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Miscellanea. 



Bohemian Waxwing. — A beautiful male specimen was shot 

 about a mile north of Dunse, Feb., 1873. — Chas. Watson. 

 Another male was caught on the estate of Rodono, Selkirk- 

 shire ; and a third was shot in Fifeshire from amongst a 

 flock of Greenfinches.—" Kelso Chronicle/' Feb. 28, 1873. 



Ruff (Tringa littorea). — A female was shot near Burn- 

 mouth, Oct., 1873. It was stuffed by Robert Wait, Dunse. 

 — Charles Watson. 



Food of the Heeon. — During the Christmas holidays, 

 while dissecting a Heron, I found a shrew-mouse in its 

 crop. — J. A. Erskine Stuart. 



Gossander. — A pair shot on the Whitadder at Preston in 

 1872. — John Anderson. 



Squirrels diverting themselves with Agarics. — I 

 have never observed any notice of the fondness of Squirrels 

 for the beautiful red fungi (Agaricus muscarines) that grow 

 in the woods. I have watched several years to see if they 

 eat them, but none that I saw appeared to be touched, after 

 being put up into trees. They seem not to be put up 

 accidentally, being placed in the fork of a branch with the 

 stalk down, like an umbrella set up to dry. — Ibid. 



Habits of Wasps. — John Johnston gave me an instance 

 of what looked like a sort of reasoning power in Wasps. 

 One day he was struck by what looked like the strange 

 flight of a large white garden butterfly against a breeze of 

 wind. It turned out to be a Wasp carrying it off as a victim, 

 but as it could make no headway, it sat down and clipped 

 off the wings, and having thus lowered sail, resumed its 

 journey without let. — Ibid. I once noticed a Wasp on 

 hazel leaves capture the brown leaf weevil (Polydrusus 

 micans), whose bulk consists very much of wings and wing- 

 covers. These it cleverly snipped off, and flew off with the 

 remainder. A Wasp was seen to alight on a bank where 

 several solitary bees were basking. It beheaded four of 

 them, and took one of them away in its clutches. In carry- 

 ing off a hive-bee, Wasps cut it into sections ; but sometimes 

 they content themselves with ripping a hole in the abdomen 

 over the honey-bag, and extract its contents. — J. Iiardy. 



Food of Ocypus cupreus. — In autumn, I saw a female of 

 this Staphylinid dragging a queen Formica umbrata by the 

 neck, among some rocks in the dean above Akeld* It 



