154 



THE YOUNG 



NATUEALIST. 



A. affinis, Rhj/nconella^ segments of 

 Encriniie stem, small cup corals, frag- 

 ments of several pieces of coral, and a 

 fragment of a star fish — a very pretty 

 object. After leaving the cutting the 

 canal runs along an embankment, 

 at the bottom of which, under pieces 

 of moss-covered rock and coal thrown 

 out of the passing canal boats, we 

 found Cochlicopa tridens (common), 

 Zonites nitidus (pretty common), Z,cel- 

 larius and Helicc Mspida (uncommon), 

 two or three specimens of a minute 

 Zonites which at present we are unable 

 to name, and Helix rotundata (very 

 abundant). A little further on we 

 came to a small bridge through which 

 a little stream ran under the canal, 

 here among the moss and grass over- 

 hanging the arch we found a fair num- 

 ber of Clausilia rugosa. At the foot 

 of the bridge on pulling some of the 

 grass away we found Vitrina pellucida, 

 H» rotundata^ and Z. nitidus. Just 

 past here, in a small ditch in a field, 

 we found LimncBa peregra in abun- 

 dance. We next tried dredging the 

 canal, but found nothing except a dead 

 specimen of Dreissena polT/morpha, 

 The embankment and fields along the 

 sides were bright with Coltsfoot flowers, 

 [Tussilago farfara), while the hedges 

 were festooned with the long male 

 flowers of the Hazel (Corylus avellana). 

 We now turned our steps homewards, 

 caught a train again at Perry Barr, 

 and arrived in Birmingham very 



tired, but very well pleased with our 

 days excursion. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All communications to be sent to J. E. Bobson, 15, 

 Northgate, Hartlepool; or to S. L. Mosley Beau- 

 mont Park, Huddersfield. 



Subscriptions for Vol. Ill, are now due. 

 Weekly numbers or monthly parts, 6s.; 

 with plain plates ; or 8s. with coloured 

 plates. The latter cannot be obtained 

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C.H.H.W., Liverpool. — We have reared 

 D. tempU successfully by placing the 

 larvae in a large flower pot, and supplying 

 them with cut stems of cow parsnip 



(Hemcleum sphondylium.) 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 



Ants. — Now Mr, G. C. Bignell is good 

 enough to give us the family history of Ants, 

 I thought it apropos in mentioning that I 

 observed last summer, when rambling 

 through a v/ood near the New Forest, a 

 nest of Ants in the stump of a tree, and from 

 Mr. Bignell's description, I firmly believe 

 they were Formica, mfa. I watched the 

 movements of these busy creatures for some 

 time, and I observed (what I thought) a 

 singular fact, that many of them were 

 ejecting some clear fluid from the extremity 

 of the abdomen, which looked like small 

 dew drops, about, the size of a pin's head, 

 scattered over the decayed wood. On close 

 examination I found this fluid was some- 

 what gummy like, the viscid globules in a 

 spider's web, in fact I thought at once it 

 served as a species of bird-lime to detain 

 its prey. Can any of your correspondents 

 inform me whether this is a common 

 occurence? — Thos. W. King, 3, The Ter- 

 race, Camberwell. 



