164 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



of a number of books had been destroyed by the 

 colouring matter having been scraped off. A slimy 

 track over the books and shelves left no doubt as to 

 the author of the mischief, but the most careful 

 search for it proved ineffectual. Since that period 

 the damage has been repeated to a greater or lesser 

 extent, almost nightly. About a year ago it was 

 captured and placed in a match-box, in order to 

 save it for me, but on opening the box I found it 

 was empty. A few months since it was again caught 

 and killed by an assistant who was not aware that 

 I wanted it ; but the damage still goes on, and I am 

 still in hopes of knowing the species which has 

 developed such a strange taste. During all this 

 period they must have subsisted on this colouring 

 matter entirely, for there is no vegetation of any kind 

 on the establishment, and although fresh leaves have 

 been laid down at night from time to time with the 

 hope of trapping them, they have remained un- 

 touched. I may add in conclusion that a decided 

 preference has been shown for books in crimson 

 bindings. —2?. Step. 



Dredging off Sidmouth.— The Sidmouth coast 

 varies very little from the coast from Hopes Nose to 

 Langston Head. A similar class of anemones are to 

 be found all round the bays from Hopes Nose to the 

 end of the eastern cliffs. The class of anemones are 

 as follows : Caryophyllia Smithii (madrepore) ; 

 Sargartia viduata-anguicoma ; S. troglodytes, 5 sorts ; 

 S. Candida ; S. miniata ; S. rosea ; S. nivea ; S. 

 bellis, 4 sorts ; S. parasitica ; S. venusta, rare ; S. 

 Aurora, rare ; .5". aurantiaca, rare ; S.pulcherrima, rare ; 

 Corynactis viridis ; Bunodes alba ; B. gcmmacea ; B. 

 thallia, rare ; B. elevata, very rare ; B. crassicornis, 

 very plentiful ; Actinia Mesembryanthemum. The 

 strawberry sorts very large, and the finest in England 

 is to be found on this coast ; 4 sorts Anthea cereus, 

 fine and common ; Adamsia palliata , rare ; Edwardsia 

 spharoidcs — vestita, rare. The following also are 

 found all round the coast : naked and tubed Hydroida, 

 star fishes and sea urchins, sea cucumbers, tube 

 and other worms, Crustacea, barnacles, polyzoa, and 

 a great many kinds of mollusk, and fishes. The 

 Sidmouth coast I have found much cleaner than the 

 western coast, being open to the south and south- 

 west gales. Having collected upwards of forty years 

 on this coast, I shall be happy to give any information 

 to inquirers coming my way. — A. J. R. Sclater, 

 Naturalist, Bank St , Teignmouth. 



Natural History of North Wales. — In reply 

 to W. J. R., asking for information as to any books 

 treating on this subject, Williams's " Guide to Llan- 

 dudno " contains a very good account of the natural 

 history of the surrounding district. — J. E. IV., Chester. 



Bees and Colour.— On Sunday, the 3rd of June, 

 a large bumble bee got into our church during the 

 afternoon service. The east window was of stained 

 glass, and the bee soon made his way to it. I 

 watched with some little interest to see which colour 

 he would select, and found a curious confirmation of 

 .Sir John Lubbock's researches, by noticing him go 

 straight to a blue band, about two inches broad, 

 which formed a canopy over the side-light, although 

 there were two other much more prominent colours 

 for him to choose from. He crawled all along this, 

 just as a bee crawls about in a flower. — F. C. Peccock. 



Bumble Bees and Cats. — In explaining the 

 difficulty experienced by E. L. R., in the June 

 number, it has to be remembered that the nests of 

 bumble bees are frequently ravaged and destroyed 

 by mice. The mice in their turn are destroyed by 



cats. Hence where cats abound mice do not, and 

 therefore bumble bees do. This is how the fertiliza- 

 tion of clover depends (indirectly) on the number 

 of cats in the neighbourhood. — Henry Ullyett, Folke- 

 stone. 



Bumble Bees and Clover. — Humble bees are 

 (as explained by Darwin and Lubbock) aided in the 

 struggle for existence by cats killing field-mice, which 

 are very destructive to their nests. — Edward J. 

 Gibbins, The Craig, Heath, Glamorgan. 



Species of Chrysomela. — Last week I found 

 near Hendon, Middlesex, six specimens of a very 

 interesting species of chrysomela, which I am unable 

 to name. Would some reader kindly name it for me ? 

 Its description is as follows : It is a little smaller than 

 C. polita, its thorax is green with brassy reflections ; 

 its legs are green, its elytra are almost brick red, 

 with brassy reflections ; both the elytra and the 

 thorax are covered with minute punctures ; the 

 antennae are black (reddish at their bases) ; parts of 

 the feet are covered with golden hairs. — T. D. A. 

 Cockerell. 



Sending Lepidoptera by Post. — I should 

 recommend A. E. Gibbs, if he has not done so 

 already, to try the simple plan of affixing a separate 

 label to the box in which the insects are. It is the 

 stamping on the box which smashes it. The best way 

 is to have a properly corked box, and surround it by 

 wadding outside. The label generally prevents the 

 box being smashed, even if it is only cardboard, which 

 it should never be. Messrs. H. W. Marsden & Co., 

 37 Midland Road, Gloucester, have some very strongly 

 made boxes, on purpose for postage of butterflies. — 

 R. A. R. Bennett, Walton Manor Lodge, Oxford. 



Variety of Argynnis Euphrosyne. — It may 

 prove interesting to some of the readers of Science- 

 Gossip to hear that, whilst collecting in Belstead 

 Wood last week, I captured a variety of the above 

 in very good condition. On the upper surface it is 

 deeply blotched along the outer margin of both fore 

 and hind wings, and with only two spots on the 

 costal margin of fore wing. Hind wings are very 

 deeply blotched. On the under side the hind wings 

 are of a pale greenish tint, with broad blotches of 

 pearl, and a curious dark band on the outer margins 

 of both wings. The under side is almost exactly 

 like a variety of A. Selene in the cabinet of Mr. Bond, 

 figured on page 37 of Newman's " British Butter- 

 flies." — Harry Eaton, Ipswich. 



The alleged Habit of Hibernation of 

 Swallows (C. G. Abbott, S.-G., March 1).— I read 

 this with great interest. But allow me to bring to 

 your notice, and that of your readers, two facts with- 

 in my own knowledge. 1. The wife of our village 

 blacksmith was the daughter of a respectable farmer, 

 renting under the Harcourts at Newnham, and inca- 

 pable of a falsehood. She told me this: "When I 

 was a young girl, we had lots of swifts nesting under 

 the eaves. Father thought they brought in a deal of 

 dirt and vermin, so when the birds were gone in the 

 autumn he had all the holes plastered up. The 

 spring of next year was very early, fine and warm ; 

 and sister and I were disturbed by a strange scrab- 

 bling noise. Told Father. He said, Rats, and had 

 the skirting board knocked away, and out came what 

 we all thought was a great bat. Father took it up, 

 and it was a swift, and we took out about forty of 

 them, and as the poor birds were mere skin and bone 

 we tried to feed them. No use ; so the poor things 

 were tossed out of the window and flew away." 2. 



