The Hu77iming Bird. 57 



vont à la recherche de leur proie de prédilection, escarbots, 

 chenilles ou arraignées. Et pendant trois ou quatre semaines, 

 grâce à ce mode d'évolution, au dévouement des ouvrières, 

 c'est par milliers qu'il faut compter la population d'un nid de 

 guêpes vers la fin du printemps. 



Si donc, au printemps et à l'été prochains, nous ne voulons 

 pas voir sortir de terre d'innombrables colonies de ces insectes 

 nuisibles, détruisons les nids oii les femelles, dans quelques 

 jours, vont chercher un abri pour y passer l'hiver et y pondre 

 tout à leur aise. 

 — Petit Journal. THOMAS Grimm. 



RECTIFICATION OF NAME FOR 

 SEMIOPTERA GOULDI. 



The Bird of Paradise which I described as a new species 

 in Vol. I. of the Humming Bird, page 47, under the name of 

 Semioptera goiildi, is undoubtedly the same as what Count 

 Salvadori has described under the name of Semioptera 

 zvallacei var halmaherae. When I made my description, I 

 did not know that another species of Semioptera had been 

 described. It is Doctor Kurt Lam pert, of Stuttgart, w^h.o first 

 kindly informed me of this, and I quite agree with him ; 

 especially since I have received specimens of this bird from 

 Halmahera. Therefore it is the name bestowed by Count 

 Salvadori which has the priority, and it must stand as 

 follows : — 



Semioptera halmaherae, Salvadori. 



Semioptera gouldi, Boucard. 



ALLIGATORS. 



During last year, 250,000 alligators have been killed 

 in Florida, for the sake of their skins, which are in great 

 demand in Europe for the manufacture of purses, bags, pocket 

 books, shoes, etc., etc. These animals are now so scarce in 

 that country, that alligator farming is one of the principal 

 ressources for many of the inhabitants, and lately alligators' 

 eggs have been hatched by incubators. The actual demand 

 for the skins of these reptiles is very large, much in excess of 

 the supply, so that about half the population of the villages 

 find it a lucrative employment to explore the shores of the 

 swamps for eggs. 



