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Notice of the Capture 0/ Deilepliila Galii {Scarce Spot Elephant Moth) a 

 rare Lepidopterotis Insect, belonging to the Family of the Spiiingidse, 

 Leach. By P. J. Selby, Esq. of Twizell House. 



On tlie evening of the 12th of August 1834, soon after sunset, when 

 looking after Phalasna) in the garden at Twizell House, my attention 

 was attracted by a large moth hovering, in the manner of the Humining- 

 hird Sphinx (Macroglossa stellatarum), in front of the flowers of a 

 Monarda, and prohing their tubes with its long extensile proboscis ; 

 waiting an opportunity, I succeeded in securing it, when it proved to 

 be a beautiful and newly excluded specimen of the Bcilephila Galii 

 Steph., one of our rarest British insects. A second was taken in the 

 same garden the evening of the 14th August ; and I have since learnt 

 that another, now in the possession of Dr Johnston, was secured about 

 the same time in the neighbourhood of Berwick. This is the first 

 authenticated instance of the occurrence of this beautiful sphinx in the 

 north of England, and in the south four or five examples only of its 

 capture are recorded. 



Notice of the Broivn Amethyst. By James Mitchell, Esq. E.N. 



I HAVE found that rare and beautiful gem the brown amethyst, in a 

 ravine near Cheviot, Northumberland, called by the people around the 

 Diamond Quarry, from the numerous specimens of rock-crystal, and 

 other specimens of crystallized quartz, found there. A specimen of 

 the brown amethyst, cut and set, I now submit to the inspection of the 

 Society. Previously to my finding this mineral, it was not known to 

 exist in Northumberland, for the locality is not mentioned by Professor 

 Jameson in his splendid and hitherto unrivalled work on mineralog}-. 

 This ravine, which is formed by the washing away and consequent 

 decay of the porphyry rocks by a small river, exhibits blocks of various 

 sizes of quartz-rocks amongst the clay of its banks. Many of them on 

 being broken discover drusy cavities, the walls of which are filled with 

 most beautiftd crystals of quartz of various colours, tinged by iron, 

 some yellow, others blue, and some jet black, while others are the fine 

 rock-crystal, having no colouring matter. Some of the crystals I have 

 found covered with a red ochry crust of iron-ore, which could not be 

 scraped off by the knife. The brown amethyst I discovered in single 

 perfect crystals amongst the yellow detritus of the decayed porphyry ; 

 and I have no doubt that they had come from some drusy cavity in 

 the c^uartz-rocks. 



