LETTEES FEOM ALABAMA. 
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flying, half crawling, carrying a larva of a lamelli- 
corn beetle in its month, as big and long as my 
little finger, indeed mnch larger and heavier than 
itself ; I was told that it is in the habit of burying 
these in the ground. Doubtless, like many other 
similar insects, it stupifies the larva, without killing 
it, and then lays its egg in the hole with it^ so that the 
young, as soon as hatched, finds its food thus ready 
prepared for it. The insect is somewhat clumsy in 
its motions, even when unencumbered ; sometimes 
fluttering along the ground thus, a few inches at a 
time, so slowly as easily to be caught, at other 
times flying fairly enough, but with a heavy lum- 
bering flight. I do not believe that it is poisonous, 
or, if it is, that it readily exerts its powers. 
In the yard surrounding the school, is a hole in 
the sandy earth, in which sits a Toad {Bufo musicus). 
The hole is just wide enough to hold him, but 
nine or ten inches deep. He stations himself just 
at the mouth, with his sapient head and brilliant 
eyes peeping out. If a stick is presented to him, 
he snaps fiercely at it, but if pressed, retires to the 
bottom of his cell, returning however to the mouth 
immediately. I presume his occupation there is to 
look out for any hapless insect that may chance 
that way. We dig him out and he hops away ; 
very nimbly, considering he is but a toad. 
Three or four species of butterflies have fallen 
under my notice since my last, which I had not 
before observed. Two of them are very little, the 
Red-lined Ringlet {HipparcMa areolata)^ and the 
Silver-spotted Ringlet {H. gemma). They are 
much alike, both dusky on the upper surface, 
and beneath marked with a few eye--spots ; the 
former has two * reddish-brown lines crossing the 
