44 KNTOMOLOGICAI. NKWS. [March. 



A CORRESPONDED iii I lanlee\ Hie, s. C.,'says he " witnessed a most 



wonderlnl phenomenon:' from noon to sundown, with a -nitlr wind Mow- 

 ing t'nun the soiithuest and a perfectly dear sky, a shower of white 

 balls filled the air and cove-red the -n >nnd for a space of ten miles square, 

 with a gentle shower of a white lleecy substance, as line as silk, which 

 was vc-ry strong when twisted. He was nnalile to account tor its pn-s- 

 ence there, and had never seen anything like it bel. The same tiling 



occurs liere every autumn, but I never saw it as abundant as the cor- 

 respondent describes. The little balls referred to are the llm < nli. or 

 remains of the- web of which the spiders make their cocoons, tin- exi 

 In in- cut off and floats away. C. A. BI.AKK. 



A NKHDI.KSS ALARM. Some time ago a certain entomologist in one 

 of the leading cities of the country who, on the Sabbath days, stri\<--> to 

 enlighten a large and aristocratic congregation in the mysteries of the 

 i;ospel, but beguiles his leisure moments by the pursuit of hexapods, hap- 

 pened to find a heap of refuse lying near a humble duelling in the out- 

 skirts of the city aforesaid. The gentlemen is a devoted student of lepicl- 

 opterology, but bags the beetles, also, as they chance to fall in his way. 

 The most prominent object on the ash heap was an antiquated and Hide 

 ham, upon which numerous carrion beetles were disporting themselves. 

 Recogni/ing the find as worthy of his attention, he began to collect the 

 insects upon it. He had barely begun his malodorous task when he dis- 

 covered that he was being observed, and a strident female voice from the 

 ^i (mid story of the humble dwelling rang out an excited warning" Law 

 sakes! man alive that ham is spiled! Nancy and me thrmved it out day 

 before yesterday! It's all blowed! I .aw sakes! youdon'1 be after gatherin 1 

 up such truck as that, be ye? A well dressed man like you un hadn't 

 otter to be rakin' in old ash heaps after somethin' to eat. Kf you'iv hun- 

 gry come in the house an' I'll give you a bite. Hut iand here the \oice rose 

 to a shrill falsetto), mercy me! leave that old ham alone! It's spiled! 1 

 tell yon it's spiled!" The clergyman, who carried under his waistband 

 reminders of an elegant luncheon served an hour or two before, cannot 

 cease to smile at the memory of the position into which his eiUomolo-u-.il 

 ardor had brought him in the eyes of the old dame, from whom he es- 

 caped as she was coming down-stairs to open the door and oiler him the 

 hospitalities of her little home. AM>N. 



Entomological Liu -r. i n nx\ 



li. NATURALISTA SIOI.IANO. Anno IX, No. i. October, i.s*>j. | Ke 

 ceived |annar\, iS<,o.] Contains " Lepidotteri nno\i della Sicilia," /'/ 

 >n-iil<i') by !'. \Vocke. "Note Lepidotterologiche (cont.)," by V.. U.i-nsa, 

 brief not<-s on s]><-( ies running from .-'.n/i^nsh\i to .h'if>fi/ia. " I l<~!o- 

 t litn;-\ ;//-,' /v7// ///A n. sp. i habitat Sit ilia i," b\ Kuwert. "Tavola -inottica 

 <] i ( .yrinns di Sicilia," [synoptic table ol the Sicilian species of the -einis 



