noticed a larva of the moth devouring one of the cocoons on the back of its neighbour, evidently mistaking it for a seed of the plant, which it exactly resembles in form. Dr. Knaggs also exhibited the living larvæ of Clostera anachoreta, reared from the eggs deposited by a female bred during the present summer. Mr. Waring exhibited some beautiful specimens of Noctua sobrina, N. neglecta and Ypsolophus juniperellus, taken in Scotland by Mr. Bouchard, during the past summer. Mr. Waterhouse stated that he was anxious to correct three errors in his Catalogue of British Coleoptera, which had lately come to his knowledge; they consist of three species introduced into the list upon the authority of other entomologists, viz.:— Homalota subterranea, Mulsant; Haploglossa rufipennis, Kraatz, introduced on the authority of Mr. Janson; and Ceuthorhynchus uliginosus, Walton, taken from Mr. Walton's list of British Curculionidæ. The Homalota subterranea of Mr. Janson I find, from the inspection of a specimen received from Mr. Janson by the British Museum, is the same as Homalota scapularis of my Catalogue. The Haploglossa rufipennis of Mr. Janson is = Haploglossa pulla of my Catalogue, and is clearly not identical with H. rufipennis of Kraatz, of which there are specimens received from Dr. Kraatz in the Museum collection. The insect sometimes has the elytra pitchy black and sometimes rufescent, and has been recently taken in considerable numbers by Mr. Brewer, Mr. Rye and Mr. Lewis, always in the vicinity of the nests of the sand martin. Ceuthorhynchus uliginosus of Walton is represented by a specimen presented by Mr. Walton to the British Museum, which I have carefully examined, and which proves to be Caliodes didymus. It has a distinct rostral groove continued to the middle coxæ. A second specimen, named by Mr. Walton, is in Mr. Dale's collection, and has been kindly forwarded to me by its owner for examination; this is clearly a rubbed specimen of Ceuthorhynchus litura, as Mr. F. Smith had determined before I saw it. Mr. Stainton read "A few Words on the Synonymy of Laverna Langiella." Something like an Aquarium.—I have received a copy of the 'National Intelligencer,' Washington, September 26, in which is an account of the Boston Zoological Gardens. It appears from the following that our American brother naturalists have a tame whale and a pet dolphin, for we read :-"In the same tank with the white whale are two sturgeons, seven feet in length, likewise a fine specimen of a shark. There are also fifty other tanks, filled with fresh and salt water fish of the choicest specimens. Six hundred gallons of pure sea-water passes through the entire building per minute: the pipes for conveying the water are laid down through the streets of the city the same as ordinary water-pipes: eight hundred and sixty-four thousand gallons of this water passes through the central tank (which has a circumference of seventy-nine feet) per day."-F. T. Buckland, in the 'Field.' [This is what I have always desired to see in this country, and at the period of the establishment of the Crystal Palace Company there was a strong feeling in favour of my project: it was, however, pronounced impracticable.-Edward Newman.] The King of the Gorillas.-In M. Du Chaillu's book may be found the most incompatible exploits of his royal gorilla. Sometimes it is a tottering cripple; then the strongest beast of the forest; occasionally the determined foe of man; then, at once, flying before his presence. Never in the trees (its proper habitat), but always on the ground! At one time roaring lustily (apes never roar), and at another time punishing itself by beating its unoffending breast so unmercifully that the sound of the strokes might be heard a full mile off. This king-this Proteus ape-felled his black servant to the ground by a single blow from its giant fore leg; and then it frightfully lacerated the abdomen-not with its teeth (the proper weapons), but with its nails, which are flat, and as impotent as our own for the performance of such a butchery. In fine, let M. Du Chaillu and the learned naturalists who encourage him say and think what they choose of the "king of the gorillas," alias the large black ape of Western Africa, its true position on the page of Natural History must certainly come to this, viz.-when on a tree it is a paragon of perfection in the eyes of an omnipotent Creator; but when on the ground it appears a "bungled composition of Nature."-Charles Waterton; Walton Hall, near Wakefield, October 20, 1861. From the Athenæum.' 6 Notes on the Food of Birds. By HENRY L. SAXBY, Esq. IN skinning and dissecting birds it has always been my habit to examine the contents of the stomach, with the view of acquiring such knowledge of the nature of their food as could be afforded by this means. The result of such examinations is almost invariably entered in my note-book at the time; therefore, although the accompanying list may contain but little that is absolutely new, its accuracy may be relied upon, and may perhaps be accepted as a sufficient apology for its length. The name of any article of food printed in italics implies that although I have not been able to recognise it within the stomach of the bird, I have both seen and handled it after it has been left by the bird. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). Flesh, bones of birds, feathers of golden plover, bones and fur of rabbits, ringed plover, kittiwake, wild duck. Hobby (F. subbuteo). Twite, large beetles. Merlin (F. æsalon). Snow bunting, twite, Goërius olens, blackbird, redwing, fieldfare. Kestrel (F. tinnunculus). Mice, large beetles, remains of small birds, blackbird, yellowhammer, skylark, rock pipit. Sparrowhawk (F. nisus). Mice, yellowhammer. VOL. XIX. 3 U Buzzard (F. buteo). Partridge, fieldfare, redwing, brambling, green finch, great titmouse, mice, earthworms. Ashcoloured Harrier (F. cineraceus). earth-worms. Remains of small birds, Longeared Owl (Strix otus). Mice, chaffinch, brambling, goldencrested regulus. Shorteared Owl (S. brachyotus). Twite, tree creeper. Barn Owl (S. flammea). Mice, young rats, house sparrow, remains of small birds. Tawny Owl (S. aluco). Snowy Owl (S. nyctea). Chaffinch, brambling, bones of fish. Little Owl (S. passerina). Mice, spiders, large beetles, remains of small birds. Great Gray Shrike (Lanius excubitor). tail. Large beetles, pied wag Redbacked Shrike (L. collurio). Flesh, large beetles, a species of cabbage butterfly, Bombus terrestris, meadow pipit, chaffinch, blue titmouse. Woodchat Shrike (L. rufus). Large insects of various kinds. Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa grisola). Small moths, gnats, house flies. Pied Flycatcher (M. atricapilla). Small winged insects." trout. Water insects, fish-spawn, small Missel Thrush (Turdus viscivorus). Slugs, fine roots, earth-worms, berries of hawthorn and of dog-rose. Fieldfare (T. pilaris). Small white slugs, land shells, earth-worms, fine roots, berries of hawthorn. Song Thrush (T. musicus). Insects, small slugs, earth-worms, large garden snail. Redwing (T. iliacus). Land shells, insects, hawthorn berries. Blackbird (T. merula). Insects, earth-worms, gooseberries, strawberries, ivy berries, radish seed. Ring Ouzel (T. torquatus). Insects, Clausilia ? Hedgesparrow (Accentor modularis). Insects, small earth-worms, turnip seed; and, upon one occasion, some fragments of oats. Robin Redbreast (Sylvia rubecula). Earth-worms, seeds, caterpillars, small beetles. Redstart (S. phoenicurus). Insects, small earth-worms. Black Redstart (S. titkys). Small beetles. Stonechat (S. rubicola) and Whinchat (S. rubetra). Small beetles, spiders, worms, caterpillars. Wheatear (S. ananthe). Insects of various kinds; minute land shells. Sedge Warbler (S. phragmitis). Aquatic insects, small earth-worms. Great Sedge Warbler (S. turdoides). Large water beetles; a jellylike substance, probably the eggs of Limnæa stagnalis, which was very abundant in the pond by which the bird was killed. Reed Wren (S. arundinacea). Aquatic insects. Nightingale (S. luscinia). Small beetles, ants. Blackcap (S. atricapilla). Small winged insects, raspberry seeds. Garden Warbler (S. hortensis). Small beetles, smooth green cater pillars, spiders of various kinds. Whitethroat (S. cinerea). Insects, eggs of spiders: Lesser Whitethroat (S. curruca). Ephemera. Willow Wren (S. trochilus). Gnats, house-flies. Small winged insects, portions of Small winged insects. Chiffchaff (S. rufa). Small winged insects, house flies, small beetles, caterpillars, bodies of butterflies, minute eggs of insects. Dartford Warbler (S. provincialis). Gnats, Epeira Diadema. Firecrested Regulus (R. ignicapillus). Small insects and their eggs. Great Titmouse (Parus major). Flesh, beetles, flies, caterpillars, earth-worms; young of chaffinch taken from the nest. I have seen it boring holes in apples. Blue Titmouse (P. cæruleus). Flesh, insects. Cole Titmouse (P. ater). Insects, seeds, bread crumbs. Marsh Titmouse (P. palustris). Insects. Longtailed Titmouse (P. caudatus). Insects, seeds, fragments of buds. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba). Aquatic insects. Pied Wagtail (M. Yarrellii). Aquatic insects, gnats, fish bones, fragments of shells. Gray Wagtail (M. boarula). Water beetles. Grayheaded Wagtail (M. flava). Small worms, larvæ, aquatic insects, small univalves; occasionally small winged insects. mens Ray's Wagtail (M. campestris). Insects. The stomach of specikilled upon the sea-shore contained common sand-hoppers (Talitrus Locusta) and a species of fly which is very abundant among decaying sea-weed. Tree Pipit (Anthus arboreus). Winged insects. Meadow Pipit (A. pratensis). Insects, earth-worms, caterpillars. Rock Pipit (A. obscurus). Sand-hoppers, flies of various kinds, larva of flesh-fly (Sarcophaga carnaria). I have sometimes seen this bird in the garden at Halligarth, usually upon the ground, but now and then in trees; upon such occasions I have found Aphides and small gray slugs in the stomach. Skylark (Alauda arvensis). Insects, grass seeds, earth-worms. Snow Bunting (Emberiza nivalis). Grain, seeds, insects, small fibrous roots. Common Bunting (E. miliaria). Grain, seeds, insects, sycamore buds. Blackheaded Bunting (E. schoniclus). Water beetles, grass seeds. Yellowhammer (E. citrinella). Insects, eggs of spiders, seeds of wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis). Cirl Bunting (E. cirlus). Seeds of grasses. Ortolan Bunting (E. hortulana). Insects, seeds, small caterpillars. Chaffinch (Fringilla cælebs). Grain, caterpillars, moths, seeds and cotyledons of various cruciferous plants. Brambling (F. montifringilla). Grain, insects, seeds. Greenfinch (F. chloris). Insects, grain, small caterpillars. Goldfinch (F. carduelis). Insects, seeds. Linnet (F. cannabina). Seeds of grasses, groundsel and thistle. Lesser Redpole (F. linaria). Minute insects and their eggs; fragments of quartz, pieces of elm buds. I have never found the latter in such quantity as to induce me to depart from my belief that they are accidentally introduced into the stomach along with the insects which the bird obtains by breaking open buds. Mealy Redpole (F. borealis). Seeds, minute insects, fine gravel. Twite (F. montium). Seeds, insects, grain. In Shetland this species is very destructive to young turnips. Bullfinch (Loxia pyrrhula). Buds of sycamore and birch; groundsel seeds. Crossbill (L. curvirostra). Seeds of Scotch fir, Aphides; small caterpillars, which the bird finds in rolled-up elm leaves. |