Miscellaneous. 237 



4. The silk is in the state of a thick gelatinous liquid in the two 

 posterior parts of these organs. It solidifies in the capillary part of 

 the tubes and reaches the external meatus in the concrete state. 



5. The caterpillar compresses its thread by the contractions of an 

 angle (coude) formed by the two capillary tubes at their point of 

 union. It is thus that it can stop the secretion of silk and suspend 

 itself by its thread. 



6. The material of the silk is always colourless, and derives the 

 colour which it presents in certain cases from a varnish existing in the 

 reservoirs and issuing along with it. 



7. The conical form of the thread is due to the gradual narrowing 

 of the capillary tubes, which may be regarded as a kind of wire 

 drawer to the silk. 



8. All the other appearances which have led to the supposition 

 that the silk existed in the state of a skein within the reservoirs are 

 easily explained by the fact of its solidification in the capillary tubes 

 before their union. How this takes place, and under what circum- 

 stances, remains to be determined. 



When I have torn the capillary tube of a silk-reservoir as near as 

 possible to its junction with its fellow, I have succeeded in drawing 

 out simple silken threads, some of which are several inches long. 

 This result has been obtained under water, and I do not think by any 

 one previously. — Comptes Rendus, Jan. 15, 1844. 



FUCUS LABILLARDIERII, TURN. 



It is stated in the observations on this Alga (p. 57), that Calocladia, 

 Grev.,is identical with Delisea, Lamx,, and that the Alga which Dr. 

 Greville considered identical with Fucus Lahillardierii is the same with 

 Delisea fimbriata, Lamx. The latter part of the statement is not 

 correct. Since the memoir was printed. Dr. Montague has received 

 specimens from Lehmann and Lenormand, which have convinced 

 him that some correction here is necessary. The plant of Dr. Gre- 

 ville is the same with Sphcerococcus flaccidus, Suhr, and is specifically 

 different from, though closely allied to Delisea fimbriata, Lamx. He 

 proposes, therefore, to call it Delisea pulchra, adopting the specific 

 name of Dr. Greville, which is anterior to that of Suhr. Delisea fim- 

 briata will then remain the type of the genus. — M. J. B. 



KENTISH BIRDS. 



To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Margate, January 1844. 

 Gentlemen, — In my last communication I omitted to mention 

 that in the latter part of September we were visited by an immense 

 number of chaffinches that continued their course in a north-eastern 

 direction. Fresh arrivals continued for several days, coming in a direct 

 line from the continent ; as soon as they reached our coast near Kings- 

 gate, some of them, from hunger, staid merely for a few seconds to 

 recruit their strength by picking up a few seeds, and then joined 

 the following flight. I shot several of them, all females. In one of 

 Mr. White's letters, he says he saw vast flights of chaflSnches, and 



