TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
239 
the paling, but no ! he turned sharp round at right angles to the way he had 
come and made for the trunk of a fir tree, which, having reached, he proceeded 
to ascend, the caterpillar still in his jaws, never once having dropped it. He had 
climbed about three or four feet up when, load and all, he dropped right down 
to the ground ! but picking himself and his prey up, he recommenced his ascent 
without any hesitation. The peremptory summons of the dinner bell cut short 
any further observations, so I should be glad to know more of the habits of these 
insects. Do they carry caterpillars home for their partners to lay eggs in, or 
would this be the female that I saw ? and do they not use them alive for this 
purpose ? 
A. Pedder. 
[.Mr. Kirby says : “ The insect was not an ichneumon, but probably Etunenes 
coarctata, one of the solitary wasps, which provisions its nest with paralyzed 
caterpillars, and then deposits its eggs among them.” — E d. N.N'.'\ 
Water-wagtails and Cuckoo. — I wrote to you some time ago about the 
not over common sight of water-wagtails feeding a cuckoo. This year the same 
birds nested over one of our bow windows, and again brought up a young cuckoo. 
By chance or destiny it fell out of the nest and was picked up by my sister. As 
I did not then know where the nest was I put it in a cage, and watched both its 
foster father and mother feed it there on the lawn for some hours. After keep- 
ing the young gourmand for some days we placed it in an old nest on the ground, 
thinking that it was then old enough to avoid cals and other enemies with its 
parents’ help. It was fully fledged, and it soon left the place, and I hope by 
now is rejoicing in some sunny distant clime. 
Partridges are perhaps not the easiest of birds to watch, but this year I saw 
one very pluckily chase a dog for some twenty yards up the road along which I 
was driving, my dog having innocently run into the middle of a covey which 
had wandered out into the drive. 
Some friends of ours had a hen’s nest out in a hedge, and when the young 
ones came out they caught them and took them into a yard. Two partridges 
were seen to come round that yard, and strange to say, when the chickens were 
let out one went off with the partridges, and has continued ever since with its 
foster parents. It comes in sometimes to be fed. It will be curious to see the 
sequel when it grows up. I trust it will not be shot by mistake. 
Slaugham Park, Sussex. D. L. Secretan. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
W. J. — (i) Apparently a seedling china-aster. (2) Wood’s Common Shells 
of the Seashore. 
H. W. —If you will read the passages again, you will see that neither of your 
suggestions is tenable. 
M. P . — Agaricus laccatus ; Marasmius epichloe ; Thelephora laciniala (on 
whortleberry). 
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