NOTES.
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excellent cures on some that I knew. Vpon that Strut sayd his master lived at
Bishop Starford, and was as good a chirurgeon and bone-setter as was in
England, he was sure, and if I pleased to send, he would write, and he was
certain he would come ; which letter being writ, I sent immediately away, and
Mr. Hastier came next morning, and Strut met him at Screenes. With very
much adoe I preuailed with my sonn to let them trye ; but he askt Hastier if he
had never missed ; he said, Never. Can you doe it at once ? He sayd, Yea, or
neuer ; I warrant you I will doe it, and with less paine than you had at any of
the tymes you tried. So he consented they should try, and they laid him on
his back, and himselfe tooke a towell and put vnder the armehole, but vpon a
bolster, and put the other end of the towell about his owne neck, beinge a very
stronge man ; and three men holding my sonn by the other arme and his leggs,
and all pulling hard at once, Strut, with his foot, put the bone into its place,
which gaue a snap that all heard it ; and my sonn indured it with great patience
and courage, after fower fruitles attempts ; for which God be praised."—From
"The Autobiography of Sir John Bramston, K.B., of Skreens, in the Hundred of
Chelmsford" (Camden Society's edition).
The Colour of Spiders.—About two years ago I happened to find among some
roses of a pinky hue, a spider, about the size of the common garden spider (Epeira
diadema), and of the same colour as the rose I found it on, namely, a pinky-white.
At the time I did not, however, pay much attention to the fact, but since then
circumstances have led to my studying the habits of spiders, and I mentioned
the story to one or two people whom I knew to take an interest in the subject.
I have since had two important communications concerning the colour of spiders,
both from gentlemen who have devoted a considerable portion of their time to
the study of Natural History. The first story somewhat resembles my own. A
gentleman once observed, in his garden, that in the middle of a rose of a pinky-
white hue there was a bee apparently lifeless and still. On going up to examine
it he found that a spider of the same colour as the rose had fastened upon it, and
was engaged in draining its life-blood. Another gentleman told me that on
examining some growing mustard one day he observed a large spider of the brilliant
yellow colour of the mustard proceeding from it. I should now feel most
extremely obliged if any one will give me information on these three points.
Firstly (if not too deep and exhaustive a question) as to the means by which
they assume the colour of the rose or the plant they are in. Secondly, whether
they can assume any colour or only certain colours (for I have never found on a
deep red rose a spider of the same colour). Thirdly, to what class of spiders do
these belong, and whether they ever could spin webs. Any hints or suggestions
or experiences in this line I shall eagerly avail myself of, both in the Essex
NATURALIST, or in the form of private communications.—L. Cranmer-Byng,
Wellington College, Wokingham.
Coleoptera in Epping Forest.—Mr. G. A. Lewcock writes in "Entom.
Record" (i., p. 104), that on May 17th and 26th last, the hawthorn blossom being
fully out, he "tried Loughton for species oi Rhynchites. R. aequatus was common,
but R. aliariae and R. pauxillus were scarce, only some three or four of either insect
found their way into my umbrella. Of Adimonia sanguinea I obtained sixteen,
Asclera coerulea two, and Anthonomus pedicularis six. I swept a couple of Galerina
tenella from rushes, and Apion genista and Strophosomus retusus from Genista
anglica ; from oak I beat Caeliodes quercus, C. subrufus, Orchestes salicis, O. avellana:
and O. stigma."