tufted duck's nest had been found, and I cannot do better than quote the letter, which is as follows:-"I will to-morrow send you, by carrier, an egg of the tufted duck, whose nest we have at last found, with nine eggs in it; it is among sedges and willows, made of sedges, and a slight lining of down. The male disappeared about a fortnight ago, and left his mate to bring up her family alone, as she did last year, when he was never seen, and I hope she will succeed as well this season, and that we may look for more of the family to breed with us another year." I had afterwards the satisfaction of seeing the nest; it was placed on a small island, near the middle of the pond. Last year (1860) three made their appearance on the same piece of water-one male and two females. I was at Wallington from the 17th to the 19th of May, and saw them all three, but could not find the nest. This is not the first account given of the tufted duck breeding in England. In the 'Zoologist' for 1850 (Zool. 2879) is a notice of a brood in Yorkshire, and in the 'Zoologist' for 1854 there is also an account of of the birds nesting at Osberton, in Nottinghamshire. My friend, Mr. Alfred Newton, of Elveden, says in a letter which I had the pleasure of receiving from him, that “in 1851 my brother Edward and myself were staying with our cousin, Lord Galway, at his place in Nottinghamshire, and the bailiff, a most intelligent man, told us of a pair of tufted ducks which, for the last two or three years, had frequented the water there (at Serlby), and hatched their young on an island." Thus, it appears, we have four well-authenticated instances of the tufted duck breeding in England.- John Hancock, in Transactions of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club, vol. v. part 1,

p. 40.

The Cormorant out for a Tour.—I have this day been favoured with the sight of a cormorant, which, strange to say, was shot at Ten Stanton, Huntingdonshire, by Mr. Mosely. This denizen of the sea was resting upon one of the above gentleman's outbuildings, and so odd a bird created, as might be expected, some little speculation and wonder. It was sitting in an upright position, and its entire contour presented something particularly unusual to persons not versed in Ornithology, coupled with the situation being distant from the sea some hundred miles. I have myself known of similar instances of the cormorant being shot inland, but in every case during a tornado or in the winter months. This specimen is a last year's bird.-S. P. Saville; Dover House, Cambridge.

Occurrence of the Hawk's-bill Turtle (Testudo imbricata) at Banff. By Mr. THOMAS EDWARD.

I HAVE just had the very great pleasure of receiving, from the Right Hon, the Earl of Fife, a magnificent specimen of the above reptile, accompanied by the following note:

66

Caught in a stake-net about three miles from Mount Duff, on Monday, July 29, 1861.-To Mr. Edward, Banff, with the Earl of Fife's compliments. - Duff House, Tuesday, July 30, 1861."

On inquiry I find that the place where it was taken is called Greenside, a spot not far from the promontory known as Gamrie Mhor, and is on the Earl's property. From this latter circumstance, I believe, and from the novelty of such a creature being taken there, 3 H

VOL. XIX.

it was at once despatched to his Lordship by the overseer of the fishings. It was alive when found; and the fishermen were not a little astonished at their capture, which they concluded to be a "monster tortoise." His Lordship too, I believe, was not less surprised than its captors, and expressed himself highly delighted with his present. For myself I cannot sufficiently express my estimation of the gift, or my gratitude to the noble donor for his kindness.

I never saw this species before; but I believe the present specimen to be in every way a very good representative of its race, and as such I venture to give a very brief summary of its appearance and dimen

sions:

Above the shell is of a fine mahogany colour, with lightish streaks or veins throughout the whole of the plates, which give it a marbled appearance. The animal itself, or at least that portion of its skin which is seen from above, is mostly of a brownish tint; underneath it is altogether of a most beautiful yellow, as also are the sides of the neck. The mandibles, if I may so speak, are of a horny hue and texture, and are very strongly and very thickly serrated. Shell 15 inches in length, 10 in breadth; of course it tapers considerably towards the extremities. Fore fin 10 inches in length; breadth from the tip of the fore fin to that of the hind fiu 27 inches: hind fin 5 inches in length, 15 in breadth. Head 4 inches in length, 10

in girth; neck about the same dimensions.

in length.

Tail about 2 inches

This is the first specimen of the kind I have had an opportunity of dissecting, and I must say that I was well repaid for my labour. I will not trouble the readers of the Zoologist' with details of the dissection; but there is one thing to which I wish to call attention. From what I had read I expected to meet with some cartilaginous protuberances in the throat; but on examining this purse-like passage I was surprised to find it, from the entrance to from four to five inches down, very thickly and very strongly beset with ivory-looking spines, inclined downwards, but movable in any direction. I expected to find a rough passage, but had no idea of meeting with such a host of long, thick spikes, most of them being about an inch in length, and all as sharp as pins, the points having a coppery look.

Has this species ever been met with before in the British seas? and if so, when and where ? I should feel greatly obliged for information on the subject.

Banff, August 1, 1861.

THOMAS EDWARD.

PS. I learn that another specimen of the above species has been taken, also in a salmon-net, at a place called Pennan. Pennan is in Aberdeenshire, and only a few miles from where the first was caught. This one, I believe, has been kept alive, and its captors are astonishing the natives, who are flocking from far and near to see the "rare fish."-T. E.; August 17.

On a Spider (Neriene errans) inhabiting Coal Mines.-During the commencement of last year my attention was directed to the immense sheets of web-like material which abound in the "waste" or old workings of the Pelton Colliery. These webs attain a most gigantic size, some of them having been seen upwards of twenty or thirty feet in length, by four or five in height, and some even more, and they all, in consequence of the coal dust with which they are densely covered, present an opaque blackish appearance. I was informed that they had generally been considered to be the mycelium of a fungus, but not feeling at all convinced of this I determined to subject them to a more rigid examination than they had yet received. For this purpose, in February, 1860, I descended the pit with two of the wastemen, from whom I learned en route, and soon afterwards ascertained from actual experience, that, however interesting a subject they might be to the naturalist, they formed most disagreeable impediments to the progress of any one passing through them; these men also assured me that they were, in their opinion, not Fungi, but most certainly spiders' webs, and that furthermore they had often seen minute spiders engaged in spinning them. This fact was completely verified on our arriving at the locale where the webs were the most plentiful, as I at once detected on them scores of small spiders, some busily occupied in the fabrication of the webs, and others rapidly dropping to the ground on our approach. By subsequent and more extended observations I remarked that these insects are eminently gregarious, assembling in large numbers to construct fresh webs, or to repair any rents or damages in the older ones, and also that their continual abode in the total darkness of the coal-pit does not seem to have deprived them of their susceptibility to light, as on the approach of the lamps they may be seen scampering about in great agitation, and dropping from their webs to the floor of the galleries. Would it not be an interesting problem to solve, whether, after the total absence of light for several generations, as it must frequently happen, their eyes still retain the same faculty of transmitting the image of objects to the retina as they possessed before their conversion into " miners," or whether their apparent commotion derives its origin from some other sense than that of sight?-David P. Morison, in ‘Transactions of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club,' vol. v. part 1, p. 49. [The reader is referred to a previous record of Mr. Morison's interesting discovery, by Mr. Meade, in the 'Zoologist' for 1860 (Zool. 7146). -Edward Newman].

Note on the Irish Zygænæ. · The remarks of my friend Edward Newman (Zool. 7676), respecting the Irish Zygænæ, will no doubt lead many of the readers of the 'Zoologist' to suppose that M. Guenée has examined a number of specimens, and

considers that two species have been confounded under the name of Z. Minos. This is not the case he has only seen two individuals which I sent him some years since. In a letter to me, dated May 25th, 1861, he says: "I have examined with great attention an Irish Zygana which you seut me some time ago, and which I regarded as a simple variety of Z. Minos. The two individuals which I received from you are identical with those which I took in 1858, at Bourg d'Oysaurs (Hautes-Alpes), and also with two specimens which I have received from the mountains of the Tyrol. I am now inclined to regard this Zygana as a separate species, proper to mountainous countries. It differs from the typical Minos in the border of the inferior wings, and especially by their internal angles, which are tipped with dark gray; by the red spot upon the superior wings, which extends as far as the cellular bifurcation; and lastly, by the body, which is more hairy, and of dark brownish black instead of blue. This Zygæna flies in the open fields of the mountains, and does not appear to seek shady places as Minos does with us. It is known in Germany by the name of nubigena ; and although this name is bad, I believe we must adopt it, in order that we may not introduce confusion into this genus, already so difficult." I have thought it right to give the remarks of my friend in his own words. Whether the Irish Zygæna is anything more than a local variety of Minos time may perhaps prove. — Henry Doubleday; Epping, August 19, 1861.

Zygana Minos in Scotland. — You ask (Zool. 7676) for information concerning the occurrence of reputed Zygæna Minos in East and West Scotland. A short time after writing my papers on the geographical distribution of Sphingina, finding Messrs. More and Stainton both very suspicious of the eastern locality, I wrote to the party who had taken the insect (R. Thomson, Viewhill via Kairo). He informed me that, not having the Manual' when he took the insect, he got a friend to name it, but that it turned out to be only Z. Filipendulæ. About the same time I had two or three letters from Mr. A. Somerville, of 328, Renfrew Street, Glasgow. He had unfortunately given all his Z. Minos away; but he writes: "When in Oban, in 1854, though not a very scientific entomologist at that time, I met with two species of insects which my brother and I assigned as moths, though one looked more like a Hymenopterous than a Lepidopterous insect. These species were Zygana Minos and Procris Statices. The former was quite distinguishable from Z. Filipendulæ, having an elongated blotch instead of several spots. The way in which I afterwards found that it was Z. Minos and nothing else that we had found was from the ‘Annual' for 1855, which I did not see until some time after it was published; but in the plate for that year I recognize the Oban insect." If you consult the back volumes of the 'Intelligencer' (vol. vi. I think), you will find a note by Prof. Wyville Thomson, of 6, University Terrace, Belfast, stating that he also met with Z. Minos in West Scotland. While on this subject I may mention that I am positive Zygæna exulans will turn up in Scotland some day. It occurs from the Pyrenees to Lapland, and the elevation at which it occurs in South Europe is the same as that of Erebia Cassiope, viz., 6000 feet. I do not think any of the Lapland mountains at all approach that elevation.—William F. Kirby; 33, Mornington Crescent; July 31, 1861.

[Believing this to be a fair summary of the existing evidence on the subject, I think every reader will consider it insufficient to establish Z. Minos as a Scotch insect. 7. Filipendulæ occurs in all parts of Scotland, often having the elongated red blotch instead of several spots, and still more often denuded of its scales, and having the semihyaline appearance of Z. nubigena.-Edward Newman.]

Larva of Clostera anachoreta. In my description of the larva of Clostera anachoreta (Zool. 7681) I have said that Mr. Cooper was not aware of the value of his capture until the perfect insect emerged. My friend Mr. Doubleday writes :

Sidney Cooper was not aware that the insect which he bred was C. anachoreta until, some time afterwards, he saw my specimens of C. curtula, which he said were different from the insect he bred, which therefore was no doubt anachoreta." I exceedingly regret to find that I have annoyed a very liberal entomologist by saying the localities given for this insect were “calculated (if not designed) to lead our assiduous larva-hunters astray." When I wrote this I had no doubt that the vague definition "home counties" was designed to put our exterminating dealers "off the scent,"-a design, by the way, I considered highly praiseworthy. I now, however, most cheerfully withdraw all that I wrote on this species, save and except the description of the laiva.-Edward Newman.

Description of the Larva of Acronycta Alni.—The larva of this scarce species has an appearance remarkably striking and conspicuous. One was brought me on the 3rd instant. It was found reposing on a leaf of the common dock by the road-side, under a hedge the principal part of which consisted of sloe bushes, in an open part of the country, where the trees were but few and far between and vegetation in general exceedingly scant; about as unlikely a spot, altogether, to produce the species as could well be conceived, the nearest wood-in which, by the bye, I took a specimen of the perfect insect at sugar five years ago, a fact recorded in the Intelligencer' for 1856, p. 109—being about two miles distant. Sloe it refused to touch, as well as elin, sycamore, sallow, willow, bramble and wild rose, passed without notice over oak, ash and hazel, but seized upon a leaf of hawthorn, which it began eagerly to devour, relinquishing it to feed on alder, when a leaf of the plant was presented to it. That this, however, could not have been the kind of food it had been subsisting on previously is clear, from the fact that the plant does not occur nearer the spot than at the wood alluded to above. On the 7th it began to spin itself up among the upper leaves of the plants I had placed at its disposal, although a bed of loose mould was underneath in which it might have buried itself had it chosen to have done so. This larva does not appear to be up to any particular dodge on being disturbed, such as falling down as though suddenly attacked with epilepsy, or putting on the semblance of death, but will bear handling without manifesting much uneasiness or exhibiting signs of great annoyance. The head is moderately broad, intensely black and glossy body intensely black, but not glossy, of uniform size throughout: legs, like the head, glossy black. Down the back a row of large oblong spots, placed transversely, of bright yellow (bordered in my specimen with white). From each side of each segment of the body springs an object, long, slender and flat, more resembling a fine thin strip of whalebone than a hair or bristle, each of which has a spade-like termination; like the head and legs these appendages, which render a mistake in the creature's identity next to impossible, are glossy black.-S. Stone; August 10, 1861.

Occurrence of Leucania Elymi in England. - The Leucania announced on the wrapper of the Zoologist' has been identified by M. Guenée (to whom Mr. Doubleday was kind enough to send one of the specimens I captured) with Nonagria Elymni of Treitschke. I must beg to say that the honour of first capturing the insect in England is due to Mr. Winter, though I believe he only preceded me by some three or four minutes. Its habits are very retired, and I saw none at dusk, though its light colour would render it conspicuous.-G. R. Crotch; Weston-super-Mare, August 21.