8 



HA RD WICKE' S SCIENCE- G OSSIF. 



warmer than Constantinople, 12° warmer than Bor- 

 deaux, 14° warmer than Marseilles, 16'^ warmer than 

 Rome, 17° warmer than Madrid, and 19° warmer 

 than Paris. On the 6th very similar contrasts were 

 observed, the weather in the metropolis being 3° 

 warmer than Lisbon, 11° warmer than Nice, 19° 

 warmer than Paris, and 30° warmer than Belfast. 

 In the course of the day the thermometer in London 

 reached a maximum of 58°, and the day was there- 

 fore the mildest December day experienced since 

 1873, when a similar reading was recorded on the 

 17th of the month. An examination of the meteoro- 

 logical statistics shows that the thermometer in 

 December seldom rises above 55°, and in the years 

 1885, 1886, and 1887, it did not succeed even in 

 reaching that level. 



On the loth came a great change, for on the 

 morning of that day it was colder in London than 

 any other part of western Europe south of the Arctic 

 circle, being 22° colder than the Scilly Isles, 10° 

 colder than Berlin, 3'' eolder than Paris, and 1° colder 

 than Stockholm. 



A WINTER IN MASSAUA. 

 Part IL 



BIRDS were more numerous. There were two 

 species of vultures, the more numerous species 

 being quite black, a stork, a heron, spoonbill 

 {Platalea leucorodia), pelican, three species of gull : a 

 bird of one of these species was wounded in the wing 

 and is now alive and doing well in the Zoological 

 Gardens ; two species of terns — a specimen of one of 

 these species {Stenia velox) was also wounded and 

 kept alive for some months, and was a most interest- 

 ing pet ; it was astonishing to see what large fish it 

 would swallow. A gannet, tropic bird, large numbers 

 of sandpipers, turnstones and curlews, a sand grouse, 

 three species of wagtails, several of flycatchers, an 

 owl, a goatsucker, and a bunting, the last very 

 common, and as its breast was jet black and its upper 

 plumage and head sand-coloured, seemed to appear 

 and disappear in a marvellous manner. 



Reptiles were scarce : one small brown snake, a 

 small striped sand lizard, and a gecko were all I saw. 

 The sand lizard is a species also very common at 

 Suakim. 



Land Arthropoda. — Malacostraca by one species 

 of armadillo. Arachnidi were poorly represented in 

 species, but these species were plentiful. There 

 were two scorpions, Prionus liosoma, and Bultuis 

 EtiropcEJis ; three spiders of the genera Ixodes, Epeira 

 (very common) and Thomisus respectively. The 

 Myriopoda were represented by one species of the 

 genus Scolopendra. Of Insccta were collected ten 

 species of Hemiptera, among which were Cletus 

 notatits^ rcntatoma vcrhasci, Lygnus cnidclis, Penta- 

 tiomi, Reduvius, Reduvii, Dysdcrius sitpcrstitioiiis ; 



seventeen species of Orthoptera, Cyrtacanthacris 

 riifiuruius, Truxalis nasuta^ CEdipoda, Caloptenuts 

 Italicus (?), Chrotogouus liigid>ris, Gryllus"(two species), 

 Porthetis, Opernala (?), Opomala (?) ; seven species of 

 Neuroptera, Anax ephippigeriis, Myrmeleon (acantha- 

 cHsis), Myrmeleon, Distoisteisa Britllci, Sphingonetiis 

 nebnlonis (?), Cyrtacanthairis mccstus, Chrysopa ; ten 

 of Diptera, Hippobossa camciina, Bombylius, several 

 species of Muscidse (the common house-fly was very 

 numerous and troublesome), and Culicidoe, and one 

 species of Tipulidce ; thirty-seven of Lepidoptera, 

 Attaaos bankina:, Spliingotnorpha chlorea (common), 

 Achcra melicerta, Deiopia pidchetta (common), Callopi- 

 stna exotica, Agrotis, Arcidakainterpulsata, CallicJuyas 

 pyrette, C. flo7-ella, Allylothris agathina, Teraclus, 

 Bclenois ellesaitma, Co lias hyale, Danais dorippus, 

 Hypolimas alcippoides, Pyramcis cardui, Yphthmia, 

 Azarus jesons, Plebeius trochihis, Taraais pulchra, 

 PyrgHs asteroidea. There were three other species of 

 butterfly observed, and, among the moths, some 

 Tineidae, which I did not catch ; seventeen of 

 Hymenoptera, Stilbum amcihystinum, Eumenes 

 dimidiatipeiniis, Ammophila, Xylocopa, Multillo, 

 Xylocopa viodcsta, Discolia (two species), BracoHi 

 Rhynchium ; fifty-seven of Coleoptera, two species of 

 Trimera, Dermestes, and Coccinella ; two species of 

 Tetramera of the genus Cleonus ; of Heteromera, 

 Zophosis siilcapHs, Arthroidetis cicatrix, Oxycara, 

 Crypticus, Aphitobius, Monomma, Opatrum, Adesmia 

 (two species), Pimelia, Ocuera(?), Lentyria, Euryon(?) 

 Nacerdes, and others unidentified ; of Pentamera 

 were Philonthus, Oxypoda, Aphodius (two species), 

 Saprinus (four species), Corynetes rufipes, Dermestes 

 vulpinus, Anomala, Dromius, Chlsenius, Brachinus, 

 Harpalus, Irox, Onthophagus, Atenchus sacer, Copris 

 (two species), Hister, SilpJia micans, Acanthophorus 

 near Capensis, Ermectes griseus, Bradyboenus, Glycia 

 ornata, Tetragonoderus Jlavo-vittatiis, In most cases 

 the generic names only are given, but where possible 

 the specific names have been added. There were 

 great numbers of Orthoptera, particularly grass- 

 hoppers, but the variety of species was small. Of 

 the beetles, the Carabidre were well represented, 

 while only two species of Staphylinidre could be 

 found and those very small. 



Fishes, Crustacea, Corals, etc. — The scarcity of life on 

 land is amply made up by its profusion in the sea ; at 

 times the harbour literally teems with fish, a " Half- 

 beak " (Hemirhamphus) is particularly plentiful. 

 These fish swim about in shoals and are often 

 attended by one or two Belones, who occasionally 

 snap up one of the "half-beaks." It is curious to 

 see a belone swimming with, and in a shoal of " half- 

 beaks," for a circle quite free of fish surrounds the 

 belone, then suddenly with a dart like lightning 

 the belone seizes an unfortunate "half-beak" and 

 swallows it. I caught a belone in a strange manner 

 one day, it had got some fatty substance entangled in 

 its jaws, and was unable to dive or swim. Nineteen 



