392 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



PISCES. 



Notes from Yarmouth. — Several Cuckoo Eays (Raia miraletus) were 

 brought into Yarmouth in April. An enormous Haddock [Gadus 

 aglefinus) — length 2 ft. 9 in., weight 10J lb. when "gutted" — was 

 landed at about the same time. Early in the summer an Eckstrom's 

 Topknot [Zeugopterus unimaculatus) was captured in a shrimp-net off 

 Yarmouth. Length, h\ in. This is new to the fauna of this district. 

 The fish was saved for my inspection, but was unfortunately too dry 

 for proper preservation. — A. Patterson (Ibis House, Great Yarmouth). 



I N S E C T A. 



Making the best of Difficulties. — A curious instance of making the 

 best of difficulties in insect-life came to my knowledge a few days ago. 

 A young lad had made for himself a breeding-cage for larvae, the 

 bottom, or tray, being of stout brown-paper board, and the four sides 

 and the top covered with gauze, which was supported by a straight 

 stick, some eight or nine inches high, at each corner. These uprights 

 were about the thickness of a lead-pencil, or possibly a trifle more. 

 Into this cage he put some larvae of Dicranura vinula. Two of the 

 larvae made their cocoons on the face of these corner sticks, which did 

 not offer a surface of more than a quarter of an inch. One larva 

 escaped into the room, and was afterwards found to have made its 

 cocoon on the leg of an oak chair, or stool, I forget which. I think 

 both these expedients are worth notice. — W. Oxenden Hammond (St. 

 Albans Court, near Dover). 



[The above experience is not uncommon. In ' The Zoologist' (1863, 

 p. 8785) there is a record of these larva? " forming their cocoons upon 

 those of their predecessors." In one corner of a box there were no 

 fewer than six clustered together. — Ed.] 



ANIMAL SENSE PERCEPTIONS. 



By this mail I am sending two specimens (male and female) 

 of a bug which was too common in every garden in Johannesburg 

 last summer, and which is doubtless well known to you.* In ' The 

 Zoologist ' {ante, p. 161) is an interesting article by Mr. Distant, 

 under the heading " Biological Suggestions." As bearing on the 

 question of the protection afforded to insects by nauseous smells, 

 the following facts may be of interest : — The bug referred to above 



* Holoptema alata, Westw., belonging to the Fam. Coreidce. — Ed. 



