'4BiJ Miscellaneous, 



sun was shining. It seems always active in the search for Diptera, on 

 which evidently it chielly feeds ; and one reason of its preference for 

 the cove hy the Parson and Clerk rocks is, that a collection of the 

 larger olive-leaved seaweeds is generally heaped up there for manure ; 

 on this heap, flies abound in mild weather throughout the year. The 

 attachment to locality is however very marked in this species ; they 

 will be seen not only in a particular spot, but on a particular stone 

 in that spot ; they are fond of perching on some prominent point of 

 rock, and from this they sometimes dart out upon any passing gnat, 

 much after the manner of a flycatcher. Dipterous insects are no 

 doubt their usual food, but in very cold weather they may support 

 themselves on the sand-hoppers {Talitrus Locusta), since we have 

 found these in the stomachs of stonechats killed on the beach. The 

 male varies much in the beauty of its plumage, the specimen procured 

 on the 30th of January being much more brilliant than those shot 

 on the 3rd and 4th of the same month. The change may therefore 

 be the commencement of its putting on a nuptial dress ; there is 

 however much difference between the other two, and one of them is 

 probably in immature plumage, so that they are not in full feather 

 until the spring. 



It is curious to speculate on — why this bird should be a -winter 

 visitor and Ph. ruticilla a summer guest with us ; probably the 

 south coast of England would afford a greater supply of insect food 

 during the depth of winter than could be obtained in Germany ; yet 

 this is scarcely sufficient explanation of the fact. Another question 

 worthy of notice is, has this bird been overlooked in former years, or 

 has it only lately been a visitor to our coast ? Col. Montagu well 

 explored the south coast of Devon, yet I believe he never met with 

 it ; we had frequently searched the shore for birds before 1844, yet 

 we never saw it, nor had it to our knowledge been killed near Teign- 

 mouth. 



April 30th, 1855, 

 Queen's Coll., Birmingham. 



On the Transmission and Metamorphoses of the Intestinal Worms, 

 By MM. Milne-Edwards and Valenciennes. 



On the 30th April 1855, M. Milne-Edwards communicated to the 

 Academy of Sciences of Paris the results of some experiments made 

 by M. Van Beneden, in the presence of MM. Valenciennes, De Qua- 

 trefages, Haime and himself, in illustration of his views upon this 

 interesting subject. The object of these experiments was to prove 

 the transformation of the Cysiicercus pisiformis of the rabbit into 

 the Tcenia serrata when introduced into the intestines of the dog ; 

 and they appear to have been perfectly satisfactory to all the members 

 of the commission with the exception of M. Valenciennes, whose 

 observations upon these phaenomena follow those of M. Milne- 

 Edwards. 



The Tcenia serrata is exceedingly common in adult dogs, but is 



