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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[March 1, 1S70. 



Insects as Eood.— In this utilitarian age per- 

 haps the most important question in entomology is 

 to find out in what way insects can be employed for 

 the benefit of mankind. A most curious instance 

 has lately come to my knowledge which I think may 

 interest some of your readers. My informant, 

 M. Gueriu-Menevdle, a well-known sericulturist 

 and economic entomologist, showed me some dark- 

 coloured cakes resembling somewhat brown bread_ 

 These cakes are eaten extensively among the poorer 

 classes and natives in the city of Mexico. They are 

 made exclusively with the eggs of two kinds of 

 water-bugs (Cori.ra femora fa and a species of 

 Kotonecta). The natives cut quantities of reeds 

 and other aquatic weeds, and strew them on the 

 borders of the great lake near the city, and they are 

 soon coated with eggs laid by the insects. These 

 eggs, which are about the size of a mustard-seed, 

 are deposited so abundantly as often to cover the 

 plants entirely. The natives "harvest "these plants, 

 and after exposing them some time in the sun to 

 dry, scrape off the [eggs and either keep them in 

 that state for future use or pound them at once 

 into meal. The perfect insects themselves are not 

 neglected, for they are caught in great numbers and 

 hawked about the streets as food for cage-birds 

 and poultry, which are very fond of them. It is 

 surprising that the raids which are practised against 

 these insects in two of their states do not apparently 

 diminish their numbers ; they, however, multiply to 

 such a degree, that notwithstanding the tribute they 

 have to pay, enough survive to supply the natives 

 with food year after year. M. Guerin-Menevillc 

 received samples of the insects, the eggs, " seed," 

 meal, and cakes ; but unfortunately the latter acci- 

 dentally became saturated with spirits of wine in 

 which a snake had been preserved, so that it was 

 impossible to taste them. — E. L. Ragonot, 33, Rue 

 de Buffo)?, Paris. 



Tinea granella.— M. Guerin-Meneville showed 

 me several small moths which came out of a pupa of 

 Bomby.r Cynthia; there were three small empty 

 chrysalides sticking out of the large one. On ex- 

 amination I found that the moths were Tinea 

 granella, a species which is supposed to feed ex- 

 clusively on corn, as indeed its name would imply. 

 When I resided in Liverpool I found this pretty 

 species in astonishing numbers about corn ware- 

 houses. Is it true that many of the genus Tinea are 

 polyphagous ? — E. L. Ragonot 



Paxlene.— The figures of Pallene on page 2S 

 remind me of a small animal named by its dis- 

 coverer, G. Johnstone. It is figured in the Zoologi- 

 cal Journal, page 4S9, and in London's Magazine, 

 vol. vi. It is there called Nymphum coccineum, but 

 perhaps the rage for altering names has given it 

 some other appellation. Mr. Johnstone found it in 



Berwick Bay. Some time after I saw the account 

 of it, I found it among the seaweed under Margate 

 jetty. It is a curious creature, usually on its back, 

 clinging to seaweed. Its antennae are colourless, 

 and their transparency might easily cause them to 

 be overlooked. They are usually at right angles to 

 the body, and then look something like a ring set 

 on a pedicle. The circulation is seen very plainly ; 

 the eyes are placed on a tubercle on the top of the 

 head ; but the most interesting parts of it are the 

 jaws, which are extremely delicate and transparent, 

 and more nearly resemble two claws from a spider's 

 foot than anything else I can think of. They are 

 well worth hunting for, as they form a most 

 beautiful object for the microscope. — E. T. S. 



Nesting oe the Teal (A. crecca) in Hampshire. 

 — In Mr. Hartings's interesting article upon this 

 handsome little duck, he says that " as a rule, and 

 in the south of England especially, it can only be 

 looked upon as a winter visitant." I do not wish 

 in the least to cavil at this remark, but I thought it 

 would be interesting to him and other ornithological 

 readers to know that the Teal does breed in Hamp- 

 shire every season, though of course not in any 

 numbers. I have never yet been able to get any 

 Hampshire specimens of the eggs for my oological 

 collection, but I have seen them more than once. 

 In 1868 several nests were taken along the course 

 of the river Avon, and almost every season this 

 species breeds in some of the bogs of the New 

 Eorest. A man who lives in the forest told me 

 some time since that he had taken several nests at 

 different times, and he further added that the bird 

 generally builds under a bush of " golden withey," 

 meaning I suppose the Myrica Gale, which grows in 

 the bogs, and is often called by the above name. 

 At the end of May last I had-a very lovely-plumaged 

 male Teal brought me, which had been picked up 

 on the bank of the river : it had been dead too long 

 a time for stuffing purposes, but the fisherman who 

 brought it— when asked about the species breeding 

 here — said he had seen young Teal in the river 

 in previous seasons. It is doubtless well known 

 that Gilbert White mentions the fact of Teal breed- 

 ing at Selborne as a new and valuable discovery 

 nearly a hundred years ago.— G. B. C. 



Sagacity of Rats. — The following incident was 

 told to me the other day by a resident, who vouches 

 for the truth of it, and which happened close to his 

 residence in Cushendun, co. Antrim. A rat, nearly 

 white with age, and blind, was frequently seen led 

 to the water by a young rat, by means of a straw, of 

 which the old rat held one end and the young rat 

 the other. This incident corroborates a similar 

 statement given by Jesse in his "Gleanings of 

 Natural History." — Samuel W. Brcnan, Vicar of 

 Cushendun, co. Antrim. 



