NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
217 
only appears in abundance in bad flowering years, and that in those years the sugar 
(or starch), which should have been userl in producing pollen, and in fructifying 
the seed ovules is left in such excess that it has to be got rid of through the leaves. 
This is a theory which is worthy of the attention of all who take an interest in 
botanical natural history, and 1 believe it will be found to be true. I hardly ever 
knew the blossoms of the maple and lime to be so profuse as they have been this 
year, and I have seen no honey dew on either of them. 
Hampstecui, Peter Hastie. 
Seftemher 4, 1905. 
305. A good deal of correspondence has appeared in your paper on the 
subject of “ honey dew ” on lime trees. Perhaps a few notes on currant trees 
may be of interest. My observations were commenced on June 3 of this year. 
Ky that time the honey dew was covering the leaves of the currant trees in its 
greatest abundance, and continued in large quantities till about June 11. On the 
14th it w.as scarcer, and had materially decreased by the l6lh, although the 
weather had been very hot. It covered the upper surfaces of those leaves which 
were overhung by other leaves. The leaves at the lop of the trees, and those not 
overhung, were quite free from honey dew. Rain had little effect on the affected 
leaves, dulling the surface, but not washing off much of the viscid matter. The 
honey dew, as I repeatedly noticed, was always most abundant underneath those 
leaves where aphides were most thickly congregated, and was never found where 
there were no aphides. Now as regards the aphides. They were most abundant 
about June 3 to 6, and decreased after this, till by June iS they were very scarce. 
This decrease in numbers I attribute to the increase in the number of their natural 
enemies, chiefly lady-birds and their larvce, and larvx- of the Syrphus flies. 
Spiders, also, account for not a few. By July 19 all the aphides and honey dew 
had disappeared from the leaves, which were falling off. The honey dew is 
greedily sipped up by flies. Blue-bottles (Caliiphora), Green-bottles (Liicilia) and 
others. Once I found a hive bee sipping it early in the morning. Ants also 
enjoyed the feast, especially on June 8. When the honey dew decreased in 
amount, the ants no longer sipped from the leaves, but were to be found on the 
undersides of the leaves, “milking” the aphides, and this seems to point to the 
fact that honey dew is the accumulated secretions of aphides. 
Elmlea, Ehley, near Sltoud, R. H. Rogers. 
August 31, 1905. 
306. Roman Snails. — On a recent visit to the Shrewsfmry Museum I was 
surprised to see a tray of snail shells from the neighbouring Roman city of 
Uriconium, labelled Helix pomatia, which were all H. aspersa. On subsequently 
visiting Uriconium I was shown others, and was informed lhat they were met 
with in great numbers during the excavations, and were occasionally found 
imbedded in the ancient mortar. All I saw' were H. aspersa. The portion of the 
city as yet excavated consists of part of a civil basilica or exchange, and the public 
baths with some contiguous shops. As many bones of animals used for food, with 
shells of oyster and whelk (Buccinunt undatum), have also been found, it is 
probable that the Helix aspersa was also so used. This species has been stated 
to be, like Helix pomatia, of Roman introduction, and it is, I believe, doubtful 
if either species has been found in any pre-Roman deposits in this country. 
Helix posnatia occurs in, and still lives near, the Roman station at Chedworth, 
Gloucester, and is abundant along the line of the North Downs, far removed in 
many localities from any known Roman settlements ; but its apparent absence 
in the more northern city and its erroneous record as occurring there may prove 
of importance as a matter of distribution. I may remind our readers that 
Colchester native oysters have been identified among Roman remains as far 
afield as Gloucester. 
September 10, 1905. 
G. S. Boulger. 
