5164 Insects. 



and the smolts arrested and marked by cutting off a corner from the tail. The pond 

 is about four feet deep, and took five hours to run off. For the first hour very few fish 

 made their appearance ; but afterwards they came more frequently, and at the last 

 they arrived so fast that a large tub had to be got so as to keep them till time could 

 be had to mark them. Every one was counted as it made its appearance, and, on 

 summing up, it was found that 335 smolts had been marked, and that 872 parrs had 

 been turned into the river. Some of the smolts were as much as eight inches long. 

 When the pond had nearly run dry, it became evident from his struggles that there 

 was a larger fish in the pond than was suspected, and a hunt commenced for the 

 intruder, when he turned out to be a river trout of a pound weight, and subsequently 

 another was caught of similar weight, and two of about half a pound. How these 

 fish got into the pond it is difficult to say ; but during the intense frosts in winter the 

 keeper had once or twice to allow the water to come from the lake direct, instead of 

 through the filtering bed, which was frozen. Some small trout fry may by this means 

 have got into the pond, and, from the good feeding, would grow very rapidly. They 

 were splendid specimens of the native trout for shape and fatness. We cut up the 

 whole, and found smolts in all, half-digested in their stomachs, which shows the abso- 

 lute necessity of having the pond cleared after the departure of every hatching ; for, 

 had the young fry at present in the boxes and canal been allowed to enter the pond, a 

 poor account would have been given of the smolts of the two following springs. Be- 

 sides, a great many small eels were caught in the mud. It is impossible to keep out 

 these intruders, as we caught a few travelling over land with their heads pondward ; 

 however, they were all small, and as we have not heard of any large ones having been 

 got in the mud, they could as yet have done little harm. The pond is to be thoroughly 

 cleaned out, and allowed to dry ; and when filled the fry will be permitted to enter. 

 The smolts that were turned out, we are persuaded, would have all left in a few days 

 had they been allowed to have their own way, but as to the parrs they would have re- 

 mained another year. These parrs were of last year's hatching, and were put into the 

 pond by mistake when cleaning out the boxes and canal for this year's hatching. This 

 now completes the history of the ova deposited in the breeding-boxes in November 

 and December, 1853. The experiment from the first to the last has been conducted 

 in a most satisfactory manner, and will ultimately tend to throw much light on the 

 history of that noble fish the salmon ; and if our salmon proprietors were alive to their 

 own interests they would set about extending their breeding-boxes and ponds; for the 

 ova deposited in the river in the natural way is subject to so many accidents that a 

 good crop of fish can never be ensured, which is reduced to a certainty if the mani- 

 pulation of the ova is entrusted to such able hands as those of Mr. Ramsbottom. 

 Those smolts that have been marked with the ring will be anxiously looked for in 

 July and August.— W. B.; May 26, 1856. 



Vanessa Aniiopa. — This spring, in the Isle of Wight, my sister, out walking, 

 marked down an Antiopa. She was gone ten minutes, and on returning found him, 

 motionless, in the same place. A tumbler and card, the only weapons at hand, with a 

 little chloroform, closed the comedy. This is, I suppose, the only instance of Antiopa 

 being taken under a tumbler. It is a good specimen. This spring Eupithecia con- 

 si^nata was taken in Suffolk. Fuligiuosa, the first this year, was taken on the 23rd 



