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nine blossoms by using a S sbaped book of fine wire booked 

 into tbo extrt me edge of tbe imder lip, ou -n-bicb I bung small 

 l)ieces of bent wire, until tbe lip fell a quarter of an incb. I 

 tben Tveigbed tbe book and -wires. Smaller insects do, at times, 

 obtain tbe nectar by making a bole tbi-ougb tbe base of tbe 

 blossom. I may mention, in connection witb some of Sii' Jobn 

 Liibbock's I'emarks on tbe colouration of insects being generally 

 a safeguard to tbem, tbat at Clifton, near Bristol, I noticed a 

 bimimiug bird motb flj'iag about a bed of flowers, at tbe back 

 of wbicb was a bigb limestone nvall. Presently tbe insect left 

 tbe flowers and began bovering about tbe face of tbe wall, as if 

 searcbing for sometbing. At last it settled, but was on tbe wing 

 again immediately. Hovering about as before it again settled, 

 and bad I not noticed wbere it rested I sbould bave been unable 

 to detect it, so exactly did it resemble in coloiu' tbe sbades and 

 markings of tbe stone, and I tried in vain to make a fi-iend see 

 tbe insect. It remaiaed in tbis position for upwards of anbour ; 

 in its first position it was easily seen. I cannot doubt tbat tbe 

 motb wben flying about tbe wall was searcbing for a suitable 

 resting place, and tbat it was aware tbat it was safer in tbe 

 position it eventually cbose tban in tbe first one. I noticed in 

 Colonel Horsley's garden, in Canterbury, mucb tbe same strata- 

 gem used by a motb, wbicb settled on a witbered leaf of tbe 

 common bindweed, and was practically invisible. 

 I remain, yours truly, 



George S. Satjndees. 



On the Intermitting Streams of the District, hy 2fr. W. JEC. 

 Sammond. 



Nailboume is tbe name given to several intermittent streams 

 wbicb bave tbeir origin in tbe cbalk bills of Kent. Tbere are 

 two in tbis disti-ict, one rising at Elbam and running tbrougb 

 J3arbam and Bridge, and one at Petbam. It is tbe last with 

 wbicb I am more particularly concerned. Tbe name Xailboiu-ne 

 is variously spelt, Nail, Nale, and Nayle, but I tbink tbe most 

 correct way is Nail, from tbe fact tbat tbese streams were 

 foi-merly supposed to bave great bealiug powers ; bence tbe 

 name an "ail" boui-ne, or tbey were called "ail" bom-nes, be- 

 cause wben tbey ran a bad year for farmers was always expected, 

 and to tbis day tbe same bad times are looked out for whenever 

 tbe Nailboume sbows signs of breaking out. Tbe Petbam 

 NaUbom-ne is cbiefly fed from a number of springs wbicb rise 

 in a pond close to tbe village, but on some occasions, after a very 

 rainy time, tbe springs break out at Duck Pit Fai-m, about a 

 mile fui-tber up tbe village towards Eimsted, and on very rare 

 occasions at Dean Farm, two or tkree miles further up the same 



