Afb.il 1, 1SG6.J 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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This to me is remarkable, for during three years in 

 which I have watched their habits here, I have 

 never seen them so early. In 1864 I did not see 

 them till March 25 ; in 18G5 I saw them first on 

 February 27 — R. Blight. 



Silver-striped Hawk Moth. — {Chcerocdmpa 

 cclerio) — Mr. Henry Laurence, of Coggeshall, 

 Essex, succeeded in capturing a single specimen of 

 the above insect on July 18, 1SG5. Mr. Edward 

 Newman, in his work on British Moths, says the 

 perfect insect has occurred now and then in Eng- 

 land, but can scarcely be regarded as a British 

 insect. — C. Benny, Kelvedon. 



Woodcocks' Breeding. — In an article on wood- 

 cocks, your correspondent states that he has occa- 

 sionally found their nests in the woods near 

 Canterbury. I believe, on investigation, more of 

 those birds would be found to breed in England 

 than is generally supposed. In proof of which 

 opinion there were last year at Attlebridge, about 

 seven miles from Norwich, on the estate of the 

 Rev. J. N. Micklethwaite, five or six nests, and 

 that was not an exceptional case, as the keeper for 

 several years past was aware some were to be found, 

 and even captured a young one. I feel inclined to 

 think, from a peculiar adaptability of the soil, some 

 of the birds return to the same spot for the purpose 

 of incubation.— E. A., Norwich. 



The Great Ribbon ~Eisn.—(Trachypterits bog- 

 marus — Vaagmar of the Norwegians.) — A fine 

 specimen of this rare and beautiful fish was taken 

 by a pilot at the Tees' Mouth, on March 2nd. It 

 had been thrown ashore by the violence of the 

 storm, and was not quite dead when found. After 

 having been exhibited for a few days in Leeds, it 

 was brought back to West Hartlepool, and the 

 writer had the pleasure of seeing it while there. 

 The name of ribbon-fish is particularly appropriate, 

 for though this specimen measured fourteen feet six 

 inches in extreme length, its greatest diameter from 

 the dorsal fin to the belly was only thirteen inches. 

 Like all the Tcenioids, it was clothed with very 

 small pearly scales, and had a beautiful silvery ap- 

 pearance. The ventral fins (near the throat) had 

 each consisted of but one ray of great length. 

 These, however, had got broken, owing to their 

 fragility. The dorsal, as in all the members of this 

 family, extended the whole length of the back, and 

 had expanded, on the nape and head, to an elegant 

 crest a foot high. This entire fin was of a bright 

 red colour, and highly ornamental; but, owing to 

 its excessive delicacy, and the brittleuess of the 

 spurs, it had been sadly injured before I saw it. 

 It is but the ninth instance on record of the capture 

 of the noble vaagmar, and I am therefore particu- 

 larly pleased to hear that this one is to find its way 

 to the British Museum. One was taken at Whitby, 

 January 22nd, 1759; two at the Eern Islands, some 



seventy years ago ; one at Newbiggen, in North- 

 umberland, March 27th, 1791; another small one at 

 the same place, January ISth, 1844; one at Corvie, 

 near Macduff, March, 1844 ; one at Alnmouth, 

 January, 1S45 ; and one at Cullercoats, March 26t,b, 

 1849. The last named is in the Newcastle Museum, 

 and is the only preserved specimen in the country. 

 It is probable that this fish inhabits very deep water, 

 where a perpetual calm prevails ; as, from the deli- 

 cacy of its structure, it seems quite unfit to en- 

 counter a rough sea. It is thought by ichthy- 

 ologists that the ribbon-fishes may have given 

 rise to some of the strange stories respecting the 

 " great sea-serpent." I think this is quite probable. 

 — Robert Morton Mlddleton, Jun. 



Beetles and Ants. — Among the strange locali- 

 ties in which Coleopterous insects are found, ant- 

 hills supply the collector with several which are not 

 met with in other situations, and to the list of 

 foreigners who take up their abode in the Formic 

 Republic, I beg now to add another; its scientific 

 name is Helops striatus, Olivier. This beetle is 

 stated by Stephens, in his " Manual," to be found 

 under roots and bark of trees, and last year in April 

 I found several in the nests of the yellow ant 

 (Formica flava) in company with hosts of plant-lice 

 {Aphides).— E. B. R. 



"The Pike." -In a work entitled " Civitates, 

 Orbis, Terrarum (avctt. Georgio Bravnio seu Brvin, 

 E. Hogenburg, G. Hoefnagle, '&c.) Colon. 1572- 

 1606," there are "a series of English costumes, 

 with description and view of the Euglish manner of 

 selling the Pike alive in the fish-markets, cutting it 

 open to demonstrate its fatness to the customer, 

 and, if not satisfactory, sewing it up again, and 

 returning it alive to the vivarium." — IF. T. Illff. 



Song-Thrush. — A somewhat similar occurrence 

 to that related by " J. M. H." (p. 63) came under 

 my own observation. In October, 1864, whilst 

 staying in Monmouthshire, I was one morning 

 startled by hearing a sound as of breaking glass, and 

 on proceeding to ascertain the cause, I found that 

 a song-thrush had flown with such force against the 

 kitchen-window as to break one of the panes into 

 numerous pieces, the bird falling down in the middle 

 of the room. This is the more remarkable from the 

 fact that the bird was not in full flight at the time, 

 but had (as seen by some of the servants) simply 

 launched itself from the boughs of a small tree, 

 which was situated within a yard of the window in 

 question. Upon picking up the thrush, I found to 

 my surprise that it was more frightened than hurt, 

 bleeding a little only about the wings and breast. I 

 opened the window, and after the lapse of a few 

 minutes the bird rose from my hand and flew away 

 apparently but little the worse for its mishap.— 

 Roger J. Wright. 



