406 Qjieries~ and Atistvers. 



describes as of the size of a small pea, of the shape of a bottle, with the 

 bottom flat, containing about a dozen eggs, which also produced spiders.* I 

 have in my cabinet a similar nest, suspended to the stalk of some grass, which 

 was given me by my friend the Rev. Revett Sheppard, and is noticed in the 

 Introduction to Entomology (vol. iii. p. 71. fifth edit.). Most probably, the 

 nidus described by your correspondent contained the eggs of some spider 

 frequenting the water. Yours, &c. — Wm. Kirhy. June, 1829. 



The Glowworm. — In October, 1828, 1 met 

 with a luminous insect, under circumstances 

 similar to the statement of A. A. (Vol. I. ^^s,*^ 

 p. 299.), and I believe the insect to be the 

 jScolopendra el^ctrica. {fig. 105.) I have an 

 exact drawing of the insect, and the insect 

 itself is preserved in spirits. I will lend you 

 both, if you wish it.— T. N. P. May, 1 829. 

 [The figure is from the drawing. — Cond.'} 



Maiine Plants. — What is the greatest depth at which aquatic or marine 

 plants have been observed to grow beneath the permanent level of the sur- 

 face, and what are the modes of fructification in those plants which grow too 

 deep to send flowers to the surface ? — L. Hampstead, July 23. 1829. 



The Starwort of Graham's British Georgics. — Has not J. R. (p. 293.) been 

 rather hasty in deciding that the Pinguicula vulgaris is the starwort men- 

 tioned by Graham ? Is it not more probable that the poet, for a moment, 

 forgetting that he was writing British Georgics, inserted the passage (a trans- 

 lation from Virgil) without considering that Italian meadows were not Bri- 

 tish? The incorrect translations of this passage by Dryden, Addison, &c., 

 describe the starwort of Virgil {A'^teY Jra^llus) as a plant with \)\ir^\e leaves 

 and golden-coloured blossoms, instead of describing the blossoms as purple in 

 the circumference, with a disk of " golden hue." The lines in Graham 

 have so evidently the same origin, that I should suspect the " husbandmen" 

 of this country would be very unlikely to be'acquainted with it, as the pro- 

 duce of an English meadow. I should doubt whether An Apiarian would 

 do well to offer an infusion of the Pinguicula to his sickly bees. — E. K, 

 July 15.1829. 



A singularly brilliant golden green Light. — Sir, About a month ago, 

 while exploring the gritstone hills of Derbyshire, with a botanical friend, I 

 observed, in the shady recesses of some of the rocks, a singularly brilliant 

 golden green light, which interested and puzzled me exceedingly. It was 

 perfectly phosphorescent, and rivalled in splendour the gorgeous reflected 

 tints of the humming bird, or the elytra of some beetles of the ^uprestis 

 tribe. It was seen to the greatest advantage at the distance of a few yards, 

 and when it met the eye in one particular direction, out of which it became 

 dim or was entirely lost, even on a close inspection. Irregular patches of it 

 covered the surface of moist stones near the ground, and the loose sand ac- 

 cumulated in the crevices from disintegration. When brought into the full 

 light for examination, its resplendent character was nearly if not quite gone, 

 nothing being visible upon the surface of the stone or sand but a filmy irre- 

 gular network of green, scarcely visible from its delicacy of texture. Jun- 

 germanm« pusilla and J. minutissima (as I judged by the fronds), and the 

 beautiful and rare Gymnostomum osmundaccz^m in full fructification, grew 

 occasionally interspersed with it ; but, after close and repeated scrutiny, we 

 both agreed that the green light was not emitted from any of these. We 

 spent above an hour in unavailing efforts to ascertain from what \tdid proceed, 

 though I had little doubt it owed its origin to some minute vegetable fur- 

 nished with a peculiar organisation. I brought away some of the best spc- 



* De Geer, vii. 229. plate xiii. fig. 10. 



