The Zoologist — November, 1869. 1923 



some p^uesls. The occuvrence of these mites on the body of a living Cecidumyiii 

 seems also to throw some light on one of the means hy which many species of the 

 former get transported from plant to plant. Dipterists have often been puzzled by 

 meeting, on sundry plants (for instance, in the hawthorn-tufts or the woolly top-shoots 

 of the wild thyme), instead of the expected larvae of gall-flies, known to cause these 

 deformities, with a progeny of Acari only, and hence have more than once expressed 

 doubts as to whether the former were really the gall-makers. Now, if it could be 

 shown that some species of these Acari met with in galls are carnivorous (and the oc- 

 currence of one kind of them on the living fly seems to go towards substantiating this 

 view), the disapjiearance of the eggs or young larvae of the fly in the galls would be 

 accounted for. But I have also observed cases where the larvge of a Cecidomyia are 

 simply inqiiilines in the pseudo-galls of phytophagous Acaridae, — for instance, in the 

 maple-leaf gall of Aearus Aceris of Kalteuhach, — and would therefore advocate a strict 

 examination of the excrescence itself, the form of which generally gives a clew to the 

 real maker, and a discrimination between all insects resorting to it, before coming to 

 any conclusion on the intricate question of the relations between gall-makers, inqui- 

 lines, parasites and accidental visitors. — Albert Muller; Suulk Norivood, S.E., 

 October 2, 1869. 



Natural-History Notes from Rio. 



To THE EdITOB of THE ' ZOOLOGIST.' 



Bloxworth, October 5, 1869. 

 Dear Sir, 



The following extfacts from a letter just received from Mr. Henry- 

 Rogers, of Freshwater, Isle of Wight (who with his son has gone on a 

 collecting expedition to South America), may perhaps be of interest 

 to those concerned for the success of the trip. 



Faithfully yours, 



O. P.-Cambridge. 



Rio Janeiro, September 7, 1869. 

 My Dear Sir, 



* * * * While we are making our arrangements for going 

 into the interior I will give you a few jottings (uninteresting though 

 they may be) from my journal of our voyage out. 



August 9, 1869. Left home to-day ; arrived at Yarmouth, found that 

 we could not catch the train at Lymiugtou for Southampton, took the 

 steamboat to Cowes, hired a boat to put us on board the "Oneida" 

 for Rio Janeiro. Strong N.W. wind and heavy sea : just as we 

 passed Calshot Castle a sudden gust of wind carried away our mast 



