106 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



second to no bird that adorns our land ; he makes 

 our woods ring to the echo. I have known some of 

 my friends, when listening to the Woodlark, think 

 it the song of the Nightingale, a bird which it is 

 little inferior to in song, and in some instances sur- 

 passes, for it is easy to obtain, and not much trouble 

 in keeping in health, and will sing freely almost 

 anywhere, in spring, summer, aud autumn ; indeed, 

 too much cannot be said in praise of this charming 

 songster. I have seen this bird kept in a small 

 cage, and even then sing well ; but this is an injus- 

 tice : it should have a cage about 15 by 10 inches, 

 with two perches about 2^ inches from the bottom, 

 and boxes outside for food and water ; taking care 

 to give plenty of gravel on the bottom, mixing it 

 occasionally with a little wood-ash, which will be 

 found an excellent preventive against vermin ; but 

 if your cage be made of mahogany, little else is 

 needed. The Woodlark differs from many birds ; 

 e.g., it will not take the song of any bird, although 

 you hang it near others that are incessantly singing, 

 as though it were aware of its own matchless song> 

 and not one note will it take of another. This is 

 one of the few birds that sing in the night, the 

 others being the Nightingale and the lesser Reed- 

 sparrow. White, in his " Selbornc," says " the 

 Woodlark is often suspended in hot summer nights 

 all night long." 



The Skylark mounting and singing is really a 

 beautiful bird, and one whose acquaintance is per- 

 haps more cultivated than any of our English song- 

 birds. This familiar songster has been highly 

 praised by the great bard Shakspeare, " Hark, the 

 lark at heaven's gate sings." It is very hardy, and 

 will live to a great age, living sometimes twenty 

 years]: it should be purchased when a brancher ; it 

 will attain perfection in song at three years of age ; 

 its song will then remain good for many years. A 

 brancher should be kept near a flight-bird, that is, 

 one that moulted and learned his song in the field, 

 for the Skylark is not like the Woodlark ; on the 

 contrary, it is really a good mocking-bird, and will 

 take the song of any bird it may be near, especially 

 at moulting time. I have heard the Chaffinch and 

 Linnet imitated to perfection by this bird ; it re- 

 quires but moderate care, food as for the Woodlark, 

 with turf and large cage ; all larks should have a 

 little canary-seed mixed with a plentiful supply of 

 gravel, and fresh water at least once a day. 



Chas. J. W. Rudd. 



A double Orange is to me a novelty. It was 

 of the ordinary size, and divided into " quarters " 

 as usual, but the quarters fitted accurately upon a 

 little orange inside. This little one divided into 

 quarters also, and was yellowish, as if enclosed in a 

 thin skin. It contained pips, as also did the outside 

 one— W. L. W. 



PROCESSIONARY MOTHS. 



CERTAIN members of the Lepidopterous, or 

 Moth aud Butterfly order, belonging to the 

 genus Cuethocampa of Stephens, have a curious 

 history of their own, partly on account of the regu- 

 lar order which the larvae retain when moving from 

 one spot to another, and partly because, from their 

 structure, they must be ranked among the enemies 

 of mankind. The particular species are the Wild 

 Pine-moth (Cn. pityocampa), the Stone Pine-moth 

 (Cn. pinivora), and the Processionary Moth (Cn. pro- 

 cessioned). Neither of these species is known in 

 England, but on many parts of the Continent they 

 are by no means uncommon, and often work much 

 damage in the forests; the first-named attacking 

 the Scotch fir, the second the fir from which it takes 

 its name, and the last confining itself to the oak 

 (fig. 02). 



Fig. 62. Caterpillar and Moth of Cncthocimjia processioned. 



The larvae are "sociable" in their habits, feeding 

 together in large numbers, aud, like so many sociable 

 insects, they are wont to migrate on occasions. The 

 term "processionary" has been applied to them 

 from the singular manner in which these insects ar- 

 range themselves when on the move, and the regu- 

 lar order which they preserve during a march. They 

 are evening or night feeders, — at least they rarely 

 start on a journey before the sun has set ; and then, 

 if it be necessary to change their quarters, a single 

 caterpilliar takes the precedence by common con- 

 sent ; he is at once followed by a second; this by a 

 third; and so on until the " procession" has reached 

 about two feet in length. Then two caterpillars 

 appear side by side, with two more behind them for 

 several ranks. At a given point they arrange them- 

 selves in threes; after another interval in fours; still 

 later in fives, sixes, &c; until the whole swarm is in 

 motion, the later ranks having as many as twenty 

 individuals side by side. 



