%oology, 291 



cular assemblage of minnows ; their heads all met in a centre, 

 and their tails diverging at equal distances, and being ele- 

 vated above their heads, gave them the appearance of a flower 

 half blown. One was longer than the rest ; and as often as 

 a straggler came in sight, he quitted his place to pursue him, 

 and, having driven him away, he returned to it again ; no 

 other minnow offering to take it in his absence. This we 

 saw him do several times. The object that had attached them 

 all was a dead minnow, which they seemed to be devouring. 

 (Letter to the Rev. Mr, Hurdis by Cowper, dated Weston, 

 Feb. 23. 1793. See Hayley's Life qfCowper, 4to, p. 110.) 



Dead Frogs and live ones consumed hy Leeches, — Strolling 

 once in April, 1830, in company with several others, over a 

 part of the Chiltern Hills, for the purpose of collecting plants 

 for my herbarium, I came to a marshy spot of ground, the 

 stench from which almost poisoned the atmosphere. Looking 

 round, I beheld innumerable heaps of frogs and leeches in a 

 state of decomposition ; and others half dead, with leeches 

 attached to them, apparently in the act of preying on their 

 bodies. — J. G. Great Mar-low, Sept., 1831. 



In the Linnet, at Bury St. Edmund's, I once saw a dead frog 

 lying on the mud under water, and horse-leeches (Hirudo 

 fSanguisuga) were within its skin, apparently feasting with due 

 zest on its decaying flesh ; and thus animating, in a fresh form, 

 the matter so lately endowed with life. — J. D. 



Butterjiy (Vari^ssa Ataldnta), — I enclose a specimen of 

 the species to which the following anecdotes apply : — 

 Sept. 15th. It fixed on a sunflower; and being engaged in 

 extracting honey, it was so tame that at first I believed it to 

 be blind. It flew to a considerable distance, and often re- 

 turned ; but whether on the sunflower or on a wall, it was so 

 tame as to allow me to touch repeatedly its wings, antennae, 

 and head ; stretching the antennae, and erecting its head as 

 my finger waved over it. It perceived a sudden threatening 

 movement at the distance of three inches ; but except dis- 

 covering the flowers, it manifested no vision beyond that dis- 

 tance ; although nearer, it showed intelligent notice of my 

 actions. At another time, when I had thrown some decayed 

 pears into my garden, about a dozen of these butterflies 

 alighted on them, and began to eat. They were so tame 

 that I took up some with my fingers ; and, when my hand 

 was placed on the pears, some alighted on it and crawled 

 over it. I thrust them away, but they refused to fly. I do 

 not recollect to have noticed any observation of habits such 

 as these in any publication that I have met with. I am. Sir, 

 yours, &c. — Jonathan Couch. Polperro, Dec. 21. 1830. 



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