The grasshopper warbler, more generally known by the name of grasshopper lark, is plentiful in several counties, but scarce about London; and I would willingly remunerate any person that would procure and send me a living male bird, or nest, of either or both. I have now eleven species of the interesting migratory warblers, all in good health, and several of them in full song; four handsome male blackcaps, a wheatear, and whinchat, that sing nearly all day long; the redstart, and larger and lesser whitethroats, also sing occasio..ally, but are not yet in full song: the greater part of them, if the weather is mild, will be in full song about Christmas. I am, Sir, yours truly, - R. Sweet. Pomona Place, King's Road, near Fulham,

Nov. 28. 1828.

A dark-looking Water Bird. - Sir, Very early one morning, in September, 1826, as a friend and myself were paddling about in a small boat in the harbour of Fowey, Cornwall, we spied a dark-looking bird on the water at the mouth of a "pill" or creek. We contrived to get within shot, and my friend fired and shot it dead. On taking it into the boat, I was much delighted at finding that I had got a strange bird. My companion was certain that he had killed a tame duck belonging to a neighbouring miller. I, however, carried it home, and forthwith made a sketch of it, and purposed measuring and examining it more minutely. A cat, however, forestalled me, and having borne it away to her own museum, I was obliged to rest contented with the rough drawing. Enclosed is a copy of my original figure (fig. 21.), which is so far accurate as probably to enable some of the

readers of your excellent Magazine to inform me what the bird is, it being a novelty to me. From the long body, roundness of the tail, and situation of the nostrils (in the middle of the bill), it might be placed in the genus Mérgus; while, from the form of the bill and leg, it seems to belong to the Anas. The bill, it will be observed, is remarkably large, and the forehead slopes more gradually to it than is usually the case in the duck tribe. This bird was about the size of the wigeon (Anas Penélope), and, I should imagine, had not arrived to its perfect plumage, by the uncertain form of the white spots on the cheek. I am, Sir, yours, &c.-J. L-s. Liskeard Vicarage, Cornwall, Dec. 10. 1828.

A Crow, which I saw last Sunday on Barham Downs, had the wings, back, and belly of a slate colour, the wings tipped with black, and the head of a glossy jet black. Pray, Sir, was it a distinct species, or only a variety?— P. H. Kingston Rectory, near Canterbury, Nov. 22. 1828.

A Swallow in November.

On Sunday last, Nov. 23., I saw a swallow fly over our garden, as strong and apparently in as good health as at midsummer. The day was very fine, and the flies were plentiful; but how did it subsist during the severe frosty days that were past ? R. Sweet. Pomona Place, King's Road, near Fulham, Nov. 28. 1828.

Silver Fish.-Sir, will some of your correspondents inform me, through the medium of your Magazine, whether there are any such fish as silver fish, and from what part of the world they are brought into this country? I remember seeing, a year or two ago, in the pond in the botanical garden, Liverpool, both golden, and (as I then understood) silver fish, in full vigour apparently; but I am induced to make the present enquiry, from having recently heard that there are no such things as silver fish really; and that what are generally known by that name are only the golden ones grown old, and having thus lost their colour. Do not gold fish come from China? [Yes.]-W. A. C. R., Dec. 8.

A variety of the Moor Buzzard. (fig. 22.)-Sir, I send you a variety of the Moor Buzzard, which I shot in

Marsh Gibbon Field, near Bicester, on Nov. 12. I am not certain that my name is right (see Latham quoted by Bewick); but as none of these birds are very common, I thought it might not be unacceptable to you. I observed it late in the afternoon take its station, in its usual heavy listless manner, on an old ash tree, which had a good command of the moor, where there were abundance of snipes, but not liking the sound of my gun, it went off. The next morning, near the same spot, it arose from a thick sedge, and being at a considerable distance, I hoped I had shot a bittern, being a much more likely place for that bird than a bird of prey. I have remarked, that

whenever a place is frequented by snipes, there is almost sure to be one or two buzzards in the neighbourhood, although it is probable that they seldom succeed in taking any other than birds which have been shot in the body, and escaped from the sportsman apparently unhurt. - H. Bicester,

Nov. 1828.

We thank our correspondent; the bird has been stuffed by Mr. Leadbeater, the eminent artist in this way, employed by the Linnean Society, and is placed in the museum of Messrs. Sowerby, No. 2. Mead Place, Lambeth. Mr. Leadbeater and Mr. Sowerby consider it to be the Moor Buzzard (Falco æruginosus, Linn.) a variety wanting the light spot on the crown of the head. Cond.

The Animal that inhabits the Nautilus.-Sir, I would wish to be informed, through the medium of your valuable Magazine, as to the nature of the animal that inhabits the Naútilus, and the use it makes of the chambers; and, if Conchilla's History of the Tròchus and Naútilus in your Magazine (Vol. I. p. 24.) be not fabulous, the means the Tròchus uses to propel itself to render it such a powerful enemy to the Naútilus, the former not seeming to me to be so well adapted for locomotion as the latter. A Young Conchologist. Sept. 18. 1828.

Mya batava, the Unio batava of Lam.-I would be glad to know if there be a specific distinction between this and the Unio pictòrum. Is the distinction sufficient to make it more than a variety? I have received from various parts of Europe the batàva, rostràta, and Anas, and should conclude, from the specimens received, notwithstanding Lamarck and other distinguished conchologists have described them as different, that they are not intitled so to be considered. No conchologist of this country would, if found within our rivers, consider them any thing more than mere varieties. Many

of the species from the Ohio have half a dozen varieties more distinct. J.L. Philadelphia, August 16. 1828.

Winter Quarters of Frogs.-Can you, or any of your correspondents, inform me what become of frogs during the winter: whether they remain dormant, or whether they die; if the latter, how the race is preserved? In crossing meadows, late in the autumn, which are liable to floods, I have frequently observed lumps of a jelly-like substance lying on the ground, of a yellowish colour, semi-transparent, and about as much on a spot as would fill a small tea-cup. For some time I was quite at a loss to what to attribute the cause of it, till at length, upon a closer inspection of one of them, I discovered in it the remains of the head and feet of a frog. Am I right in concluding, from this circumstance, that these substances are the bodies of frogs, which have been decomposed by the approach of winter? Yours, &c.-J. B. Jan. 21. 1829.

Shower of Frogs.- "As two gentlemen were sitting conversing on a causeway pillar near Bushmills, they were very much surprised by an unusually heavy shower of frogs, half formed, falling in all directions; some of which are preserved in spirits of wine, and are now exhibited to the curious by the two resident apothecaries in Bushmills." (Belfast Chron.) Can there be any truth in this strange assertion? When a boy, I remember having heard of young frogs being found on the top of a church steeple. - G. M. Lynn Regis, Nov. 17. 1828.

When at Rouen, in September last, we were assured by an English family resident there, that during a very heavy thunder shower, accompanied by violent wind, and almost midnight darkness, an innumerable multitude of young frogs fell on and around the house. The roof, the window-sills, and the gravel walks were covered with them. They were very small, but perfectly formed, all dead, and the next day being excessively hot, they were dried up to so many points or pills, about the size of the heads of pins. The most obvious way of accounting for this phenomenon is by supposing the water and frogs of some adjoining ponds to have been taken up by the wind in a sort of whirl or tornado. Cond.

A Tick which moved on a diseased Part of itself. Some days ago, I extracted a tick from a dog, and flung it into a finger-glass of water. After floating for some minutes, the abdomen seemed to detach itself from the rest of the body, and the insect to move upon this discarded part of itself, as a man walking on a raft. The abdomen of the tick had been very much distended, and wore the appearance of one of those small leathern bottles in which oil-colours are sold to artists, only considerably less in size. I shall be much obliged to any of your correspondents who would favour me with an explanation of this fact, and to yourself for noticing it. I beg to remain yours, &c.- - C. B. London, Nov. 3. 1828.

A Curious Worm. Sir, Perhaps some of your correspondents can acquaint me with the name of a small worm, which I found in my garden in the early part of the summer, and which I will attempt to describe. Its length is exactly 3 in. 2 lines, and it is about as thick as a hog's bristle, tapering to a point at each end; its colour was, I think, when alive, something of a reddish brown, except about two lines at each end, which were nearly white. I observed it throwing two-thirds of its body into the air in a very curious manner, with a motion resembling that of the antennæ of some large insect. I suppose it to be a species of the Górdius, but have always considered the Gordii as water insects, and although this creature seemed to enjoy twisting itself among the herbage, which was at the time teeming with the effects of a long soaking rain, yet my garden is distant from any pond, and enclosed with walls. An examination in a microscope only showed some hundreds of rings, of which the whole body is composed, and enabled me to discover no perceptible difference between the two ends, nor indeed organs of any kind. Upon putting it carefully into the palm of my hand,

Gordius aquations 211.293. Nel 1.301 3.481.

the heat seemed to distress it exceedingly; it curled itself up into a dozen knots, and was dead in less than a minute. As my best book is Pennant, I shall be obliged to you for any information respecting this very curious insect.-W. W. Wandsworth, Nov. 2. 1828.

A Nidus on a Rush.· The enclosed drawing (fig. 23.), represents a nidus in my possession attached to a rush; the nidus in the drawing and in the figure being exactly of its natural size. I discovered it whilst botanising in the early part of the summer, and so closely does it resemble a flower, that I mistook it for one, even after it was in my hand. It is perfectly white, and of manufacture the most finished. The lower end is quite flat, with edges as sharp in proportion as those of the crown of a hat, which I consider a great peculiarity, as I cannot recollect any insect manufacture of a web-like material, whether nidus of spider, or cocoon of caterpillar, except such as are round or oval, and certainly none with sharp edges such as I describe. As I found two of them, I cut one open, and found about a dozen eggs sticking to the base at A, but not occupying one-tenth of the interior.

This large unoccupied space suggests the idea, that it is intended for a sort of nursery for the young when first hatched, and the wonderful instinctive economy of the insect may, I think, easily be imagined. As the rush on which it was fixed was growing in water, the parent insect must have been an inhabitant of the water or its surface. Feeling the period of incubation drawing near, instinct, wonderful instinct, informs it, that the element in which it lives and moves and has its being is not the proper situation for its eggs to be deposited. It ascends to the top of some aquatic plant, forms its very elegant nidus in which it deposits its eggs, and, having hermetically secured every part of it, leaves the rest to the influence of the sun, which, in a few weeks, animates the dormant principle of life, and a living creature bursts from each egg. The young are probably not strong enough, at first, to endure the water, and unable to bear any inclemency of weather; but their first infancy is passed

23

in a dry and comfortable chamber, inclosed in which they may alike defy the wind and rain, and when they have acquired sufficient strength, they have only to eat their way through the walls of their nursery, and, crawling down the rush, commit themselves to the water.

This I conceive to be the economy of the insect, of whatever genus it may be, but any information respecting it will be very acceptable. It is still in my possession, as perfect as when first gathered. Every one who sees it admires it; but I have not yet met with any one who ever saw such a thing before, and as I have only seen two in my life (both of which were close together), I take them to be rather uncommon. (Id.)

Aphis on Endive and Lettuce. - Perhaps some of your correspondents would give me some information on the following subject: Having planted out some endive in the garden, which at first appeared to thrive well, I was surprised to find, after a short period, that the plants drooped and died. On removing them, I found the root surrounded by a host of aphides, attended by a quantity of red ants. These aphides were of various sizes, from 'the size of a small pin's head to that of the sixteenth part of an inch. I should be glad to know whether this species of aphides is peculiar

to the endive and lettuce; also if all the aphis tribe produce honey dew; and, if not, do the ants prey on the bodies of these insects? I observed the ants very busy attacking the aphis behind, and running from one to another. William Henry Hill. Newland, Gloucestershire, Sept. 10. 1828.

Tipula tritici. From the destructive effects of this fly in 1827 the wheat crop in East Lothian was almost entirely annihilated. This season, though its ravages have been less severe in that quarter, yet it has more generally infested the wheat crop throughout the whole of Scotland. You have given a very accurate figure of it in your Magazine of Natural History, Vol. I. p. 227.; but it would be exceedingly interesting to many of your readers if you or any of your correspondents would, in a future Number, give some particulars of the natural history of this destructive insect, and mention if any method has been tried, or can be adopted, to subdue it. —J. Ferme. Haddington, Dec. 1828.

Procellària Leáchii. Some correspondent would, perhaps, favour you with an account of the Procellària Leáchi. At present but three of the genus are British, viz. the Procellària glaciàlis, or Fulmar; the Procellària pelágica, or Stormy Petrel, commonly known to sailors as Mother Carey's Chickens; and Procellària Puffinus, or Shearwater. — Id.

Putting Bees into Mourning Sir, In your Magazine of Natural History (Vol. I. p. 93.), Mr. D. Stock wishes to know if the custom of putting bees into mourning is practised in other parts of England. Happening to mention the circumstance to a person who has been used to bees all his lifetime, and who is a native of Kent, I was informed that it is the custom in some parts of that county, to tap at each hive, upon the death of any member of the family where bees are kept, otherwise the bees all die, or do not thrive with the family afterwards. - Andrew Mathews. Alfred House, Turnham Green, Sept. 18. 1828.

Lathra a squamària. Sir, I beg to offer to your correspondent Mr. Smith, of Sandgate (Vol. I. p. 407.), the best description I can supply, from recollection, of the Lathræ a squamària found in this neighbourhood:

Flowering branches frequently more than double the size stated in the English Flora, rising 10, 12, or even 14 in. above the surface, bearing from thirty to forty flowers, disposed in three distinct yet perfectly unilateral rows; smooth, shining, tinged with bluish purple, and having a few flowerless bractea below, but gradually becoming hairy upwards; thickest about the middle. Bractea (called leaves in Eng. Flor.) broader than their length, sitting, smooth, shining, and rather fleshy; one at the base of each petiole, and certainly of a different structure from the true subterranean leaves. Petioles and calyx hairy; though these and the stem are represented smooth in t. 50. of Eng. Bot. In the English Flora, the calyx is described as having the hue and texture of the leaves (qu. bracteæ ?); whereas, it is soft and thin, not at all succulent. Flowers of a dullish pink purple; the segments of the upper lip of the corolla much longer than the calyx, collapsed together, enveloping the stamens and the greater part of the style, though the stigma projects beyond them. Capsules succulent.

I have confined myself to those points in which I think our plant differs from the description in Eng. Flo., and from the figure in Eng. Bot., not having Hudson's Flor. Ang. to refer to. Though, at this period of the year, I am obliged to trust to memory, I flatter myself I shall be found correct; for, being dissatisfied with Sowerby's figure, I made a drawing from nature, in April last, which has fixed its image on my mind; but having since given it to a scientific friend, I am still without reference. I may add, that a comparison of the figure in Eng. Bot., and of t. 160. of Curtis's British Entomology, the plates of which, for fidelity of outline and richness of colouring, are beyond all praise, strongly supports your correspondent's doubts.

It is somewhat singular that, though the Lathra'a has been long suspected to be parasitical, no botanist has yet told us how it is attached to the roots