THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 818 
phenomenon.—Charles Herbert Bree; 15, Great Stanhope 
Street, Bath, May 12, 1871. 
The mass kindly transmitted to me by Mr. Bree was 
exactly two-fifths of an inch in its longest diameter and very 
little less in its shortest: its shape may be described an 
obtuse-oblong; its surface was uneven, and its substance 
gelatinous and sufficiently transparent for me to observe 
that it contained several small vermiform animals. Having 
taken the mass out of the water, and partially dried it 
on blotting-paper, I found in the interior eleven vermiform 
larve, each of them rather less than a fifth of an inch 
in length, and each encased in what appeared a tube of the 
most delicate character and composed of the finest silk: 
this was rather to be inferred from its tenacity than from any 
observation I was able to make, as 1 could not detect 
anything like threads: the head of these larve had two ocelli 
or rather dark spots, which appeared to be so, and the next 
segment or prothorax had two curved or sickle-shaped legs ; 
the last segment was furnished with six small lobe-like 
appendages, and the penultimate and antepenultimate seg- 
ments had each a pair of long thread-like legs. 1 must, 
however, use the term ‘‘ legs” with caution, as I have really 
no knowledge of their function. These little creatures seemed 
firm, leathery and colourless, with the exception of a medio- 
dorsal stripe of a decided red colour, which passed from one 
extremity to the other, and tinged the whole body with pink. 
I believe these to be of the same genus, and probably 
species, as those which are often so abundant at the bottom 
of stagnant ditches and ponds, communicating a red tint to 
the surface of the mud. Réaumur, in his memoir in vol. iv., 
has described a larva that I believe to be the same; and it is 
figured in pl. 4, figs. 11 and 12, and in vol. v. pl. 5 as 
producing the little gnat now known as Chironomus plumo- 
sus ; and although I cannot, of course, say, of a minute larva 
now observed by me for the first time, that it is that of the 
Chironomus in question, still I feel very confident it is either 
that or a nearly allied species. The gelatinous mass and its 
contained tubular cases are connected with, if not produced 
by, the same insect. I attempt no explanation of the circum- 
stances under which it is said to have been found. Gentlemen 
to whom I am indebted for newspaper-cutlings and written 
