203 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Sept. 1, 1867. 



observed two small insects escape from the under 

 surface of its body. We took the measurements of 

 one of these insects, and found that in its greatest 

 length it was exactly ^ inch, and in its greatest 

 breadth -^hj inch. The jaws were extremely sharp- 

 pointed, and moved by lateral action. The two 

 anterior members (A) were armed with grasping 

 claws similar to those of a lobster. The next two 

 (B) terminated in spongy-looking enlargements, 

 from which proceeded numerous hair-like processes 

 of considerable size. The third pair were longer 

 and more distinctly jointed, and terminated in 



I 



Fig. 204. Fly Acarus. 



a tuft of hairs. Next came the six legs, the first 

 pair of which possessed two booklets at their ex- 

 tremity, whilst the rest terminated in fine points. I 

 enclose a sketch of one of the insects traced by a 

 " Beales' tinted camera," and an enlarged view of 

 the more complex members. On further investiga- 

 tion, Mr. S. and myself have since discovered other 

 parasites of somewhat different character upon the 

 common house-fly, so that such things appear to be 

 less rare than we at first imagined. Whether or not 

 this be the case, we should much like to hear the 

 opinion of more learned correspondents. — A. M. 



Cat and Squirrels. — Some two years ago, 

 when living at Kelvedon, in Essex, I found a 

 squirrel's nest, aud having taken two young ones, 

 tried to rear them with a bottle. But under this 

 treatment they did not thrive well ; so, it being 

 suggested that we should give them to a cat that 

 had recently been deprived of her young ones 

 (I must say with some misgivings as to their recep- 

 tion by " Tabby "), I gave them to her. To my 

 great surprise, she nurtured them as kindly as if 



they had been her own. When full grown, they 

 became quite domesticated, and would behave more 

 after the fashion of a member of the tabby tribe 

 than after their own wild sportive nature. — George 

 Jackson. 



Great Ribbon -fish. — It may interest the 

 readers of Science-Gossip to know that, after a 

 storm last year, a superb specimen of Banks Oar- 

 fish, or Great Ribbon-fish, was cast up on the 

 shore at Seaton Carew, in Durham. It is 15 feet 

 long, and by far the finest example I know ; it is 

 stuffed with care, and placed in a large case. It is 

 the property of Matthew Lamb, of Seaton Carew, 

 who will answei any questions respecting this rare 

 production of our seas. — E. Wood, F.G.S., Richmond, 

 Yorkshire. 



Deatii's-Head Moth Larvae. — In July last I 

 took six larvae of Acherontia atropos, feeding on the 

 tea-tree (Lycium barbarum) ; all were coloured 

 and marked similarly to those usually described, 

 viz., green with diagonal lilac stripes. Three of the 

 larvae, during their last change became insects of a 

 totally different colour. The description of these 

 last is as follows : length, 44 inches ; general colour, 

 olive -brown, the sides rather darker than the 

 back — in some instances the oblique lateral stripes 

 entirely wanting ; the markings on the back form 

 the letter X on each segment ; the lower portion of 

 this X is but one-third the size of the upper. The 

 marking on the back, as a whole, present the fol- 

 lowing appearance 



Fig. 2"5. 



They are of an indigo-colour. The body is covered 

 with whitish spots about the twentieth of an inch 

 apart, each having a black point in the centre ; the 

 thoracic segments have the groundcolour of a pinkish 

 white with an irregular brown-black longitudinal 

 division, and faint white lines dividing the same 

 longitudinally and transversely ; the colour from the 

 under side of the body runs in an irregular form 

 into the white segments; the front of the head, 

 which in the usual form is green, is in this variety 

 greyish-white pencilled with lines. Eive out of the 

 six larvae have buried themselves. I have separated 

 the varieties, and shall watch with interest the 

 appearance of the perfect insect. I have not been 

 able to detect any sound from the larva\— John 

 Berney, Croydon. 



[The most interesting feature in the above account 

 is the fact that the variation took place at a period 

 subsequent to the early stages of the larva?, which 

 were at first all so exactly alike that no trace of 

 variability could be distinguished.— Ed.] 



