﻿340 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  W. 
  L. 
  Sclater 
  then 
  read 
  an 
  interesting 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  

   similar 
  societies, 
  and 
  the 
  early 
  South 
  African 
  pioneers 
  of 
  ornithology. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  hearty 
  vote 
  of 
  thanks 
  to 
  the 
  chairman 
  the 
  meeting 
  termi- 
  

   nated." 
  — 
  Transvaal 
  Leader, 
  April 
  9th, 
  1904. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  ' 
  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  Hull 
  Scientific 
  and 
  Field 
  Naturalists' 
  

   Club 
  ' 
  for 
  1903 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  note 
  on 
  the 
  " 
  Dispersal 
  of 
  Shells 
  by 
  

   Beetles," 
  by 
  the 
  Eev. 
  E. 
  P. 
  Blackburn 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  "Early 
  in 
  August, 
  1903, 
  a 
  small 
  party 
  of 
  conchologists 
  visited 
  

   Tibthorpe 
  Wold, 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Driffield. 
  Near 
  Mr. 
  Piercy's 
  farm- 
  

   house, 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  nearly 
  400 
  ft., 
  is 
  a 
  pond, 
  the 
  nearest 
  water 
  to 
  

   which 
  is 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  away, 
  and 
  the 
  next 
  a 
  mile 
  away. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  

   use 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  but, 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  other 
  ponds 
  on 
  Sir 
  Tatton 
  

   Sykes' 
  estate, 
  is 
  frequently 
  cleaned 
  out, 
  and 
  consequently 
  did 
  not 
  

   appear 
  very 
  productive 
  from 
  a 
  conchologist's 
  point 
  of 
  view. 
  About 
  six 
  

   years 
  ago 
  it 
  was 
  entirely 
  emptied 
  and 
  relined. 
  Application 
  of 
  the 
  

   scoop, 
  however, 
  quickly 
  brought 
  up 
  a 
  host 
  of 
  Pisidia, 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  

   pond 
  swarmed 
  on 
  one 
  side, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  water- 
  

   beetles, 
  water-boatmen, 
  and 
  water-bugs. 
  A 
  few 
  Limnaa 
  peregra 
  were 
  

   put 
  in 
  the 
  pond 
  a 
  year 
  ago, 
  but 
  had 
  not 
  survived 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  food. 
  

   Several 
  of 
  the 
  beetles 
  were 
  observed 
  with 
  something 
  on 
  their 
  feet 
  in 
  

   the 
  pond, 
  but 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  exactly 
  be 
  seen 
  what. 
  The 
  Pisidia 
  were 
  

   brought 
  home, 
  and 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  basin 
  with 
  their 
  native 
  mud, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   found 
  that 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  water-bugs 
  (Corixa) 
  and 
  beetles 
  had 
  been 
  

   brought 
  along 
  with 
  them. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  bug 
  (Corixa) 
  in 
  the 
  

   bowl 
  caught 
  by 
  the 
  foot 
  with 
  a 
  pisidium. 
  A 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  later 
  I 
  was 
  

   examining 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  bowl, 
  and 
  found 
  three 
  others 
  caught. 
  I 
  

   killed 
  the 
  insects, 
  and 
  gummed 
  them 
  on 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  paper. 
  No. 
  1 
  had 
  

   two 
  Pisidia 
  on 
  two 
  back 
  legs. 
  No. 
  2 
  had 
  three 
  shells 
  attached, 
  one 
  a 
  

   fairly 
  large 
  one. 
  No. 
  3 
  is 
  more 
  perfect, 
  and 
  has 
  two 
  shells, 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  

   side. 
  Two 
  days 
  later 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  lively 
  little 
  water-beetle 
  caught, 
  but 
  

   he 
  managed 
  to 
  get 
  free. 
  A 
  fourth 
  specimen, 
  however, 
  was 
  secured 
  with 
  

   one 
  pisidium 
  attached. 
  Wallis 
  Kew 
  (in 
  'The 
  Dispersal 
  of 
  Shells'), 
  

   after 
  explaining 
  how 
  ponds, 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  above, 
  are 
  stocked 
  with 
  

   Pisidia 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  flying 
  insects, 
  animals, 
  &c, 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  Some 
  of 
  our 
  

   common 
  water-boatmen 
  are 
  probably 
  even 
  stronger 
  than 
  the 
  Nepa, 
  or 
  

   water-scorpion. 
  I 
  have 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  seen 
  them 
  alight 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  

   of 
  the 
  ponds 
  in 
  the 
  sunshine, 
  fold 
  their 
  wings, 
  and 
  disappear 
  in 
  the 
  

   water.' 
  With 
  the 
  specimens 
  above 
  mentioned, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  plain 
  that 
  

   ponds 
  may 
  be 
  stocked 
  very 
  easily 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  described." 
  

  

  

  