in ],RPII>()l'tKl{A AND TIIEIU CAl'ToUS. 



The president of a certain Natural History Society, in one of the sonthem 

 counties, remarked the other day, in the course of his annual address, 

 that his society "had exhausted the district!" The accuracy of his 

 remark may reasonably be doubted. But certainly no such 02)inion 

 could be expressed with regard to this part of the country. Even among 

 the Macro- Lepidoptera, there are several of our local rarities whose " life- 

 history" still remains to be written. The earlier sta<^es of G. iliri/oUii, if 

 known at all, are so only to a privileged few. A. nircux, in spite of the 

 labours of Mr. Brown and others, remains to a great extent a puzzle. 

 J>. hivn-fpix would probably be far more frequently found if some com- 

 petent observer would devote himself to examining into its habits, and 

 informing his brethren ' anent ' them. V. .vrdiiipclind, though probably 

 far from scarce in certain localities, is still looked upon as such, mainly 

 because the majority of collectors are unacquainted with its habits in the 

 earlier stages. And so with many other insects. There is surely some- 

 thing better to be done, in such a tield as this, than the mere amassing of 

 a collection. It may fairly be doubted whether a cabinet of Lepidoptera 

 is in itself such a desirable possession. What we really want are observers 

 — men of the stamp of Thomas Edward, the hero of Mr. Smiles' 

 fascinating book — who will note with a keen eye the chai'acteristics of the 

 insects inhabiting their own special locality, and add to the general stock 

 of knowledge by recording their characteristics for the information of 

 their brethren. We hope that many such records as these will find their 

 place, before long, in the pages of the Midland Nathralist ; and, if this 

 be the case, it is certain that our own disti'ict will soon be as well worked, 

 and as thoroughly organised for the study of Natural History in all its 

 branches, as any part of England. 



FRESHWATER LIFE.— 1. ENTOMOSTRACA. 



BY EDWIN SMITH, ESQ., M.A. 



The Entomostraca, though commonly called " Water-Fleas," are not 

 insects, but crustaceans. They breathe by a sort of gills and the general 

 surface of the body. They have two pairs of autenULE ; and mostly more 

 than three pairs of legs, borne by the thorax and abdomen conjointly. 

 They never have wings, or even traces of wings. Consequently it is 

 incorrect to speak of them as " fleas." They are, in fact, little creatures 

 allied to the shrimp and the lobster. With the exception of Jjju.s-, which 

 is 2^ inches, and Che irocrpluil )!.■<, which is one inch long, the Entomos- 

 traca are very small animals, yet not too small to be seen with the naked 

 eye. They are rtadily picked, with a dipping-tube, out of the jar of water 

 containing them, and are more easily managed in the live-box than 

 the strictly microscopic infusoria. On this account they form a capital 

 first study for any one beginnmg his researches in freshwater life. 



About two-thirds of the British Entomostraca inhabit fresh water, 

 the remaining third being marine. We shall limit our attention at 

 present to tlie former. The student who is tolerably persevering will 

 soon make out from his gatherings ten or more genera', comprising about 

 a score species, whicli may fairly be considered cojinaou. He should 

 jibm;^i' his dii)ping-l)ottle into every pond in his neighbonrliood, particu- 

 larly into those which are covered with a green mantle of any sort, 

 under which tlicse creatures like to shelter. A still drain is no bad 

 place for search. The rain-filled cart-ruts on the borders of plantations 

 may also be looked into with advantage. I once took up a bottle-full of 

 water from a small pond in North Wales, which had evidently been 

 slirinking in dimoiisioiis all tluough a drv sununer, while the life iu it 



