Arachnida. — Entomological Club. 5835 



super-Mare, thus writes to me: — "A few evenings ago, having occasion to cross a 

 back yard after dark, I observed a number of luminous spots on the ground, most of 

 them moving. On my attempting to take hold of one of them it started off at a great 

 pace, and the others in succession followed the example as soon as I touched them. 

 At last I secured one, which appeared brighter than the rest, as it was ascending a 

 wall. In the capture I injured it slightly, and the phosphorescent matter remained 

 so long and so conspicuous on the wall that I showed it to a neighbour who after- 

 wards called in. The animal is a brown centipede." In reply to Mr. Hallam I slated 

 that I knew only one luminous Myriapod, and that was very slow in its movements, 

 and I think only luminous when trodden on or otherwise injured ; and that I thought 

 this could not be identical with his active insect. The captured animal came to me 

 by return of post, and proved to be a large specimen of Lithobius forcipatus. — 

 Edward Newman. 



Extraordinary Migration of Woodlice. — On Saturday last, October 3, I observed, 

 at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, a phenomenon that I think has not hitherto been recorded. 

 Thousands upon thousands of the common pea woodlouse (Oniscus Armadillo) were 

 crossing the road from a rubbishy-looking hedgebank towards the little row of houses 

 in which I live. They were of all sizes, and I suppose of all ages, and the movement 

 was entirely in one direction, from the west towards the east; no two individuals 

 seemed to preserve the same line of march, and all moved, as by a common impulse, 

 in precisely the same direction. Their progress could only be described by an infinite 

 number of closely-ruled parallel lines. The crop in the opposite field is mangel wur- 

 zel, a plant peculiarly free from the attacks of ordinary vermin ; and whether they tra- 

 velled from the hedgebank, from the mangel wurzel field, or from some unexplored 

 region beyond, I feel myself totally unable to pronounce. — Id. 



Spider Silk. — The Vienna papers report a successful attempt lately made to ob- 

 tain silk from spiders, and that several pairs of excellent silk stockings have resulted 

 from the experiment. The species of spider is not meutioned, and no information is 

 given as to the process by which the silk is obtained. Entomologists corresponding 

 with Vienna should institute inquiries on this interesting subject. I have already 

 done so, but at present without success. — Edward Newman. 



Entomological Club. 



The Entomological Club was established in London, in the year 

 1826, and existed up to the year 1836 without any printed code of 

 laws or by-laws. At that time a code of laws was agreed on, and 

 printed in the ' Entomological Magazine' for July, 1836 ; that perio- 

 dical having originated in the Club, and its cost having been de- 

 frayed by its members. 



A portion of Rule I. is as follows : — " That it be a special object 



