5788 Insects, — Quadrupeds. 



The Locust at Kingston-on-Thames. — I took a very fine specimen of this insect in 

 our own garden at Kingston, on Friday, the 1 1th inst. Another was seen, but made 

 his escape. — A. F. Sheppard ; Kingston, September 19, 1857. 



The Locust at Huddersjield.—l had scarcely read Mr. C. B. Bree's communication 

 in last week's l Intelligencer,' when I was summoned to see an extraordinary insect 

 which had been captured on the grass plot before our Infirmary. On examination 

 it proved to be a locust, still very lively, although having been repeatedly dosed with 

 chloroform. Only a week before, some boys had shown me another : they said theirs 

 had come from Africa in a bale of wool ; it ate grass voraciously. — D. E. Brown ; 

 Queen Street, Huddersjield, September 2. — From the ' Intelligencer.' 



The Locust in Sussex. — Three locusts were brought to me to-day. — J. J. Reeve ; 

 Newhaven, Sussex, September 7. — Id. 



The Locust near Walton Heath. — A fine specimen of this hitherto rare British 

 insect was found, on the 2nd of September, by a woman, near Walton Heath, and is 

 now in my possession. — D. Watney ; Box Hill, Dorking, September 9. — Id. 



The Locust at Ripon. — A specimen of this insect (the European locust) was taken 

 by my sister in her garden, on Sunday, the 23rd of August last: it is still alive, and 

 measures about two inches and a half in length and nearly five inches in expanse of 

 wing. I believe several other locusts have been taken in Yorkshire during the pre- 

 sent summer. — Edward Morton ; Ripon, September \Q.—Id. 



The Locust in Yorkshire. — I have just seen a fine specimen of Gryllus migratorius, 

 taken in a garden near this city. The lady who found it keeps it in a glass case, 

 feeding on the leaves of red beech, on which it appears to thrive. — /. Hasledine Tutin ; 

 Ripon, September 10. — Id. 



[A number of other notices of the capture of the locust have been printed during 

 the present month in provincial papers ; others are communicated to me by friends at 

 Brighton, Lewes, Godstone, Epping, Brixton, &c, &c. — E. N.~] 



Otter in Norfolk. — While fishing in Norfolk, on Barton Broad, in July last, I 

 was fortunate enough to see a fine otter, who swam very leisurely across a gap in the 

 reeds, close to the boat. I am informed that there are several in the same neighbour- 

 hood, which swarms with fish, and that several young ones have been seen at different 

 times. Close to the same spot I saw, two or three years ago, a fine osprey ; and a 

 friend of mine has a specimen of the little auk shot there last winter. — William Gost- 

 ling ; 14, Chester Place, Kennington Cross, September 4, 1857. 



Young Water-rat suckled by a Cat. — On the 16th of last June 1 found, in a willow 

 stump, the nest of a water-rat (Mus amphibius), containing four young water-rats, 

 quite blind. One of them I flung into the water, and although quite blind it swam 

 to land. I kept one and killed the rest. I took the one which was alive to a cat 

 which had kittened the day before, and put it on the ground. The cat immediately 

 jumped out of the basket, and returned to it with the rat in her mouth. The next 

 day, on going to see which of the kittens should be killed, I found, to my surprise, 

 the cat suckling the rat and four kittens. I had three of the kittens killed, and kept 

 the other with the rat. On the 23rd of the same month the rat's eyes opened, and 

 from that time I had great difficulty in catching it, as it got quite wild, but was still 

 suckled by the cat. When I took the rat away the cat followed me, and directly I 



