92 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



shield on the back. They fasten upon warm- 

 blooded animals and suck their blood. 



6. Halacarid^. This family is marine. 



7. Oripatid.^. These " have a chitonous 

 skin, like beetles." 



8. AcARiDiE. This family is divided into 

 several divisions as follows : — 



Hypoderida. Living under the skin of 

 certain birds. 



HypopidcB. A peculiar class of mites, para- 

 sitic generally on flies, and sometimes in 

 large numbers. 



Tyroglyphida: A well-known example of 

 this sub-family are the cheese mites. " The 

 general characters of this section are a soft, 

 smooth, fleshy, whitish body, without any 

 system of striae, or lines disposed round the 

 body, but with a slight furrow, depression 

 or line of separation on the back, between 

 the second and third pair of legs, marking 

 off the thorax from the abdomen." 



Sarcoptidce, These mites are parasitic on 

 animals. They are divided into two sec- 

 tions, one living upon the skin, and the 

 other burrowing under it, producing the 

 disease known as itch. 



PhytoptidcB. This class lives upon vege- 

 tables substances, producing very curious 

 contortions in the grov/th of leaves upon 

 the plants which they attack, curling up the 

 edges as they do upon the sloe, or making 

 gall-like pimples like those upon the maple. 

 The curious clusters of small branches in 

 birch trees are produced by these insects. 



IN RE AUTUMNARIA. 



We are reluctantly compelled to re-open 

 this discussion having receeived the follow- 

 ing from Mr. Gregson. We had hoped our 

 article of last week would have settled 

 the matter, but our readers will see that 

 this communication is too important to be 

 excluded. \Ve reserve our further remarks 

 for the present, but we would earnestly 

 urge upon the controversialists to avoid 



personal allusions. We all know that 

 both parties are honest and true, 

 interested only in the advancement 

 of science and in the purity of our collec- 

 tions. Can they not discuss the matter 

 as a scientific subject should be discussed 

 —calmly and without personal feeling, 

 except it be of admiration for good work 

 accomplished. 



Note on Ennomos Autumnaria. 



" One honest Jolm Tompiins, a hedger and ditcher, 

 Although he was ijoor did not -n-ant to be riclier ; 

 For aU such vain wishes from him were prevented 

 By a fortunate habit of being contented. 



If anyone wronged him or treated him ill, 



"Why John was contented and sociable still, 



For he said that revenging the iajury done 



Was making two fools where there need but be one." 



—Old Song. 



" You wronged yourself to write in such a case." 



— Shakspeare. 



I do not intend my little warning to 

 your young readers to make two fools of 

 two old naturalists. I, however, have been 

 called upon to give some proof that I 

 know what I am writing about ; and as 

 Mr. Tugwell has promised to become one of 

 " my warmest supporters " if I can give him 

 any proof, I shall give him proof that the 

 eggs were not British by making an exact 

 quotation from a letter written by his Deal 

 friend, but decline his support with thanks. 

 Many of your readers have already accepted 

 my "ipse dixit," and feel sure I had some 

 dry povv^der (as is my wont) behind it. Well, 

 then, I shall quote from a letter signed 

 "believe me yours, R. Harbour," written in 

 September, 1881, which followed one written 

 a few days before to the same gentleman, in 

 which this person complains of Mr. Tugwell's 

 treatment. The oftener I read the letter the 

 more astounding it apppears. I shall, how- 

 ever, only copy as little of the thing as I can. 

 " One good turn deserves another, and as he 

 deceived me and told an untruth, what would he 

 think if I was to write to the Entomologist and 

 say that the eggs I sent him were from foreign 

 parents and not taken from a lamp (which is 



