1890.] 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



133 



anchovies were found yesterday all over the Firth, and also quite close 

 to the mouth of the river Annan. The discovery is of great interest 

 to naturalists. — Newcastle Daily Journal, 315^ May, 1890. 



Small Specimen of A. cardamines. — I was fortunate in taking a 

 male specimen of this species near here, on May 24th, which measures 

 only i-| inch from tip to tip. Authors frequently mention dwarf 

 specimens of ij inches expanse, but I have not read of one so small 

 as this. — A. E. Hall, Sheffield. 



This is certainly exceedingly small. I have a male expanding only 

 1.2 inches, taken here, and another given me by Mr. Gregson, expand- 

 ing 12.5 inches. The former looks much smaller than the latter, though 

 the difference is so slight. Mr. Hall's specimen is less than mine. — 

 John E. Robson, Hartlepool. 



The Hornet Clear-Wing. — I have had the pleasure of breeding 

 this beautiful insect (Sesia apiformis) this year for the first time, and 

 venture to hope that the following notes may be of interest. Early in 

 the New Year (1890), a small log of wood was sent to me bearing 

 traces of attack from some wood-boring insect. Some half-dozen holes 

 about the size of the little finger were drilled in the log perpendicularly, 

 as though they had been burnt with a hot iron. On splitting the block 

 open, a caterpillar of a reddish colour was found in one of the tubes, 

 which, being somewhat injured by the process was placed in spirits, 

 and the wood laid aside. I went shortly after to the plantation whence 

 the wood had been brought, four mile south of Carlisle, and was shewn 

 the stump of the young tree which had been left in the ground. It was 

 a willow sapling, about three inches in diameter, and quite close 

 to the soil, at the crown of the root I detected the horizontal 

 opening which the caterpillars had drilled when entering the young 

 tree. Having noted these particulars it remained for me to await the 

 emergence of the imago before venturing to give a definite opinion on 

 the nature of the insect. 



In the afternoon of Saturday, May 31st, I went into the room where 

 my breeding is done, and was astonished to see a gaudy wasp-like 

 insect resting on my log of wood. Wasp, hornet, sirex, and other names 

 were instantly on my lips, but in a moment the ' clear- wing' gave clue. 

 Looking about me I found that another imago had escaped its swad- 

 dling bands and flown to the window, and a further examination gave 

 evidence of life in one or two more of the holes. The creature is too 



