NOTES FROM THK TKENCHES. 199 



In 1901, as seen above, Staudinger in his ('atalo'iui', ed. iii., in- 

 cludes Ittni'jera as a local race of trn.r. 



Barrett's description, Lcp. Brit. Isles, vol. iii., pp. 313-4, is an 

 excellent one of British hiniijera, both as regards colour and wing 

 markings, and there is no suggestion of the red or chocolate or flaves- 

 cent brown of the continental descriptions of tnu-. 



(To be concluded.) 



Notes from the Trenches. 



By K. G. BLAIR, F.E.S. 



Life in the trenches just now is not of the most exciting nature, in 

 fact it is rather the other way, a monotonous recurrence of dull un- 

 interesting duties, chiefly doing sentry, varied by a few fatigues, eating 

 and sleeping, and killing time, so that one is ready to make the most 

 of any little item of interest that turns up. The interchange of 

 courtesies between the opposing lines is by day almost confined to the 

 passage of a few shells and bombs, with a little spasmodic rifle fire. 

 By night the latter becomes much more lively, indulged in for the 

 most part by the Germans, who have an unpleasant little habit of 

 raking the top of our parapets with machine guns on the chance of 

 catchmg any sentry venturesome enough to poke his head up ; but as 

 this is practically all chance firing and not aimed at definite objects, 

 the net result is almost negligible. By night the sentry usually has 

 one hour on duty, one hour sitting beside his successor, then, with 

 luck, one or two hours sleep, but if there be any trench repairing to be 

 done he may have to forego some of his sleep for this purpose ; by day 

 just now, 4 a.m. to 8 p.m., he gets two hours on duty and four or more 

 off, according to the number working the traverse. Cooking occupies 

 a good deal of one's oft' time, as all water has to be boiled before it is 

 safe to drink it. It may be taken from the pump of some ruined farm 

 near the lines, often approachable only by night, or more often it is 

 from some shell hole. Yesterday I nearly got a fine female of Lh/tisens 

 iiian/i)ialis in my canteen for tea. A thing of that size one can, of 

 course, avoid, but smaller fry one pays no heed to, just boils it up with 

 the tea and swallows the lot. 



The entomologist has ample leisure for noting features of interest 

 around him, and some few species of insects there are which force 

 themselves upon the attention of even the most unentomological of 

 " Tommies." Probably most men if asked what point about the insects 

 of France struck them most, would refer to the extreme abundance of 

 lice. At first one is inclined to regard the insect with loathing, and to 

 have the epithet "lousy" applied to one would be an insult meriting 

 instant chastisement, but as usual familiarity breeds contempt, and one 

 even comes to regard them as one of the minor perhaps, but none the 

 less unavoidable, horrors of war. They may be to some extent kept 

 down by the free use of various insecticides and frequent change of 

 underclothing, but it seems impossible to avoid picking up a new 

 invasion both in the trenches and in billets. 



They occur in two distinct forms known generally as " white ones" 

 and " black ones," or " Scots Greys" and "Black Watches," and the 

 popular belief is that the white ones are so to speak, our own domestic 



