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Show 774 MR. E. E. AUSTEN ON A RECENT ZOOLOGICAL [June 16 FISHES.-Even bad our fish-trap not been lost before it had done any service we should have had but little time to devote to fish-collecting. As it was I was unable to make any observations worth noting, since the colour of the water of the Amazon and the Para River renders it impossible to see anything beneath the surface. However, it may perhaps be mentioned that a species of Cat-fish (Siluridse) is extremely abundant in the Para River, and appears to afford the chief occupation to the numerous fishing-boats. When landing on the shores of the Para River or of the lower reaches of the Amazon a small fish, looking something like a Gurnet, is frequently seen leaping along the surface of the water. It appears to represent a Flying-fish in a semi-evolved condition, and is known to the English residents at Para, as the " Uplooker," but, as I was unable to secure a specimen, I cannot say anything as to its affinities. MOLLUSKS.-The shells of two or three species of Ampullaria were common enough iu the forests near the river, but most of them were dead and consequently of little value as specimens; we were told that the natives living on the banks use these great Snails as food. INSECTS.-The total number of Insects of all Orders collected amounted to about 2500, a figure which might have been exceeded considerably had any special attempt been made to secure Butterflies ; it, was, however, deemed advisable to devote most attention to the more obscure and less popular Orders. The time of year, being at the commencement of the rainy season, was probably not the most favourable one for Insect-collecting, as, with the exception of Dragonflies, Insects were not so abundant as might have been expected. Of the specimens obtained of the various Orders the Diptera form the largest individual total (476); next come the Hymenoptera (415), the Lepidoptera Heterocera (390), and the Coleoptera (280). Allusion has already been made to the number of insects that visited the ship's electric lights at night. Although after dark all the lighted parts of the ship formed more or less happy hunting-grounds, two reflectors, each containing six glow-lamps of 16 eandle-powrer, which hung over the ' Faraday's' stern, were the must productive. These lights were always kept going during cable-laying by night, and when we happened to be anywhere near either shore the number of insects that visited them was most remarkable. Of these nocturnal visitants Moths naturally formed the largest proportion, but, curiously enough, a small species of Horse-fly (Tabanus) also came in large numbers, besides certain other smaller Diptera, all of which are usually supposed to be diurnal. When we were at anchor off some of the small towns the ' Faraday's ' projector lamp, which gave a beam of light equivalent to that of from 25,000 to 30,000 candles, was occasionally used to astonish the inhabitants, and never failed to attract numbers of insects, especially some of the larger Moths |
