94j Queries and Answen, 



sort to this expedient to rob it of its nectared tweets. Will any one of your 

 correspondents (in case the fact h^s bfeeh obsel'ved before) inform me of 

 the name of the bee ? — ^ i?.\^. !P/«^or. Motiigomeri/skire, Oct. 11. 1830. 



A lobrst6r4ike Tnsedt cittadkifig the Leg of a 'Hoicse-Jiy. — Sir, As I was 

 yesterday (July 18. V reading in the parlour, my attention \vas accidentally 

 attracted to a corilrh'ori housfe-fly (Mfreca carh^ria), which was chafing its 

 fore-legs in a vei^ umisucil' Way. On dldser exaWihatian, I foun^d, to my 

 surprise, that a small insect was firmly attached to one of its legs, which 

 the fly wa* ineffbctually endeaf Ottring to dislodge. ' On applying a magnify- 

 ing glass, my surprise was greatly iircreased by finding that the irtSeJct which 

 had seized the fly's' leg had claws pretise'ly resembling those of a lobster, 

 with one of which it had grasped the ullfortlmate fly ; its body was flat, like 

 a bug (CJmex), ahd' res'eti^bled that'ib^ect in Colour, but was smaller. I 

 unfortunately lost sig-ht of thfe fly itV an linsiiiccessftil attempt to' capture it. 

 ' • Surprised'and interestdtl 'at th6' feddne^s df the cii^citi^^stailCe, leoHSulted 

 sef erai' 'boo^k^ tin *entomoibg^,' litit'WitUbtit' finding 'aWy ftCc^btttit of so ctiHbiis 

 aliinatf^t.' lA' ttWfe erMj^rfU^yniynt T'anVlhtlil^d tp'^fettd y6tl- this \bi4ef ac- 

 count, in the hope that you. or'^l^le hk ^boif ^br^e^^Wflde^ts, -^^ill'be kind 

 eiJod^ 'tb't?6U W^'tiirbii^h'te'^feyiiiJn'/w 



toi'y 'Of '^hi9 ^(iffs^erilik^' i\«ei!t'ih^y l)e"ft)iiW([h''" ■-l^foMbLy 'W.' Rerihie; Vho 

 has' la!iel% te' l\i^ ^Hi^i^tflig'H^Ws ^-^fi "th^ 'A-^cHit-^yt^ft^^^ 

 of 'Insetit^; !f^OVn''^^c^''^^pf^foliM>%ii5vv>lS(3gfei 6f ■feftf6ttl6^iy,\U^^^^^ bie 

 gf^cDfd ertdiM k) 'g5V« \itsfliistoi^j^,'whit!h -d^uja^fe^s ^vbWldi^-e'&^i^at gi*atifi- 

 cation td''Marif'oF';5*oVir 'I'y^'de^S li^^tell ^^ to' iiiV^eflf. ' lani^disp^iied to 

 thinks' that,' ' althW^h^ tlife 'itisfe'ct" 'may be S^h\Vk\mfii to enf6riiot(:ygi^ts,' the 

 factof'it^'ieiHrtg fipoh'tfr^'flj^ may b^'i^W:' 'because I think so acciihitfean 

 obsen^er'ii^'fe Knapp, ^li hk Jb^0^a^ of « Kftfuralist, in speakirig of the 

 house>'fly'.(p: 212- 2d 'ed.,'! qudfcfe from memoi-y), would have added to the 

 interest of his work by giving an account of it, had he been acquainted with 

 the'fact. — O: iio/i^o7i,Jz</7/ 19, 1830. [ 



'•Th&silMUbi'hwn Flic's p^dllcddfi-om ike' Cdhhdg&CttU^flUaf *(Vol.'Iir. 

 p. 4'76-iVi)'WeretIoubtless'someSpedes oflthneuiiioit flj^^ whbtie pa!i'^2nts had 

 selected' the caterpillar as' a proper -hidtis for its eggs, an'd thiis c^iis'ed its 

 death' i« the pupa ^tate before ma'tdre %i: changingintor a chcj-salis. If Mr, 

 Morgan repeat his attemptis' to breed butterflies and moths from caterpillars, 

 he will very frequently 'iftdfeed find his attempts frustrated in a similar man- 

 ner' by insects bf thife ^eni'i^. — Thos. Thompson. Hull, Oct. 12. 1830. 



.The]Ej^ihsnWn6f th&'Sbhihardjer B (Brachinus crepitans), aOconi- 

 piattted'by'vapblij^ of k^fetrd smeH, is so well authenticated,^ that I am in- 

 dineii to'tMh^'th^t-'A: t. 'A; (p. 4T7.)/l^sthave made his experiinentsujwn 

 a wekkoi^'^tSgii^ied^pfeiih'en. — ,/, O.' H^. ;>^^^^^ 1830. 



*The^^Af^hiiJs%i^i<)TMr6^'l{\iffQr (not of Linnaeus), which -^^ L. A. men- 

 tioriS(p: 47*7.),' is doiibtleSs the Airabus hortensis of Fabricius, MarsharS, 

 and 'Stephens, which h^s been described by Stewart, Turton, Leach, and 

 Sattiftuelte tirldtr the fonner name; so that under either name it haSal^eady 

 befert repeatedly described' ids a British insect. It is exceedindy common. 

 -^Id.' - '!i ■•• ■■-'-■■- ■■ '■■ . , 



MmHJifyGilM'eJ^t^>'T'6UngNatimirids. — In answer in part to your 

 querist 'H. (Vol. m: pi' 48^.), I would observe that Samouelle's Entomo- 

 /o^V'coht£liitig'W^visr'y''gbbd 'monthly guide ior explorers in the science of 

 v/Yrichh^tt^?it^.'^T.-'^}k)mpson. ':JIidl,Oct. 12. 1830. 



Mdn^mi a ^MirA!.'^^=8?i', With respect to the nidus of a spider originally 

 mentioned' ?rt V^l. 'H{'p,'r04., and frequently by other parties since, I beg 

 to confirm tile' i^tateuient' of W. I^. B. W. (Vol. III. p. 458.) as to its 

 locality, an'd the opinion that It"!^ not- tfifat'6'P iik'^^iiiiic ih^ecft:" 'This last 

 summei' t' nifet with tlleii) in Grerta Wood, rie'ar Sheffield, York^hi^&,'bbth 

 naked and" cbvered with mud, on banks 3 or '4 ft. high, ahd nbt hear-a(hy 

 water, dxcSpt'What rii^t bef 6t<6&Sibritiflly'in 'the faJftf riitfe.' I therefore sug- 



