Dipterous Insects, Plants, 271 



had not had a governor, or, what is more likely, some self- 



interest I wish my homely remarks may prevent the 



telling again of any untrue statements of the foresight, &c., 

 of the ant, to children. — John Howden, 



Dipterous Insects, with others. — A Mode of deterring 

 House-Flies from entering Apartments, — A paper, by W. 

 Spence, Esq., was read at the last Meeting (April 1.) of the 

 Entomological Society, on the mode successfully adopted, in 

 Italy, of excluding these pests of hot climates, in the au- 

 tumnal months, from apartments. The mode is, simply, 

 keeping constantly nailed on the outside of the windows 

 thread nets, with meshes of an inch or more in diameter ; 

 through which, though the windows (French) are wide open, 

 the flies (either taking the nets for spiders' webs, or from 

 some inexplicable dread) never attempt to pass : and thus, in 

 a room so defended, not a fly is to be found, while they 

 swarm elsewhere. Mr. Spence concluded his paper by ad- 

 verting to an unexpected coincidence, which had occurred to 

 his eldest son, between this practice and a similar one men- 

 tioned by Herodotus (lib. ii. cap. 95.), as having been practised 

 by the Egyptian fishermen, 2300 years ago, of securing them- 

 selves from the attacks of gnats. [See Mr. Sells's notice of 

 the use of the mosquito net, in V. 480.] 



Plants.' — Malcbmm maritima Brown a British Plant, — 

 The merit of having first added this lively little annual to the 

 British Flora, I believe, is due to Miss Harvey of Upper 

 Deal, a lady zealously devoted to natural history, who has 

 kindly supplied me with specimens gathered by herself, in 

 April last, " under the cliff about half way between St. Mar- 

 garet's and Dover, in various places, for a quarter of a mile, 

 where the banks were grassy. The specimens exactly resem- 

 ble the garden ones, save that the leaves and plant are alto- 

 gether smaller." Of the specimens sent me, few exceed two 

 inches in height, and some scarcely one. 



The sea coast, it may be remarked, must always be con- 

 sidered, more or less, a somewhat suspicious habitat for any 

 plant of exotic aspect, there being so many chances of foreign 

 seeds, or even roots, having been accidentally thrown on 

 shore, and deposited in such situations. 



The Guernsey Lily (Amaryllis sarnimsis L. fil.), a native of 

 Japan, owes its establishment, as a species indigenous to 

 European soil, to the melancholy circumstance of a Dutch or 

 English ship, coming from Japan, having been cast away on 

 the island, from which the plant has acquired its ordinary 

 English appellation. 



Nevertheless, we ought not any longer to deny the Mediter- 



