34 
THE NATURALISTS’ JOURNAL. 
captured, as neither attempted to fly. The same remark applies 
to another insect discovered among the grass, &c., the remarkable 
Raphidia or “ snake fly,” a most extraordinary looking object 
with its elongated “neck” or thorax, which was kept moving, 
though rather stiffly, from side to side as the insect walked, and 
when it stopped was raised from the ground in a very “cute look¬ 
ing” manner. Neither of these insects are true flies [Diptera), 
but belong to the same order as do the dragon-flies, viz., 
Neuroptera. The pond we now turned our attention to was of a 
different type to the previous ones. The banks were rather steep 
and there was not much vegetation upon them, but in the water there 
was a great abundance of the Canadian pondweed Anacharis 
alsinastrum, an excellent plant for the aquarium. It was intro¬ 
duced into this country accidentally, and at once proceeded to 
announce its arrival by spreading with great rapidity all over the 
country, and now it is a very frequent thing to meet with it. 
As, however, only the male plant was imported, the method of 
increase is not by seed, and this will perhaps bring some conso¬ 
lation to those whose canals and other waters have been choked 
up by this too-evident immigrant. The water spider was an in¬ 
habitant of this pond also, and I soon became the happy posessor 
of one. Caddis-worms were very common, and one case was 
made up entirely of the shells of small water-snails ( Planorbusg. 
but the usual building materials were pieces of aquatic plants. 
The common, but no less interesting Hemipetron, the water 
boatman ( Notonecta glanca ) occurred, and also the very similar 
larvae this being one of the insects that pass through an “ imper¬ 
fect” metamorphosis (see Mr. Durrant’s recent instructive papers 
on this subject). Two of the party who had been having a stroll 
on their own account here returned, one of them having secured 
a very nice lizard for his vivarium. 
We then left the ponds, and after a short walk across the com¬ 
mon, arrived in good time at the before-mentioned red building, 
where we sat down to a verv enjoyable tea in a sunny and well 
ventilated apartment. Here, though the appetite for food was 
appeased, the appetite for collecting was not, and one of the 
members who had been exploring the neighbourhood promised 
us some more good finds at a pond at no great distance, which 
was situated within the wooded district from which we had some 
hours before emerged. Thither, therefore, the partv bent their 
steps, and after a cool and shady avenue through the. wood had 
been traversed, the pond in question was sighted. It was of but 
small dimensions but looked deep, as still waters are wont to do 
in actual reality as in proverbs. A drag net possessed by one of 
the excursionists was here brought into requisition, the pond 
being eminently suited for such an instrument, Up came a huge 
mass of black mud, weeds, and debris generally, which was 
turned out on the bank and immediately became the centre of 
