NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
237 
Nature Notes. At a house at Shanklin, Isle of Wight, at which he was 
recently staying, the correspondent was shown the window by which a robin 
entered daily into the larder. At his first coming the bird was summarily ejected 
by the maids, but the little intruder was not to be denied, and soon found a 
friend in the lady of the house, who gave orders that he should be allowed carle 
blanche of the domestic stores. The bird’s visits were continued until one day 
the robin introduced his lady love to the household, bringing her close to the 
bounteous hostess, and chirping cheerily the while. Henceforth the pair paid 
daily visits, until the claims of the nest unavoidably prevented the little lady 
from attending her spouse. Eventually, however, the couple again made their 
appearance together, but they now proudly brought with them a promising 
family of five tiny birds, and, after a courteous farewell to their kind patroness, 
they departed for the season. 
A Cuckoo Myth. — In a recent issue of your paper some one stated that 
the young cuckoo ejects his foster-brothers. This is not true. So far back as 
1863, Charles Waterton said that “ no bird in creation could perform such an 
astonishing feat.” This story is everywhere associated with the name of Jenner, 
but his apologist, Dr. Norman Moore, in the “ Dictionary of National Biography,” 
admits that the account published in the works of the vaccinator is clearly not 
the result of his own observation. There ought to be no life left in the old 
falsehood now that Dr. Creighton, in his “Jenner and Vaccination,” states the 
facts once more. What Jenner says he saw, he shows to be incredible. The 
anatomical structure attributed to the young cuckoo “ has no existence.” 
Waterton, among others, has demonstrated its utter absurdity. 
Wolsingham , R.S.O., Durham. Joseph Collinson. 
Tadpoles in November. — A few days ago I had some tadpoles brought 
me. They have well developed hind legs, so are not very young. They were 
taken from a pond in the neighbourhood. It seems to me a very unusual 
occurrence for frogs to breed at this season, and it would be interesting to know 
if others have noticed any in other parts of the country. 
The Elms, Erith, Kent. ' Ernest Walker. 
[Is it not a fact that tadpoles from spawn produced at the usual season are 
sometimes arrested in their development, somewhat as in the Mexican Axolotl, 
and remain stationary for a more or less prolonged period ? — Ed. N.N.] 
Bees. — I have been much interested this year by noticing the enormous 
strength of the proboscis of the bee. This spring a swarm of bees got into the 
east side of our house, and, in spite of repeated attempts to dislodge them, 
established themselves for the summer, made honey and even swarmed. They 
came out through a crack in an old window frame, and one day when I was 
watching them I was much puzzled at a clicking sound proceeding from the 
window frame, and on examining I found that the bees were eating the wood 
away in order to enlarge the exit, I supposed for the sake of fresh air ; but when 
drones appeared I understood that the enlarged entrance was for their benefit. 
After this I was not surprised to see humble bees, large and small, boring 
through the calyx as well as the corolla of salvias to get at the honey, showing 
their inferior intelligence to the honey bees, who always go the shortest and 
easiest way to the treasure. M. S. Young. 
Solitary Ground Wasps. — This past summer I have been much in- 
terested in watching the operations of a species of wasp working out tunnels of 
earth some two inches deep in a bank, and depositing grubs to the number of 
seven or eight in the separate cells for the larvae to feed on. The wasps are about 
J in. long with black and yellow bands across the back. Can you kindly give 
any information, name, &c. ? J. Hiam. 
[The wasp about which you request information is probably either Odynerus 
parietum, or O. spinipes ; but it is difficult to say positively, as there are several 
species which burrow into earth and store maggots for the use of their larvae, 
and most of them are black with yellow bands. You will find an account of 
