122 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[May 



and members of the Society during last year, and up to the present time in various parts 

 of Great Britain, which seemed to point to the unusual prevalence of white varieties 

 during that period. 



Mr. R. Standen exhibited a fine set of Unto pictorum, and U. tumid us from the Marple 

 canal, and gave a description of an excursion to that locality in company w*th some other 

 members on Good Friday last. The water having been drawn off all along the canal 

 locks, a grand opportunity was afforded of exploring the muddy bottom of the canal, 

 which was found to team with mollusca. and a good haul was made. Anodonta anatina, 

 Paludina vivipara, and many specimens of Sphserium and Pisidium were obtained. Very 

 young fry of Anodonta and Unio were taken, and considered a prize, the young forms of 

 these shells being rare in collections, but were on this occasion found abundantly. He 

 also exhibited a number of very beautiful pearls found in the Unios he had taken home. 

 The day being very dry, not many land shells were bagged, but the great event of the day 

 was the taking of Helix fusca by several members of the party. This is a new addition 

 to the Marple list, and, singularly enough, the shell was found to be well distributed over 

 ground which has been thoroughly worked again and again by the Society during previous 

 excursions, the wood where it was found being a favourite hunting ground. A number of 

 Marple shells were also shown by Mr. Thomas Sparkcs, Mr. Jones, and Mr. R. Cairns. 



Mr. Charles Oldham exhibited, and presented to the Society's cabinet, a fine series of 

 locality sets of Clausilia, Bulimus, Pisidia, and other British species, for which thanks 

 were voted. 



Dr. G. W. Chaster exhibited PJiilcne nitida from Southport ; and Mr. W. Moss various 

 rarities from Trinidad and Borneo. 



HERTS NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



At the last meeting of this Society, Mr. A. E. Gibbs read a paper, entitled " The 

 Wasp Infestation of Last Year." The paper was both interesting and practical, 

 embodying information derived from friends and correspondents in various parts of 

 the county. All Mr. Gibbs's correspondents agree that wasps were exceptionally 

 numerous during 1893, and that great damage was inflicted on the fruit crops. The 

 reports of several of Mr. Gibbs's friends are briefly summarized : — Mr. H. Lewis, of 

 St. Albans, records the partiality of the wasps for Victoria plums; " those left on the 

 trees were quite spoilt, and when we attempted to gather the fruit we found only the 

 skins left ; the rest were in nearly every case full of wasps." Mr. Nutting, of 

 Childwickbury, also experienced and suffered from the wasps' liking for plums. He 

 says " They usually cut into the fruit a short distance from the stem, on what might 

 be called the shoulder, and clean it out thoroughly, leaving only the bare skin. I 

 have taken out 20, and sometimes more, from a single fruit ; they seem to get 

 intoxicated." Mr. A. Smith, of Smallford, gathered his plums before they were ripe 

 and bottled them, but the wasps revenged themselves by devouring his apples. " In 

 a small orchard of about a dozen trees I should think there were quite twelve bushels 

 of apples completely eaten, besides those which were commenced." Mr. R. Shillitoe, 

 of Bancroft, Hitchin, notes several interesting facts in connection with the 

 hibernation of wasps. "Instead of hibernating in solitary state under the bark 

 of trees, &c, they appear to have swarmed together this year in large numbers. In 

 a heap of stones . . . large numbers were found. They had simply crept into 

 the interstices, and there established themselves for the winter." In another place 

 about 200 "had evidently passed through the severe frosty weather that we had 

 about Christmas on the top of the roof, with no other protection than a piece of 

 canvas. If queen wasps are capable of hibernating under such circumstances and in 

 such numbers, I am afraid we are likely to have a greater wasp plague than ever 

 next year." Mr. Gibbs, while recording Mr. Shillitoe's observations, properly 



