250 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



very attractive to moths. Here insects were 

 in plenty, but only species of general distri- 

 bution. E. fiammealis was very common, 

 and two or three pretty forms of Orbona were 

 secured. With such poor result I was reluc- 

 tantly convinced that either the district w s 

 not rich in Lepidoptera or else the season 

 was a bad one. 



But if Entomology was slow work, the sea 

 fisLing was grand. I had daily trips to sea, 

 and helped to take a lot of fine fish. Our 

 boat of two hand-lines took on several occa- 

 sions over forty fish, bass and pollack, many 

 of which weighed 151bs. each, and two hours' 

 bream-fishing often yielded over a hundred- 

 weight of handsome fish. To my mind sea- 

 bream is one of the best fish that comes to 

 table. It was exciting work to see the fish- 

 ermen haul up their &]^iTler line — that is a 

 long line with three hundred hooks or more* 

 baited with pieces of pilchard or other fish. 

 In one haul they caught twenty or thirty 

 immense skate or ray, many of which would 

 scale half-a-hundredweight each — they do get 

 them over a hundredweight. In addition to 

 these, they caught several red and grey 

 gurnet — the first is a truly magnificent fish 

 of the most intense scarlet — and a lot of the 

 beautiful wrasse, varied now and then by a 

 gigantic conger. These they get up to 901bs 

 and very ugly customers they are to settle as 

 they dash about the boat bottom. 



The principal fishing of Porthgwarra is for 

 crabs and lobsters, which are sent to London 

 alive in barrels. There are eight boats be- 

 longing to this little cove^ each carrying three 

 men as a rule (some have two men only), and 

 each boat works daily (weather permitting) 

 a fleet of crab-pots comprising two or three 

 tier of crab-pots (a tier is composed of about 

 fifteen pots, all connected together by a strong 

 rope, a distance of twenty yards or so between 

 each pot, and, of course, buoyed at either end. 

 In a good haul they have caught as many as 

 700 crabs in a fleet, but during my visit the 

 most I saw taken was 150 crabs, a few lob- 



sters, and an occasional crayfish. The inter- 

 esting part to me was lo see the many won- 

 derful curiosities that came up with these 

 pots— the most strange-looking spider-crabs, 

 star-fish, corallines, sea urchins, &c., &e. 

 The spider-crabs and star-fish would most 

 perversely throw off their legs and arms. I 

 much regretted that I had not some spirit to 

 drop them into. One could form a wonderful 

 collection in a short time in these crab-boats. 



Of the fishermen themselves I cannot speak 

 too highly. They are fine specimens of what 

 fishermen should be — steady, persevering, 

 and wonderfully sober, only four men in the 

 whole cove that were not abstainers, not only 

 from alcoholic drink, but tobacco also ! Their 

 comfortable homes and well and substantially- 

 dressed families told its own tale ; a nd for 

 kind hospitality to strangers, commend me 

 to Cornish people generally. My trip to 

 Cornwall, although barren of entomological 

 success, was certainly one of the most enjoy- 

 able I have ever had. 



P.S. — My family remained in Cornwall three 

 weeks longer than myself. They reported 

 Lepidoptera much more abundant than 

 during my stay, although they did not 

 notice anything rare. A few Edusa and 

 one Pale Clouded seen, but not captured. 



NOTES ON COLEOPTERA, 

 FOR BEGINNERS. 



By Dr. J. W. Ellis and Mr. Smedley, 

 Liverpool. 



Genus STENOLOPHUS. 

 A. Length over 2 lines : — 

 Thorax reddish; elytra reddish, with a 

 distinct blue-black spot on the hinder half, 

 through which passes the suture. Length, 



3 lines S, teutonus. 



Thorax reddish ; elytra red-yellow, passing 

 gradually into brown behind. Length, 2i 

 to 3 lines S. $linm$Mrmus, 



