486 



Mistdlanca* 



(Vjl 



The Pile Dwellings on Lake Prasias. 



Our readers will remember the passage in which Herodotus describes 

 the Lake dwellings on L. Prasias. We learn from the " Eevue de 

 rinstruction Publique" that these have been re-discovered by M. 



Deville. . 



" L'auteur," it is said, " determine I'emplacement de 1 ancien lac 

 Prasias, decrit ses habitations lacustres sur pHotis, analogues a celles 

 qu'avait decrites Herodote, et fixe avec plus de precision qu'on ne 

 I'avait fait jusqu'ici les situations d'CEsyme, de Dates et de Neapolis. 

 Enfin quelques inscriptions qu'il a recueillies sur les marbres antiques 

 nous apportent aussi d'interessantes notions particulierement sur les 

 mceurs des peuples thraces." 



"We shall read with much interest the detailed account of 

 M. Deville's discovery. 



On the Genus Ctnips. 



The genus Cynips is specially interesting to physiologists because, 

 though the species are numerous and the individuals innumerable, 

 no Entomologist has yet found any male representative of the group. 

 In the Phil. Trans, for 1858, Mr. Lubbock has described and figured 

 the development of the ova in Ci/nips KoUari, then known (though 

 as it appears erroneously) imder the name of C. lignicola, a species 

 which lives on the oak, and makes round hard galls about as large 

 as a nut. It presents in addition an interesting example of a change 

 in geographical distribution. Unknown in this country until Avithin 

 the last few years, it then appeared in the south-west of England, 

 whence it gradually spread eastward. Mr. Frederick Smith, Presi- 

 dent of the Entomological Society, at the July meeting of the Society, 

 stated that about three years ago it appeared in the woods near Lon- 

 don, especially on the north side, in very large numbers ; but in the 

 second year of its appearance the tomtits had discovered that each 

 gall contained a fine fat grub, and the result was that it was now 

 difficult to obtain a perfect gall. Mr. Walker corroborated Mr. 

 Smith's account, both of the appearance and the approximate exter- 

 mination of the species in the woods near Highgate ; and Prof Ayest- 

 wood expressed a hope that the fact would be made known as widely 

 as possible, since it attbrded an additional argument to the many al- 

 ready produced in opposition to the indiscriminate slaughter of small 

 birds- 



