4 Notes and Comments. 



year considerably more of these black pupae occurred, but not 

 from the wild larvae, of which from some 2,000 I did not notice 

 a single one. But they occurred in three distinct broods 

 from my hibernated larvae in the proportion of, I think, quite 

 7 or 8 per cent., though I did not count them. None of the 

 broods were from last year's black pupae, as they produced 

 only the most ordinary forms of the moth, and were not paired. 

 This year's produced good varieties, following their parents. 

 It did not occur to me either year to pair a couple of moths 

 from the black pupae, as I now wish I had done, to ascertain 

 whether they would have produced a strain of entirely black 

 pupae. This could have been done this year from good 

 varieties of the moth, and if a similar opportunity arises 

 again, I hope to do it.' 



ROMAN PIERCEBRIDGE. 



Mr. Edward Wooler, F.S.A., who has done so much in the 

 interests of archaeology in the Darlington District, has just 

 issued a scholarly work entitled ' The Roman Fort at Pierce- 

 bridge. County Durham ' (igo pp., 10/6 net.). In this he has 

 not only gathered together information derived from in- 

 numerable sources bearing upon the past history of Roman 

 Piercebridge, but he has included the results of considerable 

 personal research. The volume has also the advantage of 

 being well-illustrated by a large number of excellent plates. 



PREHISTORIC REMAINS. 



Mr. Wooler begins with prehistoric remains of the neolithic 

 period, and illustrates a number of relics of the Bronze Age 

 and Iron Age, found at Stanwick. He then deals in turn 

 with the Roman Invasion, the Brigantes, Adrian's Wall, the 

 Erection of the Forts, Roman Roads, the Mills, Bridge, In- 

 scribed Stones, and various other relics from this famous site. 

 We would particularly draw attention to the bronze group of 

 the Roman Ploughmen with oxen, which was found at Pierce- 

 bridge, and is one of the earliest evidences of agricultural 

 pursuits in this island. Mr. Wooler's memoir includes care- 

 fully compiled details of the various descriptions of earthworks, 

 remains of Roman Masonry, Coins, etc., found in the district. 

 He concludes ' The buried cities of the Romans are with us, 

 but their names are gone, and had they not found a grave to 

 preserve their remains, the greatest of all Empires — a nation 

 that dominated Britain for more than 400 years — would not 

 have left a trace to tell the tale of Roman rule, or Roman pomp 

 and power, or the glory, the majesty, and the arts of Imperial 

 Rome ' ; and certainly the author has done his share to 

 interpret the evidence given by these buried relics. We miss 

 an Index, and the work is worthy of a more permanent cover. 



Naturalist, 



