CORRESPONDENCE. 235 
again it was put away in an empty room, and there it remained until 
August 1st, 1879, when the box was wanted for a purpose which 
necessitated cleaning it out. In doing this I pulled the five cocoons 
down, and was much surprised to find the pupa in the one which I had 
looked upon as dead still alive and really “‘ kicking.” On closely examining 
this cocoon I noticed that the larva had spun it in a horizontal position just 
below the sand, and in a corner of the box, one end joining the left-hand 
side, leaving the other end free, from which the moth ought to have emerged 
had not the larva made a strange mistake by changing to the pupa with 
its head towards the end joining the wood on the left-hand side of the box, 
and which it could not possibly penetrate. How long it might have 
remained alive of course no one can tell; however, on being placed on the 
mantel-shelf, in a cool room, the moth emerged, after having been in 
the pupa state for more than four years!—EFRrep. Enocx, 30, Russell 
Road, London, N. 
Tue Buz-naterR (Merops apiaster) to which reference is made at 
pp. 188 and 210, was shot at Mapperley, near Derby, on June 10th, 1879. 
It was a male bird, in very fine plumage, and was set up by me for the 
person who shot it, but I afterwards purchased it for the Nottingham 
Free Museum, to which I am taxidermist. There was another bird 
shot before the one I had, which I did not see; probably afemale. The 
bird I had was a wild one, and had not been kept in a cage. I shall be 
very pleased to give any further particulars of it to anyone who may 
call on me.—L. Lez, Naturalist and Taxidermist, 26, Drury Hill, 
Nottingham. 
OrnitHoLocy.—A very fine specimen of the ‘‘ Honey Buzzard” was 
shot by Mr, Beech’s keeper in the Brandon Woods. Itis now at David 
Smith’s. Its crop was found stuffed with caterpillars, grubs, dragon flies, 
and other insects, npon which this species usually feeds. It rarely takes 
small birds, or anything larger than caterpillars and insects. It often 
takes bees, but appears to have no fondness for honey, as its name would 
imply. A pair of ‘‘ Hobbies” were also shot at Combe by Lord Craven’s 
keeper a few weeks since. The nest and eggs were also taken from a high 
tree, in which they had built.—J. Gunson, Coventry. 
Tar ScriprocrapH.—Directions for making and using :—Materials 
for making the pad: 1oz. gelatine, 60z. glycerine (common,) loz. lump 
sugar, 40z. water, 240z. barium sulphate. Heat the gelatine, water, and 
sugar in a water bath, well stir the barium sulphate with the glycerine, 
and incorporate all together. Pour into a tin mould, 1lin. by 7}in. by fin. 
deep. To make the ink, rub up the solid aniline violet with gum water, 
and thin with methylated spirit untilit flows freelyfrom the pen. Touse 
the apparatus: Write on any paper; when dry, place face downwards on 
the pad ; allow to remain about a minute; then peel the paper off. Then 
lay on the slab unglazed paper, and smooth with the fingers. Fifty to 
100 copies may be taken. When sufficient copies are taken, remove the 
writing witha wet sponge. When the pad becomes deteriorated, re-melt 
it. ddditional Notes: The pad should remain twelve hours after being 
made before being used, and before being used should be sponged. The 
mixture should be strained through muslin to remove lumps of barium 
sulphate. Care should be taken to avoid bubbles, which would cause an 
uneven surface. If the writing is difficult to remove from the pad, hot 
water may be used, though this causes the pad to wear away faster. It 
is not necessary to remove all traces of the writing, as they will diffuse 
themselves in the course of some hours in the slab. If the original 
writing still shows a metallic lustre, it may be used to give another 
negative for printing from.—C. J. Watson. 
