Reviews and Extracts.—Natural History. 471 
Family, Zygce'nidce, —This insect frequents meadows, the margins of woods, 
sides of mountains, &c. It is abundant round London, appearing even in 
Kensington Gardens. Like the Zygednce, they fly in the sunshine, but not 
very briskly. In May and June they make their appearance, and are fond of 
the Thrift, {Stdtice aryiieria,) from whence the specific name. The larva feeds 
on Sorrel, {RUmex acetosa,) a specimen of which is given. Drapetis aterri- 
ma. —Order, Dtptera; Family, Tachydromidce.—'^x. Haliday says, “it is dis¬ 
tinguished from D. exilis by the abdomen being entirely deep glossy black in 
the living insects of both sexes. The sea coast seems its peculiar habitat, 
it having been seldom seen a hundred yards from high-water mark. 
4.— The Entomological Cabinet. By G. Samouelle, A.L.S. 
Monthly, with coloured plates, Foolscap 8vo. 2s.Qd. 
The Author of this little work informs us, that he intends the results of his 
thirty years' experience to be the means of rendering this periodical a “ Hand¬ 
book to the Juvenile, a Text-book to the Tyro, and a Magazine, to the Scien¬ 
tific.” Each number contains six engraving, coloured according to nature. 
The whole is written in plain simple language, and entirely free from the 
multitude of technical terms, such works generally contain. And we think 
from the style in which it is got up, that it is far from being dear, and is well 
worthy of receiving encouragement. 
o. —Magazine of Natural History ; edited by J. C Loudon, 
F.I/.S., &c., published every two mouths, 8vo. 35.6f?. 
No, 23, FOR January, 1832, 
Contains among other matters an interesting article on “The habits of the 
Barn Owl, or Screech Owl, (Strix fldmmea^ Linn. AlUcofldmmeus, Flemming,) 
and the benefits it confers on man, by Charles Waterton, Esq.” in which the 
writer, after detailing the method he took to induce the Owls to settle on a 
ruin of an old gateway, on his premises, states the following facts:— 
“Buffon and Bewick err, (no doubt unintentionally) when they say that 
the Barn Owl snores during its repose. What they took for snoring was the 
cry of the young birds for food. I had fully satisfied myself on this score 
some years ago. However, in December, 1823, I was much astonished to 
hear this same snoring kind of noise, which had been so common in the month 
of July. On ascending the ruin, I found a brood of young owls in the 
apartment. This year (1831) a pair hatched their young, September 7th. 
“If this useful bird caught its food by day, instead of hunting for it by 
night, mankind would have ocular demonstration of its utility in thinning 
the country of mice, and it would be protected and encouraged every where. 
It would be with us what the Ibis was with the Egyptians. When it has 
young, it will bring a mouse to the nest every twelve or fifteen minutes. But 
in order to have a proper idea of the enormous quantity of mice which this 
bird destroys, we must examine the pellets which it ejects from its stomach in 
the place of its retreat. Every pellet contains from four to seven skeletons of 
mice. In sixteen months from the time that the apartment of the Owl on the 
old gateway was cleaned out, there has been a deposit of above a bushel of 
pellets.” 
The writer also mentions an instance, which came under his own observa¬ 
tion, of this bird catching fish. 
