236 
NATURE NOTES 
eat much more than usual, in fact he finished a large cupful of food, and flew 
away and has never been seen since. He may have been frightened away, as that 
evening we had the garden lit up, a band, and a number of people. But he 
certainly had his large meal long before anybody arrived, so probably he had 
made up his mind to go that night, or early next morning. 
Foxholes, Lorna J. Horsman Bailey. 
September, 1904. 
188. Aquarium Molluscs. — Mr. Hall did not, of course, on p. 210 , attack 
Linneea, the “ little northern plant, long overlooked, depressed, abject, flowering 
early,” which Linne himself chose to commemorate his own name. He wrote 
Linmaa and was referring to the pond-snail whose name thus differs in one letter 
only from a very different organism. — Ed. N.N. 
189. River Limpets. — Conchologists were interested to hear the announce- 
ment, in 1903, of the discovery of a peculiar habit of the freshwater limpets 
(Ancyhcs) inhabiting the Chaco country of Argentina. These limpets were 
stated to develop a plate which closed the entire open base of their hood-shaped 
shells, with the exception of a small perforation over the lungs, which was left for 
breathing purposes. This contrivance is made in order to resist the drought, as 
the ponds dry up in summer in that district. It would be interesting to know if 
our two indigenous species of British river-limpet practise the same device. 
\V. R. D. 
190. Glow-worm. — I was much interested to see, in the Editor’s answer to 
a query in this month’s Nature Notes concerning a glow-worm with wings, 
that it was his opinion that the male glow-worm is a winged and non-luminous 
creature, while the female has no wings, but glows. I have collected glow-worms 
for some years and have twice found male glow-worms in conjunction with the 
female. The male, which is a little beetle about half the size of the female and 
with chestnut-brown wings covering the whole of its body, possesses two bright 
luminous spots on either side of its terminal segment. So it may be said with 
truth to glow. May I also add that I have once caught one of these little “ fire- 
flies ” in the house at night, no doubt attracted by the light. They are, however, 
not sufficiently numerous to call for much attention in this country. 
A. L. H. 
191. “ The males, as well as the pupa;, larva;, and even the eggs, are slightly 
luminous.” (Westwood, “Classification of Insects,”i., p. 250.) “The male 
(pupa) exhibits the rudiments of the elytra and wings.” (Fowler : “ British 
Coeleoptera,” iv., p. 1 30.) Probably your correspondent’s insect was a male 
pupa, and might have been carried into the house by a dress, or by a snail, as 
both larva and perfect insect feed on snails. 
16, Belsize Grove, N. IV. E. A. Elliott. 
September 19, 1904. 
192. .Some years back I was walking through some woods in west Sussex 
on a very wet night and noticed on the road a sort of zigzag track like a thin 
thread of electric light wire — it was caused by a small black beetle, which I 
caught and examined. W. A. Shaw. 
193. A “Goat” Caterpillar in Difficulties. — A short time ago a 
friend sent me a fine goat caterpillar. I at once placed it in a suitable “ cage” 
and gave it what I considered to be the kind of wood which it would eat. 
However, it would have nothing to do with it, and for some weeks lived on an 
exclusive diet of stout cardboaid, which it seemed to enjoy immensely, judging 
by the quantity it ate. One day it got into difficulties. It had eaten a small 
round hole through the cardboard wall of a box and had then attempted to 
srjueeze through instead of climbing over the top. But most unfortunately it had 
stuck fast half way through. We at once held a consultation as to what should 
be done, and decided that it would be best, for a while at any rate, to leave the 
poor fellow to try to extricate himself unaided. And he tried very hard to do so, 
but to no jHirpose ; so we determined to operate at once, and started by cutting 
out a circular piece of board with the captive in the centre. Having done this, 
we cut down gently until we reached him, but found it an exceedingly difficult 
