Miscellaneous, 149 



together around the eggs, weaving and incorporating at the same 

 time all the rubbish that is lying or floating around the nucleus. 



For the safety of its nest and spawn, the fish is apparently very 

 anxious for a time. Some individuals were watched, by Mr. Duncan 

 and the Rev. Mr. Turnbull, for some weeks, and it was observed that 

 the same fish was always in attendance upon its own nest. During 

 the time of hope and expectation, they become fearless, and will al- 

 low themselves to be taken up by the hand repeatedly. There can 

 be no doubt that their object in remaining near the nest is to guard 

 it against the attacks of such animals as might feel inclined to prey 

 upon its contents. 



Note. — Since the preceding notice was read to the Club, the second 

 volume of Mr. Swainson's ' Natural History of Fishes,' &c. has been 

 published ; and I find that in it these nests are said to be constructed 

 by the Gobies, on the authority of Olivi. The question is worth 

 further inquiry ; but on mentioning this statement of Olivi's to Mr. 

 Maclaren of Coldingham, he assured me that he had seen and 

 watched the stickleback in the act of making the nests we have just 

 described. G. J. — From the Transactions of the Berwickshire Na- 

 turalists' Club. 



ON VESPERTILIO MDILIS, JENYNS. 



In Wiegmann's Archiv, Part I. for 1840, we find, in a valuable 

 paper by MM. Keyserling and Blasius " On the generic and spe- 

 cific character of the European Bats," the following notice on the 

 above animal lately descril)ed by Mr. Jenyns as probably forming a 

 new species : 



*' Vespertilio cedilis, Jenyns (Annals of Nat. Hist. No. XV. p. 73, 

 Plate XIIL), is brought forward as a new species, and carefully de- 

 scribed by Mr. Jenyns from a white-coloured stuffed specimen ; it is 

 compared with V. Daubentonii, from which it is said to be distin- 

 guished : 



"1. by its more acute snout. — In dried specimens the snout is ge- 

 nerally more acute than in fresh ones, and this affords therefore no 

 ground for comparison. 



" 2. by the form of the tragus. — The incision at the apex is pro- 

 bably accidental and individual ; we have found such incisions even 

 to vary on both ears of one and the same individual. The tooth at 

 the base exists in all, although in most cases overlooked, and affords 

 no distinction. 



"3. by the hairy covering of the interfemoral membrane. — The gra- 

 nules mentioned by Jenyns, upon which the hairs originate, are also 

 to be seen on fre^h, and less distinctly on dried, specimens of V. 

 Daubentonii. 



