23 i 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Oct. 1, 1865. 



What has become of the Wasps ? — In this 

 central part of Warwickshire we cannot make out 

 what has become of the wasps. I have been in the 

 habit of killinfif from fifteen to twentjr daily on my 

 windows during tlie summer time for years past, 

 but this summer I have not had the chance, for I 

 have not even seen a wasp since the month of May. 

 The other day a bee-master in our parish, who keeps 

 generally from twelve to fifteen hives, and who is 

 thoroughly conversant with the habits of bees and 

 their enemies, asked me if I could account for the 

 disappearance of the wasps, because this year his 

 liives have been entirely free from those pests, and 

 lie has never even seen one since the end of May. 

 Early in the spring he saw several, and they all 

 seemed to vanish suddenly ; and he tells me he has 

 not been able to find a nest anywhere about this 

 part, thougli he has searched for one. Our village 

 boys, who are generally foremost in taking nests, 

 have had no sport in that line this year. — C. J. F. 



Death's-head Hawk-Moth {Acherontia atropos). 

 — In July last, four caterpillars of this moth were 

 brought to me. I filled a large flower-pot (13 inches 

 deep and 14 inches diameter at top) with garden 

 mould, transplanted into it a small growing potato, 

 put my caterpillars thereon, and covered them with 

 an old hand-glass, some of the squares of which 

 were broken out, and their places supplied with 

 perforated brown paper. The caterpillars buried 

 themselves as follows :— One on the 12th July; one 

 on the 13th ; one on the 15th ; and one on the 19th 

 of the same month. The flower-pot was kept above 

 the surface of the ground in the open air, sheltered 

 from the mid-day sun and from heavy rain, but at 

 other times exposed, and whenever the surface of 

 the mould became dry, I watered it slightly. On 

 the 10th September I had the satisfaction of finding 

 two perfect moths beneath the glass, and another 

 on the 12th, and I shall look for the fourth about 

 the 17th. After being set out, my lai'gest specimen 

 measured exactly five inches from tip to tip of the 

 expanded wings. While watching the two moths 

 beneath the glass before administering chloroform, I 

 noticed that one of them, in shifting its position, 

 Irenched upon the hohling-on place occupied by the 

 other. Thereupon a " scuffle " ensued for possession 

 of Ihe spot, and with expanded wings, and uttering 

 their peculiar cry, the moths fought for several 

 seconds, exactly as one sees two sparrows fight. 

 The weaker of the two soon retired to another spot, 

 and neither apneared injured by the imy.—iSideH 

 Saunders, WMtstable. 



Ants and Cocci.— Not long ago, Avhilst in an 

 orchid-house, I noticed a great quantity of ants 

 running here and tlierc upon the leaves of Calcmthe 

 "jestita and Limatodes rosea. My curiosity made me 



examine their movements, when, to my surprise, I 

 saw them milking, as it were, a species of coccus 

 which infested the leaves of the plants. Now, I 

 had heard of this before, but, like many more per- 

 sons, thought it was but a tale ; but now I had 

 found out the whole method, and here it was in 

 full operation before my eyes. The ant gently 

 stroked the coccus with the two antennae, and 

 sometimes with the legs ; after this, tlie coccus ex- 

 cluded a small round white substance, which the 

 ant ate, and then commenced upon another coccus. 

 Perhaps some persons may doubt, but to all those I 

 say get a plant infested with coccus, place a colony 

 of ants upon it, and surround the whole with water, 

 so as to prevent escape, and then they will be con- 

 vinced. A few weeks after this incident, my atten- 

 tion was drawn to a still stranger sight ; viz., in a 

 hot-house I had cleaned several small plants of 

 Passifloi-a princeps, and placed them upon a shelf.' 

 One day, while watering these plants, I noticed 

 three large domes of earth surrounding the stems of 

 three P. princeps I liad cleaned. At the time 1 

 thought it was perhaps the work of worms, so 1 

 turned the plant out of the pot, and found to my 

 astonishment, not worms, but a colony of ants, 

 snugly enjoying their new home ; and when I looked 

 at the stem of the plant, I found a quantity of cocci 

 attached, the earth forming quite a chamber for 

 them I so I came to the conclusion that the ants 

 had formed this chamber, and brought the coccus 

 into a state of slavery, so as to serve for food when 

 wanted. — /. F., Clapton. 



White Eakwigs. — Having very lately found 

 an earwig casting its skin, and emerging from its 

 old case qidte lohite, I would suggest to P. E. M. 

 that the one mentioned by him in your last number 

 had just undergone that process; and that, after due 

 exposure to the air, tlie white would have gradually 

 become the colour we usually see. I put my speci- 

 men into liquor potassse, intending to mount it 

 whole, but the tissues were so very soft that, although 

 immersed for one day only, the potash effectually 

 destroyed it. I may also mention 1 have often 

 found colonies of minute young earwigs under 

 garden saucers, and they have generally been quite 

 loliite. — William W. H. 



Communications have been received on the same 

 subject from W. B. M., II. W., and F. Mence.—ED. 



Queen of Spain.— It may be interesting to some 

 of the collectors of butterflies who read Science 

 Gossip, to know that a specimen of that rare butter- 

 fly, the Queen of Spain Pritillary {ArgynnisLathonia), 

 was captured by a young gentleman in this parish 

 some time last month. I have taken the specimen 

 and compared it with one in the collection at the 

 Norwich Museum, so that there can be no mistake 

 about it.— Hampden G. Glasspoole, Ormeshy St, 

 Michael, 



