1575.] 189 



him that some of the larvre still asleep on the damp earth ought to wake up, as the 

 weather was bright and sunny, and thinking thej must have had enough moisture 

 during the winter to prevent their bodies being reduced, he removed them to another 

 sunny spot, and placed them again under the glass, but with a thiek piece of board 

 imdemeath them to prevent any more evaporation ; a handful or two of short grasa 

 was thrown in a heap upon the board, and the larvae now became lively and strong, 

 basking in the sun's rays until the 21th of the montli, by which time most of them 

 had disappeared beneath the grass, and four or five cocoons could just be discerned 

 amongst it. 



On the 28th I had the pleasure, myself, of seeing them, and felt mxich satisfaction 

 in the inspection of the occupants of this grass, which had now become dry and 

 matted together into a flattish mass thickly interspersed with the long, brown cocoons 

 woven within it. On looking at the spot where they had wintered, I chanced to 

 detect a very fine larva, which had escaped notice when the rest were removed, 

 apparently just waked up and beginning to move, being not so far advanced as those 

 wliich had already pupated : after this, no further trouble was taken with them, and 

 the net residt was as follows : four larvae found dead before winter from ichneumons ; 

 three dead in spring, without attempting to change ; two dead in pupae, one of them 

 from having been disturbed in spinning ; and eight moths bred between April 29th 

 and May 17th, namely, two males and six females. — Id., December 9fh, 1874. 



Supplement to Haevesting Axts and Trap-door Spidbes ; by J. Teahernk 

 MoGGEiDOE, F.L.S., P.Z.S. 8vo, pp. 157—304. London : L. Eeeve & Co., 1874. 



Simultaneously with the announcement of the publication of this work appeared 

 the notice of the death of its lamented author, at the early age of 32. Mr. Mog- 

 gridge, owing to extremely delicate liealth, had, for several years, been compelled to 

 pass the winter at Mentoue, where he died on the 24tli November. Although best 

 known as an enthusiastic botanist (and tlie author of " Contributions to the Flora of 

 Mentone"), he showed keen powers of observation in other departments; and, 

 during the last few years of his life, he especially directed his attention to the habits 

 of various species of ants and spiders that abounded in the vicinity of the place to 

 which he was annually a forced exile. The results of these observations he published 

 two years ago, and the present work is a supplement thereto. He has proved, we 

 think incontestably, that the command to " go to the Ant, &c.," is not so meta- 

 phorical as some commentators of Holy Writ, basing their opinions only upon the 

 Ants of more northern regions, would have us to suppose. He found that in the 

 genial climate of the Riviera, at least two species of the native Ants ilo store seeds 

 of various plants, and have the means, by some process not yet satisfactorily ex- 

 plained, of preventing their germination. 



We have not space to quote from Mr. Moggridge's works, but heartily recom- 

 mend them to the notice of our readers. His observations upon Trap-door Spiders 

 are of the highest scientific interest, and the " Supplement " mainly relates to them, 

 illustrated by plates from the author's drawings, with descriptions of the species by 

 the Rev. O. Pickard Cambridge. One of the most curious facts is (liat some of these 

 Spiders form " branched " nests, i. e., there are two surface openings, each furnished 



