CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 159 



must either swim about in the water, descending to the ah' to breathe, 

 and never touch the earth, or they must move on the ground in this 

 dense stratum of air, and, excepting- the Pterodactyli, which have wings, 

 not be able to get to the water ; both of which notions appear to me 

 incomprehensible, and, according to their conformations, are next to 

 impossible. 



By inserting this you will much oblige a constant reader of your 

 excellent Magazine. 



I beg leave also to state to P. W. that the Cornu Ammonis is not a 

 snail, but a Cephalopod. 



William Fowler. 



February 12th, 1834. 



Wintering of the house fly. — In the last number of your Field 

 Naturalist, I observe that your correspondent M. of Southampton 

 mentions it as a remarkable circumstance that he had a common house 

 fly in his room so late as the 16th of January. I was myself surprised at 

 their long stay with us ; but such has been the extraordinary mildness 

 of the season, that I have seen them every day, up to the present 

 moment, with the exception of a few days that I was from home, during 

 which interval, I am told, they did not forsake theirs. Sometimes one 

 fly only has appeared for days in succession, at other times several would 

 appear together. Many times, both in January and February, I have 

 taken one, sometimes two, out of the milk. They seem to have little 

 strength, for they will admit of very near approach before they take 

 flight ; and upon one occasion, seeing one fly from a dish of broccoli on 

 to the table, I very gently placed a small piece of that vegetable near 

 him, upon which he immediately began to feed, without any apparent 

 alarm. At this moment, February 18th, there are two in the room. 

 The wintering of these insects appears much more mysterious than that 

 of the swallows, about which so much has been written. I should be 

 happy to see a satisfactory account of their migrations*. 



E. K. 



St. PauVs Church Yard, \%th February. 



The cat and the rabbit, &c. — Your having favoured a former 

 communication of mine, on the habits of tame birds, with a place in 

 the " Field Naturalist," induces me to hope for the like indulgence 

 now. I have always been fond of studying the habits both of birds 



* The Natural History of the House Fly is still obscure. — Editor. 



