ENTOMOLOGICAL BOOKS FOR BEGINNEES. 101 



this branch of Entomology, than " Newman's Natural History of British 

 Butterflies and Moths." The life-history of each species is described 

 with careful minuteness, and every insect named is represented by an 

 exquisitely drawn poi^trait. With the help of the description and figure 

 there given, it is perfectly easy for the veriest tjTO to recognise any 

 particular Ijutterfly or moth in his collection. The "Butterflies" and 

 "Moths" are published separately^ but can also be had bound together 

 in one volume. The publisher is T. P. Newman, 32, Botolph Lane, 

 Eastcheap, E.G., and the price is about 21s. for the two volumes. 



I will conclude the present notes by recommending (in reply to a 

 request that has been addressed to me) " a cheap, easy, reliable book on 

 "Bees.'" There exist several very valuable works on this subject, sonae 

 of which may be specially referred to at a future time ; but I do not know 

 of one which answers the above description more fully than " Shuckard's 

 British Bees," (Lovell Reeve, price 10s. 6d.) It is a small volume, but 

 contains a large amount of trustworthy information about this most 

 interesting section of the order Hymenoptera. A number of woodcuts of 

 dissections, and sixteen beautifully-coloured steel plates, (containing 

 about 100 figures,) greatly enhance the value of the book. 



POND LIFE 



With my friend S. S.R., I have again visited the " Productive Pond," 

 (ante p. 7C,) and two others, in one of which my friend had some time 

 back found Melicerta tyro, the new species found by 'Dr. Hudson at 

 Sutton Coldfield. At first we thought we had found a specimen, but it 

 proved to be Floscularia campanula ta, vdth a large cluster of eggs at the 

 bottom of the case surrounding its foot. I am son'y to report that 

 Conochilus volvox is becoming scarce. There are, however, other rotifers 

 in great abundance. I found the following this day, (March 16th,) 

 besides other forms of animal and vegetable life too numei'ous to 

 mention : — Chatonotus larus, Conochilus volvox, Cephalosiphun limnias, 

 Melicerta rlngem, Floscularia campanulata, Notommata aiirita, Synchteta 

 pectinata-, Folyarthra platyptera, Rattuhis lunaris, Mastigocerca rattus, 

 Euchlanis dilatata, Salpina mucronata, Metopidia acuminata. Rotifer 

 vulgaris, and two other species which I could not identify. One of 

 the ponds we found hterally fuU of Volvox globator. Recently 

 I spent a day at Sutton Park, and found Limnias ceratophylli in extra- 

 ordinaiy abundance, and a few specimens of Steplianoceros Eirhhornii and 

 Melicerta ringens. In another locahty I found a great abundance of 

 Anurcea acuminata, a sprinkling of Pterodina iHitina, and some few 

 specimens of Anurcea foliacea and Dinocharis pocillum. — On the 2lBt 

 February I found here^ for the first time this season, the fine Polyzoan 

 Fredericella sultana. This is, I think, very early for its appearance in a 

 natm-al habitat. In a zoophyte trough I have now some fine young 

 Plumatella repem just commencing life, and iirotruding their lophophores 

 whilst still enclosed between the valve-hke plates of the statoblasts, from 

 which they have gi-owTi. They are objects of great beauty and, being 

 very transparent, their anatomy is plainly visible under the microscope. — 

 Thos. Bolton, Hyde House, Stourbridge. 



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