THE QUERIST. 295 



from the service done them by the birds. It may be a common enough occurrence, but as it 

 may be new to some of your readers, as well as myself, I think it worth placing; on record 

 in your valuable and interesting Magazine. — John Rose, M. D. 11. N., Haslar Hospital, August 

 3rd., 1854. 



Little Stint, (Tringa pusilla.) — A specimen of this bird was shot in company with Redshanks, 

 at Willingham Fen, Cambridgeshire, May 13th., 1853.— S. P. Savill, 13, Regent Street, 

 Cambridge. 



Great Ash-coloured Shrike, (Lanius excubitor.) — A fine old specimen of this bird was killed 

 at Stretham, Cambridgeshire, November 13th., 1853. — Idem. 



Red-breasted Merganser, (Mergus seiTator.) — A pair of these birds in adult plumage was 

 shot at Pricwillow, Cambridgeshire, April 20th., 1854. — Idem. 



Jlohbtj, (Falco subhuteo.) — An old male specimen was shot at Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire, 

 May 16th., 1854.— Idem. 



Appearance of the Hirundinidce, etc., at Batvburgh Hill. — "Window Swallow, (Himndo 

 rmtica,) May 10th. House Martin, {Hirundo dotnestica,) May 24th. — The former of these 

 birds was thirty-one days, and the latter seventeen later than last season. The Swift, {Cypselus 

 murarius,) May 31st.; being sixteen days later. Sand Martin, C Hirundo riparia,) April 7th.; 

 being twelve days earlier. The Nuthatch, (Sitta Europaea,) March 29th.; being two days 

 earlier. The Cuckoo, ( Cuculus canorus,) April 20th.; being three days earlier. The Gray 

 "Wagtail, {Motacilla boarula,) April 4th. ; being fifteen days earlier. My first nest in ' 18^53, 

 was a Hedge Sparrow's, found on March 23rd. This year, I had my first on March 31st., 

 and found also a Robin's, and a Blackbird's with eggs in, and a Water Ouzel's with one egg, 

 which instead of securing, I left till the prize should be worthier, and thus 1 lost my object, 

 for stranger hands plundered it. These are my last notes entered at Bawburgh Hill — a spot 

 endeared to me, but to it I have said "a last farewell." — George R. Twinn, The Elms, 

 Mosely Road, Birmingham, August 11th., 1854. 



Note on Sirex Gigas. — In your July number you mention the Sirex Gigas as taken in 

 Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, and Somerset. I have taken it in Gloucestershire and Devonshire •,. 

 two in the first and one in the latter county, all females, and engaged in boring wrought 

 fir timber. — "William T. Lane, Somerset House, Clifton, Bristol, August, 1854. 



Occurrence of the Opah, or King-Fish near JBiickie, Banffshire. — A very large and splendidly- 

 marked Opah, ( Lampris guttatus,) was found among the rocks near the above place, on the- 

 5th. inst., by some fishermen. It was sent to London. — T. Edward, Banff", August 26th., 

 1854. 



Prunella vulgaris with White Floivers. — I found a plant of the above this summer, and also- 

 Tcdicularis sylvatica with white flowers. I am not aware of the latter having been recorded 

 in "Tlie Naturalist," — both I believe are of rather rare occurrence. — S. Cameron, Beldocney, 

 Banffshire, August 24th., 1854, 



€\i d^ntrist. 



I see by "The Naturalist" for this month, that T. J., of Tottenham, asks whether the notion 

 is correct of the oviparous and viviparous breeding of the Aphis, and also at what rate the 

 Aphis is supposed to breed. As I am not an entomologist, I cannot speak on this subject from 

 my own knowledge; but I trust that the following extracts from Dr. Carpenter's admirable- 

 work on Physiology, "The Principles of Physiology, General and Comparative," will prove 

 satisfactory to your correspondent. Dr. C, in speaking of this class of Insects, saj"s, "Insects 

 ai-e endowed with extraordinary powers of multiplication ; but this is accomplished, with only 

 one exception, by means of the sexual process of generation. The exception referred to is that- 

 of the Aphis, which is capable of propagation by a process that appears to be analagous to the- 

 gemmation of the Salpm, (belonging to the class Tunicata;) the new individuals being budded 

 off', so to speak, from internal stolons, instead of bt'ing developed from ova provided by the 

 female, and fertilized by the male. This method of propagation may be several times repeated ; 

 the individuals thus generated being all apparently of the female sex, and generating others- 



