has lived in Japan, made a voyage to Jeddo, ascended volcanoes, 
and made collections: my pleasure may be imagined in looking over 
his superb collection of Japanese Coleoptera, large and handsome 
Longicornes and Lucani, tropical Buprestide and northern Carabi: 
he has also an extensive collection of Coleoptera made during many 
years’ residence in Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Moluccas —a col- 
lection that makes me despair; such series of huge Prioni, Lamiz and 
Lucani, Dynastidz and Eucheirus! It is such collections that give, 
and have always given, such an erroneous idea of Tropical Ento- 
mology: these collections are made entirely by natives. Dr. Mohinke 
has resided here in Amboyna, for example, tevo years, and every native 
in the island knows that large and handsome beetles will be pur- 
chased by him; he has, therefore, hundreds of eyes spread over 
hundreds of square miles, and thus species which in ten years might 
never once occur toa single collector, are inevitably obtained by him 
in greater or less abundance, whilst the smaller, more active, and much 
more common species are never brought at all. The Eucheirus is evi- 
dently rare, yet Dr. Mohinke has a fine series, obtained at intervals 
from different localities; he also sends bottles and casks of arrack 
to the Dutch officers resident in different islands, and though 
he sometimes has them returned crammed full of a single species of 
common Calandra or Passalus, yet he occasionally gets some mag- 
nificent insects. I believe myself that, as a general rule, beetles are 


6124 Scent. 


rare exactly in proportion to their size, rare both in species and in 
individuals ; in four years’ almost daily search in the Eastern forests I 
have never found a large Prionus myself, and 1 have collected 
nearly four thousand species of Coleoptera: such collections as those 
of Mr. Bates and myself, made in such distant countries (both gene- 
rally considered among the richest in large species), are what show 
the true nature of tropical insects, and I believe that a careful 
examination of these will lead to the conclusion that there is no 
superiority whatever in the average size of tropical Coleoptera over 
those of temperate climates, and that in many groups the latter have 
the decided advantage. 


A. R. WALLACE. 


Scent: an attempt to explain its Properties and Causes. 
By the Rev. J. C. Arxinson, M.A. 


Ir is my. purpose in the following remarks to record a few obser- 
vations on the subject of Scent, with the view of leading, if possible, to 
further observation and inquiry into a matter generally thought, 
I believe, to be involved in a good deal of obscurity and uncertainty. 

By scent is implied what is assumed to be an odour emanating 
from any specified member or members of the animal kingdom; and 
is, in sporting language, so far restricted in its sense as to be applied 
almost exclusively in the case of such animals as are the objects of 
pursuit in the chase or by the shooter; and, almost as exclusively, 
with reference to the olfactory powers of some one or other of 
the varieties of the dog. However, in attempting to institute an 
inquiry into the nature or peculiarities of Scent, it will be certainly 
most convenient, and possibly quite necessary, to include under that 
term the odorous emanations proceeding from any animal whatever, 
and perceptible to the sense of smell in any other animal whatever. 

It is probably true that there is no existing animal without its own 
peculiar scent. Thus, “in most Mammalia,” says Dr. Carpenter, 
“an odoriferous secretion, characteristic of the particular species, is 
formed by glandule which pour out their product on some part of the 
surface, their situation however being extremely variable in the 
different tribes; this secretion is usually formed most abundantly at 
the period of sexual excitement, and appears to be concerned in the 
attraction of the sexes towards each other.” (General and Comp. 


Scent. 6125 


Phys. 448). And it is almost certain that the same remark may be 
extended so as to include at least all terrestrial creatures and not 
a few of the aquatic. 

In a vast number of cases the peculiar smell, or scent, of an 
animal is distinctly recognisable by the human organs of smell. I do 
not mean simply in such notorious instances as those of the goat, the 
fox, the foulmart, the pig, the sheep, the rat, the mouse, the horse, 
and, by no means the least, man himself, but in a great number of 
other instances when once our attention 1s attracted. The rook, the 
starling, the dog, the cat, each has an odour distinctly recognisable 
by us, while, as regards the creatures specially distinguished by- the 
appellation of game, I should think no one ever turned out the fresh 
contents of a well-filled game-bag without being made aware that 
partridges and grouse, hares and rabbits emit effluvia which must 
needs appeal strongly to the delicate and highly organized sense of 
smell in the sporting-dog. How many insects, too, are not only per- 
ceptibly odorous to us, but strongly or even disagreeably so; the 
gooseberry caterpillar for instance, the larva of the goat-moth, 
the bed-bug, the cockroach, and so on without end. 

There is also, probably, a good deal of resemblance between the 
scents given off by different animals. How often a very good pointer 
who is allowed, or indeed required by his master, to point at other 
game besides partridges, is misled, on the cultivated land, by a 
common fowl, a lark, a waterhen, or even sometimes one of the 
smaller Conirostres; on the moor by a golden plover or a titlark. 
Many dogs too will point at snipe. I once saw one of mine make 
such a point, and he seemed as much surprised at my shooting it as 
if I had shot at a lark at which he had mistakenly pointed. J never 
saw him point at another, nor willingly notice one when shot, though 
I had killed many couple at different times when he was with me. 
Woodcocks he would point, but evidently considered, on ascertaining 
what the fallen bird was, that both he and I had made a mistake, 
though not such a disgraceful one as in the case of the snipe.* 


* It was, most evidently, a source of the keenest delight to this dog to have to 
hunta wounded partridge, grouse, or pheasant: and the consummatiun of all was when 
he had caught the bird and held it in his mouth; his eye, his tail, his whole bearing 
displayed extreme gratification: a wounded snipe, however, he would not attempt to 
hunt; a woodcock he would look at and smell, and then “turn up his nose ;” a water- 
hen, though apparently giving out a strong scent, he seemed to rank with the wood- 
cock ; a partridge that had fallen into the water, would be fetched out without a 
pause of hesitation; but by no means could he be induced tu wet a foot fora water- 
hen or wild duck. 


6126 Scent. 


What the nature of this emanation or efluvium may be is a ques- 
tion of much difficulty; indeed, I doubt if it admits of more than 
hypothetical solution. ‘There are at least two very distinct species of 
odours or scents, —distinct, I mean, as regards their elements and 
nature,—the one depending on, or rather, perhaps, consisting of a 
substance, whether vaporous or molecular; the other apparently 
without any such dependence. The former may be instanced in any 
so-called volatile* odorous substance, such as carbonate of ammonia 
or camphor; the latter in musk and two or three other substances of 
a somewhat similar nature: this sustains no diminution in weight, 
though continuously giving off its peculiar penetrating odour for a 
lengthened period; that sustains rapid diminution in weight as long 
as it remains subjected to the volatilising agencies. ‘To which of 
these two classes, or whether exclusively to either, scent belongs, it 
seems impossible to say. The probability seems to be—and I shall 
give reasons for the opinion as I go on—that it partakes of both 
natures; that there is something in it corresponding to the sub- 
stantiality of the one, and to the imponderability of the other. 

General reference has already been made to the glandular odori- 
ferous secretion peculiar to each several animal: and, in illustration 
of the point, I shall only adduce two or three particular instances ; 
such, for example, as that of the fox, which “has a subcaudal gland 
that secretes an intolerably fetid substance, and whose urine also pos- 
sesses the same intolerable odour” (Bell, Br. Quadr. 256); that of the 
polecat or foulmart, which derives the latter name from the fact that 
a “disgusting odour is produced by the exudation of a fetid secre- 
tion from a pouch or follicle under the tail, and which is even more 
intolerable than than that of the common weasel or the stoat” (ld. 
159); that of the beaver, familiar to almost every one from childhood 
in connection with the old fable; that of man himself, from the 
“lands of whose axilla + is secreted, ur eliminated from the blood, 
a peculiar odorous matter” (Kirke’s ‘ Handbook of Physiology,’ 348 ; 
Carpenter’s ‘ Human Physiology,’ 231). 

* “ The most odorous substances are volatile, and vice versd, * * * though 
there are some volatile fluids, such as water, which are entirely inodorous” (Carp. 
Hum. Phys. 905). 

+ “In certain situations the sweat-glands are very large; and, as might be 
expected, we find their size and number in different districts of the skin to correspond 
with the amount of perspiration afforded by each. ‘Thus they are nowhere so remark- 
able, or so easily examined, as in the axilla, over a space precisely defined by the 


growth of the hairin the adult. They here form a layer, which towards the middle is 
ofien one-eighth of an inch thick.” (Todd and Bowman, Phys. Anatomy, 423). 


Scent. 6127 


Now I believe it may be asserted with respect to almost if not quite 
all the odours of this class, that they are apt to be retained for an 
indefinite length of time in any suitably absorbent substance, e.g. a 
piece of rough woollen material. A flannel shirt, in which a man has 
strongly exerted himself during a long day’s work, and which has 
consequently absorbed a large quantity of sweat, will retain a peculiar 
smell due to the axillary secretion, even after it has passed through 
the washerwoman’s hands; and still more of the odour, and more 
powerful will be contracted, if the washing does not happen to keep 
pace with the work; so that two or three such garments hanging in 
-an apartment scent the atmosphere rather too sensibly to be agree- 
able, and without sensible diminution of their perfuming power. But 
the human “ peculiar odour” is faint to human nostrils—except under 
such circumstances of accumulation as those just adverted to—in 
comparison with the odours of the same class in multitudes of the 
lower animals. <A woollen glove or over-shoe which has been wetted 
with a few drops of the urine of a fox ora male cat, will not only 
retain the offensive smell for months or years, but will give it off most 
freely at the expiration of those months or years under the agency of 
either warmth or moisture. 

Now it must be borne in mind that only with scrupulous care and 
attention to cleanliness carried out in repeated ablutions, can most 
members of the human family prevent the lodgment of this peculiar 
smell about their persons. In other creatures who do not and cannot 
wash as mankind does, nor yet change their woollen garments, it is 
inevitable that the effluvium in question should leave a permanent 
odour. It therefore appears to me that in every case in which scent 
is given off by an animal, it wiil in part be due to this source; and, 
in so far as it is due to this source, will it be of a nature corresponding 
to that of the scent arising from musk, or, in other words, possessing 
no substantiality, and so not depending upon either vapourous or 
molecular matters. 

But it is very necessary to bear also in mind that in all animals, 
except the denizens of the waters, a great amount of aqueous fluid is 
almost always in course of transpiration from or through the pores of 
the skin, and that in this transudation the aqueous matter is always 
accompanied or impregnated with certain solid organic matters, to 
the average amount possibly, in human beings, of one part in every 
hundred; and there is reason to believe that at leat a hundred 
grains of azotised matter are excreted from the human skin daily 


6]28 Seent. 


(Carpenter, Hum. Phys. 632). The greater proportion of this solid 
matter appears to be a protein-compound in a state of incipient de- 
composition. Urea also has been detected in it. Now both urea 
and protein compounds, under the influence of decomposing agencies, 
are active as well as important elements in the production of am- 
monia, a distinct salt of which substance moreover is found in the 
azotised matter under mention. Now, processes strictly analogous— 
not to say identical—with this of transudation in man are known to 
take place in all the warm-blooded animals,* differing only, it is 
probable, in the degree to which, in the different classes of animals, 
the process is severally carried on. 

Hence then we are at liberty to infer that an ammoniacal element 
is one of the accessories, if not constituents, of scent in the extended 
acceptation of the word. 

It may be as well, perhaps, while noticing these peculiarities or 
phenomena of transudation, to notice also in this place, rather than 
further on, the fact that cutaneous excretion is complementary to, or 
vicarious with, renal excretion. Thus, Dr. Carpenter says,—‘* The 
cutaneous excretion, as already pointed out, is in great degree 
vicarious with the urinary, in regard to the amount of fluid 
eliminated; the urme being more watery in proportion as the 
cutaneous exhalation is diminished in amount, and vice versd. But 
we are also to look at these two excretions as vicarious in regard to 
the elimination of the products of the ‘ waste’ of the system. The 
share which the skin has in this office has probably been generally 
under-rated. There is reason to believe that at least 100 grains 
of azotised matter are excreted from it daily; and any cause which 
checks this excretion must throw additional labour on the kidneys, 
and will be likely to produce disorder of their function.” (Hum. Phys. 
631). Now in man—and there is no doubt that a perfect analogy 
exists in these matters between man and the lower animals—< the 
quantity of urea secreted at any given period of life seems to depend 
mainly on two conditions—namely, the degree of muscular exertion 


* “The skin, in most of the Mammalia, is an important excreting organ, being 
usually furnished with a multitude of glandule, which discharge their products upon 
its surface. The products of these glandule vary considerably in different animals, 
and in differeut parts of the same animal. The ordinary perspiratory glands draw off 
watery fluid from the blood, with a small quantity of excretory matter closely 
resembling that which is eliminated by the kidneys.” (Princ, Phys. 547. See 
also Id. 777). 


Scent. 6129 


previously put forth, and the amount of azotised matter ingested as 
food. Thus Professer Lehman ascertained that, by the substitution 
of violent for moderate exercise, the quantity of urea was raised from 
323 to 454 parts; and Simon found that, by two hours violent 
exercise, the proportion of the urea in the urine passed half an hour 
subsequently was double that contained in the morning urine.” 
(Id. 619). Now, when an animal is subjected to pursuit in the chase, 
- and compelled to make great and continued muscular exertion, 
transudation is extremely copious, while the determination of fluid to 
the bladder is very remarkably lessened; and when we bear in mind 
how great the “waste of the system” must be in an animal so 
situated, it seems much more than probable that, allowing for the 
greater proportion of urea in the small quantity of urine secreted, the 
excretory action of the cutaneous glandulz also will be greatly inten- 
sified, and that, in consequence, greatly more of the azotised matter 
will pass off through their agency. This conclusion certainly 
harmonises very closely with the well-known fact, that an animal—a 
fox, for instance, or a hare—-which has been closely and continuously 
hunted for some little space of time, gives off scent both stronger and 
more copious than at earlier periods of the chase, as also with this 
other, that “ the huntsman has the greatest fear of losing his fox, not 
only at the beginning of the run before the hounds get well settled to 
the scent, but also when the game is sinking. The old hounds, 
towards the end of the run, make every effort to get to the head of 
the pack, for they know the end is athand. Yet even then, perhaps, 
all at once all scent seems to be lost ; the fox has got into a ditch, or 
even laid down upon the ground, and no dog can touch the scent, 
even though within a yard of the animal.” The explanation seems 
easy enough,—the animal is exhausted; in other words, the waste of 
the system has continued so actively and so long, that it must of 
necessity come to an end, and with its cessation is contemporaneous 
the cessation of excretion and its dependent odour. 

In the next place I have to remark that perfect stillness or 
quiescence in the scent-emitting creature, if of some duration, seems 
to bring the emission down to the minimum, if not actually to inter- 
rupt or neutralise it. Motion, on the other hand, though not in the 
least degree rapid, or sustained, or energetic, appears to cause the 
emanation to be given out very perceptibly. A hare or rabbit on its 
form is often missed altogether, or run over by the pointer: if found, 
the dog is usually within a very few feet or even inches of the 

XVI. In 


6130 Scent. 


motionless creature. Several instances have occurred under my own 
observation, or have been related to me by others on whose accuracy, 
alike of observation and relation, I could fully depend, which are 
curious as illustrating this point. Thus one day last season I got — 
over a gap in the fence into the corner of a field where the hedges 
forming the corner came together at a right angle; immediately on 
entering the corner my dog stood at a place in the fence running into 
that we had crossed, about ten or twelve feet from the angle; I 
crossed this fence also, and eventually got a shot at a single partridge 
which had run through from the point at which the dog had taken up 
the scent, and after running up the ditch about fifteen or twenty yards, 
had stopped and lay very close. ‘Don’ was not satisfied at finding 
only one bird; he seemed to be convinced there ought to be more. 
He tried back, over the hedge, and up the other side. I followed; 
but there were no more partridges to be found in that direction. 
Still the dog was not satisfied, and quartered every inch of the ground 
from the spot where he had first pointed. I thought he was mistaken, 
and turned back towards the gap over which I had entered the field. 
Now, however, it appeared that ‘ Don’ was right, for a second bird 
rose from a tuft of grass which I had passed so close to three or four 
times as almost to brush it with my feet, and my dog as often, without 
even the slightest suspicion of scent. After reloading, he came up to 
me, and as he passed at once recognised the bird’s hiding-place— 
thus showing that scent had been diffused by the bird’s motion, and 
although he had neither seen it fly nor fall, went direct to the hedge 
into which it had fallen, about twenty-five yards distant, and pointed. 
Again, in a communication I have lately received, the writer says,— 
‘“‘ | have seen a dog pass a rabbit on its form without scenting it; I 
have found the rabbit myself, and seen it crouch itself down closer ; 
and then the dog coming round again has at once pointed it. In 
that case I supposed the animal by its motion diffused the scent more 
strongly round it.” Again, “I was walking with a pack of beagles 
which were trying the ground all round me on a fallow field; I found 
a hare lying; two of the dogs were close to her, and on my giving the 
usual ‘tantara, one of them stopped and looked up at me, and, in 
doing so, set his foot upon the hare’s back; but, till the hare sprang 
from her form, had not the slightest idea of where it was. It was 
vather a frosty morning, but they had previously found and run a hare 
very well,” 7 

Perhaps the grounds afforded in these and similar cases for inferring: 
the presence of an ammoniacal element in scent are quite sufficiently 


Scent. 6131 


slight—at all events would be if the ground for such inference which 
we have already noticed did not exist; still we cannot help remarking 
the appearance of analogy between scent in such cases and the 
exhalations from a heap of slowly decomposing manure or heating 
weeds. According to the old proverb, as long as it is left undisturbed 
little or no smell is emitted; but only stir it, and the olef process 1s 
not long in beginning. 

But further, when the animal moves the scent is not only given off 

or emitted, but remains, for a variable length of time, upon or about 
its track. It must, of course, remain thus, either from being sus- 
pended in the ‘atmosphere, or from being, so to speak, affixed 
to the material objects closely passed by the animal as it 
moved on. 
_ That itis occasionally suspended—and considering the nature of 
the medium of suspension, for a lengthened period—in the atmosphere, 
is certain; and on this fact are founded such expressions in con- 
nection with scent as “breast-high.” The floating molecules—if 
molecules there be—of effluvium strike the olfactory membranes of 
the dog (or other animal concerned) at a considerable distance from 
the animal emitting it, and while he is ranging with his head high 
above the surface of the earth. I avail myself once more of the com- 
munication from which I have before quoted. “I have viewed a fox 
away from cover, and when the hounds have come to my halloo they 
have taken up the scent and gone off at full cry more than a hundred 
yards before they came to the actual track of the fox.” The same 
fact is at the bottom of the extreme caution requisite on the part of 
the sportsman in stalking deer in Scotland, or any of the numerous 
game animals in other quarters of the globe, not to “ give them his 
wind;” in other words, not to place himself even for a moment in 
such a position relatively to them and the direction of the wind, that 
his scent may be wafted in the currents of the latter within reach of 
their olfactory organs.* And exactly similar facts are presented to 
the observation of the shooter in every good scenting day during the 
season in connection with the usual objects of his pursuit—partridges, 
pheasants and grouse. 


* I have sometimes purposely concealed myself when my dog was in a distant part 
of the field I was walking in. He might not miss me immediately, but as soon as he 
did he made for the point at which he last saw me. If before he reached that point 
he “crossed my wind” he invariably came directly to my hiding-place; if, on the 
other hand, the wind lay from him to me, he took up the scent of my steps and hunted 
me to ny conccalment. 


6132 Scent. 


But independently of such cases as these in which a dog “ winds” 
a covey, or possibly a single bird only, from a distance of two or three 
hundred yards, I have seen dogs continually, and my own dog fifty 
times during the last season, on coming across the scent of a wounded 
bird, which was not the least disabled for running and had got 
a great start while I was loading, set off at great speed; oftentimes 
never checking for a moment, and never appearing to make the 
slightest effort after the scent; and invariably go as direct to 
the bird (which he had never even seen in some cases) as if he was 
running ‘‘ at gaze” all the time; while at other times, and not rarely, 
he had to work every foot of the track, and it was only with pains 
and patience and at a slow pace that he brought his quest to a suc- 
cessful issue. In the former case, the scent was not only “strong,” 
but 1t was a “ good scenting day ;” that is, the atmosphere was in the 
most favorable condition for holding the scent suspended: im the 
Jatter case, just the reverse. 

And how much the state of the atmosphere has to do with it 
any one may easily observe for himself by contrasting his per- 
ception of the odour from a bean field or clover field in blossom in 
the middle of a fine, dry, sunny day, and in the evening of the same 
day not long after sunset when the atmosphere is more than compara- 
tively moist. The same, too, of a dunghill or “ middenstead” at dif- 
ferent times: to-day you may pass it with scarcely any nasal inti- 
mation of its presence; to-morrow your olfactory nerves will give 
you ample testimony of the abundance of ammonia evolved.* ‘The 
hygrometer, would, if appealed to, doubtless give a very distinct and 
intelligible ‘‘ Because” to your “ Why.” 

Besides, what certainly ought not to be, but often is overlooked, in 
speaking on the subject of scent, the state of the atmosphere almost 
certainly, I believe unquestionably, has an influence of another kind 
in addition to that just named, upon if not the perceptibleness yet 
the perception of scent; I mean that which it exercises upon 
the organs engaged in the detection or recognition of scent. Thus, 
in speaking of what may be called the mechanism of smell, we find 


* T have frequently observed this very sensible increase of the “ perfume” from 
a dung-hill on a frosty evening, though frost is generally held to destroy scent. But the 
following morning has usually in such cases explained the matter, by displaying a 
copious deposition of hoar frost. In what is called a black frost the most offeusive 
compost heap does not greatly offend the nostril: no wonder then that there is very 
slight testimony, even if any, afforded by scent in very frosty weather, as to the path 
of any given animal. 


Scent. 6133 


an able anatomical writer expressing himself as follows: “ ‘The 
matters of odour must in all cases be dissolved (or suspended) in the 
mucus of the mucous membrane before they can be immediately 
applied to or affect the olfactory nerves. Therefore, a condition 
necessary for the perception of odours, is that the mucous membrane 
of the nasal cavity be moist. When the Schneiderian membrane is 
dry the sense of smell is lost. In the first stage of catarrh, when the 
secretion of mucus within the nostrils is lessened, the faculty of per- 
ceiving odours is either lost or made very imperfect.” And it is not 
the least improbable, but rather the contrary, that that state of 
atmosphere which renders the material objects that are the ordinary 
recipients of scent less fitted than usual for receiving or retaining it, 
may simultaneously affect the usual power of the olfactory organs for 
its recognition. 

I am led, however, to think there may be reason for the expression 
“strong scent,” though less perhaps than they who use it suppose, 
except in such cases as those above adverted to of animals hard 
pressed in the chase; at least, if somewhat modified in meaning. 
‘The power or pungency of the emanation probably varies with the 
physical condition of the creature emitting it, and certainly with the 
emotional condition. ‘“ The secreting action of the skin is influenced 
by general conditions of the vascular and nervous systems, which are, 
as yet, ill-understood. It is quite certain, however, that through the 
influence of the latter, the secretion may be excited or suspended ; 
this is seen on the one hand in the state of syncope, and in the 
effects of depressing emotions, especially fear, and its more aggra- 
vated condition, terror.” (Hum. Phys. 632). And again: “ The 
odoriferous secretion of the skin, which is much more powerful in 
some individuals than in others, is increased under the influence of 
certain mental emotions (as fear or bashfulness), and commonly also 
by sexual desires.” (fd. 979). 

Any tolerably observant person who exerts himself sufficiently, from 
time to time, to become a good deal-heated, must be well aware that 
he is much more highly scented by nature at one period than 
at another; as also, that it is the same with the horse he drives and 
the dog he trains to be his daily companion or his ally and assistant 
in his business or sport. 

But generally speaking, and omitting instances in which snch 
influences as terror or sexual desire are known to be in operation 
it would seem to be most probable that the greater apparent 
variations In the strongness of scent depend not so much upon 


6134 5 cin 


the creature emitting it, as upon thie state of the atmosphere and the 
conditions of what may be called its recipients—the objects or sub- 
stances with which the creature in its movements comes into more or 
less close contact. 

Every one must be aware how odours attach themselves, with dif- 
fering degrees of permanency, to some objects or matters, and seem 
to leave others almost or entirely untainted. Thus, paper kept in a 
desk in which a grain or two of musk has been deposited contracts 
the strong scent of musk so fixedly that it seems almost ineradicable. 
The same may be said of any object on which the urine of a male cat 
has been shed; and a woollen article will retain the strong, dis- 
agreeable smell for years: a cake ora piece of bread will contract the 
scent of the wood of the closet in which it has been kept, or of 
a lemon, or tea, or pickles placed in its vicinity in any close 
receptacle ; and instances of the same kind may be given to any ex- 
tent. But the sugar kept in the same caddy with the tea contracts 
no scent; an egg side by side with the lemon contracts, certainly 
retains, no perceptible scent; the clean, polished silver spoon con- 
tracts no scent or flavour, even from musk, which will not give place 
on exposure for a few moments to the free air. As far as one can 
venture to generalise with any satisfactory degree of reasonableness, 
it would seem that porous substances contract scents most readily 
and retain them most strongly and permanently; but that mere 
porosity alone is not sufficient; there must be a degree of moisture 
present in the porous substance as well. Very dry bread or cake con- 
tracts much less of the closety scent than do the same substances 
when fresh and moist; hard biscuits of any sort, so long as they are 
quite dry,—and few things contract moisture in small quantities more 
speedily, —take up scarcely any such scent or flavour; sugar, which 
has no alternative but dryness, none at all; an egg, or ivory, or glass, 
none. It may be said a glass scent-bottle will retain scent for years 
after it has become empty; that a wine or spirit bottle long retains 
the scent and taste of the wine’or spirit. No doubt it is so; but it 
would be hard to show, in the former case, that it was not a 
residuum of the scent substance itself left in the interior of the bottle 
by the evaporation of the spirit in which it was originally dissolved 
or suspended, and that in the latter case, a very similar allegation 
could not be made with truth. I certainly think it will be found that 
all substances which easily contract and readily retain foreign odours 
are more or less porous, and more or less disposed to attract and 
retain a sensible portion of the moisture of the atmosphere; and that 


Seen, 6135 


further, it is only when they are in the requisite condition, with 
respect to moisture, that they either attract or retain scents strongly.* 
By analogy, therefore, herbaget of various sorts with the earth itself 
would catch and retain scent from a passing animal, very forcibly, 
under favorable atmospheric and hygrometric conditions ; very feebly 
under unfavorable conditions of that kind. 

And further, I am not inclined to believe that much scent is 
given off by the foot of the animal, though a portion may be, and be 
retained by the impressions made by its feet.[ As will be apparent 


* It is possible colour may have suiwnething to do in the matter. It has 
been remarked that dark cloths retain the effluvia emitted during a post-mortem ex- 
amination more strongly than light. (Hum. Phys. 908). 

t+ By the courtesy of the master of a-well-known and excellent pack of fox-hounds, 
I am enabled to corroborate the results of my own more limited observation by those 
of his extensive experience. He says: “I have always found scent better on lands 
where there is herbage of any kind than on fallow lands; a marked difference gene- 
rally on wheat and on fallow; and that grass land more frequently holds a scent than 
arable land.” In other words, the more herbage, ceteris paribus, the better scent. I 
may also add, on his authority, that however necessary a suitable degree of moisture 
may be to the existence of * good scent,” yet saturation, such as is produced by heavy 
rain on the night preceding the chase is quite destructive of scent. Roe. 

t It should be borne in mind that the impressions left by a hare on the ground 
occupy but a very small space and at very considerable intervals. Probably at every 
spring she covers not less than six feet; I mean, as she runs under ordinary alarm, 
and not at her topmost speed. It is, therefore, scarcely reasonable to expect an ex- 
tensive deposition of scent by the foot in the case of the hare, or indeed of any four- 
footed animal of chase ; and in respect of the bird, the smooth, somewhat scaly surface 
of the foot would seem little likely to leave much scent behind it. Still, it will be seen, 
I do not dispute that some scent is distributed by the foot, and it is plainly so in 
the case of man himself. Since this paper was commenced, my old pointer having 
accompanied my servant part of the way to my church, when the latter turned back, 
took up the scent left in my footsteps and hunted me to the church-door, where he sat 
and howled till warned to beat a retreat ; and a few days after I saw him hunting the 
man above named along one of the hard, dry gravel-walks in my garden; the man 
had passed some few minutes before, and the dog had rather to ‘* puzzle” the scent 
out for a few yards, and then he went off at speed with his nose close down 
to the ground. But then the foot of man gives out much and powerful scent, which 
is, as it were, concentrated by means of the shoe. Again, in addition to instances of 
the kind just quoted, which are literally innumerable, a dog will hunt his master who 
has passed along a road on horseback. But in this case, too, he refers to the ground 
for information, and therefore, I believe, he hunts the horse and not the man. Of 
course, there is no need to do more than simply state that the dog has no difliculty in 
distinguishing the scent of his master, or of any of the members of his master’s 
family ;: and it is notorious that the farmer’s dog knows his master’s stock by night or 
by day. Many remarkable instances are on record, in which the shepherd's dog has 


6136 Scent. 


from statements and deductions made above, the scent probably pro- 
ceeds from the entire body ; and that it depends in any perceptible 
degree upon the breath of the animal is scarcely probable in any 
point of view, and is, besides, as it seems to me, negatived by 
the feeble or scanty, indeed inappreciable, amount of scent which 
seems to be given off by the perfectly quiescent animal. One reason 
for thinking that some scent, however small in quantity, is given off 
by the foot, — while the bulk, under ordinary circumstances, depends 
greatly on the surrounding herbage for its fixation, if I may so 
express it,—is that I have often seen a good dog hunt a freshly 
moved rabbit or hare for a few paces over the snow, evidently taking 
up the scent from the very recently imprinted footsteps. But no dog 
can hunt either feathered or four-footed game in the snow, even for 
ten yards, by the nose, except in so far as has just been mentioned. 
Probably the causes to which scent seems mainly to be due being in 
very feeble operation in frosty weather and when the snow lies deep 
on the ground, but little scent is emitted, and that little finds 
no absorbent surface to receive it, and may very possibly be destroyed 
or neutralised by the low temperature of the stratum of the atmos- 
phere which lies in contact with the snowy surface. 3 

I have been told, and it is stated in, I believe, Johnson’s ‘ Shvoter’s 
Companion, that there are some fields or parts of fields where scent 
invariably fails. A field near Pods Wood, at Layer Marney, in 
Essex, was mentioned several years since to the gentleman, of whose 
communications [ have already availed myself more than once in this 
paper, by the master of hounds hunting that country, as one over 
which the hounds could never carry the scent; and the remark was 
corroborated on another occasion by a resident in the district, who 
was in the habit of frequently riding to the hounds when the meet 
permitted. He said there was no perceptible difference between that 
field and others, either as to soil or other characteristics. That scent 
may be cold, and only carried with great difficulty in particular 
places and on particular occasions, is nothing new or strange. 


been known to pick out the sheep of his master’s flock when by any chance they had 
become intermingled with those of another. And it would be very difficult to prove 
that the power of smell did not at the least aid in this astonishing achievement. And 
on other grounds it is not hard to have to admit that the dog hunts the horse rather 
than the man; for the quadruped is, as a companion, nearly as familiar to him as the 
biped. Indeed, the mere sight of the saddle or bridle is often the only invitation the 
dog requires to take part in the projected excursion. 


Scent. 6137 


Scarcely a day in the shooting-season, or the record of a single chase 
of fox or hare, but affords abundant instances of the kind. “ Differ- 
ence in soil,” as Daniel says, in his article on hunting, “ alters the 
scent,’ and “the enclosure of poor lands in heathy countries some- 
times renders the scent very difficult for hounds.”* But that scent 
should always fail over one particular field or a part of it, is very 

remarkable, and, apparently, quite inexplicable. The failure alleged, 
it should be observed, is totally distinct from failures which often 
occur in almost any beat in long-continued dry weather. Thus, 
in one part of a turnip-field where the plant has missed, the surface- 
soil will be as dry as if baked, to the full depth reached by the horse- 
hoe; and here no scent will lie after 10 or 11 o’clock ona fine, sunny 
day. In another part of the same field, however, and close at band, 
the scent will be good or strong; because there the turnips have 
brairded well, and their foliage serves to keep the surface-soil very 
sensibly damp, even when no rain has fallen for some considerable 
time past. 

Another fact, which seems almost equally remarkable with that just 
now mentioned, is perhaps much more easily accounted for. ‘It is 
a curious fact,” says Mr. St. John, “but one which I have often 
observed, that dogs frequently pass close to the nest of grouse, 
partridges, or other game, without scenting the hen-bird as she sits 
upon her eggs. I knew this year of a partridge’s nest which 
was placed close to a narrow foot-path near my house; and although 
not only my people but all my dogs were constantly passing within 
a foot and a half of the bird, they never found her out, and she 
hatched her brood in safety.” ( Highland Sports, 25). Such 
instances are by no means rare: I knew of a partridge’s nest last year 
on the bank by the side of a much-frequented lane, and another was 
mentioned in the communication more than once referred to already, 
in which were seventeen eggs, both of which nests were repeatedly 
passed by sporting dogs, but never detected or noticed by them. I 
believe the apparent scentlessness of the bird in such cases must 
depend on its utter quiescence ; and it is not easy, anterior to expe- 


* The authority quoted in a former note says: “A marked difference in scent is 
always apparent in passing over the various strata; and, universally the better the 
land and the better cultivated, the better the scent. Very poor lands never hold a good 
scent: a gravelly surface is by no means the quality for scent, whatever the subsoil : 
wet, undrained clay land holds a better scent when thoroughly saturated than in any 
other state; when perfectly dry, and, it may be, hard, no hound can hold a scent 
over it.” 


XVI. 20 


6138 Scent. 


rience, to realise the perfect immobility with which a partridge will 
often retain her seat on her nest. Not to mention the repeated 
instances in which she has been known to sit until the scythe cut her 
in two, I will only relate an incident of the kind which occurred 
under my observation last year. I wanted a couple or two of rabbits, 
and had taken my gun to a wood which clothed the lower part of a 
somewhat craggy steep: after passing through the wood, I had gone 
above the crags and walked along the wall, which served rather to 
keep sheep and cattle from the precipice than as a boundary to 
the wood. At one point it occurred to me to look over the wall, in 
case a rabbit might be seen sitting within; I had stood for at least a 
minute looking down over the wood and the country that lay below 
in its beauty, when suddenly a partridge rose from under me, striking 
my leg with its wings as it flew: on looking down without moving my 
foot, I saw her nest with eleven eggs, and perceived that my shoe 
must have been in actual contact with the bird. It may be interesting 
to add—though not very relevant—that I believe she returned to her 
nest and brought out her young ones safely, as I often saw a covey 
during the season, corresponding in numbers, in the closest vicinity 
to the position of the nest. 

Moreover, the utter stillness of the sitting bird may be, no doubt, 
often aided in its efficacy towards preventing detection by the 
additional circumstance that, from its situation, the nest, and with it 
its occupant, is often more or less elevated above the common level 
of the ground near it. I have often been struck by the fact that 
scent rarely seems to descend. It may and often does rise (sometimes 
to the height of four or five feet, and how much higher it is impossible 
to say; probably, under favorable circumstances, it continues to 
ascend, until by continued dilution with the atmospheric air it ceases 
to have any distinct or recognisable existence ; but rise to a certain 
~ height it does), for I have seen my own pointer find and point game 
from the summit of a heap of stones laid against a five-feet wall, 
forming one side of a narrow lane; and other analogous cases might 
be adduced if it were necessary. Butif a bird falls into a hedge or 
low tree, and rests some four or five feet from the ground, it is 
but rarely that the best-nosed dog obtains any intimation of the posi- 
tion of the game, although he may pass and repass precisely under it. 
I have, once or twice, under such circumstances, seen a pointer stop 
as if attracted by a slight taint of scent, and once have seen him rise 
up on his hind legs, as if under the impression that the game 
was above him; and my correspondent records a similar circum-~ 


Scent. 6139 


stance. On the other hand, on “ the first” of last September I shot at 
a bird which I had marked after wounding it at a previous discharge : 
it fell about fifty or sixty yards from me into a thick hedge, at about 
four feet above the ground. My idea was that it had not fallen dead and 
would run: my dog, to whose point I had killed it, saw it fall as well 
as myself, and on my advancing after I had recharged, hastened 
directly to the spot; Ihad marked it to within a foot, but no scent 
could be obtained on either side of the fence, and though I looked 
into the part upon which it had fallen I could not see it. At last, on 
looking through the hedge from the other side, I saw a dark object 
suspended, which proved to be the partridge, quite dead. And 
again, much later in the season, I brought down two at one shot; one 
fell into a hedge not far distant, dead, and hung suspended by a leg ; 
the other which fell to the shot proved to be shot in the head, but not 
disabled, and, on the approach of the dog, took wing again and flew 
in the wild, bewildered way, mentioned in my article on the partridge 
(Zool. 6012), though not to a great distance. After securing the latter 
T turned to bag the other; my dog passed close underneath if, 
caught, as it seemed, a slight, uncertain whiff of scent —for he 
paused for a moment—but being unable to make anything further of 
it, went on again. If he had only looked up, the bird hung plainly 
visible, and within reach if he had simply raised himself upon 
his hind legs. 

I have now only to notice the period of duration in scent; 
and here again, I am much indebted to the kind courtesy of 
the sportsman above referred to: “The duration of scent,” he 
says, “appears to depend mainly on the animals pursued; for 
instance, the scent of the fox may be run hard after a lapse of ten 
minutes; whereas, that of the “foumart” after fifteen or twenty 
hours. But it must be remembered, that the work of the foumart is 
during the night, and consequently would come under the head of 
“ drag;” as of the fox, “on trail;” as of the hare, which can be 
owned after the above period: not so when found and pursued during 
the day, as, say, half-an-hour would stay proceedings altogether.” 
This statement is a very interesting one: any one who has observed 
the tracks left by the hare, the rabbit, the fox, the stoat, the foulmart, 
in their movements during the night, must have been struck by the 
evidences afforded by the tracks of deliberateness of motion on 
the part of the animal traced. It is at once apparent, that every few 
yards the creature paused: in the case of the rabbit or hare, a single 


6140 Scent. 


pellet or two of dung and, possibly, a few drops of urine mav be seen 
in a great number of places: the fox seems to have moved in 
a devious sort of way, but never at a greater pace than a fast walk or 
gentle trot, and much the same is true of the stoat or foulmart: the 
latter animals, too, as well as the hare and, the rabbit void their ex- 
crement and urine at night. Deliberate motion then, the processes 
of defecation often interrupted, as often renewed, the favorable hygro- 
metric conditions of the nocturnal atmosphere, all of them circum- 
stances, as we have seen, tending to produce and to conserve a strong 
scent, in accordance with the principles we have endeavoured to set 
forth and illustrate in the former portion of our paper, are all conco- 
mitants of the deposition of the most permanent “scents” we have 
any knowledge of. The principal “waste” of the system takes 
place, under ordinary circumstances, during the night in all animals 
whose habits are nocturnal. This is one important source of scent, 
and in the most favorable form of operation during their night-long 
rambles. Another is in a measure dependent on the emission of their 
feces, liquid and solid; this, too, is in operation: while the effect of 
both, and of what may be called the permanent fetor of their skins or 
fur, is raised to its greatest pitch by the deliberate character of their 
movements, which at the same time allows the greatest possible 
quantity of the scent matters to be attracted, and, in a sense, fixed by 
all the suitable substances tn the vicinity of which the animal passes. 

1 think I have now noticed all the facts and conclusions which 
have, at different times, presented themselves to my regard when 
thinking about the nature and peculiarities of scent. In conclusion, 
I shall only briefly observe, that in whatever degree the statements 
above made on the authority of eminent physiological writers are ad- 
mitted to be well founded and in accordance with fact, in the same 
degree is the weakness of the Retention Theory displayed and itself 
shown to be untenable. The animal, whether feathered or four- 
footed, which under the influence of its emotions—terror being one of 
them—-is irresistibly constrained to give out more than usual of its 
peculiar or natural odour, can under no circumstances be supposed 
capable of repressing or preventing the emanation of that odour, 
and least of all when acted upon by fear or apprehension, if not down- 
right terror. And further, if our conclusions as to the compound 
nature of scent, so far, that is, as its origin and its elements or 
constituents are involved, are admitted to be reasonable and just, the 
utter impossibility, on physical grounds, of voluntary retention by any 


Birds. 6141 


animal of its natural scent is established. All substances partaking of 
the nature or properties of either musk or ammonia must be, if present 
on any part of an animal’s skin or coat, and exposed to any diffusing 
agency, lable to betray themselves, whether the animal wishes it or 
not, to the first passer by possessing suitable olfactory powers. ‘The 
only control it can have over them depends upon its perfect immo- 
bility, as by that course it is saved from putting the air immediately 
surrounding it and most impregnated with ils scent into motion; and 
so from diffusing the odorous particles or vapours through a wider 
extent of the suspensory medium. With this remark I close the 
present paper. 
| J. C. ATKINSON. 
Danby Parsonage, Grosmont, York, 
March, 1858. 


White Thrushes, Blackbirds, §&c. — In a furmer number of the ‘ Zoologist’ I sent 
you a paper on the transmission of colour by white and pied pheasants, wherein I 
stated the great numbers here which had been bred originally from one white cock 
pheasant; and I now venture to trouble you with a further communication as to the 
vagaries of Nature at the same place, with reference to the colours of other birds and 
animals. First as to thrushes : — Last year two white specimens were found in the 
neighbouring parish by a boy, who has brought up one of them, which is now alive, 
sings, aud is doing well; the other was taken out of a different nest, and I believe is 
since dead. This year, within about half-a-mile of where the former birds were taken, 
in some very secluded oruamental walks down a rocky dell or dingle, with a series of 
pools occupying the bottom of it, a blackbird’s nest was found, and unfortunately 
taken; ove at least of its young inhabitants was captured, which proved to be 
completely white ; another, which luckily escaped, was quite grey or pied, and nearly 
the colour of a young cuckoo. These varieties in blackbirds are not very uncommon 
occurrences in different parts of the kingdom, but those of the thrushes are, I believe, 
very unusual. My next variety was in a young rook. When the young rooks are 
strong enough to leave their nests, a great onslaught upon them takes place here for 
a few days by the butler and groum, to keep them within a reasonable quantity ; and 
at a neighbouring rvokery, a few hundred yards distance, on another gentleman’s 
property, some young friends told me the other day they had that morning killed 
between eighty and ninety young rooks; but notwithstanding this havoc some consi- 
derable number of the young rooks get away, and amongst others who came here for 
safety, I saw one, the whole of which, excepting the wings and head (which were 
black), was of a dun colour, and as nearly as possible had the appearance of a hooded 
or royston crow (as it is often called) ; but it was unquestionably a young rook, and 
in company with several old ones. The fourth example of an unusual colour are 
rabbits, which in this dry and heathy soil are so prolific that a rabbit-catcher is 


6142 Birds. 


obliged to be kept on purpose to keep them down, or the outcry of the farmers would 
be quite unbearable. This man is accustomed to catch in the course of the year 
many hundred couples of rabbits on this property and on the adjoining farms, and he 
states that he very seldom meets with any but the usual-coloured rabbits ; sometimes 
he has met with a black one. Last year I saw an old rabbit near the house com- 
pletely yellow or light straw-coloured ; afterwards three young ones made their 
appearance ; these were not killed until towards the month of June, when the old one 
and two of the others were destroyed, and the remaining young one disappeared from 
where it had been before seen, though the other rabbits of the usual colour still 
remained at the same spot. ‘This year, in the month of April, at some considerable 
distance from where the yellow rabbits before mentioned had their burrow and used 
to reside, two or three very small completely yellow rabbits were seen sitting at the 
mouth of the same hole, in company with several of the common-coloured gray rabbits, 
apparently of the same size and age as the former; but no old one of that colour was 
anywhere to be seen, which must have been the case had there been any such about. 
Since the month of April these yellow rabbits have increased in numbers from three 
to eight or ten at the same spot; they are of different broods and sizes, and cannot be 
the offspring of the young yellow ones. In addition to these, four or five yellow ones 
have also appeared at other places quite distinct from the former, in a cover preserved 
for the game, where there are a great number of the common ones; one or two more 
have also occurred elsewhere ; so that altogether there must now be from fifteen to 
twenty of these strange-looking rabbits amongst the others, and the latter are not the 
least alarmed at their difference of colour. I am at a loss how to account for so many 
of these yellow rabbits springing up, as it were, all at once in so many neighbouring 
places. Amongst them all in no instance has an old one of that colour been seen. 
Although rabbits will at night travel a good way for food or to consort with their 
friends, it is very seldom, when food is at hand and their burrows near, that they will 
go any considerable distance from home. The spot where the old yellow rabbit and 
her three young ones were first noticed is not the place where the present numbers of 
that colour are now to be seen, though it is no great distance from it. What is the 
cause of this sudden increase in the number of these yellow rabbits? Another some- 
what unusual variety very common here is in the squirrel, of which there are numbers 
about with tails completely straw-colour, as well as many of the usual colour. Of the 
white and pied pheasants before alluded to I have many still about, and every year 
several broods of young pheasants may be seen, some consisting of the variegated 
specimens and others of the common colours. I may also add that a poor old mole- 
catcher who is employed here states that many years ago he canght a nearly white or 
very light dun-colour mole, for which he got a guinea.— W. H. Slaney ; Hatton Hall, 
June, 1858. 

Hooded Crows at Flambro’? Head.— Being engaged in collecting Diatomacee 
under the cliffs at Flambro’ Head, on the 6th of June, I noticed a pair of Corvus cor- 
nix (here called Norway crows) flying about the face of the cliffs, where no doubt they 
had a nest. This surprised me not a little, for, hitherto, I had considered the Scotch 
Highlands—where I have noticed them in immense numbers—to be their usual 
southerly summer habitat. On referring, however, to Yarrell, I find I have been 
labouring under a wrong impression, and that Corvus cornix has been noticed to breed 
even so far south as Norfolk, and that this is by no means unusual at Scarbro’: still I 


Birds. 6143 


deem the fact of their occurrence at Flambro’ worth recording. — G. Norman; Hull, 
June 19, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Bee-eater at Kingsbridge, Devon.—I have just received from 
a friend a male specimen of the bee-eater (Merops apiaster), which he had shot in a 
newly ploughed field, apparently searching for insects, the remains of which I find its 
stomach to contain. —Henry Nichols, Jun. ; Kingsbridge, Devon, May 22, 1858. 

Hawfinch Building at Tonbridge.—A pair of hawfinches have built their nest this 
year in an orchard in the vicinity of Tonbridge; but, unfortunately, the nest has 
become a prey to a prying school-boy, who took the first egg and substituted in its 
place a small blackbird’s egg. The next morning another egg was laid, but the black- 
bird’s was gone: the birds were then again robbed of their egg, and have in con- 
sequence deserted. Their nest, however, has not been built entirely in vain, fora 
pair of house-sparrows, seeing it deserted, are now constructing their clumsy domicile 
on the top of it.—T7’. W. Greene ; Tonbridge. 

The Small Partridge.—In answer to the communication from the Rev. J. C. 
Atkinson in the June number of the ‘ Zoologist, (Zoo). 6095), in which he asks me to 
explain a discrepancy in my account of a small partridge shot on the heaths in this 
neighbourhood, and thatof Mr. Kidd who had shot them on Hindhead and its neigh- 
bourhood, I can only repeat that I certainly have never remarked any difference in 
plumage between the heath birds shot by me and the stubble-fed birds; there may 
be a slight difference, but in the instances I have seen it is not worth mentioning. 
Fowley is not far from Hindhead, and it is the same line of heath from where I have 
shot these birds to Hindhead, the latter being the very much higher ground. My 
locality is Woolmer Forest, a large tract of waste land of many thousand acres, and 
which adjoins the Fowley estate, which is also surrounded by heath land; but I have 
also shot these heath birds in the neighbourhood of Ash and Aldershott, which is a 
continuation of the same line of wild heath country, but, except in the smallness of 
size and the absence of corn in their crops, which contained heather only, I confess I 
could never find any appreciable difference between them and the common partridge. 
I have before me the letter of a friend, an’ excellent sportsman and naturalist, 
who resides not many miles from Godalming, though on the opposite side from 
Hindhead, who, after having read the articles in the ‘ Zoologist,’ writes to me as fol- 
lows, throwing quite a different light upon the “little black heath-birds ” of 
his country, and those of Mr. Kidd’s description. He says: “I presume these are 
the same that I had up to about ten years ago on my heaths: they never went into 
enclosures ; were black inside from living on hurts and heath. In one instance, 
they were thrown away by a cook, as being unwholesome, from finding when she 
drew them that they were quite black, and I used to send a brace of them, as T should 
of grouse, they were so high-flavoured : there was no particular difference in their plu- 
mage; they were a turn smaller in size and darker in colour, but not sufficiently of 
either but that they might have passed muster as ordinary partridges, if attention had 
not been drawn to them; the only remarkable part about them were their legs, which 
were always bluer than the common.” I can only say, in reference to this, that I have 
always put my birds, when killed, indiscriminately into the bag with others, and have 
never remarked the difference of the colour of the flesh, if there is any in our heath- 
birds here; neither have I noticed the blueness of the legs, as mentioned in 
my friend’s letter, but in his county the hurtle-berry abounds even more than it does 
on Hindhead, and this most probably influences the colour in the flesh of these birds. 


6144 Birds. 


However, the conclusion I draw is that the heath-birds found in all these different 
localities are the same partridge as the common, rather stunted in growth, like our 
forest-bred ponies, and their flesh and their plumage, in Mr. Kidd’s birds, altered by 
their food, namely, heather and hurtle-berries, of which latter iu all this county, there 
are vast quantities; and I once shot a hen-pheasant in the latter end of August, 
having mistaken her, when flying from me in the sun, fora grey hen (as we were 
black grouse shooting at the time), and her crop was one entire mass of these purple 
berries. This proves nothing, but the fondness of game-birds for that particular food. 
The extreme blueness of the legs, as mentioned in the letter I quote, if observable in 
all these localities, added to the difference in size, which is acknowledged by all, 
would certainly tend to prove a variety, as the colour of the legs would be less likely 
to be influenced by the food ; and if I shoot any this year, I shall particularly remark 
this, to compare them with others, but at present I hold the supposed ‘“ mountain 
partridge ” of the ‘ Field, to be a myth—John W. G. Spicer; Fowley, near Lip- 
hook, Hants, June 11, 1858. | 

Note on a Lapwing’s Egg with Two Yolks.— I observed this morning in a dish of 
lapwings’ eggs one nearly twice the usual size, and on opening it, I found that it con- 
tained two perfect yolks; although this is not an uncommon phenomenon in the eggs 
of domestic poultry, I never met with it before in the egg of a wild bird. Possibly, 
the circumstance of lapwing’s eggs being so frequently abstracted from the nest in 
consequence of the demand for them at the table, may in some measure account for 
the occurrence of such an irregularity in an egg of this species —J. H. Gurney ; 
Kensington, May 24, 1858. 

Domestic Ducks Nesting ina Church Tower.—Some days ago two ducks were seen 
on the weathercock of our church, which seemed strange, but the strangest part of the 
story is to be told. On the morning of the Ist instant the son of the clerk had an oc- 
casion to go up among the bells, where, to his surprise, he found the ducks had a nest 
with eggs in it, and this morning (June 3rd) I examined the nest; in it there are 
eight eggs. The elevation of the nest from the surface is some ninety feet. The 
ducks are the property of T. M. Boorn, Esq., who is anxious to preserve the eggs So 
that the young may be hatched where the eggs are at present.— Sussex Haxpress, June 
5, 1858. [Communicated by the Rev. Arthur Hussey, Rottingdean]. 


Occurrence of the Short Sun-fish at Torquay.—The short sun-fish (Orthagoriscus 
mola, Schneider) is a fish of sufficient rarity to make its capture worth noting, while 
its form is so bizarre and its size so great as to make it a sort of wonderment among 
sailors and fishermen, who invariably drag it about from house to house as a raree- 
show when they secure one, in the hope of a few pence. ‘Thrice in this manner has 
the species been brought under my notice; at Ilfracombe, in the summer of 1852; at 
Tenby, in 1856; and to-day at Torquay. This last specimen is smailer than the 
former ones I had seen; as it is not more than about two feet in length, and a 
foot anda half in height; its colour, too, is a lighter tinge,—a silvery gray, becoming 
white on the belly, and scarcely deepening to an iron-gray, even on the back. I looked 
in vain for the curious disk-shaped parasitic leech,—Tristoma mole; which is often 
found on the species, and which, I remember, was infesting in some numbers the. 


Insects. 6145 


Ilfracombe specimen. This individual was captured in a mackerel seine, off Hope’s 
Nose, near Torquay, about the middle of the day of the 15th of June instant.—P. H. 
Gosse; Sandhurst, Torquay, June 17, 1858. | 


————$— 


Colias Edusa, Macroglossa Fuciformis and M. Bombyliformis at Winchester.— 
Having the day before yesterday (June 8th) captured a Clouded yellow, I thought that 
an event so unusual might be worthy of insertion in the ‘ Zoologist. It was a fine 
female, evidently just out from the chrysalis, as the spaces between the nervures were 
in that limp condition which is observable in insects before they have become stiff by 
flight. The specimen was seen alive by at least ten persons. On the same day I 
had the good fortune to capture a specimen of Melitza cinxia, one of Macroglossa 
Fuciformis, three of M. Bombyliformis and other good things. The two Macroglosse 
seem very partial to the red campion (Lychnis dioica), for I took them all while 
hovering over the flowers of that plaut. The neighbourhood of Winchester is, I have 
every reason to believe, rich in Lepidoptera. Of the sixty-five Rhopalocera, I have 
myself taken forty-six species, and know of others having been taken.—J. S. Wesley ; 
The Close, Winchester, June 10, 1858. 

[The two British Colias have occurred repeatedly in the neighbourhood of 
London during the past May and the present June: I believe them all to have 
hybernated.—£d. | 
Correction of an error.—I regret the readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ should have been 
misled by my giving Thecla Pruni asa native of South Wales, it should have been 
T. Rubi (see Zool. 6100). I may also remark, I have no claim to the title of 
“* Reverend.”— Robert Drane ; Cardiff, June 22, 1858. 

Occurrence of Clostera curtula in the Isle of Wight.—A few days ago I was informed 
by a friend, who, though an F.G.S., &c., is not versed in insect lore, that a very curious 
object—a skin of a moth—was attached to the wallof his house. Not thinking it very 
probable that the sudden hot weather had induced a moth to throw off his outer gar- 
ment, but expecting to find it was the skin of a caterpillar, I went to the spot and 
found it was a good specimen of Clostera curtula. Seeing it indicated in the 
‘Manual’ as scarce, and observing it is not mentioned in a local list, published a few 
years since, I forward the capture in case it is thought worth recording, not being 
myself a Lepidopterist. It is now in the collection of a friend.—G@. Guyon ; Ventnor, 
Isle of Wight, May 31, 1858. 

Bankia Bankiana.—I have met with this hitherto rare little Noctua in considerable 
numbers. Itis extremely local, confined, so far as I have observed, to one little patch 
of bog on the mountain side. It flies heavily towards afternoon, but only for a few 
yards at once, settling on the stems of grass, after the fashion of a Crambus, and 
is easily captured.—Edwin Birchall ; Killarney, June 19, 1858.—F7rom the ‘ Intel- 
ligencer.’ 

The Larva of Xanthia Aurago.—The larva of this pretty Noctua is now feeding 
on the beech and the maple; but, as it seems, according to Guenée, tu be but little 
known, and is inaccurately described by Treitschke in Mr. Stainton’s ‘ Manual,’ I have 
thought it might interest some of the readers to know what it is like, and how to find 


XVI. ae 


6146 Insects. 


it. The egg, which is ribbed and at first pink, but changes after a few days to a slate- 
colour, is laid in the autumn, on the buds and small shoots of the beech and maple. 
It hatches about the 20th of April, and first attacks the opening bud, in which it buries 
itself. The larva is naked, of a reddish brown, with a narrow white dorsal line, and 
two narrow white spiracular lines: head, six front legs, and spiracles black. After 
feeding on the opening bud, it then unites two leaves together and feeds and moults 
between them. As it attaches the leaves pretty firmly together, it seems of little use 
beating for it, but it may be found by raising the branch and holding it against the 
light, when it is easily observed between the leaves.—Rev. B. H. Birks; Stonor, 
Henley-on-Thames, May 22, 1858.—Id. 

Capture of Camptogramma gemmata and fluviata at light, near London.—On the 
evening of the 5th of June, I took both these species at gas lamps in this neighbour- 
hood, two specimens of the former and one of the latter. I have presented one of the 
gemmata to the cabinet of the Entomological Club.—John Henry Tilly; 3, Bernard 
Street, Regent’s Park, June 15, 1858. 

Elachista Trapeziella : its Food and Transformations.—Larva deep pink (in some 
individuals much darker than others, and this may be a sexual difference), with a 
yellowish line down the back and sides. Mandibles pitchy black. Corselet with a 
pitchy patch, divided by the dorsal line, in each half of which is a blackish spot. It 
feeds on Luzula, and the egg is apparently laid at the base of the leaf, as the larva 
enters from thence mining upwards and making a track so fine as to_be almost imper- 
ceptible without the aid of a magnifying glass. After it has thus worked for a con- 
siderable distance it suddenly makes a broader mine and returns downwards parallel 
to the first track, when its operations may now be detected. The broad mine is of a 
dirty grayish colour, and seldom exceeds a sixteenth of an inch in width. Here I 
may add, that probably those who were not fortunate enough to detect it, searched on 
the fresh leaves. From what has come under my own notice it is only to be met with 
on those leaves which have assumed a purplish tinge. No doubt the egg is deposited — 
on the young leaf, but before this is hatched, age, and other causes too sometimes, 
act upon it as above. Decidedly the most difficult Jarva to find in the whole 
Elachista group. When about to change to a pupa it quits the mine, and, retiring 
to a convenient place, it then makes a slight spinning, to which it attaches itself, as 
well as by a few threads thrown across its back. The pupa at first, and until near the 
perfection of the imago, retains a good deal of the colour of the larva. Itis rather 
narrow, and with the dorsal ridge acute and pale. In all my examples the pupa 
was suspended head downwards. This is a fine species resembling none of the others 
in the position of its markings except E. cinereo-punctella ; and from this it is at once 
separated by the deeper colour of the wings and the short silvery white streak running 
along the fold at the base of the wing. Mr. Stainton’s description in the ‘ Insecta 
Britannica,’ p. 254, is exceedingly good. After emerging from the chrysalis, and 
when the wings have been developed, they are suddenly raised to an angle forking 
about 90 degrees with the body, and with their superior surfaces turned to each other 
so as to be almost touching it, thus stand until they are fit for use. The larve are 
nearly all full grown by the end of April, and the perfect insect appears at the end of 
May or beginning of June.— John Scott, Southfield Villas, Middlesbro’-on-Tees, 
June 14, 1858. 

Scolytus supposed to attack only unhealthy Trees: Cossus liyniperda does in- 
jest the Eim.—In the last number of the ‘ Zoologist,’ I observe a_ paper, 


Insects. 6147 


from you, which I was very glad to see, in reference to the article by Captain Cox on 
Scolytus destructor and Cossus ligniperda. Now, as regards the latter feeding in 
elms, I had an instance of this lately brought before me: the Rev. J. Hillens was 
pupa digging this spring,and came to an elm that was greatly damaged by the boring 
of a whole brood of larve of the Cossus, eighteen in number, or rather this is the 
number that gentleman brought home with him, some of which he gave to me: thus 
it will be seen that Captain Cox is right so far as the Cossus will feed in elm timber ; 
but, as you observe Zeuzera Asculi might have been mistaken for it if the larve were 
not seen, and as the larve of the latter are so common in the parks and even in the 
squares of London, it is very probable to have been that species. Now, as regards the 
Scolytus destructor, I disagree with Captain Cox in saying the insect attacks healthy 
trees ; for my part I do not believe it does so. In the neighbourhood of Exeter and in 
Devonshire generally, the elm is the most common tree we have, indeed it is the 
principal arborescent vegetation of the county; and you may hunt a hundred, nay a 
thousand, healthy trees and you will not find a single instance of the Scolytus; but if 
a tree is diseased so as to cause a Stagnation in the sap in any part of the trunk or 
large limbs, but more particularly the former, it is near to this you will find the larve 
of the Scolytus in plenty feeding on the liber and cambium, as also the softer portions 
of the wood immediately beneath: it is on the mucilaginous sweet sap that the larve 
appear to subsist; and where disease has taken place either from a wound, or the decay 
of a branch so as to admit water and the weather to act directly on the young and 
delicate wood forming liber, the cells become ruptured and broken down; the conse- 
quence is, the portions of the inner bark become so gorged with sap, that it oozes out 
and becomes a weeping wound ; and it is round about such wounds you find the larve 
of this insect feeding on this gorged portion of the liber, which is very sweet to the 
taste: like most other insects they appear to like saccharine fluids. Now, to prove 
that the insects prefer the stagnant sap to that of an healthy tree, I will instance a 
great number of elms that are cut down for timber and brought into the basin yard, 
near the quay and the steam saw-mills; in the bark of several that were cut down in 
the winter and early spring of 1856—so that they laid in the yard through last 
summer—and as I was hunting over the treesin this yard for Coleoptera in March 
and April of this year, and in ripping off the bark of the elms [| discovered it was full 
of larva—they literally swarmed with Scolytus larve; indeed, they were sa numerous 
that I was doubtful if it was that species. Well, I left them for some time until I 
thought they would have arrived at the pupa state, but when I returned to the trees 
again I found them all stripped of their bark by the poor people from the city, who 
steal it to burn. I was much vexed to think I could not follow up my observations ; 
] hunted round the trees and found a piece of bark round a small knot, about the size 
of my hand; when taken off I saw several pupe. I took this piece home and placed 
it ina breeding-cage, and, abouta fortnight ago, five perfect Scolytus emerged from this 
little bit of bark ; this J was much pleased to see, as it bore out my supposition. Now 
I can positively assert that all the trees that I examined in the first instance before 
the bark was removed were as full of larve as this small bit I took home with me, 
and, if they had remained untouched, would have produced thousands of the Scolytus, 
and these insects would have emerged just in time to deposit their eggs in the bark of 
the newly brought-in trees which have been cut down this last winter and spring; and 
here I may observe is the place to examine if the timber be sound and good, which I 
can assure you it is; so that itis the stagnant sap that attracts the insects, not the 


6148 | Insects. 


trees (as may be said are in a semi-decaying state from being cut down), now why 
should we find these trees swarming with the Scolytus larve when there are hun- 
dreds of fine healthy trees in the adjoining fields? even two sides of the basin yard are 
studded with elms, but you cannot find them attacked by the insect: why, I say, do 
we not find them? why, because it is not their proper or natural food: it is only in 
those portions where disease has begun its work, and the insects are attracted to the 
diseased portions, like most other lignivorous species to hasten on decay, which 
appears to be their office, and that they carry out to the letter.—Hdward Parfitt ; 
4, Weirfield Place, St. Leonard’s, Exeter. 

Scolytus supposed a secondary cause of injury: Cossus ligniperda does infest the 
Elm.—In your paper read at the Entomological Society upon Scolytus destructor, the 
inference you point out is certainly the correct one, viz., that the trees were not suf- 
fering from Scolytus so much as from Cossus. But my reason for writing to you is to 
inform you of the fact that the larve of Cossus ligniperda does infest the elm, so much 
so, that the greater number of valuable trees in Mount Edgecumbe Park are nearly 
destroyed through the perforations of this larva: at least I suppose the larve to be the 
cause, but I cannot give positive proof, not knowing whether they were diseased pre- 
viously, and not having tried to cure them. Cossus larve do not always mine to the 
centre or interior of a tree, but are to be seen in the full-grown state lying in their 
trenches on the surface of the wood, just under the bark. The last four larve I took 
were in the situation I describe. Passing by a tree I saw a patch of the bark loose, 
and guessing the cause, I returned, took off the bark, and two great fat fellows were 
exposed to view; two more were another skin deeper. I have not met with Scolytus 
destructor here ; 1 took one specimen at Exeter last year: our equivalent is Hylesinus 
crenatus.—J. J. Reading ; 11, Ham Street, Plymouth. 

[A nuinber of letters have been received, the writers of which take the views iudi- 
cated by Mr. Parfitt and myself, that Scolytus destructor attacks only the in- 
jured or dying trees, but I think Captain Cox is entitled to be heard in reply before 
anything further is published on the opposite side of the question. In the present 
state of the question I do not wish to enforce any opinion of my own.—£d.] 

Beetles in Ants’ Nests.—The attention of English Coleopterists has of late been 
more than usually directed to the search fur the beetles usually found in ants’ nests, 
and the result has been that several species have been added to our native lists. This 
year I have devoted some time to the subject, with a view not only of obtaining speci- 
mens, but also of trying to discover what it was that induced the beetles to be 
dwellers in habitations they had not assisted to build, and where, judging a priort 
from the carnivorous habits of the proper inhabitants, they would be likely to lead very 
uncomfortable lives. My observations have been exclusively confined to the nests of 
the large wood-ant (Formica rufa), and, as far as I have been able to notice, the 
beetles live in perfect harmony with the ants, neither attacking them nor being 
molested by them. I have proved also by keeping the various species together in a 
bottle for several days, that these beetles do not hurt each other. I should also 
mention that the nests are full of Onisci of different sizes and colours, and possibly of 
different species, but they and the ants do not quarrel] in the least. The sight of these 
Onisci led me to think that they were there, as in other places, on account of the pre- 
sence of moisture or decay which favour their existence, that they were not tenants at 
the will of the ants, but lodged in their nests rather in spite of them. This hypothesis 
did not seem very easy of demonstration, but luckily I stumbled on that which threw . 


Insects. 6149 


a light on the matter. I found an ants’ nest which for some cause or other had been 
deserted since last year at least; it was a large heap, as much as a cart-load, quite 
intact, like the other ants’ nests full of Onisci, Iuli, Scolopendre and Acari, but 
without a single ant living init. I took a portion from the top, spread it out on a 
sheet of white paper in the same manner as I had done from the nests that were full 
of ants, and soon had the pleasure of seeing some beetles moving among the débris. 
I repeated the process, and eventually found I had the following species, the relative 
numbers of each being about the same as in the other nests, except that Saprinus 
piceus was much more numerous:—Dendrophilus pygmeus, Saprinus piceus, 
Monotoma angusticollis, M. conicicollis, Trichopteryx sericans, T. atomaria, Cephen- 
nium thoracicus, Leptacinus Formicetorum,T hiasophila angulata, Oxypoda hemorrhoa, 
O. formicetorum, Quedius brevis. There were also many beetle larve moving about. 
It was therefore not only clear that that the Onisci were in no way dependent upon 
the ants, but that those beetles [ have mentioned, which are usually found in nests of 
Formica rufa, have no necessary connection with the ants, but merely take advantage 
of the circumstances favourable to their existence, which are incidental to the nests, 
such as the decaying wood and vegetable matter, the heat which is considerably 
greater than that of the atmosphere, and the Acari and other small creatures which 
abound. The xylophagous beetles, I have no doubt, feed on the wood, the car- 
nivorous on the Acari, &c., which are fostered by the heat. It is certainly curious 
that certain species of ants have for lodgers only certain species of beetles; 
it has been surmised that the formic acid uf the ants has an attraction for most of the 
beetles, and it may be so, but I am inclined to the opiniun that investigation will 
show that in many cases where a direct connection with the ants is now supposed to 
exist, itis merely some contingent circumstance that causes the beetles to frequent 
the ants’ nests. While we cannot disbelieve the statement of Muller and others that 
Claviger foveolatus secretes a fluid which is eagerly taken by Formica flava, in whose 
nests this beetle is found, and that the ants in return feed the beetles from their own 
mouths and carry them out of the way of danger, yet it is possible that there has been 
some error of observation, for similar statements have been made with regard to the 
Pausside found in ants’ nests, and yet the facts have been deemed susceptible of very 
different interpretations. Herr Gueinzius, writing about the Pausside of Port Natal, 
says (Proceed. Ent. Soc. 185], p. 106), “I saw a long train of ants busily running 
backwards and forwards, and I remarked among them a Pentaplatarthrus gently led 
by its antenne by several ants, which accompanied it in the common procession. My 
first idea, that it was forcibly held against its will, I gave up, when on this and 
following days I several times saw the same fact occur on the approach of a thunder- 
storm.” But Mr. Plant, also writing from Port, Natal,says of the Pausside (Proceed. 
Ent. Soc. 1855, p. 121), “ Respecting their habits, I think the notion that they live 
with the ants, or are at all desirous of their society, is an error: all that I saw were 
close prisoners and jealously guarded. The beetles are in the bottom of the tufts of 
grass, and owing to the smal] size and matted nature of the herbage, are very dif- 
ficult to discover in that position, but it is the business of the ants to find them, and 
well they perform it. The ants do not kill them on the spot simply because they can 
convey them home alive. * * * The sumof my observations amounts to this:— 
the Paussi do not seek the ants nor remain with them voluntarily; on the contrary, 
they use every possible exertion to escape, though not one that I saw succeeded in 
doing so, they are captives to the ants; and for what other purpose should the latter 


6150 Entomological Society. 


toil in their capture, but in the pursuit of their natural instinct to secure food 
wherever it is offered.” I quote these remarks to show how differently the same cir- 
cumstance may be estimated, and that although it is possible Miiller is right about 
the Claviger, it by no means follows that all beetles found in ants’ nests are in any way 
connected with the ant. It is, no doubt, very singular that such voracious creatures 
as the auts allow so many aliens to live among them unmolested, but though ap- 
parently ready to eat any living thing, may they not, like other animals, have their 
likings and dislikings? In some instances, especially where the resemblance of the 
beetles to the ants is very great, it will probably be found that the beetles frequent 
the ants’ nest to eat the ants, but it is not likely that any beetles which the ants will 
devour are voluntarily in their company.—J. W. Douglas; Kingswood Place, Lee, 
June, 1858. 

Cossonus linearis.—Remarking the supposition that this insect had not probably 
occurred for twenty years prior to its discovery by Mr. Janson, the place of capture 
being one of the arcana of science; I beg to state that I met with it in the course of 
last summer sunning itself on the tops of palings, near the railway-station, Upper 
Norwood.—Alfred Haward ; Gloucester Road, Croydon, June 22, 1858. 


Proceedings of Societies. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
June 7, 1858.—J. O. WEstwoop, Esq., V.P., in the chair. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 
donors :—-‘ First and Second Report on the Noxious, Beneficial and other Insects of the 
State of New York, made to the State Agricultural Society, pursuant to an appropria- 
tion for this purpose from the Legislature of the State,’ by Asa Fitch, M.D.; presented 
by the author. ‘Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,’ Vol. ii., No. 8; 
_ by the Society. ‘The Natural History Review’, Vol. v., No.2; by the Dublin Uni- 
versity Zoological Association, ‘A Monograph of the Asiatic Species of Neptis and 
Athyma, two genera of Diurnal Lepidoptera belonging to the Family Nymphalide,’ 
by Frederic Moore: ‘ Descriptions of some New Species of Lepidopterous Insects 
from Northern India, by Frederic Moore; by the Author. ‘ Annales de la Société 
Entomologique Belge, Tome premier; by the Society. ‘Bibliotheca Historico- 
Naturalis, Vol. vii., No.1; by the Author, E. A. Zuchold. ‘The Zoologist’ for 
June, 1858; by the Editor. ‘ List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in 
the collection of the British Museum,’ by Francis Walker, F.L.S., &c.; Part xiv. 
—Noctuide; by the Author. ‘ Report of the Proceedings of the First Meeting of 
the East Kent Natural History Society’; by Captain Cox. ‘The Journal of the 
Society of Arts’ for May; by the Society. ‘The Literary Gazette’ for May; by the 
Editor. ‘ Descriptions de Six Longicornes Exotiques Nouveaux,’ par M. Chev- 
rolat (from Archiv Entom.); presented by the Author. 


Entomological Society. 6151 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Stevens exhibited a number of Coleoptera found in nests of Formica fuliginosa ° 
and F. rufa, amongst which were examples of Myrmedonia cognata and M. lugens, 
and a fine series of Dinarda Maerkelii, taken near Guildford, of which he distributed 
specimens amongst the members present. 

Mr. Smith exhibited a specimen of Myrmica cingulata, found by Mr. S. Stevens 
in a nest of Formica fusca, and examples of Myrmica lippula and Ponera contracta, 
found by Mr. Janson in company with Formica fuliginosa ; he wished those entomo- 
logists who were in the habit of searching for Coleoptera in ants’ nests would bear in 
mind that several rare species of Myrmicide are only to be met with in the nests of 
the different species of Formica, and that two or three such species of Myrmica well 
known to continental entomologists have not yet been discovered in this country. 

Mr. Janson exhibited an example of a species of Trichonyx, found by Mr. 
E. Shepherd in a colony of Formica flava, under a flint on the “ Hogsback,’ near 
Guildford, on the 21st ult. Mr. Janson observed that it was the same species which 
he had alluded to in his paper on Coleoptera frequenting ants’ nests, in the 
‘ Entomologist’s Annual’ for 1857, but he had not yet been able to identify the insect 
with either of the two known continental species of this genus. 

Mr. Janson also exhibited specimens of an Hemipterous insect which he had taken 
on several occasions in nests of Formica rufa at Hampstead aud Highgate, and which 
he was disposed to refer to the Microphysa myrmecobia, Maerkel, in Germ. Zeitsch. 
f. d. Ent. v. 262, 276 (1844), with whose description the individuals before the 
Meeting agreed pretty closely, differing, however, somewhat in the sculpture of the 
‘head and thorax. He remarked that he had met with the male only, the female, 
according to Germar, has the hemelytra truncate—a structure obtaining in M. Psela- 
phiformis, Westwood, Annales de la Soc. Ent. de France, ii. 642, tab. vi. f. 3 (1834). 
[Loricula Pselaphiformis, Curtis, Ent. Mag. i. 197 (1833) ; Microphysa pselaphoides, 
Burmeister, Handb. d. Entom. ii. 286 (1835) ], and which may pessibly prove to be 
the female of the present species, although here the apical joints of the antenne are 
decidedly the longest, and the rostrum is broad and scarcely exceeds the head 
in length. 

Mr. Westwood observed that so long a period had elapsed since his attention was 
given to the species in question, that he could not then express an opinion in this 
matter; the specimen which Mr. Janson had placed in his hands would enable him 
to institute a comparison, the result of which he would communicate at a future 
time. 

Mr. Stainton exhibited a specimen of a new species of Cemiostoma, bred by Mr. 
T. Wilkinson, from Lotus, and for which the name “ Lotella” had been proposed : 
the insect is closely allied to C. scitella, from which it differs in the narrower anterior 
wings, the different position of the radiating dark lines in the cilia, and in having the 
apical spot from which these lines appear to emanate, black, instead of tawny as in 
scitella. 

Mr. F. Smith exhibited two hermaphrodites in the aculeate Hymenoptera, viz., a 
specimen of Nomada baccata, and of Andrena nitida; in both insects the male cha- 
racters were on the right side of the body. 

Mr. Douglas exhibited pupe of a Lepidopterous insect found under bark of syca- 
more, and presumed to be those of Stigmonota Regiana; also a living example 


6152 Entomological Society. 


of Trinodes hirtus, and a specimen of Acrognathus mandibularis, a Coleopterous insect 
new to this country, taken at Darenth Wood, about three years ago. 

Mr. Westwood exhibited a fine specimen of the Carpocapsa, which he had 
recently bred from the Mexican “jumping seeds,’ for which he proposed the 
name of 


CARPOCAPSA SALTITANS. 


_C. Ale anticis griseo-albis cinereo rivulosis ; costa lineolis circiter 16 obliquis alter- 
natim tenuibus, angulo apicali nigricanti plaga parva ovali albida ; margine 
postico prope basin macula parva quadrata nigricanti, plagaque postica magna 
conica cinerea, nigro lineata et marginata ; margine apicali griseo plumbeo et 
albo variegato serie duplici punctorum minutorum nigrorum ; alis posticis fuscis ; 
capite et collari brunnescentibus ; palpis extus fuscis, intus albidis. Expans. 
alarum antic. lin. 9. 


Hab.—Larva in seminibus plante Peruviane Calliguaja dicte, que motu salta- 
torio mire progrediuntur. 


Mr. Westwood exhibited a drawing, lately received by Mr. Spence from India, of 
the winged male and apterous worker of a species of Dorylus, together with the larva 
and pupa of the latter, which had been communicated to Herr Neitner by the Hon. 
Walter Elliot. The male is of the ordinary Dorylns form, that sex having only 
hitherto been observed, but the worker is a species of Mr. Westwood’s genus 
Typhlopone. Herr Neitner’s letter is as follows : -- 


“ Rambodde, Ceylon, March 24, 1858. 
“ W. Spence, Esq., London. 

‘“ Dear Sir.—When at Madras, a few weeks ago, my friend the Hon. Walter 
Elliot showed me an entomological sketeh, a copy of which I beg to enclose, asking 
me what the insect represented was. There can be no doubt that it is a Dorylus, and 
of great interest, as it represents two sexes, and as Mr. Elliot has observed their do- 
mestic habits. With regard to the latter, Mr. Elliot states that a couple of years ago 
he found a large society of these insects at Cullenada, near Coringa, north of Madras, 
at about 17° N. L. They lived in the manner of ants, under the stone foundations of 
a house built on loose sand, within half-a-mile of the sea-coast: the society was very 
numerous. Mr. Elliot brought away a number of the insects, and had a drawing 
made of them by a native draughtsman: the enclosed sketch is a copy of it, also made 
by a native dranghtsman. [The drawing represents the male insect of the natural 
size and in different positions, with magnified details of the antennae, legs and geni- 
talia ; also the worker of the natural size, and magnified with details, and with the 
larva and pupa]. There can be no doubt that these insects are closely allied to the 
social ants. The difference in size of the male and the worker is very remarkable. 
The female remains still to be discovered: still I feel confident that the enclosed 
sketch and Mr. Elliot’s observations will interest you as much as they have interested 
me, and will be generally considered as an acceptable addition to the natural-history 
of the genus Dorylus.” 


Mr. Thwaites, by whom Herr Neitner’s letter was transmitted to Mr. Spence, adds 
that “it is very interesting to find Shuckard’s conjecture that Typhlopone would prove 
to be of the Dorylus family verified. Shuckard’s paper on the subject is in the 


Entomological Society. 6153 


‘Annals of Natural History’ for 1840: his idea of its being a parasite, is, however, 
certainly disproved by this discovery of Mr. Elliot.” 

Mr. Westwood added that Mr. Shuckard, in his ‘Monograph on the Dorylides,’ 
referred to by Mr. Thwaites, had suggested that Typhlopone was composed of females 
of Labidus, and had consequently removed the former from the family of the ants, 
considering the Dorylides as an osculant family between the Mutillide and Formicidae, 
whereas he (Mr. Westwood), in the Arcana Ent. i. 73, had shown Typhlopone to 
belong to the family of the ants, and had considered the Dorylides as a section of the 
Formicide, doubting, at the same time, the supposed sexual connexion between 
Typhlopone and Labidus. 

Mr. Smith observed that the communication was certainly very interesting: Dr. 
Savage had, however, to his own satisfaction, settled the relationship of Dorylus some 
years ago. In the ‘ Proceedings of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia’ for 1850, a com- 
munication from Dr. Savage states, that he found in Africa a number of specimens 
of Dorylus in company with a new species of Anomma, “ A. rubella, Sav.’; the latter 
he considers to be the workers of Dovrylus, yet, notwithstanding this opinion and 
the details given, Mr. Smith expressed his doubts of there being any specific con- 
nexion between these insects; they were not even found in a nest, but upon the 
ground, the Dorylus being mixed with a procession of Anomma. Although great dis- 
parity in the size of the sexes of some species of ants was well known, no instance of 
the male so greatly exceeding the worker had come under his notice, and in India 
Dorylus was common, whilst Anomma has not yet been found. Mr. Smith was far 
more inclined to adopt the opinion of Dorylus being the male of Typhlopone, but he 
did not consider the communication decisive upon that point ; the Dorylus it appeared 
had been discovered in the same nest, or in company with workers of Typhlopone, but 
the female had not been discovered, and Dorylus might yet prove to be a parasite: 
Mr. Shuckard had suggested the probability of Labidus, the New World representa- 
tive of Dorylus, being the male of Typhlopone; and as the latter genus, or one very 
closely resembling it, had been received from Brazil from Mr. Bates, the communica- 
tion, should the connexion therein stated prove eventually to be correct, certainly con- 
firmed Mr. Shuckard’s views. 


Mr. Stainton read the following paper :— 
On the persistence of Species. 


““Some strangely heretical notions were broached at the last Meeting,—at least 
they were such notions as must appear heretical to all who have closely studied 
species. 

“It was suggested that those individuals of a genus which all who have most care- 
fully investigated the subject agree in considering species, were not in reality species, 
but merely varieties, or rather races caused by some modification of habit. The 
statement that different species will, in the larva state, feed on different plants, was 
used in an inverted manner to imply that eggs of one species laid on four or five dif- 
ferent plants will produce apparently as many different species. 

“I do not wish in the slightest degree to overstate the new theory, but I cannot 
see that it differs in degree from what I have just mentioned. Species somewhat 
similar feeding on closely allied plants were suggested as probable variations caused 
by the difference of food; but if a slight difference of food causes a slight apparent 


XVI. 2Q 


6154 Entomological Society. 


difference of species, a greater difference of food would of course produce a greater 
apparent difference of species, and thus each genus might be assumed to consist of 
only a single species, varying according to its food and other circumstances. 

“ Hence species are not; they were merely phantoms of the brain of the naturalist. 

“The difference between the two specimens of Cemiostoma I have exhibited is 
not a specific difference; Scitella, driven by stress of weather far from its usual food, 
laid eggs on Lotus, and thus produced an apparently new species. It is of course an 
interesting problem whether, if this insect bred from the Lotus were to deposit eggs 
on an apple-leaf the resuit would not be some other aberrant creature, which the 
first captor would hold to be a new species till an elaborate investigation into its pedi- 
gree should show that it was descended from Scitella, out of Lotus, by Scitella, 
out of apple. 

“Such theories would never have been started but for the smallness of the 
objects under discussion. 

“TJ have also brought for exhibition two hitherto reputed distinct species of 
butterflies, of the genus Vanessa ; but as they are very similar in appearance, and feed 
on plants of the same natural order, Urticacee, perhaps the Meeting will now be dis- 
posed to consider Polychloros and Urtice as one species: it will of course be 
remarked that the flight of these two insects is very different, that of Polychloros 
being far the more powerful; but then it must be borne in mind that elm trees grow 
higher than nettles, and consequently a butterfly bred from an elm tree might be 
expected to be endowed, on that very account, with stronger organs of flight. 

“T could multiply similar instances ad nauseam; but really I feel that I am un- 
necessarily taking up the time of this Meeting, and I should not have recurred 
to the subject but for the number of young entomologists who now attend our 
Meetings, on some of whom the idea of gradual developments from one species to 
another might have most injurious effects, were it not briefly, yet effectually, 
exploded.” | 


Mr. Westwood considered it would require far greater research than had yet been 
made, and far more argument than the few lines Mr. Stainton had just read, to dis- 
prove the theory he had advanced at the last Meeting, although Mr. Stainton was 
pleased to imagine he had “effectually exploded” the idea of gradual developments, 
yet he (Mr. Westwood) still maintained that many of the supposed new species of 
Micro-Lepidoptera lately established might be merely modifications of other species 
dependent on diversity of food or other circumstances with which we are not 
acquainted. That many species of animals, including insects, underwent modifica- 
tions and became, so to speak, geographical or structural sub-species was well 
established, as might be seen in Mr. Wollaston’s work on “Species,” since the publi- 
cation of which a great change had taken place in the minds, especially of German 
naturalists, as to the specific rank of many of the supposed species of Carabideous in- 
sects, which were now sunk into local sub-species. It was not sufficient to say that 
larve which had fed on the oak, would die rather than feed on any other tree, because 
the experiment was tried with an individual which had already become quercivorous, 
Many of the best botanists had also adopted the theory of local sub-species; it was 
quite necessary to register these permanent or even transitory sub-species, but far 


more philosophical to endeavour to discover the centre, so to speak, from which they 
radiated, 


Entomological Society. 6155 


Mr. Douglas remarked that in some of the species most closely allied, as, for in- 
stance, Cemiostoma Spartifoliella and Laburnella, it was not merely that they fed on 
different plants, but the habit of the larve was totally different, and it would 
be a preposterous doctrine to maintain that the difference of the habit was the cause 
of the modification of the species, and not rather that the habit differed because 
the species were different. 

Mr. Dunning said he was no advocate for the notion of species gradually 
changing from one form to another. 

Mr. Stainton observed that Mr. Westwood’s remarks went fully the length of 
maintaining the development theory, and in further illustration of the difference of 
habits, showing closely allied species to be distinct, he exhibited larve of M. Mil- 
liére’s new Coleophora Lugduniella, feeding on Vicia Cracca, and larve of C. Vibi- 
cella, on Genista tinctoria; the former larva having an ample silken cloak thrown 
over its black case, and the latter being entirely without the cloak; the former larva 
eating the leaves through into holes, and the latter blotching the leaves in the usual 
Coleophoric fashion. 

Mr. Vardon called the attention of the Meeting to the lamentable state of the 
fruit trees in Worcestershire: a few weeks ago they promised one of the finest crops 
ever seen, which had since been totally destroyed by multitudes of caterpillars, some 
of which he laid before the Meeting. His own orchards were planted with currant 
and gooseberry bushes under the fruit trees, and the caterpillars after defoliating the 
latter, had descended to the former: he would feel much indebted to the members 
present for any suggestions calculated to remedy or mitigate this serious evil: the 
crop on at least 1000 acres being totally destroyed. 

Mr. Westwood observed, with reference to the statement of Mr. Vardon, as to the 
wholesale destruction of the apple crop (as well as of that of the currant and goose- 
berry trees planted under the apples), that the caterpillars which had now proved so 
destructive for several years were those of the winter moth Cheimatobia brumata, and 
that as they were now full-grown, the mischief which they had produced had arrived 
at its height for the present year. The destruction of such of the caterpillars which 
still remained in the trees by beating the branches over large sheets, and which had 
already been practised to a large extent, was still highly desirable ; but Mr. West- 
wood considered that the peculiarities of the perfect insect offered much greater 
facilities for preserving the crop of next year. The habit of the caterpillar to 
descend to the ground and undergo its transformations in the earth, together with the 
fact that the female being wingless, would only be enabled to lay her eggs upon the 
tips of the present year’s shoots (so as to allow the newly hatched larva to find an 
immediate supply of food) by creeping up the trunks of the trees, suggested what 
appeared to be a satisfactory means of combatting this pest. The German horticultu- 
turists had indeed invented a kind of boot or box for the protection of the base of the 
trunk of the tree, composed of four upright boards fixed close round the tree, each 
having a small oblique ridge at the top, the inner surface which was kept (during the 
months of October and November when the perfect insects appear) moistened with gas 
tar or other sticking matter, which caught the females as they endeavoured to ascend 
the trees. It would also be very advisable at the same period of the year, either to 
remove and burn the earth beneath the trees to the depth of several inches, in order 
to carry away and destroy the chrysalids, or to beat the surface hard so as to prevent 


6156 Zoological Society, 


the moths making their escape to the open air. Children might also easily be trained 
to watch for and destroy the females when they make their appearance. They, how- 
ever, rapidly ascend the trees so that much vigilance is required. It had been asked 
whether it would not be advisable to destroy the apple trees in order to save the goose- 
berry and currant trees beneath, but this appeared a proceeding very doubtful of sue- 
cess, as the insects certainly first attacked the apples, and the destruction of the latter 
would only increase their attacks on the other trees. 


Mr. W. W. Saunders read “ Descriptions of some new species of the genus 
Erycina.’ —E. S. 


ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


Tuesday, April 27, 1858.—Dr. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. 

Mr. Sclater read the second part of a “ Synopsis of the American Ant-birds (For- 
micariide,” containing the Formicivorine or Ant-wrens, the second sub-family 
according to his arrangement of the group. The members of this section enumerated 
amounted to sixty-eight in number, divided into ten genera. Among these species 
were four considered to be undescribed, which were characterised under the names 
Myrmotherula multostriata, M. cinereigularis, Uromacra nigricans, and Pyriglena 
maculicaulis. 

The Secretary read descriptions of some new Pinne, and of a new Oniscia, from 
the collection of Mr. Cuming, by Mr. Sylvanus Hanley; and descriptions of ten 
new species of Bulimus from the same collection, by Dr. L. Pfeiffer. 

Dr. Gray made some additional observations on the genus Furcella. 

He also read a paper “ On a new Genus and some new Species of Uropeltide in 
the Collection of the British Museum.” The new species were characterised under 
_ the following names :—Siloboura Ellioti, S.Ceylonica, Morina Templetonii, M. uni- 
maculata, M. melanogaster, and Maudia Jerdonii. 

Dr. Gray likewise read a paper “‘ On Carpentaria, a new form of animal, interme- 
diate between Rhizopods and Porifera, or a sponge with a foraminated many-celled 
shelly case.” 

Dr. Gray read a note on the egg of the “mooruk” (Cusuarius Bennettiz), which 
was exhibited to the meeting by Mr. S. Stevens. 


Tuesday, May 11, 1858.—Joun Goutp, Esq., V.P., in the chair. 

Mr. Gould exhibited to the meeting a specimen of the American species, Regulus 
calendulus, which was shot in a wood on Loch Lomondside, by Dr. Dewar, about five 
years since. 

He also exhibited a specimen of the night heron, which had been shot at Coombe 
Abbey, the seat of the Ear] of Craven. 

Mr. Gould stated that he had received a letter from Dr. Bennett, of Sydney, 
stating that since he had written the account of the new cassowary, which Mr. Gould 
at a recent meeting of the Society named Casuarius Bennettii, a young bird of the 


Zoological Society. 6157 


same species had been brought to Sydney; that he had successfully negociated the 
purchase of the original adult bird, which had been placed on board the ship ‘ British 
Merchant,’ in charge of Dr. Plomley, who was returning to England; and that the 
ship sailed on the 2nd of March, with the bird alive and in good condition. Mr. 
Gould therefore trusted that this rare and valuable bird would, under the care and 
attention of Dr. Plomley, arrive alive in the gardens. It is intended as a present to 
the Society from Dr. Bennett. A-drawing of the young bird was exhibited to the 
meeting. 

The Secretary read an extract from a letter dated Eastbourne, May 3, 1858, 
addressed to Mr. Gould, from his son, Mr. Charles Gould ; it ran as follows : —“ In 
the course of my walk yesterday I came close to a sand pit rather suddenly: a num- 
ber of rabbits were playing about, which scampered off as soon as they became aware of 
the dread proximity of man, leaving behind them, however, six or seven nondescript 
companions about their own size, sedately playful, awkward and grotesque. At the 
distance at which I first saw them I was quite at a loss to imagine what they were. 
Finding they were curious rather than shy, I approached nearer, and found them to 
be young fox-cubs; they allowed me to venture within about fifteen yards of them, 
and then retired without any indecorous haste, one by one, into their holes.” 

Mr. Gould made some observations on the Indian Phasianide imported last year, 
and now laying in the gardens of the Society. 

Drawings of the eggs of the Impeyan pheasant, the Cheer, the purple pheasant, 
and two species of Kalegee, were exhibited to the meeting. 

Mr. Holdsworth made some remarks on the sea-anemones, and particularly on a 
specimen of the rare Anthea Couchii, now exhibited for the first time in the aquarium. 

Mr. Sclater laid before the meeting the third and concluding portion of his 
“‘ Synopsis of American Ant-birds (Formicariide),” containing the third sub-family, 
Formicariine. Among the forty-six species referred to this division were two from 
the Upper Amazon, which were considered tosbe new, aud named Myrmelastes 
plumbeus and M. nigerrimus. 

With reference to the eggs of Indian Phasianide, Mr. Sclater remarked that, 
though the eggs of the Gallophasis albo-cristata and G. melanota were easily recog- 
nisable, as of distinct species, as indeed were the birds themselves, yet it was well 
known in India that, in the region where these two species inosculate, a transitional 
variety is found, passing from one to the other. ‘This was not so surprising in a 
gallinaceous bird, but the same thing occurred in two instances in birds of the 
_ Passerine groups, aud was very remarkable. No one would deny the specific distinct- 
ness of Coracias bengalensis of the Indian peninsula from C. affinis of Assam, or of 
Colaptes aurata of the eastern United States of America from C. mexicanus of Cali- 
fornia and Mexico ; yet, in the country where these species respectively inosculate, 
intermediate varieties are found. 

Mr. Sclater also read the statement of the person who reared the Magellanic 
geese now in the gardens, from which it appeared that they were all three hatched 
from eggs taken from one nest in the Falkland Islands ; and all doubts as to the very 
dissimilar male and female being of one species were thus removed. —D. WV. M. 


6158 Natural-History Collectors. 


Proceedings of Natural-History Collectors in Foreign Countries. 


Mr. Lovis Fraser’s EXpEDIT‘ON TO ECUADOR AND PERU. 


Mr. Fraser’s letters, containing the account of his journey from 
Cuenga to Gualaquiza, have miscarried. The following are extracts 
from subsequent letters :— 


* Gualaquiza, February 13, 1858. 

“*T have been to Zamora for a fortnight,—you will find it marked in 
the map. I got a few additional things, but no novelties. The in- 
sects stung my feet to such a fearful extent that they produced twenty- 
four sores, and I was compelled to return here, since when I have 
been trying to cure them and am still confined to the house. All the 
whites here (four in number) are suffering more or less from these ento- 
mological sores. It has rained more or less every day since I left 
Guayaquil, although they call it the dry season, and I have great diffi- 
culty in keeping what I have collected. As for drying them, that is 
quite out of the question, and after skinning and preserving my small 
quadrupeds, I have been obliged to put them into spirits to save 
them. 

“T have altogether about 200 skins, some breast-bones and a 
skeleton of Daptrius, skulls of tapir and white-lipped peccary, some 
six canisters of things in spirits, some Lepidoptera, a very few shells, 
two orchids and a bulb, which I will try to dry in some oven in 
Cuenca. I hope and trust that my collection, which 1 left in Cuenga, 
has not suffered. 

“On the road to this place 1 saw beautiful specimens of the Peru- 
vian cock-of-the-rock (Russicola Peruviana): it is called by the Ecua- 
-dorians ‘Gallo de montana.’ Why it should be called ‘ cock of the 
rock’ I know not, as it frequents the forests of the mountains: its 
cry is like the creaking of a signboard before a country inn, moved 
by the wind, and is compared here to that of a young monkey. 

“* Crossing the river Rosario, on the 14th of December, was an awful 
job: the river rising very rapidly, we had to walk on two very slender 
limbs of trees, which sprang considerably, the balustrades consisting 
of ropes held by boys on either side, forming anything but a pleasant 
or safe mode of transit: although it is only about six feet above the 
water, should a person fall in there would be but a very slight chance 
of his escaping alive. Tt is a mountain torrent, and the fragile bridge 
is laid over between four falls, of some six feet each: it is about 


Natural-History Collectors. 6159 


fifleen yards wide. Our beasts were passed by tying a hide-rope 
round their necks, and the boys on the opposite side hauling them 
across: their attempts to swim were quite useless ; the torrent rolled 
them over and over like a cask, and they were dragged ashore almost 
exhausted. 

“These are the best native houses [ have seen anywhere; the 
rooms are up a ladder; the walls are composed of bamboo sticks, set 
about an inch apart, to let air through; the flooring is made of the 
outsides of bamboo flattened: the roofs are very neat and nicely 
rounded at the ends, and thatched with leaves; the principal fault 
with these houses being their springing and shaking when any one 
moves about. 

“The Shu-iberos paint themselves with red or black, or both, in 
various ways, apparently according to fancy: sometimes it is done 
like stencilling, patterns being made and laid on the cheeks or other 
parts, and the colours rubbed through the openings; the chest, back, 
arms and legs are sometimes also covered with paint. The women 
are very small in size, and by no means smart in their dress, well 
built or good looking. A dark cotion cloth, of native manufacture, 
round the loins, nearly reaching to the knee, is their only garment: 
they dye their hair and teeth with the same black as they paint their 
skins with: their hair is long, tied into tails and ornamented with 
beetles’ wings and skins of gay-coloured birds at the end, such as 
tanagers, blue creepers, aracaris and portions of toucans: sticks about 
six or eight inches long are stuck through the lobes of their ears ; 
lately they have introduced steel penholders for this purpose: beads 
and seeds are used in abundance round the neck and over the breast 
and shoulders, and a thick hair belt is tied round the waist. Some 
few have a kind of scarf attached to the back of the head and hanging 
down to the small of the back, made of bones, two inches and a half 
long, quite white and said to belong to monkeys. 

“The fireflies are above an inch long and very brilliant: they are 
called in spanish ‘Cucallu.? There is a frog with a very hoarse voice 
which seems to say in his gruff tones ‘ Pretty fire fly fly.’ 

I note the following, for fear it should be forgotten, and it is as well 
Mr. Tomes should know it: amongst my Gualaquiza specimens 
will be found one bat much larger than the rest: the Indian who 
brought it said it attacks the mules and is called in their language 
‘ Jihimchama.’ 

The Indians do not live in villages, but scattered all over the country, 
a mile or more apart: their houses or sheds (for there are no second 


6160 Natural-History Collectors. 


stories) are about 100 feet long, 30 feet broad, and built in every 
respect like the one before described, but fitted all round with sloping 
bamboo benches or bedsteads ; at the foot of each of these is a pole, 
raised about two feet from the ground, upon which they rest their feet, 
underneath which a fire is kept going. Innumerable dogs are kept 
tied up, generally upon these bedsteads, but always at the women’s 
end of the building. 
“ Cuenga, March 21,.1858. 
‘“‘ Here I am once more safe and sound, having returned from Gual- 
aquiza without accident. Having bandaged up my sore feet I started, 
on the Ist of March, and arrived here after dark on the 5th, well 
nigh tired out, but my wounds, strange to say, improved, owing, I 
think, to the colder climate. I now propose working towards Quito, 
in the first place to see our minister, Mr. Cope, and, secondly, to be in 
a good position to drop down on Esmeraldas as soon as the dry season 
commences. 
“Louis FRASER.” 


Excursion to St. Paulo, Upper Amazons. By H. W. Bates, Esq. 


On the 5th of September last I again embarked on our neat little 
Upper Amazon steamer, the “Tabatinga,” for an excursion to 
St. Paulo, a village higher up than any I had yet visited, being about 
260 miles distant, in a straight line from Ega, but at least 400 miles 
following the bends of the river. I have little to relate concerning 
the passage thither, for voyages on the Amazons are very monotonous 
in their incidents; but as the river in September is at its lowest point, 
and therefore large tracts of sandy shore exposed to view, there was 
rather more amusement on the road than on my former excursions in 
seasons of higher water. 

Almost every step of the way we passed monstrous alligators, 
which, especially in the little bays along the margins of the great sand 
banks, were congregated in great multitudes, lazily floating, and. 
heedless of the passing steamer. Mr. Hauxwell, the well-known 
bird-collector, was one of the passengers, and, in the spirit of a true 
sportsman, could. not resist having a shot at them with his rifle. 
There is only one narrow space in the head of the alligator where it 
is vulnerable, but Mr. Hauxwell managed to hit a good many. One 
of these, the commandanto resolved to haul on board for the purpose 
of extracting a part of the animal, which is in great repute among 


Naturai-History Collectors. 6161 


Brazilians as a “remedio:” for this purpose he stopped the steamer 
and sent a boat; the men in the boat had some difficulty in towing 
the beast, and it took eight or ten strong men to get it on deck. It 
had still some remains of life, and caused great commotion on board 
when it lashed its heavy tail and opened its ponderous red jaws; 
a blow with a hatchet on the crown easily composed him at last. 
The length was fifteen feet, but this dimension cannot give a correct 
idea of the immense bulk of the animal, as the head and trunk are 
much larger in proportion than they are in the smaller animals of the 
lizard tribes generally. | 
Besides alligators, we were much amused in watching the turtles ; 
these were especially numerous in the broad still bays near the sand- 
banks, as it was now near the time of their congregating to deposit 
their ova en masse on those places. Numbers of them would be seen 
ahead; their droll-looking snouts and the convex part of their 
shells, visible above the surface: they would remain looking at 
the steamer until it had nearly passed, and then apparently at last 
losing confidence, dived like ducks under the water. Herons, too, 
were in vast numbers on some of the sand-banks, especially the large 
snowy white species; sometimes a flock of them would keep flying 
ahead a short distance before the steamer for several hours together. 
We reached St. Paulo on the 10th, and on the 11th I began my 
labours in the vicinity ; continuing them, with the intermission only 
of a few days caused by an attack of fever, for five months, re- 
embarking for Kga on the 2nd of February. The village was origi- 
nally formed by the Indigenes of the nation Tuctina; and indeed is 
still peopled mainly by them, for there are not more than a dozen 
white or rather mestizo traders established here, who, instead of 
civilizing the ‘Tucanas, have adopted their mode of life. The Indians 
themselves still exist in small numbers, in their original state, in the 
forest about two leagues from the village, and there are many more on 
the different small rivers within a distance of fifty or sixty miles from 
St. Paule. They are a particularly gentle and peaceable race of 
people; I often met them when alone and unarmed in the forest, and 
was always met with smiles and sometimes presents of fruit. They 
are a branch, doubtless, of the same race as the Juris, Munduructs of 
the Tapajos and Jurinas of the Xingu: they tattoo their faces like 
those nations, but generally in a different style; not in a large black 
patch as the Juris, nor in a cross-barred cancellated pattern, like I 
have seen generally amongst the Munduructs, but in curves and 


scrolls on the cheeks and at the corners of the mouth. ’ These poor 
XVI. 2R 


6162 Natural-History Collectors. 


people have adopted too completely almost the only thing the low 
white traders at the village have had to teach them, 7. e., the habit of 
drunkenness. Life in St. Paulo is an almost perpetual orgy. I never 
saw anything so disgusting in the course of my travels: if it were 
not for this, the village would be a very good station for a naturalist. 
There are means for making excursions by water beyond the Peruvian 
frontier, as well as up some of the neighbouring rivers. The vicinity 
of the village itself also offers many advantages; there are good paths 
leading away many miles through the forest: the surface of the 
country is much broken up and varied; the village itself is situated 
on ahill, considered a remarkable elevation in this flat country; the 
summit of which forms a plateau, which extends about a mile into the 
interior, where it descends to a beautiful valley in the midst of the 
most luxuriant forest. On one side of the village the plateau ends 
abruptly, descending a springy and boggy meadow, and thence 
through the forest deep down into a cool shady dell, at the bottom of 
which flows a brook of icy-cold water. Brooks, large and small, tra- 
verse the forest in almost every direction, and one is constantly meet- 
ing with springs and bubbling sources. Some of the rivulets flow 
over a sandy and pebbly bed, whose banks are clothed with the most 
exuberant and beautiful vegetation. Indians have built their slight 
palm-thatched huts on their borders, without clearing, however, any 
extent of the forest, so you have everywhere agreeable shade and 
coolness. I think I have never seen such lovely spots as some parts 
of the banks of these rivulets; cheered even amid the heats of mid- 
day by the songs of many strange birds. There is one bird, especially, 
which I have heard only once or twice at Ega — here very common ; 
the people call it the “realejo” or the hand organ,—I find its notes 
exactly like those of the flageolet; but its music is not so perfect as 
that of our European songsters, because the strain is too short, con- 
sisting of only a few tender notes like the commencement of an air, 
and then stopping suddenly, or interrupted by a clicking noise like 
a hand-organ out of wind: I could not get a sight of this bird, 
although its voice seems to come from the trees close by. 

I applied myself during my stay here chiefly to Entomology: 
I was not successful in obtaining hunters to assist me in forming 
a collection of the birds of the locality, and there is little or nothing 
to be found in other departments. I was very glad to discover, 
in the course of the first few days, that a great number of the most 
conspicuous diurnal Lepidoptera were quite different from anything I 
had yet seen. I found a locality just within the borders of the forest, 


~ 


Natural-History Collectors. 6163 


a roosting-place of vultures very attractive to them; here nearly all 
the fine Nymphalide of the locality and many of the handsomest 
Krycinide and Hesperidz, were accustomed to congregate. Some- 
times, on hot sunny mornings, they were in such numbers that 
the place seemed alive with them. Of Catagrammas, there were six 
species, the rarest and most beautiful of which was a grand new spe- 
cies I discovered at Tunantins last year, and which is described and 
figured by Mr. Hewitson as C. excelsior: I saw only three of them 
during the whole of my stay and captured them all. All the Cata- 
gramme are very similar in habits, delighting to hover about muddy 
places, but are very wary, sailing away at one’s approach up to in- 
accessible heights on the surrounding trees, sometimes settling on the 
foliage, sometimes on the tree-trunks. Besides excelsior there is 
another large species, scarlet and black, very common, especially 
in the streets of the village; next to this, C. Kunomia, Hezttson, was 
most abundant; of these two I captured the females within the 
shades of the forest where I never saw a single male: the other three 
were C. cynosura, var. pyga and Clymena. Of Epicalia, in the 
locality named, I observed seven species, viz., the three well-known 
orange-banded species, Salacia, Capenas, Hewitson, Ancea, anda pro- 
bably new species allied to this last, having a belt of blue across all 
the wings: it was much rarer than the Ancea and excessively difficult 
to capture. Of the grand genus Pandora I took two species. P. 
Prola, a species found, as | have understood, in the hot valleys on the 
eastern slopes of the Andes in New Granada, I was glad to find for 
the first time ; St. Paulo appears to be its lowest limit on the Amazon 
downwards. Its habits struck me as partly those of Ageronia and 
partly of Prepona, and I have not much doubt the three genera are 
really related nearly to one another. Pandora Rola was quite a com- 
mon insect down to the end of October, flying boldly about the 
streets, constantly entering the open windows of the houses, settling 
on the white-washed walls; but it was more easily to be captured at 

the roosting-place of the vultures: there also in January I captured 
a specimen of another larger species, somewhat resembling the 
P. Procilla of Hewitson. Of Ageronia there were, besides four com- 
mon species, two new ones, one quite abundant, the other very rare. 
Prepone, allied to our Apatura Iris at home, and like it, attracted by 
all kinds of ordure, were daily to be seen in the same locality. 
Amongst a number of the common species, I captured two species new 
to me, both having much sharper wings and brilliant blue ocelli to the 
under surface of the posterior pair. In the same place were about a 


6164 Natural-History Collectors. 


dozen or fourteen species of Eubagis, six or seven of which are new 
to me; one is of a pale silky blue above, another which I took, how- 
ever, in the heart of the forest in a sunny opening, is velvety black, 
with a patch of metallic-green at the base of the fore wings. These 
two species will contribute to vary more the forms in this most lovely 
and numerous genus of Nymphalide butterflies. ‘The Eubages I con- 
sider come somewhat near our European Fritillaries and Vanesse, 
and their larve, when discovered, I venture to prophecy, will be mul- 
tispinose. Paphia and Siderone, two allied genera, were also well 
represented here; of the former, six or seven species were daily in 
great abundance, and amongst them four species new to me, one of 
them almost as brilliantly coloured as the Catagramme. Of Side- 
rone, I obtained one of a most handsome new species, in shape of 
wings like the 8S. Syntyche, and in eolours differmg chiefly from that 
species in wanting the blue. Another genus of Nymphalide, very 
numerous here, was Cybdelis; they were abundant both in species 
and in individuals in the streets, on the borders of the river and 
within the margins of the forest, sometimes in vast multitudes con- 
sisting of two or three species; the rarer species, however, generally 
found solitary and apart. I think 1 found all the Ega species ex- 
cept Celina; but there oecurred four species not found so low down 
as Kga, two of them extend only as far down as Tunantins and Fonte 
Boa, the other two I found for the first time at St. Paulo, neither of 
them has any close affinity with the other species of the genus known 
to me: one of them is perhaps the handsomest species of the genus, 
the colour and marks of the under surface of posterior wing, some- 
what approximating Callithea: the other new Cybdelis, also very 
handsome, was, for a few days in November, excessively abundant at 
the roosting-place above mentioned. I found also a very interesting 
new species, closely allied to Cybdelis (?) Pharsalia of Hewitson ; it 
is however constantly and clearly distinct; 1t was almost abundant in 
December for several weeks, at least on the gleamy hot mornings I 
used to see three or four of them together settling on the moist sandy 
margins of the brook in the deep dells of the forest in sunny openings. 
IT also captured a female which resembles the same sex in the Cyb- 
deles generally, being brown, with white spots towards the tip of the 
wings. Heterochroe, although abundant as everywhere else, yielded 
me no fresh species, and Pyrrhogyra only one. ‘Timetes were more 
numerous in species: itis a genus which prefers the moist sandy 
margins of water, in this respect differing from other genera of Nym- 
phalidz, especially the typical forms which give the preference to 


Natural-History Collector's. 6165 


mud and ordure. Berania, at Ega so abundant, here was very rarely 
seen, whilst Tutelina, which I never saw but once at Ega, is here 
quite a common species. 

In the shady ravines of the forest many species of Ithomize were 
found in greater or less abundance. After having observed last year 
at Fonte Boa so much that was interesting and suggestive in the geo- 
graphical distribution and mutual relations of the species, I was 
curious to observe what further was to be learned at this new locality, 
I found, as I had expected, an almost total change in the species. I 
found here nineteen species of the genus, eight of which I had never 
met with before: on the other hand, eight species found abundantly 
at Fonte Boa, do not reach this place. I. Illinissa, Alia and the 
three allied species, forming a group having nearly the same colours, 
would appear then to find their metropolis at Fonte Boa, and are 
doubtless dispersed over the tract of level humid forests between the 
Jutahi and Teffé, southward of the Amazon and stretching towards 
Bolivia. The commonest species at St. Paulo was the I. Cidonia 
(Hewits.) and another really near to it, but having a totally different 
appearance on account of the partially white-coloured nervures ; this 
latter as well as the other six species of St. Paulo Ithomiz are pro- 
bably as yet undescribed. Ithomia Cidonia varies very much, but its 
varieties all gradually blend together, and are by no means distinct 
like the species allied to I. Illinissa. One species, however, of 
similar colours to it is quite distinct, having differently coloured 
shoulder-coverts and collar as well as peculiar neuration and antenne. 
Flying amongst the Ithomiz was now and then to be observed a 
Leptalis; I was very careful to secure every specimen, and the 
gathered series, now I come to examine them closely, have interested 
meas much as any other acquisition made during my excursion. 
Abstraction made of a white species and the Vocula, the rest may be 
considered either as six species allied to L. Lysinoé (Hewi/ts.), or as 
the latter branching out into six rather widely differing varieties. In 
either case they are very interesting, because some of the kinds come 
to imitate, each a species of Ithomia common only in this locality. 
It would seem then almost correct to say, that at Ega and other sta- 
tions these new Leptales are not found, because the Ithomiz to which 
they correspond are also absent. L. Lysinoé imitates Ithomia Flora ; 
but three at least of the new species imitate three of the commonest 
Ithomiz of St. Paulo; on the wing their resemblance is much more 
striking than when in the cabinet. In fact I was quite unable to dis- 


_ 


6166 Natural-History Collectors. 


tinguish them on the wing; and always on capturing what I took for 
an Ithomia, and found when in the net, to be a Leptalis mimicking it, 
{ could scarcely restrain an exclamation of surprise. Que species 
imitates exactly I. Cidonia, another I. Onega, which is more abundant 
at St. Paulo than at any other place, and a third another unnamed 
species of Ithomia, also one of the most abundant species. The 
resemblance between Leptales and Ithomiz, two groups of Diurnes 
much more widely separated than they appear in our classifications, 
is repeated in the case of a group of Bombycide moths, of which 
there are at least two genera imitating the Ithomiz and the larger 
Heliconiz. One of them, which I saw first at the British Museum, 
exactly imitates Ithomia Flora; at Ega there is one imitating in the 
same way Ithomia Fluonia of the same locality. At Fonte Boa 
appears another standing in the same relation to I. Hlia of the same 
place, and at St. Paulo there are others occurring simultaneously with 
the peculiar Ithomiz of the district. These analogies to me appear 
one of the most beautiful phenomena in Nature. 

I am afraid I am occupying too much space with the details of my 
doings in the Diurnes. In the genus Papilio I saw little that was new 
to me: there occured a sharp-winged species apparently the same as, 
or nearly allied to, a species only found near Para; the female, 
however, has spotless fore wings. Crassus was a common species in 
all other localities, being one of the very rarest. In Pieris I found 
two new species. ‘I'he curious P. Lorena was rather common, I took 
also its female, which is coloured orange and black, almost like a 
Heliconia. ‘The Glaucopes and Kuchromiz were the only groups of 
moths at all numerous: in fact, I saw very few species of the other 
families ; but of the above two genera there were many most beautiful 
species, many, perhaps twelve or fifteen, new to me; and some so 
common, that they flew up at almost every step from the low herbage. 
Their habit is to fly quietly, but low, settling on leaves, but remaining 
on the upper surface only for an instant, hitching over the edge to 
conceal themselves underneath. 

The locality yielded me a good many species of Coleoptera; but 
generally I consider the district not to be productive in large and 
handsome species: I attribute this chiefly to the cold clayey nature 
of the soil. In the Geodephaga I was glad on the first day to ob- 
serve that the Odontocheile, the group of Cicindele inhabiting the 
forest shades of the whole country, were different in species from 
those of Kga and other stations; I found at once five species new to 


Natural-History Collectors. 6167 


me, whilst the commonest Ega species were no longer to be met 
with. On the sandy margins of the brooks in the forest, there were 
three or four very pretty species of Lachnophorus, also new, and two 
Age. Besides these, I found only one Lebia, two or three Ozene, 
two Cymindes, some Selenophori and Scarites new to me. The 
Ozzne are very interesting insects on account of their supposed 
relation to the Pausside. Ihave now about a dozen species; the 
largest of all, about one inch long, I took at St. Paulo, within my own 
house at night, long after the windows and doors were closed. I think 
it very likely to be the very rare O. dentipes of Olivier. It flew towards 
the light, and settled on the wall. On seizing it it crepitated fully as 
strongly as the large yellow and black Brachini of the country (B. 
complanatus?). Two other species I captured flying in the evening 
on the edge of the high banks of the river. One large species I found 
at the roots of a tree amongst the earth. I generally find them 
beneath loose bark of felled trees. With regard to the crepitating 
faculty, I find itis more generally possessed by the Carabides of the 
division Truncatipennes than has been hitherto supposed. I have 
observed it repeatedly and distinctly in species of Cymindis, Agra, 
Calleida, Cryptobatis, Coptodera, and several other genera, 

In the Dytiscide I obtained very few things—one Hydaticus, one 
Copelatus and one Hydroporus—the pools of water were chiefly 
tenanted by three small species of the curious genus Hydrocanthus, 
in company with a Laccophilus. ‘The Hydrocanthi merit close atten- 
tion on account of the peculiar structure of their metasternum, the 
place of which can scarcely be considered as occupied by the 
posterior haunches, because it forms an elevated plate of very curious 
structure, beneath which move the posterior legs. In Staphylini 1 
took several handsome species new to me, one a Scytalinus more than 
an inch long, flying abroad in the evening. In the same way I cap- 
tured the largest Pselaphide perhaps as yet known, it is a Metopias. 
In Lamellicornes the locality proved still poorer than Ega. This isa 
group which requires a long stay 1n a locality to meet with the larger 
species of: I found very few in the scanty flowers which blossomed 
now and then along the borders of the forest; several, though small, 
were new and interesting, especially a striped Isonychus and two 
Macraspes. Within the forest I met with a third species of a small 
brilliantly metallic genus allied to Chalcentis, and four specimens of 
a strikingly handsome genuine Rutela, of a most brilliant orange- 
colour, with two vittz on prothorax and other marks black. I met 


6168 Natural-History Collectors. 


with no new Coprophagous Lamellicornes, or Cetoniade, and only 
three new Cyclocephale. Buprestide and Elaters were not numerous, 
a few new species occurred—one a Colobogaster, found in cleaving 
open a piece of fire-wood. Of Chrysobothris I saw scarcely any, 
although they are found numerously in almost all localities settling in 
the hot sun on branches of felled trees. Of Longicornes I met with 
a few only in very fine weather. There were two metallic species of 
Pvrodes new to me, two pretty little Compsosome, a lovely Chryso- 
prasis with golden coppery femora, and about a dozen of the more 
minute species flying abroad in warm evenings. To procure these 
latter as well as many other rare Coleoptera flying in the evening, the 
edge of the high and steep banks of the river offered great advantages ; 
because in coming up from below they came within reach, and the 
strong light in the back ground enabled one to discern them. One 
of the most interesting captures in this family was the Anisocerus 
Onca (White), here changed by a transposition of colours into an 
insect of quite a different appearance from the type, which is very 
numerous and invariable at Ega. ‘The black spots have blended with 
the brown ground-colour, leaving in it several quadrate pale spots 
arranged somewhat like the black ones in the typical form. All the 
specimens I found were the same. In the great family Cyclica, | 
added many new species to my collection. Some groups, such as 
Coptocycla, are remarkably constant in form, the species being dis- 
tributed over a very large extent of country in south America; thus, 
although I met with many curious species new to me, I find they are 
known Cayenne, or Columbian species, such as C. cruciata, carnio- 
lenta, aciculata, vitreata, rubicunda, Cassida trivittata, &c., one or two 
only I think are new species. In Omaspides, on the contrary, I find 
the species change from Ega to this place: thus O. basilica is here 
replaced by an allied, but distinet species, itself not being met with 
at all. There were also two other species tolerably plentiful on 
climbing plants in the forest. Another group which multiplies its 
species in the most prolific manner over districts not far apart is 
Doryphora: of this I met with many species almost all new to me, 
but unfortunately only a few specimens of each. 

The last family of Coleoptera to which I shall allude is the Eroty- 
lide. The broader or inflated forms of which, which comprise more 
than half the family, are peculiar to South America, as are the 
Ithomie and Heliconiz, and, like the former, offering one or several 
peculiar species in every locality fifty or a hundred miles apart: they 


Natural-His tory Collectors. | 6169 


are on this account both most interesting groups. In ornithology the 
same phenomena are offered very conspicuously in the Trochilide and 
Rhamphastide. It appears clear to me the inference, on this account, 
that such groups are of recent date, geologically speaking, and are 
most characteristic of the present epoch of the earth’s surface. At 
Ega the most conspicuous species of Erotylus is E. incomparabilis 
Perty ? accompanying which are four or five others. At Caigara, 
twenty miles above Ega, this species exists as a marked variety; at 
Tabatinga its place is occupied by a distinct, but similar, form; and 
at St. Paulo I found it, as well as all its companion species, represented 
by a set of quite different species. Im this group, as well as in all 
similar groups, the species should be studied with close reference to 
the localities in which they are found. Hence we see how excellent 
is the system adopted by the British Museum, which tickets every in- 
dividual specimen (at least in the Lepidoptera) and comprises 
specimens of each species from different points of its area of distri- 
bution. | 

In concluding these rambling notes, I must not forget to record 
also, in illustration of the position, the locality of St. Paulo occupies 
in the geographical distribution of Amazonian insects; that many 
common species found generally from Para upwards, also occur there. 
Some, such as Papilio Sesostris, Epicalia Numilius, Acontius, and 
many others do not vary in the least, whilst those which have become 
very much altered from Para to Ega, are become still further altered 
from Ega to St. Paulo: this is particularly the case with Mechanitis 
Lycidice, and I think others of the same genus. I think a great 
number of species will be found affected in a similar manner; they 
can be best studied at the British Museum, where the specimens 
from the different localities are doubtless to be seen together, as also 
others from New Granada and the slopes of the Andes. 

On the whole, I brought rather more than 5000 specimens of 
insects from St. Paulo; amongst which there were 686 species new to 
me of all orders ; 79 being new species of Diurnal Lepidoptera. 


Henry WALTER BatTEs. 


X¥I, 25 


6170 Insects. 


The Tzetze, or formidable African Brize Fly. 
By the Editor of the ‘Indian Sporting Review.’ 


THE aged naturalist and veterinarian Bracy Clark, who for more 
than sixty years has made an especial study of the Cistride (2. e. the 
“bot-flies” or “ gad-flies,” as distinguished from the “brize” or 
“ breeze-flies,’— the former of which pass their maggot state within 
the bodies of quadrupeds, while the latter attack them to suck their 
blood), has doubtless succeeded in demolishing two alleged new 
British species of Gistrus, in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 5542, 5630); but 
we must respectfully demur altogether to his identification of the 
terrible African tzetze with the European Cistrus Bovis (Zool. 5720), 
which can only be accounted for by an African specimen of the latter 
having been erroneously shown to the veteran entomologist as an 
example of the destructive tzetze. 

That the famous reindeer gad-fly (@demagena Tarandt) should 
have lately turned up in Britain might not only have been expected 
from the recent importations of reindeer into Scotland, to ornament 
sundry noblemen’s demesnes, as remarked by Mr. Clark; but, from 
an observation of the distinguished entomologist, Westwood, who, in 
his elaborate paper on the tzetze and its kindred, published in the 
Zoological Society’s ‘ Proceedings’ for November 26th, 1850, remarks 
that “at the present time some of the reindeer in the gardens of the 
Society, which were imported last autumn from Lapland, are infected 
to a remarkable extent with the tumours of this species; there must, 
I think,” he adds, “ be from fifty to a hundred tumours on one of these 
animals.” Introduced thus into Britain, it is not improbable that it 
will infest the deer in parks; for, according to Sir J. Richardson, the 
reindeer gad-fly attacks the Wapiti stag, but not the moose or bison: 
and the Wapiti is akin to the European stag or “reindeer,” while the 
fallow deer is at least as nearly affined to the reindeer as are the true 
stags or Elaphine group of Cervide. There are, indeed, two distinct 
species of “bots” which infest the reindeer, one being the Cide- 
magena Tarandi, the maggot or larva of which inhabits beneath the 
skin, like that of Hypoderma Bovis, and also at least two species which 
infest the Lepus tribe in North America; and the other, or Cephene- 
myia trompe, the magyots of which are found within the frontal sinuses 
of the animal, as with Cephalemyia Ovis in those of sheep. This, no 


Insects. 6171 


doubt, will seem a strange locality, and surprise the many who are 
unacquainted with the fact; but Bracy Clark remarks of the sheep bot 
that “I have mostly found them in the horns®* and frontal sinuses ; 
though I have remarked that the membranes lining these cavities were 
hardly at all inflamed, while those of the maxillary sinuses were highly 
so. From this I am led to suspect that they inhabit the maxillary 
sinuses, and crawl, on the death of the animal, into these situations in 
the horns and frontal sinuses ;” and he refers to a case recorded in the 
first volume of the ‘ Medical Communications,’ in which “ insects were 
removed from the antrum maxillare of a woman, and are evidently, as 
Dr. Latham has supposed, the larve of the CGistrus Bovis.” How so, 
this being a subcutaneous larva, infesting the back and sides of horned 
cattle, and not even horses? Which alone is also an exceedingly 
strong argument against its being the fearful tzetze of Africa, with 
which Mr. Clark now alleges its identity ! 

The French naturalists divide the Gistride into “ cuticoles, 
coles” and “ gastricoles;” according as the larva inhabits beneath the 
skin, the facial cavities, or some part of the alimentary canal of mam- 
miferous animals; and it is not likely that the same kind of bot would 
be found in two of those situations. But the same species of gadtly 
infests different sorts of quadrupeds in some instances, as the Cistrus 
nasalis of Linneus, which, according to Macquart, is found (¢. e. in its 
maggot state) in the gullet not only of the equine animals, but of the 
stag and goat,—thus both in ruminants and non-ruminants! Again, 
the Qi. Pecorum finds its way inio the intestines of ruminating cattle ; 
and at least four species inhabit different parts of the alimentary canal 
of the horse. Other gadflies produce bots which subsist beneath the 
thick hide of the camel, and even of the African rhinoceroses and 
elephant; and there are “brize flies” also which pierce the hides of 
those huge quadrupeds (according to Bruce and others), as mosquitos 
do the human skin; but the Carnivora, so far as known, are exempt 
from Cistrideous parasites. Then we have African birds (the genus 
Buphaga) which seem specially ordained to rid the beasts of their 
subcutaneous maggots, and are otherwise useful to them as sentinels 
to warn them of the approach of man or other foes; and it is curious 
that the common Cape “ ox-picker” (B. africana) has its beak naturally 
tipped with crimson, looking as if it had been dipped in blood; that 
of Abyssinia, &c. (B. erythrorhyncha) has the beak wholly crimson. 

The Céstrus nasalis before adverted to is designated CK. veterinus by 


99 ¢¢ cavi- 


x The interior of the cavity of the bone which supports the horn. 


6172 Insects. 


Clark, no doubt a better appellation, as neither does its bot inhabit the 
nostrils of any animal, nor is it the well-known “nose fly” of our 
English rustics, which is the G&. heemorrhoidalis. Of this latter, 
White of Selborne remarks that, “ About the beginning of July a 
species of fly obtains, which proves very tormenting to horses, trying 
still to enter their nostrils and ears, and actually laying their eggs in 
the latter of these organs, or perhaps in both. When they abound, 
horses in woodland districts become very impatient at their work, 
continually tossing their heads, and rubbing their noses at each other, 
regardless of the driver, so that accidents often ensue. In the heat of 
the day men are often obliged to desist from ploughing. Saddle-horses 
are also very troublesome at such seasons. Country people call this 
insect the ‘nose-fly.’” Why it should ever deposit its eggs in the ear 
of the animal seems unaccountable; but Gilbert White was a most 
accurate observer, as every one knows, and is therefore entitled to all 
attention: still nothing is more curious than the instincts of the 
CHstridz in depositing their ova. As regards the common (&. Equi, 
“the inside of the knee is the part on which these flies are most fond 
of depositing their eggs, and next to this on the side and back part of 
the shoulder, and less frequently on the extreme ends of the hairs of 
the mane. But itis a fact worthy of attention,” continues Bracy Clark, 
“that the fly does not place them promiscuously about the body, but 
constantly on those parts which are most liable to be licked by the 
tongue; and the ova therefore are always scrupulously placed within 
its reach,” and thus pass on to the stomach: and of C&. hemor- 
rhoidalis the same observer remarks, “ the part chosen by this insect 
for this purpose is the lips of the horse, which is very distressing to the 
animal, from the excessive titillation it occasions, for he immediately 
after rubs his mouth against the ground, his fore legs, and sometimes 
against a tree; or, if two are standing together, they often rub them- 
selves against each other. At the sight of this fly the horse appears 
much agitated, and moves his head backwards and forwards in the 
air, to baulk its touch and prevent its darting on the lips; but the fly, 
watching for a favourable opportunity, continues to repeat the opera- 
tion from time to time, till at length, finding this mode of defence in- 
sufficient, the enraged animal endeavours to avoid it by galloping away 
to a distant part of the field. If it still continues to follow and tease 
him, his last resource is in the water, where the Cistrus never is ob- 
served to follow him. At other times the Gistrus gets between the 
fore legs of the horse whilst he is grazing, and thus makes its attack 
on the lower lip: the titillation occasions the horse to stamp violently 


Insects. 6173 


with his fore foot against the ground, and often strike with his foot 
as though aiming a blow at the fly. They also sometimes hide them- 
selves in the grass; and, as the horse stoops to graze, they dart on the 
mouth or lips, and are always observed to poise themselves during a 
few seconds in the air, while the egg is preparing on the point of the 
abdomen.” 

Why this species should cause the horse so much annoyance, and 
the other not any, in effecting the very same object, is one of the many 
mysteries in the dispensation of things. The common Dhanma snake 
(Coluber mucosus) and the Cobra Capella both prey habitually on 
rats, and have the same foes to contend with; and why, therefore, 
should the one be perfectly innocuous, and the other so frightfully 
venomous? 

But it is time to return to Mr. Clark’s mal-identification of the 
tzetze with the European Hypoderma Bovis. In the ‘ Zoologist’ 
(Zool. 5720), the veteran naturalist remarks, that ‘‘a considerable de- 
gree of uncertainty and even misapprehension appears to prevail about 
the fly that Dr. Livingstone so interestingly describes as annoying 
the cattle in Africa, and which he designates the tzetze, its African 
appellation. Although introduced as a new species, I beg to observe 
that itis a very old one under a new name, the fly so feelingly described 
by Moses of old as infesting the cattle of Egypt, and by Isaiah as being 
very troublesome in his day; and after these the heathen writers and 
poets, especially of Rome, do not fail to notice it. The fly itself, the 
cause of this trouble, has been exceedingly scarce [in collections]. 
* * * Now this African tzetze, | am led to believe, is the real 
patronymic of the French Etre, made more pronounceable by intro- 
ducing more vowels and fewer consonants, and then from it we get 
the Latin Gstrus and the Greek Ozsiron, and so forth, all meaning 
the same cattle-frighting object noticed by all: and so terrific is the 
fright that the cattle will run away with their plough even through the 
opposing hedge rather than submit to their infliction ; and yet, what 
is most curious, they possess no weapon of infliction, but simply a 
telescopic sort of tube for thrusting the egg down upon the skin, 
which, hatching there, the tiny grub gnaws its way through the skin 
and forms its nidus there in a comfortable abscess, leaving its abode 
when fully grown, and tumbling to the earth, becomes a chrysalis and 
next a fly, which goes forth to perform this strange round of events ; 
the object of which appears to be to save the poor cow and ox from 
the effects of idleness and repletion, which, in those sunny regions, 
they would be so exposed to, if not roused into activity and leeched 


6174 } Insects. 


and blistered in this way. Such are the ways of Providence, meant in 
kindness no doubt. It is the ‘susurrus, or whistle they make that 
frightens the cattle [?], and not the infliction. And what is too re- 
markable to be omitted, we learn, from the very ancient poet Avienus, 
that these isles, abounding in forests, wild cattle and these flies, were 
kuown by the name of Qéstrimerides before they obtained from the 
Romans the name of Britannia.” 

The etymology may be sound, but with this very important modifi- 
cation, that (as was first distinctly proved by Mr. W. S. MacLeay, in 
the 14th volume of the Linnean Society’s ‘ Transactions’) the oletpos 
of the Greeks was a “ brize-fly” and not a “ gad-fly” (or Cdstrus of 
modern nomenclature)! In the infancy of Entomology it was likely 
that the two groups should be confounded: for it having probably 
been ascertained that the bots infesting cattle were fly-maggots, 
eventually becoming flies, nothing could be more natural than to sup- 
pose that the flies which were continually seen to torment the beasts 
were the producers of those maggots; and thus the prevalent error 
which has been continued even to our times, not merely by such an 
observer as James Bruce, of Kinnaird, in his well known account of the 
zimb, but even by the venerable Bracy Clark, who has actually made 
a particular study of the Céstride during a long life. 

There is more to say on the subject of etymology. The names 
Tzetze and @strus with T'saltysalya and Zimb of Bruce, as likewise 
our English name Prize or Breeze, have obvious reference to the 
“buzz” or “hum” (words of similar origin) of the insect so denomi- 
nated. But the Géstride of modern Entomology do not produce a 
sound when on the wing! Whereas many of the blood-sucking flies 
(Tabanide, &c.), which are the chief tormentors of our cattle, are re- 
markable for the loud buzzing which they produce when flying about 
their victims ; analogous to the “hum” of our tiny foes the gnats, alias 
mosquitos. | 

Bracy Clark fails to discriminate the two groups, when, in his essay 
of 1797, he remarks, that “ The singular scene attending the attack on 
Cistrus on the herd, has often been the subject of poetical description ; 
but no one has more naturally and elegantly delineated it than the 
bard of Mantua. 

“ Est lucos Silari circa, ilicibusque virentem 
Plurimus Alburnum volitans, cuz Asilo nomen 
Romanum est, Astron Gratt vertere vocanies. 
Asner, acerba sonans : quo tota exterrita sylvis 


Diffugient armenta ; furit mugitibus ether 
Concussus, sylveeque et sicci ripa Tanagri.” 


Insects. 6175 


Again, “in investigations of the following nature,” remarks MacLeay, 
“it is not only advantageous, but necessary to begin from some fixed 
and indisputable position. Now such I take to be the identity of the 
insects termed in French Yaon; in Spanish T’avano ; in Italian Ta- 
bano; and in Latin Tabanus. The Tabani are unfortunately insects 
too common for their name to have been ever forgotten; and knowing 
what the country people in France call Taons, we know the insects 
which Pliny anciently termed Tubani. By comparing Pliny with 
Aristotle, we find that he invariably translates the word wa) (cecutiens) 
by the Latin name Jabanus ; and entomologists know well that this 
Greek name is extremely appropriate to the modern T'abani or Zuons, 
which are so remarkable for their eyes, that a common species of 
Chrysops has at the present day the trivial epithet ccecutiens” * * * 
A quotation from Aristotle proves not only that the aerpos was not 
the modern Ciéstrus, but moreover that Aristotle could never have seen 
a modern Cistrus attack cattle; for had he seen it, he would most 
assuredly have termed it dmicboxevpos. And yet he must have seen his 
oiotpos about cattle; for he states positively not only that the cierpét 
pierce the hides of quadrupeds, but that they are armed with a strong 
tongue, and are blood-suckers. In both of these last respects, it is to 
be observed, that they differ totally from the modern Céstrus, but per- 
fectly agree (as M. Latreille has well said) with the Linnean Tabani.” 

Homer and A’schylus and lian are further laid under contribution, 
in proof of this position: “and in short,” continues MacLeay, “ when- 
ever the “iw is distinguished from the o1oTp0s, I take the former to be 
either a Chrysops, or Hematopota,* or some insect near to them, and 
the latter to be some species of the modern genus Tabanus, probably 
the T bovinus, or ‘dun-fly,’ whose power of agitating cattle I have 
myself had occasion to witness. This last insect certainly appears to 
be the Asilus and Cistrus of Virgil. That the poet’s insect cannot be 
identical with any modern (Estrus is clear from his describing it to be 
in great plenty, and to be ‘acerba sonans.’ Now the Céstrus Bovis is 
everywhere very rare, and according to Mr. B. Clark, makes no noise, 
The Qistrus Equi is also silent in flying, as I have repeatedly myself 
observed. So that neither of these insects can be that which is cele- 
brated by Virgil, whose description of the ability of the ancient olerpos 


* “One circumstance which, is mentioned by lian respecting the Myops, namely, 
that it makes a louder hum than the Astrus, is perhaps against its identity with the 
modern genus H ematopota.”’ 


6176 Insects. 


to make a particular kind of humming noise is corroborated by the 
scholiast before mentioned, as well as by Alian.” 

That Homer’s insect was not the modern (éstrus is further ingeni- 
ously argued “ from what he says of the season in which it makes its 
appearance [I omit the citation]: for there are few cases, I believe,” 
continues MacLeay, “of the modern (Estri appearing earlier than the 
middle of July: and this circumstance, by the way, leads also to the 
conclusion, that the English breeze or brize is not the modern Céstrus, 
although it is generally understood so to signify in the following 
punning lines of Shakespeare :— 

* Cleopatra, 
The breeze upon her, like a cow in June, 
Hoists sail and flies.’ 


“ Now Mouffett, who, both as an entomological observer and as a 
contemporary of Shakespeare, was likely to know the insect then named 
brize, says expressly that the breeze, clegg, clinger, and taon, are all 
the same insect, his description of which proves it to be no other than 
Hemotopota pluvialis; for which the clegg remains to this day the 
well known and appropriate provincial name, a name totally inappli- 
cable tothe modern Céstrus. 

“x* * * It is not, indeed, unhkely that some of the ancients* 
should, like Valisinieri, have seen the perfect insects of the modern 
Qéistrus flying about cattle, and that they should have witnessed 
the extraordinary agitation which they produce: but, however this 
may be, they appear to have always confounded such insects with the 
more common Tabani; for it is the modern Tabanus, or some genus 
extremely near to it, that they have always described as the otz7pos.” 

Mr. Westwood is the latest scientific writer on the general subject 
now in hand, with whose lucubrations | happen to be acquainted ; 
and he not only determines both the tzetze and zimb of Bruce to be 
species of the genus Glossina, of the group of “ brize-flies,” but has 
treated the entire subject in his usual masterly style; and I cannot do 


* Aristotle was certainly not one of these ancients, for he never could have seen a 
female of the modern Céstrus, as appears from his stating that no dipterous insect has 
a sting behind. It seems, however, to have escaped the notice of naturalists that this 
great philosopher was acquainted with, and has described, the larva of one of the 
modern family of Gistride; and, it is rather singular, precisely that larva which 
Réaumur describes as infesting the fauces of the stag, but of which the perfect insect 
remains still unascertained. 


Insects. 6177 


better than quote him, even at some length, and at the expense of a 
little repetition. 

“The species of insects,” he remarks, “ which attack the larger of 
our domestic quadrupeds [also wild quadrupeds, and even man him- 
self,—mosquitos to wit, among the great number and variety of them, | 
may be divided into two chief classes ; first, those which do so in order 
to obtain a supply of food for their own support; and second, those 
which do so with the object of depositing their eggs in such a position, _ 
that the larve, when hatched from them, will be certain of finding a 
proper supply of food derived from some part of the animal, either 
external or internal.” 

In other words, the one class is simply predatory, and the other is 
parasitic (being predatory only during the larva or maggot phase of 
existence); and it should have been surmised that the tzetze fly, which 
occasions the sure death of so many cattle in Africa, could not be a 
bot-producer, as it destroys so large a proportion of the beasts that 
should furnish a living nidus and support for its progeny. Conse- 
quently, again we perceive that Bracy Clark must needs be in error 
in identifying it with the Gistrus or Hypoderma Bovis. 

In loose parlance, both groups might be termed parasitic; but on 
the principle that the first is so designated, all predacious animals 
would be parasitic on their victims, the animal kingdom upon the 
vegetable kingdom (with seeming exceptions only), and the latter upon 
the mineral kingdom. Perhaps the mildest form of parasitic habit, 
proprement dit, is that of the cuckoo or “ cow bunting” depositing its 
egg in the nest of another bird: and about the mildest form of preda- 
tory habit is that of the creature that robs another of its food; as the 
whiteheaded sea eagle (Haliaétus leucocephalus) of North America, 
or its counterpart in this country (H. fulviventer), making the osprey 
yield up its captured fish; or the skua gull (Catarracta) and also the 
“ frigate-bird” or “ man-of-war-bird” (Fregata) pursuing ordinary 
gulls, &c., and forcing them to eject their swallowed prey, which is 
caught up ere it reaches the water. Certain robbers of the hive may 
be placed in this category : and the next step is, I believe, peculiar to 
the human animal, in draining the milk of kine, &c. Next follow the 
multitudinous and varied host of “ blood-suckers,’— including the 
vampyres (Desmodus) of South America—not the large and more or 
less frugivorous bats (Phyllostoma, Vampyrus, &c.), which have been 
erroneously accused of this propensity, but certain species of rather 
small size, which are especially organised for this particular mode of 
subsistence, having lancet-like front teeth, no grinders whatever, and 

XVI. 2T 


6178 Insects. 


the shortest alimentary canal in the class of Mammalia; in obvious 
reference to aliment so excessively nutritious, being that, indeed, to 
which all food has first to be converted! The Megaderma Lyra of this 
country also sucks the blood of smaller bats, and either devours them 
afterwards (as I have witnessed of one put into a cage along with its 
victim), or relinquishes the bloodless carcass: and here we arrive at 
the predatory animal that absolutely destroys its victim; as with the 
Ichneumon flies, &c., which ultimately do the same, invariably, among 
the true parasitic series. 

According to this view of the matter, however, which seems clear 
enough, certain vile tiny habitants of the surface, “ detested baith by 
saint and sinner,” should belong rather to the predatory class; but the 
fact is, there is no drawing an absolute line of distinction: the “Scotch- 
fiddle” mite (Acarus Scabiet) is sub-cuticular as distinguished from 
sub-cutaneous; and other Acari are found inside of the quills of the 
feathers of living birds; and so the gradations run, till we come to so 
extraordinary an internal parasite as “the worm in the horse’s eye,” 
at which many readers have doubtless gazed in the living quadruped. 
In other words, thus the Epizoa grade into the Entozoa, untechnically 
so denominated; and both fall under the ordinarily recognised 
acceptation of the word parasite,—quite recently, an Entozoon has 
been discovered in the spinal chord of a sheep! But to return to Mr. 
Westwood’s elaborate essay. 

“The insects composing the first of these two classes require for the 
performance of their dread functions an organization of the parts of the 
mouth, especially fitting them to pierce the skins and hides of the 
quadruped upon the blood of which they subsist ; and we accordingly 
find that it is precisely these insects which have the mouth-organs 
most fully developed in the different families to which they respectively 
belong. The Stomoxys calcitrans, and especially the different spe- 
cies of Tabanus, are pre-eminent in this respect; and the formidable 
array of lancets in the mouth of one of the latter insects is not to be 
met with elsewhere among the whole of the flies composing the order 
Diptera, to which they belong. The effects of the attacks of these 
insects upon the horse are perceived by the drops of blood which flow 
from the orifices caused by their bites, and sometimes these wounds 
are so numerous that the beasts ‘are all in a gore of blood.’ A still 
smaller species, named by Linneus the Culex equinus, also infests the 
horse in infinite numbers, running under the mane and amongst the 
hair, and piercing the skin to suck the blood. This insect, though 
given by Linneus as a Culex, appears from his description to belong 


Insects. 6179 


to the genus Simulium; to which genus also belongs an insect of 
fearful note, which attacks the horned cattle in Servia and the Bannat, 
penetrating the generative organs, nose, ears &c., of these animals, 
and by its poisonous bite destroying them in a few hours. A species 
of the same genus of minute Tipulide is cominon in marshy districts 
in England; and I have often experienced its attacks, which have 
resulted in the raising of a tumour on the part of the flesh which has 
been attacked, attended by a considerable amount of local inflamma- 
tion; and hence we may readily believe the well authenticated effects 
produced upon the cattle above described. ‘There are various other 
insects which attack the horse and ox, such as the Hippobosce, 
various species of ticks, Anthomyie, &c.; and if these do not, from 
their smaller size, cause a discharge of blood like the large Tabanide, 
it is certain that the irritation which they produce, not only by their 
presence upon the skin, but also by the sharpness of their bite, must 
be very irritating to the quadrupeds which they infest. 

“The insects which do not themselves feed upon our cattle, but 
simply infest them for the purpose of depositing their eggs in some 
convenient place or other on their bodies, are in no instance that I 
recollect provided with an increased development of the mouth- 
organs; on the contrary the Cistride are either entirely destitute ofa 
mouth, or have only very small rudiments of some of the ordinary 
parts of the mouth, so as to be entirely unfitted for biting and 
wounding cattle. The effects, however, which some of the species pro- 
duce are as annoying as those caused by the bites of the Tabani. The 
female fly of the common horse-bot (#strus Equz), it is true, instils no 
dread into the horse around which she is intently engaged in flying, 
depositing her eggs here and there in particular spots where the horse 
is certain to lick the hairs, by which means the eggs are introduced 
into the mouth and passed into the stomach. So little indeed is the 
horse affected by the presence of this insect, that I have often stood 
close to one round which the Cistrus equi has been flying, until the 
latter has come within the reach of my hand, when I have caught it 
without trouble. Another species, 4. hcemorrhoidalis, however, is 
much more troublesome. * * * The same kind of effect is also 
produced in reindeer by the Cistrus Tarandi,* and in oxen by 


* Linneus notes, in his ‘ Journal of a Tour in Lapland,’ July 19th, “ I remarked 
with astonishment how greatly the reindeer are incommoded in hot weather, 
insomuch that they cannot stand still a minute, no not a moment, without changing 
their posture, starting, puffing and blowing continually, aud all on account of a little 


6180 Insects. 


another species, i. Bovis, respecting which, however, much difference 
of opinion has arisen. At certain seasons, the whole terrified herd, 
with their tails in the air, or turned upon their backs, or stiffly 
stretched out in the direction of the spine, gallop about the pastures, 
finding no rest till they also get into the water. This Ciustrus is 
asserted by some writers to make a strong humming noise, and hence 
it has been supposed that the herd of cattle are alarmed at the noise ; 
but this must surely be an incorrect conjecture, as the (istri, if they 
make any hum at all, are far outstripped in this respect by many other 
insects which instil no dread into oxen. Neither are they alarmed in 
consequence of being subjected to the same kind of attack upon so 
sensitive a part as the lips, as is the case with the horses attacked by 
the Gistrus hcemorrhoidalis. It is, however, asserted by some writers 
that the dread is produced by the pain inflicted by the Cistrus in 
depositing her eggs, her ovipositor being represented as constructed 
like an auger or gimlet, only having several longer points it can wound 
with more effect. When it is stated, however, that the Gstrus Bovis 
does not occupy more than a few seconds in depositing each egg, 
we may fairly doubt whether, with her long, fleshy tubular ovipositor, 
she has been able to pierce the hide of an ox; or whether, as Mr. 
Bracy Clark suggests, she only makes use of this long instrument to 
thrust the egg down to the surface of the skin, which she does not 
pierce, but only glues its eggs to it; the young larvee when hatched 
burrowing into the flesh. If this be the case, the act of oviposition 
must be unattended with pain, as in the case of the deposition of the’ 
eggs of the Cistrus Equi; and we must search for the cause of the 
alarm of the herd, either in an instinctive knowledge that a certain 
insect flying round them is the parent of a grub which at a future time 
will be a torment to them, or in the attacks of some other insect ; and 
I confess that I am inclined to consider that Virgil’s beautiful descrip- 
tion of the annoyance caused by 
‘ Myriads of insects fluttering in the gloom, 


(Gstrus in Greece, Asilus named at Rome), 
Fierce and of cruel hum’ 


fly. Even though amongst a herd of perhaps five hundred rein deer there were not 
above ten of these flies, every one of the herd trembled and kept pushing its neighbour 
about. The fly meanwhile was trying every means to get at them; but it no sooner 
touched any part of their bodies than they made an immediate effort to shake it off. 
In one respect this season is peculiarly propitious to the insect, as the reindeer’s coat 
is now very thin, most of the hair of last year’s growth being fallen off? 


I a 


Insects. 6181 


has a Tabanus rather than an Cistrus for its origin.” (That, surely, 
was abundantly demonstrated by MacLeay). 

“The larva of Gistrus Bovis resides beneath the skin of the back of 
the ox, causing large tumours, and having the extremity of its body 
constantly placed at the orifice of the wound, where it was introduced 
as an egg, or introduced itself as a grub, the openings of its respiratory 
apparatus being placed at that part of the body. 

‘These introductory remarks,” continues Mr. Westwood, “ on the 
different modes in which insects attack our horses and oxen, and the 
different effects which they produce, will enable us the better to esti- 
mate the effects produced by an insect, or several species of insects, 
of tropical Africa, upon the horses of travellers who have lately re- 
turned from that part of the world, where their enterprising researches 
have been rewarded by the discovery of the great central lake Tchad 
[by the northern, and of lake Ngami and its tributaries by the southern 
route]. Captain Frank Vardon, a gentleman who has travelled far 
in the interior of Africa, has placed in my hands some fragments of 
Dipterous insects which attacked his horses, causing the death of one 
of them. The following is an extract from his note to me in reply to 
my enquiry as to the mode of its attack :— 

“¢] had always heard that the fly of South Africa was a large 
gadfly, the size of a bee or hornet. This is quite erroneous: it is 
not very much larger than the common house fly, but a longer and 
more rakish-looking insect, and easily distinguished by the transverse 
black bars on its body. 

‘‘¢T fancy it is not met with southward of the tropic of Capricorn. 
It is usually found on hills, plains being free from it. I have ridden 
up a hill and found the tzetze increasing at every step, till at last 
forty or fifty would be on my horse at once. The specimens you 
saw cost me one of the best in my stud. He was stung by some 
ten or a dozen of them, and died in twenty days. I myself have been 
bitten by the tzetze; you would almost fancy it was a flea biting 
you. Some parts of South Africa are, I should say, rendered inac- 
cessible by the presence of this pest; I mean of course to a man who 
travels in the usual way, with his oxen and horses. 

‘“‘<¢ How far the tzetze extends in the interior is of course as yet 
unknown, but I have certain information as to its being 200 miles 
north of the “ Great Lake” [Ngami] recently discovered by my friends, 
Messrs. Livingstone, Oswell, and Murray.’ ” 

This formidable insect is minutely described by Mr. Westwood 
under the name Glossina morsitans ; and of a remarkable structural 


6182 Insects. 


peculiarity of the genus, he adds, that—“ moreover the bulbous dilated 
base of the proboscis must evidently play an important part in the 
economy of the insect, either by giving additional support to the 
proboscis when in the act of piercing the skin, or by containing 
powerful muscles for the action of the enclosed setz ; or, as suggested 
to me by Professor Owen, this dilated base may be analogous to the 
dilated base of the sting of the scorpion, and like it contain a reser- 
voir of some powerfully poisonous liquid.” The last conjecture sug- 
gests, most probably, the true solution of the mystery. As gnats or 
mosquitos are believed to instil a “ droplet” of fluid which occasions 
the irritation from their punctures, and the purport of which may be 
to effect some alteration in the blood, adapting it to the minute suc- 
torial organ of the insect, so, in like manner, the bite of the tzetze is 
probably envenomed, on which principle only it would seem that the 
effects produced can be sufficiently accounted for. Mr. Westwood 
remarks—* The account of the irritating powers of the Glossina given 
by Captain Vardon is, it is true, not so detailed as could have been 
desired, but we learn sufficient to arrive at the conclusion that its 
effects are, to a certain extent, exactly like those of the Tabanide ; 
how far the attacks may be attended with tumours, similar to those 
produced by the Simulium, and whether a tropical climate may not 
extend the effects of the attack, producing inflammatory action upon 
animals perhaps never before in those latitudes, are questions which 
have yet to be answered. One thing, however, appears to me evident, 
that the tzetze is no other than the zimb of Bruce (an insect respecting 
whose real family and even existence so many doubts have been ex- 
pressed), or at least that that insect is a larger species of Glossina, to 
whose real habits Bruce has added those of a species of Ctstrus.”— 
His figure of it was undoubtedly got up from memory ; as his figure 
of the Abyssinian rhinoceros is a copy of Buffon’s figure of the Indian 
species, with a second horn added! And Mr. Westwood remarks 
that—“ It is evident from the note added by the editor of the 8vo. 
edition, that the drawing of the insect was not a bond fide one made 
on the spot, but was manufactured at home.” 

Finally, I shall only further cite from Mr. Westwood’s paper that— 
‘‘The accounts given by Mr. R. Gordon Cumming of the destructive 
powers of the tzetze fully confirm the opinion here advanced, and 
prove that although ‘its zte is certain death to oxen and horses,’ it 
causes no dorsal tumours like an Cistrus [modernly so denominated ]. 
‘This hunter’s scourge,’ he says, ‘is similar to a fly in Scotland called 


Insects. 6183 


kleg,* but a little smaller; they are very quick and active, and storm 
a horse like a swarm of bees, alighting on him in hundreds and 
drinking his blood. The animal thus bitten pines away and dies, at 
periods varying from a week to three months, according to the extent 
to which he has been bitten. * * * ‘The next day one of my 
steeds died of the tzetze. The head and body of the poor animal 
swelled up in a most distressing manner before he died; his eyes were 
so swollen that he could not see, and in darkness he neighed for his 
comrades who stood feeding beside him.’ ” 

The best notice which I have seen of the ravages of the tzetze-fly, I 
proceed to cite from Mr. Anderson’s interesting work entitled ‘ Lake 
Ngami’ where a figure is given of the insect, magnified to about 
double its natural size. 

“During my hunting excursions along the Teoge,” observes this 
traveller, “I encountered, for the first time, that most extraordinary 
of insects the tzetze. Among the several scourges to which the 
traveller is subjected in the South African wilderness, one of the 
greatest is this insect; not, it is true, as to the wayfarer’s own person, 
for he himself escapes almost unscathed, but as regards the horses 
and cattle. 

“The tzetze is found chiefly in the bush, or amongst the reeds, but 
rarely in the open country. It is confined to particular spots, and is 
never known to shift its haunts. Thus, cattle may be seen grazing 
securely on one side of a river, whilst the opposite bank swarms with 
the insect. Should the natives, who are well acquainted with localities 
frequented by the fly, have occasion to exchange their cattle- posts, 
and are obliged to pass through tracts of country where it exists, they 
choose, I am told, a moonlight winter’s night; as during the hours 
of rest in the cold season, it does not bite. 

““In size the tzetze is somewhat less than the common blue-fly that 
settles on meat, but its wings are longer. Yet, though so small and 
insignificant in appearance, its bite carries with it a poison equal to 
that of the most deadly reptile. Many is the traveller who, from his 
draught-oxen having been destroyed by this pestiferous insect, has not 
only had the object of his journey completely marred, but his personal 
safety endangered by the loss of his means of conveyance. 

“Very lately, indeed, a party of Griquas, about twenty in number, 
who were out elephant hunting to the north-west of the Ngami, and 


* More properly “clegg” ; a name for the Hematopota pluvialis. [The clegg is 
probably a very different insect, Chrysops cecutiens—Ep. Zoot. | 


6184 Insects. 


who were provided with three waggons and a large number of trek, or 
draught oxen, lost, prior to their return to the lake, all their cattle by 
the bite of the tzetze. Some horses brought with them to further 
their sport shared a similar fate. 

“The very same year that this disaster happened to the Griquas, a 
party of Englishmen, amongst whom was my friend Frederic Green, 
attempted to reach Libébé; but they had only proceeded seven or 
eight days journey to the north of the Ngami, when both horses and 
cattle were bitten by the fly in question, and the party were in con- 
sequence compelled to make a hasty retreat. One of the number, I 
was told, was thus deprived of as many as thirty-six horses, excellent 
hunters, and all sustained heavy losses in cattle. 

“There are large tribes which cannot keep either cattle or horses 
because the tzetze abounds in their country. But it is only fatal 
to domestic animals, as wild animals feed undisturbed in parts in- 
fested by the insect. Yet many of them, such as oxen and buffaloes, 
horses and zebras, dogs and jackals, &c., possess somewhat of the 
same nature.* Moreover it bites man and no danger follows. The 
sensation experienced has not inaptly been likened to the sting of a 
flea. When allowed to settle on the hand of man, all it is observed to 
do is to insert its proboscis a little further than seems necessary to 
draw blood. It then partially withdraws the dart, which assumes a 
crimson hue. ‘The mandibles now appear to be agitated; the 
shrunken body swells; and, in a few seconds, the insect becomes 
quite full, and quietly abandons its prey. The problem to be solved 
is, what quality exists in domestication which renders domestic 
animals obnoxious to this poison. Is man not as much a domestic 
animal as a dog? Is it the tzetze at all which kills the animal? 

“ Captain Vardon, of the Indian Army, one of the earlier pioneers 
of the more interior parts of Southern Africa, was amongst the first to 
decide the point; for he rode his horse up a hill infested by tzetze, 
and in twenty days his doubts were removed by the death of his 
steed. 

“According to the statement of the celebrated explorers, Messrs. 
Oswell and Livingstone, who were severe sufferers by the tzetze, the 
following symptons are observed in the ox when bitten :—the eye runs, 
the glands under the throat swell, the coat loses its gloss, there is a 
peculiar flaccidity of the muscles generally, and emaciation com- 


* According to Dr. Livingstone, the tzetze “ appears not to attack asses.” —‘ Pro- 
ceedings of the Entomological Society’ for May 4th, 1857. 


Entomological Society. 6185 


mences, which proceeds unchecked until—perhaps months after the 
bite—purging supervenes, and the animal perishes of exhaustion. 
Some die soon after the bite is inflicted, especially if they are in gooa 
condition, or should rain fall; but, in general, the process of emacia- 
tion goes on for many weeks. In some cases, the animals become 
blind before they die, as in that of the horse mentioned by Gordon 
Cumming. 

“<From what I have seen of the tzetze,’ writes Mr. Oswell to me, 
‘I believe that three or four flies are sufficient to kill a full-grown ox. 
We examined about twenty of ours that were bitten and died, and the 
appearances were similar in all. On raising the skin, we perceived a 
glairy appearance of the muscles and flesh, which were much wasted. 
The stomach and intestines were healthy; heart, lungs, and liver, 
sometimes all, but invariably one or the other, much diseased. The 
heart in particular attracted our attention. It was no longer a firm 
and muscular organ, but collapsed readily on compression, and had 
the appearance of flesh that had been steeped in water. The blood 
of the whole carcass was greatly diminished in quantity. Not more 
than twenty pints (a small pailful) were obtained from the largest ox, 
and this thick and albuminous; the hands, when plunged into it, 
came out free of stain. The poison would seem to grow in the blood, 
and, through the blood to affect the vital organs. 

*“* «A curious feature in the case is, that dogs, reared on milk, die if 
bitten; while calves, and other young sucking animals, are safe as 
long as they suck. But a dog, reared on the meat of game, may be 
hunted in tzetze districts in safety ! Man, and all the wild animals, 
escape with impunity. Can the poison be alkaline, and neutralised 
by the acid ? ”»—In what way ? The venom of cobras, wasps, &c. 
reddens litmus-paper. , 


Proceedings of Societies. 


ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


July 5, 1858.—Dr. Gray, President, in the chair. 


Donations, 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be presented to 
to the donors: —‘ Proceedings of the Royal Society,’ Vol. ix., No. 31; presented by 


XVI. Say 


6186 Entomological Society. 


the Society. ‘The Zoologist’ for July; by the Editor. ‘ Exotic Butterflies, Part 27; 
by W. W. Saunders, Esq. ‘Bulletins de Academie Royale des Sciences, des 
Lettres et des Beaux Arts de Belgique, 2me Série, Tomes i., ii. et iii ; ‘ Mémoires 
Couronnés,, Tome vii.; by the Academy. ‘ The Classed Catalogue of the Educational 
Division of the South Kensington Museum’; by the Committee. ‘The Literary 
Gazette’ for June; by the Editor. ‘The Atheneum’ for June; by the Editor. 
‘The Journal of the Society of Arts’ ; by the Society. ‘A Manual of British Butter- 


flies and Moths,’ No. 18; ‘The Entomologist’s Weekly Intelligencer, Nos. 89, 90, 
91 and 92; by H. T. Stainton, Esq. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Smith exhibited some insects of various orders collected at Sierra Leone by 
Mr. Foxcroft, upon which Mr. Adam White communicated the following notes :— 


Anthocharis E'vippe, male and female. 

Philognoma Varanes. Found in West Africa as well as South Africa. 

Romaleosoma Ceres. A genus of many species, of sombre and yet not unhandsome 
butterflies, peculiar to West Africa. 

The large black Hesperia (Mars. ?) and two or three other interesting species may 
be specified. 

Pontia Narica. Connecting Pontia with Leucophasia. 

Myrina Alcides or an allied species. It would be very valuable to ascertain 
the transformations of this fine butterfly and of the allied genus Iolaus. 

Acrea Circeis, Wesiw. There are several species of Acrea in this little col- 
lection; Acrea Euryta, var., with its spined chrysalis, and Acrea Quirina, a lovely 
species. 

The sugar-cane Nonagria, very like the one figured by Landsdown Guilding, from 
the West Indies. 

Of Sphingide, Daphnis Nerii, so widely distributed, and Acherontia Atropos, 
whose food-plants are also widely spread, may be specified. 

The fig-tree feeder is one of the most interesting moths in the collection; it 
helongs to the same group as Cossus and Zeuzera, and may prove a genus allied to 
Langsdorfia from Brazil and Cossodes from King George’s Sound. 

Massaga Hesparia, Walker, Cat. Lep. Het. in Brit. Mus., pt. 2, p. 358. (Phalena 
Hesparia, Cram. Pap. Exot. i. p. 87, pl. 56, f. C). | 

We have an imperfect specimen of this in the British Museum from Sierra Leone, 
where it was found by the Rev. D. F. Morgan. Cramer published it as from 
Demerara, but Morgan’s, and again Foxcroft’s capture of it as well as its affinities, 
show that Sierra Leone is its real habitat. 

Thyridopteryx Sierricola, White. Male. Antennis subfuscis pallidulis, alis hya- 
linis, argenteo-nitidis, anticis ad basin plaga atra longi-squamulata, thorace lana alba 
sericea longa induto. ab.—Sierra Leone. 

An interesting member of a genus which doubtless abounds in species. Mr. 
Westwood’s monographs of these ‘ Arcana” will require shortly a new edition. This 
should be figured with its chrysalis, cocoon, &c. 

Of Orthoptera, there may be specified a curious Hymenotes with its Membracis- 
like aspeet, a very interesting Mantidous insect allied to one described by Westwood. 


Entomological Society. 6187 


Of Coleoptera there are several species, some of which are Myrmecophilous and 
Staphylinidous. 

Of Geodephaga, an Acanthogenius, and a Cicindela, allied to nitidula. 

Of Lamellicorns (and the Cetoniadous family in particular) may be specified 
Plesiorhina recurva (/abr.), Schaum. ; Pachnoda fimbriata (Gory § Perch), Burm.— 
perhaps only a variety of P. olivacea; Pachnoda marginella. 

Of Longicorns, the Mallodon and en: et with their srameiteediiath are 
interesting. 

Of Neuroptera, the male Termes is worthy of notice. 

And lastly, of the Spiders; there is the large Nephila, belonging to the same 
group as our garden Epeira Diadema, and which makes very thick silken ropes, 
which the late Mr. Whitfield once told Mr. White were so strong, that in the forest 
the wanderer must take care of his face, as he might, if careless, be hurt by coming 
against them. 


Mr. Smith also exhibited some interesting nests of Hymenoptera sent by Mr. Fox- 

croft from Sierra Leone, amongst which was that of a species of Vespa, formed of a 
perfectly white material; and a leaf from the same locality covered with small purse- 
shaped galls, from which a minute black species of Thrips had been bred. 
Mr. Westwood observed that although the species of Thrips were certainly 
insectivorous, yet that certain species were well known as being amongst the greatest 
_pests to the borticulturist, puncturing the leaves of melon, cucumber and other 
greenhouse plants; the discovery that any species of this group formed galls was cer- 
tainly quite a new fact, although from the great analogy with the Aphides, it was not 
improbable that they might be gallicolous, in the same way as certain Aphide forming 
the genus Byrsocrypta. 

Mr. Walker also suggested that it was not improbable that the small finger-like 
galls found so constantly on lime-tree leaves, and of which he had never observed the 

inhabitants, were also the production of Thrips. 


Mr. Westwood, in reference to the exhibition by Mr. Janson, at the preceding 
Meeting, of a minute species of Heteropterous Hemiptera found in ants’- nests, now 
exhibited the type specimen of his Microphysa pselaphiformis, together with a speci- 
men of Microphysa myrmecobia of Germar, which last was identical with Mr. Jan- 
_son’s insect, although it was certainly not congenerical with the British type of the 
genus, which had abbreviated elytra, whereas they entirely cover the abdomen in M. 
myrmecobia, although destitute of an apical membrane. 

Mr. Stevens exhibited a small box of insects sent home by Mr. Shield from 
Bahia. 

Mr. Stainton exhibited some leaves mined by the larve of Neptic “a also sent 
from Bahia by Mr. Shield, and being the first tropical examples ever brought to this 
country. 

Mr. Stainton also exhibited specimens of Anthrocera Minos found on the west 
coast of Scotland; and the larve of Cemiostoma lotella, mining the leaves of Lotus 
major, in which they had been found in some plenty by Mr. T. Wilkinson. 


Mr. Westwood would take this opportunity of correcting the erroneous view which 
Mr. Stainton had taken of the remarks made by him on specific differences, at the last 


6188 Entomological Society. 


Meeting, asserting in the report of the Meeting published in ‘The Entomulogist’s 

Weekly Intelligencer,’ p. 95, that they went fully the length of maintaining the 
development theory,—that is, the theory advocated by the Lamarckian and ‘ Vestiges 
of Creation’ schools, that an animal in a series of ages is able to develope itself into a 
totally different kind of creature; that a mouse, for instance, anxious to fly, is able 
after a long series of generations to acquire wings like a bat. Mr. Westwood, on the 
contrary, affirmed the identity and permanence of species, but insisted not only on the 
possibility of the modification of individuals composing the species, but also on the 
permanence of such modifications of specific forms through several or even many 
generations, so long, im faet, as the disturbing influences which produced the modifi- 
calion remained at work. It was by this kind of radiation from a central speeific type 
that geographieal varieties were produced and perpetuated; and thus, for instance, 
Mr. Westwood was induced to regard all the species of Ornithoptera allied to O. Pria- 
mus, recently proposed by himself and others, as modified sub-species or loeal varieties 
of that insect. So also were produced by the agency of man himself the different 
varieties of the silk-worm, so well known in the ‘‘magnaueries’’ of the South 
of France and Italy. He believed that if many of the Micro-Lepidoptera regarded by 
Mr. Stainton as distinct speeies were really such, they would exhibit tangible struc- 
tural modifications in the length and form of the joints of the palpi, the number of 
joints in the antenna, the structure of the veins of the wings, or of the tarsi. Mr. 
Stainton had, however, failed in deseribing any such characteristic modifications. 

Mr. Stainton observed that he should consider that such differences as Mr. West- 
wood alluded to would be generic, not specific. 

Dr, Gray maintained the existence of permanent and geographical varieties in all 
classes of animals, from Mammalia downwards. 

Mr. Stevens exhibited a few insects collected in Madagasear by Madame Pfeiffer, 
amongst which was a fine species of Calandra. 

Mr. Mitford exhibited a beautiful Noctua (Brana calopasa) from Ceylon, and gave 
the following interesting account of the habits of the speeies, communicated by E. L. 
Mitford, Esq.:—‘‘ One morning in March, about seven o'clock, I saw a cloud of these 
moths whirling and sporting round the trunk of a large tree. After continuing their 
gyrations for halfan hour, they gradually settled in a large patch on the shady side of 
the tree, forming a sort of thatch, the wings of one row overlapping the bodies of the 
next, when they appeared like an excrescence on the bark, which they resembled in 
colour: this habit is very peculiar to this moth, as it is very uncommon for moths to 
go in swarms.” 


Cells of the Honey Bee. 


Mr. Tegetmeier stated that he had recently made some experiments with a view of 
ascertaining whether the cells of the hive-bee were formed hexagonally, or whether 
such form was the result of lateral pressure, or rather the natural result of placing 
cells close together without any loss of space; with this object in view he had placed 
pieces of wax on the bars of one of “ Wildman’s” hives and watched the bees com- 
mence excavating therein; the cells formed, invariably proved cylindrical. They 
were, however, not in Juxtaposition, as in the normal comb. 

Mr. Tegetmeier alsu expressed his conviction that the cells of bees were also 
formed in the first instance with a hemispherical base, having observed the deposition 


Entomological Society. 6189 


of the foundations of numbers of cells on the under side of one of the bars of his leaf- 
hive, which he had removed shortly after the swarm had been hived into it ; and also 
that the outer portion of each cell was also cylindrical until a fresh cell was added on 
its outer side, when the cell became an inner one, and its outer sides transformed into 
an hexagon. 

Dr. Gray contended that the hexagonal form was undoubtedly the result of lateral 
pressure, if cylinders composed of any yielding substance (vermicelli for example) 
were placed side by side and subjected to such pressure, they were invariably forced 
into the hexagonal form ; he considered the attempt made by Natural Thevlogians 
to prove that the formation of an hexagonal rather than a cylindrical cell indicated 
the possession of a greater degree of Divine wisdom bestowed on the insect, was the 
greatest piece of humbug they had ever brought forward. 

Mr. Smith had tried the experiment with cylinders formed of paper pasted 
together, but failed in producing the result stated by Dr. Gray; he was not prepared 
to argue or to express any opinion upon the formation of the cells of the hive-bee, but 
he was prepared to show that the common wasp (Vespa vulgaris) constructed her 
hexagonal cells upon as predetermined a plan as a mason would build a stack 
of hexagonal chimnies. When the wasp commences the construction of her nest, 
having found or formed a suitable cavity, she begins by making three circular saucer- 
shaped receptacles, in each of which she deposits an egg; she then proceeds to form 
other similar shaped receptacles, until the eggs first deposited are hatched and the 
young grubs require a share of her attention. From the circular bases she now begins 
to raise her hexagoual cells — not building them up at once, but from time to time 
raising them as the young grubs grow: this is all effected by the mother-wasp, un- 
assisted by a single worker; and it must be borne in mind, that she works with no 
plastic material like wax, and that the hexagonal cells are built, course by course, like 
layers of brickwork. There was fortunately in a box upon the table a specimen of a 
small nest of a Brazilian wasp, (Polybia): these wasps construct in the first place 
a comb of hexagonal cells, having, like that of the common wasp, circular bases ; over 
the first comb they construct a flat covering or roof, and by this time the grubs are all 
full-fed and the cells closed in; the wasps now commence a second comb, and the flat 
roof serves as the foundation to build upon: they form no cup-shaped bases, but 
build up the walls of the hexagons as regularly as a mason would erect hexagonal 
chimneys; in some instances, as might be seen in the nest before the Meeting, only 
the foundation of the first plane of the hexagon is laid down, in another case two, 
in anotber three, and so on; but that wasps ever build cylinders, which afterwards 
become hexagons, in Mr. Smith’s opinion, has no foundation in fact. 

Mr. Tegetmeier added that he did not consider his experiments as conclusive evi- 
dence on the subject; he intended to repeat them and to ascertain, if possible, what 
use was made of the wax taken from the excavations formed in the pieces of wax 
which he provided to the bees, and, with that object in view, proposed to colour the 
wax with Alkanet root before placing it on the bars of the hive. 

Mr. Tegetmeier exhibited to the Meeting a new observatory hive which he had 
lately constructed, having the sides each composed of three plates of glass placed 
about a quarter of an inch apart, aud each made perfectly air-tight at the junction 
with the frame ; by this contrivance he considered a nearly uniform temperature would 
be maintained in the hive despite external atmospheric changes. 


6190 Northern Entomological Society. 


Part 8 of the current volume of the Society’s ‘Transactions’ was on the table. 
—H.S. 


NORTHERN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
June 26, 1858.—B. Cooke, Esq., President, in the chair, 
Exhibitions. 


The Secretary exhibited a box of Lepidoptera kindly furnished by Mr. Machin, of 
London; in the box there were bred specimens of Retinia Turionana and a short 
series of Eupithecia pusillata, which Mr. Machin has receutly discovered near West 
Wickham, not at the New Forest, as was represented last year. 

Mr. Constantine sent a box of Coleoptera, a present to the Society; in it were 
Stomis pumicatus, Bembidium monticolum, &c.—all interesting species. 

Mr. Pugh exhibited an hermaphrodite Polyommatus Alexis, taken by himself on 
‘the coast; the male character being on the left side of the body; the female side is 
remarkably well-developed, the red spots being very large upon both wings. 

Mr. Hodgkinson exhibited a supposed new Cemiostoma from Genista tinctoria. 

The President exhibited a box in which were representatives of all orders except 
Orthoptera ; the contents were the result of one day at Rivington, and gave abundant 
evidence of the richness of the district and the perseverance of the cullector: amongst 
them were some very rare Diptera and a beautiful unrecognised Stegoptera. 

A Member exhibited a box of recent captures, from which the Meeting at once 
learned what were on the wing at New Brighton. 

Mr. Cooke then exhibited a number of small Cynips and parasites, bred from oak- 
galls, and beautifully set on cards; the setting was much admired. 

Mr. Gregson exhibited a box of minute Coleoptera collected near Witherslack, in 
Westmoreland, anda box of Bembidia, collected near Preston and in North Wales ; 
also a box of Eupithecie containing bred specimens of E. assimilata, E. absynthiata ? 
Doubl., E. ———— ? n.s., bred from larve taken in company with E. castigata 
larve on Lychnis dioica, but differing from that larva in having the marks on the 
back lozenge-shaped, observing that he has seen this species in cabinets among casti- 
gata, but could never reconcile it with that soft woolly-looking species; the specimen 
before the Meeting being a well-inarked insect, the markings fine, but hard; also 
specimens of E. satyrata bred from heath, and several other species of Eupithecia, in- 
cluding a fine series of E. constrictata and E. succenturiata ; also a box in which were 
specimens of a supposed new Eudorea taken on Engleborough Hill, near Engleton, a 
few weeks ago, about five hundred yards from the top (it is a dull-coloured fine spe- 
cies), and a fine series of Peronea potentillana bred from strawberry leaves early in 
June; also a plume which he cannot reconcile with any species in our present list: he 
also exhibited a lot of cases of a Coleophora upon small sallow (Salix fusca); it seems 
to prefer the variety which grows among the grass to the variety which forms 
clumps, though he had found a few larve on the larger variety ; it belongs to the 
‘Anatipennella group, but wants the neck which is so conspicuous in all the known 
species in this group, in other words it is a pistol-shaped case without the barrel ; it is 


Northern Entomological Society. 6191 


not scarce; he also exhibited Carabus nitens, taken by baiting; the plan adopted 
being to place a piece of ham-sandwich under a bunch of loose heath in the centre of 
a wettish swamp patch on the “moss;” these patches are perfectly bare, hence 
the beetles cannot get under cover when yon go for them; the first bait placed at 
night produced three fine specimens of nitens next morning, — one munching ham, 
one eating bread and butter, the other asleep. 

The Rev. H. H. Higgins also brought a box of Carabus nitens for distribution, and 
informed the Meeting he was now engaged upon a new Flora of the district around 
Liverpool, and asked the opinion of the Meeting as to the desirability of attaching 
the names of Lepidopterous larve to the plants on which they feed; the Meeting 
considered it desirable if a plan could be struck out, and requested the Secretary 
to take the responsibility as to the accuracy of the information tendered. 

Mr. N. Cooke announced the discovery of the centre of Bankia Bankiana 
by one of the members, Mr. Birchall, and observed that thus another of the lost spe- 
cies would be made common; a discussion took place as to what species were yet to 
be rediscovered, in which strong language was used towards gentlemen who kept 
their localities a secret: it was observed, Weaver, as a dealer, had a perfect right 
to retain his information, yet entomologists generally had obtained more information 
from him than from some who are not called dealers. 

The Secretary read an extract from a letter from Dr. Battersby, of Torquay, offering 
Acontia luctuosa to those members who wanted it, and informing the Meeting that he 
had captured Micra ostrina (!); also a letter from W. Hydes, who is now collecting at 
the New Forest for the members of the East Lancashire Entomological Society, from 
which it appeared he had been very successful until some London dealer had 
got him driven from the New Park, by telling the keepers he was injuring the 
young oaks. 

Mr. Morrot exhibited some admirably got-up anatomical parts of insects under 
the microscope; they reflected great credit upon the manipulator, and gave great 
pleasure to the members present. 


The President, on behalf of E. Newman, EKsq., read the following paper :— 


On Diminutive Cocoons of Cossus ligniperda. 


“ Trifling deviations from the ordinary mode of pursuing the path of life are much 
more interesting in insects than in ourselves: insects follow the leader as a matter of 
course; we only do so when it answers our purpose: insects are proud of following 
the leader; we do so by stealth, and often with confusion of face, and don’t like to be 
caught out: insects are much more consistent in their general conduct than we are. 
It is on this very ground that when an insect deviates from its ordinary course we like 
to know the why and the wherefore, in fact we want to be told all aboutit. Now, 
there are every now and then to be met with small cocoons of Cossus, indeed so small 
that entomologists in general won’t believe them Cossus at all, and suppose them 
to be some undiscovered species of Sesia, a trifle less perhaps than Apiformis 
and Bembeciformis, and a trifle bigger than Tipuliformis and the minors: under this 
idea the little cocoons are cherished, but perversely refuse to produce moths, being 
always infested by an Ichneumon, the familiar red-legged Lampronota setosa. This 
fact still adds to their value and to the mystery; for every one wants to know 


6192 Northern Entomological Society. 


what undiscovered clearwing always turns to a red-legged Ichneumon? These 
cocoons always occur in the usual mines of Cossus, sometimes in oak, commonly 
in willow, always very near the outer bark, always compact, tough, plentifully pro- 
vided with silk, abundantly intermixed with the carpenter’s chips; the Cossus grub 
was never more aptly described than when he was called Xyleutes or the car- 
penter. Only one entomologist to whom I have shown these cocoons was aware of 
their true nature, and that entomologist was Mr. Bond, a gentleman second only to 
Mr. Doubleday himself in his knowledge of the preparatory states of British 
Lepidoptera. 

“ Let us return to the cocoons. I have said they invariably produce Ichneumons 
which are always of one species. Does it then follow that when the larva of Cossus is 
stung by an Ichneumon, it invariably becomes dwarfed, and, dwindling to the dimen- 
sions of a moderate-sized Sesia, terminates its existence in this aborted form? Certainly 
not as arule; on the contrary, the largest cocoons frequently produce Ichneumons, 
giving no indication of the contained parasite until he vibrates his iridescent wings on the 
exterior of his prison-house. The mystery admits of another solution. The larva 
of Cussus is of slow growth and of long life; some say it lives four years, some three, 
some two. Mr. Standish tells me he kept some larve after they seemed full-grown 
between three and four years; and that they pertinaciously and obstinately refused 
to chryssle at all until at last he threw them away, utterly disgusted with their 
seemingly unnatural conduct. Now, these insect Methuselahs are infested by a para- 
site which never enjoys the pleasure of seeing them face to face, but obtains access to 
them by thrusting her long ovipositor into their galleries, having first ascertained, by 
antennal investigation, that the gallery is tenanted ; but not being in the least particular 
about the age or sex of her victim. Thus aiming at random, the egg may be depo- 
sited in the sleek body of a four-year-old, in the slimmer proportions of a three- 
year-old, or perhaps in the interior of a mere colt, a juvenile that has not yet kept 
his first birth-day. Now, although the longevity of the Cossus larva is well established, 
we have no evidence of the longevity of the Ichneumon larva; on the contrary, all the 
ascertained facts of its history go to prove that its period of existence is uniformly 
limited to a year; the egg of one year producing a fly the next. Hence, feeding 
away with the normal voracity of its tribe, the Ichneumon larva exhausts the Cossus 
larva in a few months, whether it be a one-year, or a four-year-old, always, however, 
allowing it life enough to form its ordinary cocoon, an operation with which no 
ichnemonizing seems to interfere ; and hence also we have cocoons of varied sizes 
proportioned to the age of the Cossus, but quite independent of that of the 
Ichneumon. I think, therefore, that no doubt need now be entertained on the 
subject of these familiar little cocoons: and I hope speculative opinions as to their 
being ‘something good’ will cease; for of a certainty they are the progeny of 
veritable ‘goats, and possess the genuine fragrance of their sires, although their 
existence is terminated by the ungrateful guest they have nurtured while they are yet 
mere ‘ kids.’ — Epwarp NEwMAN.” 


The Secretary observed, in confirmation of Mr. Newman’s remarks, he had 
repeatedly had diminutive cocoons of Cossus ligniperda sent to him for his opinion 
as to what new species they would produce, and remarked this paper settled a long- 
standing disputed question. 


Northern Entomological Society. 6193 


" 
Mr. Gregson read the foliowing 


Notes on the Genus Oporabia. 


“In a late number of the ‘ Zoolugist’ (Zool. 6103) my esteemed friend Mr. 
Doubleday differs from me about Oporabia filigrammaria and O, autumnaria (D. L.) 
being distinct species, and says he thinks Guenée correct when he unites these two 
species under the name of O. filigrammaria. It is with great reluctance that I ven- 
ture to say I am at issue with these two profound naturalists, and, under ordinary 
circumstances, I should at once give way to the opinion of such men; but in the pre- 
sent case, believing that they have founded their opinion upon superficial observation 
of the perfect insects, whilst I form mine upon early stages and well-known economy 
of these species, I am compelled, much against my will, to protest against this 
desire to cut down species upon insufficient or imaginary grounds. The evidence 
which Mr. Doubleday brings to corroborate his opinion gves for nothing, because Mr. 
Edleston, the gentleman to whom he refers, does not know the species we take as O. 
autumnaria, the specimen in his cabinet under that name being most unquestionably 
a large example of O. dilutaria. To coincide with clever men is generally a safe game, 
but the best err sometimes, and I think this is an instance. If I am in error I shall 
be glad to admit and correct it when I find it out, or when it is shown to me; but I 
do not feel warranted in giving way because men who have had less opportunity than 
I have had to observe the habits of these two particular species differ from me, even 
though they be, as they unquestionably are, infinitely my superiors in entomological 
knowledge: there is a certain amount of self-respect which says do not always yield ; 
form an opinion of your own, and act upon it; respect for our friends ought not to 
degenerate into servitude; and I feel sure both Mr. Doubleday and M. Guenée will 
excuse my differing from them, when I say that I have had the eggs and young larve 
of O. filigrammaria from Wharmton, near Oldham, and from the brushes near Staly 
Bridge, and have also taken the species on Moel Varna in North Wales, always in 
situations where heath and Vaccinium grow on mountains, and have never met with 
it on low ground. It is a common species, and may be found by separating the tufts 
of heath, and looking closely at the thickest stems, where it is difficult to see; none 
but a practised eye would suspect the small protuberance on the stem to be a moth. 
It appears in August and early in September, and comes out of pupa from 4 to 
6 p.m., and where there are fir trees, as at Wharmton, it may be found in copuld upon 
them about 5 p.m. I never found it én copu/d upon heath. My friend J. B. Hodg- 
kinson takes it upon the highest parts of Longridge, near Preston; Mr. Garlick, of 
Leeds, who has taken great numbers of this species, says always high up. Mr. 
Almond also found it on the mountains. Mr. Hague has taken it in numbers, and 
the Bolton collectors take it on the moors, preferring the highest walls they can find, 
for though they may find a single specimen on the lower walls, as is sometimes done 
going up to the brushes, this seems only just to prove the rule. Weaver took all his 
filigrammaria on the mountains. Thus filigrammaria is always a mountain insect. 
T have a great objection to attempt to describe larve from memory, and shall there- 
fore let this part of the subject stand over. The insect we take at Delamere Forest 
and elsewhere as O. autumnaria of Doubleday’s List is a wood insect, and has been 
bred by Mr. Greening from Jarve found upon oak; it is a much larger insect, and 
always appears late in September and October, with O. dilutaria, and I have often 
taken it during the two first weeks in November. The elongate form of the under 


XVI. ae 8 


6194 Northern Entomological Society. 


wings in O. filigrammaria is a permanent distinctive character in the male, whilst the 
female cannot be confounded with the female of the October insect. The size of the 
insects, a point on which our friends seem to lay great stress, is of little moment, 
because the Petty Pool specimens, more south than so-called Manchester specimens, 
are quite as large as the Rannoch specimens, and generally much darker. I have 
often been asked, ‘ How do you separate autumnaria from dilutaria, as you take them 
together?’ and I think the distinctive characters may well be remarked upon here: 
first, the anteune in autumnaria are much finer, the insect is more silvery, and the 
marginal band on the under wings is not parallel with the cilia, as it always is in 
dilutaria, but cuts across the elongated point of the wing, and is consequently broader 
at this part; this character is better defined in some specimens than in others, and 
applies with still more force in filigrammaria, in consequence of the greater elonga- 
tion of the under wing. 

“T do not care to enter into the question of another species in this genus, 
further than to ask to be permitted to think we have one, as I shall be quite willing 
to let those friends who have never seen it think we have not one; but I may call 
your attention to Mr. Weaver's note (Zool. 3495) on the genus Oporabia, and men- 
tion that he made a journey from Birmingham to Liverpool purposely to see my 
specimens, and unhesitatingly provounced them a distinct species. It may be said 
- Weaver had an object in multiplying species, but it is uncharitable to say so of him; 
for my part I would rather take his opinion, founded as it was on practical and close 
observations of the insect; where it appears, how it sits, how it flies, when it disap- 
pears, &c., go for something, even when we do not know its food-plaut; but 
we know it to feed upon a tree, whilst the species to which it is allied occurs 
frequently where no trees are, and at other times where fir alone will grow, as at 
Moel Varna. 

*¢ IT fear I have extended my remarks over too great a space, but I think I should 
- not do justice to this question if I did not give the opinions of other practical entomolo- 
gists, and shall select extracts from a letter kindly furnished by Mr. Garlick, merely 
observing that Wharmton is always a cold, late district; rising as it does on the 
moors, it has not the protection from the winds which the adjoining hills of the 
‘brushes’ range have, and consequently such hills as Highrige are always two weeks 
earlier there. I have found filigrammaria wasted on the 12th of August, rather a 
particular day to sportsmen in this district. 

** Mr. Garlick says, on the 16th of August, 1855:—‘ I took two good specimens of 
filigrammaria, just out, on a fence wall. This is the earliest date that ever I met 
with them. I took 120 specimens, in fine condition, from then to the 4th of Septem- 
ber; this I should say is the height of the season for them here, but I did not see a 
specimen of any sort after the 14th of September.’ 

“ August 24, 1856.—‘ Had been on the lock out for them two weeks. Took three 
specimens, just out, on the walis, and two on the trunks of fir trees. This year their 
height was from the Ist to the 6th of September; on the 15th they had dispersed.’ 

“ August 19, 1857. — ‘ Found filigrammaria, just out; it was in fine condition on 
the 26th and 27th, but on the 10th of September it had gone to “ Davy,” and I could 
not find one afterwards.’ 

‘¢ When we allow for the coolness of this district, as compared with the sheltered 
localities I and others have taken it in, we shall find that these dates coincide with 
what might naturally be expected. Being desirous of laying the facts before you, 


Zoological Society. 6195 


and having no other object in view, I leave you to draw your own conclusions as to 
whether the small August insect known in the northern cabinets as filigrammaria, — 
and the large October insect known as autumnaria of Doubleday’s List, are one and 
the same species ; I say not.’* 

After which a few remarks were made upon the question, the Meeting being of 
opinion that O. autumnaria of Doubleday’s Catalogue and O. filigrammaria are two 
distinct species ; it was observed that O. autumnaria might bea variety of O. dilutaria, 
but could not be admitted as a variety of filigrammaria. On the distinctions between 
QO. autumnaria and O. dilutaria being pointed out, the Meeting proceeded to render 
the thanks due to the various friends and inembers, who, by their kindness, had con- 
tributed to the pleasure and instruction of the members and friends present, particu- 
larly to Mr. Battersby, for his liberal offer to give specimens of luctuosa to those who 
were still in want of them.—C. S. G. 


ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


Tuesday, July 13, 1858.—Dr. Gray, V.P., in the chair. 

Mr. Gould read a paper on a new species of ptarmigan, the skin of which he 
exhibited to the Meeting. It was a native of Spitzbergen, where he believed it was 
plentiful, and was brought to this country by Edward Evans, Esq., of Neath, who shot 
it during a visit to that part of the world in the suinmer of 1856. In size it consi- 
siderably exceeded onr common ptarmigan. Mr. Gould proposed the name of 
Lagopus hemileucurus for this species. 

Mr. Gould also read a paper containing descriptions of two new species of the 
family Hirundinide ; one, an Atticora, from Guatemala, for the introduction of which 
Science was indebted to George Ure Skinner, Esq., he characterized under the name 
of Atticora pileata; the other, a Chelidon, from Cashmere, which he proposed to call 
Chelidon Cashmeriensis, was discovered by Dr. A. Leith Adains, of the 22nd regt. 

Mr. Sclater exhibited a specimen of an apparently undescribed species of Buteo 
from the collection of the Norwich Museum, which he proposed to characterize as 
Buteo fuliginosus. 

Mr. Sclater also called the attention of the Society to some birds collected by 
George Cavendish Taylor, Esq., during his journey across the Republic of Honduras, 


* I am always pleased to find a question of this kind investigated on the spot: it 
is the only way in which such questiones vewate can be settled. I would nevertheless 
suggest to Mr. Gregson certain queries which still remain open. What is the 
difference between the larve of the three species? Calling them A, B and C, may I 
ask this question, — When the eggs of A are reared to the imago state, do the moths 
always prove identical with A? The same of B? The same of C? Has it been 
positively ascertained that the food plants of A, B and C are different? Mr. Gregson 
hints this, but has not established it. Is it certain that neither A, BnorC isa 
second brood of either of the others? May not autumnaria be a second brood of 
filigrammaria ; filigrammaria is wasted on the 12th August, autumnaria in pe: fection 
in October. Mr. Gregson has the opportunity of solving these questions: it would 
be a boon to Science if he would do so, and would supersede the necessity for 
expressing mere opinions.—Ldward Newman, 


6196 Reason and Instinct. 


along the line of the proposed Inter-Oceanic Railway, and read a list of the species 
procured, thirty-nine in number, accompanied by remarks on their synonymy and 
distribution. 

Mr. 8S. P. Woodward read a paper on the genus Synapta, by himself and Mr. L. 
Barrett. Two species of Synapta (marine animals remarkable for the microscopic 
anchors in the skin) are found on the British coast. 1. 8. digitata, Mont., ranging 
from Scotland to the Mediterranean, occwrs in Ruthsay Bay, west cvast of Ireland, 
Devonshire, Cornwall, also in Vigo Bay (Galicia), and Trieste (Adriatic). 2. S. in- 
herens, Mull., which ranges from Norway to Brittany, has been found at Aberyst- 
with, Criccieth, Falmouth, and Bantry Bay. A new species, called Synapta bidentata, 
was described as having bifid anchor-flukes, and oval plates perforated by many cir- 
cular holes, decreasing in size from the centre to the circumference. The specimens 
were collected in China, by the Rey. G. Vachell, and are three inches long, with 
twelve tentacles, each having four lobed digits —D. W. M. 


Reason and Instinct. By the Rev. J. C. Arkinson, M.A. 


THE second position which we are, if possible, to establish, is— 

That, at least presumably, as man emerges from the uncivilized or 
savage state, Instinct, by degrees, ceases to have any predominant 
power, and, infancy past, in no case utterly excludes the operation of 
Reason. 

It must be observed at the outset that we shall meet with an inhe- 
rent, it may be an almost insuperable, difficulty in the way of suc- 
cessfully maintaining this position otherwise than by presumption. 
1 mean that, from circumstances I proceed to notice, observed cases 
or facts must, it is likely, always be too few and too special to afford 
grounds for a thoroughly safe induction in such an inquiry as the 
present. It is, I suppose, almost an axiom that self: originating 
civilization never had or can have existence; that if any nation or 
people have ever passed through any of the stages or processes 
implied in the term civilization, the fact of their having done so is a 
sufficient proof that some civilizing agent, independent of and exter- 
nal to themselves, has been at work among them, whether for a longer 
or shorter period, whether with more or less continued and energetic 
action. ‘That agent may have been exclusively human, or partly 
human and partly superhuman; but in neither case have they left 
any distinct record of either the progressive or the completed effect 
of their agency, which is at all sufficiently available to us for ceciding 
the amount of corresponding psychical change of the kind in which 
we are interested. 


Reason and Inslinet. 6197 


What I have called the human agency may have been carried out 
by the irruption and indwelling of an at least comparatively civilized 
community among the hitherto uncivilized, as was the case with our 
own British ancestors from the period of the Roman conquest of this 
country to that of the final departure of the conqueror from its shores. 
Or it may have been, though considerably more rarely and limitedly, 
by the long-continued visits, for the purposes of commerce,* ofa 
civilized to an uncivilized community; or in one or two other but 
less potential ways which might be mentioned. In the case of the 
other agency specified, though the human agent has often, perhaps 
usually, been weak as to his own proper agency or influence, both as 
to its kind and degree, as coutrasted with the work befere him, yet his 
ability for that work, however defective per se or in this sense, has 
been more than supplemented by the energy of the superhuman ele- 
ment. I refer of course to the case of the Christian missionary of all 
ages, when—himself a weapouless, despised, persecuted man—he has 
gone out to make converts, uot with the aid of fire and sword, but by 
using only the arms of the Gospel, and possibly the arts of a higher 
human culture, to aid him in his labours. -And as an instance of a 
process of civilization thus induced 1 may refer to what is going on 
in our own time in New Zealand. 

But still, except in the case just cited, and one or two analogous 
ones on even a Smaller scale, I am afraid we must say that we have 
no records existing which describe the several phases of the mind 
and nature of the one-time savage as he passed on along his transi- 
tionary course from the savage condition through the progressive 
stages which fiually conduct to civilization, possibly to high civiliza- 
tion; at all events, none which describe those phases with sufficient 
niinuteness and precision to enable us to trace with satisfactory dis- 
linctness the concurrent relative changes in the subtle influences of 
Reason and Instinct. None but the agents employed could, for the 
most part, trace or record the effect they produced. In few cases 
were they qualified or disposed to note those effects in their psychical 
bearing ; and thus as to points of utmost interest to us in our present 
discussion it would be altogether vain, should it happen that records 
of civilizing influences and effects on any given people in any given 
age could be produced, to look in them for any precise or reliable 


* It is perhaps possible that some influence of this kind had been at work among 
our remote forefathers anterior to the Roman advent, because, though certainly 
“uncivilized” by comparison, they cannot with strict truth be said to have been 
“savage” at that period. 


6198 Reason and Instinct. 


information. Thus I believe it may be stated that the sources of 
information are both few and bare as to the changes in psychical 
development which accompanied the progressive advances towards 
and in the early civilization achieved by our own nation, or by the 
French or German nations. Perhaps something of what we need 
ought to be met with in the history of the Russian Empire, or rather 
of portions of its subjects. Certainly some of those subjects have 
emerged from at least comparative barbarism quite within the epoch 
dealt with by modern history, and I believe that whenever we can 
meet with authentic accounts of such emergence we shall see there is 
much to support the view we have enunciated in our present proposi- 
tion. Unfortunately those accounts are both rare and scanty. 

Doubtless we may permit our eye to rest on many a tribe or nation 
in a state of partial and incomplete civilization, certainly more or less 
removed from the savage state. But almost without exception we 
lack authentic accounts of the remote antecedents of these tribes or 
peoples. They may have been, for ages beyond the memory of his- 
tory, in a state such that it would be difficult to decide accurately 
whether it were one of progress or of regression as to essential civili- 
zation. Such, very probably, is the case with the people so happily 
termed by the Times’ special correspondent, a few weeks since, 
“ quaint barbarians ;” and very much the same remarks may be made 
in reference to the numerous widely-spread Nomade* tribes or hordes 
who people so large a portion of “ High Central Asia,” and, omitting 
others, to the inhabitants of certain important and populous regions 
in Northern and Central Africa. How long their habits have been 
Nomadic, from what source they originally sprung, and whether the 
assumption of Nomadic habits was a step in a backward or forward 
direction, are all questions involved in much obscurity. 

But if we are unable to trace backward the advances made to the 
comparatively civilized from the savage state in such cases as those 
just instanced, it is of course obvious that we can be in no position to 
pronounce upon what have been the accompanying changes in the 
sway of instinctive impulses and the influence of rational determina- 
tion, as illustrated in the ex perience of any of those peoples which may 
become the subject of inquiry in such matters. The most promising 
course open to us appears to be to ascertain as nearly as possible 
what general rule as to the presence and influence of Instinct in un- 
civilized or savage man may be laid down in conformity with the 


* The argument derived from the form and d‘mensions of the skull I postpone 
for considcration in a future division of the paper. 


Reason and Instinet. 6199 


most accurate and widest possible observation, which we have endea- 
voured to do when attempting to establish our first position ; next, to 
deduce a similar law as to the comparative presence and influence of 
Instinct in men living in communities that are, and have been fora 
lengthened period, more or less highly civilized; and then, by con- 
trasting these two rules, and checking the result by comparing it with 
the observed psychical condition and peculiarities of such partially 
or imperfectly civilized peoples as are reasonably believed to have 
been at some anterior period of their history in a savage or nearly 
savage condition, to deduce thence the presumable law as to the pre- 
sence and influence of Instinct in communities passing through the 
process of emergence from barbarism to at least comparative civiliza- 
tion. Andif, besides, we are enabled to adduce such instances as 
that of the New Zealanders, already adverted to, and, after trying our 
presumed law by them, find it enunciates principles in no way incon- 
sistent with the observed phenomena, we have so far a confirmation 
of its truth and validity. 

What, then, is the law of Instinct as applicable to man living in a 
condition, almost all the elements of which are in a greater or less 
degree referrible to or influenced by civilization ; say, to the inhabi- 
tants or frequenters of the very centres of civilization in England, 
France or Germany ? 

We find the instinct of Fear or Self-preservation so limited and so 
modified that there is very little analogy or opportunity for compari- 
son between the actions of the savage man or the wild beast under 
this influence, and those of civilized man under the influence of what 
we usually understand by the word Fear. Exact parallel between 
the proceedings or expedients of the savage when seeking to elude 
his euemies or escape danger, and any of the actions of an ordinary 
member of civilized society, there is none. As to what we have 
termed the instinct of Sexual Love, it exists past all doubt, but under 
circumstances which, except in some, by comparison, few cases, 
either anticipate its actual development or true influence, or else, 
from the careful restraint or repression to which they cause it to be 
subjected, effectually forbid alike its real operation or any evidence of 
its existence. ‘The instinctive influence of Association certainly 
exists, and perhaps at least to the full as strongly as in any uncivi- 
lized community. The eager craving of our childhood, new every 
day, for companions of our own age; our gratification when the 
craving is supplied; the fervid friendships of our school-days; the 
habits of our maturer years, with the continuous interchange of 


6200 Reason and Instinct. 


mutual services and reciprocal dependency which characterize them ; 
all testify to the existence, and the powerful, however little suspected, 
underworking of the Social Instinet. And yet all has to give way and 
disappear under the expediencies of a highly artificial and arbitrary 
state of society, so far, that is, as the inevitable human _ inter- 
dependency will permit. The next class of instinctive impulses we 
come to is that we have designated by the somewhat awkward term 
Food-craving. Of this, too, it must be said that it exists and ope- 
rates strongly, and yet under such modifications and restraints that 
its results are greatly disguised, and its influence for the most part 
quite unsuspected. ‘The elementary instinct certainly remains in innu- 
merable instances: however little it may be usually recognised, there 
are many little circumstances which may and continually do lead to 
a manifestation of its continued vitality. It is really a most curious 
and significant fact, that, however remote men’s lives have been from 
what are called field sports, however little awake to the existence of 
such pastimes their understanding has hitherto been, scarcely one in 
a thousand can be singled out who is not at once, and possibly even 
strongly, vivaciously interested if brought into contact with the active 
pursuit of some species of game. Nay, it is no uncommon thing for 
a thorough-bred cockney, a true zvdigéne of “ The Town,” on visiting 
his country cousin, to become a partaker in and quite engrossed by 
the mysteries and enthusiasms of a rat-hunt or even a mouse-battue. 
The merest child, again, scarcely able to do more than toddle by 
himself, “ wants” the rabbit or the bird which arrests his attention by 
its flight; as soon as he is a little more master of his limbs gives 
eager chase to the insect or reptile; counts it a day to be marked 
with white on which he first captures the bird that has flown in at the 
window, or unwarily entered his awkwardly-constructed trap; or, with 
his stick and string and crooked pin, magnifies in imagination the 
minnows which, unharmed by hook, rob him of his bait, into most 
unminnowlike dimensions, and glories for a week over the scaly 
infant which in some inscrutable way contrives to become his 
“first fish.” , 
Still Mr. Briggs or even Gordon Cumming “ takes the field” in a 
somewhat different way from the otter or the lion, and with an equip- 
ment somewhat varied from that of the red man of North America or 
the Balonda of South Africa. And, allowing all that may be urged 
here,—that Gordon Cumming in stalking an antelope, a buffalo or an 
elephant, or Mr. Briggs in trying to get near enough to a capercailzie 


ce 


Reason and Instinct. 620) 


to shoot it,* is doing no more, or acting no otherwise, than a lion or a 
bear in instinct-directed pursuit of their several kinds of prey, or than 
the savages of America, Africa or Australia in their almost equally 
instinctive prosecution of the chase,—still it is unquestionable that in 
the great mass of a civilized community, as to the processes of its 
every-day life, those impulses of Instinct which we class under the 
head of Food-craving are much as though they had no real existence 
or influence. If directed by them at all, civilized folk are directed by 
them, we must say, to the butcher, the baker and the brewer. 

We have now only those impulses which are classed under Migra- 
tion and Local Direction left for notice. Of the latter we must at 
once say that it is lost or entirely removed; of the former, that it 
exists still, but is greatly modified both in intensity and mode of ap- 
plication. It is individual now, rather than collective ; the result of 
deliberate counsel and volition, rather than of spontaneous, restless 
impulse. | 

The result of our inquiry, therefore, would seem to be that Instinct 


* JT take the circumstance stated below from Mr. Couch’s ‘ fllustrations of 
Instinct,’ p. 185. The cock of the woods is said to be so extremely shy that he can 
rarely be met with except in the pairing season; but then, “‘ every morning he renews 
his song.” While engaged in this occupation, and its attendant ceremonics of run- 
ning with drooped wings and clucking, it seems he may—as is the case with several 
other birds at such times, e.g. the corn-crake and the ruffed grouse—be approached 
very closely ; indeed, near enough sometimes to be caught by the hand. A man in 
Sweden goes out one morning tu shvot these birds, and hearing one, makes his 
approaches in due form. ‘“ He could not see many yards before him in the forest, and 
only followed the direction of the sound. While standing motionless, in expectation 
of the renewal of the bird’s call, he thought he perceived a dark object on one side of 
him, but it did not engage much of his attention ; and at the usual note he moved on 
towards the game, but was surprised to see the black object had advanced in an equal 
degree, and now stood ina line with him. Still he thought more of the bird than 
anything else, and approached close to it before he perceived that a large bear stood 
within a few feet of him; and in fact just as they were both about to spring on the 
bird they caught sight of each other, and each retired.’ However, after a few 
moments both man and beast resumed their “ stalk,” which ended in the death of the 
bear by a shot from the man’s gun, who was, however, so much startled that he did 
not even wait to see the result of the discharge. Again, “ when a lion is very hungry 
and lying in wait, the sight of an animal may make him commence stalking it. In 
one case a man, while stealthily crawling towards a rhinoceros, happened to glance 
behind him, and found, to his horror, a lion stalking him; he only escaped by 
springing up a tree like a cat.” (Livingstone, Miss. Travels, p. 138). A similar 
instance is recorded in Andersson’s ‘ Travels in Africa,’ in which the author himself 
was stalked by a lion, step by step, as he carried on the stalking process towards some 
game animal. 


XVI: Ze 


6202 Reason and Instinet. 


doubtless continues to exist and even to operate in civilized man, but 
so modified, and under such circumstances of limitation and re- 
pression, that some of its impulses which are equally remarkable aud 
energetic in the savage man cease to be perceived or exerted ; others 
are so checked or domineered over by design or expediency that 
their power of origination is often obscured or doubtful; while the 
remainder, which appear to be the inalienable inheritance alike of the 
entire human family under all circumstances, physical and psychical, 
and of the whole or not a few of the lower tribes of animals, are so 
thoroughly subject to the power of Reason or its results, that we feel 
ourselves, as it were, naturally led to the conclusion which stands as 
our third position, viz., That in a fully civilized state Instinct still 
survives, but is so restrained and regulated in its operations by 
Reason that it becomes comparatively difficult to allege any but a 
very few of man’s ordinary actions as greatly influenced by it, or to 
distinguish between the workings of Instinct and the rulings of 
Reason in actions which are, according to analogy, originally due to 
or prompted by Instinct. 

Now, bearing this conclusion in mind, and recalling that which we 
came to after passing in review the evidences of instinctive workings 
afforded in savage life, it seems to be a safe inference, that as any 
given race of men outgrow the pursuits and habits and influences of 
wild life, and acquire in lieu of them others more appropriate to a 
more advanced position in the scale of human progress, there should 
be a corresponding and contemporaneous inverse change in the ope- 
rative power and influence of Instinct and Reason; that, in other 
words, in the progress of man from a savage to a cultivated condition 
Instinct holds a kind of middle standing in energy and active 
influence. 

Now, it is perhaps hardly necessary to observe that there are but 
few Nomadic tribes whose habits are simply and exclusively Nomadic. 
Very generally, throughout the various subdivisions of the nations 
usually distinguished by that epithet, the men are found to be keen 
and persevering hunters. In not a few instances they not only em- 
ploy the dog in the prosecution of the chase, but they enlist in the 
same service the instincts of others of the lower animals; the falcon 
for instance, and a species of hunting eagle. And, in whatever degree 
they are keen and successful hunters, their faculties show a degree of 
approximation to those displayed and exercised in so remarkable a 
manner by the savage in the pursuit of any of the different varieties 
of his game,—a display so remarkable, indeed, that, as we have 


Reason and Instinct. 6203 


already had occasion to notice, it naturally suggests both a compari- 
son with the instincts of a predaceous animal similarly engaged, and 
the conclusion that in both cases the phenomena observed are due to 
the same operative cause. 

Beyond this, those of the pursuits of the peoples designated, which 
may be described as the Nomadic proper, call for the exercise of 
some of their instinctive faculties in preponderance over their intel- 
lectual; and in their quest of pasturage or water for their manifold 
flocks and herds one is reminded again of the instinctof wild creatures, 
in that operation of it, namely, by which the undomesticated conge- 
ners of the animals these Nomades tend are guided when under the 
pressure of the wants in question; and not less so in the foresight 
and precaution against the attacks of predatory animals, so strongly 
suggestive of the similar foresight and precaution practised alike by 
the wild animal and the wild man. 

I think, too, we may observe an approximation to the peculiar 
instinct of Local Direction or Self-guidance seen in the Red Man, in 
the apparent readiness with which they direct or guide a stranger to 
a distant place, only the general direction or bearings of which they are 
acquainted with. In Mr. Atkinson’s interesting ‘ Travels in Siberia 
and Mongolia’ the reader finds perpetual, and occasionally very 
striking, illustrations of the several points we have thus. successively 
brought forward.* 

Now it must be observed that, with respect to some of the Noma- 
dic peoples, it is certainly a matter of probable conjecture, if not 
more, that their present condition is one of advance, or, at the least, 
one to which they have advanced, from a condition of barbarism. 
Several of the off-shoots or subfamilies of the great Nomadic nations 
are known to have been, strictly speaking, barbarous when first named 
by history, and to have passed on since from that condition to one of 
comparative civilization, in a few cases to really a high degree of 
culture. Others are known as yet remaining almost barbarous, per- 
haps we might say, rather, savage. And possibly it might be a not 
unfair inference, that, generally speaking, the possession and tendance 


* I do not here, as I have usually done, append quotations as the authority for 
the statements in the text, or as the ground on which our arguments or inferences are 
founded, because the doing so in a satisfactory or sufficient way would require the 
extract of lengthened passages, which would demand increased space for a paper that 
already, I fear, bids fair to be too long. ButI think the conclusions stated in the 
text are fully warranted by numerous statements and narratives met with in all parts 
of the book in question, as well as in others. 


6204 ~ Reason and Instinct. 


of large flocks and herds is de facto a presumption that their owners, 
wanderers though they be of necessity, are on the upward march— 
however much the final accomplishment of that march may have been 
or may yet be delayed by repeated and lengthened halts—from barba- 
rism or savage life to the more cultivated life of agriculture and the 
useful arts. And if so, bearing in mind the above-noticed peculiari- 
ties in respect of instinctive influence as displayed in the doings of 
several of the Nomadic peoples, we have so far a corroboration of the 
views embodied in the conclusion we arrived at a few pages back. 

Turning next to the illustration afforded in the case of the New 
Zealander—and there are other and similar experiences of the same 
kind—we find our conclusion further borne out and confirmed. With 
all the instincts of the savage in full power and operation, and with 
almost more than the full complement of savage ferocity, antecedently 
to the time at which the missionary began to exercise upon him the 
humanising and elevating tendencies of Christianity, and of associa- 
tion with some of the better specimens of European humanity ; yet in 
the course of a comparatively brief epoch he has been brought volun- 
tarily, even eagerly, to adopt not simply many of the customs, but 
even some of the arts of civilization, with all which that implies of 
the stronger as well as more evident working of his intellectual 
faculties; while, what is perhaps even more to our purpose, he 
manifestly retains, though he has now little use for or desire to exer- 
cise them, his old instinctive powers and qualities, and candidly avows 
that he could easily, if need were or inclination disposed him, return 
to what was once his wonted exercise of them. But the question, how 
long, after how many generations, he could thus achieve a resumption 
of his forsaken instinctive habits, is one which it needs no elaborate 
system of discussion to reply to. A few years wonld so far dull the 
senses left unpractised in comparison with what was his wont in his 
savage days, and deaden his sensibility to impulses long disregarded, if 
not discontinned,—which on physical grounds, impulses such as those 
under discussion are, most easily come to be,—that it would be no easy 
matter to him to be again the man he once was in the endowments and 
attributes of savage life ; while, as to what would be the condition of 
those of the second generation, born and brought up among many of 
the usages of civilized life, and utterly untrained in those of their 
fathers’ guondam life, there can be no question that Instinct can 
never be in them what it was in their fathers, except under circum- 
stances which will be brought under review in the next division of 
the paper. | 


Reason and Instinct. 6205 


In speaking of the civilization of the New Zealanders I am desirous 
to be understocd as not intending to imply more than the facts will 
warrant. It is yet a question, I believe, whether the civilization of 
New Zealand and Polynesia (not to name other sites of the species of 
civilization under mention) is likely to be permanent, — whether, in 
other words, it has in it the capacity of self-sustentation. At present 
the impression seems to be that, except under circumstances pro- 
viding a continued supply, and for some time to come, of external 
teaching, example and influence, the degree of cultivation attained is 
not likely to be maintained. It appears that up to a certain point 
instruction is with the utmost ease received, retained and assimilated 
by the learner, but that there is a point at which development of this 
sort stops. ‘The masters say,” speaking of some of these islanders 
(Walpole’s ‘ Four Years in the Pacific’) “that in all the early parts of 
their education they are exceedingly quick, but not in the higher 
branches; that they have excellent memories, and learn by rote with 
wonderful rapidity, but will not exercise their thinking faculties.” 
Some of these scholars were full-grown men, others little children. 
This fact appears to me to be exceedingly interesting ; and it seems 
to be, so far, observable in all or nearly all newly-civilized savages. 
It is as though there were a barrier, which they could not pass, at this 
point of their intellectual improvement. And there is another cir- 
cumstance of not less interest in connection with these people and the 
question of the probable permanence of their newly-induced culture ; 
I mean that there is an only too-obvious infirmity or instability of will 
among them. Singularly impressionable, equally ready and able to 
forsake their own customs or usages, and rapidly to acquire new ideas 
and new habits, they yet require to be kept as it were “in leading- 
strings and must remain so until a generation of more solidity of will 
arises.” (‘ Quarterly Review,’ December, 1853). I termed the two facts 
just noticed interesting, and indeed I think they are. I hardly know 
how to state the inference they seem to me not so much to justify as 
to require, in such a manner as not to be offensive to the sticklers for 
the prerogatives and supremacy of the human race in contrast with 
the brute races. But it does seem as though the savage,—the uncul- 
tivated, uncivilized human being, —by his incapacity to exercise fully, 
if at all, his higher intellectual faculties, and by the comparative 
feebleness or instability of his will, not only justifies our position as 
to the comparative predominance, in certain particulars, of his 
instinctive powers and propensities— for the latter, itis at once appa- 
rent, can only be developed in inverse proportion to the intelligence 


6206 Scent. 


and will—but affords us one more justification likewise for considering 
the human species as a part of the animal creation at large, and there- 
fore not only in drawing analogies between his instinctive endowments 
and those of the lower creatures, but in asserting that they are essen- 
tially of the same nature in each of the two cases, because in the 
whole of the animal creation beneath man, which can be properly 
said to be possessed of any intellectual endowment, we see displayed 
in its highest degree the same volitional impotency conjoined with 
complete disability to employ the higher intellectual powers,—a dis- 
ability which amounts to, if it be not rather the consequence of, com- 
plete deprivation of all the higher powers of mind. 


J. C. ATKINSON. 


Scent.—In his interesting paper on scent Mr. Atkinson says (Zeol. 6136), “ No dog 
can hunt either feathered or four-footed game in the snow, even for ten yards, by the 
nose, except in so far as has just been mentioned,” namely, “a freshly moved rabbit 
or hare for a few paces, evidently taking up the scent from the very recently impressed 
footsteps.” My own experience, which has been considerable, has led me to form a 
different opinion, the grounds whereof I will proceed to give. I well remember once, 
when crossing some fields in a deep snow, coming upor the track of a hare in the precise 
course I was about to take. Merely for amusement, and with no view of finding the 
hare, indeed without thinking whether it was practicable or not, I pointed out the 
marks to my spaniel, whereupon he poked his nose into the impression in the soft snow, 
pausing a little to try for scent, after which, to my surprise, he, entirely of his own 
accord, deliberately traced the footprints for perhaps 150 yards or less, till, in a small 
patch of cover, he started the hare from her seat. The dog was a remarkably good one, 
especially safe and persevering upon a cold scent, but, as he was likewise a very sen- 
sible old fellow, he may very possibly have been assisted, at least, by sight in following 
up the hare, though I feel confident he was too knowing in his business to have under- 
taken the chase, had not his nose assured him it was not hopeless. The time of day 
must have been not earlier than 10 a. m., nor later than 11, so that we may reckon the 
footmarks to have been made probably not less than two or three hours previously. I 
possess however far stronger evidence than the above in support of my opinion. 
Though a heavy fall of snow necessarily put a stop to direct pursuit of partridges and 
pheasants, I have so repeatedly fallen in with them casually at such a time, beside 
woodcocks, snipes (the latter however in unfrozen springs and ditches), water rails, and 
moorhens, that I can state confidently the dogs never seemed to find any unusual 
difficulty in hunting them, this too in places where it was hardly possible for them to 
be aided by the eye. For shooting rabbits to beagles* a general carpet of thick snow 


* With good dogs, in woods or other cover of some kind, rabbits will afford abun- 
dant sport, though hardly satisfactory to those who cannot work for their game. For- 
merly I knew a pack of four orfive couples of sinall beagles, kept exclusively for 


Birds. 6207 


used to be deemed a favourable opportunity. Ihave often been out successfully when 
the snow was quite fresh and soft, though it was vastly more agreeable, as well as 
easier for the dogs, when some continuance of frost had compressed the snow, and ren- 
dered the surface harder. In such a chase as that by beagles, or indeed by many dogs 
of what description soever, whether in cover or not, the pace will be too fast to admit 
of any assistance from sight, so that the pursuit must be maintained by scent alone, 
and in my own experience I never was sensible of any material difference in the style 
of the dog’s hunting when there was snow upon the ground and when there was not. 
But though snow is no obstruction to hunting rabbits in woods or on open ground, it 
is a very decided difficulty in furze-covers or patches, because, when the snow first 
falls, it lodges on the thick top of the furze, whence it is shaken down by the working 
of the dogs beneath, and buries, partially or entirely, the trail of the rabbits which 
may be on foot. Frost without snow was never considered any impediment, but rather 
the contrary, to cover-shooting of any kind.—Arthur Hussey ; Rottingdean, Hants, 
July 18, 1858. 


A Nest of Montagu’s Harrier.— About the first week of July a nest, containing 
three young harriers, was discovered on a rushy marsh near the Ranworth decoy. 
The old birds had been watched by the broodman flying backwards and forwards with 
food for their young ones, and on making a search the nest was soon found. Of the 
three young birds one only was feathered, the next partly feathered with down, and the 
smallest covered with down only, showing that the hen bird had begun sitting after 
laying the first egg. In the aviary of J. H. Gurney, Esq., M.P., at Catton Park, these 
nestlings have thrived wonderfully. At this time the youngest is full fledged, and all 
of them exhibit the rich chocolate tint of plumage forming the immature state of this 
species, and the facial disk is in all fully developed. About the same time that these 
were taken, another nest of young harriers was also found in the neighbourhood, by 
some men whilst mowing the marshes. In this case the old bird was snared on the 
nest, but I regret to say neither old nor young preserved.—H. Stevenson; Norwich, 
August 7, 1858. 

Emberiza nivalis.—-I write to record an interesting fact concerning the snow 
bunting (Amberiza nivalis) which has recently fallen under my notice, as well as to reply 
to the remarks from Mr. Doubleday with reference to a communication I made 
respecting the same species (Zool. 6015). My friend Horace Waddington, Esq., of 
University College, Oxford, spent a few days on J.undy Island, towards the end of 
this last May, and while there, among some other interesting ornithological specimens, 
obtained a fine Emberiza nivalis, a female bird in good condition. When the bird- 
stuffer in Barnstaple came to skin and dissect this bird, he found eggs inside her 
almost advanced to maturity. This shows that this species, although one of such high 
and cold latitudes, may occasionally linger behind, and nest in the warm south. I 
would also mention that among some eggs from Oxford, brought me in the month of 


rabbits, and so well trained, that I have seen a hare jump up under the nose of one of 
the dogs, which tvok no notice whatever. Of course, shooting ata hare before those 
beagles was most strictly prohibited 


6208 Birds. 


June, 1857, by a boy I employed to collect there, was one which bore a strangely 
close resemblance to the eggs of the snow bunting. But beyond the bare possession 
and presence of the egg, I had no other data on which to ground my conclusion, for 
the boy could neither tell me what the nest was like from which he took the egg, nor 
where it was he obtained it. I at the time (with sundry doubts of reservation) adopted 
the opinion that Mr. Bond was kind enough to give me on the matter, which was 
that the egg in question was probably one of the numerous varieties of the egg of the 
common E. citrinella. Mr. Doubleday brings down upon me the great authority of 
Selby, united to his own experience and observation. Although feeling that a humble 
tyro like myself ought unhesitatingly to bow submission before such powers, yet I must 
either hold that if it be a general rule for E. nivalis to avoid pitching upon trees, my 
snow bunting was the exception to prove that rule; or else must deem myself to have 
been for some three weeks the victim of an optical delusion, and that my bird was not 
even the shadow of a shade, having no existence whatever beyond the intangible limits 
of my mental vision. But for the following reasons I must remain firm to my belief 
that the bird I saw was a bird, genus Emberiza, species nivalis. The field I saw it in 
was a large one bordering on a salt marsh, part of the field lying in fallow, part green 
with turnips. The field has a high hedge round it, in which on one side stand two or 
three elm trees. In this field I must have started this bunting more than a dozen times 
during the space of three weeks. The bird used when started to settle again among 
the turnips a little farther on, never allowing me to get within shot, and if I persisted 
in following it up, would at last fly off and alight on the hedge, or else on one of the 
trees. One wet and windy day, when looking after snipe, I as usual started the bird 
out of the turnips, and although it got up at a considerable distance, fired at it, and I 
fancy struck it slightly, as it fluttered down into a hole in the hedge, and here I got 
so close to it that I was just about to take it up, deeming it badly hurt, when it flew 
out, was carried off by the squall, and I unfortunately saw it no more. Still I had 
been quite close enough to be in my own mind quite certain as to the bird’s identity. 
With regard to its being of a white colour, I do not think this fact has any weight 
towards proving that my bird was not nivalis. ‘“‘ A few years ago” (I quote an extract 
from a letter of Colonel Montagu which is to be found in Yarrell, vol. i. p. 426) “I 
shot more than 40 (snow buntings) from the same flock, during severe weather in the 
month of January, hardly any two of which exhibited precisely the same plumage, but 
varied from the perfect tawny to the snow bunting in its whitest state.” In conclusion, 
Mr. Newman’s suggestion that | might have seen the pretty little Muscicapa atricapilla, 
and have mistaken it for E. nivalis, will not hold; first, because in the winter months 
a summer visitant like this little flycatcher would find it difficult to obtain sufficient 
food to sustain life; secondly, because M. atricapilla is a rare bird with us in Devon- 
shire, and I have only seen it twice, and that at very distant intervals; and thirdly, 
because though I candidly confess myself a tyro, yet I do give myself credit so far as 
to think it hardly possible to so palpably blunder in the very rudiments of Ornithology 
as to confound birds which differ so widely in their habits as a flycatcher and a bunting. 
—Murray A. Matthews ; Raleigh House, near Barnstaple. 

Note on the Blackbird sucking Eggs.—A few days ago one of my brothers observed 
a blackbird discussing what he evidently regarded as a great dainty. On my brother 
approaching the bird reluctantly quitted his meal, which was nothing less than an egg 
of the common song thrush. Has any ornithologist noted egg-sucking to be a failing 
of other blackbirds? or is this feat of gormandising a unique instance ?—Id. 


os 


Birds. 6209 - 


Ts the Red Grouse of Britain really distinct from the Norwegian Willow Grouse ? 
— The red grouse (Tetrao scoticus) has hitherto been considered peculiar to the 
British Isles. I must confess, for my own part, I could never comprehend why it 
should be absent from neighbouring countries possessing all the necessary features 
required by the bird. | Now comes the question,—Is the red grouse really distinct 
from the willow grouse of Norway (Lagopus subalpinus, Niellsen, Zetrao Saliceti, 
Temminck)? My own opinion is that they are one and the same species, the differ- 
ence in plumage depending upon the climate and food, the one species feeding prin- 
cipally on heather and ling, while the food of the other consists mainly of small apical 
willows, juniper, &c.* This may at first appear a bold assertion ; nevertheless, I feel 
convinced that when the subject is looked into by competent parties it will be found 
correct. Perhaps I ought now to state why I have come to this conclusion. About 
ten days ago I was staying at Hjerkin, in the Dovrefjeld Mountains, close to 
Suechettan. Making from this station an excursion to some snow fields (at an ele- 
vation of perhaps 6000 feet) for the purpose of collecting Diatomacee from the snow 
water, I had to traverse some dead thickets of juniper and dwarf willows: here 
I caught a young fully-fledged fieldfare, and flushed a willow grouse with a brood of 
young. The old bird by its flight, &c., reminded me instantly of the red grouse (which 
I have so often shot on our moors), the only apparent difference being in the colour, 
which was lighter, especially in the wings. Here I may remark that the plumage in 
the red grouse is always lighter in the early part of the season, and that the dark 
chesnut-brown tint is not assumed until later in the autumn or towards winter. I 
managed to catch one of the young birds, and the exact similarity of colour between 
this and the young of the red grouse was at once appareut. After leaving the fields, 
and arriviug at Christiana, I went to the Museum, in order to examine more closely 
the numerous and admirably-preserved adult specimens of the willow grouse belonging 
to this institution. On secing these I was more fully convinced of the ideutity of the 
two species; and on mentioning my views to the learned Curator, Professor Essmark, 
he informed me that Mr. Gould (who saw these specimens sume time ago) also in- 
clined to think they were identical with the red grouse. Surely this is a matter of 
interest to those fond of Natural History, and one which I trust will be fully investi- 
gated. Should undoubted eggs of the willow grouse be in the possession of any 
gentleman in this country, who would closely compare them with eggs of the common 
grouse, this would, I think, throw some light on the subject, and perhaps clear up a 
matter of much interest. Having mentioned the Museum at Christiana, I cannot let 
this opportunity pass without recommending to the attention of those connected with 
similar institutions, the admirable contrivance adopted here for economising space in 
the arrangement of specimens, particularly those which are kept in jars and bottles in 
spirits. The contrivance consists of a number of vertical revolving pillars, with 
shelves around them at various distances, according to the height of the bottles. 
These pillars are arranged in rows in large glass cases. Professor Essmark, in a very 
kind manner, explained the construction, which I am sure is worthy of being adopted 


* If I mistake not, the red grouse to a slight extent follows the example of the 
willow grouse in assuming a winter garb of white; for who has not noticed the beau- 
\iful margin of white to the feathers of birds shot late in the season? ‘This is more 
marked in very old male birds. 


XVI. 2 3 


6210 Reptiles, Se. 


in all museums where economy of space is a desideratum. The plan is entirely the i in- 
vention of the worthy Professor.—G. Norman ; Hull, August 9, 1858. 

[There are three points of importance (two of them not noticed by Mr Norman), 
which require serious investigation before any conclusion on this interesting subject 
can be attained. First, the willow grouse turns white in winter in the same manner as 
the ptarmigan, whereas the red grouse, although inhabiting the same districts, exhibits 
no such tendency. Secondly, the wings of the willow grouse are always white, those 
of the red grouse never. Thirdly, the beak of the willow grouse is much stronger than 
that of the red grouse. These three are regarded as specific characters, whereas the 
different hue of plumage which Mr. Norman very rationally accounts for is not re- 
garded as of specific importance.— Edward Newman. | 

Occurrence of Baillon’s Crake (Gallinula Baillonii) near the Land’s End.—A mature 
specimen of this pretty little bird, in very perfect plumage, has, for the second time, 
turned up in this neighbourhood. It proved to be a male bird, and was captured in a 
narrow ravine running down to the sea. The blue about the head is almost uninter- 
rupted, the olivaceous-brown, commencing in a narrow line on the top of the head, and 
dilating as it goes back to the occiput. Mr. Vingoe has preserved the specimen, and 
he told me that the irides, instead of being reddish brown, were bright scarlet. The 
beak of this bird is shorter than that of the little crake, and in fact, a far as I can 
observe, the bird is shorter altogether.—HKdward Hearle Rodd; Penzance, July 9, 
1858. , 

Biautiful Variety of the Garganey Teal.—On the 30th of July a pair of young 
Garganey ducks were killed at one shot on a marsh at Strumpshaw. Of these one 
exhibits the usual immature plumage of this species, whilst the other is a most deli- 
cate cream-colour all over, without spot or streak of any kind, the beak pink, and the 
legs very light in colour—A. Stevenson ; Norwich. 


Newt changing vis Skin.— I happened to go to my aquarium yesterday just as one 
of the smooth newts was changing its skin. The operation was nearly completed, the 
skin being pushed down the body in a ring, by which the hinder legs were, to use an 
Trishism, handcuffed to the tail. The snout was principally used in shoving it down, 
and the tail was scarcely free when the animal seized the skin with its mouth, and in 
half-a-dozen gulps swallowed it. It is well known that the toad adopts this conve- 
nient method of disposing of its worn-out garment, but I do not remember to have 
seen the same practice recorded of the newt. The act of swallowing occupied nearly 
a minute, during which three filmy gloves (the integument of the paws) were projecting 
from the mouth. Although a tremendous yawn testified to the fatigue of the perform- 
ance, the newt made no objection to concluding the meal with a small proportion of 
roast mutton.— George Guyon; Richmond, Surrey, August 12, 1858. 


‘ 
SSS. 


4 


Occurrence of the Short Sun-fish on the Sussex Coast.—The ‘Sussex Express’ of 
July 24, states that on the Monday before, July 19, a short sun-fish was taken with a 
boat-hook while floating in Seaford Bay, off East Blatchington, by three brothers named 


Insects. | 6211 


Green. The specimen measured 2 feet 10 inches long, and 3 feet 9% inches broad 
from points of fins; it weighed 77 Ibs.— Arthur Hussey ; Rottingdean, Hants, July 26, 
1858. 


Polyommatus Artaxerxes and P. Agestis——In the ‘ Zvologist’ (Zool. 6101) is a note 
from Mr. Logan, who, with some others of our northern entomologists, has come to the 
conclusion that P. Artaxerxes and P. Agestis are varieties of one and the same species, 
but upon what grounds I must say I am quite in the dark. Dr. Lowe read, some 
time back, a paper before the Royal Suciety of Edinburgh, to prove that P. Artaxerxes, 
P. Salmacis and P. Agestis, were one and the same. Mr. G. Wailes, of Newcastle, 
and Mr. Logan, are of the same opinion. It is strange that neither of these gentlemen 
has ever seen the larva of P. Agestis. Fyrom this I think they have decided too pre- 
maturely. Mr. Logan says, “I have never been able to induce any of our southern 
collectors to send me the larva of P. Agestis, which must be common and easily found ;” 
this proves that he does not know its habits. Although the imago is common, the larva 
is not easily found. I discovered the larva of P. Agestis about eight years ago, and 
have taken it every year when on the Deal coast; why most easily found there, L will 
soon explain. Iam surprised Mr. Logan has never sent to me for it. I have no hesi- 
tation in saying that it is quite different from the drawing of P. Artaxerxes he so kindly 
showed me when at Duddingstone last season. P. Agestis appears ata different time, 
is double brooded, and is different as to locality, food-plant and larva; its manner of 
changing to the pupa state is different. What can make it a variety of an insect that 
is not found in this country? The Helianthemum is common in many parts, but 
there is no P. Artaxerxes, and P. Agestis will not feed on it; so it cannot be from its 
rarity of the usual food-plant that P. Agestis takes to the Erodium. P. Agestis was a 
species, I think, before P. Artaxerxes was known. Why it is now to be a permanent 
variety 1, for one, am ata lossto know. I have seen varieties of P. Agestis ; these must 
now be called varieties of the permanent variety of P. Agestis: this will sound strange. 
The following is the history of P. Agestis, which I should like to see side by side with 
P. Artaxerxes, and it would then be seen that there are no two facts alike in their his- 
tory :—The first brood comes out at the end of May; it is not so abundant as the August 
brood, and is much smaller. The larva is found in July, feeding on or under Ero- 
dium cicutarium, which grows here in large patches or beds, in many places apart from 
other herbage; and it is from this cause that the larve are so easily found. Having no 
leys, like many other larve they cannot feed on the tops of the plant. The common 
blue (P. Alexis) swarms in many places, but the larve are very seldom found, from a 
similar cause. On pulling aside the branches of the Erodium, the larve and pnpe 
are found on the sand beneath them; while the larve of P. Artaxerxes spin up on 
grass, dead stalks or the surface of stones; this, I think, is a reason quite sufficient to 
separate it from Agestis, and to establish each as a species,—H. J. Harding; 1, York 
Street, Church Street, Shoreditch. 

[When my contributors differ from me on any point whereon I bave expressed a 
decided opinion, it is, I think, not otherwise than courteous to support my own pre- 
vivusly expressed views by any legitimate appeal to facts within my absolute knowledge. 
Now the identity of Agestis and Artaxerxes is my subject; I most unequivocally ex- 
pressed my opinion as to this identity more than twenty-five years ago, in the 


6212 Insects. 


‘ Entomological Magazine, and this opinion has many times been repeated; moreover, 
have never separated the two insects in the cabinet under my care. So that when an 
entomologist of Mr. Harding’s experience and habits of constant observation comes 
into the field to break a lance with me on this subject, I experience 
“ That stern joy which warriors feel 
In foemen worthy of their steel.” 


Now Iam able to tell Mr. Harding that the apod larve feeding on Erodium cicutarium 
at Deal, which he has above described, and which have been sent also to Mr. Logan, 
who succeeded in rearing them, are those of a coleopterous insect, the beautiful Hypera 
fasciculata. PS.—Will Mr. Harding pardon me if I also inform him that it was 
Vanessa Atalanta, not Cynthia Cardui, that he found feeding on the pellitory? 
See ‘ Entomologist’s Intelligencer’ for July 17, No. 94, p. 125.—Hdward Newman.] 

Sound produced by the Larva of Acherontia Atropos.—Some few days since I be 
came possessed of two specimens of the caterpillar of the death’s-head moth (A. Atro- 
pos). Upon removing them one evening, for the purpose of supplying them with fresh 
food, they emitted a singular noise, continuous and rapid, which I can only liken to 
the sound produced by the sparks of an electrical machine. Every entomologist is 
aware of the peculiar noise emitted by the perfect insect (though as yet, I believe, the 
question has not been satisfactorily solved), and of the statement made by Mr. Raddon 
that the insect is able to produce the sound prior to its emerging from the pupa. I 
do not, however, remember ever having read an account of the instance I mention, 
and which can be confirmed by a gentleman present at the time. I should wish, 
therefore, to ascertain whether the fact has ever been recorded, and, if so, I should 
esteem it a favour if you would kindly furnish me with the authority. Does M. 
Goureau, in his ‘ Memoir on the Sounds of Insects’ notice the fact?—John Edmund 
Weatherhead ; Curator, Town Museum, Leicester, July 21, 1858. 

Capture of P. Daplidice near Rottingdean.—On the 5th instant I had brought me 
a specimen of P. Daplidice. It had been taken on the same day near Rottingdean, a 
village near here, and was still alive when I had it. It is a female, and in very fair 
condition.—John N. Winter ; 28, Montpellier Road, Brighton, August 9, 1858. 

Pieris Daplidice.—I beg to record the capture, near here, of this insect, yesterday. 
There was a strong wind blowing at the time; and as I was walking along, it rose from 
the ground close to my feet to several feet above my head, when I distinctly saw 
the green under side; and shortly after its return to terra firma, it was pinned in my 
collecting-box. It may be well to add that there is no doubt respecting its identity, 
as experienced entomologists have seen it alive-—J. Pratt; 35, Duke Street, Brighton, 
August 6, 1858.—From the ‘ Intelligencer.’ | 

Anthrocera Minos in the West of Scotland.—I have not observed that Anthrocera 
Minos has hitherto been taken in Scotland. I enclose one or two specimens captured 
on the 26th of last month on the side of the road between Oban and Dunstaffnage 
Castle, at the mouth of Loch Etive. I had no net, but managed to knock down eight 
or ten with my handkerchief and to spit them for the sake of the locality, with fine 
Highland pins.—Professor Wyville Thomson; 6, University Terrace, Belfast, July 3, 
1858.—Id. 

Cossus ligniperda at Sugar.—Within the last ten days I have taken no less than 
five specimens of C. ligniperda at sugar. They sit on the sugar very much in the same 
manner as a Noctua, but perhaps rather closer than the majority of Noctua. ‘T think . 
it is a fact beyond doubt that the Bombyces do occasionally come to sugar, and 


Insects. 6213 


although people look incredulous when you mention having taken one under those 
circumstances, and although they at once point out structural reasons why they should 
not be so taken, still there is no disputing the fact. May it not be just possible that 
although they cannot imbibe the sweets, the smell may prove as attractive to them as 
the taste is to the Noctuze. I may mention also that many of the genus Lithosia come 
regularly to sweets; two or three instances have come under my own notice, and 
several others have been recorded. I should be glad to hear if any entomologist 
has met with other Bombyces under similar circumstances, and if so, trust that they 
will record it in the ‘ Intelligencer.— Robert McLachlan; Forest Hill, July 1, 1858. 
—Ild. ) 

Two Pupe in one Cocoon of the Silkworm. — One of my juvenile brothers, who 
keeps silkworms, was surprised yesterday by finding two pupe in one cocoon. The 
cocoon is about twice the ordinary size, but of the same shape exactly as if made by 
one insect, and the two pupe are quite loose inside without any separation. What 
seems rather remarkable is, that nearly the whole of the two threads of silk wound off 
as easily as if there had been but one. As I never heard of any similar case, this 
struck me as rather remarkable. Perhaps you may have met with something like it. 
I have the cocoon now, reduced to transparency by the removal of the silk, and should 
you think it sufficiently outra@ I shall be happy to show it to you.— 7. Wildman ; 
Solicitors’ Office, Customs, E..C., July 29, 1858. 

Agrotis lucernea.—A single specimen of this insect was captured hy myself, at 
Folkestone, about six weeks ago.— Sidney Cooper; Stone Bridge, Tottenham, August 2, 
1858. 

New Mode of capturing Nonagria geminipuncta. — Being occupied in collecting 
the larve and pupe of N. Typhe, the attention of myself and brother was drawn to 
the traces of larve on the stems of Arundo Phragmites. The larve, of which the 
figure in Humphrey and Westwood (N. geminipuncta) is pretty accurate, were in 
colour yellowish white, the head brownish black, a plate on the prothoracic and caudal 
segments without spots, but the meso- and metathorax had a ring of minute dark 
brown dots in pairs, the other segments with two dorsal and two lateral dots, and the 
spiracles black; from these dots arise small seta. ‘These larve did not confine them- 
selves to one reed only, having in many cases attacked some half-dozen of the smalier 
plants before depositing themselves, full-fed, in the lower internodal spaces of the 
largest. Again, the window, which was never absent, was almost but not quite inva- 
riably above the entrance-hole, and beyond these two apertures was a wall of pith 
cemented together with silk,—a very necessary precaution, as the remainder of the reeds 
was frequently filled with water. We found as many as four pupe in one internode, 
and sometimes six in an entire reed. ‘The imago, which proved to be N. gemini- 
puncta, emerges from the chrysalis between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m., being appa- 
rently influenced by the darkness, as an artificial twilight had the effect of bringing 
them out at mid-day. As the reeds frequently collapsed in drying, we were obliged in 
most cases to cut out the pupz, which came out equally well. We have a few to 
spare.— W. D. Crotch; Uphill House, Weston-super-Mare, August 12, 1858. 

Epione Advenaria.—A single male of this local insect was taken at night, at 
Warren Gore, Lewes, this summer, by Mr. John Porter.— Edward Newman. 

Botys lancealis.—This has been an extraordinarily good season with us for Botys 
lancealis. Last year my brother, after exerting great diligence, thought himself very 
lucky in securing a dozen specimens. This year, however, in a path runuing through 


6214 Insects. 


a wood about two miles from Barnstaple, we observed B. lancealis in profusion. The 
path in question has a bank on either side, covered with wood, flowers and vegetation, 
and among the tall grass and flowers skirting the bottoms of these banks, B. lancealis 
kept house in goodly numbers. Like other pearls, B. lancealis is easily disturbed, and 
when on wing flies so slow as to be most easily netted. From the first week in June 
until the end of that month, this species continues out, and directly it is over it is suc- 
ceeded by another little pearl (Hypenodes albistrigalis), which haunts the same path, 
and is to be disturbed from the same long grass which formed the lurking-place of B. 
lancealis. This little species is also abundant. Had we been inclined we might have 
pinned some hundreds of B. lancealis, but we contented ourselves with netting about 
fifty, to supply our correspondents, and to leave us a few duplicates for exchange. In 
this same path Erastria furcula was very abundant this season.— Murray A. Mathews ; 
Raleigh House, near Barnstaple. 

Larva of Chilo gigantellus—This larva feeds in the stems of the reed. In order 
to move from one reed-stem to another, which when the plants are growing in water 
would seem a difficult proceeding, it bites off a piece of stem about its own length, 
spins it together at each end, and becomes for the time a case-bearer, till floating on 
the water it comes to another reed-stem, up which it crawls, fastens its canoe to it by 
one end, often perpendicularly, and bores into the interior. This account of its habits 
is given by Herr Moritz in Treitschke’s work: the same observer also mentions that 
Chilo forficellus, which feeds in the stems of Poa aquatica, likewise. makes a tubular 
~ case with a view to locomotion. I believe these case-bearing larve of the genus Chilo 
are occasionally mistaken for larve of the genus Coleophora.k—H. JT. Stainton ; 
July 10, 1858.—From the ‘ Intelligencer.’ 

Coleophora Leucapennella.—Herr Muhlig has been so kind as to forward me some 
larve of this insect. They feed inside the capsules of Silene nutans (do any entomo- 
logists ever come across that plant in this country?) and when the capsule has been 
emptied of the seeds, the larva wishing to walk to another capsule, and not caring to 
be at the trouble of making a case, carries off the capsule bodily cochlearum 
instar, and bores into another capsule, till it has obtained as much food as it requires. 
Stranger still, the body of the larva having the capsule to occupy, swells out to most 
grotesque dimensions.—Id. 

Xysmatodoma argentimaculella (Tinea argentimaculella, Stainton’s Insec. Brit. p.36). 
—From the middle to the end of July LI met with this brilliant species, and also bred 
it from cases on lichen growing on an old wall, nearly covered with herbage, at Bol- 
lington, near here: the habit and general appearance of the moths so resemble Mela- 
nella, which I have often bred, that they gave me the clew as to their whereabouts, 
or I might have been puzzled for years where they came from; the cases are exceed- 
ingly difficult to see, being precisely the same colour as the lichen they feed upon.— 
R. S. Edleston; Bowdon, Cheshire, August 2, 1858. 

Captures near Bowdon.—During the present month I have captured the following 
species :—Nemeophila Plantaginis, Anaitis imbutaria, Cenonympha Davus, Acidalia 
inornaria, A. nitidaria, A. obsoletaria, Hyria auroraria, Pyralis glaucinalis, Nephop- 
teryx abietella, Cryptoblabes bistriga, Amphysa Gerningiana, Tortrix viburnana, 
Sericoris decrepitana, Retinia Buoliana, R. pinicolana, R. pinivorana, Stigmonota 
couiferana, Crambus falsellus, Macaria lituraria.—Jd.; July 12, 1858. 

Larve of Cemiostoma lotella,— Mr. Wilkinson, of Scarborough, has sent me a 
mmaguificent supply of the larvee of this little gem. The mine is at first a round gray 


Tnsects. 6215 


blotch on the upper side of the leaf, the egg-shell being a very conspicuous object on 
the centre of the blotch ; the mine afterwards is extended much beyond the gray cen- 
tral portion, the outer area being pale green. Itis not a little singularthat Nepticula 
Septembrella and Cemiostoma lustratella feed on Hypericum, and the mines are often 
mistaken by the uninitiated; and that two species, so to speak, perfectly parallel, 
Nepticula cryptella and Cemiostoma lotella, feed on the Lotus; and their mines 
might readily be confounded by one not personally acquainted with them. The leaves 
sent appear to be Lotus major, not corniculatus, but probably it will feed on both spe- 
cies.—H,. T. Stainton ; July 5, 1858.—From the ‘ Intelligencer, 

A new Mine on Centaurea.—The day before yesterday I made a curious discovery : 
I found, at the edge of a wood, the leaves of Centaurea jacea tenanted by a mining 
larva: the larva is very slender, of a yellowish green, spotted with black, with head 
and second segment pale brownish: the mine radiates in different directions, like those 
of Druriella and Heydeniella. The larva abides over the midrib, beneath the loosened 
skin, and only sallies fourth into the mine for the purpose of eating. I have only 
found a few, and am very curious to know what they will produce.—Professor Frey, 
Zurich ; June 23, 1858.—Id. 

The Centaurea jacea Miner.—I! have no doubt that by this time Professor Frey is 
as much astonished as myself at the change which has come over the appearance of 
the caterpillar. The yellowish green look which they had is now gone, and they may 
fairly rank amongst the prettiest of the micro larve. They are now of a pale yellow 
colour with a dorsal line, and two others on each side of it, bright pink. The lines are 
slightly interrupted at the junction of the segments. As they approach the ante- 
penultimate segment these lines become united, so that the terminal segments are of a 
uniform pink colour. The head and corselet still retain their pale brown appearance, 
and the posterior edge of the corselet is now bordered by a darker line. The two rows 
of dark spots also remain on each segment, four of which posteriorly and two 
anteriorly are the most conspicuous, and from each of these starts a single hair. I 
am half inclined, despite their very gay appearance, to believe them to be the larve 
of one of the Depressarie.—John Scott ; Southfield Villas, July 17, 1858. [On the 
contrary, we believe they will produce a new species of Cosmopteryx.—H. T. Stainton. ] 
—Id. 

[Botanists in this country have invariably assigned the name of Centaurea jacea 
to the very common Centaurea nigra. Are the two species thus named on the Con- 
tinent really distinct? If not, search the common knob-weed (C. nigra) for this 
miner.—£. N. | | 

Abundance of Psyche nitidella.—I had been sugaring all night at Wickham, and 
in the morning searched the fence with my usual success,—which is none,—and, feel- 
ing sleepy, lay down on the bank by the fence and dozed a little: presently I was 
disturbed by something fluttering in my face, and opening my eyes recognised Psyche 
nitidella: turning for my net to catch him I saw that there was a little swarm of 
them flying about me, and as fast as I could take them they continued to come round 
me as long as I continued lying on the ground; when I got up, thinking to take them 
better, their interest in me seemed to cease, and I could take but few, and by six 
v’clock there was not a specimen to be seen; but I had secured about forty: it was 
about five o'clock when I first discovered them. 1 cannot understand what attracted 
them; there did not seem to be any females about, at least I could see none, nor any 
cases, and the specimens I have bred do not seem to care much about the females. 


6216 Fasects. 


a’ 


After I got up they did not swarm any longer about the spot where I- had heen 
lying: they flew so close about me that I could hardly net them without hitting my 
face and head, and when I had boxed some of them in tin boxes, and laid them on the 
ground, other specimens flew about them, and seemed to be trying to get into the 
boxes.—C. G. Barrett, 37, Park Street, Mile End ; June 26, 1858.—Id. 

Phibalapteryx fluviata and P. gemmaria: are they distinct P—I took, on the 9th 
inst., a male specimen of this insect: it therefore appears to be double-brooded as well 
as gemmaria. It seems very peculiar that all the specimens of fluviata that have 
been taken in England, as far as I am aware, are males, aud all the specimens of 
gemmaria females. I should be glad to hear if any one has met with female speci- 
mens of fluviata or male specimens of gemmaria. Or are the two species only one, 
and the difference in the markings only sexual? —G. Harding, jun., Stapleton, near 
Bristol; June 28, 1858.—dd. 

[The occurrence of these two rare insects in company near London, and the exam- 
ination of many recent London specimens, the males being invariably fluviata and 
the females gemmaria, led me to suspect the identity of the two some weeks sinces 
—H. N.| 

Retrospective Criticism on Dr. Gray's view of the Cause of the Cells of the Honey 
Bee being of an hexagonal form. — In the Proceedings of the Entomological Society 
(Zool. 6189) there is a report of a discussion on the shape of the cells of the bee, in 
which the following sentence occurs :—** Dr. Gray contended that the hexagonal form 
was undoubtedly the result of lateral pressure: if cylinders composed of any yielding 
substance (vermicelli for instance) were placed side by side and subjected to such 
pressure, they were invariably forced into the hexagonal form. He considered the 
attempt made by natural theologians, to prove that the formation of a hexagonal 
rather than a cylindrical cell indicated the possession of a greater degree of Divine 
wisdom bestowed upon the insect, was the yreatest piece of humbug they had ever 
brought forward.” I leave the matter of fact to those who have studied the subject, 
merely remarking that the position seems to me perfectly untenable; but the closing : 
sentence bruaches a much wider and more important subject. I have always under- 
stood and believed that all natural theologians agreed in describing instinct to be that 
power imparted to all animals by their Creator, by which they do, without thought or 
reasoning, everything which in the ordinary course of nature they have to do, in the 
best pussible manner; and that all naturalists are equally agreed that this power is 
evident in the actions of every wild animal and insect. If, then, the hexagonal is the 
best form for the cells of the bee, that they should make them of that form is just 
what we might have expected from the analogy of all animated nature. Dr. Gray 
does not say where the lateral] pressure comes from ; but if it is given by the bees them- 
selves, or arises from some cause which might have been calculated upon, the question 
of instinct remains untouched ; but if the pressure is accidental, it seems to me that 
the supposition that bees make cells of one form, and then leave them to be changed 
into another and a better one, by something which may or may not happen, is quite 
inadmissible.-— Thomas Boyd ; 17, Clapton Square, August 6, 1858. 

Beetles at Home.—lIn the front of this house, so graphically described in Newman’s 
‘Insect Hunters,’ there is a small bricked area, and the aspect being north it is 
usually somewhat damp, and the resort of sundry Onisci. Here they might lead 
quiet and sequestered lives as becomes such retiring animals, but it is no happy 
valley for them, for by accident or design certain filibustering Carabidae drop down 


Insects. 6217 


into it, and, relinquishing their usual nocturnal habits, employ themselves by making 
murderous daylight attacks upon the peaceful Onisci. In vain they roll themselves 
into balls; their assailants find a salient point, and, working away with their 
powerful mandibles, soon leave nothing but a shell. These beetles, however, do not 
devote exclusive attention to the Onisci, for if a caterpillar unluckily falls from the 
birch tree above, they devour it entirely; any poor powerless beetle that comes in 
their way is speedily added to the list of victims; even those hardest of all Coleop- 
tera—the. Curculionide—I find deprived of legs and antennae, and eventually I 
believe the marauders attack each other, for their mutilated skeletons are scattered in 
all directions, showing the truth of the old adage, that “ two of a trade never agree.” 
The species I find are Carabus violaceus, Pterostichus madidus and P. melanarius, 
and sometimes a member of another amiable family, Ocypus olens, drops in to assist 
at the revels.—J. W. Douglas; 6, Kingswood Place, Lee, July 29, 1858.—F'rom the 


* Intelligencer. 


Notes and Observations on the Genus Necrophorus. 


By FREDERICK SMITH, Lsq. 


WHEN I was a very young entomologist, I read with indescribable 
satisfaction the graphic account of the habits of the “ burying-beetle ” 
by Rusticus, in the ‘ Entomological Magazine :’ these insects have 
been favourites with me ever since. There are certain genera and 
species of insects for which one bas a particular regard, arising entirely 
from the simple circumstance of our having become intimate with their 
habits through the medium of some master mind, who has correctly 
pourtrayed them. The history above referred to is of course only the 
habit of the insect under such circumstances as described, or as they 
would be when dealing with similar “‘ small deer,” as a frog, a mole, a 
mouse, or any small bird. I will state my own experience of col- 
lecting these insects under a dead sea-gull: I found the bird dead on 
the shore, and placed it on a sand-bank which had a south-west aspect ; 
this was towards evening on a hot day in the month of August. The 
following morning I captured, beneath the bird, five beetles (four 
males and one female) of Necrophorus Ruspator, and one male aud 
one female of N. Vestigator; the next morning I took two of N. Hu- 
mator and five of N. Vestigator; on a third visit the gull yielded two 
males of N .Vespillo, four of N. Ruspator, and three of N. Vestigator, 
the number of the sexes being very unequally divided, the specimens 
of Ruspator being all males. By the time I had secured the above 
number of specimens,—which, together with hosts of flies, Silphide 


XVI. 3A 


6218 Insects. 


and Staphylinide, had deposited eggs, which had hatched and their 


maggots were feeding on the carcass,—it had become too putrid any 
longer to attract the Necrophori. I had thus obtained twenty-three 
individuals of different species of Necrophorus, under a single bird. 
A bird of the size of a sea gull is never buried, as would be the case 
with a bullfinch or any small bird: the larve of Necrophorus, when 
full fed, leave the dead carcass and bury themselves in the earth. 

Following up the same system, with other baits of a similar kind, 
enabled me to obtain fifty-seven burying-beetles, of species as 
follows :— 


Necrophorus Vestigator . . . . . 39 


; Ruspaie he ate OO 
is Humepeeee ee 
i Vespuliii cp. 6 ee 


It will be seen from this enumeration that of the rarest of our red and 
black species I obtained the greatest number. The following is the 
nomenclature adopted ; it may probably not prove eventually to be 
correct, but it is in accordance with named specimens from Germany, 
in the collection of the British Museum :— 


1. Necrophorus Vestigator, Herbst., Lllig. Mag. 
Sepultor, Gyll., Steph 

2. Necrophorus Ruspator, Hrichs. 
Vestigator, Steph. 

3. Necrophorus Humator, Oliv., Sleph., &c. 

4. Necrophorus Vespillo, Linn., Sieph., &c. 


I will now make a few observations on the species of the genus, and 
point out such localities as have produced them of my own knowledge. 
It is quite evident to me that the species, at least some of them, are 
local, for although I have never lost an opportunity of laying traps or 
baits when visiting any new locality, | have, during the present 
season, for the first time, captured N. Vestigator. 


Necrophorus germanicus. In Stephens’ ‘ Manual’ three localities 
are given for this insect; the only one where it has been captured, of 
my own knowledge, is Hastings, where my friend, the late Mr. Heales, 
himself took a specimen about twelve years ago. 

Necrophorus Humator. Apparently generally distributed; I have 


———— Sl 


Insects. 6219 


always found it attracted by any large animal or bird, sometimes in 
great numbers. 

Necrophorus Vestigator. Stephens gives the London district, but 
although I have searched under birds, moles, &c., in many parts of 
the suburbs of the metropolis, I never met with it, nor do I remember 
any collector of my acquaintance who has been more fortunate; the 
only locality with which I am acquainted is the neighbourhood of 
Lowestoft, in Suffolk. 

Necrophorus Fossor, Erichs. Of this species I obtained six ex- 
amples under dead adders, at Southend, in the month of August; I 
never found it elsewhere, but Stephens gives the London district and 
other localities, showing it to be very widely distributed; it must be 
much less abundant than most of the species, or I think 1 must have 
either met with it or seen it in other collections more frequently. 
This is the N. interruptus of Stephens. 

Necrophorus Ruspator. Stephens says, “ Generally distributed :” 
as far as my experience has enabled me to judge, it is far more nu- 
merous in some situations than in others: I have only once or twice 
taken it near London, whereas about Southend, Deal and Lowestoft, 
it is plentiful. 

Necrophorus Mortuorum. This is certainly widely distributed, 
although I did not find it in Suffolk. 

Necrophorus Vespillo. Generally distributed. 

Necrophorus Obrutor, Erichs. Given in Stephens’ ‘ Manual’ as 
British ; | have not seen any British example: said to be taken at 
Hertford. 

FREDERICK SMITH. 


Megachile centuncularis.—At the back of this house two rose trees grow up the 
wall, one of which is selected by this bee for her operations, the leaves being larger 
and thinner than those of the other tree, which are never touched by her. She comes 
in a direct line over the tall trees at the bottom of the garden, and soon selects a leaf. 
On this she settles, generally, but not always, with her head to the footstalk, and taking 
the leaf between her legs, rapidly cuts out a piece in the manner often described, 
sometimes circular, but often oval, her operations being no doubt guided by the 
requirements of her nest, the oval pieces being for the outside walls, and the circular 
ones for the partitions. It has been said that she poises herself on her wings in 
order to avoid tearing the leaf or to hinder her and the piece from falling to the ground 
when the latter is cut off, but I narrowly watched this one, and in every instance her 
wings were motionless, As the cutting proceeded, she curled the piece under ber, 
and when the picce was separated both she and it fell downwards for a short 


6220 Insects. 


distance; then, and not till then, did she open her wings to arrest the downward 
tendency, and soon recovering herself, mounted upwards with her burden. Some- 
times, but not always, she rested on the palings close by, and then, rising upwards, 
proceeded in a direct line to her nest—J. W. Douglas; 6, Kingswood Place, Lee, 
July 30, 1858.—From the * Intelligencer? 

Bembidium laterale in the Isle of Wight.—A lepidopterological friend at Bem- 
bridge has met with Bembidium (Cillenum) laterale in some abundance running 
about on the wet sand there, in which it makes little burrows. The Isle of Wight is, 
I believe, a new locality for the species, although it is well known to occur at Portland. 
— George Guyon; Richmond, Surrey, August 13, 1858. 

Capture of Chlenius Schrankii in the Isle of Wight.—On the 31st of July, while 
looking for insects at Luccombe, I had the good fortune to find nine specimens of 
Chienius Schrankii, apparently not long hatched: they were running over the damp 
green sand half way down the cliff. The day was particularly fine, and heavy rains 
had recently fallen. Ou a subsequent visit I could obtain only one; the ground on 
which I had previously found it had become perfectly dry. It wiil be remembered 
that Mr. Bates took one at Luccombe last year.—George Lewis ; 14, Woodlands 
Terrace, Blackheath, August 21, 1848. 


The Silkworm.—The following facts, just laid before the Academy of Sciences by 
MM. Decaisne, Peligot and de Quatrefages, members of the committee appointed to 
investigate the cause of the diseases of the silkworm and seek a remedy for it, aré not 
without interest. These gentlemen, having visited various parts of France, found the 
mulberry leaves everywhere in excellent condition, so that there is no foundaticn in 
the opinion which attributes the disease to bad food. Of all the diseases to which the 
silkworm is subject, that most frequently met with is known by the name of pattes 
notres or poivré in France; M. de Quatrefages proposes to call it the maladie de la 
tuche, from the spots which appear on the worm when attacked with it. These spots 
are often invisible to the naked eye, and can only be perceived with the aid of a 
magnifying glass; and this circumstance explains why the malady, especially during 
the present year, escaped the observation of silk-growers in the majority of cases until 
five or six days after the worm had cast its fourth skin. The spots exist in all the 
_ tissues and organs of the worm, and in its subsequent stages of a chrysalis and moth. 
In the latter the spots destroy the antennae, the legs, or a portion of the wings. In 
the beginning the spots appear under the form of a yellowish matter pervading the 
whole system; this matter gradually becomes darker, and is then concentrated into a 
number of tubercles, which are the spots in question. ‘That such a diseased state 
should exercise an influence on the quality of the eggs is not surprising, but to what 
extent can only be determined by future experience. An infected silkworm may spin 
its cocoon when the disease is not too far gone, but the insect generally dies, and the 
body, instead of putrefying, becomes dry and brittle. M.de Quatrefages has tried 
several methods of cure; first, the hygienic process, which consists in rearing the 
worms in open sheds instead of close rooms. The leaves of the wild mulberry, not 
stripped from the branches, he has found very efficacious. He strongly recommends 
silk-growers to rear small lots of worms apart from the others, solely for the purpose 


Entomological Society. 6221 


of propagating the species. But, besides these precautionary measures partly recom- 
mended by others, he has had recourse to new remedies not hitherto recommended, 
and has endeavoured to administer various medicines to the worms. From his ex-- 
periments it appears that the silkworm doves not refuse to eat the leaves of the mulberry 
sprinkled with Peruvian bark, gentian, valerian, mustard, &c., and the two latter pow- 
ders especially would seem to produce good effects. But scraped sugar appears for 
the present to be preferable to all other remedies. The worms eat the leaves sprinkled 
with sugar with extraordinary relish, and the experiments with this substance were 
accordingly repeated on a larger scale in the estalishment of M. Augliviel, in the 
department of the Gard, where one of the silk sheds, fitted up for twenty-seven trays, 
was reduced by disease to four. ‘The worms of these were transferred to another shed, 
and divided into four lots; the first was fed in the common way, the second with 
moistened leaves, the third with sugared leaves, and the fourth was subject to a rigorous 
abstention from food for seventy-five hours, and then fed chiefly with sugared leaves. 
At the end of twenty-four hours several worms of the latter lot began to spin, and 
made several small and imperfect cocoons on the tray; the other worms began to 
shrivel up and diminish in size, but on receiving the sugared leaves they speedily ral- 
lied, and many of them spun their cocoons. The worms fed with moistened leaves 
fared very badly, and very few of them spun cocoons. Those fed in the common way 
presented nothing remarkable, and yielded a certain quantity of cocoons; but those fed 
with sugared leaves thrived well and spun their cocoons sooner than the others. The 
quantities of silk yielded by these four lots were respectively :—1st lot, 210 grammes ; 
2nd lot, nought; 3rd lot, 392 grammes, and of a superior quality; 4th lot, 152 
grammes. Now, when it is considered that such a result was obtained from the use 
of sugar on worms, the state of which was hopeless, it may reasonably be concluded 
that its effect will be much more satisfactory in less desperate cases. At all events, 
one great fact has been put beyond a doubt—viz., that medicine may be administered 
to silkworms in the same way as it is administered to cattle and poultry. 


Proceedings of Societies. 


E\NTOMOLOGICAL Society. 
August 2, 1858.—J. O. Wrestwoon, Esq., V.P., in the chair. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 
donors:—* The Natural History Review’ Vol. v. No. 3; presented by the Dublin 
University Zoological Association. ‘The Zoologist’ for August; by the Editor. 
‘A Manual of British Butterflies and Moths, No. 19; ‘The Entomologist’s Weekly 
Intelligencer,’ Nos. 93—96; by H. T. Stainton, Esq. ‘The Literary Gazette’ for 
July; by the Editor. ‘ The Journal of the Society of Arts’ for July; by the Editor, 
Four specimens of Laverva phragmitella; by A. F. Sealy, Esq. 


6222 Fauna of Amoy. 


Election of a Member. 


George Fenning, Esq., of Lloyd’s, London, was balloted for and elected a Member 
of the Society. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Knaggs exhibited a box of beautiful Lepidoptera and other orders of insects 
from Demerara. 

Mr.Waring exhibited a fine male specimen of Notodonta bicolora, a species hitherto 
unrecorded as British, taken by Mr. Bouchard, in July last, near Killarney. 

Mr. Hunter exhibited fine specimens of Trochilium Chrysidiformis and Spilodes 
palealis, taken near Folkestone. 

Dr. Wallace exhibited the following insects, taken in the Isle of Wight this season, 
viz., Micra ostrina (two specimens), a species hitherto recorded as British on the 
authority of a single example, taken many years since, by the late Captain Blomer, near 
Bideford; fine specimens of Spilodes silacealis; a Nola, apparently distinct from the 
known British species; and a fine series (including both sexes) of Phibalapteryx gem- 
maria, amongst which, he observed, were specimens similar to those recently recorded 
in this country as P. fluviata. 

Mr. Westwood read a letter from Herr Nietner, received by Mr. Spence, recording 
the discovery, in Ceylon, of a Strepsipterous insect, parasitic on anant. Mr. West- 
wood exhibited drawings, and read a description of the species, drawn up from the 
mutilated examples which accompanied Herr Nietner’s letter, proposing for it the name 
of Myrmecolax Nietneri. 

Mr. Walker read a paper on ‘ Undescribed Neuroptera in the Collection of W. W. 
Saunders, Esq”—Z. S. 


A few Remarks on the Fauna of Amoy. 
By RosBert SwiInHOoE, Esq., of H.B.M. Consulate, Amoy.* 


I wovuLp beg to offer for your consideration a few remarks on the 
Fauna of the island on which our lot is at present cast; for though 
Zoology is not much studied as a science, yet we are often willing to 
learn of the peculiarities and economy of creatures that breathe the 
same air as ourselves, and are dependent on the same natural 
resources for existence. 

Who has not wondered at the bare hills of Amoy, at the first 
slimpse he obtains on entering the harbour, and, seeing the great 
boulders of rock rise one above the other in endless confusion, 
thought to himself with a shudder, Can animal life be there? But 


* Read before the Literary and Scientific Society of Amoy, November 17, 1857, 
and communicated by H. Stevenson, Esq. 


Fauna of Amoy. 6223 


though animal life is there to a small extent, it is to the plains, which 
are inhabited and cultivated with such care by the natives, that we 
must look for most that will interest us in our science. 

The wily fox is the first animal which we have to consider, for, 
low as he stands in the natural series of Mammals, he is here promi- 
nent as the largest of the Carnivora we possess ; that is to say, if we 
lay aside the claims of the half-starved Chinese cur, to which the 
term “wild” might almost in some instances be appropriately 
applied, and the vague rumours of the migration of tigers from the 
mainland. The fox, the Hoo-lee of the Court dialect, and the Hill- 
dog of the Amoy, is found, but not very abundantly, in the vicinity of 
most of the temples, and I have myself watched it more more than 
once stealing along noiselessly, with its conspicuous bushy tail hung 
down, just as the setting sun was withdrawing its last rosy tints from 
the floating clouds overhead. The low cunning of this animal is too 
well known amongst us; but I have never heard of any of its signal 
feats in this part of the world, with the exception of the occasional 
abduction of a fowl from the villagers, in defiance of the vigilance of 
the noisy watch-cur. Ihave had the good fortune to obtain a cub 
and a full-grown female of this species, and | think I can safely pro- 
nounce it to be the same as the Kuropean Vulpes vulgaris. 

The greatest devastator among the poultry of the poor is an animal 
belonging to the weasel family (Mustelida), and, though generally 
distributed, is very rarely seen. It measures about a foot and a half 
in length, has a buff-coloured fur, with a black muzzle, and is the 
Hwang-shoo-lang of the Pun-ts‘aou, and the Chiah-ch‘oo (tawny rat) 
of Amoy men. The havoc it commits amongst domestic fowls is well 
compensated for by its predilection for rats, which vermin it is said 
to destroy in large numbers, In the occasional high tides that wash 
over the bund into the merchants’ godowns here, among the numbers 
of rats that are seen struggling near the surface of the water, driven 
out of house and home, it is not unusual to see a few of these weasels 
wriggling their long bodies like snakes to some place of shelter. 

Before leaving the Carnaria it would be as well to mention a 
curious animal that was brought alive to me by a native, and which I 
kept some months in confinement. It evidently belonged to the civet 
family (Viverridz), measured in length one foot and a half, having 
rather long fur of a dingy brown colour, and a black head with a 
white line down the snout; the tail was tipped with white. At first I 
was doubtful whether this might not be some animal brought up by a 
Singapore junk, and not indigenous to China; but all doubt was 


6224 Fauna of Amoy. 


removed on that score by my subsequently receiving a skin from 
Tungan, as a present, from a Chinese friend. It was described in his 
letter as the Yuh-meen-maou, or gem-faced cat, and he regretted not 
having been able to send the body in the skin, as this animal is con- 
sidered quite an epicure’s dish. It is described in the Pun-ts‘aou 
under the name Hwan. 

We have also heard certain stories about the sea-otter that is occa- 
sionally seen prowling about on the Six Islands, seeking his finny 
prey at the dead hour of night, and avoiding the light of day; for 
soon as morning breaks— | 


*“‘ Consueta petens e fluctibus antra, 
Ibat.” 


I have at low tide often traced footprints on the sand of some animal 
into several caves in Koo-lang-soo, and by following up the track 
have eventually come on small heaps of fish-bones, but the animal 
that deposits them I have never had a glimpse of. 

In the Rodentia we are confined to that horrid group of vermin, 
rats, there not being sufficient shelter for hares, nor wood enough for 
squirrels to play their gambols in. The brown rat (Mus decumanus) 
is of course found here, as indeed it is in all parts of the world where- 
soever commerce has carried her deeply-laden vessels. M. Cuvier 
says that “this rat originally came from Persia, where it lives in bur- 
rows; and it was not until 1727 that, after an earthquake, it arrived 
at Astracan, by swimming across the Volga. It did not pass into 
Europe until the eighteenth century, and is now common in all large 
cities throughout the world.” The musk rat (Sorex Myosurus), with 
a leaden black skin as soft as velvet, Chi-ch‘oo (money rat), a pointed 
snout and diminutive eyes, is also a common species, but it contents. 
itself with the kitchen and lower parts of a house, and never ventures 
as high as the upper story. It occurs plentifully in sewers and damp 
places, and in Chinese dwellings, whence you often hear its sharp 
shrill cry, which, the Chinese say, sounds not unlike the jingling of 
money. Itis remarkable for its strong musky odour, with which it 
impregnates almost everything it touches or runs over. ‘True mice | 
have never seen here, and indeed where their larger brethren are so 
plentiful I should almost doubt their existence. A water vole (Arvi- 
cola) is found in the vicinity of ponds. 

The next quadruped, the only representative we possess of the 
order Edentata, is far the most interesting, on account of the nume- 
reous peculiarities both its form and habits present. It is the scaly 


Fauna of Amoy. 6225 


ant-eater or pangolin (Manis of Linneus), “ having no teeth, an exten- 
sile tongue, and subsisting on ants and termites; its body, limbs and 
tail are covered with large, trenchant, imbricated scales, which it 
elevates in rolling itself into a ball, when wishing to defend itself 
against an enemy; all its feet have five toes.” Such is Cuvier’s 
description of the genus. Ours is a small species (probably Manis 
brachyurus), measuring iv tolo only two feet and three inches, of 
which the tail takes one foot. Its gait is most peculiar, — with the 
body bent in a bow, and the head and tail downwards, as it runs 
along on the sides of its fore feet. The moment it is touched or 
molested the head and tail are dragged under the belly, and the 
animal assumes the appearance of a ball. A live individual was 
brought to me by a Chinaman with a string tied round one of its 
hind legs; and to show me the immense muscular strength of the 
auimal, he stood upon its back, and the creature actually raised itself 
and advanced a few steps. I kept it for some wecks, though when 
the string was removed from its leg I was at a loss what to do with it, 
for no box was strong enough to stand its burrowing propensity. At 
last I inserted it into an overland tin case, and outstood the grating 
noise produced by the scratching of his long claws on the tin. Butit did 
not hold him long, for though the box was much too high, I thought, 
for it ever to attempt its escape by forcing the lid, yet this wonderful 
creature, by supporting itself on the end of its tail, and making use 
of its claws, managed to get out of the box. I captured him again, 
tying a piece of whip-cord round his hind leg, it being useless to 
attempt to bind his retractile neck, secured him under a ladder, with 
hard tiles to frolic on, and a snug corner to retire into at pleasure. 
Next morning, however, on paying him a visit, I found he had not 
contented himself with the snug corner, but had raised one of the 
tiles, and dragged himself into the earth to the full extent of his 
string. Without a spade it was impossible to dislodge him, so [ let 
him be; and there he remained for several days without a single 
morsel of food. At last he left his hiding-place, a good deal thinner, 
but not much reduced in bodily strength; for that same day with an 
effort he released his body, and left his bleeding leg behind dangling 
to the string. The bone of the femur remained on the animal whole, 
but the flesh had been torn away. He lived for a day or two after 
this catastrophe, not appearing to pay much attention to his wound, 
which was fast festering. Strength at last failed him, and he died. 
The Chinese call this animal, in the Mandarin, the Chuen-shan-kia, 
or hill burrower, and in the Amoy the La-leé, whence I suppose is 
XVI. 3B 


5226 Fauna of Amoy. 


derived the expression La-lee-t‘aéu, applied to a scabby head, in 
allusion to the bare hairless state of the pangolin’s back. Many 
strange stories are told about this creature by the natives ; among the 
strangest of which is the cunning mode employed in procuring a 
meal. The artful pangolin, when suffering from the pangs of 
hunger, rolls himself up, and, erecting his scales, lays bare the naked 
flesh beneath ; in this position he lies for some time, until, attracted 
by the savory smell of flesh, thousands of mosquitoes swarm on his 
back to devour; the scales are then simultaneously compressed, and a 
plentiful meal is shaken out from the fold of his coat of mail, to be 
relished at leisure by his long tongue. Large prices are given by the 
native doctors for this animal, as its flesh and bones are employed for 
various medicinal purposes; and one of its scales, fastened to the 
end of a stick, is sold as a safe instrument to be used in scratching, 
without fear of producing ulcers on the skin. So much, then, for the 
La-lee, on which I have dwelt longer than I should; but, considering 
its numerous peculiarities, I thought I was justified in saying what 
httle I knew. 

Dismissing, then, the Cheiroptera of the Carnaria, with a notice 
that several species of the genus Vespertilio exist under the venetians 
and eaves of most of our houses, and may be scen of an evening per- 
forming “on giddy wing their gambols round the brook, the tree ;” 
and also the Cetacea, the Phocenz or porpoises of which order are 
well known to us even in the harbour, where at times they may be 
seen showing their round white backs in a line, and then disap- 
pearing, to be seen again at a further distance ; —let us now turn to 
the Aves, at which class we must take a much more general glance, 
as their numbers are much greater than the Mammals; for there are 
certain spots on the earth’s surface where the latter are seldom, if 
ever, seen; but, possessed of such various locomotive powers, the 
former are found in all parts of the globe. We commence, then, 
with the Raptores. Of the true Falconide, the species indigenous to 
Amoy is the Falco tinnunculoides, also found in Europe. The pere- 
egrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a straggling visitor, but a pair built 
their eyrie last year on the high hill of Nan-tai-woo (on the summit of 
which stands the pagoda), and some Chinese, who had robbed the 
nest, exposed the young birds (little balls of white down, with long 
vellow claws and noble black eyes) in the market for sale as young 
kites. I readily purchased them, and kept them in confinement for 
some time, and had the pleasure of watching the gradual casting off 
of the white down, and development of feathers. Their erect posture, 


Fauna of Amoy. 6227 


plercing glance, and superior size,— who that has once seen can ever 
mistake the peregrine ! 

A species of sparrowhawk (Accipiter), differing principally from 
that bird in England in having white instead of red axillary coverts, 
makes an occasional tour in the vicinity. ‘There is also a buzzard 
(Buteo), and the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) of Britain is seen not 
unfrequently in the early winter. 

The kite, or Bah-hed, pronounced Nai-heo in the Chang-chow 
district (Milvus Govinda), the scavenger of the harbour, comes next. 
At all hours of the day he may be seen floating in numbers over the 
tall masts of the ships, uttering his well-known scream. Some offal 
on the surface of the water catches his eye; he descends and bears it 
away, perhaps pursued by several others, to some favourite rock, 
where, having driven off his pursuers, he quietly tears and swallows 
his morsel. An arrant coward, too, is this self-same kite. A crow 
or a magpie is often seen to attack him when he approaches the 
vicinity of their nests, and the ignoble bird of prey retreats at once, 
with piteous cries, at every attack of his assailant offering his hooked 
claws, but making no further resistance. Among themselves in the 
breeding-season they fight a good deal, but never come to an earnest 
set-to; it is always pounce, offer claws, scream, and fly away. Once, 
by some mismanagement in this mode of fighting, I saw a pair hook 
claws, and at claws’ length spin round and round, not being able to 
extricate themselves till they reached the ground. ‘They build in 
great numbers on the precipitate sides of the Pagoda Island, and one 
pair had the temerity to nestle on the top of the ruins of the half- 
fallen pagoda, but at the same time had the good sense to place their 
nest on the side least exposed. I discovered no less than six nests 
in an evening’s stroll on the island; they were built of twigs, roots, 
pieces of, rag or paper, or in fact any available rubbish, sometimes 
lined with a few feathers. Their eggs are nearly round, as big asa 
good-sized hen’s egg, and blotched with olive-brown. In an evening 
at sunset I have counted as many as sixty kites, soaring at different 
heights over that island. 

An osprey (Pandion) is sometimes seen even in the harbour, but 
little is known of him. I have seen him strike a fish close under the 
bows of a vessel, and bear it away in triumph. 

The great owl (Bubo maximus), Am-kong-chedaou, I have seen twice, 
but have been assured by the priest of the Nam-p‘o-t‘o temple, that in 
rainy seasons he has shot (he sports a foreign gun) several specimens. 
i reared a young one, and kept him for more than two years; by 


6228 fauna of Amoy. 


some accident in the beginning of his career he had one of his eyes 
knocked out, when the other orb seemed to increase in size and 
lustre, and make up somewhat for the lost eye. The iris was of 
a dark golden yellow; but his great cat-like head, with long feathery 
horns, which he always erected when irritated,—his loud snap of the 
bill and hiss of alarm, and flap of his expansive wings, used to be the 
admiration of all who saw him. In very hot weather he used to shake 
the skin of his throat with mouth open, in the same manner as 
turkeys do. 

A sparrow owl (Nyclipeles, Swain.), and a small tawny Scops owl 
(probably Scops rufescens of Horsfield), are seen occasionally im 
winter. 

We will pass more rapidly now through the next and most exten- 
sive order, that of the perchers (Insessores), and I will only make 
slight mention of a few of the species that are strictly indigenous to 
Amoy. At their head stands the large butcher bird, or shrike 
(Lanius, Schach), nearly always to be met with in the valleys, 
uttering his discordant cries. Itis the Pe-l6 of the natives. 

Among the Merulide, or thrushes, the blackbird and rock thrush 
(Petrocincla violacea) are always with us, the former enlivening our 
gardens by his rich full notes, and the latter enchanting the lonely 
wanderer among the bleak hills with bis wild minstrelsy, as he sings 
from the summit of a monstrous boulder, or springs lightly into the 
air, trolling forth his merry roundelay. Itmay be mentioned that the 
blackbird here, though very similar, is yet not the same as our black- 
bird at home; he differs not only in being of greater size, and in the 
colouring of the female, but also in his call-note. The rock thrush 
and blackbird are taken by the Chinese for one and the same, and 
are called Ok‘ee, though one is blue and red, and the other black. 

The most familiar and perhaps best known is the magpie robin 
(Gryllivora), a small bird of the pied plumage of a magpie, with the 
habits and peculiarities of a robin. Its song, poured cut at early 
morn or sunset from the roof-tops of our houses, is occasionally 
pretty, but abounding in harsh and jarring notes. Like the redbreast 
at home, it is very quarrelsome, and sings in defiance when engaged 
in duels with others of its tribe; but few engagements prove mortal, 
except in the pairing season, when it is not uncommon to find the 
defeated gallants skulking about, and seeking for holes that may 
suffice them at once for deathbed and coffin. Its native name is 
Szerhe, which means “ resembling the magpie,” and it is here vulgarly 
called Chiy-k‘am-ch‘e. 


Fauna of Amoy. 6229 


The most diminutive of all stands next, the little tailor bird (Ortho- 
tomus), remarkable for its long pointed bill, which serves as a needle 
in sewing leaves together round its nest; the under side of a long 
leaf of the Alpinia nutans is often chosen, the edges of which are 
drawn together by thread made of spider’s web and fibres. The 
prettiest construction of the kind I kave seen was a nest flanked in 
by three orange-leaves, and placed at the extremity of the bough of 
an orange tree. This bird is called Mang-tang-a in the vernacular. 

A genus of long-tailed birds, closely allied to the last, is found 
wherever bushes abound, the longtails (or Priniz). Their song is 
sweet, but never varied. : 

The Zosterops, white or mealy eye, Fun-yen and Chi" -si-d, little 
green and yellow birds, with a peculiar ring of white feathers round 
the eye; and a species of tomtit (Parus) may be met with all the year 
through. 

Time would not suffice were I to give separate remarks on each 
indigenous species. I must not, however, pass over a very singular 
bird of the tribe Tenuirostres, by no means uncommon in Amoy, and 
which cannot help attracting notice by its gay colours and peculiar 
form; I mean the hoopoe (Upupa Epops of Linneus), also found in 
HKurope, and a rare straggler in Great Britain. It is a bird of a buff- 
fawn colour, striped transversely with black, and adorned with a 
beautiful crest of long lax feathers, banded alternately with red and 
black, which he is capable of raising or depressing at pleasure. The 
awkward gait of the bird ; its occasional tapping on the ground with 
its long bill, as if with a walking-stick; and its singular habit of 
bowing when disturbed, would of themselves make the creature an 
object of interest ; but what is most peculiar is its cry of hoo-poo-poo 
(whence its name), produced by drawing the air into the trachea, 
which puffs out on each side of his neck, and forcing it out again by 
striking the point of his bill against the ground, each stroke pro- 
ducing a separate and distinct note. It is looked upon with some 
aversion by the Chinese, on account of its often selecting dilapidated 
coffins to nestle in, and is nicknamed by them the coffin-bird. I 
have found the nest in an exposed coffin, as also in the city wall. 
The young are very timid, and make a strange hissing noise when 
crying for food. 

The Ardeadz, or herons, as might be expected from the large 
tracts of paddy fields, abound in their species, prominent among 
which stands the heron of Great Britain (Ardea cinerea), also found 
here. Flocks of the beautiful white egret, or paddy bird, as they are 


6230 Fauna of Amoy. 

2 
familiarly known to us (Herodias Garzetta), often attract our attention 
as they wing their way slowly through tke obscure blue of a summer 
twilight; from the fields where they have been feeding, to their 
selected nest-trees, on which they settle like masses of snow among 
the dark green leaves. 

The yellow-headed egret, while with us in summer, is commoner, 
and roams about in larger flocks than the latter. A third and solitary 
species, Herodias flavirostris, is also found, and may be distinguished 
by its yellow bill, and the tuft of snowy feathers which surmounts the 
occiput. We have, besides, five or six other species of heron, nearly 
all remarkable for their elegance and beauty. The egret is much 
admired by the sentimental Chinese, and is often alluded to in 
poetical compositions by the style Loo-sze; and the Island of 
Amoy is often poetically called Loo-mun, Loo-keang, and Loo- 
taon, from the number of these snow-like birds that annually 
frequent it. 

Of the ninety-two species of Insessores found here, nine are British 
birds. Seven species of the Grallatores, and nearly all the Natatores, 
with the exception of the pelicans, albatrosses, and a few gulls and 
terns, are identical with those found in Great Britain; and again, 
many forms that exist in Europe, though not discoverable here, are 
represented by very similar and closely-allied forms. 

I think here, for the present, I may close my remarks on the Fauna 
of Amoy, without proceeding to discuss the Reptilia, Pisces and 
Insecta, as it would require a person much more thoroughly versed 
in Natural History than myself to undertake it. 

It is unnecessary to dilate on the beauties and delights of the study 
of Nature: the heart of every man naturally throbs in the contempla- 
tion of the Creator’s handiwork, and thrills with joy at the discovery 
of some new manceuvre in the wondrous economy which so beauti- 
fully modulates and arranges all animal and vegetable life upon the 
globe. Solomon said, ‘‘ There is nothing new under the sun;” so, 
probably, there is not; but a great deal of what passes around man 
is new to him, and astonishes him when brought to his notice, simply 
because he has not made use of those powers of observation that he 
has been endowed with. 

In conclusion, I cannot do better than quote the words that Milton 
puts in the mouth of the Divine Author of Nature in his address to 
our first parent :— 


Marine Aquarium. 6231 


* Ts not the earth 
With various living creatures, and the air, 
Replenish’d ; and all these at thy command, 
To come and play before thee? Know'st thou not 
Their language and their ways? They also know, 
And reason not contemptibly. With these 
Find pastime.” 


RoBERT SwWINHOE. 
Amoy. 


On Marine Mollusca in Aquaria. 
By CuHaArLes BRETHERTON, Esq. 


THE Mollusca are, generally speaking, il] adapted for the purposes 
of ordinary aquarians. ‘Though many are equal in beauty to the 
handsomest zoophytes, the difficulty of preserving them has 
effectually prevented their becoming popular. Many require parti- 
cular attention or accommodation different from that of an ordinary 
tank ; and as a group their habits are but little interesting, and their 
actions monotonous. ‘To those who devote themselves to the study 
of the Mollusca, the use of the aquarium is almost indispensable: it 
is impossible to observe accurately their forms, except in their native 
element, and in the small species this is a work requiring continued 
study. To learn their habits and follow their metamorphoses the 
aquarium is still more necessary. 

Observations on animals in aquaria usually consist of notes on their 
peculiarities of habits, but shell-fish afford very little matter of this 
kind, on account of the great uniformity and similarity that prevails 
among them in this respect. Like all marine animals, they require a 
twofold sort of attention: in the first place, they require that the con- 
ditions under which they naturally exist should be in some measure 
reproduced in confinement ; and secondly, proper food. Most shell- 
fish can be kept either in a vessel with sea-weed, and a bottom of 
shingle or stone, or in one with a deep bottom of pure sand. It is 
not advisable to combine the two, though often recommended. An 
ordinary aquarium with a layer of sand at the bottom is more difficult 
to keep clean, and never looks so well as one with shingle or gravel. 
As a general rule, univalves should be kept on rock, bivalves in sand. 
As to food, the bivalves and tunicaries are infusorial feeders, and 
require no attention whatever; the plant-eating univalyes find food 


6232 Marine Aquarium. 

% 
for themselves in any ordinary aquarium, though some have particular 
tastes ; and the carnivorous univalves have to be supplied with appro- 
priate food, consisting very frequently of their bivalve relatives. The 
latter are evidently the most troublesome to keep. 

Purpura Lapillus, our commonest muricidal animal, is as easily 
preserved as procured. It is a hardy mollusk, and will live without 
food for more than a month. It should be fed with mussels, a small- 
sized one, an inch or an inch and a half long, being given every week. 
They seem to form its habitual food. I have kept it with oysters, 
Modiolas and periwinkles, but it has never molested them. It perfo- 
rates and devours its victim in two or three days. The perforation is 
more or less rounded, about -7,th of an inch in diameter, and, as the 
outer layer of the shell is more rasped away than the inner, somewhat 
funnel-shaped. The proboscis is inserted through the hole, and~ 
attenuated for that purpose; it varies in thickness accordingly as it 
is more or less elongated. I have seen it inserted. This shell-fish 1s 
shy, and not very active in its habits, and becomes more than usually 
sluggish when kept without food. It will oviposit in confinement, 
but some capsules deposited in March were not developed in July, 
when they were unintentionally destroyed. 

I have never fed any of the other Muricide. Some can be more 
easily kept than others; thus, Fusus antiquus is much more active 
and hardier than Buccinum undatum. 

Natica monilifera belongs to quite a different group of Gasteropoda, 
the sand-inhabiting mentiferous tribes. It lives well if kept in sand 
and supplied with food, but cannot endure privation of food. It lives 
buried, and seldom shows itself. It can crawl quickly over the sand, 
and pursues in it the bivalves, killing and devouring those it can 
detain in the grasp of its large and flexible foot, which it uses as an 
organ of prehension. It can kill those the size of a cockle or a little 
larger, but a full-sized M. solida is too strong for it, and can Jive with 
it with impunity. Cockles do very well to feed it with, as they are 
easily procured, but other bivalves seem to be more to its taste. It 
always devours its prey buried in the sand.  Ifit captures it on the 
surface, it buries itself with it. A cockle once a week is sufficient. 
It will also devour, in aquaria, small M. solida and Mactra stul- 
torum, Tellina solidula and Donax anatinus. I have tried to feed it 
with mussels, and observed it exsert its proboscis and touch them ; 
but it always left them afterwards, without boring. ‘The holes it 
makes are rather larger than those of the Purpura, but of the same 
shape and appearance; they are usually through the umbone. 


Marine Aquarium. 6233 
e 

In a cockle there is one on the umbone carried through but not com- 
pleted, and another, completed, towards the middle of the valve; in 
a Donax it is of irregular shape, and on the hinge-line between 
the valves. The Natica maintains communication with the surface, 
when buried in the sand, by a good-sized hole, that probably com- 
municates with the branchial chamber on the left side. When 
creeping above the sand, the left posterior angle of the mentum 
is raised so as to admit the water to the gills. The tentacles are but 
little developed, and laid back against the shell when the animal is 
first exserted, but when it becomes more familiarised with its situa- 
tion they stand erect, of considerable length, arcuate, with their con- 
vexity forwards. The drawing in the ‘ British Mollusca, by Mr. 
Spence Bate, is mostly incorrect ; Arthur Adams has drawn it better, 
but, as in other figures of his, the animal seems somewhat contorted. 
The mouth is provided with two horny jaws, of the same character as 
that of Triton, figured in the ‘Manual of the Mollusca:’ they are 
irregularly triangular, striate, with one side strongly serrated. The 
lingual ribbon is less than a third of an inch in length. The jaws 
are horny brown, the buccal mass red, the proboscis white; the 
latter, when exserted, seems rather thick, but must be capable of 
attenuation to pass through the small holes it makes. ‘Though it 
devours its victims pretty completely, there is always some animal 
matter left, which blackens all the sand round it when it decays. 
Unless the shells are removed as soon as the Natica leaves them, the 
sand in which it is kept becomes after a while unfit for use. The 
former expedient is difficult to adopt, as the only indications of an 
animal’s death are the disappearance of its siphons, and the presence 
of the Natica in its neighbourhood. Natica can creep up the glass, 
but does not adhere firmly ; it leaves a slimy trail. 

Turbonilla, Zoven. These minute animals afford strong proof of 
the utility of the aquarium to the working student. Speaking of the 
difficulties of, and perseverance required in, the observation of these 
little creatures, Mr. Clark says they must be studied “ with a regular 
supply of fresh specimens, as torpidity always ensues in less than 
twenty-four hours.” As far as my own limited experience extends, 
they will remain lively in the aquarium for at least a month or so. 
I can confirm his statement that T. (Chemnitzia) pusilla has the foot 
produced behind and pointed, while T. (Chemnitzia) elegantissima is 
said to have it rounded behind and shorter. It creeps quickly over 
the sand and glass, but very frequently falls off the latter. The shell 
is dragged rather than borne; the mentum is carried in the same 

XVI. | oC 


6234 Marine Aquarium. 


position as the head of Rissoa,—it is narrower than, and carried in 
advance of, the foot. Clark, and Gray after him, call the mentum 
the head; but, as the former himself says the proboscis issues under 
the tentacles and above the mentum, it does not seem likely that it 
really is so. I have never seen the proboscis exserted. 

Capulus hungaricus, contrary to what might be expected from its 
sedentary habits, could move for ‘a few inches even on the smooth 
erect sides of a glass jar. ‘The proboscis or rostrum (like that of 
Cyprea, it seems to be of an intermediate character) is capable of 
extension, and can be produced beyond the shell. I have not 
succeeded in preserving it for any length of time. Like most of its 
relatives, its habits and food are very imperfectly understood. 

Hydrobia Ulve. It is difficult to place much confidence in 
drawings of animals of the Mollusca, when we find this common and 
easily-observed mollusk most incorrectly represented, both in the 
‘ British Mollusca’ and in the ‘ Genera of Shells.’ Besides incorrect- 
ness of proportion, which it is not easy to specify with accuracy, 
both Forbes and A. Adams have made the foot triangular and 
pointed behind, instead of oblong and obtusely rounded; they also 
make the opercular lobe narrower than the foot, instead of extending 
over the sides as in Bithinia. Adams has also given the rostrum a 
curious twist upwards. The emargination of the rostrum is caused 
by the retraction of the buccal mass, and disappears when it is 
applied to any surface; it then has a slightly globular or inflated 
appearance. In the text of the ‘ British Mollusca’ the foot is cor- 
rectly described. There is a distinct marginal groove across the 
front edge of the foot, which does not extend quite to the tips of the 
auricles. The foot is thus bilabiate, or provided with a linear dupli- 
cation as in Littorina. There is a curious and easily observable 
process or fillet issuing from the anal angle of the aperture, the use 
of which is unknown. The male organ is in the usual place, falcate, 
compressed, lead-blue sprinkled with yellow. ‘The foecal pellets are 
oval, brown, often clustered; they have not bred in confinement, 
though they grow to a very large size, some being as much as one- 
third of an inch in length. Clean specimens have the shells 
chestnut-brown, lighter near the sutures. When taken on the shore 
they are of a dark brownish green, and hardly half of the size they 
attain in confinement. The young have the shell more or less trans- 
lucent, and the animal colourless; the black bars on the tentacles 
appear first as a sprinkling of black dots. The buccal mass is, 


Marine Aquarium. 6235 


I believe, always coloured red. They are abundant on the ‘grassy 
weed on the stones in sandy places in spring. 

Gosse says that Rissoz (including this species) are precarious, but 
I have not found them so. They eat Conferve and weed, like peri- 
winkles in confinement, but they are often found in abundance on 
sand-banks where there is no weed at all. They creep with ease 
over sand, rock and glass: most shell-fish that inhabit sand adhere 
very imperfectly to stone and glass, but this is not the case with this 
species. 

Littorina. The common periwinkle is often recommended as a 
scavenger in the same mode as the fresh-water snails. The very 
insufficient cleaning they bestow on the sides is generally far more 
than compensated by the amount of weed they destroy. Though so 
often kept, this periwinkle does not seem to breed in confinement, 
and its spawn is little known. The viviparous species breed freely : 
L. saxatilis, one of the varieties of L. rudis, began to breed in 
January. The young have chestnut-brown shells and white animals : 
the signs of immaturity are the uniform thickness of the tentacles and 
their bluntness, the large size of the head in proportion to the foot, 
and the distinctness of the eyes. These little periwinkles do very 
well in the aquarium, as they are prettily marked and hardy. They 
require to be closely covered, as they often creep out of the water, 
and attach themselves by a sticky exudation. {They are here found 
in the highest part of the littoral zone, or rather high up on a light- 
house in the lower part of the littoral zone. 

Nudibranchs are noted for what is called their delicacy of consti- 
tution. The real difficulty in keeping them is to supply them with 
appropriate food. A Doris will dwindle away to half its original 
size before it will give up the ghost: they die from starvation. Doris 
pilosa is hardier than D. bilamellata, and some of the small species 
seem to live still better. I never kept one more than two months, 
but I never paid them proper attention. They feed on Bryozoa 
and small zoophytes, and spawn in spring and autumn. ‘The spawn 
of D. pilosa is developed in a few days. The free-swimming larve 
all die away before casting their shells; they cluster about the sur- 
face of the water in considerable numbers. They are often compared 
to Pteropoda, but their lobes or wings are not moveable, and their 
easy gliding motion is caused by ciliary and not muscular action. 
Though so very minute, their peculiar motion enables them to be 
distinguished by the naked eye. The free-swimming larve of 
barnacles can be distinguished in the same manner. 


6236 Marine Aquarium. 


Kolis papillosa creeps very quickly, and is lively in its habits. It 
is fond of squeezing its flaccid body into crevices and narrow places. 
I have fed it with anemones. One, two and a half inches, ate 
every week an Actinoloba Dianthus about an inch in diameter. 
The tube on the right side of the body can be exserted to some 
length. 

Cylichna obtusa. These animals live in sand, moving about slowly, 
with the head, disk and fore part of the shell buried, and leaving a 
very distinct trail. They feed on Hydrobiz, which abound on the 
sand-banks where the Cylichne are found. They can crawl on glass 
and stone as well as through the sand, but the least obstacle causes 
them to lose their hold and fall. They progress by pushing forward 
the foot, and then drawing the shell after it. Unlike the larger 
species of the same genus, the tongue seems to be unarmed. I have 
not found them do well in aquaria. 

Chitons live well in confinement. It is not known exactly what 
they feed upon, but I have noticed the common Chiton scrape the 
glass like a periwinkle. The appearance of the tongue when in 
action is very peculiar, resembling the opening and closing of a fan. 
They creep about freely, but their motion is slow. A small specimen 
of Chiton cinereus, nearly white, has not grown during a year’s con- 
finement. Mollusca very frequently become stunted in aquaria, from 
want of sufficient nourishment. It is very frequently the case with 
fresh-water snails, which sometimes also become distorted. 

Bivalves are less interesting than univalves in aquaria; an accu- 
rate examination of a bivalve, moreover, cannot be made without 
destroying, to observe, the branchie and palpi. They generally live 
very well, and as they require no feeding they are very little trouble 
to keep. Some require a deep bottom of fine sand, and others do 
well in an ordinary tank. 

The oyster is one of the latter class, and, as it is probably the 
hardiest of bivalves, it is very suitable for keeping an ordinary tank 
free from the spores of the weeds, —a service for which the presence 
of some Acephale is indispensable. Mussels may be used for the 
same purpose, and if handsome specimens are selected they are more 
ornamental than oysters, though not so hardy. Young mussels are 
often abundant on whelk. The siphonal apertures are at first plain- 
margined, and, in the very young, ciliate; the branchial one after- 
wards becomes laciniate, and as they advance in age the laciniations 
become more and more complicated. The mantle is more protruded 
than in the adult, and the terminal character of the umbone less 


Marine Aquarium. 6237 


marked. They are more active than the mature ones. Like all 
byssiferous bivalves, they can detach their byssus and move about. 
When the water is insufficiently aérated they usually move to the 
surface. Their track is marked by the detached threads they spin to 
assist them in climbing. 

Modiola Modiolus I have found hardier than the mussel and more 
sedentary. They seldom, if ever, move from where they are placed. 
The mantle is of a dirty brown with white spots, and its margins are 
plain; the anal siphon is distinct from the branchial, and has some- 
times a laterally-compressed conical appearance. 

Crenella marmorata can be easily kept, and its siphonal develop- 
ments are rather peculiar: the anal siphon is tubular, and can be 
protruded nearly as long as the shell; the branchial gape extends 
from half-way up the anal siphon to the middle of the ventral range, 
opening wide enough to show the branchize; the two margins of the 
mantle that form it are plain and often much protruded. The foot 
can be drawn out to twice or thrice the length of the shell. The 
siphons are white tinged with purplish red. They are active and 
lively animals, and often conceal themselves in crevices or tufts of 
weed. They do not seem to suffer from being cut out of the tests of 
Ascidie : my specimens were obtained in this manner. 

The habits of the sand bivalves, Mactra, Tellina, &c., are all 
similar, and they require to be kept in the same way, viz., in a 
bottom of pure sand. They seldom move when once buried. I 
have preserved several species without difficulty, but, as they show 
nothing but the tips of their siphons, they are not very interesting. 
The siphons of bivalves vary much in length, but they are often 
figured and described as shorter than they usually are. Cockles do 
not bury so readily as the others, and their short siphons oblige them 
to keep near the surface. ‘Tellina solidula has a peculiar habit of 
writhing the inhalent siphon, and touching the surface of the sand 
with its tip, sucking in small particles, which can be seen through the 
translucent tube. T. tenuis seems to be destitute of this peculiarity. 
Young tapes will suspend themselves to the glass sides like young 
mussels. 

Saxicava lives well, but is liable to be stifled by the thick, matted 
and slimy Conferve often common in long-established aquaria. 
They either live uncovered, or bury themselves in the shingle. The 
siphons of 8. rugosa are generally nearly as long as the shell. 
When the Conferve gathers round them they are entirely retracted, 


6238 Radiata— Birds. 


and the animal soon dies. Saxicava possesses limited powers of 
locomotion. - 

Pholades are best preserved unburied, and will live very well, 
though never found so naturally ; but if kept in the same vessel with 
crabs or other voracious animals, the latter soon destroy them. They 
cannot move. The siphons vary in shape; their adventitious 
covering falls off in confinement, and they become white. Most 
bivalves live naturally in a vertical position, and when Saxicava and 
Pholas are kept unburied and horizontal they curve their siphons 
with the orifices upwards. The foot can be a little exserted and 
moved. It seems that none of the bivalves that bore in rock or other 
hard substances can form a new dwelling if removed. 

Ascidie and Cynthie can be preserved in ordinary aquaria, but the 
former require to be kept clean and free from Conferve, and they 
soon die if they get foul. Cynthiz are not injured by dirt. 


CHARLES BRETHERTON. 
47, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, 


August 23, 1858. 


Occurrence of Actinia gemmacea at Weymouth.—It may be interesting to the 
readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ to know that I obtain Actinia gemmacea (Haliaetis gemmacea, 
miht., in ‘ Zoological Proceedings’), on this coast ; they are not in very large numbers, 
and are of a lovely colour, far brighter than the Devonshire specimens. My man 
brought me eighteen on Saturday last. I do not particularize the spot further than by 
saying it is within four miles of Weymouth, inasmuch as I am sorry to say that in this 
part there is a system of extermination carried on by visitors, and to which Asplenium 
marinum and Actinia clavata have already fallen victims, and even Anthea cereus and 
Actinia Mesembryanthemum are becoming rare; hence I intend for the future to keep 
exact localities to myself, not from selfishness, but simply from a well-grounded fear of 
extirpation.— William Thompson ; Weymouth, August 30, 1858. : 


Note on the Pertinacity of the Spotted Flycatcher in its choice of a pluce for 
Nidification.—About the end of June last, a spotted flycatcher began to build a nest 
ever the door of the lodge at the entrance of my grounds. The woman who lives in 
the lodge, not wishing the bird to build there, destroyed the commencement of the 
nest: every day for a week the bird placed new materials on the same ledge over the 
door, and every day the woman removed them, and, at the end of the week, placed a 
stone on the ledge, which effectually baffled the flycatcher’s efforts at that spot; but 
the bird then began building at the latter end of the ledge, from whence it was also 
driven away, and, three stones being then placed on the ledge, the bird relinquished 


Birds. 6239 


the attempt to build at either end of it, and commenced building a nest on a beech- 
tree opposite, which it completed, and laid two eggs in it. When the bird was thus 
apparently established in the beech-tree, the stones over the door were taken away, 
when the flycatcher immediately forsook its nest and eggs in the beech, and again 
commenced building over the door, on the part of the projecting ledge which it had 
first chosen. The nest was again destroyed, and two slates placed over the spot; the 
bird contrived to throw down one of the slates from a slanting to a horizontal position, 
and then began to build upon it. The nest was again destroyed, and the three stones 
replaced and kept there a fortnight, after which they were again removed, and directly 
they were taken away the bird again began building. The nest was subsequently 
destroyed several times in succession ; the bird was twice driven away by a towel being 
thrown at it; a stone wrapped in white paper was placed on the ledge to intimidate 
it, but the flycatcher still persevered, completed a nest and laid an egg. On hearing 
the circumstance I directed that the persecution of the poor bird should cease, after 
which it laid two more eggs, hatched all three, and successfully brought off its brood. 
—J. H. Gurney ; Catton Hall, Norwich, September 10, 1858. | 

Motacilla campestris and M. boarula.—I write in order to notice a somewhat 
singular circumstance respecting the Oinithology of this district. Until the year 1855 
a common species in this neighbourhood was Ray’s wagtail (Motacilla campestris), 
being found extensively both on the verge of the moor-land near Richmond, and also 
in the corn and ploughed fields. The gray wagtail (Motacilla boarula), on the other 
hand, was by no means abundant, notwithstanding that the rocky banks of the river 
Swale were well adapted for the nidification of this species. For the last three years, 
however, the case has been exactly reversed; Ray’s wagtail has visited us each year 
in gradually decreasing numbers, until this season (1858) I have only observed two 
pairs, whilst dozens of M. boarula are to be found within a short distance of the town. 
It has been suggested that the enclosure and cultivation of some waste land, which 
they formerly greatly frequented, may have partly caused their retreat ; this reason can, 
J think, however, hardly hold good, since, in some other districts, the birds appear to 
select cultivated land in preference to that which lies waste, and, although deprived of 
it here in one instance, there is of course plenty of moor-land to which they could still 
betake themselves.— Henry Smurthwaite ; Richmond, Yorkshire, September 4, 1858. 

Emberiza nivalis.— Having lately returned from North America, where I had 
frequent opportunities, during the winter, of observing the habits of the snow bunting, 
I am glad to have it in my power to corroborate Mr. Mathews’s assertion as to its 
perching on trees, and his remark (Zool. 6208), “and if I persisted in following it up, 
would at last fly off and alight on the hedge, or else on one of the trees,” is exactly 
similar to what I have noticed; for, when either much disturbed or fired at, they would 
occasionally leave the stubble in large flocks and fly into the neighbouring trees, which 
then appeared as if clothed with white foliage. They were more than once sbot, both 
by myself and sons when thus settled among the branches: moreover, they cannot 
only perch on “ low broad railings” as stated by Mr. Doubleday (Zool. 6094), but on 
the small twigs of the topmost branches. The same writer further observes, “‘ that the 
pure black and white plumage is their summer livery.” Not having been in the Arctic 
Regions, where this species is said to breed and pass the summer (North America being 
its winter quarters only), I cannot undertake to say what the plumage may be at that 
season, but I think Mr. Doubleday’s description of it, “ pure black and white,’ is far 
more like that of the snow bird (Fringilla nivalis), than that of Emberiza nivalis. He 


6240 Birds. 


quotes Mr. Selby, who says the snow buntings “ never perch on trees,” to prove his own 
assertion, “in no instance have I ever seen one attempt to perch on a bush or tree.” 
Probably Mr. Selby may have seen but occasional stragglers, and those in an open 
country where no trees were at hand, for, had he visited North America, he could not 
have failed to have observed what I have above described. It only shows how cautious 
we ought to be before pronouncing a decided opinion on the habits of birds that only 
occasionally fall under our notice. Mr. Abraham, of Kingston, Canada West, a very 
intelligent bird-stuffer (to whom I was more than once indebted for information), had 
a caged snow bunting which constantly made use of the perch. As to the editorial 
query (Zool. 6094), “ Was the pied flycatcher the bird that he saw?” I should say 
decidedly not, for the following reasons:—In the first place, I must notice their great 
dissimilarity in size; for the pied flycatcher, according to Macgillivray, measures but 
5% inches in length, and 8 inches in extent of wings; whereas the snow bunting, 
according to the same author, is 6,3 inches in length, and 13 inches in extent of wings.* 
Secondly, the two birds are of a totally different shape, if not colour. Thirdly, a turnip- 
field is not a likely place, I should say, for the pied flycatcher to resort. Fourthly, the 
habits of the latter bird, differing so widely from those of the skylark, it is very 
improbable that they should associate. Fifthly, Montagu says, ‘‘ This bird (the pied 
flycatcher), rarely if ever makes its appearance in the southern parts of the island.” 
Sixthly, Macgillivray states, that “ the pied flycatcher, which like the gray, is a sammer 
bird in Britain, arrives from the middle to the end of April.” But enough, I think, 
has been said to prove that it could not have been the pied flycatcher that was observed 
by Mr. Mathews, in January last. Had I reason to doubt its being the snow bunting 
I should be more inclined to set it down as either a female, or immature male, of the 
Lapland bunting (Emberiza calcarata), which is about the same size, and not very dis-- 
similar in colour, for Temminck, tells us (vol. i. p. 323), “* La femelle a le sommet de 
la téte, le cou, le manteau et le dos d'un cendreé roux avec des taches noires; une bande 
dun blane roussatre suit la méme direction comme chez le male; elle se réunit avec 
un trait blanc qui part de langle du bec; gorge blanche, bordée latéralement par une 
bande brune; la poitrine marquée de nombreuses taches grises et noires; les autres 
parties inférieures blanches; des taches longitudinales sur les flancs.” According to 
the Prince of Musignano and Dr. Richardson, the Lapland bunting “ frequently 
intermingles with larks.”"—Henry W. Hadfield; Elgin, N. B., September 8, 1858. 
Another talking Canary.—My. Sotheby relates, in the ‘ Zoological Proceedings,’ 
some particulars of a canary whose conversational powers made an approach to those 
of the little bird which, a few years ago, proved so attractive an exhibition in Regent 
Street. This bird was the only one hatched out of a nest of four eggs, and was 
forsaken immediately on escaping from the egg-shell; it was found nearly dead in the 
nest, placed by the fire in flannel, eventually restored to life and health, and brought 
up by hand. Separated completely from all other birds it became familiar with those 
who fed it. Its singing notes were totally different from those of a canary: at three 
months old it repeated the words “ Kissie, kissie,” and imitated the sound of kissing ; 
and afterwards for hours together repeated “‘ Dear, sweet Titchie; Kiss Minnie; Kiss 
me then dear Minnie; Sweet, pretty little Titchie,’ &c.: it also whistles the first bar 


* One shot by me on the 29th of October, 1857, measured 63 inches in length, 
and 12 inches in extent of wings. 


Birds. 6241 


of “‘ God save the Queen,” and imitates the sound of a dog-whistle occasionally used 
about the house. The object of my quoting these particulars is to throw an additional 
ray of light on that highly interesting subject, the natural source of instruction in song- 
birds: the facts recorded by Mr. Sotheby seem to show that song in birds, as in human 
beings, is entirely educational.— Edward Newman. 

Nidification of Swallows.—Since my return from Canada, I have perused with 
some interest (Zool. 5755) Mr. Slaney’s novel plan for ridding himself and others of 
the “‘ nuisance so often complained of,’— 7. e. the “ procreant cradles,” or nests of the 
martins, placed in the window-sills, and driving them from the dwelling-houses to the 
stables, and other out-buildings. Were these latter buildings generally like those of 
Hatton Hall this plan might possibly succeed, but we know the reverse of this to be 
the case, and that such buildings, for the most part, are of no considerable elevation, 
and with few or no windows, consequently totally unsuited to receive the nest of the 
martin, as designed by Mr. Slaney. Moreover, it is to be hoped there are still some 
few among us who would be inclined to pause before proceeding to carry out this 
sweeping or radical reform, which, if successful, would have the effect of driving this 
“confiding social bird,’ “the poor swallow,” “this most harmless and interesting 
visitor, whose confidence in man’s protection but too often leads to its own destruction,” 
from the dwelling-house to the stable. This appears a somewhat cool and inhospit- 
able way of treating “‘ our generally welcomed guests,”—besides many persons might, 
I think, miss “the constant twittering and noise made during the breeding-season.” 
However, it might be fairly asked, What better plan have you to suggest? I must 
confess that I know of none, unless our “ zealous, officious and remorseless house- 
maids” could be taught to respect the nest of the martin, as they do that of the more 
fortunately favoured robin; but how that change is to be brought about I am rather 
puzzled to conjecture, unless the originator of this well-meant scheme would either 
indite some pathetic tale or parody the ‘ Babes in the Wood, which possibly might 
touch the hearts of some of the young “remorseless housemaids,” but as to the old 
maids, whose hearts and feelings may be blunted, and not likely to be worked on or 
affected by either poetry or prose, I would suggest for them that they be duly ad- 
monished by their lords and masters, and moreover made thoroughly to understand 
that for the future no inversion of the broom-handle will be allowed or even tolerated, 
but that the staff of this most necessary household implement must be strictly confined 
to its destined use. I also observe in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zvcl. 5790) an article on the 
same subject by Mr. R. Smith, in which the following passage occurs:—“ But yet I 
think it should be recorded, that in one instance, to my certain knowledge, a swallow did 
construct its nest in such a position,’—7.e. under the eaves. ‘The nest seemed very 
rickety, and loosely attached to the sill, and, unlike the martin’s nest, the top was not 
attached to any part of the projecting eaves, there being a space of about three inches 
between the two, by which the old bird made its entrance.” In confirmation of Mr. 
Smith’s assertion, and in reply to the editorial query at the foot of the page (Zool. 5756), 
“ Does not the writer Mr. W. Slaney refer exclusively to martins?” I beg to transcribe 
(having nothing to offer of my own) a few lines in elucidation of the subject from the 
work of the late Professor Macgillivray, vol. iii. p. 567, Hirundo rustica :— The 
materials of which the nest is composed, as well as its form, vary according to cireum- 
stances. Thus, in August, 1834, I observed several nests of this species stuck beneath 
the eaves at the end of an outhouse on the farm-steading of Granton, in Dumfriesshire. 


XVI. . 3D 


6242 Birds. 


They varied considerably in form and size. Those in corners were of an irregular, 
rounded shape, rectangular above, where they were fitted to the angle, convex in front, 
and having on the side at the top a semicircular aperture. In general, the nest is open 
at the top, when not fastened under a beam or in a corner, &c.”—Henry W. Hadfield ; 
Elgin, N. B., August 26, 1858. 

Extraordinary Variety of the Common Nightjar— Under the above heading 
(Zool. 5278) I recorded the occurrence, in July, 1856, of two most singular varieties of - 
the nightjar, a bird that rarely varies in plumage: these specimens, which were young 
birds of that season, were killed near Holt, in this county; and singularly enough, a 
few days since, an adult bird exactly resembling the above, except in age, was shot in 
the same neighbourhood. I am not aware that any pied specimens of this species were 
observed in that district in the summer of 1857, but it would almost appear from this 
circumstance that one of the original pied brood had escaped destruction, and returned 
in an adult state to its old quarters. This specimen had the throat, breast, belly and 
vent with the wings and three middle tail-feathers pure white.—H. Stevenson ; 
Norwich, September 7, 1858. 

Note on the late Nesting of the Wood Pigeon.—Both the wood pigeon and the stock 
dove often nest very late in the year, as an instance of which, in the case of the wood 
pigeon, I may mention that my son found one of these birds this morning, sitting on 
two egys in a nest built in a thorn tree in my park.—J. H. Gurney; Catton Hall, 
Norwich, September 10, 1858. 

The Red Grouse and the Willow Grouse.—With reference to my late communication, 
touching the identity of our red grouse with the Norwegian willow grouse (Zool. 6209), 
I think two out of the three difficulties raised by Mr. Newman can be explained in a 
satisfactory manner. Mr. Newman’s first objection, viz. that “the willow grouse turns 
white in winter, in the same manner as the ptarmigan, whereas the red grouse, although 
inhabiting the same districts, exhibits no such tendency,” is, I think, easily explained 
by the fact of the red grouse in this country never having to experience the same 
severity of climate that the willow grouse has toendure in Norway. That the ptarmigan 
in Scotland turns white in the winter-time is perhaps accounted for by the supposition 
that it inhabits mountain regions higher than those frequented by the red grouse. I 
am not sure, however, that I am correct in this supposition, but it is a matter easily 
ascertained. Secondly, Mr. Newman says the wings of the willow grouse are always 
white, those of the red grouse never. However reluctant I am to offer an opinion at 
variance with so great an authority, I trust he will pardon me for thinking he is 
incorrect here. The wings of the willow grouse which I flushed in the Dovrefjelds 
were certainly not white, but of a light tawny-brown colour (so far as I can recollect 
about the same colour as the back of the land rail). I am sorry I did not examine the 
wings of the specimens in the Christiana Museum more closely, but my present im- 
pression is that those in the summer plumage had not the wings white, but more or less 
mixed with brown, like the rest of the body. Had the wings been entirely white (as 
Mr. Newman suggests) I should surely have noticed the peculiarity. On this point, 
however, I will not be certain, for the wings might possibly have been concealed more 
or less by the bringing forward of the shoulder feathers. The third objection (that 
the beak of the willow grouse is much stronger than that of the red grouse), is a serious 
one, no doubt, and if correct entirely upsets my speculations on the subject, as it may 
fairly be regarded as a specific character. When comparing specimens of the willow » 
grouse with the ptarmigan in the Christiana Museum, the smallness of the beak of 


Birds. 6243 


the latter was very conspicuous in comparison with the stout beak of the former. I 
did not, however, remark that the beak of the willow grouse was any stouter than the 
beak of our red grouse; had it been otherwise I think I should have noticed it. This 
latter point appears to me to be the most important question to solve, and [ trust that 
some reader of the ‘ Zoologist’ having specimens of both species will carefully compare 
the two, and communicate the result in an early pumber.—P.S. Three slight inac- 
curacies occur in my communication above referred to. In the 9th line apical should 
be species of ; in line 16 dead should be dense ; and in line 24 field should be Fyeld.— 
G. Norman; September 3, 1858. 

[I have an almost unconquerable aversion to that propensity, so dear to British 
naturalists, whether zoologists or botanists, to raise those infinitesimal varieties which 
occur in Great Britain to the rank of species. Lepus hibernicus, Bell; Pontia 
Chariclea, P. Metra and P. Sabellice, Stephens; Satyrus Polydama, Stephens ; 
Lycena dispar, Haworth; Polyommatus Artaxerxes, Lewin; Thymele Lavatere, 
Haworth; Trichomanes brevisetum, Brown; Hymenophyllum Wilsoni, Hooker ; 
Equisetun Drummondii, Hooker, are British species that have obtained rather volu- 
minous notice at my hands, with the view of proving that they were identical with 
species previously well established. When, therefore, Mr. Norman’s note came to my 
hands, it touched a chord that instantly vibrated in unison: I have always maintained 
that it was highly improbable we should possess in abundance a bird that was unknown 
elsewhere in the world. Great however as this improbability may be, we must not 
hastily link our British grouse to another species, provided it possess a single constant 
diagnostic character. What Mr. Norman has to say on this subject, my own objection 
to his views, and Mr. Norman’s rejoinder, are now before the readers of the ‘ Zoologist.’ 
I will not invite Mr. Gould, who appears somewhat pledged to an opinion, but I do 
earnestly invite the four ornithologists, who are par excellence the British ornithologists, 
to express candidly and fully their opinions on this interesting question. I allude of 
course to Mr. Doubleday, Mr. Bond, Mr. Salmon and Mr. Wolley: I know that all 
these gentlemen are constant readers of the ‘ Zoologist, and I am sure all will be able 
to throw light on a subject of such importance. I shall be extremely gratified to 
publish their views in the November ‘ Zoologist. —H#. N.] 

Varieties of Black Grouse and Hybrid between Blackcock and Capercally.—I have 
recently examined a very interesting collection of grouse, brought from Russia by Lord 
Wodehouse, of Kimberley, collected during his recent Embassy at St. Petersburgh: 
amongst these are some pied varieties of the black grouse, which are the more striking 
from this species so rarely exhibiting the slightest variation in plumage. Hybrids 
between the black grouse and capercally, in countries where both species are plentiful 
(as in Russia), are, I believe, not unfrequently met with. The following are the most 
worthy of note :— 

No. 1. An adult male blackcock with the wings, scapular, flanks and upper tail- 
coverts white, the centre only of each feather having a dark streak along the line of the 
quill, in some scarcely broader than the quill itself. ‘The breast and back are mottled 
with white, like some varieties of the common blackbird, and the feathers on the legs 
are also very light. 

No. 2. A gray hen mottled all over with white feathers, the remaining portion 
being of the usual tint. This specimen much resembles occasional varieties of the 
common partridge. | 

No. 3. A gray hen gradually assuming the cock’s plumage. In this specimen the 


6244 Birds. 


feathers on the throat and breast are becoming grayish black, with slight purplish re- 
flections ; the feathers on the back are likewise edged, more or less broadly, with cir- 
cular bands of dark purple, shining with a metallic lustre; the tail feathers are slightly 
curved outwards, after the manner of the male birds. 

No. 4. A very light buff-coloured variety of the gray hen, bearing all the usual 
markings in its plumage, but fainter in tint than is usually the case. 

No. 5. A specimen of the Tetrao medius, or Urogallus hybridus of authors. This 
cross between the capercally and black grouse so exactly corresponds with the descrip- 
tion of a specimen exhibited by Mr. Gould at the Zoological Society in the spring of 
1831, that an extract from the ‘ Proceedings’ of the Society at that date may suffice for 
the present instance :—‘ The beak is black, the shining feathers on the front of the 
neck are rich Orleans plum-colour, and of the eighteen feathers of the tail the outer 
ones are the longest. ~In the cock-of-the-woods the beak is white, the feathers on the 
front of the breast are a dark glossy-green, and the centre feathers of the tail the 
longest.” 

According to Mr. Yarrell, “The size and colour of these hybrids greatly depend upun 
whether they have been produced between the capercally cock and gray ben or vice 
versa.” Females of these hybrids appear much more rare than males.—JZ. Stevenson ; 
Norwich. 

Occurrence of the Pigmy Curlew at Weymouth.—On the 28th of this month I 
bought an adult pigmy curlew, for which I gave twopence ; it was shot with a number 
of purres, all young, and was offered me tied up in a bunch with them.— William 
Thompson; Weymouth, August 29, 1858. 

Snipes Neighing or Zumming.—On the origin of the neighing sound which accom- 
panies the snipe’s play,—that is, its flight during pairing time,—opinions are various. 
Bechstein thought it was produced by means of the beak; Naumann and others that 
it originated in powerful strokes of the wing: but since Pralle, in Hanover, observed 
that it uttered its well-known song or cry, which he expresses by the words “ gick jack, 
gick jack,” at the same time with the neighing sound, it seemed tu be certain that the 
latter was not produced through the throat. In the meantime I have remarked with 
surprise that the humming sound could never be observed while the bird was flying 
upwards, at which time the tail is closed, but only when it was descending in a 
slanting direction, with the tail strongly spread out. The peculiar form of the tail- 
feathers in some foreign species nearly allied to the common snipe, for instance, in 
Scolopax javensis, encouraged the notion that the tail, if not the only cause, is in a 
considerable degree concerned in the production of the sound. Ona closer examination 
of the tail-feathers of our common species, I found the first outer feather especially very 
peculiarly constructed; the shaft uncommonly stiff and sabre-shaped ; the rays of the 
web strongly bound together and very long,—the longest reaching very nearly three- 
fourths of the whole length of the web, their rays lying along or spanning from end to 
end of the curve of the shaft, like the strings ofa musical instrument. If we blow from 
the outer side upon the broad web it immediately vibrates, anda sound is heard, which, 
although not so loud, resembles very exactly the well-known neighing. In order to 
convince myself fully that it was the first feather that produced the peculiar sound, it 
was only necessary for me carefully to pluck out such a feather, to fasten its shaft with 
fine thread to a piece of steel wire a tenth of an inch in diameter and a foot long, and 
then to fix this at the end of a four-foot stick. If now I drew the feather, with its 
outer side forwards, sharply through the air, at the same time making some short 


Birds. 6245 


movements or shakings of the arm, so as to represent the shivering motion of the wings 
during flight, the neighing sound was produced with the most astonishing exactness. 
If I wished to hear the humming of both feathers at once, as must be the case in the 
flying bird, I found this also could be managed by a simple contrivance. I take a 
small stick, and fasten to the side of the smaller end a piece of burnt steel wire in the 
form of a fork; then I bind to each point a side tail-feather; then bend the wire so 
that the feathers receive the same direction which they do in the spreading of the tail 
as the bird descends in flight ; and then, with this apparatus, I draw the feathers 
through the air, as before. Such a sound, butin another tone, is produced when we 
experiment with the tail-feathers of other kinds of snipe. But in Scolopax major, 
S. capensis and S. frenata are found four humming feathers on each side, which are 
considerably shorter than in the species I have been speaking of. Scolopax javensis 
has eight feathers on each side, which are extremely narrow and very stiff. Since in 
both sexes these feathers have the same form, it is clear that both can produce the 
humming noise ; and by means of experiment I have convinced myself that it is so.— 
W. Meves ; Conservator of the Zoological Museum at Stockholm. 

[Mr. Wolley, who saw the experiment repeatedly performed, was perfectly satisfied 
that this mode of explaining the neighing is the correct one.—Hdward Newman]. 

Duck breeding in a Church Tower.—The ‘Sussex Express,’ of July 24, gives, in 
answer to inquiries, further information respecting the duck nesting in the church 
tower of Bosham (not Rottingdean, as appears from the omission of the former name), 
which is noticed in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 6144). Two ducks were originally observed 
on the weathercock of the church, probably a pair, though that fact was not ascertained, 
one only having been seen within the tower, which bird was of the breed usually termed 
Muscovy. Many persons witnessed her flying to and from her elevated nest, where she 
had several visitors, and where she sat upon twelve eggs, of which eight proved pro- 
ductive, but unfortunately solicitude for the safety of the young ones caused them to be 
carried down by hand, so that the problem how the old duck would have conveyed her 
progeny to the ground was not solved. The above-named newspaper states that another 
duck of the same kind, elsewhere in the parish of Bosham, hatched twelve young ones 
in a pigeon-loft, bringing them all down herself, but how she accomplished it is 
unknown.— Arthur Hussey ; Rottingdean, August 17, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Little Gull near Barnstable.-—On the 30th of last month I met. 
a gentleman on the sands near Braunton Burrows, who had just had the rare piece of 
luck to shoot a brace of the beautiful and rare little gull (Larus minutus). I had 
these specimens in my hands ere they were cold, and noted that they were birds in an 
intermediate state of plumage, but looking so near the adult stage that I should think 
it probable that, had they lived, next spring would have seen them in the rare mature 
plumage. I believe it to be a fact that the gulls (like the falcons and some other of 
our birds) go through several moults before they arrive at that peculiar plumage 
which marks an old bird. A gentleman has told me that he watched, this spring, a 
large breeding-station of the herring gull (Larus canus), and was struck by the fact 
that the brown birds (7. e. birds of the year before) kept aloof from those then actually 
breeding, and seemed to be waiting their time until they had reached their perfect breeding 
plumage. ‘The two specimens of the little gull I allude to had the crown of the head 
and back pale French blue; on the nape of the neck was a black patch, almost forming 
a ring round it; the wing-feathers were broadly marked with transverse bars of a rich 
black; the tail appeared short and broad even for a gull, and the beak and legs were 


6246 Fishes—Insecis. 


greenish black. I had nothing with me to measure the length of the birds, but their 
bodies appeared no larger than a pigeon’s.— Murray A. Mathews; Raleigh, near 
Barnstable, September 6, 1858. 


Shark on the Coast of Sussex.—The ‘ Sussex Express,’ of August 14, states that a 
specimen of the porbeagle shark, 6 feet 83 inches long and 3 feet 8 inches in circum- 
ference, was captured in Seaford Bay by the crew of an Eastbourne mackarel boat 
during the night of August 8.—Arthur Flussey ; Rottingdean, August, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Sunfish at Berry Head. — A specimen of the sunfish (Orthoga- 
riscus mola) was shot this day, August 14th, by a yachtsman, about a mile off Berry 
Head, the southern extremity of Torbay, and brought into Torquay, where it was 
exhibited by two fishermen. It measured 2 feet 43 inches in length, 3 feet 2 inches 
between the extremities of the fins, and 144 inches in greatest breadth, exclusive of 
the fins. This is the second specimen of this remarkable fish captured here this sum- 
mer.— William Pengelly. 


Additions to the Butterfly Fauna of South Wales.—I have certainly three, and I 
believe four, more species of butterflies to add to the Fauna of South Wales, as “ Area 
6:”—Colias Edusa, Leucophasia Sinapis, Polyommatus Agestis, and I believe P. Acis 
too; of this latter I will not say for certain, because it is so rare and local a species, 
but I herewith send you a very careful description, which | write with the insect before 
me, and from which perhaps you will be abletodecide. ‘The three first species I have 
seen on the wing and taken this month, while on a short tour in search of health, in 
company with a young brother of the pin and net, and it was he who took P. Acis 
about three weeks back, and shewed it me to have my opinion upon it: I have no 
doubt he would allow me to send it you for inspection, if you are not satisfied of its 
identity,—I am myself, but dare not record it on my own conviction only, when the 
female Cardamines has been mistaken for Daplidice. You will now think with me 
that the area lately given without a representative is one of the richest, for we may 
hardly expect P. Artaxerxes, C. Davus, P. Acteon or E. Blandina; and C. Hyale, P. 
Arion, C. dispar, P. Daplidice, A. Lathonia and V. Antiopa are almost as unlikely to 
visit us, so that we have but little that is probable to hunt for now.—Robert Drane ; 
Cardiff, August 21, 1858. 

[The description certainly applies to P. Acis.—£. N.] 

Polyommatus Artaxerxes and Agestis.— Mr. Newman, in his observations in last 
month’s ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 6211), makes it appear that I do not know the larva of 
P. Agestis. Now, I admit that I made a mistake by sending in a hurry the wrong 
larve to Mr. Logan: in my haste in collecting the larve, finding some small green 
larve with a purple marking, and without any examination, I sent them to Mr. Logan 
for the young of Agestis; but is this to go against eight years’ practice and ten cor- 
respondents who have bred the insect this season from larve I have sent them? I 
will most fully atone for this error when I am on the ground again next June. I have 
never seen Mr. Newman’s observations on this subject in the ‘ Entomological 
Magazine’: if that gentleman wishes to break a lance with me he must take care it 


Insects. 6247 


does not get broken ; I think I have bent it for him already in the very first thrust. 
Mr. Newman has also made a great mistake in stating that the larve I found 
fecding upon pellitory were those of Vanessa Atalanta. I still positively state that 
they were Cynthia Cardui. (See ‘ Entomologist’s Weekly Intelligencer’ for July, No. 
94, p. 125). After the Cardui were full fed, then came the Atalanta ; this I found out 
myself after I had bred some of them. — H.J. Harding; 1, York Street, Church 
Street, Shoreditch, September 2, 1858. 

[I am well aware that if I append a single word to this communication I give 
Mr. Harding the right of a second reply: to this he is most welcome; indeed, I think 
he is rather called on to give a little further explanation: if I clearly comprehend 
this communication, Mr. Harding admits that he did send to Mr. Logan, ‘ without 
examination, certain larve as those of Agestis in ‘‘error;” but at the same time he 
states that thts season he has sent the right larve “‘ to ten correspondents.” Now, in 
his first communication, Mr. Harding only refers to what he did years ago and leaves 
untouched the fresh evidence of the present year. Of course I could only deal with 
the first statement while I was ignorant of the second, but Mr. Harding’s reply above 
seems to corroborate my assertion, that the footless green larve mistaken by him for those 
of a butterfly were actually thuse of a beetle: is not this the very error for which Mr. 
Harding proposes to atone next spring ? Then again, as regards Atalanta, did not Mr, 
Harding mistake the larve of Atalanta for those of Cardui? and did he not “ find 
this out himself after he had bred some of them?” It seems to me absolutely im- 
possible that Mr. Harding should not know the larva of Atalanta; but how 
else shall we read his own explanation? I now can only say, in conclusion, that my 
friend Harding shall enjoy the unmolested privilege of a final reply, and that no edi- 
torial commentary shall be appended thereto.— Edward Newman]. 

The Artaxerxes Question.—I know nothing of the larva of P. Agestis, and therefore 
can give no opinion as to whether it is or is not a variety of P. Artaxerxes. It appears, 
however, to me, that till both species have been reared from the same larve, no one has 
a right to say that they are identical. I must confess that 1am an utter unbeliever 
in what are called permanent varieties or races. Ifa so-called variety lays a brood of 
eggs which all produce a moth precisely similar to the parent, I maintain that this is 
the strongest possible evidence that this so-called variety is a species. Mr. Logan 
remarks (Zool. 6100) that he should never expect to rear Artaxerxes from an egg laid 
by Agestis, and vice versa: he could not, to my mind, in the absence of other evidence, 
have used a more convincing proof that the species are distinct. I have never yet 
heard or read anything which has induced me to believe in the existence of permanent 
varieties or races in Lepidoptera. I do not think that the experiment has been tried 
upon a sufficiently large scale to warrant the adoption of any such theory. Mr. 
Harding remarks (Zool. 6211) that the larva of P. Alexis is very seldom found: I can 
only say that it is very plentiful here ; I have taken it by dozens when brushing Ononis 
campestris for the larva of H. marginata. I do not know whether the larva of 
P. Agestis is apodal, but that of P. Alexis certainly is not, at least not more so than 
the larva of the Thecla, which it closely resembles ; indeed atyro would find it hard to 
distinguish between the larva of T. Rubi and P. Alexis. The latter can walk about 
perfectly well and crawl about its food-plant ; it drops at the slightest touch: the pupa, 
like that of T, Quercus, is enclosed in a slight web at the roots of the grass. Isee no 
reason why the larva of P. Agestis should suffer from apodal affliction when its brother 
Argiolus is free to revel on the top of a holly tree, and I am at a loss to conceive why 


6248 [ nsects. 


Mr. Harding should have condemned it to so hard a fate. The coleopterous conclusion 
of the matter, however, may hold out a hope that better times are coming. —H. Harpur 
Crewe ; Stowmarket, September 3, 1858. 

Connexion of Polyommatus Agestis with Helianthemum vulgare. — In the Agestis- 
Artaxerxes controversy which is now being carried on in the ‘ Zoologist,’ great stress 
appears to be laid on the fact that the larva of Agestis feeds on Erodium, while that 
of Artaxerxes feeds on Helianthemum. That the larva of Agestis does feed on Ero- 
dium is asserted principally on Zeller’s evidence, as it seems Mr. Harding has made a 
mistake in his larve. It is certainly presumptuous in me to differ from Zeller, but 
had any one asked me, before I ever heard of this controversy, on which of the two 
plants I thought Agestis fed, I should not have hesitated to say Helianthemum. The 
facts on which J found imy belief are as follow: Ihave taken Agestis in two places in 
Flintshire ; the first is on a rocky limestone hill overhanging the Talargoch Mine ; 
here Helianthemum vulgare grows in great abundance, and I am almost certain that 
Erodium does not occur. At Rhyl, however, which is barely four miles distant, and 
probably at Prestatyn also, which is only two miles and a half off, Erodium cicuta- 
rium is abundant on the sand-hills, but no Agestis is to be found. The second place 
is also on rocky ground, about three miles from Holywell; here again Helianthemum 
is abundant, but Erodium is not to be found anywhere in the neighbourhood. So 
closely does this insect stick to the spot where Helianthemum grows, that in an open 
place (about two hundred yards from the small space where it is found) which swarms 
with H. Hyperanthus, A. Aglaia and P. Alexis, I have never seen a single specimen : 
the two spots are separated by trees. In conclusion, J may add, that 1 am not 
arguing that Artaxerxes and Agestis are varieties of the same species, but merely that 
evidence is in favour of the larva of the latter feeding on Helianthemum vulgare.— 
Alfred O. Walker ; Chester, September 12, 1858. 

Double-broodedness of the Notodoniide.—I beg to lay before those readers of the 
‘ Zoologist’ who may feel interested, the result of my experiments during the present 
summer and autumn with Pterostoma palpina, Notodonta dictea and N. ziczac. It 
was made known through the pages of the ‘ Zoologist’ and ‘ Naturalist’ that I gathered 
sufficient larva of P. palpina and N. dictea to lead me to hope I might obtain fertilized 
eggs of both species the following spring, and thus be able to supply that information 
as to their double-broodedness which was wanted; for I may be allowed here to remark 
that although this double-brooded question has been so long discussed, no one seemed 
to set about producing proof. The following are the results of my endeavours to sup- 
ply the want of facts. On May 28 the imago of P. palpina began to emerge, and 
within the week every pupa produced a moth. I obtained two sets of fertilized eggs; 
the first batch was laid May 30 and 31, and hatched June 8 and 9; the larva buried 
June 27 to July 4, and the imago again emerged between July 27 and August 5. 
Another batch laid June 6 and 7, hatched June 14 and 15, larva buried Jaly 10 to 17, 
moths emerged August 5 to 12. A small portion of the first batch was placed out of 
doors, and remained so throughout; the hatching and moulting scarcely varied from 
those in confinement; birds, spiders and storms, however, so reduced their numbers 
that I only got three into pupa, two of which emerged August 5; the third jis still in 
pupa: this and subsequent experience with this and other insects, has satisfied me that 
mere confinement produces no effect on it whatever. The imago of N. dicteaa emerged 
June 1, eggs were laid June 3 and 4, hatched June 12, larva buried July 13 to 19, 
moths emerged August 12 to 17. The larve of both these species were fed on growing 


Insects. 6249 


plants, the eggs being placed among the foliage, and not removed until after the last 
month preparatory to their going down. I did not this season rear N. ziczac from 
the egg, considering the facts produced last year to be conclusive, but Mr. Greene, in 
the ‘ Naturalist,’ raises the objection that my experiments were with insects in an 
“abnormal” state. What has he to object to in the following? On July 17 I took 
twenty-two full-fed larve of N. ziczac, twenty of which went down immediately (two 
dying). One imago emerged August 12th, eleven on the 13th, three on the 14th and 
five on the 15th ; the pupe were out of doors most of the time: they were of course the 
produce of the May moth, and will be admitted to have been reared in a “normal” 
state. These results require no comment, they sufficiently speak for themselves. I 
hope the opponents of double-broodedness have also been pursuing similar researches, 
and are prepared to lay the results before the public, or to accept these as conclusive. 
I wish to draw particular attention to the following by Mr. Greene, in the ‘ Naturalist’ 
of May last: alluding to Mr. Crewe’s remarks, he says, ‘‘ His (Mr. Crewe’s) answer to 
my main, I may say my only, objection is not satisfactory. My objection was and is, 
that of the pupe dug up even as early as the beginning of August, there is no instance 
on record of the perfect insect appearing from them the same year.” I now produce 
the “instance” Mr. Greene requires, for undoubtedly those of N. ziczac might have 
been dug up “early in August,” if I had not taken the larva just before going down; 
they produced the moth the “same year,” without forcing, after being in the pupa 
state about three weeks (the duration exactly corresponding with my experiments of 
Jast year). Mr. Greene goes on to say, ‘‘I dig at poplars, oaks, elms, &c., all the year 
round, but I never found a pupa of either (dictea or camelina) between the first week 
in June and the last in July.” The reason is evident; these insects being double- 
brooded are in the larva state during the time mentioned, and therefore, as Mr. Greene 
says, not to be found in the pupa. I have taken the larva of N. dictea in July, which 
produced the moth in August; I have again taken larve in September, which produced 
the perfect insect in May or June. I breed from these, again producing the moths in 
August, and at the time I am writing I have young larve of both N. dictea and P. 
palpina feeding, the produce of the above, which will doubtless produce the perfect 
insect next spring.—George Gascoyne ; Newark, September, 1858. 

Cerura bicuspis and Acronycta Alni.—I took, on Thursday last, the 12th instant, 
a fine larva of C. bicuspis, and on Saturday, the 14th, the larva of A. Alni, nearly 
full grown; both of them appear to relish in confinement the alder, upon the leaves of 
which I found them. I also found, on the 12th, two Coleophora larve, feeding in the 
seed-pods of the gorse or furze. My friend, Mr. Wilkinson, says they will be C. albi- 
costa.—. Cook ; 10, Castle Crescent, Scarborough, August 16, 1858,—‘ Intelligencer, 

Occurrence of Timandra prataria near Folkestone.—I1 took a good specimen of this 
Geometra near Folkestone the latter part of July last, but though I searched well for a 
week, I was unable to meet with another.— H. Tompkins; 44, Guildford Street, 
Russell Square, London, September 16, 1858, 

Sterrha sacraria a British Insect. — There is a record of the capture of a second 
specimen of Sterrha sacraria on the wrapper of the September ‘ Zoologist;’ I call ita 
fourth British specimen of sacraria. I possess the first, taken by Mr. Howse, near 
Bristol; Mr. Reading records a second, taken near Plymouth; Dr, Battersby, a third, 
taken near Torquay; Mr. Barrett’s is, therefore, the fourth; unless some further 
information be given, perhaps his specimen may also be doubted.—J. C. Dale ; 
Glanville’s Wootton, near Sherbourne, September 13, 1858, 


NT, Oo E 


6250 Insects. 


[I willingly supply the further information desired. Mr. Barrett is one of our 
most persevering and most successful searchers of the gas-lamps: one night he took 
a Geometra with which he was totally unacquainted; he came the next morning and 
described the new capture, which, as he is remarkably accurate and precise, I con- 
cluded at once to be sacraria, and told him so: the news seemed almost too good to be 
true; but as soon as the insect could be moved from the setting-board it was 
obligingly brought to this office, and I will vouch for its being a genuine sacraria. I 
would willingly communicate to Mr. Dale, through the ‘ Zoologist, the very lamp- 
post that produced this treasure, but Mr. Barrett has not permitted me to do so. — 
Edward Newman). 

Larva of Camptogramma gemmaria.—A lovely female of this species laid me 
some eggs on the 24th of July; they were oblong, flattish and yellow, but changed 
to a dusky brown colour on the Ist of August: the following day the larve hatched ; 
at first they were very dingy, but on the 8th of August became dusky sap-green, and 
on the 16th assumed their characteristic markings. There were evidently two distinct 
varieties, one of which had the ground-colour of a greenish gray, tinged with 
red between the segments; the spiracular line blackish and irregularly interrupted ; 
the back (except the last two segments) dusky, having on the intermediate segments a 
row of five elongated diamonds of the ground-colour, with a dusky dot in each; on 
the front segments these markings ran into three parallel dusky lines, while on the end 
segments there were four slender dusky lines arranged in a diamond pattern; the 
prolegs had a dusky stripe running down them. The other variety had the ground- 
colour of a light yellowish green, quite yellow between the segments; the spiracular 
line and the pattern on the back faintly indicated by dusky black lines and dots. 
These larve fed readily on groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), at last eating through stems 
bigger than themselves ; but, as their frass seemed very watery, I doubt whether this 
is their proper food. They were quiet in their habits, resting on the under side of the 
leaves, hiding themselves skilfully, and could not be easily dislodged; when dis- 
turbed they curled up the front segments, but not into such a twisted knot as I have 
sometimes seen in more slender loopers. From the 21st to the 23rd of August the 
larve, being full fed, spun up in moss. After having been in pupa about a fortnight, 
the perfect insects emerged. There went down two of the green and four of the 
darker larve ; there have come up again one C. fluviata(3\) and five C. gemmaria(? ) 
—such a narrow risk did I run of missing the solution of this problem! Solved, 
however, it is, and C. fluviata and C. gemmaria are hereby declared to be man and wife. 
I expected to find the difference of colour in the larve would turn out to be a 
sexual one; this, however, has been contradicted by the result. The pupa is brown, 
smooth, spiked at the tail, enclosed in a thin silken cocoon in moss. I have now 
seen in all about fifteen specimens of C. fluviata and six of C. gemmaria, and find that 
the absence in each of what were considered the distinctive markings of the other is 
not constant: the subapical blotch of C. fluviata may be traced more or less dis- 
tinctly (sometimes quite distinctly) in C. gemmaria; while some specimens of C. fluviata 
have the central spot placed in the light ring, only the dark ground of C. gemmaria 
makes this ring shine forth much more brightly, just as a nigger’s sable skin 
enhances the whiteness of his eyes. One of my bred specimens, having given me the 
slip over the edge of the table, was detected in a dark corner of the room by the - 
white spots on the fore wings. As to the other markings, they are, line for line, 
precisely similar; so that the ground-colour alone remains to make the sexes look 


I nsects. 6251 


unlike, and perhaps further breeding may sometimes upset this.—Anon, in ‘ The 
Intelligencer’? [The name known to me.—F#. Newman]. 

Habits of Camptogramma gemmaria.—I quite agree with Mr. Gregson that C. gem- 
maria is a swamp insect: I have taken a fine series this season (the female is the 
C. gemmaria and the male the C. fluviata of Guenée’s arrangement) : it occurs at the 
Boiling Well, near Ashley Hill, and also in some meadows near here; in both instances 
in low swampy ground. Each of the females I took kindly supplied me with eggs, but 
unfortunately none of them have proved fertile, so that my expectation of being able 
to rear it from the egg has come to an end, at least for the present.—G. Harding, jun. ; 
Stapleton, Bristol, August 27, 1858.—‘ Intelligencer.’ 

Camptogramma gemmaria and C. fluviata.—I have lately taken a fine series, the 
female being C. gemmaria, the male C. fluviata of Guenée’s arrangement. Ihave no 
doubt that these insects constitute but one species, having taken two male specimens 
of the latter hovering over a female of the former: all the specimens I possess have 
occurred in low marshy places; one I took from off a willow.— Henry Bolt ; 15, Beau- 
mont Place, Stapleton Road, Bristol, September 14, 1858. 

[I may add to these interesting communications that in the ‘ Synonymic List of 
British Lepidoptera, by Messrs. Guenée and Doubleday, these insects stand as a 
single species: the list will be advertised for publication in a few days.— Edward 
— Newman). 

Occurrence of a Peronea new to Science at Liverpool.—I am now taking the second 
brood of a pretty, variable, yet distinct, little Peronea, the P. potentillana of Cooke ; they 
feed exclusively upon the leaves of the strawberry, preferring the white-fruited varieties. 
On the 8th of September they were in profusion flying over the strawberry-beds ; I ran 
for my net, leaving Mr. Almond trying to box a few; on my return the pic-nic was 
over, and I only secured a few “‘ choice spirits” who did not intend to go home till 
“‘ daylight did appear.” On the 9th instant, which was cold and windy, I saw two; 
I took one and left the other to breed; on the 10th five were seen, three of them in bad 
condition ; 11th a close evening, I was closely engaged in looking after my little 
favourites, everybody else spying for the comet, which everybody said was about 10 
degrees high in the north-west corner of the sky, but which I did not see, for just then 
up got my “ flee,” and I secured about a dozen good ones, when the revels were over, 
and not another could be seen, where one minute before hundreds were on the wing !— 
C. S. Gregson; Fletcher Grove, Stanley Liverpool, September 12, 1858.—From the 
§ Intelligencer.’ : 

Carabide in the Isle of Sheppey.—The result of recent excursions in this district 
prompts me to recommend it as a productive field to coleopterists generally and the 
student of the Geodephaga in particular. The main object of my first visit was the 
rare Stenolophus elegans, whose head quarters in the neighbourhood of Sheerness are 
known to an elect few. On reaching the well-known spot, which has hitherto supplied 
all collections, ‘‘ Hope sighing fled,’—the place was completely submerged, and not 
a specimen could be won from the adjacent soil. Much of the neighbouring marsh 
land had been newly broken up by the plough, and the clods, with the surface-grass 
attached, had lain sufficient time to afford convenient shelter for Coleoptera, the pro- 
fusion of which both surprised and interested me. In such situations I took pretty 
freely, together with others of lesser note, the large Hister 4-maculatus and Zabrus 
piger. Early in the present month I made a second visit, and after considerable effort 
was rewarded by the capture of eight specimens of S. elegans, which I took by the road- 


6252 Entomological Society. 


side leading to Queenborough, and about half-a-mile from the spot where it was 
originally discovered. On turning the clods I found in company with Amara con- 
vexiuscula and a host of Harpalide, Anisodactylus paciloides, of which I secured an 
ample supply, in all its beautiful varieties of green, purple and copper: as there is 
reason to suppose that no other station yields this insect so plentifully, I have deemed 
the record not unworthy a corner in the ‘Zoologist.—A. Haward ; Gloucester Road, 
Croydon, August 23, 1858. 

Calosoma Sycophanta near Bristol. — On the 30th of June last Miss Powell, of 
Henbury, had the good fortune to secure a perfect specimen of this magnificent beetle, 
conspicuous alike for its rarity and beauty; it is probable that a living specimen has 
never before been seen in this part of England. With the greatest liberality Miss 
Powell has presented me with her specimen.—P. V. Vaughan ; Redlands, Bristol. 


Proceedings of Societies. 
E,NTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 


September 6, 1858.—Dr. Gray, President, in the Chair. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 
donors :—‘ Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung,’ Nos.4—9; presented by the Entomo- 
logical Society of Stettin. The ‘ Zoologist’ for September; by the Editor. The 
‘Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England,’ Vol. xix. Part 1; by the 
Society. ‘Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. iii. No. 9; by the 
Society. ‘ Catalogue of the Birds in the Museum of the Hon. East India Company,’ 
by Thomas Horsfield, M. and Ph. D., F. R.S., Keeper of the Company’s Museum, and 
Frederic Moore, Assistant; by the Court of Directors. The ‘ Journal of the Society of 
Arts’ for August; by the Society. The‘ Literary Gazette’ for August ; by the Editor. 
The ‘ Atheneum’ for August; by the Editor. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Janson exhibited, on the part of Mr. H. Squire, a box of Coleoptera, collected 
by him during a visit which he had just made to the Shetland Isles, and remarked, that 
considering the period of the year at which this trip was undertaken, his short stay of 
a week only, and the limited district which he had investigated (for the unpropitious 
state of the weather had precluded him from extending his excursions beyond three 
miles from Lerwick) the series now before the Meeting must be looked upon as highly 
satisfactory. The number of species amounts to one hundred and twenty-five, and, 
although the major portion of them are forms familiar to every London entomologist, 
still there are among them several to which he would direct the attention of the 
Meeting. 

The first of these is apparently a species altogether new to the British list, the 
veritable Nebria (Carabus) nivalis of Paykull, which Drs. Kraatz and Schaum have 
recently shown is not identical with N. Gyllenhalli, Schomh., as had been generally 
supposed. ‘The specimens now under consideration differ from N. Gyllenhalli (the 


Entomological Society. 6253 


ci-devant nivalis of British collections) in having a smaller thorax, which is more 
narrowed posteriorly; the stria on the elytra are much shallowed, and the impressed 
points or punctures much more evident; and, moreover, the femora are black, the tibie 
and tarsi alone being red. 

The second is a Patrobus which does not entirely correspond with the P. excavatus, 
Payk., Dawson, differing in having the thorax shorter and more rounded at the sides 
and its sculpture coarser; it appears to agree with an insect taken by Mr. Murray in 
the Clova Mountains, by the Rev. Hamlet Clark in North Wales, and by Dr. Power 
in Lancashire. Mr. Squire, who has compared it with continental specimens of 
P, lapponicus, Chand., in the national collection, refers it to that species. 

The third is a species of Hydroporus manifestly differing from any at present in our 
list, and which the Rev. Hamlet Clark considers will, in all probability, prove to be 
the H. Lapponum of Gyllenhal. 

Fourthly, Hydroporus halensis. 

Fifthly, Otiorhynchus maurus. 

And lastly, an Omalium, which is scarcely referrible to any of the recorded species. 


Mr. Stevens exhibited a specimen of Pieris Daplidice, taken by Mr. Spencer, near 
the South Foreland lighthouse, on the 6th of August last. 

The Rev. Hamlet Clark exhibited a box of Coleoptera, recently taken by Dr. Power 
in Lancashire, containing an extensive series of Bembidia, and numerous rare 
Staphylinide, &c.; also a singular monstrosity of Bembidium concinnum, having 2} 
tarsi on one of the fore legs; a specimen of Euryporus picipes, taken at Preston Marsh 
by Mr. Graham; and Hydroporus ferrugineus, also from Lancashire, being a new 
locality for that rare species. He also exhibited a specimen of Opilus univittatus, 
Rossi, a species hitherto considered peculiar to Italy, which had been sent alive ina 
pill-box to Mr. Baly, by a lady residing at Malvern. 

Mr. Stevens exhibited a small box of insects, sent by Mr. Shield from Monte 
Video, containing, amongst other minute Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, a singular 
species allied to Claviger, found in ants’ nests, and a Lithocolletis closely allied to 
L. lautella of Europe. 

Mr. Douglas exhibited an apparently new species of Coleophora, found amongst 
Atriplex, at Seaford, in Sussex ; also a small Heterocerus, and a Bryaxis, of which he 
had been unable to determine the species, found in the mud under stones in the same 
locality. 

Mr. McLachlan exhibited an Acrobasis, new to Britain, taken at Forest Hill, which 
Mr. Stainton had pronounced to be A. rubrotibiella of Mann., a species hitherto 
only found near Vienna: it is closely allied to A. tumidella, though sufficiently distinct, 
as pointed out by Fischer-von-Roslerstamm in his illustrated work. 

Mr. Bond exhibited four fine bred specimens of Carpocapsa saltatans, Westw., 
with the pupa cases and seeds from which they had emerged. 

Mr. Waring exhibited a singular pale variety of Pecilocampa Populi. 

Mr. Adam White exhibited the flat pupa-case of a Cebrionideous genus from North 
China, and remarked on the vast field of research still open to entomologists in the 
transformations of Coleoptera. He also communicated the following :— 


“Mr F. G. Nicolay, a promising young naturalist, who lately went to St. Salvador, 
Brazil, sent over, within a week or two of his landing, a box containing the following 


6254 Entomological Society. 


insects. The list may be not unworthy the notice of the Members, and its publication 
may encourage youthful entomologists to persevere, and ascend from collecting to 
observing transfurmations :— 


Papilio Thoas Vanessa Lavinia 

»  Polydamas Anarta Iatrophe 
Heliconia Halia »  Amalthea 
Evides Dianasa Heterochroa Cytherea 
Mechanitis Lysimnia Argynnis Hegesia? 
Agraulis Vanille Didonis Biblis 

9x0 dualaa Polyommatus and three or four 

Danais Gilippus Hesperie. 


» Archippus 


Terias tenella Beetles. 
5 Mana Phaneas Jasius (very common) 
Callidryas Eubule abe at principalis 


Ageronia Ferentina Cyclocephala melanocephala ? ” 


Mr. Tegetmeier observed it was generally believed that pollen was only used as 
food for the larve of bees, and not by the perfect insects; he had, however, frequently 
observed bees on the alighting-board of a hive, especially in dull weather, eating the 
pollen from the legs of their companions as they arrived. He had continued the 
experiments detailed by him at the July Meeting of the Society, with a view of 
ascertaining the cause of the hexagonal form of the cells of the hive bee, and found 
that when excavating in a solid mass of wax they always formed cylinders, but on the 
sides of the cells approximating they invariably became hexagonal; he considered 
therefore that the hexagonal form resulted simply from the cells being constructed with 
a view to the greatest economy of space, and not from any predetermined plan on the 
part of the bees. 

Mr. Lubbock remarked that Mr. Darwin had made similar experiments to those 
described by Mr. Tegetmeier, with precisely the same results. 

Mr. Smith maintained the assertions made by him at the July Meeting that in 
wasps’ nests: the cells are constructed of an hexagonal form, and do not acquire it from 
compression or any other cause. He exhibited the nest formed by the female of Vespa 
vulgaris in the spring, as sufficient proof that the hexagonal form was not caused by 
two insects working at the same time at the formation of adjoining cells, as had been 
suggested to be the cause with bees ; he also exhibited nests of a South American spe- 
cies of Polybia, and of Icaria guttatipennis, in which he observed the outside cells 
were as angular as those in the centre of the layers of comb, thus proving that the 
hexagonal form could not, in these instances, result from lateral pressure. 

Dr. Gray observed that the theory of lateral pressure certainly was not applicable 
to the cells of wasps, as they are constructed of a material, which when once hardened 
never alters its form. 

Mr. Downie exhibited a small observatory hive of his own invention, fixed on the 
top of the stock hive, and a hive, constructed by him, with an improved mode of 
ventilation. —&. S. 


— 


Notices of New Books. 6255 


NATURAL-Hi1sTORY BOOKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED. 


The Aquarian Naturalist: a Manual for the Sea-side. By THoMAs 
Rymer Jones, F.R.S., Professor of Natural History and Com- 
parative Anatomy in King’s College, London, &c. London: 
John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row. 1858. 


The work is most agreeably and popularly written. It contains 
524 pp. feap. 8vo., and 8 plates, printed in colours by the process 
called chromolithography. It treats only of salt-water objects, and a 
second volume by the same author is advertised as shortly to be pub- 
lished, similarly illustrated, intituled ‘The Freshwater Series of the 
Aquarian Naturalist; being the Natura] History of the Animal In- 
habitants of our Streams and Ponds, adapted to the purposes of the 
Aquarium.’ The price of the published work is 18s. 


Se ee 


The Natural Mistory of the Tineina. Vol. IIl., containing Ela- 
chista Part I., Tischeria Part I. By H. T. STArInTon, assisted 
by Professor ZELLER, J. W. Douazias and Professor FRey. 
London: John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row. Paris: Deyrolle, 
Rue de la Monnaie, 19. Berlin: E. S. Mittler und Sohn, 
Zimmerstrasse 84, 85. 1858. 


This volume is the third ofa series, and written in four languages 
arranged in parallel columns,—English, French, German and Latin. 
It contains 270 pp., demy 8vo., and 8 plates, mostly drawn and entirely 
engraved by Mr. E. W. Robinson, and beautifully coloured. These 
plates leave nothing to be desired, and do great credit to the artists 
who have executed them. The price of the volume is 12s 6d. 


A Catalogue of the Lepidopterous Insects in the Museum of the 
Hon. Hast India Company. By Tuomas HorsFiELp, M. and 
Ph.D., F.R.S., Keeper of the Company’s Museum, and FREDERIC 
Moore, Assistant. Vol. I. Printed by order of the Directors. 
London: W.H. Allen & Co., 7, Leadenhall Street. 1858, 


The work is the first of a proposed series. It contains 280 pp. 
demy 8vo, and 18 plates, plain or coloured; these illustrate details of 


6256 Noiices of New Books. 


metamorphosis in a manner most acceptable to the entomologist. 
The price is 10s. plain, 20s. coloured. 


ee 


The Life of Linneus. By Miss BRIGHTWELL, of Norwich. London: 
John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row. 1858. 


A brief and unassuming compilation. It contains 191 pp. fcap. 
12mo, and an etched frontispiece. The price is 3s. 6d. 


The Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. With illus- 
trations. 1858. Part I., January—March; Part II., March— 
April. London: Longman & Co., Paternoster Row. 1858. 


Part I. contains 112 pp. demy 8vo, 9 coloured plates and 1 plain. 
Part II. contains 134 pp. demy 8vo, 7 coloured plates and 3 plain. 
The plates are beautifully executed from drawings by Wolf. The 
price of each part is 9s. 6d. 


A Cyclopedia of the Natural Sciences. By Witt1aM Bairp, M.D., 
¥.L.8., British Museum, with Map and numerous IIlustrations. 
London and Glasgow: Richard Griffin & Co., Publishers to the 
University of Glasgow. 1858. 


This volume contains 613 pp. demy 8vo, a profusion of well-drawn 
and well-engraved wood-cuts, and a zoological chart, showing the 
distribution and range of animal life,in which the names of the car- 
nivorous animals are printed in red and those of the herbivorous ani- 
mals in blue,—a plan which catches the eye and conveys information 
to the mind rapidly and effectively. Between this map and the letter- 
press some slight discrepancies occur; thus the kangaroos or pouched 
rodents are coloured blue in the chart, as being herbivorous, while in 
the tabular view they appear as the fourth family of the order Fere. 


The price of this very useful volume is 12s. 6d: it is marvellously 
cheap. 


Quadrupeds— Birds. 6257 


Bats flying in the Sunshine.—Whilst walking on Box Hill, last Sunday afternoon, 
the 12th inst., I was surprised to see more than a dozen very large bats on the wing, 
circling around with a lofty and rapid flight, like that of the great Noctule. The day 
was clear and warm, and, although it was nearly six o’clock, the sun was shining 
brightly, and the whole face of the hill was strongly illuminated, yet the bats were 
apparently as much at home in the sunshine as the swallows, which were sporting 
about in their neighbourhood, but at a respectful distance. As I believe it is unusual 
for the Noctule to appear so late in the season as September, or indeed for any of our 
bats to come out in such bright weather, I shall be glad to inquire if some one among 
your correspondents can tell me to which species these animals are likely to belong. 
I did not hear them utter any cry.—#. W. H. Holdsworth ; 26, Osnaburgh Street, 
September 16, 1858. 


Contributions towards a Biography of the Red Grouse. 
By the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, M.A. 


For several years past I have had continued opportunity of fre- 
quenting one of the best and most abundantly stocked moors in 
Yorkshire; and, partly from love of the wild freedom of the moor, 
and partly because the moor affords me short cuts to several dif- 
ferent parts of a very wide and straggling parish, I have availed 
myself of the opportunity aforesaid at all times of the year, and, 
perhaps it is hardly necessary to add, much more frequently without 
a gun than with. It may be that some of the observations I have 
made on occasion of these moor rambles may not be uninteresting to 
some of the readers of the ‘ Zoologist;’? and I have therefore given an 
hour or two to the compilation of the present paper, hoping that, 
though in the eyes of the savagely scientific it may take no higher 
rank than that of a “ dish of gossip,” it may yet be as acceptable to 
the lover of living birds as that sort of light food usually is to its 
customary consumers, 

The red grouse, or, as they are almost universally named here, 
moor-bird, pairs very early. I have seen them coupled—not univer- 
sally of course, but still so commonly as to be much more than 
simply noticeable—by the 20th or 2Ist of December. Last winter 
they had paired before the old year was out, and by the middle of 
January they had, almost universally, formed their annual union. 
But the match so early made is very often broken off, at least 
in appearance, under the pressure of cold and hunger. The last day, 
a Sunday, in January this year was a yery cold day, with snow on the 
ground and still falling. As I went over the moor to a district of the 

XVI. 3 F 


6258 Birds. 
parish two miles distant from my residence, I saw the grouse in packs 
of thirty or forty each. Up to two or three days before they had 
been seen in pairs, and that too, as I have just said, from before the 
commencement of the year. I remarked to an acquaintance I met 
with as I descended from the moor,—“ We shall get some hard 
weather now: I saw the grouse packed as I came across the moor.” 
And surely the frost and snow did come, and in earnest. It was 
some time after this before the final pairing, that which was destined 
not to be again interrupted, took place; perhaps, fully three weeks. 
During the whole of this interval the partridges continued paired. 
I think it was on the 5th of February, a bitter cold day, with several 
‘inches of snow on the ground, I went down the beck, thinking it not 
improbable I might fall in with a duck or two. In the course of my 
walk I saw or came upon the traces of fourteen several pairs of 
partridges ; and neither on that day nor on any other during the con- 
tinuance of the cold weather did I see more or less than two together. 
Once, about a week later, while the snow was still lying thick on the 
ground, I saw the footmarks of three together; but I did not see the 
birds themselves, and should have little doubt that they were three 
“old bachelors.” 

During the pairing-time fierce fights between the male birds are of 
continual occurrence, and one can scarcely set foot on the moor with- 
out seeing signs of conflict. One of the most common is one cock 
pursuing another with eager pertinacity ; and so absorbed are both in 
the passions of the moment that not unfrequently they cross once and 
again in close proximity to the spectator, in the course of their rapid 
wheeling flight, without appearing to heed his presence. When the 
spring is somewhat more advanced the grouse may be seen close to 
the road-side, and they are then seldom much disturbed by the 
passage of the traveller. Sometimes they do not take wing at all, 
and their flight, if they take one, is seldom to any distance. They 
are in full plumage at such times, and the beautiful crimson crest of 
the male is very conspicuous, and very fully displayed as he stands 
with his head up and his eye on the passer-by. The short flights of 
the male are also usually terminated by an upward movement of a few 
feet, and the utterance of his peculiar note or “ crow” as he alights 
on some little hillock or other eminence on the surface of the water. 

The number of eggs laid by the grouse is much less than in the 
case of the partridge. It may also be remarked that it is consider- 
ably more difficult to ascertain the number of a brood of grouse than 
in the case of a covey of partridges. The latter commonly all rise 


Birds. 6259 


together; grouse do not while still less than full-grown, and, when 
full-grown, seldom live or move much together as partridges in covey 
do. My own impression is that seven or eight young birds is more 
than a full average brood. Last season’s hatch was an unfavourable 
one.* One day, about a week before the season came in, J gave an 
old dog of mine a run over part of the moor, and in the course of my 
walk I saw two broods of seven or eight, several of five or six, anda 
great many more of two or three. A deserted nest I walked over 
contained seven eggs, and I should say that a nest containing four- 
teen or fifteen eggs (see Yarrell, ii. 317) is very rare indeed. 

The young birds, while still quite small, like the young partridge 
and peewit, show great readiness in concealing themselves. You may 
disturb a brood of little grouse, and see them “squandering,” as folks 
say here, in all directions. The one or two you happen to have fixed 
your eye on, or otherwise “ marked,” may be picked up easily enough. 
The search for the others, however, except on very unfavourable ground. 
—unfavourable, I mean, to the bird from want of roughness or cover 
—will most likely be baffled. They hide themselves in a marvellous 
way, squeeze between objects that seem to forbid all passage, worm: 
their way amid the cover,—unless, indeed, the cause of alarm is very: 
close to them, in which case they lie like stones, and without a dog it 
is in vain to think of finding them after the first minute or two of 
alarm and dispersion. 

I have already noticed that, unlike the covey of partridges, the 
brood of grouse seldom rises en masse. Very constantly—at least 
after the young birds can in a degree shift for themselves by flight, 
but still are far short of full growth—the old cock is the first to rise. 
On the first sign of an intruder, whether man or dog, he appears to 
take the hint, and begins to beat a retreat. He runs perhaps twenty 
or thirty yards or more, and then takes wing, often at a very safe dis- 
tance from the gun, if there be one. The hen, on the other hand, 
remains with her brood. She may rise the first, when flight becomes 
necessary, but just as often it is a young bird which leads the way : 
it seems to depend on the chance which causes either the pointer or 
the man to stumble on this or that particular bird. ‘The others con- 
tinue quiescent until “ found” in their several turns, and unless two 
or three happen to be laid close together it is seldom that more than 
one, or possibly two, rise together. ‘The young birds, when about 

* This was written very early in July. The same remarks, however, will apply, 


word for word, to the present season, and to the numbers of the broods I saw in the 
course of one or two similar walks taken this year. 


6260 Birds. 


three-quarters grown, will often run a long way through the ling, and 
at other times, and very frequently early in the season, lie so close 
that it is very difficult to induce them to fly. Indeed, they are often 
taken up by hand to save them from the dog, who, if young, is apt to 
be misled by their pertinacious quiescence into giving them a nip 
with his jaws. When lying in this way it is no easy thing to detect 
them in their concealment. But all this becomes utterly changed in 
the course of a very few weeks. On the 27th of August, last year, I 
killed 153 brace in three or four hours’ shooting, in spite of indispo- 
sition so severe that I was obliged to lie down several times after dis- 
charging my gun. I might have doubled the number killed, easily. 
Scarcely one month later the gamekeeper, having orders to send 
away thirty brace within a week, was out almost daily himself for 
eight days, and was assisted on two days by an under-keeper and 
myself. On one of these two days, Sept. 22, I was out for four 
hours, and, having no cartridges with me, was only able to get three 
or four grouse. From this time to the end of the season a dog is of 
very little use on these moors, except for the purpose of finding a 
wounded bird. An old dog who will keep at heel, and not be very 
eager to range, is therefore all the sportsman takes ; and it is but sel- 
dom he can walk within thirty yards of a grouse on the open moor. 
Now and then, to be sure, he may walk upon one; but if he wants to 
make a bag he must get birds as he can, by the use of the cartridge 
and by means of a species of stalking, or by “ driving” the moor. 

I do not think this wildness of the grouse is to be accounted for 
simply on the ground that the birds have been often disturbed 
or harassed. (See Yarr. ii. 318). This moor has been very little shot 
since | have known it, and some years a great proportion of the birds 
might scarcely hear a gun fired very near them; and yet all became 
equally wild every year. Indeed, this year they became very wild in 
August, and I believe up to the present date, Sept. 13, have never 
been very easily accessible. A slight and early snow sometimes has 
the effect of rendering it more easy to approach them, at least for a 
few hours ; but, ordinarily, the most extreme cold, and a covering of 
snow a foot thick, does not appear to tame them at all. Under such 
circumstances they collect in enormous packs, and betake themselves 
to some particular part of the moor, it may be to a hill-edge, or where, 
from the conformation of the surface, the snow may have been driven 
off to a greater or less extent. 

I have seen a wounded grouse dive beneath the snow, and conceal 
itself among the ling below. One I knew thus concealed was dis- 


Birds. 6261 


covered by the shooter dropping the cartridge he was proceeding to 
load with, and on stooping to pick it up finding it had fallen almost 
or quite upon the bird. 

An old bird will often run a long way before taking flight, and 
when wounded, if not followed immediately, will run quickly and 
silently away to a great distance. If pursued at once, he runs 
awkwardly, and with a great deal of noise and disturbance, and is 
easily caught; unlike the partridge, whose speed is great enough to 
baffle even a fleet human pusurer. 

Grouse frequently fly some considerable distance over the en- 
closures, from one part of the moor to another. I was one day 
walking by the beck-side, a full mile at least from the moor on either 
hand, when I heard the note of the grouse. Looking up, I saw two 
flying at a great height above me, I should think 500 or 600 feet at 
least. The total length of their aérial trip could not have been less 
than two miles. Last winter, again, I saw from fifteen to twenty fly 
over my premises, scarcely out of gun shot. Their flight, probably, 
was little less in length than in the other case. 

They may constantly be seen alighting on a wall, and cackling or 
crowing there. I have seen this at all times of the year, but it is 
more frequently observable when the influence of the breeding ctopyn 
is upon them. ‘Then the cock bird, if an intruder comes near, often 
flies to some little eminence or a wall, if there be one near, and crows, 
and raises his head in watchful observation of the stranger. 

It is very remarkable, about the time the general hatch draws on, 
how all grouse-life seems to have ceased on the moor. A few days 
before the observer would have seen a great number of birds, princi- 
pally cocks, as he crossed the moor; now he may walk for an hour 
without seeing more than a bird or two. I have this year traversed 
certain parts of this moor for miles, and not seen half-a-dozen grouse 
in the course of my whole walk; while at a somewhat earlier period 
the same walks would have probably showed me thirty or forty pairs. 
The objects of such close concealment of themselves are sufficiently 
obvious. 

Grouse do not here often descend far from the moor on to the cul- 
tivated land. They may sometimes be seen, early in the morning, in 
such corn-stubbles as are close upon the verge of the moor. If, how- 
ever, the stubbles are on the same level as the moor, and merely sepa- 
rated from it by the enclosure-fence and not by any portion of inter- 
vening “ bank,” it is no unusual thing to see them at feed. There 
were one or two such stubbles in my beat last year, and I more than 


6262 Birds. - 


once saw grouse, ringdoves and pheasants at feed in such close proxi- 
mity to one another that they were quite intermingled. It isa familiar 
fact, which the gamekeeper often avails himself of when desired to 
furnish a supply of grouse late in the season, that just about daybreak 
they are found in some numbers, and less wild than an hour or two 
later in the day, close on the edge of the moor bordering on the 
enclosures. ‘These officials will tell you that the moor birds are then 
on their return from the enclosures where they have been feeding.* 
If a grouse be found on the cultivated land in the day-time, it is 
usually a sick or wounded bird, or a greatly terrified one. I have 
known a grouse dash into a thick hedge fully a mile distant from the 
moor, and lie there to be picked up without making an attempt to 
escape. No signs of injury were discernible upon it, and on being 
liberated some hours afterwards—the next day, in point of fact—it 
flew away at once, and with nothing unusual in any way perceptible 
in its conduct. Probably it had been pursued by a hawk, and in the 
excess ofits terror had sought the first possible means of concealment 
and safety that offered itself. No hawk was visible, but that might 
possibly be accounted for by the circumstance that the observer's 
attention was engrossed by the dash of the grouse and its capture 
quite long enough to permit the hawk to withdraw himself from 
inspection. 

On the subject of the “ grouse disease,” or the “ tapeworm” as it is 
diversely called, I have no remarks to offer. JI have scarcely ever 
seen a bird suffering from this destructive malady on these moors, 
and I think I only shot one or two last year which showed signs of 
any disorder. A draggled tail, rusty plumage, and poor condition, 
tell the tale of disease very intelligibly, and a sick bird is not easily 
overlooked. Indeed, almost before he gets on the wing infirmity 
shows itself in the heavy, laborious efforts and flight of the invalid. I 
was told by peat-cutters and others that after the very heavy rains 
which fell about the middle of August, last year, a great many moor 
birds might be seen drowned in various parts of the moor, and they 
inferred that these birds had been weakened by the tapeworm. ‘The 
inference might be good, but it was not altogether satisfactory. The 
rain was something extraordinary in its violence and duration, and 
the birds, if weakened at all, might have been weakened by other 
things save the disease, want of water for instance, under which, in 


* For my own part, I doubt if they feed much before daylight, but not that they 
visit the enclosures at the time mentioned. 


Birds. 6263 


all probability, multitudes of young birds perished both last year 
and this. 

I have seen grouse tower, and frequently. Still there seems to be 
a material difference between the grouse and the partridge in this 
respect, — a difference including two main particulars, viz., that they 
tower much less frequently, or, to express my meaning in a more 
exact manner, a much smaller proportion of the total birds killed 
towers, and that those that do tower do not rise to anything like the 
same height as the partridge. Ihave seen the latter bird often go up 
seventy or eighty or even a hundred yards, and sometimes appa- 
rently even much higher than that. I never saw a grouse, however, 
rise higher than, I should say, thirty or thirty-five yards. Again, I 
hardly ever saw ten brace of partridges killed without seeing some of 
them tower, and not very unfrequently I have seen both the birds 
killed by the successive discharge of the two barrels perform the evo- 
lution in question. On the other hand, I have often seen twelve or 
fifteen brace of grouse killed, and not observed a towering bird among 
them. This I cannot help looking upon as remarkable, as the birds 
of the two species are shot at under precisely similar circumstances : 
both rise from the ground, both fly at much the same general eleva- 
tion above the ground, and in much the same sort of way; and it 
seems very difficult to account for the discrepancy observable between 
them in this particular. In the case of rooks, shot, as they usually 
are, with the gun almost vertical, I am not surprised that towering 
rarely occurs, or in the case of other birds fired at when flying so as 
to cause the gun pointed at them to have anything but a horizontal 
direction ; for I feel convinced that towering is occasioned by an 
injury in some part, wherever that part may be, which can be but 
rarely reached by shot fired from much below the level at which the 
bird is flying. [I once “ towered” a partridge which was shot just as 
it passed over my head from behind; but it was so near to me that 
some of the pellets must necessarily have been driven with force suffi- 
cient to make them pass quite through the most solid parts of the 
bird’s body. 

One other peculiarity I have often noticed in the wounded grouse, 
viz., that it falls as if shot dead, or at all events so severely that death 
shall ensue almost immediately ; and yet, after lying, perhaps quite 
motionless, during the whole time occupied in recharging, on your 
approaching to “bag” them they will get up and fly away as if 
nothing had happened. Once, last season, a bird dropped to my 
gun. As it did not remain motionless, but continued to work its way 


6264 Birds. 


along the ling, I supposed it was only winged. Just as my attendant 
was leaving me to pick it up, it reached a space of bare ground, took 
wing, flew below the little hill I stood on, and was lost. I might 
mention many other such instances. A partridge sometimes acts in, 
apparently, a somewhat similar way; but I cannot recal a single case 
in which I noticed it in the partridge in which I did not also notice 
that the bird had been wounded in the head by the discharge before 
which it had fallen, and was very likely blinded, at least on one side. 
I do not know whether this peculiarity in the ways of the grouse may 
not be accounted for on the ground that, being a much larger bird 
than the partridge, and clothed with harder and thicker plumage, a 
blow which would serve to disable the latter would only be sufficient 
to stun the former. 

More facts, and more interesting in the biography of the grouse, 
might no doubt be collected by one who had the time at his command 
necessary for systematic observation. I have only tried to record 
what I have observed casually and from time to time. 


J. C. ATKINSON. 


Occurrence of the Norfolk Plover and the Ruff near Barnstaple. — I have recently 

seen a specimen of the Norfolk plover (Gdicnemus crepitans), which was shot last 
January, on the Braunton Burrows ; and I have in my possession a ruff (Machetes 
pugnax) which was shot there a wiuter or two back, — rather a westerly locality. — 
Murray A. Mathews ; Raleigh, near Barnstaple, September 6, 1858. 
_ [The locality is a new one for both species ; but Mr. Mathews does not mention 
the still more remarkable fact of these birds occurring in the winter. I have always 
regarded them as merely summer visitors in Britain, arriving at the end of April and 
leaving in September.—. Newman. | 

Occurrence of the Spotted Crake (Gallinula porzana) near Richmond, Yorkshire.— 
A fine male specimen of the spotted crake was found dead, a few days ago, at Ellerton 
Abbey, a few miles from Richmond. There are, I believe, few instances of its having 
been observed in the North Riding of Yorkshire—Henry Smurthwaite ; Bank, Rich- 
mond Yorkshire, September 24, 1854. 

The Red and Willow Grouse.-—Mr. Gould, in a conversation about these birds, has 
this instant told me that the adult Lagopus Saliceti has invariably white wings: Iam 
not at liberty to repeat any opinion Mr. Gould may have offered as to the distinctness 
of the two supposed species; but this mere matter of fact he permits me to use as I 
please: prior to attaining adult plumage the young birds’ wings are coloured similarly 
in both grouse.—Edward Newman ; September 27, 1858. 

The Red and Willow Grouse. —I have no hesitation in saying that I think the 
willow grouse quite distinct from the common grouse. ‘The short thick bill, stouter 
tarsi, and white wings, are quite sufficient to distinguish the willow from the common 


Birds. 6265 


grouse. The eggs I have seen of the willow grouse are also quite different from 
those of our common bird. — Frederick Bond ; 24, Cavendish Road, October 11, 
1858. 

The Red and Willow Grouse.—The question mooted by Mr. Norman regarding the 
identity of these two (so-called) species is undoubtedly very interesting, and I trust the 
subject will receive the attention it deserves, and be thoroughly worked out by those 
who have had the fullest opportunities of making the necessary comparison. I have 
no wish or intention of putting forward my own opinion on the matter, nor will 
I venture to express my crude thoughts on a subject, with the positive facts of which 
I can speak with so little accuracy; but perhaps I may be permitted to state one 
particular, which came under my notice in the year 1850, when I shot the willow 
grouse in Norway in considerable numbers, and which, in fact, for a certain period 
formed the principal item in our daily bill of fare; for it struck me at the time 
as something remarkable that whereas all the old birds which passed through 
my hands had white wings, the young and the half-grown birds as invariably had their 
wing-feathers coloured: moreover, [ now possess, amongst the many skins of these 
birds which I brought home to England, several immature specimens of every age 
and size, from the chick lately emerged from the shell, which I caught with my hands 
among the rocks on the Fjeld, up to the full-grown adult; and I have now before me 
a case of these birds, old and young, the latter of which, up to the point when they 
are about three-parts grown, show no white whatever in their wings, the quill-feathers 
being invariably coloured, whereas the older birds, as well as the adult, have invariably 
white wings. This fact I recollect pointing out to my friend Mr. Alfred Newton, in 
1852, since which time that gentleman has made his own observations on the same 
point in Norway and Lapland; and if he could be prevailed on to state the result of 
his experience on the point, I know of no one more entitled to be listened to with atten- 
tion, or more likely to arrive at an accurate conclusion on the point in debate. As 
regards the size of their respective beaks, I have nothing to offer beyond my impres- 
sion that the beak of the willow grouse is not larger or stronger than that of the red 
grouse, though here I speak with considerable hesitation, not having a specimen of 
the red grouse at hand with which to compare my Norwegian birds. But again, in 
discussions of this kind, regarding the identity of supposed species, one very tangible 
point is the comparison of a sufficient series of their respective eggs, as suggested by 
Mr. Norman in his former paper (Zool. 6209), and surely this must be a matter of no 
difficulty, when we consider the numerical abundance of both birds: I regret that I did 
not bring home from Norway specimens of the egg of the willow grouse, but I doubt 
not many others must have done so, and I trust that some one who has the opportunity 
will communicate this strong argument for or against the verdict of identity; for I 
conceive that in a dispute of personal identity (notoriously a subject which, above all 
others, puzzles judges and juries and the whole bar), whereas on the one side a perfect 
similarity of eggs would be a great link in the chain of evidence for the identity of the 
supposed species, on the other hand an uniform dissimilarity of eggs would at once 
prove an insurmountable barrier against such identity. I therefore repeat that I trust 
this comparison will be instituted, and the result made known, while the question is 
pending; and I earnestly hope that the whole very interesting inquiry will not be 
suffered to drop till it has been thoroughly investigated, and the advocates for both 
sides fully heard. — Alfred Charles Smith; Yatesbury Rectory, Wilts, October 12, 
1858. 


XVI. a G 


6266 Birds. 


Red and Willow Grouse.—I am much pleased to find that Mr. Newman invites 
(Zool. 6243) Messrs. Doubleday, Bond, Salmon and Wolley to give their views on the 
identity of our red with the willow grouse; by this means the question will stand a 
good chance of being thoroughly investigated, and an ornithological question of the 
very highest interest solved. Since my last communication appearing in the ‘ Zoologist’ 
I have received a private letter from a correspondent, who writes as follows, touching 
the colour of the wings, &c.:— I have examined many of these birds (willow grouse) 
killed in summer, and have found that although the wings are, as you describe them, 
more or less of a ‘tawny brown, yet the quills are invariably white, and the reason 
appears to me pretty plain: these quil!s are moulted but once a year, while nearly all 
the rest of the feathers are changed twice, if not three times.” The same gentleman 
also states that he has compared the bills of the red grouse with those of the willow 
grouse, and that larger bills were by no means constant to the latter; indeed he found 
an old male red grouse with a larger bill than that of our old male willow grouse, 
which had the longest of the series. These facts, coming from a gentleman of much 
experience in the matter, I look upon as being of great value. At any rate, it appears 
I have been in error in describing the colour of the wings of those I flushed in the 
Dovrefjelds ; still I cannot understand how the wings should appear brown, if the quill- 
feathers were white; the vibrations of the wings during flight would scarcely account 
for the appearance.—G. Norman; Hull, October 15, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Marsh Harrier on Pevensey Levels,—Mr. Albert Vidley, of this 
town, shot on Saturday, October 2nd, in Pevensey Marshes, a remarkably fine speci- 
men of the marsh harrier (Falco eruginosus); it was in very fine plumage. The crop 
was very much distended with the remains of a bird, apparently a moorhen. Mr. V. 
says he has often seen them in the Marshes, but never shot one before. The same 
indefatigable naturalist brought me to-day, for inspection, a fine lesser blackbacked 
gull (Larus fuscus), shot by one of his father’s men, the day before, in Pevensey Bay. 
—John Dutton ; South Street, Eastbourne, October 12, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Spoonbill near Aldborough.— A white spoonbill (Platalea 
leucorodia) was shot at Thorpe Mere, near Aldborough, Suffolk, on the 29th of Sep- 
tember: it is a young bird; it measures 36 inches in length, and the bill is 84 inches 
in length; the crest on the head is wanting; the upper plumage is dull white; the 
shafts of the feathers and margins dusky brown, with the shafts and tips of the quill- 
feathers black. This is the first occurrence of the spoonbill in this neighbourhood for 
several years: one was shot on the same marsh in 1848; I am not aware of any 
since.—Hdward Neave ; Leiston, near Saxrmundham, Suffolk. 

Occurrence of the Wood Sandpiper near Birmingham.—A specimen of the wood 
sandpiper (Zotanus glareola) was shot a few miles from Birmingham (at Barr), on the 
26th of August: the bird is a male, and was, by the gentleman who shot it, presented 
to Mr. Charles B. Hodgson, of this town, in whose possession it now is. I am not 
aware that this bird has before been observed in this district-—Henry Buckley ; 
Church Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, October 15, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Glossy Ibis in Dorsetshire.—One day last week a boatman shot, 
in the immediate neighbourhood of Wareham, in the meadows opposite the Priory, a 
specimen of the glossy ibis (Tantalus falcinellus, Penn.): it has been purchased by 
C. O. Bartlett, Esq., of Wareham, and is now in the hands of Mr. Hart, of Christ- 
church, for preservation. It will be remembered that Yarrell records one killed in 


Birds. 6267 


Poole Harbour in 1839: Wareham is situated at the head of Poole Bay.— William 
Thompson ; Weymouth, October 5, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Pomarine Skua (Lestris pomarina) at the Land’s End.—This 
species of skua has appeared with us frequently, but in some seasons they are more 
abundant than in others. Generally their plumage exhibits an uniform brown tint, 
more or less edged with reddish brown, according to the age of the bird. I have just 
examined a very perfect specimen of an adult bird, killed within the last few days at 
the Land’s End. The crown and sides of the head and the whole of the upper parts 
are of a deep uniform bluish black; the back of the neck, throat, upper parts and 
sides of the neck white, striated with yellow; the breast, sides and belly to the vent 
pure white, a few indistinct spots of brown disturbing this colour on the sides of the 
breast; the vent and under tail-coverts dark brown. The two middle tail-feathers 
were unfortunately lost—Edward Hearle Rodd; Penzance, October 16, 1858. 


Note on a Bird and on a Quadruped, both found in Natal, and 
both said to prey upon Serpents. By JoHN HENRY GURNEY, 
Kisq., M.P. 


TuE following extract from a letter, which I have recently received 
from Natal, may perhaps interest the readers of the ‘ Zoologist.’ The 
bird referred to would appear by the description to be the Abou-Gamba 
of Abyssinia (Bucorvus Abyssinicus) ; the quadruped may probably be 
a species of Ichneumon. 

The letter from which the extract is taken is written by Mr. Thomas 
Ayres, of D’Urban, Natal, a collector from whom I have received 
much curious information and several very good ornithological 
specimens, well prepared, and at moderate prices, and whom I can 
therefore recommend to the notice of any naturalists requiring 
specimens from the Colony of Natal. 

J. H. Gurney. 

Catton Hall, Norwich, 

October 7, 1858. 


“ That which follows with regard to the habits of the undermentioned 
bird is on Caffre authority, which I consider very good. 

“This bird I have forgotten to mention before, but I daresay you 
are acquainted with it; it is generally called here the Turkey buzzard 
(a misnomer I have no doubt), from its resemblance to a turkey ; some 
call it the snake bird, because it lives entirely on snakes and other 
reptiles: it is the size of a large turkey; general plumage black, with 
a large patch of white on the wing; the front of the neck is bare of 


6268 Birds. 


feathers ; the skin hangs down, and is of a bright red colour, similar 
to that of the turkey ; the bill is about nine inches long and black, 
is curved, sharp-pointed and large, similar to the stork’s, and has a 
knob, or is larger at the top near the head, similar to some of the horn- 
bills ; the legs are short, but this bird jumps so quickly and so far 
that, if only winged, it is almost impossible to catch him on foot. 
Their habits are somewhat curious; they generally hunt in company 
from four to eight or ten together, feed almost entirely on snakes, and 
do not hesitate to attack those of the largest and most venomous kinds 
in the following manner: on discovering a large snake three or fopr 
of the birds advance sideways towards it, with their wings stretched 
out; with the quill-feathers they flap and irritate the snake till he 
seizes them by the wing-feathers, when they immediately all close 
and give him a violent peck with their long and sharp bills, imme- 
diately withdrawing again, when the snake leaves his hold; this they 
repeat till the snake is dead; if the reptile advances on them they 
place both wings in front of them completely covering their heads and 
most vulnerable parts. 

“There is also a small animal here, something like a polecat, which 
kills large venomous snakes (some eight to twelve feet long) m a 
curious manner: when he finds the reptile has left his hole he enters 
and awaits its return; the instant the snake puts its head in, the cat 
seizes him by the upper part of the neck, not leaving his hold till the 
snake is dead: he then bites the snake into many pieces, laying them 
together carefully in a heap, but seldom eats them: he then struts 
about with hair erect, seemingly much pleased with the feat he has 
accomplished. 

“TI have perfect confidence in what the Caffres tell me, as they have 
every opportunity of seeing and knowing the habits of many animals 
and birds; but of course when my information is from them I shall 
tell you.” 


Occurrence of Rare Birds near Banff. By Tuomas Epwarp. 


A specimen of the spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) was seen near 
this place last spring: it frequented the same spot for nearly three 
weeks. 

During the past summer a specimen of the bee-eater (Merops 
aptaster) was observed by three different individuals at a place 
called the Hills of Boyndie, about two miles from Banff. 


Birds. 6269 


Three specimens of the curlew sandpiper (7ringa subarquata) were 
seen to frequent a part of our coast for several days towards the end 
of August last: one, a male, a very fine specimen, was procured. 

A hoopoe (Upupa epops) was shot by the Duke of Richmond in 
Glen Fiddoch, one of his Grace’s deer forests, on the 21st of Sep- 
tember. 

Four bartailed godwits (Limosa rufa) were seen about six weeks 
ago. 

A specimen of the brown snipe (Scolopax grisea) was met with on 
our, sands on Saturday afternoon, the 25th of September. When - 
first observed it was feeding amongst some dunlins and ringed 
dotterells: there were also a few golden plovers. It is rather a 
rare circumstance to see these birds on our coast at this season of the 
year; but confound these ringed dotterells,—they are almost as bad 
as the curlews; for there is no getting an easy shot at a stranger 
when once it gets associated with them: they are eternally on the 
look out for squalls, and when anything does appear they generally 
alarm everything near them. A shot, however, after a good deal of 
winding and turning, was fired, and although at pretty long range, 
broke at least one of the snipe’s legs; this had the effect of parting 
him from his companions, as they all flew seaward, and he to a ride 
of shingle which intervenes between the sands and links. Here he 
alighted or rather fell, for he tumbled as he came down, seemingly to 
rise no more. Having reloaded, in case of need, I then ran, as well 
as I was able, to pick him up, gained the spot, and after a little 
trouble found my bird stretched out at full length amongst the 
pebbles,—a corpse, as I thought. And what a most beautiful speci- 
men he was !—apparently an old bird. It was now that I was made 
fully aware of what I had really shot at, and what a valuable prize I 
had got, or rather met with. I laid down my gun, and sat down 
myself, being almost intoxicated with delight, and having taken some 
cotton wadding from my pocket to wrap round the injured leg and 
stop up any other wound he may have received, I took him up for 
that purpose; but, alas! too sanguine fool that 1 was to lay my gun 
aside so soon. It is a true saying that “there’s many a slip ’twixt 
the cup and the lip:” I have experienced it often, and here I was 
doomed to it again. Away flew the bird, having actually slipped 
through my very fingers, whilst about to lay him on my knee. I 
looked, but what like I really cannot tell; but what was the use of 
looking? What else could I do? Well, I fired both barrels as soon 
as I got hold of my gun, and sitting as I was too. But what of that? 


6270 Birds. 


Why I was just in the very nick of time to be too late. Away went 
the bird, his shattered limb dangling the while, and whistling as he 
flew, but whether in derision of my stupidity, or exulting in his own 
most miraculous and fortunate escape, I know not. One thing, how- 
ever, I observed,—that his whistling was not unlike the call of the 
redshank (Totanus calidris) when suddenly disturbed. Having flown 
about a hundred yards or so, he again settled amongst some low-lying 
rocks. I was in doubt as to whether I should follow: it was now 
gloming, and betwixt my own weakness and anxiety I was more lke 
an aspen Jeaf than anything else. Follow, however, I did, having first 
reloaded, and was just about giving up the pursuit as hopeless, when 
he rose from beneath my feet. Both barrels were again emptied, but 
with little apparent effect: the last made him scream somewhat 
harshly and falter for a little in his flight, but that was all. Darkness 
now put an end to any further operations for that night, and caused 
me to return home a much disappointed and rather sorrowful being. 
Next day, however, and for many days afterwards, I was again out; 
but although the coast has been searched for miles on either side of 
the place where the bird was last seen, no traces of him can be 
obtained; and thus it may be said has been lost one of the greatest 
ornithological rarities which has visited us this many a day, for doubt- 
less he has died of his wounds, and will rot unheeded in some hidden 
and unknown spot. I am not aware that this species was ever met 
with here before. 
THomas EDWARD. 
Banff, September 28, 1858. 


Migratory Birds in the Isle of Wight.—The following dates were observed this 
year at Bembridge :— 
SUMMER BIRDS FIRST SEEN. 


March 24. Wheatear (20th at Sandown); April 13. Sandwich Tern. Wind S.E. 
Chiffchaff. Wind E., light. » 14. Sand Martin. Wind S.E. 


' April 1. Swallow. Wind N.E., cold. 5» 16. Wryneck. 
4, 6. Swallows (several). 57 20. Whinchat. 
» 9 Redstart, Willow Wren, White- » 930. Swift. 
throat, Cuckoo, Blackcap. May 4. Turtle Dove. 
Wind E.N.E., cold. » 9! House Martin. 
» 10. Titlarks (numerous), Nightin- » 6. Common Sandpiper. 


gale, Yellow Wagtail. Wind » 6to 8. Flycatcher. 
S.E. » 11. Grasshopper Warbler. 


Birds—Fishes. 6271 


WINTER BIRDS LAST SEEN. 


April 1. Turnstone. May 4. Greenshank. 
,, 13. Brent Guose. » 12. Curlew. 
» 17. Black Scoter. » 11 to 13. Bartailed Godwit. 
» 26. Tufted Duck. » 15. Whimbrel. 
», 27. Redthroated Diver (several). » 30. Gray Plover, Dunlin. 


5 28. Great Northern Diver. 


The remarkable features of the above list seem to be the early date of the beginning 
of the migratory movement, and the great numbers of certain species amoung these 
early arrivals; for instance, the swallow and sand martin were reported in the ‘ Times’ 
newspaper to have been seen at Dorchester on the 31st of March, and the Ist of April 
is an equally unusual date in the Isle of Wight. At Bembridge, on the after noon of 
the Yth of April, the bushes along the sea-shore were literally swarming with small war- 
blers, principally willow wrens; while redstarts, generally quite uncommon birds with 
us, were so abundant for a week all over the island as to have attracted the notice of the 
least observant. May not these birds have been driven from their intended course by 
the severe weather which then prevailed in the interior part of the Continent? If at 
least they were a detachment that should have dispersed itself over France and Ger- 
many, but upon this occasion preferred a more westerly route, within the influence of 
the milder temperature of the sea-coast, this might serve to account for the few days 
difference in the date of their arrival with us. The pause which afterwards ensued 
before the coming of the main body of birds was equally striking. After the first 
pioneers had left us (as they did within a week) it was long before their place was 
filled by fresh arrivals, and swallows did not, in the Isle of Wight, become plentiful 
until nearly the middle of May. Coincident with this unusual lateness of the main 
body of swallows was the visit of a flock of bartailed godwits that was first noticed on 
the 11th of May, and remained on our mud flats for several days: as far as was ob- 
served, only three of the number had yet assumed the bright bay colour; one of those 
that I shot was in perfect summer plumage, and two or three stragglers met with in 
Sandown Bay had also very nearly or quite completed their moult; these red birds 
were all found to belong to the male sex. The gray plover seen on the 30th of May 
was perfectly black beneath, being quite similar to anvther solitary individual of the 
same species obtained last year, on the 8th of May.—A. G. More ; October 5, 1858. 


Occurrence of the Short Sun-fish (Orthagoriscus Mola) near Banff.—A specimen of 
this rather rare and somewhat singular-looking creature was captured, on Monday last, 
by a boat’s crew belonging to Whitehills, one of our fishing villages: it was found 
floating on the surface, seemingly in a state of repose, and suffered itself to be taken 
on board in that condition. After it was in the boat, however, it began to show life, 
and floundered about dreadfully, much to the aunoyance of the fishermen, who were 
somewhat afraid of it, on account of its odd appearance, never having seen anything 
of the kind before. Amongst several parasites (Crustaceous) found upon it, are three 
specimens of Tristoma coccineum ; and, from the gills, no fewer than nineteen female 
Cecrops Latreillii were taken, and each, except three, had a male attached; some of 
the females were more than an inch in length, whilst some of the males were not above 
an eighth of that length: so peculiarly and firmly attached are the males of this 


6272 Fishes—Mollusks. 


species to the females, and so like a portion of their own bodies, that it would be no 
dificult matter to mistake the two for one: there were no males found, but those on 
the females. A monster ‘‘ Carldadie,” as we call it here, or ribwort plantain (Plantago 
lanceolata),—a somewhat strange and peculiar-looking specimen of this common plant, 
—was met with lately near Banff: it is a well-known fact, for almost every child knows 
it, that this plant is single-flowered, and that the flower-stalk grows up entirely desti- 
tute of leaves, these adhering solely to the root: in this case, however, it was different, 
there being no fewer than thirteen leaves and three flowers on the top of a single 
stem: the stem was nineteen inches in height, and very stout.—TZhomas Edward ; 
Banff, October 8, 1858. 

Occurrence of the Immaculate Wrasse at Weymouth.—I have to record the capture 
of a specimen of the immaculate wrasse (Labrus carneus, of Bloch): it was taken by 
my relation, Mr. Edward Kynaston, whilst fishing with me at the back of the Portland 
Breakwater, on the 27th of September last: we were fishing for whiting pout, with 
shrimps for bait. This is the second specimen that has occurred to me; the other, 
which was also obtained in Weymouth Bay, I recorded on the 10th of Octuber, 1853. 
The specimen last obtained I have preserved in spirits, and have deposited in the 
Weymouth Museum.— William Thompson ; Weymouth, October 5, 1858. 


The Loves of the Slugs (Limax cinereus).—I know not whether you may remember 
that, about fourteen or fifteen years ago, having observed (as I then thought) a most 
anomalous method of copulation with some of the Limaces (Limax cinereus), I in- 
quired if you could inform me of any work in which it was described, it being so very 
singular that I hesitated to send you a description of it; but having had this summer 
some opportunities of observing it again, and verifying my former notes, it seems that 
it is the normal mode of copulation, with that species at least. I now forward it to 
you for insertion in the ‘ Zoologist.’ In the supplementary part of Cuvier’s ‘ Animal 
Kingdom’ (Griffith’s edition), vol. xii., Mollusca, p. 325, it is stated, “ Their general 
activity increases according to the temperature. It is generally about the end of 
spring and in summer that they seek each other for the purpose of reproduction. We 
know but little respecting the particulars of their intercourse. They are hermaphro- 
dites, and give and receive impregnation at the same time. The organs of generation 
are situated near the neck. * * A very short time after intercourse, and generally 
in the month of May or June the Limaces lay eggs.” Towards midnight, in the 
close, sultry summer nights, from June to September, a couple of Limaces may be ob- 
served slowly following each other, with the mouth of the second resting on the tip of 
the tail of the first, as it may be termed (the extreme point of the foot). I have not 
been able to ascertain whether it takes hold of the tip with its mouth, or merely rests 
upon it, but from the equable motion of the two I should expect the former was the 
case, the second following every sinuosity of the tortuous course taken by the first, 
without the least deviation, for a considerable time (I watched one pair upwards of a 
quarter of an hour without any alteration in their relative positions); they then ascend 
some wall, or other perpendicular surface near where they happen to be; when they 
finally stop the second crawls up alongside the first; they then crawl around each other 
circularly, during which time they emit a large quantity of mucus, which forms a 
patch two inches to two and a half inches in diameter: as soon as the mucus 


Mi ollusca. 6273 


has acquired a sufficient consistence, they begin to twist around each other, and detach 
themselves from the wall,* hanging only by a cord formed of the thickened mucus; 
as they hang suspended, they still keep twisting themselves around each other, 
forming a double spiral ; they continue this turning motion ten minutes or more, until 
at last their bodies can hardly be distinguished from each other, thus forming a regular 
cone about two inches in length and the base one or two inches in diameter, hanging 
from its apex ; during this time the mucous cord keeps lengthening slowly (in one 
instance it reached about fifteen inches in length; I have not seen any less than eight 
or nine inches); the organs of generation are then protruded from their orifice near 
the mouth, and, hanging down a short distance, touch each other; they then commence 
the same spiral motion, twisting round each other, resembling a two-stranded cord. 
When fully protruded they cannot be distinguished; the lower part then assumes 
various forms: the first I saw resembled an inverted flat-topped agaric, the portion 
forming the stem being about two inches in length and two or three lines in diameter, 
the top being about an inch and a half across: others have formed an ovoid mass 
suspended in like manner, covered with foliated processes similar to those of a foliated 
Murex or a leaf of curled parsley; at this time they form a very beautiful object, 
especially when they hang from some projecting surface, which enables them to swing 
clear without touching the wall; the dark shell-like substance hanging pendant from 
a white shining cord, one line in thickness, below which hangs another white semi- 
transparent body, the delicately striated surface of which shows all over it; a 
continuous vermicular motion; the foliated expansions, continually changing their 
form or being withdrawn in places and shooting out afresh in others, giving out occa- 
sionally an iridescence, as the light falls upon the ever-varying surface. After 
remaining a considerable time in this position (the vermicular motion continuing 
without intermission) the generative organs separate, and when nearly withdrawn, the 
bodies untwist themselves and separate ; they then crawl up the suspending line and 
depart. I suppose the reason why they have not been previously observed is, that it 
always takes place late at night: I have never observed them before eleven o’clock, 
but generally about midnight. If persons obscrve, where the slugs abound, circular 
patches of slime on the walls, formed during the previous nights (being so much more 
‘in thickness than the shining tracks they make, they are not obliterated for two or three 
days), they may be sure that by attentively observing them the next sultry nights, they 
will most probably be able to verify the foregoing statement of facts. —James Bladon ; 
Pont-y-pool, September 30, 1858. 


* IT have not been able to observe the actual separation from the wall, my 
attention being unfortunately called off for a minute or two from them; in the case in 
which I had an opportunity of tracing the whole process from commencement to end, 
I left them when they were forming the circular patch of mucus, and when [ 
returned they had just left the wall and were commencing the secretion of the 
suspending cord. 


x VI. 3H 


6274 Crustacea. 


Notes on two Crustacea new to Britain. By J. R. Kinanay, M.D., 
Secretary to the Dublin Natural-History Society. 


PLATYARTHRUS HorFMAnsEGGII, Brande. 


On the third of last month I received from my friend the Rev. A. R. 
Hogan, a letter containing specimens of an Oniscoid, found by him in 
ant-hills of Formica rufa and allied species, near Weymouth, and 
which has been up to this time unnoticed in Britain, and but meagrely 
described on the Continent. 

The curious companionship of Isopod Crustacea and Ants was, I 
believe, noticed for the first time by M. H. Lucas, in the case of an 
Oniscoid found by him at Medeah, in Algeria, in company with 
Formica testaceo-pilosa, and which he has recorded under the name of 
Porcellio myrmecophilus, in a paper in the ‘ Revue et Magasin de 
Zoologie,’ p. 335, 1855, intituled “ Observations sur deux Nouveaux 
Genres de Coleoptéres (Oochrotus et Merophysia) qui vivent dans les 
four miliéres des Formica barbara et testaceo-pilosa.” I may remark, 
In passing, that a careful examination of type-specimens of this 
species, kindly afforded me by the discoverer, has satisfied me that 
it does not belong to Porcellio as restricted by Brandt; and I have 
therefore, with M. Lucas’s permission, established a genus Lucasius 
for it, and hope shortly to describe it more fully as Lucasius myrme- 
cophilus, along with a number of new and undescribed genera of the 
group. 

The Isopod sent me by Mr. Hogan proves to belong to the genus 
Platyarthrus, established by Brandt in his ‘Conspectus Monographia 
Oniscodorum,’ and is probably identical with the species, P. Hoffman- 
segell, br., there noted by name only (which is, I believe, identical 
with Itea crassicornis, Koch.), as M. Lucas kindly gave me, when in 
Paris, specimens identical with Mr. Hogan’s, which he had obtained 
in abundance in the ant-hills of Formica rufa, at Fontainbleau, near 
Paris, and which is therefore most probably identical with the species _ 
found by Brandt in Germany. 

The following descriptions have been drawn up from the speci- 
mens :— 

Genus PLATyarTHRUS, Brandt. 


Body flattened. Head transverse; lateral and frontal lobes well 
marked, arising from third ring. Internal antenne inconspicuous, 
three - jointed. External antenne seven-jointed. Peduncle,— 
second joint lobed internally; fifth broad and flattened (whence 


Crustacea. 6275 


name of genus). .Filament two-jointed; basal joint minute, rounded, 
nearly concealed by fifth joint of peduncle ; terminal joint rounded 
and scabrous (Brandt failed to perceive the basal joint, and hence mis- 
described the antenne as six-jointed). Abdominal rings,—coxe of 
first and second obsolete. Telson (terminal ring),—coxa obsolete, 
triangular. Posterior pleopods articulated to inferior margin of telson. 
Peduncle completely exposed. Accessory lobe well marked. Acces- 
sory appendage rounded. Ischium flattened, trigonal. 


Species PLATYARTHRUS HoOFFMANSEGGII, Brandt. 


~Cephalothorax and abdomen covered with numerous rounded 
granules, the margins of the wings distinctly crenulated through them. 
Frontal lobe of head arched, fringed with coarse hairs, extending over 
the entire front. External antenne densely scabrous and _ tuber- 
culated. Eyes small, situated at external angle of head. Telson 
triangular, with a shallow pit above its margins, slightly excavate ; 
posterior margin fringed with hairs and tubercles. Last pair of 
appendages,—peduncle subrotund, sides parallel, its superior margin 
distinctly crenulated, scabrous. Accessory lobe arising from inferior 
margin of peduncle. Accessory appendage curved and rounded, 
barely attaining to apex of peduncle. Ischium scabrous, terminating 
in a filament, equalling the peduncle in length. , 
The specimens sent were all whitish gray. Mr. Hogan states that 
the species is very active, does not roll, but merely feigns death when 
alarmed, and conceals itself very rapidly. 


CRANGON PATTERSONII. 


During some dredging researches in Belfast Lough, last August, an 
undescribed species of shrimp occurred to me, which I wish to record 
under the above name. 

Rostrum nearly as long as the eyes, rounded at end, concave above. 
Carapace with three rows of spines, viz., one median of three spines, 
and one on each branchial region which bifurcates as it passes upwards. 
Abdominal rings,—first to fourth smooth ; posterior margin of fifth 
ring produced medianly into a triangular knob; sixth ring flattened 
above ; telson (last ring) lanceolate, sulcated above; the fourth to 
sixth rings narrow suddenly, as in C. fasciatus. 

The species is closely allied to C. spinosus, which differs in having 
a narrow rostrum acute at end, and the rings of the abdomen from the 
first to the fifth carinated. These distinctions hold good even in small 
specimens. ‘The specimens obtained were male and female, the latter 


6276 Insects. - 


with ova; they occurred in from ten to fifteen fathoms, in black sand, in 
the same locality. © Crangon Allmanni and Crangon spinosus also 
occurred. I have named it after Robert Patterson, M.R.1.A., President 
of the Belfast Natural History Society. 


JcHN ROBERT KINAHAN. 
Seaview Terrace, Donnybrook, 


October 11, 1858. 


Occurrence of Vanessa Antiopa in the North.— A fine specimen of the Vanessa 
Antiopa was seen in my garden at Blackwell, near Darlington, the end of last month 
(August), and a local paper mentions that one was caught not far from Guisborough, 
about the same time. I have heard of others which have been lately captured or seen 
in different parts of this county, as well as in Yorkshire. This butterfly is only an 
occasional and rare visitor to our county (Durham). The ‘ Zoologist’ for 1848 con- 
tains a notice of a pair taken at Bishop Auckland that year, and I possess a specimen 
which was found many years ago floating on the river Tees. While on the subject of 
this insect. I wish to correct the observation of a correspondent in the ‘ Zoologist’ for 
1843, that the white-bordered Antiopa is not found in Switzerland. I have myself 
met with both kinds, the white and yellow-bordered, in that country. Since I last 
wrote I have received a specimen of the Vanessa Antiopa, taken on the 20th inst., in 
my garden at Blackwell: it would be curious if it could be proved to be the same 
that was seen there nearly a month ago.—John Church Backhouse ; Blackwell, near 
Dartington, September 21, 1858. 

Occurrence of Colias Edusa at Darlington.—A male of the Colias Edusa was 
taken a few days ago at Darlington, a butterfly by no means common with us, even 
in those seasons when it is thought most to abound.—d. 

Larva of Evebia Blandina—This year, for the first time, I have succeeded 
in obtaining a few eggs, which hatched about fourteen days after they were deposited, 
and the larve are now [October] feeding freely on several species of Poa. They have 
undergone their second moult, and may be described as pale green, with a dark green 
or brownish stripe down the back, and two white ones, narrowly bordered by the same 
dark colour, on each side. In the lower white stripe on each side are the spiracles. 
The posterior extremity is attenuated and slightly furcate, as in the other larve of the 
family. — George Wailes, in a Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Northumberland and 
Durham, p. 11. 

Larva of Erebia Cassiope.—Pale green, with numerous darker green longitudinal 
lines shaded into the ground-colour, and with a well-defined white line along each side 
in the region of the spiracles. The larve feed upon Poa annua and Festuca ovina, 
though I suspect, in a state of nature, they live on the young leaves of Nardus stricta 
or some of the smaller Junci which constitute the principal herbage of the mountain 
sides where the insect is met with.—Zd., p. 12. 

Larva of Satyrus Semele.— Duponchel states that the larva of Satyrus Semele 
does not suspend itself after the usual manner of the Satyride, but excavates a little 
hole in the ground, in which it undergoes its metamorphosis after, the manner of a 
Noctua. Mr. Logan has verified this observation.— HH. Newman. 

Polyommatus Artaxerxes and Agestis—I think it is due to the readers of the 


Tnsects. 6277 


‘ Zoologist’ that they should be made fully aware of the grounds upon which Polyom- 
matus Agestis and Artaxerxes are considered one species, as there seems to be still a 
considerable amount of scepticism upon the subject: I must beg leave, therefore, to re- 
capitulate a little. In the first place, there is noappreciable difference either in struc- 
ture or markings; the differences being absolutely limited to the colour of the discoidal 
spot on the upper side, and the greater or less distinctness of the pupils to the ocelli 
beneath. Every good naturalist knows that colour, unaccompanied by difference of 
structure or marking, is of very little value in the discrimination of species ; and if we 
admit it in this instance, we must also consider the Scotch variety of Coononympha 
Davus as a distinct species, along with many other Scotch insects which differ 
in colour from the same species as found in the South of England. Secondly, 
the description of the larva of Agestis will serve also for that of Artaxerxes or 
vice versa, Although I have not yet seen the larva of Agestis alive (the larve 
forwarded by Mr. Harding having been those of Hypera fasciculata, and one true 
Agestis larva which Mr. Doubleday kindly sent me having produced several Micro- 
gaster cocoons on its way here), I have seen a beautiful drawing of the larva of Agestis 
by Mr. Standish, which Mr. Doubleday kindly sent me; and, as far as one can judge 
from a drawing, the two larve are the same. Again, the larva of Agestis can 
no longer be said to feed exclusively on Erodium, if indeed this is its usual food-plant, 
Mr. Gregson having found it on Helianthemum, which, added to the obesrvations of 
Mr. Walker (Zool. 6248), leaves no room to doubt that Agestis is at least as 
much attached to Helianthemum vulgare as it is to Erodium cicutarium. The 
habits of the two with respect to pupation are also essentially the same; as though 
Artaxerxes when near the base of a rock, or when tonfined in a box, sometimes fastens 
its pupa by a silken thread across the body, it does nut always do so, and the pupa is 
frequently found on or in the earth beneath the plants. Although a matter of 
secondary importance, I may mention that the little white cocoons of Microgaster from 
the Agestis larva belong apparently to the same species as that which infests the larva 
of Artaxerxes. Mr. Crewe says that he is “an utter unbeliever in what are called 
permanent varieties or races.” He surely does not mean this to apply to the whole of 
nature ; and if we have permanent races in the human species, in many of the higher 
animals, and in other orders of insects, I do not see why they should not exist also 
among the Lepidoptera. The conviction that they do so exist is becoming every year 
more strong with me; and I believe that not only are modifications in colour, size, 
&c., frequently hereditary, but also variations in habits ; and this in cases where there 
can be no reason to doubt the identity of the species, or to suppose that the facts tend 
to support the theories of Lamarck.— R. F. Logan; Duddingston, Edinburgh, 
October 13, 1858. 

[Is not the supposition that Polyommatus Agestis feeds on Erodium a mere mis- 
take, arising from an individual larva having accidentally been found by Professor 
Zeller wandering from its food-plant ?—F. Newman. ] ; 

Polyommatus Artaxerxes and Agestis—When I wrote a reply to Mr. Logan’s 
paper, in the June number of the ‘ Zoologist, I hoped that it would have produced 
some fact to prove that the two species were one and the same, but it appears that those 
parties have no fact to produce. Mr. Newman certainly has made a mountain of a 
mole-hill regarding my mistake, and has it seems quite forgotten the main question,— 
are the two species one and the same? Yes, says Mr. Newman, I had that opinion 
twenty-five years ago; and it appears that since that period he has not taken one step 


6278 Insects. 


in advance in this matter; at all events he has not told me of any. I should have 
been much pleased if Mr. Doubleday had given us his opinion, for he received some 
of the larve of P. Agestis from me; but again, Mr. Newman states that I leave un- 
touched the evidence of the present year. [In answer to this, I state that I have no 
fresh evidence ; the larve are the same, their food-plant is the same, and their manner 
of feeding is as it was eight years ago. I expected to have the evidence of Mr. Newman 
and others to prove that they were one and the same, but it now appears that time, 
that great unfolder of events, must decide the question. One word before closing 
this subject, to Mr. Harpur Crewe; he says he knows nothing of the larva of P. Ages- 
tis, but thinks it ought to revel on the top of its food, as its brother P. Argiolus does, 
and is at a loss to conceive why I have condemned it to so hard a fate. I hereby 
inform Mr. Harpur Crewe that I had no hand in the matter, any more than he had in 
condemning P. Argiolus to be exposed on the top of a holly-tree when its brother was 
snugly ensconced under its food-plant; but it is such circumstances as these that 
prove a difference of species. One word more: I hope that this subject will set others 
on the look-out for the larve of P. Agestis; by this means we may arrive at the truth.— 
H. J. Harding; 1, York Street, Bethnal Green, October 14, 1858. 


The Distinctive Differences between Polyommatus Agestis and 
P. Artaxerxes carefully considered. By G. Wat es, Esq.* 


Let us now consider the points of distinction relied on. They seem 
to be,—/first, the marginal band of orange spots ; secondly, the black 
or white spot in the upper wings ; and, ¢hzrdly, the ocellated or non- 
ocellated white spots on the under side. As to the first, there is no 
doubt that this band of orange spots is generally most fully developed 
in the southern localities ; but the supposition, that it always decreases 
as we proceed northwards, is certainly erroneous; for some of the 
finest and most brilliant specimens in this particular that I have seen 
are from parts as far north as Liverpool, from our own district, and 
from Edinburgh ; those from the two last localities bearing the white 
spot of P. Artaxerxes. We may therefore, I think, safely dismiss this 
band as any criterion of specific difference. 

Next, as to the black or white spot on the upper wings. It would 
appear that throughout the continent of Europe, widely diffused as I 
shall hereafter show P. Agestis to be, not a single specimen has been 
recorded as deviating from the type, even in latitudes much colder 
than our own, whereas, in Britain, it extends northwards as far as our 
most northern local habitat, Bamborough, mingled from Richmond, in 
Yorkshire, with the Artaxerxes form. Even in the most southern 
parts of our island we have a few examples recorded which link the 


* In ‘ Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Northumberland and Durham,’ p. 29. 


Insects. 6270 


types together. The oldest I quote from Stephens’ work, under 
P. Artaxerxes,—“I once observed it on Dartmoor, 23rd August, 1823. 
—Dr. Leach ;” and Mr. Stainton, in his ‘ Manual, under P. Agestis, 
says “ A singular variety, with a white spot on the upper side, in the 
centre of the fore wings, was taken near Brighton, last July (1855), by 
Mr. H. Cooke. The under side agreed entirely with the ordinary 
appearance of P. Agestis. Mr. Bond, one of our best out-of-door 
naturalists, and an excellent Lepidopterist, informs me that he has 
occasionally seen a specimen in the South, with a small white spot on 
the wing.” Mr. Vaughan says “he once took a specimen near Bristol, 
with a clear white ring round the black dot in the anterior wing ;” and 
Mr. Sircom, in a communication to the ‘ Zoologist, 1844 (Zool. 773), 
mentioned other similar cases in the South. From Yorkshire, north- 
wards, these white-spotted specimens are numerous, and ultimately, it 
would seem, the only form we have. I think, therefore, we may 
reasonably conclude that the presence of a white or of a black spot 
will not suffice to establish the fact of there being two species. 
Finally, we have to consider the point of ocellated or non-ocellated 
spots on the under side; in other words, whether the absence or 
the presence of minute black dots in the centres of the white spots 
underneath be sufficient to divide the specimens into two species. I 
may premise that the presence of this black dot in the discoidal spot 
of the under side of the anterior wings destroys the Fabrician and 
Haworthian “puncto medio utrinque albo,” as well as Stephens’ 
“utrinque macula discoidali alba,” at once; and yet the latter author 
seems to have overlooked the fact that his variety @, as given above, 
necessarily had this effect! The examination of all our British Poly- 
ommati, with their varieties, and of the best figures of the Kuropean 
Species, convinces me that the only spots or ocelli that are never 
wanting are those placed at the apex of the discoidal cell of each wing, 
and consequently, that either the absence or the presence of any one 
or more of the others, and, @ fortiorz, their having pupils or not, affords 
no unvarying specific character. I might enlarge upon this point, but 
refrain, and proceed rather to apply the proposition to the insect 
before us. Mr. Gregson, of Liverpool, one of our most observant 
Lepidopterists, is of opinion, founded on his long and wide-spread 
experience in collecting, that the full development, and also the 
brightness of the ocelli in these insects, depend much upon the warmth 
of the season of their appearance in the perfect state. | According to 
this law, which certainly obtains amongst insects generally, when 
undisturbed by local causes, we might expect, and in fact find, that, 


6280 Insects. 


in the southern form of P. Agestis, the ocelli are the most brilliant, 
having the black centres large and perfect. Still this is not al- 
ways so, for not only are some of those centres suppressed, but in 
many cases one or more of the ocelli are entirely wanting. In our 
own locality, where the connecting form P. Salmacis of Stephens 
appears in any numbers, and where hundreds of specimens have 
passed through my hands, the majority bear the impress of the southern 
type, though few of them have the ocelli so brilliant as in specimens 
from that part of England. These ocellated specimens are not con- 
fined to such as have either the white or black discoidal spot on the 
upper side, but seem to occur indiscriminately. By far the most 
interesting variety I have yet seen of this butterfly is one in my own 
cabinet, which I captured in July, 1856, at Castle Eden, having the 
spot on the upper wing white, with a black centre. Underneath, the 
only spots within the orange band on its upper wings, are the discoidal 
—white, with a small black centre,—all the others being entirely 
obliterated on one wing; whilst, on the other, there is the sole addition 
of a most minute one between the third and fourth nervures. On both 
under wings, with the exception of the discoidal spot, and the usual 
triangular blotch, every trace of ocelli within the same band is wanting. 
Taking next the Scotch form, we find, that although the great bulk of 
the specimens have the black centres of the ocelli suppressed, still 
they are not always so; for not a few that I have examined possess 
them, and it is probable that one of these latter specimens furnished 
Mr. Stephens was his variety 8. We see, therefore, that the variation 
of these ocelli, or spots, instead of furnishing a means of separating 
P. Agestis from the P. Artaxerxes, in reality links them together, and, 
by means of P. Salmacis, completes their identity. Thus we find all 
the three points of supposed specific distinction fail when rigidly tested, 
and the discovery of the larva-of P. Agestis feeding on the Helian- 
themum alone needed to settle the point beyond doubt or question ; for 
Mr. Bond informs me he has in his cabinet a chrysalis of the southern 
P. Agestis, which is exactly like one of P. Artaxerxes sent him by Mr. 
Logan. Nor do I think this discovery at all unlikely. The domestic | 
habits, if the expression may be allowed, of the Polyommati are well 
known to all entomologists. They never roam far from home, like 
most of our butterflies, but confine their flight to a few yards around 
their native places. Now, Mr. Logan has proved the connection that 
exists between the larva of P. Artaxerxes and this plant, and I have 
traced the range of it and our P. Salmacis in conjunction therewith 
from Richmond to Kincardineshire. Let us notice how far a similar 


Insects. 6281 


connection appears to hold good with P. Agestis. It is somewhat 
remarkable that long before the above facts as to P. Artaxerxes had 
even been suspected, the southern P. Agestis and the Helianthemum 
were associated together. Dr. Jordan, in a communication to the 
‘Zoologist’ for 1844 (Zool. 348), on the occurrence on the Polyommati 
in South Devon, says “‘ P. Agestis double-brooded, May and August ; 
local; frequents rocky places in woods. I took it in considerable 
plenty in Bradley Woods, near Newton, Devon, settling on the flowers 
of the Helianthemum vulgare, though I did not see a single specimen 
until I came to the rock where this plant was growing.” In reply to 
my inquiries as to this point, Mr. Cooke writes me, “I have never 
taken P. Agestis, except in localities where the Helianthemum grows 
freely. The wild geraniums do grow here (Brighton), and in many of 
the localities where P. Agestis is taken, but they occur only sparingly ; 
and in one spot, where I take my finest specimens, and where indeed 
I caught the curious variety you allude to (mentioned above), Il have 
reason to believe the geraniums do not grow at all.” Further, I may 
add that Mr. Gregson, who has taken it in North Lancashire, Cheshire, 
Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Wales, says “I have never 
taken P. Agestis, except in localities where the Helianthemum grows.” 
I might multiply these instances, but refrain. They are pretty strong 
indications that the larva of the southern form finds equally with the 
northern one a pabulum in this plant. 
GEORGE WAILES, 


Double-broodedness of Acherontia Atropos and Notodonta ziczac.—I have defined, 
in a previous number (Zool. 4902), my interpretation of the expression “ single- 
brooded ;” it is “ when the cycle of animal life occupies an entire year.” I admit that 
the state of imago, pupa, &c., may occur twice in the year in a single-brooded insect, 
but if all the four states occur éwice, then is the species double-brooded. During the 
past unusually warm season the imago of Acherontia Atropos has appeared at two 
distinct seasons. Perhaps it always does so: this year there can be no doubt of the 
fact: these seasons were June and October; and, moreover, the June moths are un- 
questionably the parents of the October moths. Let A (first brood) be a female imago 
in June; it laid eggs on the potato: the eggs hatched in June, the larve fed in June, 
July and August; they became pupe in September, and perfect moths, B (second 
brood), on the Ist of October. Here then, to all appearance, we have two broods in 
one year; and if I clearly understand Mr. Gascoyne’s papers (Zool, 5826, 6248) this 
is what he would receive as conclusive evidence that Acherontia Atropos was double- 
brooded; but this is not so: the moths of June, 1858, were a portion of a brood which 
went down in September, 1857; and a portion of their progeny will, in like manner, 
survive the coming winter, it matters not whether as pupe or perfect insects, and will 


XVI. oI 


6282 Insects. 


appear on the wing in June, 1859. The state of egg occurs but once ; the state of 
larva occurs but once; the state of pupa oceurs twice. And there is even another pos- 
sible source of error,—the moths which emerge in October may, and do occasionally, 
hybernate and re-appear in company with those of the summer disclosure in J une. 
T would also beg to remind Mr. Gascoyne that, even supposing it proved most clearly 
that two cycles of existence were completed by a Notodonta in 1858, still the tempera- 
ture of the past season having been abnormal, the rapid progress of insect transforma- 
tions may have been abnormal also.— Edward Newman; October 1, 1858. 

Sound produced by Larva of Acherontia Atropos: beautiful Variety of the same 
Insect.—In corroboration of a statement in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 6212) on the 
sound produced by the larva of Acherontia Atropos, it may be worth while to add 
that the same power of uttering a sound was observed in some larve of A. Atropos 
this autumn: this sound was described to me by those who had charge of these cater- 
pillars as a “short squeak,” not easily described. Having never heard the sound my- 
self I concluded that it was imaginary, but T think that the corroborating testimony of 
your correspondent now places the fact beyond a doubt. I had been intending to 
write on the subject of these larva, in consequence of the very remarkable appearance 
presented by some individual specimens found here this summer. I can merely 
relate this abnormal appearance as it was described to me, for, having been away from 
home, the larve had all buried before my return. Upwards of twenty larve were found 
in the neighbourhood and brought in, and of these four were of a uniform dark, dingy 
olive-black, underlaid with yellow, and frosted with bright white points; the three 
segments next to the head were of the purest white, like white linen, but marked 
with distinct, defined markings of velvety black; the general ground-colour and tex- 
ture was described as much like that of a rhinoceros hide, but dark, and the rough 
frosting white; the three white segments next the head were smooth in texture; the 
lateral stripes were clearly defined, but black instead of blue, and differing from the 
ordinary larva in their being so disposed as to produce a series of diamond-shaped 
marks along the back. The colour was even and decided throughout, and had no 
connexion whatever with the slight brownish change of colour that larve assume 
just before burying —W. Oxenden Hammond; St. Alban’s Court, near Wingham, 
September 2, 1858. 

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli in Devonshire.—A specimen of this insect was 
taken at Teignmouth, Devon, a few days ago, and was given to me alive.— 
P. H. Gosse; Torquay, September 25, 1858. | 

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli in the Metropolis—On the Ist of October a male 
of this insect was taken in Liverpool Street, Bishopsgate; a second specimen at Stam- 
ford Hill on the 2nd; a third was brought here by a pressman: all these are now at 
No. 7, York Grove, Peckham.—Edward Newman. 

Occurrence of Deilephila Galii at Brighton.—On the 3rd of September a large 
female specimen of D. Galii was brought alive to F. M. D’Alquen, Esq., of 8, Mont- 
pellier Terrace, in this town: he has kindly added it to my collection.—John NV. 
Winter ; 28, Montpellier Road, Brighton, September 24, 1858. 

Query respecting a Caterpillar.—A large naked caterpillar infests the ash trees at 
a gentleman’s seat in this district, by burrowing into the very heart of the wood 
throughout in channels. The inseet is purplish black on the back, with the sides 
reddish yellow, and is in length from three to four inches. Several large trees are 
completely killed, and in cutting into and through the tree, the meandering course of 


Insects. 6283 


the insect may be seen, presenting a complete honeycomb. What moth does it result 
in?—Hdward Heurle Rodd ; Penzance, August 26, 1858. 

[Cossus ligniperda.—£’. Newman. | | | 

Zeuzera Ai'sculi feeding on Ash.—On the 23rd of June last Mr. Schofield and I ob- 
tained eighteen specimens of this insect from an ash tree, of which number six were 
males; we also saw the pupa-cases of about fifty others protruding from the bark of 
the same tree.— W. Groves ; 12, Morden Place, Lewisham Road. 

Double-broodedness of the Notodontide.—The paper on the double-broodedness of 
the Notodontide (Zool. 6248) brings to my mind some notes, which I thought of 
sending you when the subject was discussed before; and as there is probably at the 
present time the same indistinct perception of what is included in the phrase “ double- 
brooded” as was so evident then, they may still be of use. A moth spends a portion 
of its life in four different stages, viz. egg, larva, pupa and imago; and when an insect 
is said to be “ double-brooded” we understand that it passes through the whele of 
these four stages twice in the course of twelve months; and as some spend a long 
time in one of these stages and some in another, it is clear that evidence extending 
over only a few months can never prove this fact. For instance, to take the evidence 
brought forward by Mr. Gascoyne, which is almost as satisfactory as a single experi- 
ment on such a subject can be, that portion of the evidence which goes far to render 
it conclusive, I mean the hatching of the second brood of larve, is introduced almost 
parenthetically at the end of the paper, and the writer seems to have been hardly 
aware of its value: the evidence adduced in the body of the paper is that perfect 
insects which emerged about the end of May produced larve which fed up in July, 
and changed to perfect insects early in August: now these insects might have hyber- 
nated, or they might have laid eggs which would not hatch till the same time as those 
laid in May, or these eggs mfght produce larve which would remain half-fed through 
the winter and feed up with the spring larve; in either case, the double-broodedness 
is “not proven.” ‘To the last of these alternatives the evidence adduced is still open, 
and I hope Mr. Gascoyne will publish the results of his experiments when the cycle is 
complete, as he may feel assured that many who have taken no part in the con- 
troversy are watching it with interest—TZhomas Boyd; 17, Clapton Square, N.E., 
October 9, 1858. 

Habits of Nudaria Senex.—I was not acquainted with the habits of this little insect 
till the other day. Happening to go down one evening (July 14th) to a marsh near 
here, I noticed a small pale moth, which I took to be a Crambus, flying over the tops 
of the rushes at twilight. I at once caught it, and found it to be N. Senex. On that 
and two or three other evenings, I took twenty or thirty. The female seems to be 
sluggish, for I only took two.—H. Harpur Crewe; Stowmarket, August 9, 1858.— 
From ‘ The Naturalist, 

Capture of Leucania vitellina at Brighton.—I send for your inspection what I 
believe to be a specimen of Leucania vitellina, which I took with my own hands at 
Brighton in September; two friends who were with me at the time saw it alive in my 
net. I have not compared it with Mr. Cooke’s specimen, but think I am right in the 
name.—T. Thorncroft ; 87, North Lane, Brighton, October 18, 1858. 

[The insect is unquestionably Leucania vitellina.—H. Newman.] 

Note on Nonagria Typhe.—I met with seven or eight pupx, and two or three full- 
fed larve last week, (July 20ih), at Stowmarket, in the stem of Typha latifolia. It is 
not however common in this neighbourhood. I have noticed that though the larva 


6284 Insects. 


feeds indiscriminately upon those plants that have flowers, and those that have not, 
and will sometimes completely hollow out the flower-stalk, it almost invariably forms 
its cocoon in a plant without a flower. The pupa must be kept very moist, or you will 
not breed the perfect insect. It is best, if possible, to cut off the stem with the pupa 
in it, but if it slips out, as it is very likely to do, the best plan is to lay it upon some 
damp earth, in a tolerably close-fitting tin box. I have seen the pupa so low down in 
the stalk, as to be partially submerged in the water. The perfect insect should always, 
if possible, be stuffed, as it is more subject to grease than perhaps any other motli, and 
will undergo numberless immersions in turpentine and magnesia without being cleansed. 
—H. Harpur Crewe —From * The Naturalist. 

Occurrence of Synia musculosa at Brighton—On the 10th of August I had the 
good fortune to capture a female specimen of the above rare and beautiful insect; a 
friend with me the same evening took two others, male and female; the same friend a 
few days before took a female specimen of Pieris Daplidice; another person here on 
the 5th instant also took this insect, which I saw alive—Z. Thornereft; Brighton, 
August 18, 1858.—Id. 

Occurrence of Acronycta Alni near York.—In 1856 a larva of this species feeding 
on the willow, was taken in the Museum Gardens by Mr. Brown, which he succeeded 
in rearing the following year. On the 16th of August, 1857, I was equally fortunate 
in taking another in our garden, which fed on lime, from the pupa of which, on the 
30th of last May, emerged a beautiful specimen of this rare insect. On the 13th ult. 
Mr. Prest found a fine larva, which went down a few days afterwards, and on the 29th 
ult. Mr. Robinson obtained a larva, which was found on a blade of grass, the only trees 
near it consisting of oak and the common nut. Mr. Allis has also met with this species 
near York, I may here remark that although the ‘ Manual’ states that all the Acro- 
nycta larve spin cocoons, such was not the case with any of those which I now record, 
all the pupz being on or under the earth, without the least appearance of a cocovun.— 
Robert Anderson; Coney Street, York, September 2, 1858.—Id. 

Larva of Dasycampa rubiginea.—In the course of last month I bred four specimens 
of D. rubiginea, from eggs laid in a pill-box by a female, taken at sallows near 
Marlow, last spring. The larva, when full fed, is remarkably cylindrical, and tapering 
towards the head; the colour is a dark olivaceous-brown (not a yellowish brown); the 
hair is exceedingly fine, and shines like gold in the sun, and is confined to the sides, 
reminding one of the larva of A. megacephala, so that it appears almost a naked larva ; 
the blackish spots on the back appear, at first sight, circular, but on examination are 
more nearly square, and are composed of two rhombi, divided by the dorsal line. 
The larvee fed on the leaf of the Orleans plum, and were curiously concealed during 
the day-time among the leaves; so that, though I had them in a glass cylinder, I 
could seldom find more than one visible ata time. In regard to this species feeding 
on the plum,a very fresh specimen of the insect was taken near this place, on the bole 
of a damson tree, at sugar, and another specimen in an orchard, which facts are 
suggestive. The eggs appeared to hatch too early for the oak to be their common 
food. The perfect insect seldom appears here much before the end of October or 
beginning of November.—B. Smith ; Marlow, October 5, 1858.—‘ Intelligencer? 

Occurrence of Xanthia ocellaris on the Coast.—No less than five of this insect have 
been taken this autumn: one by Mr. Tidy, on the 18th of September; one by Mr. 
Pratt, on the 21st; and one by Mr. Turner, on the 24th; all near Brighton: two by 
Mr. Harding, near Deal, about the same date. Mr. Smith, a Brighten collector, took 


Insects. 6285 


the first specimen on the 6th of October, 1856; this is in the cabinet of the Rev. Mr. 
Image.—Edward Newman; October 1, 1858. 

Larva of Ennomos fuscantaria.—1 have bred seven specimens of E. fuscantaria 
from the egg, all males,—a circumstance which has occurred in another instance known 
to me, and which seems to indicate that the female is really scarcer in this species. 
The larve fed upon ash, but some of them were much earlier than others, the eggs 
hatching very late, and at considerable intervals. The markings described in the 
‘Manual’ as belonging to this larva are by no means distinct, but almost obliterated, 
so that the appearance of the larva is that of a plain green looper, attenuated towards 
the head. The pupa is also green, suspended in a leaf, like that of E. angularia, and 
assuming purplish tints two days before it emerges.—B. Smith ; Marlow, October 5, 
1858.—From the ‘ Intelligencer.’ 

The Genus Oporabia.—May I be permitted to ask Mr. Gregson, through the 
medium of the ‘ Zoologist,’ if he is certain that the insect he calls Oporabia autum- 
naria (Zool. 6193), and which he says has been bred by Mr. Greening from larve on 
oak, is the autumnaria of Doubleday’s‘ List’? I have always understood that the 
insect therein indicated, and which we have been in the habit of calling autumnaria 
in this country, was a birch-feeder, and I have bred the insect to which I allude from 
this tree, the larva differing sufficiently from that of the common dilutata, but not I 
suspect equally from that of filigrammaria, which has been reared this season by Mr. 
Wilson from larva on heath. I should be much inclined to suspect that the insect 
bred from oak was, as suggested, a variety of O. dilutata.— R. F. Logan; Dudding- 
ston, Edinburgh, October 13, 1858. 

Death of the Honey-bee supposed to be occasioned by a Fungus. — Mr. Martin, of 
Liverpool, makes the following communication to the Rev. Henry Higgins: — “ In 
October last I had three hives of bees which I received into my house. Each door- 
way was closed, and the hive placed upon a piece of calico; the corners were brought 
over the top, leaving a loop by which the hive was suspended from the ceiling. The 
hives were taken down about the 14th of March ; two were healthy, but all the bees 
in the third were dead : there were a gallon of bees. The two hives containing live 
bees were much smaller, but in each of them were dead unes. Under whatever cir- 
cumstances you preserve bees through the winter, dead ones are found at the bottom 
in the spring. The room, an attic, was dry; and I had preserved the same hives in 
the same way during the winter of 1856. In what I may call the dead hive there was 
abundance of honey when it was opened ; and it is clear that its inmates did not die 
from want. It is not a frequent occurrence for bees so to die, but I have known 
another instance. In that case the hive was left out in the ordinary way, and possibly 
cold was the cause of death. I think it probable that my bees died about a month 
before the 14th of March, merely from the circumstance that some one observed about 
that time that there was no noise in the hive. They might have died earlier; but 
there were certainly live bees in the hive in January. I understand there was 
an appearance of mould on some of the combs. There was ample ventilation, I think ; 
indeed, as the bees were suspended, they had more air than through the summer when 
placed on the stand.’ Mr. Higgins makes the following observations on the above :— 
‘¢ When the occurrence was first made known to me, I suggested that the bees might 
probably have died from the growth of a fungus, and requested some of the dead bees 
might be sent for examination. They were transmitted to me in a very dry state; and 
a careful inspection with a lens afforded no indications of vegetable growth. 1 then 


6286 Insects. 


broke up a specimen, and examined the portions under a compound microscope, using 
a Natchet, No.4. ‘The head and thorax were clean, but on a portion of the sternum 
were innumerable very minute, linear, slightly curved bodies, showing the well-known 
oscillatory or swaIming motion. Notwithstanding the agreement of these minute 
bodies with the characters of the genus of Bacterium of the Vibrionia, I regarded 
them as spermatia, having frequently seen others undistinguishable from them under 
circumstances inconsistent with the presence of Conferve, as in the interior of the im- 
mature peridia and sporangia of Fungals. In the specimen first examined there were 
no other indications of the growth of any parasite ; but from the interior of the abdo- 
men of a second bee I obtained an abundance of well-defined globular bodies 
resembling the spores of a fungus, varying in size from ‘00016 in. to ‘00012 in. Three 
out of four specimens subsequently examined contained similar spores within-the abdo- 
men. Notraces of a mycelium were visible; the plants had come to maturity, fruited, 
and withered away, leaving only the spores. The chief question then remaining to be 
solved was as to the time when the spores were developed ; whether before or after the 
death of the bees. In order, if possible, to determine this, I placed four of the dead 
bees in circumstances favorable to the development of the spores, and in about ten 
days I submitted them again to examination: they were covered with mould, con- 
sisting chiefly of a species of Mucor, and one also of Botrytis or Botryosporium. These 
Fungi were clearly extraneous, covering indifferently all parts of the insects, and 
spreading on the wood on which they were lying. On the abdomen of all the speci- 
mens, and on the clypeus of one of them, grewa fungus wholly unlike the surrounding 
mould. [Lt was white and very short, and apparently consisted entirely of spores 
arranged in a moniliform manner, like the fertile filaments of a stemless Penicilium. 
These spores resembled those found in the ahdomen of the bees, and proceeded, 
I think, from them. The filaments were most numerous at the junction of the seg- 
ments. ‘The spores did not resemble the globules in Sporendonema Musce of the 
‘English Flora,’ neither were they apparently enclosed.’”—Proc. Linn. Soc. 1857. 

Black specimen of Cicindela campestris.—I have a Cicindela campestris which is 
entirely black, excepting the mouth and spots, which are of the usual cream colour. 
1 wish to know if such a variety be uncommon or rare.— Thomas Chapman; Bothwell 
Street, Glasgow, October 26, 1858. 

Reappearance of Scolytus rugulosus at Greenwich. —Scolytus rugulosus has again 
made its appearance, assuming the perfect state early in June. Cossus ligniperda 
and Trochilium Myopeforme have also emerged from the same pear-tree as that from 
which I obtained Scolytus rugulosus.—W. Groves; 12, Morden Place, Lewisham 
Road, October, 1858. 

Beetles at Lee.—On the afternoon of the 12th inst. Dr. Power called on me, and 
proposed an excursion to the favourite hunting-ground known as “the sallow pit,” 
in the fields at Lee. The pond, the beloved retreat of water-beetles, is no more,—the 
heat has been too much for it, and its fluids have evaporated. It might have been 
thought that the Hydradephaga had gone off to “ fresh fields and pastures new,” and so 
‘doubtless some of them have, but others, of a clannish nature, still hold on to the place 
of their nativity, their last refuge being a little hole containing about a pailful of 
water and a foot of mud. This reservoir, hidden by Sparganium, was accidentally 
discovered by a boy, who, while rushing away from some angry bees whose nest he 
had wantonly destroyed, put one of his legs into it as far as the knee; when he drew 
it out of the Stygian compound his equanimity was considerably disturbed as well 


Insects. 6287 


as a quantity of carburetted hydrogen. But the scent that disgusted him delighted 
us two beetle-hunters; as his face fell our hopes rose, and our expectations were not 
disappointed, for out of the muddy hole four dips of the net brought about two dozen 
of Colymbetes Grapii. It was impossible to clean them, so they went, dirty as they 
were, into the prison ready for them, where they looked like veritable bottle imps. 
The other beetles fished out were few and of common species, so that the élite Grapii 
had had it all their own way in their elysium until they were so rudely intruded upon. 
By the time the net had been four times examined there was not light enough to 
distinguish any more of the black hexapods on so dark a ground, and although 
doubtless many more remained in the hole they got only a terrible fright. Just when 
the discovery of their retreat was made, we had become aware that the warm and still 
air was full of flying creatures rejoicing in the twilight; those that were caught were 
chiefly Hydrobii and Philhydri, but there were also a few good Staphylinide. To 
close this inverted story, I may say that we began our researches by hunting among 
the débris on the ground, and were rewarded with Stenus solatus, S. impressus and 
Anchomenus gracilis. When winter and water return, and the bectles are concentred 
in the tufts of grass, we hope to get more of these interesting species —J.W. Douglas ; 
Lee; Sept. 18, 1858.—F rom ‘ The Intelligencer.’ 

Notes on Myrmecophilous Coleoptera.—I imagine that the interest of the entomolo- 
gists of the Association may possibly be excited by the tolerably complete collection of 
the known British myrmecophilous insects. Itis a group which until recently has been 
almost unknown to our naturalists, and embraces a considerable number of creatures 
which had hitherto escaped their researches. Most of these singular animals appear 
to spend their lives, sometimes in the immediate vicinity of the ants’ nests, sometimes 
in the very heart of them ; and although endowed with ample powers of flight, wander 
but little from their quarters. Hence it has has happened that a casual specimen has 
now and then fallen to the lot of the collector, and the greater part have been unknown, 
or known only as unique, or nearly unique, examples, and even their authenticity 
suspected. Messrs. Janson and Waterhouse acting as pioneers, Messrs. Reading, 
Edwin Shepherd, Douglas, myself, and sundry others, have, within the last few years 
by carrying on the war in and about the nests themselves, brought to light many new 
species, or found others to be abundant which were previously almost unknown. Mr, 
Janson has in the ‘ Entumologists Annual, of last year, published a most valuable 
account of the habits of these insects, and the mode of searching for them. I must 
say, however, that I cannot sympathise with him in his tender feelings towards these 
voracious hosts of our coleopterous favourites. According to my own experience, the 
spring, ?.e.about April and May, is the most productive season four examining the nests 
of Formica rufa (which affords much the greatest number of insects) before the ants 
have actively begun their labours: the Coleoptera then seem to be accumulated in 
their immediate neighbourhood, instead of being scattered over a large extent of 
ground as they subsequently are. Soon after this period we often see the ants 
commence the process of gradually deserting an old and inconvenient nest, and taking 
up new quarters close by. I have found these old nests afford by far the best harvest 
of insects, which in the appetite for formic acid or its odour (apparently necessary to 
their constitution) congregate amongst the few remaining ants. If a few showers of 
rain should then fall and wash away the acid, the beetles entirely desert the nest. 
The most efficient plan of search with this nest is to place a few handfuls of the 
material taken from near the ants upon a somewhat fine cabbage-net, laid on a sheet 


6288 Insects— Radiata. 


of brown paper. Saprini, Dendrophili, &c., have a tendency when disturbed to make 
their way downwards, and if, after a short time, you lift the net to another part of the 
paper, you remove the débris, and leave the insects behind. The outskirts of the 
nests should also be well examined, as Mr. Janson describes, looking under stones, &c. 
The nests of Formica fuliginosa are more productive rather later, when the ants are 
in activity,—but the investigation is to be carried on chiefly in the neighbourhood of 
the nest, in damp places around it and where the ants run. The ground being stirred 
up the insects will appear if you watch for them. Little is usually to be obtained an 
the nest, which is generally in the trunk of an old tree. The nests of F. fusca, F. flava 
and Myrmica rubra afford but few species, and these are chiefly to be found in the 
galleries, under stones, &c. which may lie upon the nests. It is reasonable to expect 
that more species may be obtained by the examination of the nests of other ants, 
especially as the denizens of one kind appear seldom to associate with those of others. 
Formica fusca and F. flava seem to be the most convertible, 7. e. you often find the 
same insects in both. In the nests of F. fuliginosa you almost invariably find some- 
thing. In those of F. rufa you get many in some, but very many worth nothing. In 
those of F. flava, F. fusca and Myrmica rubra you may examine hundreds and get 
nothing. As yet we have obtained results from only a few species, viz., Formica san- 
guinolenta, F’. flava, F. fusca, F. fuliginosa, F. rufa and Myrmica rubra. I have set 
out specimens of the ants, and under each have placed the genera and species usually: 
associated with them, and which may be expected to be found in their nests.— 
J. A. Power.* 

Locusts in Shetland.—The following is an extract from a letter, dated Lerwick, 
September 27, 1858 :—“* Great numbers of the Locusta migratoria of Linneus have 
occurred in this far north during the present month, in the corn-fields and all the 
islands of any size, even in extreme Unst.” Great numbers have also been taken in 
Caithness.—C. W. Peach ; Wick. 

Occurrence of Locusta migratoria in Shetland.—A number of locusts were found 
last month, amongst corn-fields, in most of the Shetland Islands, as likewise in the 
bare and isolated Skerry Islands.—Lhomas Edward ; Banff, October 4, 1858. 

[Similar information reaches me through a variety of channels, especially local 
newspapers: in some localities on the north-eastern coast and islands of Scotland this 
advent of locusts has amounted to a positive plague.—Z. Newman. ] 


Note on Cydippe Pileus.—Yesterday I used a gauze tow-net unsuccessfully for two 
hours, so rolled it up and came ashore: on reaching home, seeing a pellucid drop 
clinging to the net, 1 floated it off in a glass of sea-water, and found it was a Beroe 
(Cydippe Pileus), which was evidently damaged by the compression of the net, and 
some of the bands of cilia were nearly obliterated. The creature seemed incapable of 
motion, save constant vibration of the remaining cilia. The next morning the globular 
form was gone, and more than half the animal was represented by an amorphous 
flocculent mass; the cilia on the crystalline portion were still in vigorous action: in an 
hour after the whole of it had sunk into the opaque flocculent condition, and all of 


* Read at the Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. 


Entomological Society. 6289 


course was still. It appeared as if death crept gradually over the creature, but perhaps 
the movement of the cilia should not be accepted as a proof of life, asit is well known 
that in the highest animals ciliary action will continue long after death. — George 
Guyon; Ventnor, Isle of Wight, September 29, 1858. 

Infusoria on a Prawn. — The other day I observed the interior of the exuvia of a 
small prawn that was lying in a bottle of sea-water swarming with infusoria, which 
were no doubt attracted by some nutritive matter adhering to the shell. They had 
penetrated all the limbs; the legs were thronged, and some were disporting them- 
selves in the very claws. But it was most curious to see them passing along the an- 
tenne, which appeared as slender as a human hair; they were visible for two-thirds 
or three-fourths the length of the organ, but beyond that distance it was no longer 
navigable even for their minute frames, being but the 4, inch diameter. The scene 
was a Temple Bar in miniature, and many an atom found himself too bulky to pass 
his comrade. One antenne exhibited a slight monstrosity, the 44th joint being 4 inch 
long, or equal to about six of the neighbouring joints.— ld. 


Proceedings of Societies. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
October 4, 1858.—J. O. Wrestwoop, Esq. V.P., in the chair. 


Donations. 


The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be presented to 
the donors :—‘ Biblotheca Historico-naturalis. Achter Jahrgang, von Ernst A. | 
Zuchold;’ presented by the Editor. ‘ Proceedings of the Zvological Society,’ Nos. 
350 to 362; by the Society. ‘Proceedings of the Royal Society, No. 32; b: 
the Society. ‘Mémoires d’ Entomologie publiées par la Societé Entumologique aes 
Pays-bas, Livraisons, 4,5 and 6; by the Society. ‘The Journal of the Society of 
Arts’ for September; by the Society. ‘The Zoologist’ for October; by the Editor. 
‘The Literary Gazette’ for September; by the Editor. ‘The Atheneum’ for Sep- 
tember; by the Editor. ‘The Natural History of the Tineina,’ Vol. iii.; ‘ Manual of 
British Moths and Butterflies, Nos. 20 and 21; ‘ The Entomologist’s Weekly Intelli- 
gencer’ for 1858; the same, No. 105; by H.T. Stainton, Esq. ‘ Monographie des 
Elaterides,’ par M. E. Candize, Tome Premier ; by the Author. 


Election of Members. 


R. H. Mitford, Esq., of Haverstock Place, Hampstead, was ballotted for and 
elected a Member; and W. H. Allchin, Esq., 7, Pembridge Villas, Bayswater, 
a Subscriber to the Society. 


Exhibitions. 


My. Stainton exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Boyd, some of the latter gentleman’s 
most interesting captures in Cornwall this summer, interesting not merely as species 


vi. 3K 


6290 | Entomological Society. 


new to our lists, but from the fact that some of these insects had only hitherto been 
found in the Mediterranean or at Maderia. ‘The principal species exhibited were 


1. Diasemia Ramburialis, of which Mr. Boyd had only taken a single specimen ; 
this species was first detected in the Island of Corsica. 

2. Gelechia leucomelanella, a conspicuous black and white species, hitherto known 
only as a native of Central Europe, bred from Silene maritima. 

3. Gelechia Cornubia, n. s. (or a variety of Solutella); this was not scarce among 
the Cornish heath (Zrica vagans). 

4. Gelechia Ocellatella,n.s., bred from Beta maritima; this species had been 
obtained in Maderia by Mr. Wollaston. 

5. Glyphipteryx schenicolella, n. s., allied to G. oculatella; these were bred from 
the heads of Schcenus nigricans. 

6. A series of Hlachista triseriatella and dispunctella, clearly showing that those 
two species were merely forms of one and the same. 


Mr. A. F. Sheppard exhibited, on behalf of Mr. C. 8. Gregson, specimens 
of Peronea Potentillana, Cooke, recently described as a distinct species in the 
‘Zovlogist’; My. Sheppard expressed his opinion that the insects in question were 
varieties of P. Schalleriana. 

Mr. Edleston sent for exhibition a series of specimens, from which it was evident 
that the so-called species is a mere variety. 

Mr. Stevens exhibited some beautiful butterflies taken by Mr. Wallace in Celebes, 
amongst which were both sexes of Ornithoptera Remus and O. Haliphron, Papilio 
Androcles, and two undescribed species of that genus, some fine Pieridae, &c. 

Mr. Bond exhibited two bred specimens of Xanthia gilvago, and an example of 
Agrotis saucia, in most perfect condition, which was infested by hundreds of a small 
Acarus, of a species unknown to the Members present. 

Dr. Knaggs exhibited some Noctua, &c. lately taken at Camden Town, observing 
that the occurrence of such species close to the metropolis was interesting ; they 
included Agrotis saucia, A. corticea, and A. ravida, Gortyna micacea, Eudorea Cem- 
“bre, &e.; he also exhibited some larvee of a species of Dynastes, from Demerara, pre- 
served in spirits, and a small female of a Termes from the same locality. 

Mr. Stevens stated that he has recently been informed by a letter from Mr. H. W, 
Bates, that the small pale Scarites taken by him on the Amazons, and briefly charac- 
terized by Mr. Westwood, at the February Meeting of the Society, by the name of 
Solenogenys feda, was an inhabitant of the nests of white ants. 

Mr. Robinson exhibited specimens of Lamophleus Clematidis, found in the stems 
of the Clematis Vitalba, near Gravesend. 

Mr. Piffard exhibited a collection of insects, consisting chiefly of Coleoptera and 
Lepidoptera, which he had recently madein Nova Scotia and the vicinity of Demerara 
River. 

Memoirs of the Entomological Society of the Netherlands. 


Myr. Westwood called attention to the recently published ‘ Memoirs of the 
Entomological Society of the Netherlands, as containing many beautiful figures and 
valuable papers; he observed that the long illness and subsequent death of Dr. De 
Hiaan had caused the collections at the Leyden Museum to be much neglected ; he 
was, however, happy to say that his successor, Mr. 8. C. Snellen van Vollenhoven, 


Entomological Society. 6291 


was going energetically to work, and had recently shown him some excellent 
drawings intended to illustrate the work before him. The Leyden Museum was par- 
ticularly rich in the insects of the Indian islands, such as the industry of Mr. Wallace 
was now adding to our British collections. 

Mr. Westwood added that the drawers containing the larger Lepidoptera in the 
collection alluded to were constructed with glass bottoms, the insects being pinned to 
narrow slips of cork affixed thereto ; this plan obviated the necessity of taking out the 
specimens to examine the under side, as to do so it was only necessary to turn the 
drawer upside down. 


Bees Feeding on Pollen. 


Mr. Tegetmeier stated that with a view to prove more satisfactorily that bees 
devoured pollen in their perfect state, he had driven the stocks from two ordinary 
straw hives into one of his bee hives, placing in the box above it some old comb filled 
with pollen, which was speedily eaten by the bees, although as there was a quantity of 
syrup in the food-pan, they were certainly not driven to devour it from hunger: he 
exhibited the empty comb to the Meeting, observing that the only mention made by 
any writer on bees of pollen being eaten by the perfect insects was in ‘ Kirby and 
Spence’s Introduction to Entomology,’ 

Mr. Tegetmeier added that Mr. Darwin has lately coloured the margin of some 
cells in the course of construction, and found that the bees remasticated the coloured 
wax and used it in the formation of the cells, thus proving that they can work up old 
material. 


Cylindrical forms of Cells. 


Mr. Smith observed that the theory advanced by Mr. Waterhouse in the ‘ Penny 
Cyclopedia,’ of the bees first making cylindrical excavations, only separated from 
each other by the thickness of the walls of the intended hexagons at their points of 
contact, certainly in his opinion, would render it absolutely necessary that the bee, or 
wasp working, should be able to insert its head into the excavations, otherwise, how 
could they possibly form the planes of the hexagons? Now, that such could not be 
the case in building the cells of the wasp, he was prepared to prove. Mr. Smith ex- 
hibited the spring nest of Vespa vulgaris, in which the mother-wasp had constructed 
about thirty cells, seven only being carried up to their full height, which contained 
each a grub or a pupa, so that no worker had escaped ; the cells being of such a size 
that by no possibility could the head of the builder be inserted into them ; this, he con- 
tended, was in his mind decisive against the theory alluded to, at least it was not 
applicable to the building of the nests of the Vespide. 

Mr. Smith also called particular attention to a singular fact, namely, that in the 
nest of the wasp the smaliest cells were built in the spring nests by the largest indi- 
vidual, the female; whilst the largest cells, those required for the females and males, 
were built in the summer by the smallest individuals, the workers; now, as he under- 
stood the Waterhousian theory, the size of the planes of the hexagon, were determined 
by the distance the insects excavating could reach with its mandibles, if such were the 
case, how was it possible to reconcile the above facts with the theory of the ‘ Penny 
Cyclopedia.’ 


Mr. Westwood could not imagine how the female wasp constructed the beautiful 


6292 Northern Entomological Society. 


little nest before the Meeting without inserting her head into the cells, but it evidently 
was quite impossible for the insect to do so, as stated by Mr. Smith.—£’. S. 


NORTHERN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
September 26, 1858.—B. Cooks, Esq., in the chair. 


Election of Members. 


Thomas John Moor, Esq., of the Derby Museum, Liverpool; George Turner, Esq., 
of the Royal Institution, Liverpool; John Johnson, Esq., of the Police Station, Old 


Swan, near Liverpool; and James Fitzgerald Brockholes, Esq., Cleveland Street, 
Birkhenhead, were elected Members. 


Exhibitions. 


Mr. Brockholes exhibited a Spelotes augur perfectly black, &c. 

Mr. Almond exhibited very fine specimens of Tabanus bovinus, Tachina grossa, 
Volucella bombylans and Ptomophagus fumatus, recently captured near Loch 
Rannoch. 

Mr. Cooper exhibited fine specimens of Agrotis saucia and Xanthia cilrago, cap- 
tured near Warrington, at sugar. 

Mr. Kendrick exhibited a box, of all orders, in which were a number of very inte- 
resting species, especially amongst the Stegoptera and Homoptera. 

Mr Birchall exhibited a most interesting box, the most noticeable of its contents 
was Noctua ditrapezium, fine as bred, taken at sugar, in Galway, in June. 

The Secretary exhibited Eupithecia consignata, E.debiliata and E. pusillata, from 
H. Doubleday, Esq., and a new Tinea, bred in skins, from Honduras, given to him 
by Mr. Brockholes, who bred it, observing that no doubt this will soon propagate its 
species here to the annoyance of all ‘‘ gude housewives ;” it is allied to Nigrifoldella, 
but much smaller: he then exhibited a series of a new Tinea allied to Merdella, part 
of them bred by Mr. Greening, part captured by Mr. Cooper, and the remainder bred 
by himself, collected together for comparison with Merdella, from which it differs in 
its much darker colour, and the disposition of its markings and its dark head and 
under wings ; it is a fine species: he then exhibited a box in which were specimens of 
Phibalapteryx angustata, Haw. (gemmata), kindly sent by Mr. Harding, of Bristol, 
and specimens of the same species taken by himself in the Crosby Swamps; also 
Coleophora affirmatella, Greg., C. albidella, H.-Sch., bred in plenty from cases on sal- 
lows, observing that many cabinets had this species as anatipennella, from which it 
differed in the form of its case and food, the latter making a fuller case on the under 
side, as illustrated in the box, and feeding upon sloe and thorn: he then called atten- 
tion to a fine series of Gelechia fumatella, Doug., which he had again met with after 
several years’ vain search; it was raked out on dry banks on the sand-hills, where 
Ononis arvensis add Galium verum grew amongst wild thyme, but seemed atached to 
the liquorice.—C. S. G. 


Tendency of Species to form Varicties. 6293 


Three Papers on the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on 
the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means 
of Selection. * 


1. Extract from an unpublished work on Species by C. Darwin, Esq., consisting of 
a portion of a Chapter intituled, “On the Variation of Organic Beings in a 
state of Nature; on the Natural Means of Selection; on the Comparison of 
Domestic Races and true Species.” 


DECANDOLLE, in an eloquent passage, has declared that all nature 
is at war, one organism with another, or with external nature. 
Seeing the contented face of nature, this may at first well be doubted ; 
but reflection will inevitably prove it to be true. ‘The war, however, 
is not constant, but recurrent in a slight degree at short periods, and 
more severely at occasional more distant periods; and hence its 
effects are easily overlooked. It is the doctrine of Malthus applied 
in most cases with tenfold force. As in every climate there are sea- 
sons, for each of its inhabitants, of greater and less abundance, so all 
annually breed ; and the moral restraint which in some small degree 
checks the increase of mankind is entirely lost. Even slow-breeding 
mankind has doubled in twenty-five years ; and if he could increase 
his food with greater ease, he would double in less time. But for 
animals without artificial means, the amount of food for each species 
must, on an average, be constant, whereas the increase of all organisms 
tends to be geometrical, and in a vast majority of cases at an enormous 
ratio. Suppose in a certain spot there are eight pairs of birds, and 
that only four pairs of them annually (including double hatches) rear 
only four young, and that these go on rearing their young at the same 
rate, then at the end of seven years (a short life, excluding violent 
deaths, for any bird) there will be 2048 birds, instead of the original 
sixteen. As this increase is quite impossible, we must conclude 
either that birds do not rear nearly half their young, or that the 
average life of a bird is, from accident, not nearly seven years. Both 
checks probably concur. The same kind of calculation applied to all 
plants and animals affords results more or less striking, but in very 
few instances more striking than in man. 

Many practical illustrations of this rapid tendency to increase are 
on record, among which, during peculiar seasons, are the extraordi- 
nary numbers of certain animals; for instance, during the years 1826 


* Reprinted from the ‘ Proceedings of the Linnean Society.’ 


629-4 Tendeney of Species 


to 1828, in La Plata, when from drought some millions of cattle | 
perished, the whole country actually swarmed with mice. Now 
I think it cannot be doubted that during the breeding-season all the 
mice (with the exception of a few males or females in excess) ordi- 
narily pair, and therefore that this astounding increase during three 
years must be attributed to a greater number than usual surviving the 
_ first year, and then breeding, and so on till the third year, when their 
numbers were brought down to their usual limits on the return of wet 
weather. Where man has introduced plants and animals into a new 
and favourable country, there are many accounts in how surprisingly few 
years the whole country has become stocked withthem. Thisincrease 
would necessarily stop as soon as the country was fully stocked; and 
yet we have every reason to believe, from what is known of wild ani- 
mals, that a// would pair in the spring. In the majority of cases it is 
most difficult to imagine where the checks fall, though generally, no 
doubt, on the seeds, eggs and young; but when we remember how 
impossible, even in mankind (so much better known than any other 
animal), it is to infer from repeated casual observations what the 
average duration of life is, or to discover the different percentage of 
deaths to births in different countries, we ought to feel no surprise at 
our being unable to discover where the check falls in any animal 
or plant. It should always be remembered, that in most cases the 
checks are recurrent yearly in a small, regular degree, and in an 
extreme degree during unusually cold, hot, dry, or wet years, 
according to the constitution of the being in question. Lighten any 
check in the least degree, and the geometrical powers of increase in 
every organism will almost instantly increase the average number of 
the favoured species. Nature may be compared to a surface on 
which rest ten thousand sharp wedges touching each other and 
driven inwards by incessant blows. Fully to realize these views 
much reflection is requisite. Malthus on man should be studied ; 
and all such cases as those of the mice in La Plata, of the cattle and 
horses when first turned out in South America, of the birds by our 
calculation, &c., should be well considered. Reflect on the enormous 
multiplying power inherent and annually in action in all animals ; 
reflect on the countless seeds scattered by a hundred ingenious con- 
trivances, year after year, over the whole face of the land; and yet we 
have every reason to suppose that the average percentage of each of 
the inhabitants of a country usually remains constant. Finally, let it 
be borne in mind that this average number of individuals (the exter- 
nal conditions remaining the same) in each country is kept up by 


to form Varieties. 6295 


recurrent struggles against other species or against external nature 
(as on the borders of the Arctic regions, where the cold checks life), 
and that ordinarily each individual of every species holds its place, 
either by its own struggle and capacity of acquiring nourishment in 
some period of its life, from the egg upwards; or by the struggle of 
its parents (in short-lived organisms, when the main check occurs at 
longer intervals) with other individuals of the same or different 
species. 

But let the external conditions of a country alter. Ifin a small 
degree, the relative proportions of the inhabitants will in most cases 
simply be slightly changed; but let the number of inhabitants be 
small, as on an island, and free access to it from other countries be 
circumscribed, and let the change of conditions continue progressing 
(forming new stations), — in such a case the original inhabitants must 
cease to be as perfectly adapted to the changed conditions as they 
were originally. It has been shown in a former part of this work, 
that such changes of external conditions would, from their acting on 
the reproductive system, probably cause the organization of those 
beings which were most affected to become, as under domestication, 
plastic. Now, can it be doubted, from the struggle each individual 
has to obtain subsistence, that any minute variation in structure, 
habits or instincts, adapting that individual better to the new condi- 
tions, would tell upon its vigour and health? In the struggle it 
would have a better chance of surviving; and those of its offspring 
which inherited the variation, be it ever so slight, would also 
have a better chance. Yearly more are bred than can survive; the 
smallest grain in the balance, in the long run, must tell on which 
death shall fall, and which shall survive. Let this work of selection 
on the one hand, and death on the other, go on for a thousand gene- 
rations, who will pretend to affirm that it would produce no effect, 
when we remember what, in a few years, Bakewell effected in cattle, 
and Western in sheep, by this identical principle of selection ? 

To give an imaginary example from changes in progress on an 
island :—let the organization of a canine animal which preyed chiefly 
on rabbits, but sometimes on hares, become slightly plastic ; let these 
same changes cause the number of rabbits very slowly to decrease, 
and the number of hares to increase; the effect of this would be that 
the fox or dog would be driven to try to catch more hares; his 
organization, however, being slightly plastic, those individuals with 
the lightest forms, longest limbs, and best eyesight, let the difference 
be ever so small, would be slightly favoured, and would tend to live 


6296 Tendency of Species 


longer, and to survive during that time of the year when food was 
scarcest; they would also rear more young, which would tend to 
inherit these slight peculiarities. The less fleet ones would be 
rigidly destroyed. I can see no more reason to doubt that these 
causes in a thousand generations would produce a marked effect, and 
adapt the form of the fox or dog to the catching of hares instead of 
rabbits, than that greyhounds can be improved by selection and care- 
ful breeding. So would it be with plants under similar circum- 
stances. Ifthe number of individuals of a species with plumed seeds 
could be increased by greater powers of dissemination within its own 
area (that is, if the check to increase fell chiefly on the seeds), those 
seeds which were provided with ever so little more down would in the 
long run be most disseminated ; hence a greater number of seeds thus 
formed would germinate, and would tend to produce plants inheriting 
the slightly better-adapted down.* 

Besides this natural meaus of selection, by which those individuals 
are preserved, whether in their egg, or larval, or mature state, which 
are best adapted to the place they fill in nature, there is a second 
agency at work in most unisexual animals, tending to produce the 
same effect, namely, the struggle of the males for the females. These 
struggles are generally decided by the law of battle, but in the case 
of birds, apparently, by the charms of their song, by their beauty or 
their power of courtship, as in the dancing rock-thrush of Guiana. 
The most vigorous and healthy males, implying perfect adaptation, 
must generally gain the victory in their contests. This kind of selec- 
tion, however, is less rigorous than the other; it does not require the 
death of the less successful, but gives to them fewer descendants. 
The struggle falls, moreover, at a time of year when food is generally 
abundant, and perhaps the effect chiefly produced would be the mo- 
dification of the secondary sexual characters, which are not related to 
the power of obtaining food, or to defence from enemies, but to 
fighting with or rivalling other males. The result of this struggle 
amongst the males may be compared in some respects to that pro- 
duced by those agriculturists who pay less attention to the careful 
selection of all their young animals, and more to the occasional use of 
a choice mate. 


* T can see no more difficulty in this than in the planter improving his varieties 
of the cotton plant.—C. D., 1858. 


to form Varieties. 6297 


II. Abstract of a Letter from C. Darwin, Esq., to Prof. Asa Gray, Boston, U5S.,. 
dated Down, September Sth, 1857. 


1. It is wonderful what the principle of selection by man, that is 
the picking out of individuals with any desired quality, and breeding 
from them, and again picking out, can do. Even breeders have been 
astounded at their own results. They can act on differences inap- 
preciable to an uneducated eye. Selection has been methodically 
followed in Hurope for only the last half-century ; but it was occa- 
sionally, and even in some degree methodically, followed in the most 
ancient times. There must have been also a kind of unconscious 
selection from a remote period, namely, in the preservation of the 
individual animals (without any thought of their offspring) most use- 
ful to each race of man in his particular circumstances. The 
“roguing,”’ aS nurserymen call the destroying of varieties which 
depart from their type, is a kind of selection. I am convinced that 
intentional and occasional selection has been the main agent in the 
production of our domestic races ; but however this may be, its great 
power of modification has been indisputably shown in later times. 
Selection acts only by the accumulation of slight or greater varia- 
tions, caused by external conditions, or by the mere fact that in gene- 
ration the child is not absolutely similar to its parent. Man, by this 
power of accumulating variations, adapts living beings to his wants,— 
may be said to make the wool of one sheep good for carpets, of 
another for cloth, &c. 

2. Now suppose there were a being who did not judge by mere 
external appearances, but who could study the whole internal organt- 
zation, who was never capricious, and should go on selecting for 
one object during millions of generations; who will say what he might 
not effect? In nature we have some slight variation occasionally in 
all parts; and I think it can be shown that changed conditions 
of existence is the main cause of the child not exactly resembling its 
parents; and in nature Geology shows us what changes have taken 
place, and are taking place. We have almost unlimited time; no 
one but a practical geologist can fully appreciate this. Think of the 
Glacial period, during the whole of which the same species at least of 
shells have existed; there must have been during this period millions 
on millions of generations. 

3. I think it can be shown that there is such an unerring power at 
work in Natural Selection (the title of my book), which selects exclu- 

XVI. 3.L 


6298 Tendency of Species 


sively for the good of each organic being. The elder DeCandolle, 
W. Herbert, and Lyell have written excellently on the struggle for 
life; but even they have not written strongly enough. Reflect that 
every being (even the elephant) breeds at such a rate that in a few 
years, or at most a few centuries, the surface of the earth would not 
hold the progeny of one pair. I have found it hard constantly to 
bear in mind that the increase of every single species is checked 
during some part of its life, or during some shortly recurrent genera- 
tion. Only a few of those annually born can live to propagate their 
kind. What. a trifling difference must often determine which shall 
survive, and which perish ! 

4, Now take the case of a country undergoing some change. This 
will tend to cause some of its inhabitants to vary slightly — not but 
that I believe most beings vary at all times enough for selection to act 
on them. Some of its inhabitants will be exterminated, and the 
remainder will be exposed to the mutual action of a different set of 
inhabitants, which I believe to be far more important to the life 
of each being than mere climate. Considering the infinitely various 
methods which living beings follow to obtain food by struggling with 
other organisms, to escape danger at various times of life, to have 
their eggs or seeds disseminated, &c. &c., I cannot doubt that during 
millions of generations individuals of a species will be occasionally 
born with some slight variation, profitable to some part of their 
economy. Such individuals will have a better chance of surviving, 
and of propagating their new and slightly different structure; and the 
modification may be slowly increased by the accumulative action of 
natural selection to any profitable extent. The variety thus formed 
will either coexist with, or, more commonly, will exterminate its parent 
form. An organic being, like the woodpecker or misseltoe, may thus 
come to be adapted to a score of contingencies—natural selection 
accumulating those slight variations in all parts of its structure, which 
are In any way useful to it during any part of its life. 

5. Multiform difficulties will occur to every one, with respect to this 
theory. Many can, I think, be satisfactorily answered. Natura non 
facit saltum answers some of the most obvious. The slowness of the 
change, and only a very few individuals undergoing change at any 
one time, answers others. The extreme imperfection of our geological 
records answers others. 

6. Another principle, which may be called the principle of di- 
vergence, plays, I believe, an important part in the origin of species. 
The same spot will support more life if occupied by very diverse forms. 


to form Varieties. 6299: 


We see this in the many generic forms in a square yard of turf, and in 
the plants or insects on any little uniform islet, belonging almost in- 
variably to as many genera and families as species. We can under- 
stand the meaning of this fact amongst the higher animals, whose 
habits we understand. We know that it has been experimentally 
shown that a plot of land will yield a greater weight if sown with 
several species and genera of grasses, than if sown with only two or 
three species. Now, every organic being, by propagating so rapidly, 
may be said to be striving its utmost to increase in numbers. So it 
will be with the offspring of any species after it has become diversified 
into varieties, or subspecies, or true species. And it follows, I think, 
from the foregoing facts, that the varying offspring of each species will 
try (only a few will succeed) to seize on as many and as diverse places in 
the economy of nature as possible. Each new variety or species, when 
formed, will generally take the place of, and thus exterminate its less 
well-fitted parent. This I believe to be the origin of the classification 
and affinities of organic beings at all times; for organic beings always 
seem to branch and sub-branch like the limbs of a tree from a common 
trunk, the flourishing and diverging twigs destroying the less vigorous 
—the dead and lost branches rudely representing extinct genera and 
families. 

This sketch is most imperfect; but in so short a space I cannot 
make it better. Your imagination must fill up very wide blanks. 


C. DARWIN. 


III. On the Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely from the Original Type. 
By Atrrep Russet WaLLAce. 


One of the strongest arguments which have been adduced to prove 
the original and permanent distinctness of species is, that varieties 
produced in a state of domesticity are more or less unstable, and often 
have a tendency, if left to themselves, to return to the normal form of 
the parent species; and this instability is considered to be a distinc- 
tive peculiarity of all varieties, even of those occurring among wild 
animals in a state of nature, and to constitute a provision for pre- 
serving unchanged the originally created distinct species. 

In the absence or scarcity of facts and observations as to varieties 
occurring among wild animals, this argument has had great weight 
with naturalists, and has led to a very general and somewhat prejudiced 
belief in the stability of species. Equally general, however, is the 


6300 Tendency of Species 


belief in what are called “permanent or true varieties,”—- races of 
animals which continually propagate their like, but which differ so 
slightly (although constantly) from some other race, that the one is 
considered to be a variety of the other. Which is the variety and 
which the original species, there is generally no means of determining, 
except in those rare cases in which the one race has been known to 
produce an offspring unlike itself and resembling the other. ‘This, 
however, would seem quite incompatible with the “ permanent in- 
variability of species,” but the difficulty is overcome by assuming that 
such varieties have strict limits, and can never again vary further from 
the original type, although they may return to it, which, from the 
analogy of the domesticated animals, is considered to be highly 
probable, if not certainly proved. 

It will be observed that this argument rests entirely on the assump- 
tion, that varzeties occurring in a state of nature are in all respects 
analogous to or even identical with those of domestic animals, and 
are governed by the same laws as regards their permanence or further 
variation. But it is the object of the present paper to show that this 
assumption is altogether false, that there is a general principle in 
nature which will cause many varieties to survive the parent species, 
and to give rise to successive variations departing further and further 
from the original type, and which also produces, in domesticated 
animals, the tendency of varieties to return to the parent form. 

The life of wild animals is a struggle for existence. The full 
exertion of all their faculties and all their energies is required to pre- 
serve their own existence and provide for that of their infant offspring. 
The possibility of procuring food during the least favourable seasons, 
and of escaping the attacks of their most dangerous enemies, are the 
primary conditions which determine the existence both of individuals 
and of entire species. ‘These conditions will also determine the popu- 
lation of a species; and by a careful consideration of all the circum- 
stances we may be enabled to comprehend, and in some degree to 
explain, what at first sight appears so inexplicable—the excessive 
abundance of some species, while others closely allied to them are 
very rare. 

The general proportion that must obtain between certain groups of 
animals is readily seen. Large animals cannot be so abundant as 
small ones; the Carnivora must be Jess numerous than the Herbivora ; 
eagles and lions can never be so plentiful as pigeons and antelopes ; 
the wild asses of the Tartarian deserts cannot equal in numbers the 
horses of the more luxuriant prairies and pampas of America. The 


to form Varieties. 6301 


greater or less fecundity of an animal is often considered. to be one of 
the chief causes of its abundance or scarcity; but a consideration of 
the facts will show us that it really has little or nothing to do with the 
matter. Even the least prolific of animals would increase rapidly if 
unchecked, whereas it is evident that the animal population of the 
globe must be stationary, or perhaps, through the influence of man, 
decreasing. Fluctuations there may be; but permanent increase, 
except in restricted localities, is almost impossible. For example, 
our own observation must convince us that birds do not go on in- 
creasing every year in a geometrical ratio, as they would do were there 
not some powerful check to their natural increase. Very few birds 
produce less than two young ones each year, while many have six, 
eight or ten; four will certainly be below the average; and if we sup- 
pose that each pair produce young only four times in their life, that 
will also be below the average, supposing them not to die either by 
violence or want of food. Yet at this rate how tremendous would be 
the increase in a few years from a single pair! A simple calculation 
will show that in fifteen years each pair of birds would have increased 
to nearly ten millions! whereas we have no reason to believe that the 
number of the birds of any country increases at all in fifteen or in one 
hundred and fifty years. With such powers of increase the population 
must have reached its limits, and have become stationary, in a very 
few years after the origin of each species. It is evident, therefore, 
that each year an immense number of birds must perish—as many in 
fact as are born; and as on the lowest calculation the progeny are 
each year twice as numerous as their parents, it follows that, what- 
ever be the average number of individuals existing in any given 
country, twice that number must perish annually,—a striking result, 
but one which seems at least highly probable, and is perhaps under 
rather than over the truth. It would therefore appear that, as far as 
the continuance of the species and the keeping up the average num- 
ber of individuals are concerned, large broods are superfluous. On 
the average all above ore become food for hawks and kites, wild cats 
and weasels, or perish of cold and hunger as winter comes on. This 
is strikingly proved by the case of particular species; for we find that 
their abundance in individuals bears no relation whatever to their 
fertility in producing offspring. Perhaps the most remarkable instance 
of an immense bird population is that of the passenger pigeon of the 
United States, which lays only one, or at most two eggs, and is said 
to rear generally but one young one. Why is this bird so extra- 
ordinarily abundant, while others producing two or three times as 


6302 Tendency of Species 


many young are much less plentiful ? The explanation is not difficult. 
The food most congenial to this species, and on which it thrives best, 
is abundantly distributed over a very extensive region, offering such 
differences of soil and climate, that in one part or another of the area 
the supply never fails. The bird is capable of a very rapid and long- 
continued flight, so that it can pass without fatigue over the whole of 
the district it inhabits, and as soon as the supply of food begins to 
fail in one place is able to discover a fresh feeding-ground. This 
example strikingly shows us that the procuring a constant supply of 
wholesome food is almost the sole condition requisite for ensuring the 
rapid increase of a given species, since neither the limited fecundity, 
nor the unrestrained attacks of birds of prey and of man are here suf- 
ficient to check it. In no other birds are these peculiar circumstances 
so strikingly combined. LEither their food is more liable to failure, or 
they have not sufficient power of wing to search for it over an exten- 
sive area, or during some season of the year it becomes very scarce, 
and less wholesome substitutes have to be found; and thus, though 
more fertile in offspring, they can never increase beyond the supply of 
food in the least favourable seasons. Many birds can only exist by 
migrating, when their food becomes scarce, to regions possessing 4 
milder, or at least a different climate, though, as these migrating birds 
are seldom excessively abundant, it is evident that the countries they 
visit are still deficient in a constant and abundant supply of wholesome 
food. Those whose organization does not permit them to migrate 
when their food becomes periodically scarce, can never attain a large 
population. ‘This is probably the reason why woodpeckers are scarce 
with us, while in the tropics they are among the most abundant of 
solitary birds. ‘Thus the house sparrow is more abundant than the 
redbreast, because its food is more constant and plentiful,—seeds of 
grasses being preserved during the winter, and our farm-yards and 
stubble-fields furnishing an almost inexhaustible supply. Why, as a 
general rule, are aquatic, and especially sea birds, very numerous in 
individuals ? Not because they are more prolific than others, generally 
the contrary ; but because their food never fails, the sea-shores and 
river-banks daily swarming with a fresh supply of small Mollusca and 
Crustacea. Exactly the same laws will apply to mammals. Wild cats 
are prolific and have few enemies ; why then are they never as abun- 
dant as rabbits? The only intelligible answer is, that their supply of 
food is more precarious. It appears evident, therefore, that so long 
as a country remains physically unchanged, the numbers of its animal 
population cannot materially increase. If one species does so, some 


to form Varieties. 6303 


others requiring the same kind of food must diminish in proportion. 
The numbers that die annually must be immense; and as the indi- 
vidual existence of each animal depends upon itself, those that die 
must be the weakest—the very young, the aged, and the diseased,— 
while those that prolong their existence can only be the most perfect 
in health and vigour—those who are best able to obtain food regularly, 
and avoid their numerous enemies. It is, as we commenced by remark- 
ing, ‘‘a struggle for existence,” in which the weakest and least perfectly 
organized must always succumb. 

Now it is clear that what takes place among the individuals of a 
species must also occur among the several allied species of a group,— 
viz., that those which are best adapted to obtain a regular supply of 
food, and to defend themselves against the attacks of their enemies and 
the vicissitudes of the seasons, must necessarily obtain and preserve a 
superiority in population ; while those species which from some defect 
of power or organization are the least capable of counteracting the 
vicissitudes of food, supply, &c., must diminish in numbers, and, in 
extreme cases, become altogether extinct. Between these extremes 
the species will present various degrees of capacity for ensuring the 
means of preserving life; and it is thus we account for the abundance 
or rarity of species. Our ignorance will generally prevent us from 
accurately tracing the effects to their causes; but could we become 
perfectly acquainted with the organization and habits of the various 
species of animals, and could we measure the capacity of each for 
performing the different acts necessary to its safety and existence 
under all the varying circumstances by which it is surrounded, we 
might be able even to calculate the proportionate abundance of indi- 
viduals which is the necessary result. 

If now we have succeeded in establishing these two points-—1st, 
that the animal population of a country is generally stationary, being 
kept down by a periodical deficiency of food, and other checks ; and, 
2nd, that the comparative abundance or scarcity of the individuals of 
the several species is entirely due to their organization and resulting 
habits, which, rendering it more difficult to procure a regular supply 
of food and to provide for their personal safety in some cases than in 
others, can only be balanced by a difference in the population which 
have to exist in a given area—we shall be in a condition to proceed 
to the consideration of varieties, to which the preceding remarks have 
a direct and very important application. 

Most or perhaps all the variations from the typical form of a species 
must have some definite effect, however slight, on the habits or 


6304 Tendency of Species 


capacities of the individuals. Even a change of colour might, by 
rendering them more or less distinguishable, affect their safety ; a 
greater or less development of hair might modify their habits. More 
important changes, such as an increase in the power or dimensions of 
the limbs or any of the external organs, would more or less affect 
their mode of procuring food or the range of country which they 
inhabit. It is also evident that most changes would affect, either 
favourably or adversely, the powers of prolonging existence. An 
antelope with shorter or weaker legs must necessarily suffer more from 
the attacks of the feline Carnivora; the passenger pigeon with less 
powerful wings would sooner or later be affected in its powers of pro- 
curing a regular supply of food; and in both cases the result must 
necessarily be a diminution of the population of the modified species. 
If, on the other hand, any species should produce a variety having 
slightly increased powers of preserving existence, that variety must 
inevitably in time acquire a superiority in numbers. These results 
must follow as surely as old age, intemperance, or scarcity of food pro- 
duce an increased mortality. In both cases there may be many indi- 
vidual exteptions; but on the average the rule will invariably be 
found to hold good. All varieties will therefore fall into two classes 
—those which under the same conditions would never reach the popu- 
lation of the parent species, and those which would in time obtain 
and keep a numerical superiority. Now, let some alteration of physical 
conditions occur in the district—a long period of drought, a destruction 
of vegetation by locusts, the irruption of some new carnivorous animal 
seeking “ pastures new”’—any change in fact tending to render existence 
more difficult to the species in question, and tasking its utmost powers 
to avoid complete extermination ; it is evident that, of all the indi- 
viduals composing the species, those forming the least numerous and 
most feebly organized variety would suffer first, and, were the pressure 
severe, must soon become extinct. The same causes continuing in 
action, the parent species would next suffer, would gradually diminish 
in numbers, and with a recurrence of similar unfavourable conditions 
might also become extinct. The superior variety would then alone 
remain, and on a return to favourable circumstances would rapidly 
increase in numbers and occupy the place of the extinct species and 
variety. 

The variety would now have replaced the species, of which it would 
be a more perfectly developed and more highly organised form. It 
would be in all respects better adapted to secure its safety, and to pro- 
long its individual existence and that of the race. Such a variety could 


to form Varieties. 6305 


not return to the original form; for that form is an inferior one, and 
could never compete with it for existence. Granted, therefore a “ ten- 
dency” to reproduce the original type of the species, still the variety 
must ever remain preponderant in numbers, and under adverse physical 
conditions again alone survive. But this new, improved, and populous 
race might itself, in course of time, give rise to new varieties, ex- 
hibiting several diverging modifications of form, any of which, tending 
to increase the facilities for preserving existence, must, by the same 
general law, in their turn become predominant. Here, then, we have 
progression and continued divergence deduced from the general laws 
which regulate the existence of animals in a state of nature, and from 
the undisputed fact that varieties do frequently occur. Itis not, how- 
ever, contended that this result would be invariable; a change of 
physical conditions in the district might at times materially modify it, 
rendering the race which had been the most capable of supporting 
existence under the former conditions now the least so, and even 
causing the extinction of the newer, and for a time superior, race, 
while the old or parent species and its first inferior varieties con- 
tinued to flourish. Variations in unimportant parts might also occur, 
having no perceptible effect on the life-preserving powers ; and the 
varieties so furnished might run a course parallel with the parent 
species, either giving rise to further variations or returning to the 
former type. All we argue for is, that certain varieties have a tendency 
to maintain their existence longer than the original species, and this 
tendency must make itself felt; for though the doctrine of chances or 
averages can never be trusted to on a limited scale, yet,.if applied to 
high numbers, the results come nearer to what theory demands, and, 
as we approach to an infinity of examples, become strictly accurate. 
Now the scale on which nature works is so vast—the numbers of indi- 
viduals and periods of time with which she deals approach so near to 
infinity, that any cause, however slight, and however liable to be veiled 
and counteracted by accidental circumstances, must in the end pro- 
duce its full legitimate results. 

Let us now turn to domesticated animals, and inquire how varieties 
produced among them are affected by the principles here enunciated. 
The essential difference in the condition of wild and domestic animals 
is this,—that among the former, their well-being and very existence 
depend upon the full exercise and healthy condition of all their senses 
and physical powers, whereas, among the latter, these are only par- 
tially exercised, and in some cases are absolutely unused. A wild 
animal has to search, and often to labour, for every mouthful of food 

XVI, 3M 


6306 Tendency of Species 


—to exercise sight, hearing, and smell in seeking it, and in avoiding 
dangers, in procuring shelter from the inclemency of the seasons, and 
in providing for the subsistence and safety of its offspring. There is 
no muscle of its body that is not called into daily and hourly activity ; 
there is no sense or faculty that is not strengthened by continual 
exercise. The domestic animal, on the other hand, has food provided 
for it, is sheltered, and often confined, to guard it against the vicissi- 
tudes of the seasons, 1s carefully secured from the attacks of its natural 
enemies, and seldom even rears its young without human assistance. 
Half of its senses and faculties are quite useless; and the other half 
are but occasionally called into feeble exercise, while even its muscular 
system is only irregularly called into action. 

Now when a variety of such an animal occurs, having increased 
power or capacity in any organ or sense, such increase is totally use- 
less, is never called into action, and may even exist without the animal 
ever becoming aware of it. In the wild animal, on the contrary, all 
its faculties and powers being brought into full action for the neces- 
sities of existence, any increase becomes immediately available, is 
strengthened by exercise, and must even slightly modify the food, the 
habits, and the whole economy of the race. It creates as it were a 
new animal, one of superior powers, and which will necessarily increase 
in numbers and outlive those inferior to it. 

Again, in the domesticated animal all variations have an equal 
chance of continuance; and those which would decidedly render a 
wild animal unable to compete with its fellows and continue its 
existence are no disadvantage whatever in a state of domesticity. Our 
quickly fattening pigs, short-legged sheep, pouter pigeons and poodle 
dogs could never have come into existence in a state of nature, because 
the very first step towards such inferior forms would have led to the 
rapid extinction of the race; still less could they now exist in compe- 
tition with their wild allies. The great speed but slight endurance of 
the race horse, the unwieldy strength of the ploughman’s team, would 
both be useless in a state of nature. If turned wild on the pampas, 
such animals would probably soon become extinct, or under favourable 
circumstances might each lose those extreme qualities which would 
never be called into action, and in a few generations would revert to a 
common type, which must be that in which the various powers and 
faculties are so proportioned to each other as to be best adapted to 
procure food and secure safety,—that in which by the full exercise of 
every part of his organization the animal can alone continue to live. 
Domestic varieties, when tured wild, mzsé return to something 


to form Varieties. 6307 


near the type of the original wild stock, o7 become altogether 
extinct. 

We see, then, that no inferences as to varieties in a state of nature 
can be deduced from the observation of those occurring among 
domestic animals. The two are so much opposed to each other in 
every circumstance of their existence, that what applies to the one 
is almost sure not to apply to the other. Domestic animals are ab- 
normal, irregular, artificial; they are subject to varieties which never 
occur and never can occur in a state of nature: their very existence 
depends altogether on human care ; so far are many of them removed 
from that just proportion of faculties, that true balance of organization, 
by means of which alone an animal left to its own resources can pre- 
serve its existence and continue its race. 

The hypothesis of Lamarck—that progressive changes in species 
have been producec¢ by the attempts of animals to increase the develop- 
ment of their own organs, and thus modify their structure and habits 
—has been repeatedly and easily refuted by all writers on the subject 
of varieties and species, and it seems to have been considered that when 
this was done the whole question has been finally settled ; but the view 
here developed renders such an hypothesis quite unnecessary, by show- 
ing that similar results must be produced by the action of principles 
constantly at work in nature. The powerful retractile talons of the fal- 
con and the cat tribes have not been produced or increased by the voli- 
tion of those animals; but among the different varieties which occurred 
in the earlier and less highly organized forms of these groups, those 
always survived longest which had the greatest facilities for seizing 
their prey. Neither did the giraffe acquire its long neck by desiring 
to reach the foliage of the more lofty shrubs, and constantly stretching 
its neck for the purpose, but because any varieties which occurred 
among its anti-types with a longer neck than usual at once secured a 
Fresh range of pasture over the same ground as their ‘shorter-necked 
companions, and on the first scarcity of food were thereby enabled to 
outlive them. Even the peculiar colours of many animals, especially 
insects, so closely resembling the soil or the leaves or the trunks on 
which they habitually reside, are explained on the same principle ; 
for though in the course of ages varieties of many tints may have 
occurred, yet those races having colours best adapted to concealment 
Jrom their enemies would inevitably survive the longest. We have 
also here an acting cause to account for that balance so often observed 
in nature,—a deficiency in one set of organs always being compen- 
sated by an increased development of some others—powerful wings 


+ 


6308 Tendency of Species to form Varieties. 


accompanying weak feet, or great velocity making up for the absence 
of defensive weapons ; for it has been shown that all varieties in which 
an unbalanced deficiency occurred could not long continue their ex- 
istence. The action of this principle is exactly like that of the 
centrifugal governor of the steam engine, which checks and corrects 
any irregularities almost before they become evident; and in like 
manner no unbalanced deficiency in the animal kingdom can ever 
reach any conspicuous magnitude, because it would make itself felt 
at the very first step, by rendering existence difficult and extinction 
almost sure soon to follow. An origin such as is here advocated will 
also agree with the peculiar character of the modifications of form and 
structure which obtain in organized beings—the many lines of diver- 
gence from a central type, the increasing efficiency and power of a 
particular organ through a succession of allied species, and the 
remarkable persistence of unimportant parts, such as colour, texture 
of plumage and hair, form of horns or crests, through a series of 
species differing considerably in more essential characters. It also 
furnishes us with a reason for that “ more specialized structure ” which 
Professor Owen states to be a characteristic of recent compared with 
extinct forms, and which would evidently be the result of the pro- 
gressive modification of any organ applied to a special purpose in the 
animal economy. 3 

We believe we have now shown that there is a tendency in nature 
to the continued progression of certain classes of varieties further 
and further from the original type—a progression to which there 
appears no reason to assign any definite limits—and that the same 
principle which produces this result in a state of nature will also 
explain why domestic varieties have a tendency to revert to the 
original type. This progression, by minute steps, in various directions, 
but always checked and balanced by the necessary conditions, subject 
to which alone existence can be preserved, may, it is believed, be 
followed out so as to agree with all the phenomena presented by 
organized beings, their extinction and succession in past ages, and all 
the extraordinary modifications of form, instinct, and habits which 
they exhibit. 


A. R,. WALLACE. 
Ternate, February, 1858. 


Quadrupeds— Birds. 6309 


Weasel carrying its Young.—On the 18th of September I saw a weasel run across 
the road, with a young one in its mouth, apparently about a month old. I write these 
particulars as I think it is not generally known that weasels do so carry their young 
ones.— Howard Fox; Falmouth, October 13, 1858. 


Occurrence of Crossbills in Yorkshire —Last week nine crossbills (L. curvirostra) 
were killed, out of a flock of eleven, about nine miles above Richmond. They had 
constantly frequented the fir plantation in which they were killed, since last February, 
and had they remained undisturbed I think it quite possible that they would have 
bred there this winter—. Smurthwaite; Bank, Richmond, Yorkshire, November 2, 
1858. 

Remarkable Anecdote of the Cuckoo.—At the village of Tickenhall, in Derbyshire, 
lime is procured for agricultural purposes, which, of course, every time it is blasted 
makes a great noise. Notwithstanding all the noise and bustle attendant upon the 
operations of procuring it, a small bird built its nest close hy a bush which grew upon 
a rough bank. The egg of a cuckoo was laid in it in due time, and eventually hatched. 
The young cuckoo did not seem at all frightened by what was going on around it. 
When fully fledged, a friend of mine took it, and gave it to his little boy to make a 
pet of. It lived upon eggs, caterpillars, flies, insects of various kinds, and raw beef, 
and throve remarkably well. It was pinioned, and allowed to roam about the orchards 
and neighbouring fields, and grew tame. One day, however, it was missing, and was 
away a whole month. It was found, however, within a few fields of the house, and, 
singular to say, several little wild birds were in the act of feeding it. |The operation 
was watched for some time with much interest. It seems very remarkable that having 
been in partial confinement for perhaps three weeks or a month, the birds should feed 
it. It would almost lead one to think that in the cuckoo existed something peculiar 
and attractive which induced other birds to take it under their protection.—John 
Joseph Briggs in‘ The Field, 

The Creamcoloured Courser in Hackney Marshes.—I am indebted to Mr. Cooper, 
of No. 28, Radnor Street, St. Luke’s, for sending me, in the flesh, a very perfect 
female specimen of that rare bird the Cursorius isabellinus of naturalists. It was shot 
in the Hackney Marshes, on the 19th of October, by Mr. George Beresford, of the 
White House Fishery. The bird was exceedingly tame, probably tired with a long 
flight. |The last recorded instance of the occurrence of this bird in Britain is in the 
‘ Zoologist’ for 1855 (Zool. 4913). The specimen was shot by Mr. Walter Langton, 
on East Down, Salisbury Plain, on the 2nd of October, 1855. Mr. Langton was 
following a wild covey of partridges which had pitched on the open down, when his 
dogs stood at this bird; it rose, flew about a hundred yards, and settled again. He 
followed it, and finally shot it on the ground. The late Mr. Yarrell saw and handled 
the bird in the flesh; I had the same pleasure. Mr. Cooper will be pleased to show 
his more recent specimen to any gentleman who inclines to call on him at the above 
address.— Edward Newman in‘ The Field. 

Appearance of Skuas off the Coast of Yarmouth.—During the past month, several 
fine specimens of the common skua, mostly in adult plumage, have been killed off 
Yarmouth, as well as six specimens of Richardson’s and one pomarine skua. Of 
Richardson's skuas three were in the immature plumage of the second year, an uniform 


— 


6310 Insects. 


brownish tint, with the middle tail feathers projecting about three inches, and the 
others had attained very nearly their adult state, the under parts being white with the 
exception of a few dusky markings remaining more or less on the throat and breast: 
in this plumage they are very rarely met with on this coast. The single pomarine 
specimen that I examined was also in rapid progress to maturity, the whole of the 
under surface of the body being mottled with white and dusky brown. All these birds 
were shot from the boats engaged in the herring fishery, as the skuas, like the common 
gulls, follow up the shoals of fish as they approach our shores, but not with the same 
honest intention of gaining their own living as their kindred species, whom they too 
often bully out of their well-earned meal, as the sea eagle pounces on the osprey.— 
H. Stevenson ; Norwich, November 6, 1858, 


Colias Edusa near London.—On Wednesday, October 27th, I took a fine male 
specimen of Colias Edusa in my garden, apparently fresh from the chrysalis. I have 
recorded this fact, thinking it somewhat remarkable in this locality, so uear London. 
Since writing the above my son has taken another specimen of C. Edusa in the 
Camden Road, leading to the villas—Joshua Dix; 29, St. Paul’s Road, Camden 
Square, N.W., October 30, 1858. 

[Many other instances have occurred within the last fortnight, but I have not 
room for them.—#. Newman. | 

On the Food plant of Polyommatus Artaxerxes and P. Agestis.—Much has been 
stated by Mr. Logan and Mr. Wailes (Zool. 6276 and 6278) to prove that P. Agestis 
feeds on the Helianthemum ; facts prove to me the contrary. That the perfect insects 
frequent the blossoms of that plant I do not dispute, but this does not prove that the 
larve feed onit. Now fora fact or two: the Deal sands (a tract of waste land about five 
miles in length by half a mile in width), from one end to the other, is a great station 
for Erodium cicutarium; here P. Agestis may be found in hundreds, and it is here 
that I take the larve. These sands are adjvining marshes of some miles in extent, 
on which there is no Helianthemum at all: leaving this part of the country, and 
travelling inland, we shall find the Helianthemum in abundance, and P. Agestis is 
quite wanting, or very rare. Another instance: at Dartford Heath, in Kent, the 
Erodium is found in some plenty; here P. Agestis may be found also; but the 
Helianthemum is rare on the Heath. Again, on the sides of Darenth Wood the 
Helianthemum grows in abundance; here but one or two of P. Agestis have been 
found, and they had evidently got astray. On the sand-hills P. Agestis and the 
common blue keep company; so fond are they of the Ammophila arundinacea that 
these two species are always found sitting on it to rest at night and flying among it by 
day, and one might arrive at the conclusion that it is their food-plant: seldom are 
they found on their food-plant, the Erodium. It is well known that the common blue 
settles on the common rush, but that does not prove it is their food-plant. The reason 
why P. Artaxerxes is found in such numbers on Arthur’s Seat is because it is a great 
station for Helianthemum vulgare. Mr. Logan says P. Agestis is as much attached 
to the Helianthemum as to the Erodium: I think these facts prove the contrary ; or 
why is not P. Agestis found in plenty where the Helianthemum grows in abundance? 
Again, I am informed by Mr. Logan that the larva of P. Artaxerxes will spin up 
against the face of a rock or in confinement: I have bred a great number of P. Agestis, 


Insects. 6311 


and have never found one so inclined. Does this not again prove the two species, by 
the difference of habitat of the larva? I should much like to see a larva of P. Agestis 
feeding on the Helianthemum: who has ever found one?—H. J. Harding ; 1, York 
Street, Church Street, Shoreditch. 

[I agree with Mr. Harding that the fact of an insect settling on the blossoms of a 
plant prove nothing as to the food of the larva: Sphinx Convolvuli obtained its name 
from the propensity of the imago to suck the honey of tubular flowers, but the conclu- 
sion was a most rash one, and has led hundreds to seek the larve among the leaves of 
the bindweed.— Z. Newman.] 

Double-broodedness of the Notodontide.—The observations of Mr. Newman and 
Mr. Boyd (Zool. 6281, 6283) on my paper on the “ Double-broodedness of the Noto- 
dontide ” (Zool. 6248) appear to have been written under an entire misapprehension. 
It is evident that both these gentlemen have the impression that the experiments with 
Pierostoma palpina and Notodonta dictzea commenced in May, 1858, and terminated 
with the larva in August of the same year. If I am correct in this supposition, they 
are in error on both points; they have overlooked the fact that the communication 
alluded to is a continuation of one published in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 5826). These 
experiments commenced in August, 1857, with larva, and concluded in August, 1858, 
with the ova, embracing a period of twelve months, and carrying both insects through 
two entire cycles of life. I further mentioned, “ almost parenthetically,” that I had 
commenced a third cycle,—that is, that I had larve again feeding ; this latter obser- 
vation, however, was only made to show that the last state of the second cycle was 
complete,—namely, that the eggs had proved fertile,—but beyond this I attached no 
value to it whatever; these larve formed no part of my experiments, the two cycles 
were complete without them. Mr. Newman introduces Acherontia Atropos as an insect 
which he says I should consider double-brooded ; on the contrary, this insect is entirely 
single-brooded, according to the rule laid down by Mr. Newman himself, and with 
which I fully agree: with Atropos no one of the four states occurs more than once in 
the twelve months; indeed, necessarily, if one state occurs more than once all must: 
it is true that individuals of this insect appear in autumn, the remainder in spring, but 
it is only an irregular, prolonged development from the same set,—namely the autumn- 
formed pupe. Will Mr. Newman say from which of my papers he gathered that the 
divided or prolonged appearance of imago from the same set of pupz# was considered 
by me as evidence of double-broodedness? Mr. Newman further says that the “ state 
of pupa (of A. Atropos) occurs twice.” Now this may be said of every insect whose 
pupa continues in that state from autumn till spring, and although it may thus be 
found at two periods of a calendar year, it is only formed once in the four seasons, or 
twelve months. This insect has only one cycle of life in a natural year: the appear- 
ance of the imago in autumn is premature, and the individuals barren, dozens have 
been opened in this town during this autumn proving this fact. Mr. Newman again 
says ‘* But even supposing the two cycles of existence were completed by a Notodonta 
in 1858” (meaning, I suppose, twelve months) “still the temperature of the past 
season having been abnormal the rapid progress of insect transformation may have 
been abnormal also.” _I hope this is the dernier resort of dying doubt; he appears to 
forget that my experiments with N. ziczac, which produced the same results as those 
with N. dicta and P. palpina, were carried on during the years 1856 and 1857, 
Mr. Boyd says, “I hope Mr. Gascoyne will publish the results of his experiments 
when the cycle is complete.” Ihave before shown that the double cycle was com- 


6312 Insects. . | a “hg Z 


pleted with the second production of ova. I will just recapitulate the experiments 


with P. palpina and N. dictea, showing the two cycles, taking the dates roughly. 
Larva fed up September, 1857 ; pupz remained through the winter ; moths emerged 
in May, 1858 ; these laid eggs which hatched in June and proved fertile: this forms 
the first cycle. Larva began to feed in June and buried at the end of that month and 
early in July ; moths appeared about the béginning of August ; eggs from these hatched 
in about ten days: this completes the second cycle, and here ended the experiments. 
I may add that the larve from these duly fed up, and the pupe of both P. palpina aud 
N. dictza are now taking their winter repose.—G. Guscoyne ; Newark, November 4, 
1858. 

[Invited by Mr. Gascoyne to enter into further explanations, it is from no want of 
courtesy that I decline, but simply because I possess no additional facts to lay before 
my readers: my interpretation of Mr. Gascoyne’s views may have been erroneous; at 
any rate he is their best interpreter. One word as to “ exceptional” summers, the 
term applies equally to 1857 and 1858; in both the temperature was “ exceptionally ” 
high.—Hdward Newman. ] 

Occurrence of Glea erythrocephala on the South Coast.— My friend Mr. Wright 
has just brought tv this office a specimen of this rarity, taken last night by himself at 
sugar on the south coast ; two others were taken by a companion at the same time and 
place.—Edward eee 3; November 2, 1858. 

Occurrence of Camptogramma fluviata near Worthing.—I oiaae a splendid ai 
of this insect, in the middle of October, near Worthing, Sussex. It seems to be a 
widely distributed species, and to occur throughout the summer and autumn months. 
—H. Tompkins ; 44, Guildford Street, Russell Square, London, November 5, 1858. 

A new Nepticula.—There is a species of Nepticula now in the larva state in apple- 
leaves, which I have repeatedly met with and reared. It does not seem to be as yet 
described ; a brief account of it may therefore be interesting, and I would propose the 
name Pomella. The egg is deposited on the under side of apple-leaves ; the larva, when 
hatched, mines in the upper cuticle, and usually in the direction of the stem, forming a 
slender track, which turns pink, and betrays the presence of a larva in the leaf before it 
is visible to the naked eye; this track is frequently close to a rib; as the mine becomes 
wider it is orange-coloured, with irregular tracks of brownish excrement: it is never 
very conspicuous from above, but quite invisible on the under side; after a time the 
larva cummonly doubles on its track, and forms a blotch, from which it emerges on 
the upper side to wander away and form its cocoon. The larva is very shining, orange- 
coloured, with dorsal vessel only slightly darker; head pale chestnut. The cocoon 
varies from dark chestnut to bright orange: it is slightly mussel-shaped, and always 
has a rim of much brighter hue round the upper end, which gives it a striking appear- 
ance; the pupa is protruded on the escape of the perfect insect. The imago expands 
about three lines, and is of the unicolorous greup ; the anterior wings cinereous, glossy, 
and with a purple hue, brightest towards the apex ; the posterior wings of an uniform 
paler colour; head rufous with whitish eye-caps. In the perfect state it is closely 
allied to N. pygmeella. It,is double-brooded, appearing in May and August, the larva 
occurring in July, October and November; the July larva seems very scarce,—I 
observed them this July for the first time; the autumnal larve are by no means rare 
in the Eee pennies of Bristol.—P. H.Vaughan ; slag iy Bristol, October 29,1858. 

— Intelligencer.’ 


PRINTED BY E. NEWMAN, 9, DEVONSHIRE STREET, BISHOPSGATE. 


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