20Q ' Queries and Jiisivers. 



" As when a swarme o^ gnats at eventide, . , 



Out of the fennes of Allan doe arise, ' 



Their miirmunng small troinpcts soiinden wide; 

 Whiles in the aire their clust'ring army flies. 

 That as a cloud do'.h seeme to dim the skies." 

 — E. Ventris. CamhmJge, Jan. 25. 1832. 



In Insect Transformations it is the Tail of the CatcrpiUar which becomes 

 the Head of the Butterjltj. — I have lately observed a curious fact, which I 

 have never seen noticed in any book which has fallen in my way, viz. that 

 it is the tail of the caterpillar which becomes the head of the butterfly. I 

 found it hard to believe till I had convinced myself of it in a number of 

 instances. The caterpillar weaves its web from its mouth, finishes with the 

 head downwards, and the head, with the six front legs, are thrown off from 

 the chrysalis, and may be found dried up, but quite distinguishable, at the 

 bottom of the web. The butterfly comes out at the top. Is this fact 

 generally known '? — T. C. Turvey, Jidy 25. 1831. 



Caterpillars found in a Book (p. 109.). — These grubs appear to be of a 

 worm-like structure, and are probably those of a small species of solitary 

 wasp (Odynerus); at least, the following passage in Curtis's British Ento- 

 mology ^ p. 137., seems to record a perfectly similar fact : — " Mr. Charles Fox 

 detected, upon the top of a book across which another was laid, some cells 

 of a somewhat triangular form, covered externally with mud, and formed 

 of a silky substance within. He very obligingly transmitted the book to 

 me last winter ; and in the spring, nearly twenty specimens of the insect 

 figured (Odynerus parietinus) made their appearance ; they were all females, 

 and did not vary in the least." Is H sure that one cell contained two 

 grubs, as in fig. 41. a ? and will he communicate any fresh facts respecting 

 them ? — J. O. Wcstwood. Jan. 28. 1832. 



Notes on Intestinal WormSy in reply to Agronome^s Qneries. — Sir, Agro- 

 nome (Vol. IV. p. 476.) appears particularly anxious to have some of his 

 queries answered. I do not consider myself wholly competent to fully 

 elucidate such obscure productions of nature, but I think there are some 

 points which Agronome must consider. The hairworm, found in the body 

 of the common black beetle as well as in other insects (Vol. II. p. 211.), 

 I think is not the G6rdiu5 aquaticus, but a species of the genus Filaria ; 

 which are generally found in the interior of animals, in the cellular sub- 

 stance, in the muscles, and in the parenchyma of the viscera. The most 

 celebrated species is the Filaria medinensis of Gmelin., very common in 

 warm countries; which insinuates itself under the human skin, principally 

 of the legs, and often occasions serious injury. It is sometimes found 10 ft. 

 in length. It is extracted by slow degrees, for fear of breaking in the 

 wound, and the negroes are very dexterous in thus withdrawing it. The 

 distinctive character is, to have the ends of the tail pointed or bent. (See 

 Stark's Elements of Natural History, vol. ii. p. 408.) I cannot think that 

 the Gordim aquaticus, an inhabitant of water, could live in the interior of 

 any animal either warm or cold blooded; an element so different from theif 

 natural habitat. As W. W. asserts the distress it was in even when carefully 

 placed in the palm of his hand, audits speedy death (Vol. II. p.' 103.), may 

 not they have attached themselves to the legs of birds who have been in 

 pools of water, and thus found a ready conveyance to W. W.'s garden. 

 The sexual organs appear to be separate in each individual of this 

 tribe. — Agronome also asks, what is the origin of the tapeworm and 

 other worms, in man or beast, or what is their ultimate or last stage of 

 perfection ? Their first origin, as well as many other wonders of the crea- 

 tion, will ever remain hid in the deep recesses of dame Jsature. They, as 

 worms, have obtained their last and perfect stage, undergoing no further 

 change. How does the tapeworm propagate its species ? With sexual 

 organs, or at least distinct ovaries. It was the opinion of the ancients that 



