NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
37 
traced the noise to a number of small bumble bees, which were continually 
passing in all directions. They flew mostly at heights varying from eight to 
twenty feet above the ground, but occasionally a bee was observed flying about 
three or four feet from the earth. Is it possible that this will explain Mr. Gibbons’ 
case? K. 11. Roger.s. 
Cainscross, n^ar Stroud, Gtos. 
83 . Autumn Insects.— (Copy of note) Septembtr it, i8q,^. At Trewhitt 
Hall, the shooting box of Lord Armstrong, on a plant of Sedum Telephium, 
in the bright sunshine in front of the house, William brown, the gardener, and 
myself, counted the following insects settling and fluttering about the flowers of 
the plant — one moth, five bumble bees (“ bummellers”), thirteen bees, twenty 
tortoise-shell butterflies, and eight peacock butterflies.” D. D. Dixon. 
Rolhbury, Northumberland. 
84 . Gossamer. — One day last autumn I passed a ploughed field covered 
with the webs of gossamer spiders ; and the oblicjiie rays of the sun reflected from 
the webs caused the surface of the field to look as if it were covererl with a light 
transparent glaze. It is impossible to compute the vast number of these tiny 
spiders required to cause an effect like this upon a single acre. The field was 
merely a sample of the country round. 
Market Weston, Thetford, Ed.mund Titos. Dauhenv. 
December, 1903. 
85 . Late Flowering Plants. — I see that Mrs. Brightwens list of 72 
species in flower was made in the first week in November. 
It may be of interest to some to see the list of flowers (57) which were in 
bloom in a friend’s garden in West Kirby, .about six weeks later, on December 15, 
1897. It seemed curious, I remember, to find .so many flowering just ten days 
before Christmas. This year, on November 23, I noticed in another friend’s 
drawing-room, primroses, Christmas roses and hollyhocks, while on the same 
day I had a quantity of monthly roses and pansies in my own garden. Christmas 
roses and monthly roses do not often bloom at the same time ! 
Achillea. 
Alyssum. 
Antirrhinum, .A.nnual. 
Auricula. 
Canariensis. 
Candytuft. 
Canterbury Bell. 
Carnation. 
Christmas Rose. 
Chrysanthemum. 
Coreopsis, Annual. 
,, Herbaceous. 
Corn Marigold. 
Crocus. 
Dianthus barbatus. 
,, Heddeweggi. 
Daisy (large white). 
,, (Michaelmas). 
,, (small white). 
„ (yellow). 
Dahlia. 
Eschscholtzia. 
Fuchsia. 
Gaillardia. 
Geranium. 
Geum. 
Golden Feather. 
Hollyhock. 
Larkspur. 
Dunrowan, West Kirby, 
Thursday, yanuary 7, 1904. 
Laurustinus. 
Lobelia <blue). 
,, (scarlet). 
,, (white). 
Marigold. 
Mignonette. 
Nasturiium. 
Pansy. 
Pentstemon. 
Phlox Drummondii. 
Polyanthus. 
Poppy (Iceland). 
,, (Oriental). 
„ (.Shirley). 
Potentilla. 
Primrose. 
Rose. 
Scabious (.Annual). 
,, (Perennial). 
Snapdragon. 
St. John’s Wort. 
Stock. 
Sunflower. 
Sweet Sultan. 
■Sweet Pea. 
\'iola. 
Violet. 
Wallflower. 
M. Sybilla Dalglish. 
