lAug. 17, 1888.I 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



159 



THE ZOOLOGY OF THE BATH 

 DISTRICT.— II. 



(Concluded from p. 134.^ 



'"THE list of local reptiles is necessarily a very short 

 one, the whole number of British species, including 

 the amphibia, being only twelve ; of them the Bath district 

 yields nine species. Mr. Charles Terry mentions ten 

 species, but one of these, the sand-lizard (Lacerta agi'is), 

 is evidently an error. The viviparous lizard (Zootoca 

 vivipara) and the blind-worm, or slow-worm (Anguis 

 fragilis), are both common in suitable localities. 



The common or grass snake (Tropidonotus natrix) is 

 rather scarce ; much more so than its dangerous relative 

 the viper or adder (Pelias bents) ; a fine specimen cf 

 the latter may be seen in the Duncan collection. 



Of the Amphibia, the toad (B11/0 vulgaris) and the 

 frog {Raim temporaria) are both very common. The 

 crested newt (Triton cristahts) and the smooth newt 

 (Lissotritou punctatus) also are abundant. The palmated 

 newt (Lissolriton palmipcs), marked as " rare " in Mr. 

 Terry's list, is very abundant in some localities. This 

 species seems to have become much commoner of late 

 years, in many ponds even exceeding the smooth newt 

 in numbers. 



Of the Fishes Mr. Terry enumerates fifteen species 

 curiously enough omitting the perch (Pcrca flttviatilis) 

 and the carp (Cyprinus carpio), both of which are plentiful 

 in the Avon and canal. There are two distinct species 

 of eels; the sharp-nosed eel (AnguiUa aattiroslris), which 

 is sometimes taken at the weirs in immense numbers; 

 and the broad-nosed eel (AnguiUa laiirostris) which 

 seems more resident in the Avon, not migrating en 

 masse like the former species. 



A somewhat local species is the bearded loach (Cobilis 

 barbatula), to be found hiding under stones in seme of 

 the small streams which flow into the Avon. The 

 flounder or dab (Platessa flcssus) comes up the Avon as 

 far as Bath, which seems to be its limit, as it is not 

 found above. Of the sticklebacks, only one species is 

 recorded — the smooth-tailed stickleback (Gas/erosteus 

 leiiirns), which swarms in brooks and ditches. Careful 

 study of these fishes should yield one or two more 

 species. For the present the total number of species of 

 fish recorded in the district is eighteen. 



Turning to the Invertebrata, of the Mollusca the 

 neighbourhood of Bath yields a good number of species; 

 the Avon and canal contain most of the aquatic species, 

 and of those which live on the land, " Helices," 

 " Bulimi," etc., there is also a long list. Dr. Bird, in 

 Vol. I. of the Proceedings of the Bath Natural History 

 and Antiquarian Field Club, gives a list of sixty-five 

 species of local mollusca. The subject has been more 

 fully treated still by Mr. J. E. Daniel in his paper on the 

 mollusca of Bath, read before the Zoological section of 

 the British Association in 1864, vide report of last meet- 

 ing at Bath. Mr. Daniel enumerates ninety species, 

 belonging to twenty-eight genera. Attention is also 

 drawn in the same paper to the parasites of Anodonta; 

 as these shells abound in the canal they afford ample 

 material for the study of those curious Entozoa. The 

 Duncan Museum also contains a very nice collection of 

 local shells, among which the specimens of " Anodon 

 Anatina " are remarkable for size and beauty. There 

 are also specimens of that curious slug Testacella maugei 

 from Batheaston and Bitton. 



Turning, lastly, to the most popular branch of natural 



history, namely, entomology, a science that owes its 

 popularity to the extreme beauty of some species, and 

 to the facility with which specimens may be captured and 

 kept for future observation ; and lastl}', also, to the 

 enormous number of species which it contains, 200,000 

 species being known, and this (according to Dr. Sharp) 

 is not more than one-tenth of the number actually exist- 

 ing. What a field for research ? That venerable local 

 scientist, the Rev. Leonard Blomefield, without a refer- 

 ence to whose labours for the past 30 years in the study 

 of local phenomena no sketch of the natural history of 

 Bath would be complete has drawn attention to the 

 fact of the comparative scarcity of insect life in the dis- 

 trict, as compared with other districts in the Eastern 

 counties. Mr. A. E. Hudd, also, in his carefully worked out 

 list of the Lepidoptera oi the Bristol district, says, " Collect- 

 ing in this district is disappointing to those accustomed to 

 other parts of England ; " that is, in the number of good 

 things that would fall to any one seeking local rarities. 

 Mr. Terry gives a list of 541 species of Lepidoptera for a 

 radius of six miles around Bath, but his list is evidently 

 imperfect, and there seems no reason why the number 

 of species should not be much nearer to the number re- 

 corded for the adjoining district of Bristol, by Mr. Fludd, 

 viz., 1,310. Some of the species enumerated by Mr. 

 Terry have quite vanished from the district, such as 

 Papilio machaon, Colias hyale, Pirn's daplidice, and 

 Limenitis sibylia. Apatura iris, that " blue ribbon " of 

 the lepidopterist, has been seen several times. Lycoena 

 Adonis has not been found nearer than Bristol. Lyccena 

 Acis, though very rare, has occurred near Bath, and also 

 the beautiful Lyccena arion has been recorded from 

 " Hills near Bath." Of the Noctumi, the following are 

 some of the most noteworthy : Chacrocampa clpenor, one 

 specimen taken at Sugar, by Mr. J. G. Ross, near Bath ; 

 Arctia fuliginosa, same recorder, from Bathampton. The 

 following scarce Geomelrce have also been recorded by 

 Mr. Ross : Emomos tiliaria and E. fuscantaria, Ephyra 

 trilinearia, Lobopliora lobulata, Scoiosia certata, etc. The 

 unique Plalypteryx sicula has not been recorded nearer 

 than Leigh Woods, near Bristol. Many rarities have 

 been reported from near Bath, such as Ncuria saponaria, 

 Rnsina iencbrosa, Ccrastis crytliroccphala , Euperia fulvago. 

 That grand insect Catocala fraxini, is recorded from Leigh 

 Woods, near Bristol, in 1880; and the rare Aventia 

 flexnla, from near Bath, by Mr. Ross. It is to be hoped that 

 the members of the Bath Natural History and Anti- 

 quarian Field Club will thoroughly work out their local 

 Lepidoptera, and also the much-neglected Colcoptera, and 

 other branches of entomology, such as Nenroptera, 

 Dip/era, etc. An excellent paper, on the Hemiptera- 

 Heteroptera of the district will be found in the proceed- 

 ings of this Society, vol. vi., No. 3, by Lieut. -Colonel 

 Blathwayt, F.L.S., F.E.S. ; over 40 species are there re- 

 ferred to. 



Many other branches of natural history have not yet 

 found exponents among local students ; for instance, the 

 Arachnida, which would doubtless afford material for as 

 substantial a monument of industry as the Rev. O. P. 

 Cambridge's splendid monograph of the " Spiders of 

 Dorset." The curious little Cheliferce, or pseudo-scorpions, 

 are not uncommon under dead leaves, or beneath bushes 

 and hedges. Those singular worms, the Land Planaria 

 were found by Dr. Bird under stones and rotten wood, 

 in woods on Lansdowne. This rapid and imperfect 

 sketch of the zoology of Bath cannot be concluded better 

 than by these words of the Rev. Leonard Blomefield : — 



