THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



45 



gathering being both useful and pleasant. 

 If the proposal is not to be utterly abortive, 

 like so many other suggestions of the kind, 

 those interested must please communicate 

 with us quickly, and say what they are dis- 

 posed to do. If our suggestion be not en- 

 tertained, we shall be glad to receive others, 

 and also to know who would be disposed to 

 read papers, and on what subject ; also 

 what exhibits would be made. If we could 

 make any definite announcement on the 

 subject, there would be much greater chance 

 of the gathering being brought about. The 

 date is also necessary to be fixed, and we 

 would suggest Easter Monday or Whit Mon- 

 day as two suitable days. 



QUERIES. 



7- 



Nightingale. — Does the nightingale 

 breed in, or regularly visit any part of 

 Teesdale.— L.F. 



8. 



Ferns. — What is the best way to grow 

 such ferns as Asplenmm Trichomones, and 

 Ruta-muraria in cultivation ? — L.F. 



9- 



BuRNETS. — What is the difference between 

 Zygana lonicerce and trifolii, and are the 

 differences sufficient to make two distinct 

 species ; also does any one know of a locality 

 where the two are found together ? — L.F. 



10. 



Magnesium Light for Attracting In- 

 sects. — Has any one tried the effects of 

 magnesium light for attracting lepidoptera, 

 as suggested in the Young JSaturalist, vol. i., 

 in an extract from Les Feuilles des Jeunes 

 Naturalists ? If so, with what results ? — 

 M. H. 



II. 



The Morel. — Can any reader of the 

 Tmmg Naturalist tell me why the morel 

 only acquires its peculiar flavour after being 

 dried ?— B.W. 



REPLIES. 



3- 



Anchomenus Prasinus. — I have little 

 knowledge of the habits of this little beetle, 

 but it is so common that if it had the power 

 of emitting an explosion it would certainly 

 have been observed by more than one. But 

 there appears to be some error in the refer- 

 ence that I ca nnot explain. No allusion what- 

 ever to this beetle is made in the passage in 

 Kirby and Spence respecting crepitating 

 species. The entire paragraph in Kirby and 

 Spence is worth reproducing and is as fol- 

 lows : " I shall now introduce to you the true 

 counterparts of the skunk, which explode a 

 most foetid vapour from the ordinary passage 

 and combat their enemies with repeated dis- 

 charges of smoke and noise. The most famous 

 for their exploits in this way are those beetles 

 which on this account are distinguished by 

 the name of bombardiers (BracMnus) . 

 The most common species (B. ci'epitans), 

 which is found occasionally in many parts 

 of Britain, when pursued by its great enemy, 

 Calosoma inquisitor, seems at first to have 

 no mode of escape, when suddenly a loud 

 explosion is heard, and a blue smoke, 

 attended by a very disagreeable scent, is 

 seen to proceed from its anus, which im- 

 mediately stops the progress of its assailant ; 

 when it has recovered from the effect of it, 

 and the pursuit is renewed, a second dis- 

 charge again arrests its course. The bom- 

 bardier can fire its artillery twenty times in 

 succession if necessary, and so gain time to 

 effect its escape ; and, what is still more 

 remarkable, Mr. Holme found that by 

 pressing the abdomen near the anus the 

 discharges may be produced after death. 

 In this way two specimens which had been 

 dead eighteen hours gave, one fifteen, and 

 the other nineteen discharges before being 

 exhausted, and he even obtained explosions 

 from some specimens which had been dead 

 four days ; but most of these, along with 

 the noise, discharged a black grainy fluid 



