i88 



HARD WICKE ' S S CIE NCE- G SSI P. 



searches relating to zoology and botany, contains the 

 following papers : — " A Revision of the Genus Aula- 

 codiscus, Ehrb.," by John Rattray; "The Forami- 

 nifera of the Red Chalk," by H. W. Burrows, 

 C. Davies Sherborn, and the Rev. G. Bailey. The 

 latter were obtained chiefly from Speeton, and are 

 mostly of a large size. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Sand Grouse. — Walking yesterday, about five 

 o'clock p.m., on the road between Bexhill and 

 Sidley, I noticed a flock of what I, at first sight, 

 imagined to be nine pigeons. They, however, 

 passed so close to me, just clearing the hedges, that 

 I was able to identify them as sand grouse. I 

 marked them down in a rough pasture some few 

 fields from the road. I should be glad to learn if 

 the sand grouse has been seen before in any part of 

 Sussex, and if it has ever been known to breed in 

 England ? — W. E. Windus, Bexhill-on-Sea. 



Pallas's Sand Grouse. — With regard to the 

 recent immigration of Pallas's sand grouse (Syrhaptes 

 paradoxus) it may interest your readers to know that 

 I saw on the 31st ultimo at Portsmouth a pair that 

 were killed out of a party of about a dozen at Sinah 

 Common, in Hayling Island, Hampshire, just over 

 the Sussex border a few days before. — William 

 Jeffery. 



" Achatina octona." — In reply to Mr. Long's 

 query in the July number of Science-Gossip, I 

 would refer him to Jeffrey's B. C. vol. i. p. 299, 

 where mention is made of the introduction of this 

 shell into the British list on the authority of Dr. 

 Pulteney. It is a common West Indian land-shell 

 belonging to the genus Stenogyra and was confused 

 by Pulteney with Litnnaa glabra, to which it bears a 

 considerable resemblance. A near relative of this 

 species (Stenogyra Goodalli, Miller) was accidentally 

 introduced into some nursery gardens near Bristol 

 about 1820, and is said to still flourish there, but I 

 have never seen a record of Stenogyra octona under 

 similar conditions. Some writers too have erroneously 

 identified Linne's Helix octona with the English 

 acicula, so that the introduction of this name may 

 be traceable to several sources. — Brockton Tomlin, 

 Chester. 



Unrecorded Daphnia. — In the February number 

 of Science-Gossip (page 36) I gave a drawing of 

 a Daphnia found at Rye House, which I believed to 

 be unrecorded. I have now again found the same 

 animal, in considerable numbers, in a different 

 locality, namely Staines. I can confirm that each 

 branch of the swimming antennae has "five" 

 plumose filaments, which is very abnormal, all other 

 species of this genus having five to one, and only four 

 to the other branch. It is viviparous, that is, the 



young remain in the brood-pouch until fully formed j 

 I have seen them come out one by one, nine in all. 

 The newly-born young resemble the mother very 

 closely, having the long, single-jointed superior 

 antenna;, and five, but very fine, filaments to each 

 branch of the swimming antennae, and two equally 

 fine, but long posterior setae. The excessive fineness 

 of the filaments was remarkable, and quite out of 

 proportion to the very stout branches of the antennae 

 to which they were attached. It soon became 

 evident, however, that they were only temporary 

 appendages. About five minutes after being born, 

 every one of the young began to struggle violently, 

 with the result that a fine skin was cast off, being the 

 first moulting ; the change was very striking, the 

 filaments, which a moment before had been so fine 

 that they could hardly be seen, were all at once quite 

 large and in harmony with the rest of the body ; the 

 branches of the antennae had become much thinner, 

 and this leads me to believe that the filaments must 

 have been bent and held against the branches under 

 the tightly fitting skin, and on this being removed 

 they were released and assumed their proper position. 

 The head is rounded in front, and there is no pointed 

 beak. I will name this water-flea provisionally 

 Daphnarella longisetata, n. genus and sp. — C. 

 Rousselet. 



Capture of a Spider new to Great Britain. 

 — On May 28th, I received a pair of Saltici from 

 Colonel Le Grice, Royal Artillery, Shorncliffe, which 

 I was unable to identify from the works by English 

 authors, but on June 7th Colonel Le Grice informed 

 me that Rev. O. P. Cambridge had identified this 

 spider as Pellenes tripnnctatus, or Crucigerus, described 

 under both names by Walckenaer, but which had not 

 been recorded as occurring in Grent Britain. This 

 spider was first seen by Master Wm. Kerr (aged n J), 

 who pointed it out to Colonel Le Grice, who captured 

 it. A female was seen soon after by Mr, Kerr, sen. 

 and captured by Colonel Le Grice. Mr. Kerr 

 informs me that this beautiful spider prefers the 

 brightest sunshine, and occurs on sloping banks 

 facing south, the male perching upon small pieces of 

 chalk, and quickly jumping upon any unlucky fly 

 which may come within range. The four large eyes 

 on the anterior row are surrounded with bright scarlet 

 hairs, below which a margin of white hairs contrast 

 most strikingly with the black legs, &c. The female is 

 totally different in colour, being covered with yellowish 

 or almost white hairs ; it is somewhat sluggish in its 

 habits, until disturbed, when it jumps, first in one 

 direction, then in another, making the capture of it 

 really exciting and difficult. Both sexes are about 

 of the same size as the common jumping spider 

 (Salticus sccnicus). — Fred. Enoch, E.E.S., 11 Parollcs 

 Road, N. 



British Achatin/e. — Replying to Francis B. 

 Long's query concerning this genus of land shells, 



