SCIENCE-GOSSII'. 



19 



neolithic times in the South of France have already 

 been recorded from the neighbourhood of Hyeres.and 

 likewise from Rassuen. The author now mentions the 

 occurrence of Kitchen Middens, very rich in edible 

 mollusks, at three different stations near Marseilles. 

 Bones of ruminants as well as those of other 

 vertebrates and human jaws are also abundant; 

 potteries are well represented, but flints are very 

 scarce. February, 1894. Notes on the luibitats of 

 Pseudo-Neuroptera and Neuroptera of La Gironde, by 

 E. R. Dubois. — Of Odonata, three families are 

 treated, Libellulidse, iEschnidae and Agrionidae ; 

 under each species recorded from the Departement, 

 the dates of capture and an exhaustive list of 

 habitats are given, while at the end of the article 

 those species which have not yet been captured, 

 but are likely to occur, are enumerated. 



Xachrichtsblatt der Deutschen Malako- 

 zoologischen Gesellschaft (Frankfort a/M : 

 January and February, 1894). — Prof. O. Boettger 

 enumerates the land shells collected in the Grecian 

 Islands, Cerigo and Cerigotto, by Herr Leonis, in 

 1S91. The relation of the Molluscan Fauna of 

 these two islands to that of the main land and 

 Creta has hitherto remained a problem, as only 

 a small number of new Clausilias and one Bulimimis 

 have been published from the collections made by 

 Forbes and Admiral Spratt. Of Clausilia and 

 1 ' . , two new species are described. Of the 

 seventeen species recorded from Cerigo, fourteen 

 occur on the main land, four in Cerigotto and 

 six in Creta, three are peculiar ; while of the 

 twelve species found in Cerigotto, six occur on 

 the main land and seven in Creta, while four 

 are peculiar. — Messrs. Quadras and Mollendorff 

 describe twenty-four new species of Gasteropo- 

 dous Mollusca collected by the former in the 

 Marianne Islands (Pacific Ocean). — Dr. J. Thiele, 

 of the Dresden Zoological Museum, announces the 

 continuation by him of Troschel's " Gebiss der 

 Schnecken," and states that among the material in 

 his possession he has found the lingual ribbons of 

 some Operculates, which indicate that the 

 systematic position hitherto assigned to these can- 

 not, on account of their peculiar organisation, be 

 retained. The follow r ing sub-genera must, according 

 to Dr. Thiele, be revised : Rolleia ; Pseudocyclotus, 

 n.g. ; Cyathopoma; Garrettta; Cyclotopsis. For further 

 investigation the author requests additional material. 



The Canadian Entomologist (London, Ontario : 

 January, 1894), celebrates its twenty-fifth birthday 

 with a page of verse by Mr. A. G. Grote, one verse 

 running — 



"The story that we had to tell 



Of bee and butterfly, 

 Our story — have we told it well, 



With love and earnestly? " 

 We can answer — yes, for it has had for editors 

 able men, first the Rev. C. J. S. Bethune, then 

 Prof. Saunders, then Bethune again. There is in 

 this number of the magazine a portrait of Mr. 

 Bethune, whose handsome face will be welcome 

 to his many " Old Country " correspondents 

 who have never met him. The magazine is 

 published for the Entomological Society of 

 Ontario, by the London Printing Company. 

 Among the more important articles is a life-history, 

 by W. H. Edwards, of Phyciodes carlota, Reakirt = 

 Cliaridryas ismcria of Scudder ; Notes on the in- 

 troduction of the mottled-umber moth (Hibernia 

 defoliaria) into Vancouver Island from Europe. It 

 has become in a short time abundant, and the larva; 

 injure the plum and cherry trees, etc. 





ZOOLOGY 



Hawfinches in Surrey. — It is interesting to note 

 that the hawfinch, Coccothraustcs vulgaris, although 

 not at all a common bird, is to be frequently met 

 in the Leith Hill district of Surrey. I have found 

 its nest year after year, chiefly in orchards, in the 

 neighbourhood of Coldharbour. The site generally 

 chosen is the topmost branches of apple trees, those 

 of a bushy character, with boughs more or less 

 interlaced, having the preference. The shy and 

 retiring habits of the bird prevent its being often 

 seen, but a well-stocked row of ripening peas in a 

 kitchen gardenis sure to attract its attention, and it 

 sometimes happens that a whole family may be 

 observed busily making a meal. The dexterous 

 manner in which a pod is seized, split open and 

 its contents devoured could not fail to obtain 

 admiration excepting, perhaps, from the gardener. — 

 D. J. Rice, 7, John Street, London, W.C. ; February 

 13th, 1894. 



The Diptera as a Study. — It seems strange 

 that so few British entomologists take any interest 

 in what are hence called the neglected orders, such 

 as the Hymenoptera, the Hemiptera, the Diptera, 

 etc. One reason may have been that there were 

 scarcely any reliable works in the English language 

 which would enable an entomologist to name his 

 captures. This want is being gradually supplied, 

 but no complete work on the Diptera has been 

 published since Walker's " Insecta Britannica " 

 (Diptera) , which is not only an expensive work, but 

 in many respects unreliable. There are, however, 

 several Dipterists at the present time who are ready 

 to help beginners. For instance, Dr. Meade, of 

 Bradford, writes, " If any student anxious to know- 

 something about them will take the trouble to 

 capture all the different flies that he can find, I 

 will gladly name them for him, only he must 

 promise, after a short time, to try to determine the 

 genera and species for himself before he sends them 

 to me." I may add that I should be very pleased 

 to do the same for the more conspicuous species, 

 then those I could not determine might be sent to 

 Dr. Meade or some other competent entomologist 

 who was willing to determine them. The study of 

 the Diptera is very far from being wanting in 

 interest. The flies differ very greatly in structure 

 and habits, and some are very handsome and 

 conspicuous insects. But few of the Diptera are 

 generally recognised, yet everyone knows the gnats 

 (Culicidas), the daddy-long-legs or crane flies 



