i8 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



of another caterpillar which was ascending the same 

 twig and was similarly attached by the posterior half 

 of its body. They hovered about and " struck " at 

 one another like snakes, and I could see their 

 mandibles biting at one another in the air. These 

 were nearly full-grown ; but on another occasion I 

 was witness of a severe battle between two that 

 measured only from 2j to 3 lines in length. They 

 also struck at one another like snakes, and I had to 

 separate them at last. Whether they ever do each 

 other any serious injury, I do not know ; but it is 

 possible that a sort of hernia in the dorsal thoracic 

 region, from which they sometimes perished, may 

 have been occasioned in this way. This combative- 

 ness probably arises from a limitation of their food — 

 it is a fight for the )oung pod of the flower. This is 

 the part preferred (see Newman's " British Butter- 

 flies," p. 157), though the larger caterpillars at least 

 will eat the whole plant, stem and all, if needful. 

 In most instances only one egg is laid on a plant, 

 affi.\ed to the pedicel of a flower-bud, though in the 

 case of larger racemes there may be more. Thus, for 

 example, of sixteen plants having eggs on them, 

 gathered on the 20th of May, 1879, eleven had only 

 one egg ; two had two each ; one, three eggs ; and 

 two, four eggs on the same raceme — in two instances 

 two eggs being attached to the same pedicel— a con- 

 dition however, which might be regarded as arising to 

 some extent from a failure of instinct. I have found 

 the eggs of P. N'api in great abundance on the same 

 plant, laid on the underside of the leaves — as many 

 as thirteen on one plant, and sometimes four or five 

 on the same leaflet. These caterpillars do not show 

 any disposition to attack each other, or manifest any 

 preference for the seed-pods. — J. A. Osborne, M.D., 

 Milford, CO. Donegal. 



Parasite of the Cat {Trichodeclcs subrostra- 

 tus). — During the month of September I procured 



a number of parasites 

 from a cat and her 

 kitten, but on referring 

 to Denny's " Ano- 

 plura," I find he gives 

 no figure of the species, 

 the reason being he had 

 sought for it in vain. 

 He says 

 species is a 

 Britain there can be 

 little doubt ;" he gives 

 the specific characters 

 from Burmeister's 



Handbook, " clypeus 

 elongate, , triangular, 

 apex bitubcrculate.'' 

 The late Mr. A. Murray in his " Economic Entomo- 

 logy "published about 1875, mentions that this species 

 " infests the cat on the Continent; not yet recorded in 



"that this 

 native of 



Fig. 15.— Parasite of Cat (Tricho- 

 dectcs subrosiratus), female. 



Britain." The characters just given agree with the 

 specimens in my possession, as may be seen from the 

 accompanying figure, which is magnified 25 diameters, 

 the actual length being three-quarters of a line. 

 Considering the large number of cats that are 

 wandering about in all stages of destitution, it 

 appears strange if this parasite has never been re- 

 corded up till this time. Perhaps some of the readers 

 of Science-Gossip can give some information on this 

 point. — J. Lambert, Edinburgh. 



The Hessian Fly in America. — In a very 

 elaborate and lengthy paper by Dr. H. A. Hagen, 

 which appears in the last number of the "Canadian 

 Entomologist," the author gives the following reasons 

 for believing this insect not to have been imported 

 into America from Europe, and shows — (i) It is 

 impossible the fly could have been imported by the 

 Hessian troops ; and (2) It is very probable that the 

 fly was in America before the War of Independence. 



Remedy for Cabbage-worms. — Dr. Riley in the 

 last part of the " American Entomologist" says that 

 the use of pyrethriim will prove a most satisfactory 

 remedy against these creatures, which are said to be 

 rapidly spreading throughout the United States. 



Natural History Transactions of North- 

 umberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. — 

 Part ii. of vol. vii. (new series) of these Transactions 

 has just been issued to the members, and as usual 

 contains much valuable information. This part com- 

 mences with the Presidential Address of the Rev- 

 R. E. Hooppell, LL.D., F.R.A.S., and gives a resume 

 of the meetings held and the work done for the year 

 ending May 2, 1878. Dr. Hooppell is not a convert 

 to the Evolution theory and, towards the end of his 

 address, quarrels with Mr. Darwin and Professor 

 Tyndall for their "thoughts, fancies, and specula- 

 tions." Next follows a well-written article by the 

 Rev. W. Howchin, F.G.S., on a "Find of Pre- 

 historic Implements in Allendale and some of the 

 adjoining Districts." A memoir of the life of Mr. 

 W. C. Hewitson, F.L.S., a native of Newcastle, and 

 up to the time of his death one of the Vice-Presidents 

 of this society, is by Dr. Embleton. Mr. Plewitson 

 bequeathed by his will among other legacies 10,000/. 

 to the Newcastle Infirmary and 3000/. to this 

 society. A short memoir of the life of Thomas Belt, 

 F.G. S., by Joseph Wright, keeper of the Newcastle 

 Museum. Then the address of the President, Dr. 

 Embleton, for the year ending May 2nd, 1879, who 

 said there appeared to be a lack of young observers 

 devoted to our pursuits. I think the worthy doctor 

 might have justly attributed the falling-off in the 

 work of the field-meetings to another cause, viz. the 

 objectionable arrangements of these meetings ; the 

 extent of ground that the members have generally to 

 walk over at each meeting completely prohibits them 

 from examining the objects of interest with that care 



