THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 143 



R. G. D. Tossivill; Shirley Villa, Rugby Road, Leamington, 

 March 23, 1876. 



"We regret to say that, as far as we are in a position to 

 judge, the expeiiraent of introducing humble-bees to this 

 province has not been attended with success, Tlie bees in 

 question were carefully packed by Mr. F. Buckland, and 

 ibrwarded by Dr. Featherston to the Hon. John Hall, at 

 Plymouth, with full instructions as to their treatment on the 

 voyage. The box containing them was slung right aft; there 

 was a thermometer on the box to show the temperature, and 

 when the weather was cold the Hon. John Hall took the bees 

 into his own cabin, and kept a lamp burning night and day 

 to keep up an equable temperature. Mr. Hall states that the 

 lowest degree shown by the glass was 53°; there was no ice 

 used, Mr. Buckland stating that the heat would not injure 

 them. In spite of all these precautions, however, there is 

 every reason to fear that the bees are dead, as last Sunday 

 week is the last time that Mr. Hall heard them give any 

 signs of life." 



[See Mr. Smith's advice on the subject (Entom. ix. 15, 

 No. 151). Directly I heard of the scheme of sending bees to 

 New Zealand I entertained misgivings as to the success. It is 

 absolutely necessary to know what speciesyou are sending, what 

 are its habits, what its food, and, finally, what its scientific 

 name, in order that you might communicate with others 

 what you were doing, and if possible obtain their co- 

 operation. Now, as I said at the time, " the published 

 observations" of Mr. Buckland and of the editor of ' Nature' 

 conveyed no idea to my mind on these points, nor do I think 

 they would to the minds of entomologists generally. The 

 failure of the scheme was therefore certain. — Edicard 

 Newman] 



T. R. Archer Briggs. — Oak Galls. — The galls sent are 

 those of Aphilothrix corticalis, Hart. (Germ. Zeit. ii. 190) = 

 A. Sieboldii, Hart. (Germ. Zeit. iv. 406), a species widely 

 distributed in England, but occurring nowhere, as far as I 

 know, abundantly enough to be called common. The galls 

 are of a dull red when fresh, and are tolerably conspicuous 

 and curiously interesting. 1 have known them to be taken for 

 fungi more than once ; thus being something of a " set-off" 

 against the large number of fungoid growths which are 



