The Hummino' Bird. 15 



Another case is occupied by a smaller species from Demerara, 

 while in a fourth is an enormous Brazilian species, which I 

 believe to be the largest ever exhibited in the Insect House. 

 As, however, he persisted in turning his back on visitors, and 

 keeping himself half-concealed in an empty flower-pot, I was 

 not able to observe much of his peculiarities, except that the 

 greater part of the abdomen is of a light colour, and 

 destitute of hairs, the remainder of the body and legs being 

 covered with short, dark-brown hairs, interspersed with long, 

 stiff, yellowish hairs. These gigantic spiders are usually fed 

 on large cock-roaches, varied occasionally by a young mouse. 



In the next case there are several specimens of a large 

 Mollusc (Biilimus oblongusj , from Africa. These are not 

 unlike enormous whelks, but they live on the land, and not in 

 the sea, as the whelk does. 



The last case contains some pupae of an American 

 butterfly (Papilio chrysphontes) , greatly resembling the pupae 

 of our own swallow-tailed butterfly (P. Machaon) . 



Altogether the visitor leaves the Insect House with a 

 most favourable impression of what he has seen, and with the 

 thought that, if it can be so interesting in dreary December, 

 what must it be in June, when the whole insect world is 

 called into full activity ? 



W. F. H. Rosenberg. 



PARIS INTERNATIONAL 



EXHIBITION OF 1900! 



In November last a Commission, numbering amongst its 

 members many French notabilities in Sciences and Arts, and 

 nearly the whole of the Directors of the Exhibition of 1889, 

 excepting the late Mr. Alphand, who will be much missed, 

 has been nominated by His Excellency, the Minister of 

 Commerce, to prepare the means suitable for the realization 

 of the project of an International Exhibition to be held in 

 Paris in the year 1900, from May to November of that year. 

 There is no doubt, whatever, that all will be ready in time, 

 and that it will be all that can be desired. 



But it will be a great task for all the members of the 

 Commission, as France must not remain behind N. America. 

 What marvels France must prepare for the millions of visitors 

 who will visit Paris during that year, it is impossible 



