Miscellaneous. 79 Named in compliment to W. H. Benson, Esq., who has contri-buted so much to our knowledge of Indian land-shells. WiLKiNSON^A MoussoNiANA, Chitty. Hab. Yallahs Hill. Form, subdiscoidal. Colour, white, semitransparent. Sculpture, 22 lines, four of which are very slightly stronger than the rest, lowest most strong and prominent ; on the upper whorls, 7. Spire, slightly elevated, with convex outlines. Whorls, 3^, slightly rounded, with a light suture. Aperture, slightly expanded and depressed below, more than a semicircle. Labrum, thickened and reflected, double above, very slightly scolloped by the four stronger carinae, or rather the labrum is produced in straight lines to meet each stronger carina, forming three straight lines scarcely pectinated, in octagonal shape, moderately and roundly produced above from the body-whorl. Labium, rather curved, below the plane of the labrum above, mode-rately detached from the body-whorl. Umbilicus, deep. Labral lamella, sharply, finely and uniformly produced. Operculum, slightly concave, smooth, with ? two strong rounded carinse vertically cross-ing the hollow. Height 0-035, greatest breadth 0*058, least breadth 0-042. Named in compliment to Prof. A. H. Mousson of Zurich, Switzerland. [To be continued.] MISCELLANEOUS. On some Eggs of Insects employed as Human Food, and giving rise to the formation of Oolites in Lacustrine Limestones in Mexico. By M. ViRLET d'Aoust. The author states that the bottom of the lakes of Chalco and Tezcuco, which border the city of Mexico, consists of a calcareous mud, of a whitish-grey colour, the formation of which is still in pro-gress, as indicated by the remains of human industry which occur in it. Whenever he observed these calcareous deposits uncovered by water, he was struck with finding that they constituted oolites exactly identical in appearance, and in the form and size of the grains, with those of the Jurassic system. On mentioning this circumstance to Mr. J. C. Bowring, director of the salt-works of Tezcuco, in whose trenches the oolitic structure was clearly exhibited, he stated that these oolites were formed by the eggs of insects, which are subse-quently incrusted by the calcareous concretions constantly deposited by the waters of the lake. ' It appears, from the further statements of the author, that, espe-cially in October, the lake is haunted by millions of small flies, which after dancing in the air, plunge down into the shallower parts of the water to a depth of several feet, and deposit their eggs at the bottom. The eggs of these insects are called Hautle (Haoutle) by the Mexican Indians, who collect them in great numbers, and with whom they appear to be a favourite article of food. They are prepared in various ways, but are usually made into cakes, which are eaten with a sauce flavoured with chillies.
BioStor
