376 Natural-Historical Collections. 
at the extremities, and are of equal thickness at both ends, precisely like those in 
the oviducts of several reptiles before me. The shells only are preserved, and one 
of them is broken, which shows its inner surface. ‘They have a uniform dull 
white colour, and are much more thin and translucent than birds’ eggs of the 
same size. They measure 12 inch in length, and &ths of an inch in breadth. 
When we examine the outer surface of the shell with a lens, in place of finding 
the uniform opacity and compact texture of a bird’s egg, we observe that the cal- 
careous matter is so deposited in the membrane, as to present a beautiful reticu- 
lated or cellular appearance, not by the formation of actual cells, for the surface 
is quite smooth and uniform, but merely by the white opaque earthy matter hay- 
ing so disposed itself in the transparent membrane, as to appear like so many mi- 
nute cells, with a transparent centre. The inner surface of the broken shell does 
not present this reticulated appearance, the white earthy matter being there de- 
posited in separate particles, and giving the whole a minute granular appearance, 
when viewed through a lens. 
“¢ This is not the kind of information you expected to receive about the eggs 
of this remarkable animal, which Lesson considers as a bird, Cuvier as a quad- 
ruped, and Geoflroy as a reptile, and I am sure it is not that kind which I should 
have been delighted to have been able to communicate to you.” 
New British Habitat for the Convallaria verticillata; by JoHN BALFOUR, 
Esa. President of the Plinian Society, §c.—Our zealous friend, Mr. Balfour, 
has lately communicated to the Plinian Society a new habitat, which he disco- 
vered last August, for the Convallaria verticillata, or narrow-leaved Solomon’s 
Seal, which this gentleman considers to be decidedly the rarest of British spe- 
cies. Only one locality of this plant was before known, viz. Den Rechip, a deep 
woody valley between the hills of Stormont, Perthshire, about four miles north- 
east from Dunkeld, where it was found by Mr. Arthur Bruce. The station in 
which Mr. Balfour discovered it is more than twelve miles from Dunkeld, in the 
woods of Craighall, Baron Clerk Rattray’s estate, about three miles from Blair- 
gowrie. There it grows in some quantity, far from any garden, and in a situa- 
tion where it seems distinctly indigenous. The plant is not found in England, 
and therefore this is the second station for it in Britain. It occurs frequently in 
Lapland, in the Pyrenees, &c. 
Discovery of «a New Insect of the Genus Pterostichus ;. 6y W. C. HEwitT- 
son, Ese. Entomological Curator of the Nat. Hist. Soc. of Newcastle.— 
I send you the following brief notice of an entirely new insect, of the rare 
genus Pierostichus, and, until lately discovered here, unknown to Britain. It 
attords another striking proof of the extreme locality of insects occurring for a 
short time in considerable abundance near Newcastle, though not yet detected 
in any other district. It frequents the woody deans in this neighbourhood and 
has not been found in any other situation,—inhabiting beneath stones, being, 
very active when disturbed, and though plentiful on the 18th of October last, ° 
when I had the pleasure of first discovering it, and of taking upwards of twenty 
specimens in one hour, yet on the 6th November it had almost disappeared. It 
ranks amongst the largest of our Adephagous insects, and is a valuable addition 
to the British cabinet. 
Our correspondent, Mr. Hewitson, has sent.-us a list of insects, desiderata in 
his cabinet. We are anxious to promote exchanges between collectors, as the 
only mode of forming museums, particularly in the entomological and botanical 
departments, and we earnestly invite our friends to forward to us lists of their rare 
duplicates and desiderata, that we may become the medium of interchange. It is 
not possible for us to communicate otherwise than by letter,—our space is incom- 
patible with the publication of the lists. However, by comparing them, we may: 
he able to inform the collector where he may supply his wants. We hope to re-. 
ceive from Mr. Hewitson a description of the Pierostichys which he has discovered,. 
