4493 NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. 
number of moths to butterflies is as twenty-six to one. He then gets at 
the probable number of butterflies in existence. by arguing from the num- 
ber published, districts unexplored, and so forth, and believes the number 
to be not fewer than eight thousand seven hundred and forty. Unfortu- 
nately, in pursuing the calculation he forgets his datum-line of twenty- 
six moths to one butterfly, and takes the proportion as it stands in Stau- 
Veiis and Wocke's ** Catalogue of European Species," where the propor- 
n of course is much less, because the smaller moths have not been so 
exhanstively collected throughout Europe as the butterflies. In this way 
t 
er urope i 
would produce the incredible total of two hundred and ew -seven 
thousand two hundred and forty species.— Scientific Opini 
OoLoGicaL. — Two years ago while down here some friends of mine 
P 
mer were invariably three, and in the latter four. Can any one explain 
this constant difference in the number of eggs? — C. H. NAUMAN, Smyrna, 
Florida. 
SPIKE-HORNED DEER. — With regard to the question in discussion be- 
tween W. J. Hays and Adirondack, whether spike-bucks ever are more 
I know nothing of the Adirondack region, personally. I fancy how- 
ever, it is of small extent: and I suppose it is surrounded by a settled 
country, peopled for a century or more by a less or greater number of 
Skilled hunters, 
s Adirondack prepared to affirm, without a shadow of doubt, or can he 
a buck five or six years o e thinks it easy to distinguish a buck o 
“full age and size," though Nene of antlers, but gives no marks by 
which another can judge of the age. I would like to know how he would 
one of three or four years, in the absence of horns. Among domestic 
animals may often be seen thrifty yearlings, which will outweigh starvel- 
ings of two years or more. 
I have killed my hundreds of deer, perhaps — never one spike-buck that 
would not have been pronounced young by competent jud 
hunting I associated with i si men more or x ie acquainted with 
deer, from none of whom did I ever hear of an old spike-horn buck. Can 
