lOG The Zoologist — February, 1866. 



below, whilst there was not one to be found on any other part of the walls. Being 

 puzzled to find a reason for such an accumulation of wings I set to work to find a 

 solution, when, after a short time, I came to the same conclusion as Mr. Birchall did 

 at first; but, unlike him, I can see no good grounds for changing my opinion, for on 

 closely examining the wings I found them cut off close to the body, in such a manner 

 as to leave no doubt in my mind that the operation must have been done by some 

 very small mouth, much smaller than that of a mouse, whilst I think the mouse would 

 have caused much more damage to the wings than the real operator did. Then arose the 

 question. Why ? I think, plainly, because the spicier, 6udii)g he could not drag the flies 

 into his den with their wings attached without doing much damage to his web, proceeded 

 to cut off the wings; then, throwing them out of the web, he would be able to drag 

 the body away and feed on it at his leisure. Having thus, as I then and now think, 

 successfully solved the difficulty, I swept away the web and spider, when all deposit of 

 wings ceased, not one being found afterwards. The wings were, in most cases, those 

 of the white large and small cabbage butterfly, one set of the little tortoiseshell, and a 

 few moths — I forget of what species. The only evidence at all produced by Mr. 

 Birchall against the mouse is that he caught one in the cave: certainly it may, in 

 some measure, implicate him ; but then I ihink the fact of a spider's web, with the 

 known propensities of that insect, being found in both Mr. Birchall's and my case, is 

 sufficient to point to the spider being the actual " marauder," and that the field mouse 

 does not possess the habit Mr. Birchall assigns him. — Stephen Clogg. 



Erratum. — At page 9, line 20, of Mr. Birchall's communication, to which Mr. 

 Clogg refers, for rocks read web : on reading Mr. Birchall's very interesting com- 

 munication I was certainly struck with an idea similar to that which Mr. Clogg has 

 expressed ; I mention this circumstance without wishing to influence the opinions of 

 others. — E. Newman. 



Gonocerus venator at Box Hill. — Twice, at a long interval during fifteen years, I 

 have taken a single example, by beating the box trees on Box Hill, in May ; but 

 although I have beaten about the hush nearly every May, and also in other months, 

 these two were all that rewarded my diligence. Still, it would be hazardous to say 

 that the insects have not been there during any of those seasons, knowing as we do 

 how many fortuitous circumstances must often happen together to enable an entomo- 

 logist to find some particular species. Be this as it may, it is certain that on the 23rd 

 instant [May] I was lucky enough to get eight males and eight females of this coveted 

 beauty. They affect the shoots that stand out from the bushes, and are fond of sitting 

 on the top of them in the bright sunshine, and taking short flights from one to 

 another ; and when one is in the net you are not sure of him, as he has a strong pro- 

 pensity to fly out of it. Fieber gives oaks and hedge-roses as the habitat of this spe- 

 cies ; with us it is exclusively found on the box. — /. W. Douglas, in ' Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine.' 



