12-i SELECTED NOTES FROM 



Larva of Caddis-fly (Leptocerus).— This aquatic larva is one 

 of the case-bearers, and from their earHest infancy one of their 

 most important duties of life is the formation of their house, which 

 in some species is composed of pieces of stick, in others of sand 

 and small stones, in others of the living stems, bitten off aquatic 

 plants, in others small Planorbis and other shells, and in countries 

 where precious stones are not uncommon in the river beds, a species 

 of this curious larva has been found in a truly gorgeous house com- 

 posed of amethysts. I have found these cases sometimes where 

 the larva has taken a fancy to a rather large piece of wood, and 

 cemented it to his growing house, and it has been just as much as 

 Mr. Caddis could manage to drag his house along ; it not unfre- 

 quently occurs, that a young Planorbis finds he has been used as 

 part of a caddis-worm's case, and is an unwilling companion in all 

 his rambles. In a brook which I have often examined, all the 

 aquatic insects had this one fault (if such it may be called), that 

 their exposed cases, or backs, were coated with stone; the water 

 deposited carbonate of lime very rapidly, and all the Caddis-worm 

 cases in this brook were so strongly encased in this stony covering, 

 that they looked for all the world like animated fossils ; the various 

 water-snails, scorpions, &c., were all more or less coated with 

 tliis deposit, as were also the nuts and oak galls that fell into the 

 stream. 



It would be a boon to microscopists if they could ascertain the 

 recipe for the Caddis-worm's cement, which fastens stick, stone, 

 and shell tightly together under water. If we can procure any 

 of the young larvae, it is not difficult to make them build their 

 homes of any materials we wish, by merely supplying them with 

 it and no other material. In this way very good and interesting 

 specimens for the cabinet may be obtained. A case formed of bits 

 of red coral would form a very beautiful natural-history object. 



Phryganea jiavicornis composes its case of large pieces of wood, 

 P. rhombica, of sprigs of aquatic plants, and P. fusca uses stones, 

 straws, &c. &c., in the construction of its case. 



Ed. Lovett. 



Odynerus, posterior portion of Abdomen of.— In "Science 

 Gossip," Sept., 1868, p. 205, there occurs a drawing with some 

 remarks by S. S. on Odynerus parictum, describing the sting as 

 double in this creature. I have made some few observations 

 on O. paridiun^ have watched it to its nest, extracted the small 

 caterpillars collected for the support of its young, and finally have 

 caught and dissected the unfortunate insect, but did not find its 

 sting double ; but last summer, when out collecting, I caught 

 a species of Odynerus possessing what at first I supposed to 



