120 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



The place is well worth working in fine spring weather. The 

 steep hill facing the south forms a sort of natural sun-trap, and this 

 being almost always damp, is very favourable to the production of 

 beetles, and probably other orders of insects. There were a large 

 number of Tenthredinidae about ; some of these I took, but I have 

 not yet worked out the species. — Arthur F. Chitty, Queen's Gate 

 Gardens, London. 



The Food of the Sagitta : Additional Note. — In "Annals of 

 Scottish Natural History," Part 2, p. 142 (1892), I submitted a few 

 observations on the food of the Sagitta ; and, as supplementary to 

 these observations, I desire in the following remarks to record an 

 interesting occurrence recently observed while examining some 

 tow-net material collected between Fidra and the Bass Rock, Firth 

 of Forth. Among this there were as usual a number of Sagitta, 

 large and small. While carefully overhauling the material and 

 taking note of the various organisms present, a peculiar wriggling 

 movement attracted my attention, and on clearing away some things 

 that were obstructing the view, I observed that a comparatively large 

 Sagitta had caught hold of another one about half its size ; and it 

 was the wriggling of the smaller one to free itself from the grasp of 

 its big brother that had first attracted my attention. Being anxious 

 to ascertain how the two would get on, I continued watching them, 

 allowing nothing to interrupt me from observing what was taking 

 place, and this is what happened. Shortly after the small Sagitta 

 had been seized by the middle by the larger one, and after it had 

 wriggled a while in its efforts to escape, the two halves became 

 gradually folded together, and the wriggling also gradually ceased ; 

 every second or two a quick movement of the jaws of the large 

 Sagitta was distinctly visible, and all the while the doubled-up body 

 of the victim passed slowly into the mouth and down the gullet of 

 the devourer, and could be seen through its semi-transparent test. 

 In a short time, the head and tail of the captive disappeared 

 together from view within the jaws of the captor. The time 

 occupied from the capture of the small Sagitta till it vanished from 

 sight was a little over five minutes. It would appear from this 

 incident, and from what is stated in a previous note, that the Sagitta 

 is not over fastidious, provided the object is of a convenient size to 

 suit the capacity of its jaws. — Thomas Scott, Leith. 



Damage by the Water Vole (Arvicola amphibia) in Berwick- 

 shire. — This amphibious animal has come into the pasture-fields 

 at Chirnside and burrowed exactly like a Mole, and is doing much 

 damage. Mr. Cockburn, the forester at Ninewells, has caught 

 twenty-five in the pastures around the mansion-house, and he in- 

 forms me that their burrows are all over the grounds. The river 

 Whitadder is not a quarter of a mile from where it is working. I 

 spoke to a Mole-catcher to-day [13th March 1893], who told me he 



