John Harrop, son of the sub-curator of the Manchester Museum of Natural History, was, on Oct. 18. 1833, passing through the Manchester fish and game market, he was struck with the appearance of a bird among a number of larks. He obtained it, and it turns out to be Plectrophanes lappónica. Mr. Harrop, on dissecting it, could not determine whether it was a female or a young male; he thought it the latter. On comparing it with the figure in Fauna Boreali-Americana, I should say that the figure is highly coloured; while the colours of the specimen are more brilliant than those in Wilson's figure. The specimen is now in the Museum of the Manchester Natural History Society. The bird was taken near Preston, in this county.

While writing, I would ask T. K. (VI. 519.) to examine the works of Messrs. Harrop.-J. O. Manchester, Nov. 11. Crossing and Lengthening in the Mandibles of Birds; Remarks on the Causes of, and Conditions observable in. (III. 402. ; VI. 517.)-In the numerous instances which have fallen under my observation, it has always appeared to me that excess of nutriment has been the principal, if not the sole, cause; as in every case the individuals have been in good plump condition. Monstrosities of this kind, consequently, are much more common among birds in captivity than birds in a state of nature and it may be generally observed, particularly in soft-billed birds, that the under mandible is more subject to grow out than the upper. I have repeatedly noticed this in the redstart and robin, and have now, in confinement a pied water-wagtail, in which I find it necessary to cut off, every three or four weeks, nearly a quarter of an inch of horny substance at the extremity of the under mandible. In a twite (Linària montàna), also, which I possess, the lower mandible grows out still more rapidly than in the wagtail, and has continued to do so for upwards of a twelvemonth; though the upper one has ever retained its natural form. In the bullfinch and in the oxeye I have known the upper mandible to increase, and not the under; but these are the only instances. The goldfinch and the siskin are very apt to have both mandibles grow out; one of the former, in my possession, has, at this time, its bill nearly half as long again as it ought to be, but the mandibles do not cross. An old favourite siskin, which I long kept in confinement, was a perfect Lóxia in this respect, and its mandibles became, in time, so much decussated, as seriously to inconvenience the bird. While removing the excrescence, I chanced, unfortunately, to pass the knife rather too deep; and, though the wound was so small as to be scarcely visible, the poor little creature bled to death. I mention this as a caution to others who may find it

necessary to use the knife in similar cases. When once the bill of a bird has begun to grow out in this manner, it will always continue to do so; and, though cut, will very soon increase again; in the instance of the goldfinch abovementioned, the lower mandible continued to grow out for six or eight months before the upper one commenced, but both now increase equally fast. This elongation of the mandibles has never taken place in any of the numerous species of warblers (Sylviana) which I have kept, and now keep, in captivity; though the birds of the robin kind appear extremely subject to it. Among other species, I have noticed it in the tree sparrow (Pásser arbòreus, Fringilla montàna L.)— Edward Blyth. Tooting, Surrey, Nov. 26. 1833.

The crossing of the mandibles in the crossbill itself seems liable to a variation in the mode. Mr. Yarrell, in his Treatise on the beak of the crossbill, Zoological Journal, iv. 459., has this remark: · "In some individuals the upper mandible is turned to the right, the lower mandible curved to the left; in others, the position of the mandibles is reversed as to their direction."

In continued frosts, one occasionally sees a robin, or other species of bird, with the distal half, more or less, of one, usually the upper, of its mandibles absent; broken off, perhaps by a shot, perhaps by the bird's violent application of it to the ground, then frozen "hard as a stone," to remove thence some object of food. As the portion which is left of the fractured mandible usually exhibits some bloodiness, the bird, the fate of Mr. Blyth's siskin suggests, bleeds to death. If not, it may be presumed that it must die of starvation, from its inability, from the absence of the more prehensive part of one mandible, to pick up a sufficiency of food for sustaining itself.-J. D.

Excrescences on the Head and other Parts of the Common Hedge Chanter (Accéntor modulàris Cuv.) (VI. 153.) — In the instances which have come under my notice, I am confident they were of extremely rapid formation. A short time since, one of these birds was brought to me, weak and exhausted for want of food; really a hideous object, with numerous large excrescences on different parts, some of which completely blocked up the nostrils, and twisted the beak out of all form, completely incapacitating it from taking any kind of food, but which was nevertheless extremely plump and in good condition. I once observed excrescences somewhat similar rise in the course of four days on the head and knee (the real heel) of a tree pipit (Anthus arbòreus), one of which was very nearly as large as the head itself.-Edward Blyth. Tooting, Surrey, Nov. 26. 1833.

ENTOMOLOGY.-The Entomological Society of London held the first meeting, of their first session, in the evening of Nov. 4. 1833, at 17. Old Bond Street. Messrs. Kirby and Spence, the distinguished authors of the Introduction to Entomology, and thereby the founders, it may be said, of this science in Britain, were present, and the members assembled, about fifty in number (including Messrs. Stephens, Hope, Walker, Westwood, Yarrell, Dr. Horsfield, and Col. Sykes), testified their sincere gratification at this circumstance. The Rev. Mr. Kirby, who had been unanimously chosen honorary president of the Society, and to whom the chair, first taken by J. G. Children, Esq., was resigned, stated that he would do all in his power to advance the interests of the Society; but that he felt that, at seventy-four years of age, much would not be expected from him. He could not, however, refrain from observing, that science was indebted for the most interesting and valuable portions of the work to which his own name appeared conjointly as author, to his friend beside him; and, here, Mr. Kirby laid his hand on the shoulder of Mr. Spence.

The meeting elected Mr. Spence an honorary member, by general acclamation; and Mr. Spence, in returning thanks, avowed that he came to the meeting, and had brought his two sons, for the express purpose of joining the Society. He then produced a letter, which was read by one of his sons, detailing so much of the proceedings at the late meeting of naturalists at Breslaw as referred to entomology, and with which, he said, he had been favoured, previously to leaving Paris, a fortnight ago, by M. Lefebvre, the secretary of the Société Entomologique de France, who, as well as many others of the principal members, had expressed to him their high gratification at the institution of the Entomological Society of London, and their ardent desire that a frequent intercourse between the two Societies might promote the objects which both have in view.

Mr. W. B. Spence (eldest son of Mr. Spence) was then elected foreign secretary of the Society, and the members, after going through the by-laws and other routine business, separated, highly gratified at the very auspicious circumstances under which the meetings of the new Society had been commenced.

"The room

The second meeting took place on Dec. 2. was considerably crowded." Some scientific communications were read. For the details, see the Entomological Magazine for January, 1834. The Society's future meetings are to be held on the first Monday in every month, and the chair to be taken precisely at 8 o'clock in the evening.

[A Pupa of Bombyx menthastri, Six Pupas of the O`phion vinulæ, and a Pupa of Bombyx vinulus, all found in company within, and bred from, the hard Cocoon of the Bombyx vínulus. (IV. 267., V. 592., VI. 378.)]-In p. 378., I forgot to give the extracts from Dr. Leach's and Mr. Kirby's letters about the ophions and Bombyx menthastri that were found in company within the cocoon of Bombyx vínulus. Mr. Kirby says: "I shall be glad to learn whether the pupa you found in vínulus turns out lepidopterous, as it will furnish a new circumstance in entomology, if it so turn out." (Dated May 22. 1820.) Dr. Leach says:" Respecting the Ichneumon, the fact of six being found in one pupa, and a lepidopterous insect within, is very curious, and quite new to me. I have found one, frequently, in the form of pupa, within the perfect pupa of a Cóssus, which must have entered in form of egg deposited by the parent." (Dated March 10. 1820.) The Bombyx menthastri bred June 8. 1820; but the ophions did not appear till the 28th. The larva of Bombyx vínulus I took at Whittlesea Mere, July 24. 1819. Another person has said there must be some mistake; but I can assure him it is a fact, although I cannot account for it. J. C. Dale. Sept. 1833. An Instance of Variation in Shape in the Upper Wings of two Males of the Lyca na dispar.- Mr. Kirby has said,"Colour, I believe, often varies in Lepidoptera, but I cannot think that shape does." Now, I have taken two male specimens of Lyca na díspar, near Trundle Meer, in Hunts, in which the outline varies much; the upper wings of one being long and acute, the upper wings of the other short and obtuse; but in no other respect do they vary. [A sketch, which accompanied this communication, exhibited a very obvious degree of variation. Mr. Dale has drawn the outline of the smaller within the outline of the larger.] The second dot in the upper wings [exhibited in the sketch] always shows more or less in Lyca na díspar male, but, I believe, never in L. Hippothoe male. (Is it quite true that L. Hippothoe is British?) Edùsa varies the same. - Id. Cordulia Curtisii Dale, a Species hitherto undescribed, characterised by Mr. Dale. On June 29. 1820, I discovered a new Cordulia on Parley Heath, Hampshire. It is one of the finest insects I have ever found; and I had proposed to name it after a certain friend, but objection has been made to its bearing his name, "he not being the captor." As it has remained a nondescript up to this time, and is unnoticed, so far as I can find out, by Vander Linden, Charpentier, and other writers, I now venture to describe and name it after a friend whom I saw capture it: and, as some jealousy has

-

been displayed on account of my having given a manuscript name only to Halictóphagus Curtísii, I request the favour of the following appearing in print :

Genus Cordulia Leach, &c.; Libéllula Lin., &c. Species Curtísii Dale. Viridi-ænea; abdomine medio flavo-maculatis (compresso et alis flavescentibus.) Habitat: Parley Heath, Hants, in June, J. C. Dale: Ramsdown, Hants, in May, J. Curtis, Esq.; Braunton Burrows, Devon, J. Cocks, Esq. About the size of C. ænea. Brassy green; body compressed, with a row of oblong yellow spots down the back, absent on the 7th and 8th joints only; head notched in front: wings very pale greenish yellow, slightly yellow at the base in the male; yellow-brown in the female, along the costa of all the wings, suffused to their centre; stigma and nervures piceous. The above is sufficient, I believe, to distinguish it from all other species at present known; but I hope my friend Curtis will now be enabled to give us a figure and a better description, without having his modesty called in question by being gratuitously made subject to the imputation of his naming an insect after himself. — J. C. Dale. Sept. 1833.

Of the Genus Oxýcera Mr. Dale and myself have [in 1832] succeeded in making out eight or ten species (I believe only three have been noticed by Mr. Stephens), and we are yet in hope of discovering more; although at Pinny Cliff, near Lyme, where I first discovered one new species last year, they are extremely local, and almost confined to one or two trees. - Francis Orpen Morris. Charmouth, Dorset, Sept. 1832.

Two Facts on the Dung-fly (Scatophaga stercorària). — I have frequently found this insect, when dead, firmly attached round the stem of an ear of corn, &c., and its body here and there covered with a white dust resembling mould. During last year, 1832, I met with only one example; but, during the previous year, I must have noticed a hundred at least. They are fixed in precisely the attitude of life, as if only resting for a short time; and, from this appearance, may have escaped general observation.

While standing (in 1832) under an oak tree at Hampstead, something fell down from the boughs upon the grass, in which it produced a loud humming noise. I searched for it, and found it to be a common bluebottle fly, spinning round upon the earth, and uttering that peculiar buzz which it makes when struggling with a spider; and firmly attached to it was a dung-fly, which was rather reluctant to loose its hold before, however, I could open a pill-box to receive them, they had separated, and flown off in different directions. What could be the purpose of the attack? James Fennell.