39 



€"jje (terist. 



In answer to your query concerning the bird named Chimney Swallow, 

 (Hirundo pelaagia,) in the "List of Birds of Nova Scotia/' which appeared 

 in the December No. of "The Naturalist/' the English name should, more 

 properly, have been the American Chimney Swallow. There is also a bird 

 which should have appeared in that list, namely, the Hudson's Bay Tit, 

 (Parus Hudsonicus,) common during winter. Some of your readers may 

 be misled with regard to the bird in the list under the name of Northern 

 Redpole, (Linaria lorealis,) which is incorrect, the bird being the American 

 Lesser Redpole, (Fringilla linaria, Wilson,) or Linaria minor, (Swain and 

 Rich.;) it must not, however, be confounded with the Lesser Redpole of 

 Britain, (Linota linaria, Yarrell.) There appears to be considerable doubt 

 as to the number of species of Redpoles of Europe and North America, 

 and as to which of those that have been described are identical. I am 

 afraid that it may be some time before the "List of Water Birds" can 

 be sent to you, on account of a copy having been mislaid, and the original 

 being at present in North America. — T. Blakiston, Woolwich, December 

 17th., 1856. 



Vegetable Caterpillar from New Zealand. — When it is alive it lives 

 on the seed of the Rata Tree, a very large New Zealand tree. When 

 it is a certain age it drops to the ground, and commences burrowing 

 till it gets to the root. When the seed begins to grow it dies and 

 turns to a part of the root itself:** the stalk coming out of the tail 

 is where it attaches itself to the root. I have seen the insect and 

 made the drawing from it. The sketch is half the size of the 

 original. There is no doubt that some time the specimen was a 

 live caterpillar, as it exactly resembles what one of our large cater- 

 pillars would appear if dried and wrinkled, 

 though the tail has all the appearance of 

 a piece of dried stick. Its colour is that 

 of stone or bnff. Can any of your numer- 

 ous readers favour me with a satisfactory 

 explanation? — Arthur Havers, Tenterden, November 22nd., 1856. 



Can any of the readers of "The Naturalist" inform me what the sub- 

 stance is that is used to represent snow and ice in cases of stuffed birds, 

 also the manner of applying it. At the Exhibition of 1851 there was a 

 case of birds, from Sutherlandshire, representing winter, with icicles hanging 

 down amidst the moss, and snow covering the rock-work above; perhaps 

 some person may remember it, and also have some idea how it was managed; 



* Not so. — F. 0. Morris. 



