THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST 



47 



really were Henbane. I then called the 

 gardener's attention to them, and he 

 was greatly surprised at their appearance. 

 There could be no chance that they had 

 got there with the flower seeds. The 

 latter were from various places, and had 

 been sown in patches, one kind here and 

 another there ; Henbane was springing up 

 all over the border. The seeds must have 

 been buried in the soil during the whole 

 period the surface had been undisturbed 

 which I have attempted to show must have 

 been at least several centuries. A field 

 adjoining the moor is now being broken up 

 for building purposes (it is there I obtained 

 the Roman skull named abovej, and I will 

 watch the broken soil with some interest 

 next year for the appearance of Henbane. 

 I have a very distinct remembrance of it 

 growing some thirty years ago in front of 

 some houses built in a field adjoining the 

 moor on another side, but I had no idea 

 then of its significance, but the present 

 circumstance recals it to my mind. The 

 slight depth of soil is an important item in 

 this case, as the seed could only have been 

 five or six inches below the surface at most. 



THE "YOUNG NATURALIST 

 ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE 

 OF BRITISH INSECTS. 



COLEOPTERA, Plate n. 



In the Plate issued this month will be 

 found representations of 14 species of the 

 genus Aphodius, and the figure of a larva, 

 and also a magnified typical figure. Next 

 month's plate will contain figures of 16 

 more species of the same genus, and if any 

 friend can send for figuring specimens of 

 those we do not possess, we shall be able to 

 give the whole of the British species of this 

 genus on three successive plates. The fol- 



lowing are what we still want to figure, and 

 if specimens are entrusted to us we will 

 return them (if required) perfectly safe : — 

 A. arenarius 

 computus 

 lividus 



melanostictus 



nemoralis 



niger 



poreatus 



prodromus 



4-maculatus 



scro/a 



sus 



tersulatus 

 testudinarius 

 villusus 

 Zinkeri 



Next month will be given a resume of the 

 genus. 



We now take the opportunity of asking 

 if any coleopterist can assist us in com- 

 pleting other genera so that we may figure 

 all the species together. 



In Coccinella we want Hieroglgpliica, 

 labialis, 18-guttata, 14^-punctata, 0 -punctata, 

 and 16-guttata. 



In Geotrupes we want mutator, pudrid- 

 arius, pyrenceus, and vcrvalis. 



In Cetonia we want stictica* 



We have to thank Mr. Geo. T. Porritt, 

 F.L.S., for having kindly sent us larvae and 

 perfect insect of Rhagium bifasciatum. We 

 shall now be able to give figures of all the 

 species of this genus and typical larvae as 

 soon as space will permit. These should 

 have been acknowledged before but got 

 overlooked. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 

 BIRDS. 



Migration of Hooded Crows. — These 

 birds were first seen here on the 30th Sep- 



