oe ZOOLOGY. 
from which there exudes a sweet fluid which attracts swarms of — 
flies (Diptera), bees and wasps, and falling on the leaves, forms a — 
dark sticky wax. On the underside of the fully formed adult fe 
males are four cottony lines extending from the angles to the cen — 
tre. In October the emptied scales fall from the trees. k 
The rate of increase is enormous, each female producing thou- | 
sands of young. Two or three years are sufficient to destroy a large, 
vigorous tree.— A. J. Coox, Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich. 
Instinct or REASON IN THE Rosis ?— A pair of Robins (Turdus 
migratorius) had, for three years, built their nests and reare 
their young on the trees in front of my house. The fourth year 
they decided for family ends to change the trees for the beams og 
of anew shed. There they built their nest; and soon four eggs — 
were seen in it; in due time the young appeared. As they were — 
in plain view from our window, and were also exposed to danger — 
from boys, cats, and other enemies, we watched them very closely: : 
After a few days, the birds had grown too large for all to remam — 
in the nest, and one was seen on the beam outside. As cats were 
whetting their appetites looking at it, I determined to protect it 
at all hazards, and went near to watch. The parents seemed a8 : 
fearful and anxious as I, keeping both of them on the wing, $08 — 
to and from the nest, with much flutter, and noise and talk. I . 
noticed they were bringing, what seemed to be nest material, in a 
addition to the food for the young. The next morning at day- d 
light a new nest close beside the old one, was completed, and two 
of the young placed in it. Here two in one, and two in the other 
nest, they were cared for until they could fly. The next ya 
they began their family duties near the same spot, but a foarfal 
gale blew down the shed, with its nest, eggs and birds and they 4 
have never nested on the place since.— Rey. S. A. L. Drew, South : 
` Royalton, Vt. me 2 
; 
LABORATORY ror Marine ZooLoer.— Dr. Anton Dohrn in 4 w a 
ter to Professor Agassiz, who has communicated it for publication a 
in this journal, writes that he has matured a plan which has ue 
many years been in the minds of many zoologists; that of estab a | 
lishing a large laboratory for marine zoology in the Mediterranea” . | 
He has obtained permission of the authorities of the city of Ne 
ples to construct a large building at his own expense, in the yilla 
Reale at Naples close to the sea, containing a large aquarium e 
