124 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



normal form of the eggs in colour, &c., but 

 the colouring matter is nearly all at the 

 broad end. The other two are still nearer 

 the type, except the size. We have had no 

 previous knowledge of a skylark laying in 

 confinement, and the two first eggs are 

 exceedingly curious. — Eds. Y.N. 



Anodun Cygnia. — We found, the other 

 day, a quantity of empty shells of Anodon 

 cygnia in the mud at the bottom of a pond 

 which had been emptied last autumn. Can 

 any of the readers of the Y.N. tell us any 

 thing about their habits and the way they 

 live ? We shall be glad to send specimens 

 to any one who would care for them.--(Miss) 

 N. Prescott Decie, Bockleton Court, Ten- 

 bury, Worcestershire. 



IN RE AUTUMNARIA. 



" Magna est Veritas et prcBvalebit, 



As Mr. Gregson fails to submit to the 

 Editors of this Journal, the letter from 

 which he professedly made his extract (see 

 page 92), after my challenge to do so, and Mr. 

 Harbour's positive denial of its truthfulness 

 (see page 107), the reason is too significant 

 to need comment, and virtually puts Mr. 

 Gregson out of court. He boasts in his 

 letter of having a supply of "dry powder." 

 If this is a sample of it, his friends should 

 carefully guard him from using an article 

 so destructive to his own reputation ! This 

 controversy was commenced by Mr. G. 

 professing to teach young naturalists ento- 

 mological ethics and caution ; but the lesson 

 mil be to avoid the very questionable tactics of 

 their would-be guide, whom I will now leave 

 with this large " thorn in the flesh ! " May 

 it do him good ! 



And now as a proof of Ennomos Autum- 

 naria being a long established Deal and 

 South Coast insect, I will quote an extract 

 from a letter I received from Mr. Sidney 



Webb (dated Feb. 23rd, 1882.) This 

 gentleman has long been known as one of 

 our ablest British Lepidopterists. " Ali- 

 NARiA ( — Autumnaria) is an insect very easy 

 to overlook in cabinets, and last October when I 

 called on Mr. Sidney Smith, of Walmer, he 

 showed me his specimen taken off a lamp in 

 Castle Street, Walmer, many years ago, and yet 

 although he had this as a guide, I pointed out to 

 his great surprise three specimens amongst his 

 tiliaria, one with pennaria, two with fuscan- 

 taria!" This important item of infor- 

 mation, coupled with my own published 

 account of the insect, extending as far back 

 as 1878, entitles me to say that I have 

 proved beyond dispute my point of discus- 

 sion, that is that the Deal specimens of 

 E. autumnaria are Genuine British Moths. 

 " Palmam qui meriut ferat.'' 



W. H. TuGWELL, Greenwich. 



INSECTS DURING WINTER. 



We have received a number of the Rivista 

 ScientificO'-industriale e Giornale del Naturalista, 

 an Italian publication, devoted to natural 

 science. A novel feature in our experience 

 is an appendix containing a brief summary 

 of the principal articles in three different 

 languages, French, German, and English, 

 We extract the English summary of an 

 article headed as above. 



" The rivers whilst overflowing are carry- 

 ing along a great deal of vegetable fragments, 

 to which are stuck numerous shipwrecked 

 insects. The entomologist can find many 

 species in different localities in searching 

 amongst these fragments on the banks of 

 rivers. In this manner Mr. Piccioli found 

 at Florence the blind Staphilina, Glyptomerus 

 etrusciis, Pice. 



In the season of rains the carnivorous and 

 phytophagus insects belonging to the sub- 

 terranean fauna are obliged to creep up to 

 the surface of the ground in search of air to 

 breathe. In these conditions many blind 



