I 



Mollusks — Insects. 



8465 



in their usual abodes, and many in the act of depositing their ova. Some which I 

 collected also expelled ova in the vasculum in which they were confined. They 

 appeared only to bury their head in a chamber, like Helix. pomatia. The egg is sphe- 

 rical, slightly elongated, transparent, of a golden brown colour, and a coriaceous 

 covering. When pi. iced in spirits of wine they turned to an opaque white. — John E. 

 Daniel; 10, Trigon Terrace, Clapham Road, February 7, 1863. 



Occurrence of Limax Gagates near South Shields. — Two or three years ago I found 

 a small slug infesting some of the gardens in this neighbourhood, which I referred to 

 the Limax Sowerbii, Fer. On forwarding some of them, a short time since, to my 

 friend Mr. Alder, he kindly informed me that they were not L. Sowerbii, but the 

 rarer L. Gagates, and thai the species had not before been taken in the North of 

 England. Most of the specimens obtained have been procured from a small garden, 

 where it has occurred in very great abundance, as certainly not less than two hundred 

 specimens have been collected during the last three years. Though a very shy and 

 retired species, seldom venturing from its hiding-place in dusk or during dull wet 

 weather, it is a most pernicious and destructive slug to tender transplanted annuals, 

 doing more mischief in a short time than L. agrestis. The eggs of this species 

 appear to be deposited in winter, and in April and May the young show themselves, 

 having attained to the length of half an inch. This species is generally described as 

 dark gray, but the generality of the specimens collected have been of a fulvous or 

 tawny colour on the back, becoming of a paler hue towards the margin of the foot. 

 One specimen has occurred which was nearly black. It attains to the length of more 

 than two inches when in motion ; when at rest the strongly carinated back is beauti- 

 fully arched. It may be asked, how has it happened that this large and very distinct 

 species has been overlooked so long ? — has it been introduced recently? — and has it 

 been brought to this neighbourhood in ballast? — Richard Hoivse, in ' Transactions of 

 Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club.' 



Entomological Notes. — The opening of the season of 1862 gave a fair promise of 

 a better year for entomologists than the two previous seasons of 1860 — 1, and hope 

 rose high in the breasts of those who had felt disappointed in having so many blank 

 places still unfilled at the close of last year. Many joung collectors then, I fear, 

 gave up all hope of continuing in the pursuit of insects, because they had done so 

 badly, and others thought it was not worth the trouble to go out catching them ; but 

 those who did keep trudging on, despite disappointments and the un propitious 

 fates, were no doubt amply compensated when those few fine, warm and really spring- 

 like days, at the commencement of April, brought out numerous Audrenidae and early 

 Bombi, and made the hive-bees at the same time remarkably " busy." As the month 

 wore on the little " spring dagger" moth was in profusion, and I picked several very 

 fine specimens of the dark variety from the trunks of the beech trees on the Benton 

 Road, not one specimen of which could I get last year. Towards the end of the 

 month that beautiful " bumbler" fly (Bombylius major), which has contracted a habit 

 of always falling on its broad back whenever the wind is a little stronger than usual, 

 and from which position, with its long slender legs, it finds considerable difficulty in 

 righting itself, was more plentiful than I had ever before seen it. How this insect 

 VOL. XXI. X 



