The Zoologist— J ctne, 1869. 1707 



the head and thorax are dark brown, the orange body gradually grows 

 darker too, the antennae assume their characteristic curved position, and 

 at last the insect appears in its well-known garb," which I need not 

 further describe. Copulation, lasting only a few minutes, takes place 

 soon afterwards ; the smaller male, easily recognizable by his antennae 

 being about the length of the body (whilst those of the female are only 

 half the length of her's), seeking his more sluggish partner with vibra- 

 ting wings, and as quickly leaving her again. The abdomen of the 

 impregnated female, after a few hours' interval, swells to an enormous 

 extent ; her ovipositor now becomes visible and far protruded, and 

 she betakes herself to the under side of the Polygonum leaf, there to 

 deposit her eggs in the manner indicated above. 



The number of females is far greater than that of the males. The 

 average duration of the perfect insect's life in captivity is not more 

 than three or four days. 



For the opportunity of making many of these observations I am in- 

 debted to my friend Mr. H. W. Kidd, of Godalming, who in October 

 last sent me a quantity of the cocoons to look after during his absence 

 from home : I immediately damped the Polygonum leaves slightly, 

 then gradually removed the cocoons into some damp sand under a 

 bell-glass, and what precedes is the result of this little trouble. 

 I would, therefore, recommend to all observers who work at these Dip- 

 tera to try a plan similar to my own ; and if, in consequence of the 

 suggestion I now throw out, it should fall to our lot to have to record 

 elsewhere a good many observations by other gentlemen on the natural 

 history of other gall gnats, I shall feel still greater pleasure than I 

 did in carrying my own experiment to the end detailed in the present 

 paper. 



Albert Muller. 

 Penge, May 1869. 



Collected Ohservations on British Reptiles. 

 By Edward Newman. 



(Continued from S. S. 1665.) 



Subclass 2. Metamorphotic Reptiles.. 



No mistake can be 'greater, or less in accordance with the true 

 principles of scientific arrangement, than to raise the Metamorphotic 

 Reptiles to the rank of a class, while the desmogeuous fishes, gymno- 



