creatures should be seized; but Chernes is blind and may not always know their size. The Arachnid occasionally effects a lodgment on the body of the living insect, and perhaps sucks its juices; but this is not usual; and it is true that the insects generally appear uninjured. Sometimes, however, they are in an emaciated condition; and according to Stainton's experience Chelifers remain on the legs of house-flies until the latter die. Lukis saw a Chelifer dragging by the legs the carcass of a Dipteron as large as the house-fly. The naturalist who watched a Chelifer and fly for fifty-six hours was convinced that the Chelifer was an assailant; and Backhausen, who kept a number of Chelifers and flies in captivity, is said to have established that the Arachnids remained on the legs till the flies died, and then travelled to the body and sucked its juices. The subject will bear further investigation; but from the facts now in our possession it seems impossible to avoid the conclusion that Pseudoscorpions found on the legs of other Arthropodsoften relatively gigantic-are attacking the creatures for food, and that notwithstanding their diminutiveness they are to be regarded, not as parasites, but as animals of prey.

NOTE on NEUROPTERA.

Dragonflies Observed in the Huddersfield District. On the 28th May I visited Cawthorne, and observed Agrion puella, A. cyathigerum, and Libellula quadrimaculata flitting about in considerable numbers amongst the vegetation of the disused Barnsley Canal.-W. E. L. WATTAM, Newsome, Huddersfield, 11th June 1901.

NOTE on HEPATICS.

Mörckia hibernica and Petalophyllum Ralfsii in Yorkshire.On 4th May 1901 I came across the former hepatic (which I have already recorded in 'The Naturalist') with abundant capsules on Coatham Marshes, and in a new habitat. On washing out the gathering, I found several plants of the very rare Petalophyllum Ralfsii (Wils.) Gottsche mixed with it. This latter is small, and looks like an outspread fan, with ridges or lamellæ running outwards from the stalk. Mr. Pearson, who has seen it, says this is one of the most important discoveries among the Hepaticæ of recent years. Its previous habitats were Ireland, Cornwall, and Anglesey, so it will be seen it is a very important addition to the Hepatic Flora of Yorkshire.-WM. INGHAM, York, 24th June 1901.

NOTES and NEWS.

'The Girl's Realm' for June 1901 has been sent to us by the publishers, Messrs. Bousfield & Co. Ltd., 10, Norfolk Street, London, W.C., who are not only to be congratulated generally on the excellence of the periodical, but specially on an article by the well-known naturalist-photographer, Mr. R. Kearton, F.Z.S., on 'Birds in their Little Nests,' illustrated by more than a dozen of the admirable photographs taken by Mr. Cherry Kearton, the artist's brother.

1901 July 2.

216.

NOTES on MOLLUSCA.

Unusually fine Planorbis nautileus at Colton, near Leeds.—In the early part of April I was taken by my neighbour, Mr. Smith, to a pond in School Lane, Colton, near Whitkirk. At one end of the pond Callitriche grew most luxuriantly, and searching amongst it I found Planorbis nautileus very plentiful and more finely grown than I have met with it before, some of them measuring nearly 4 mm. in diameter. Amongst the grass growing round the margin of the pond a few small Limnæa truncatula occurred, but, strange to say, there was no trace of Limnæa peregra.-Wm. Nelson, Crossgates, Leeds, 18th May 1901.

Molluscan Gatherings near Brigg, Linc. N.-Our vicar, the Rev. E. Adrian Woodruffe-Peacock, M. C.S., offered the school children a number of little prizes for the best gatherings of our local species of snails. The result was not satisfactory from the collector's point of view. Hundreds of specimens were gathered, but the species were limited; only a very few being interesting. Helix aspersa, H. nemoralis, with a beautiful compressa variety and two fair conica. H. arbustorum is plentiful here, and the varieties fuscescens, cincta, flavescens, and albina were taken.

H. cantiana

had also been taken. There was one H. caperata, and it was the variety ornata, never taken alive in the parish before. There was one H. rufescens, and it was the variety alba, which was also new. This was strange, as the type and albo-cincta are common enough, even in the school garden. The Ancholme river, which was partly run off, supplied Dreissensia polymorpha only. Our next gathering will be later in the summer, and it is to be hoped will be more productive.-Wм. BOOTH, Howsham School, Lincoln, 13th June 1901.

Reversed Limnæa peregra in Leeds.-There is a saying that 'All things come to the man who waits,' and surely there must be some truth in the axiom, for after collecting the Limnæidæ continuously for quite forty years, during which time I must have walked many hundreds of miles, searching the ditches and ponds of our county, and must have passed many thousands of specimens of Limnæa peregra through my hands, it was not until the beginning of the present month that I succeeded in finding the reversed form of this species.

During the first week in May I searched a pond situated in North Leeds which I had hitherto altogether overlooked. After searching some time I obtained specimens of the following Limnæidæ :-Planorbis albus, moderately fine and common; Planorbis carinatus, very fine and common; Planorbis corneus, rather fine but very scarce; and Limnæa stagnalis var. fragilis, very common and appearing to be enjoying itself floating foot upwards on the surface of the water. Limnæa peregra, on the other hand, was crawling on the muddy bottom of the shallow side of the pond; they were very fine grown shells of the ovata form, and after scooping a sufficient supply out with my net I was just for starting home when, having made what I thought was my last dip, I was at once struck by the singular appearance of one of the specimens, and could scarcely believe my eyes. It was, however, undoubtedly a specimen of monst. sinistrorsum. I will not attempt to describe my feelings, which can be readily imagined by any field naturalist who has suddenly found a long-sought-for rarity. After safely boxing my prize, I need scarcely say that I restarted searching with renewed vigour and care, peering into the shallow parts of the pond which the Limnæa peregra frequented, and putting every specimen that came within my vision through a critical examination. After a couple of hours' searching I found a few more beauties of the reversed variety.

The only vegetation I noticed in the pond was a grass which grows a considerable length, half of which lies on the water, and one of the water starworts (Callitriche).--WM. NELSON, Crossgates, near Leeds, 18th May

1901.

Naturalist,

Alfred Neighbour Esq.

With William Carr's compliments.

INTRODUCTION

OR

EARLY HISTORY

OF

BEES AND HONEY,

BY

WILLIAM CARR,

NEWTON HEATH APIARY,

NEAR MANCHESTER.

SALFORD:

J. ROBERTS, PRINTER, 168, CHAPEL STREET.

1880.