330 The Field Naturalist's Quarterly Nov. 



near Hereford in April 1902. It was only caught by one claw in a 

 trap, but was incontinently knocked on the head by the keeper who 

 found it." — Reginald Haines. 



" The Little Owl {Athcjje noctiia). — This bird, orignally introduced 

 by Lord Lilford into the Midlands, is now quite common as a breeding' 

 species in Rutland." — Reginald Haines. 



Frcesi7tg of Pla7tts. — " I have just seen the first number of your new 

 periodical, and observe in Mr Dutt's article on ' Marsh Botany in 

 Winter' a reference to an article of mine in the 'Midland Naturalist' 

 of 1879 ori ' Hardiness in Plants,' with a suggestion that I should com- 

 municate more recent information. The best response I can make is to 

 refer inquirers to Kerner's 'Natural History of Plants,' vol. i. p. 539, 

 where the latest information will be found up to about 1890. 



"At p. 75 of your Quarterly the common plant Galeopsis Tetrahif is 

 spoken of as poisonous 'by contact.' If this means by stinging, is it 

 true? I have gathered it many times without any such result."— F. T. 

 Mott, Birsal Hill, Leicester. 



(Mr Mott's letter was received just after the last number had gone to 

 press.— Ed. F. N. Q.) 



Answers to Correspondents. 



Stable Pests. 



We have received three species of beetles which were found infesting' 

 a hunting stable. These have been submitted to Mr Claude Morley, 

 who reports on them as follows : — ■ 



" Undoubtedly all these have been introduced with corn, the foreign 

 importation of which has brought us many pests from foreign lands 

 unknown in the days of home growth, for none of these are natives of 

 Britain. They are — 



'■'•A. 12. Calandra granaria^ Linn. — This is the granary beetle ^^r 

 excellence J it has been for years a scourge to the garner of corn, and no 

 insect does more damage to wheat, oats, rye, maize, flour, oilcake, but 

 especially to barley and malt. I have, moreover, on one occasion found 

 it abundantly in sugar. As long ago as 1687 Leuwenhoek published 

 an account of its economy in the ' Encyclopedic Methodique ' (vol. v. p, 

 488), and during recent years Curtis, Ormerod, Fitch, (S:c., have closely 

 studied its habits and brought forward many forms of prevention and 

 remedy for its attacks. The female bores an oblique hole in a grain of 

 wheat with her rostrum, and therein deposits one ^"gg just beneath the 

 surface, whence hatches a little maggot-like larva or caterpillar. This 

 larva devours the whole interior of the grain, leaving nothing but the 

 husk, and then changes in it into a dormant chrysalis. In eight or ten 

 days this in turn becomes a perfect beetle, which gnaws its way to 

 freedom through the empty husk-skin. Only one larva is ever found in 



