Queries and Ansxsoers. 195 



placed may have rendered the extension of the inner covering unnecessary ; 

 for, though there is great uniformity in the nidus built by each individual of 

 each distinct species of insect, yet, under varying circumstances, they will 

 at times vary their plan of operation, as Huber proved by his experiments 

 on bees. — John Thompson, Hull^ Jan. 11. 1830. 



l^idus attached to a Heed.— Sir, In answer to your correspondent G. M. (p 94.), I should sup- 

 pose the " nidus attached to a reed" to be the nest of the solitary wasp (T^spa campanaria), of 

 which an account is given in that interesting work the Journal of a Naturalist, p. 333., as well as 

 a plate at the end of the book. 1 am, Sir, &c. — W. H., Jl.N. Yeovil, Jan. 13. 1830. 



A curious Ball containing Bees. — One of your correspondents in the Magazine of Natural History 

 (Vol. II. p. 404.) requests information resjiecting " a curious ball containing bees," which he found 

 suspended from the roof of a hen-house ; and, as I see no reply to his enquiry in the November Num. 

 ber, from a more able hand, I venture to send you the following account, accompanied with a sketch 

 ifig. 39.) of a similar ne.st, which will, perhaps, satisfy his curiosity. About three years ago, I 



found a deserted habitation, of very delicate structure, 



and of a greyish colour, adhering to the ceiling of a ^Q ^^=^^^^^^^S^^^^^~. 

 verandah, which was overgrown with the purple -f>^^^'^^3^Ssip;»=^-'£: 



Cl(5matis. The texture was very like that of thin ' -^^^==^^^^^^^^^§^ 



unsized (blotting) paper ; and I was quite at a loss .-:z=:=:: ^:^g^^^r:z^: ^ 



to guess by what insect it had been constructed, till """~^^^S^^^^^': 



1 met with an account of it in Rees's Cyclopcedia ^,<^^^^^^S^~' 



(article F^spa), in which, on the authority of M. A^^^^^^^^B^^k^ 



Latreille, it is attributed to the workmanship of _^^^^ ^^^X^^ ^H^>^ 



the F(5spa holsatica of Fabricius. Since that time I ^,g^^^^^^^^^^^ g^^^g^^ 



have seen a more accurate description of it in the ^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^BB Bi|^^ 



Journal of a Naturalist. The intelligent, though ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^SB^^ 

 unknown [L. Knapp, Esq., F.L.S.], author, speak- j^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^MBjtp^ 

 ing of the variety and delicate construction of the ^^^^^^i^I^^^^^^^SSSBB^ 

 nests of insects, says: — " Among those with which ^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^SSmtJ^^KBS^ 

 I am acquainted, none pleases me more than that [^g^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HL 

 of a solitary wasp ( F^spa campanaria] which occa- wS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^m 

 sionally visits us here. It is not a common insect ; C^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HHB 

 but I have met with their nests : one was fixed be- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^' ' 

 neath a piece of oak bark placed in a pile; another ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^^ • 



was pendent in the hollow of a bank of earth. The ^^^^^^^^^^^BHHRr 



materials which composed these abodes seemed to be ^^^^^^^^^^^^^W 



particles scraped or torn from the dry parts of the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 



willow, sallow, or some such soft wood, and cemented ^^^^^^^^P^ 



again by animal glue, very similar in texture to that ^^^^pP^^ 



provided by the common wasp, which makes great 



use of the half-decayed wood of the ash, and will penetrate through crevices in the bark, to abrade 

 away the dry wood beneath. They seem to have but small families, ten or twelve cells only being 

 provided. These are situated at the bottom of an egg-shaped cup, contracted at the lower end, where 

 an orifice is left for the entrance. This, again, is covered in the part where the cells are placed, by 

 a loose hood or shed, extending about half way down the inner one. The pendent situation of the 

 whole, and this external hood, round which the air has a free circulation, are admirably contrived 

 for securing the cells from injury by water. The nest, when hanging in its proper situation, is 

 like the commencement of some paper- work flower, and can never be observed but with admir- 

 ation of the elegance of its structure; and the unusu.il appearance of the whole must excite the 

 attention of the most incurious observer of such things." If you consider these particulars worthy 

 a place in the Magazine, they are quite at your service; and I beg to remain. Sir, yours, &c. — 

 Wm. Stowe. Buckingham, Dec. 4. 18'29. 



Curious Property of a Fly's Eye. — Goldsmith, in his Animated Naturcy 

 mentions the fact of an experiment made upon a fly's eye, placed in such 

 a position that objects might be seen through it, by means of a micro- 

 scope ; when it was discovered, that the power it possessed of multiplying 

 and diminishing objects was incalculable ; so that a single soldier, when 

 viev/ed through it, appeared a whole army of pygmies. Is it likely that the 

 fly itself sees in this manner, or can the powers of the human eye itself have 

 any thing to do with this extraordinary appearance ? — M. Jan. 1830. 



Skate Spawn. — In answer to the query of Mr. Brown of Boston (p. 93), 

 I should say there can be no doubt that the transparent jelly-like masses, 

 which he describes as so frequently cast on the shore near Boston, are a 

 species of the Mediisa ; most likely Medusa aurita, I should conceive, from' 

 his description, or probably Medusa capitata, though I should think the for- 

 mer. As Mr. Brown seems to be an inhabitant of the sea coast, I am" sur- 

 prised at his not having seen these animals in motion more than once ; for 

 I, who only very seldom see the sea, have noticed hundreds of the Medusa 

 aurita moving in the manner he describes off the coast of Scarborough. The 

 Greenland captains here inform us that a very minute species of this animal, 

 and a kind of small shrimp, which are found in myriads hi the Greenland 

 seas, form the principal food of the whale. — John Thompson. Hull, Jan. 11. 

 1830. " 



o 2 



