6 
BRYOBIA PRATENSIS, GARMAN, AT GRANTHAM, 
LINCOLNSHIRE. 
C. F. GEORGE, M.R.C.S., 
Kirton-in-Lindsey. 
THIS mite, when seen alive, is a very beautiful object for the 
microscope ; it may also be well seen if recently killed or after 
only a short time in preservative solution. It does not make 
so striking an appearance, however, when mounted in balsam, 
in consequence of the transparency produced by that medium, 
which renders the scale-like projections difficult to make out. 
N. Banks in his ‘ Treatise of the Acarina,’ gives some very 
good figures of the mite. He says it is the only species of the 
genus Bryobia in America, and it is the only one I have yet 
Bryobia pratensis. x 48. 
met with, although it is many years since I first found it. He 
also says it is very abundant in many localities, and is known 
as the Clover mite ; in the West, it is injurious to fruit trees ; 
in the East it more commonly affects clover, and annual plants. 
Koch figures and describes four species, which are evidently 
very beautiful mites, but pratensis is not one of them. 
It appears to have been very plentiful this year at Gran- 
tham, in Lincolnshire, where it was found by a lady, who sent 
me some leaves of ivy covered with them, she describes them 
as being there in thousands. Mr. Soar’s figure gives a good 
idea of the creature, its special points are the four projecting 
scale-like processes in front, and on the body of the mite; one 
of which, much enlarged, is also shewn. They are opaque 
white and are beautifully seen in the living mite. The wrinkles 
on the body are also remarkable. Banks places it in his 
family Yetranychid@, commonly known as red spiders. 
Naturalist, 
