460 Miscellaneous. 



non-parasitic animals in the locality indicated. Is there anything 

 remarkable in this, or is it an event of ordinary occurrence ? 



There is only one other way of accounting for the insect's admis- 

 sion — by supposing that it had entered the intestine through the 

 anal orifice (?). " Subjudice lis est." 



I am, Gentlemen, 



Yours very truly, 



W. Houghton. 



Pretended " Parthenogenesis " of the Bernhard Crab. 



"Cornwall, Sept. 5, 1770. 



" Sir, — I pass a great deal of my time in walking on the cliffs and 

 by the sea-side in this county. As I was one day going over the 

 rocks at low water, I saw an infinite number of Periwinkles, out of 

 which projected two claws resembling those of a Lobster. Curiosity 

 induced me to break the shells of several, to discover, if I could, 

 how the little creature could introduce itself, as the body of the 

 Periwinkle generally filled its shell. 



" 1 was soon satisfied in my searches, but, to my astonishment, 

 found that it was the body of the Periwinkle that was undergoing 

 this metamorphosis. This occasioned my breaking several shells 

 more, in all of which I found the same appearances, and had the 

 satisfaction of demonstrating to several gentlemen of undoubted 

 veracity that the body of the Periwinkle actually underwent this 

 change till it became a perfect Lobster. In some you might discern 

 the most minute change, others were half-formed, and some were 

 completely formed. I spread a dozen at least on a table at one 

 time, which they traversed many times, to the satisfaction of several 

 gentlemen present. 



" It is a received opinion that the infant Lobster takes refuge in the 

 empty shell of a Periwinkle. I was one of .those who imbibed that 

 opinion before I made this discovery. 



"As I am little versed in studies of this nature, I request the 

 thoughts of your ingenious correspondents on the subject. It seems 

 probable that the Periwinkles may be produced from the berries of 

 the Lobster, as it seems impossible that the Lobster can be produced 

 in the first state from the Periwinkle. 



" I am, Sir, yours, &c., 



"CORNUBIENSIS." * 



New American Otter. 



In the ' Canadian Naturalist' for June 1863, Mr. George Bamston 

 describes and figures the skull of a new North-American Otter, 

 which he calls Lutra destructor. He observes, " I propose to show 

 that there exists throughout a great portion of the British territory of 

 North America, if not further south, a smaller species of Otter, well 

 known to the aboriginal Ojibways and the Crees as the Pinaikewaw- 

 heeki the breaker of beaver-houses and the dams. He closely re- 

 * Extracted from a newspaper of the above date. 



