rabbits which were becomin*;^ a serious phigue. Stacks of dead rabbits were 

 left to rot, and it is easy to iiiiderstaud how the presence of such carrion must 

 have caiised an increase in the number of flies, which again might tend to 

 bring about the adoption of new habits. A Chalcid pai-asite (Nasonia brevi- 

 coniis) of the blow-fly pupae, as well as otlier enemies of the flies, remedial 

 measures, etc., are also discussed. 



[Note : the term " Blow-fly." In making the above abstract I became 

 curious as to the history of the terms " bloiv-Ay," " blow^i meat," etc. Finding 

 no mention of the matter in Lowne's " Blow-fly," nor in several more general 

 text-books, I consulted Murray's New English Dictionary. It is there stated 

 that " blow-fly " is a recent popular name for the " flesh-fly," bvit that the term 

 to " blow " in the sense of to " deposit eggs " is of considerable antiquity. It is 

 probably needless to say that this old term had no connection with the notion 

 of injlating meat, but simply meant to deposit eggs. Its origin does not seem 

 to be explained. There was also an old word " blote " or " blot," possibly 

 connected with " to blow " in this special sense, and meaning the egg or larva 

 of flies or other insects. Many examples are given of the use of "blow "in 

 this sense, of various dates in the 17th and end of the 16th centuries. Of these 

 the following may be quoted here : from Shakespeare's " Tempest," Act 3, 

 Sc. 1, "to suffer the flesh-fly blow my mouth"; from Samuel Purchas, "A 

 Theatre of Politicall Flying-Insects," London, 1657, p. 48, " as the blotes of the 

 flyes are noui-ished by the flesh wherein they are blown " ; from Thomas 

 Wagstatfe's " Vindication of King Charles the Martyr," 1692, " It is the Nature 

 of Flies to be ever buzzing, ami blowing upon anything that is raw."— H. S.]. 



Seuieujs. 



"Lepiuopteba (Moths) and other Insects at Scottish Lighthouses, 

 CHIEFLY TN THE FoBTH Area." By WiLLiAM EvANS, F.E.S.E. (Reprinted 

 from the " Scottish Naturalist," March, 1914— June, 1915). 



Entomologists in general, and Lepidopterists in particular, will welcome 

 this interesting and highly suggestive paper. It embodies the observations 

 made by the writer on insects, mainly nocturnal Lepidoptera, received by him 

 during the last few years from thirteen lighthouses on the Scottish coasts, most 

 of them in the Firth of Forth, but ranging from Wigtownshire to the Butt of 

 the Lewis and the extreme north of Shetland ; and it is preceded by a valuable 

 summary of the general question of insect migration. The amount of material 

 supplied to the aiithor by the heai-ty co-operation of the lightkeepers and others 

 is very large, over 6,(XJ0 moths of 159 species — 4,000 of these from one light- 

 house alone — as well as a fair uumbei of insects of other Orders, having passed 

 through his hands. Many of the records are of great interest, either as showing 

 an unexpected extension of the range of certain forms, or as indiciiting the 

 comparative attraction for different species of a liglit of exceptional power ; 

 the somewhat uncommon Noctuid, Dusypolia tcmpli, would appear to have a 

 special predilection in this respect, as it is reported from eight t)ut of the 



