60 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



marginalis was netted, which insect, 

 although common enough in England is by 

 no means common in this district. The 

 larvae of D. marginalis was also dredged 

 from among the mud at the bottom, but as 

 it is rather a difficult experiment to attempt 

 the rearing of this species we returned them 

 to their native element. 



Fresh water shells we found tolerably 

 abundant, and among the species taken we 

 note the following -.Splicerum corneum, com- 

 mon ; BytMnia tentaculata, a few ; Physa 

 fontinale, common ; Lymncea jialustris, two ; 

 Lymncea truncatula, common on the marshy 

 edge ; Lymncea pereyra, scarce ; Planorlis 

 albus, a few. These species, although by no 

 means rare, serve to show us that collecting 

 in winter is by no means an .unsatisfactory 

 enjoyment. Water coleoptera we found to 

 be rather scarce. With the exception of a 

 few Illybius ater, Hydrobius fucypes, and 

 several other such species, we did not 

 take anything worthy of note. 



We searched long and carefully for water 

 spiders, but did not succeed in finding a 

 single specimen, while early last spring, 

 at the same place, I found them very 

 plentifully, hybernating in the large masses 

 of fungoid growth at the water edge. I 

 cannot account for them having disappeared, 

 except that they may have migrated out 

 into the deeper parts of the marsh. They 

 are exceedingly interesting creatures to 

 Study in the aquarium. 



Having no further success, and being in 

 too nearly a frozen condition to continue our 

 search any longer, we decided to pack up 

 our "traps" and visit a famous insect 

 locality some distance further along, namely 

 Cadder Wilderness. There we expected to 

 have better success, as logs of decayed wood 

 were very plentiful ; and where they are to 

 be found during winter, beetles are pretty 

 certain to be found also. A run along the 

 canal bank somewhat restored the circula- 

 tion in our bodies, and taking a short cut 



across the fields we soon neared our desti- 

 nation. In the middle of a field a large 

 portion of a tree was observed lying pros- 

 trate on the ground and much decayed. 

 Seeming a likely place for shells, we soon 

 managed to turn it over ; but after a careful 

 search only found a few specimens of Helix 

 hispida, Zonites cellarius, Z. allarius, and 

 Helix rotundata in shells, and a few of the 

 Brachylytra beetles. 



Cadder Wilderness is a very large wood, 

 composed principally of oak, beech, pine 

 and fir, with a sprinkling of the smaller 

 shrubs. The species of Lepidoptera which 

 are taken within its limits are very num- 

 erous, and in most other orders it is equally 

 productive. Many of the trees have been 

 cut down, and large portions of them 

 left lying, until they have become com- 

 pletely decayed, and these, during the winter, 

 form excellent shelter to the large num- 

 ber of wood-frequenting beetles which 

 are found in the locality. Our attention 

 was principally directed towards these 

 stumps and decayed logs, and we were soon 

 hard at work splitting up and examining 

 them for hybernating coleoptera. Turning 

 over a large log of wood, beneath it we found 

 two specimens of Cychrus rostratus, one of 

 which immediately began to create that 

 curious sound so peculiar to that insect. I 

 have noted that only some specimens of this 

 insect can produce this sound. I have kept 

 several specimens alive at the one time, and 

 have noticed some of them could not create 

 the sound while others could. I think it is only 

 the male who possesses this peculiar power 

 of making a noise, the female not having it. 

 Have any of your readers ever noticed the 

 distinction ? Perhaps some one will explain 

 it. Beetles did not at all seem to be the 

 only occupant of these logs of decayed wood ; 

 bees, wasps, ants, and species of other orders 

 of insects seem to have resorted to this shel- 

 ter for passing their period of torpidity. 

 Many were the curious specimens we turned 



