HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



II 



nourishes the ground for water plants, or if the pond 

 dries up, as often liappens, leaves a soil more suitable 

 for land vegetation. The most abundant species was 

 Liininva stagnalis, with its elegant spiral shell. 



The numerous water-beetles that were paddling 

 about in search of prey next demand our notice. 

 For example, that brightly-coloured insect Paliphts 

 varicgatiis was seen swimming in its own peculiar 

 fashion, or rather the general fashion of little aquatic 

 beetles. It is remarkable that the brightest speci- 

 mens of variegatus occur in clear rapid streams, while 

 the duller brethren are found in muddy water. 

 Then there was the common little Cnemidotus ccvsits, 

 painted more elaborately than the last, although only 

 one-sixth in. in length. The punctured elytra are 

 worthy of being well examined with a strong lens, 

 -when details otherwise unrecognisable are clearly 

 brought out. 



Only one other inhabitant of this pond can be 

 described — the Caddis-worm. The species was 

 Phryganca graitdis, whose large case is made of equal- 

 sized pieces of leaves, &c., arranged spirally, and so as 

 to form a regular cylinder. Many old cases of larvce 

 which had perhaps become perfect flies, lay on the 

 muddy bottom. We have found the winged insect 

 ■on some palings near the water. 



Having seen some of the population of this pond, 

 we proceeded a short distance and came to a sort 

 of ditch about eighteen inches wide, overgrown with 

 vegetation. The most conspicuous plant was the 

 tall Water Plantain {Alisma plantago) with its delicate 

 white flowers standing eighteen inches above the water. 

 And as might be expected the American Water Weed 

 {^Atiacharis alsinastriim) was not absent. The well- 

 known Pond Weeds (the Naiadaceic) also grew in 

 abundance, sheltering, together with the American 

 weed, vast multitudes of different aquatic beings, 

 such as the Entomostraca, insects larval and perfect, 

 and animalcules. Considerable numbers of horse- 

 leeches abode in this -ditch; some might have been 

 seen gracefully making their way through the water 

 by a peculiar serpentine motion of the body ; others 

 were crawling upon the bottom, or over obstacles, 

 while many lay lazily in the mud, apparently doing 

 nothing but sleeping, for, be it remembered, a leech 

 has an extraordinary appetite, and finds it necessary 

 to indulge in long periods of inactivity to digest 

 the enormous meal it takes at one occasion. The 

 common Horse-leech {Aitlostoma giilo) lives upon 

 grubs, snails and earthworms. Contrary to the 

 popular belief, this species (the commonest of British 

 leeches) cannot inflict a wound on the skin, nor suck 

 the blood. Sometnnes it voluntarily leaves the water, 

 and is found on the pond's edge in the mud, or under 

 stones lying near. 



The ditch contained newts and frogs ; it also 

 harboured the water-scorpion {Nepacinerca). Of the 

 beetle inhabitants we cannot do more than mention 

 two which were plentiful — Agabus biptistiilatiis, and 



A. paliidosiis. Then there were snails, but some' 

 species have already been treated ; the Cypris, which 

 has also been given ; while Water Boatmen darted 

 rapidly through the water with their oar-like hind 

 legs, making quite a commotion in the still fluid ; 

 which in some places was coloured deep green with 

 algae and swarmed with living objects for the micro- 

 scope. 



Leaving this ditch we walked on a few yards and 

 reached a collection of flat stones on the clayey 

 ground, which always prove to be storehouses for 

 the Geodephaga. First comes the lively and elabo- 

 rately-carved Notiophilus bigitttahcs, recognised by the 

 flat polished band and circular mark on each elytron. 

 Its length is only about one-sixth of an inch. The 

 active Anchoinenits dorsalis with its long reddish 

 legs was abundant ; the thorax and head are of a 

 metallic green lustre ; the elytra dull green with a 

 patch of red near the base of each, so that it is raihcr 

 a pretty insect. Clivinafossor, A.pullipes, P. madidus, 

 N. brevicoUis, &c., are some more examples of what 

 beetles we found. Slugs abounded here, and frogs 

 were numerous, while spiders and earthworms com- 

 plete the list of ground-dwellers, except some larvre 

 which we could not identify. 



Near this place was to be seen a miniature bog 

 overgrown with dozens of fine water-plantains ; the 

 bed, so to say, of the bog itself being quite choked 

 up with flourishing bog-moss, save where the water 

 was appropriated by myriads of a species of Cypris. 



Here we reached the terminus of our journey of 

 about two hundred yards in as barren a locality as 

 we could well have selected, and sauntered home, 

 having, however, seen objects suflicient to engage 

 the attention during the leisure time of several suc- 

 ceeding evenings. And it must be distinctly [under- 

 stood that we have only described some of the 

 animals we chanced to meet during the walk in 

 question, and do not intend this to represent the 

 entire fauna of clay-fields in general, which, in truth, 

 is more extensive than might be imagined. If such, 

 then, be the abundance of life in as sterile a place 

 as that named in our title, what shall we say it is in 

 regard to country lanes, fields and forests ? 



BoRAGO OFFICINALIS. — In a recent number of 

 Science-Gossip, Miss Coison impugns the correct- 

 ness of my statement as to this species not being 

 indigenous, but Bentham appears scarcely to accept 

 it as such when he says it is found in "waste grounds, 

 indigenous to the east Mediterranean region, but 

 long cultivated in European [gardens, it has become 

 naturalized in many parts of central and western 

 Europe, and is said to be fully established in several 

 counties of England." Again, Trimen in his "Mid- 

 dlesex Flora," and H. C. Watson do not consider 

 it so truly naturalized as many species in the same 

 category. Milne, in 1793, first recorded it as such. — 

 S. Dilkn. 



