2SO 



HA ED WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



as to the collecting and preserving of British land and 

 fresh-water shells, and describing the habitat of each 

 species. This volume will be published immediately 

 by Messrs. Roper and Drowley, of Ludgate Hill, and 

 will give full details of every genus, species, and 

 variety known to the Conchological Society up to 

 date of publication. 



Mr. W. H. Harcourt Bath, of Ladywood, 

 Birmingham, wishes to get the names and addresses 

 of dragon-fly collectors throughout the world. 

 There are few groups of insects which require to be 

 more worked up. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Enock's Slides and Sketches.— The last 

 issue of these beautiful and instructive specimens 

 (No. 16) is the green parasite fly (Callimome regius), 

 bred from oak-galls. It is an exquisite object, and 

 is rendered doubly interesting and instructive by the 

 accompanying illustrative sketch. The amount of 

 trouble and patience which men like Mr. Cole and 

 Mr. Enock bestow on these preparations is far 

 beyond the mere money value of the slides. Mounts 

 like .the above, for instance, it would be almost 

 impossible for students to make themselves. 



"Journal of the Royal Microscopical 

 Society."— The October part contains, in ad- 

 dition to the usual copious and clever summary of 

 current researches relating to zoology and botany, a 

 long and beautifully illustrated "Monograph of the 

 genus Lycoperdon," by G. Massee. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Mr. Simmons' Book-Mite.— In Science-Gossip 

 for October, Mr. Simmons describes a " Book- 

 Mite " as new to him. This mite is one of the 

 Cheyleti, a very interesting family of vagrant pre- 

 daceous mites, well worthy of microscopic study, 

 and making, when well-mounted, very beautiful 

 objects. I have found them in very curious situa- 

 tions. One I found on the cork of a preserved 

 ginger jar when first opened, and therefore pre- 

 sumably from China ; it was, I think, the same species 

 as that of Mr. Simmons, which I take to be, not the 

 true book mite (C/i. eruditus), but Ckeyletus venus- 

 tissimus. Another I found on the wing-case of a 

 burying beetle ; another in a deserted sparrow's nest ; 

 others on old hay, &c. ; in fact, I suppose they are 

 occasionally to be found anywhere, where other 

 mites may be. The most wonderful and beautiful 

 species that I have seen is one described and figured 

 in the " Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society," 

 for 1878, by A. D. Michael, Esq., named by him 

 Cheyletus flabellifer. In this mite, the hairs have 



become transformed into scales, having somewhat 

 the shape of a battledore. The two papers by Mr. 

 Michael are well worth perusal, giving as they do, 

 a capital account of these interesting creatures. — 

 C. F. George. 



The Darts of the Helicid^e. — At a recent 

 meeting of the Leeds Naturalists' Club, Mr. W. E. 

 Collinge read a paper on the above subject, and 

 illustrated his remarks by reference to a number of 

 drawings figuring the darts and dart-sacs of several 

 varieties of snails. He remarked that as the dart had 

 been known to naturalists for at least 200 years, it 

 was strange that our knowledge of the organ and its 

 functions should still be very imperfect. After 

 describing the dart and dait-sac, and giving a short 

 account of each dart-bearing species, he said that he 

 considered the organ to be a degenerate weapon of 

 defence, which in former ages was probably much 

 stronger and oftener used. In support of this 

 statement, he cited a number of facts showing that 

 in some cases the darts are seldom used in pairing 

 or at other times, and in other cases it was question- 

 able whether it was possible for the animal to use 

 the dart at all ; and further, if the animal used the 

 dart only at the pairing season, it seemed hardly 

 likely that it would carry an organ all through the 

 year which could at any time be produced in five or 

 six days. Reference was made to the observations 

 of Gray, Schmidt, Morch, and Sheppard regarding 

 the relationship between the form of the dart and 

 the markings and bands of the shell ; and adverting 

 to the conclusions of the last-named observer, Mr. 

 Collinge thought it was unwise to consider that 

 slight variations in the form of dart were a suffi- 

 cient basis on which to ground specific differences. 



A Few Notes of 1887. — June 16th, I took a 

 "Clouded Border" (Marginata) with no markings 

 on underwings. Also in early part of July, a " Blood 

 Vein" (Amataria), with the space between the 

 oblique lines filled up entirely with the same colour 

 as the lines themselves. On the 9th July, I observed 

 a number of "small white" (rapi) settling on the 

 mud at the sides of the river. As many as forty-two 

 were on one small piece. In August, while passing 

 through Whitchurch (Hants), I saw two " purple 

 hairstreaks " (quercus), and a fritillary (probably 

 paphia), settling on the ground where it was moist. 

 Do butterflies sip moisture in very hot and dry 

 weather? and why ? Is there an insufficiency of nectar? 

 August Sth. I found several specimens of a white 

 variety of Anagallis tenclla in a bog on Greenham 

 Common, Newbury ; near it were Drosera rotundi- 

 folia and D. intermedia, Hypericum E lodes, Scutel- 

 laria minor, and the blue marsh grass. The 

 "grayling" (semele) was flying plentifully on the 

 higher heathy ground. A patch of Mimulus lutea 

 (guttata) seemed to be well established on one of the 

 banks of the Enbourne river, near Newbury. 



