HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



239 



in my possession, measuring barely one inch. The 

 Orange-tip is usually regarded as an April butterfly, 

 and so it is in many districts, but not in others. 

 Between the north and south of London there will 

 be sometimes a difference of a month in the time of 

 emergence. It is a species which rarely continues 

 out for any length of time, though in a Hertfordshire 

 district, where vegetation is often backward, and 

 therefore insects also, I have seen Orange-tips flying 

 about at the end of June. — /. R. S. C. 



DEIOrEIA PULCHELLA IN DEVONSHIRE. — Oil 



Friday, the 8th of September, I captured a 

 fine specimen of that exceedingly rare moth the 

 Crimson-speckled (Deiopeia pulchella), of which 

 there are but few (British) examples known. On 

 entering my garden, I observed a moth start rather 

 wildly from a plant of the Heliotrope, and flying 

 quickly for about twenty yards (not heeding any 

 other flowers in its way), it settled on the blossom 

 of another plant of the same kind. At first sight 

 it had much the appearance of a small Garden 

 "White butterfly ; but, from a peculiarity in its 

 flight, I knew it must be something different, and, 

 on approaching it cautiously, I saw at a glance what 

 it really was, rushed into the house for my net, and 

 captured it. "When at rest, it looked long and nar- 

 row, with its wings (I think) folded round its body, 

 giving it much the appearance of a large grass 

 moth ; and, from what I could observe of its habits, 

 it seemed to be rather wild (or wary), and to prefer 

 the Heliotrope to any other garden flower, of which 

 there was a great variety. On the Continent the 

 moth is said to be found in stubble-fields, and the 

 caterpillar (which has never been found in this 

 country) to feed on the field Forget-me-not {Myosotis 

 arvensis). — J". Gatcomhe, Stonehouse, Devon. 



Cleaning Skeletons. — As a good deal has ap- 

 peared lately in Science-Gossip on the employ- 

 ment of ants in the preparation of skeletons of small 

 animals, I may mention an experiment I made some 

 years ago on the necrophagous propensities of the 

 common kitchen cockroach (Blatta orientalis), 

 better known as the " black beetle." Conceiving 

 that one cockroach would do more work than a 

 score of ants, I shot a sparrow, plucked it, and laid 

 it in a shallow tray on the floor of the kitchen in the 

 house I then occupied. On the first night a con- 

 siderable portion of the flesh was removed, laying 

 the ribs bare ; the second night more was eaten, but 

 not so much as on the first occasion, and the third 

 night it was untouched. Thinking it probable that 

 the cockroaches objected to meat being too dry, I 

 dipped the half-eaten bird into water, and the insects 

 renewed their meal. The result was that I obtained 

 an imperfectly cleaned skeleton, which, had it been 

 placed in an ants' nest would, I doubt not, have 

 been finished off satisfactorily. Employing cock- 

 roaches would have the advantage of the work being 

 done at home and under inspection, and if a score 

 or so were caught and kept in a basin or box they 

 might be put on duty during the day, and so shorten 

 the time required. Ants would probably do the 

 final polishing more neatly than the larger insects. 

 1 also made an attempt to collect wasps for the 

 same purpose, but they quickly died in confinement. 

 — George Guyon, Ventnor, Isle of Wight. 



'Erratum. — At p. 1S4 of your August number 

 there is a slight typographical error in a short para- 

 graph you were good enough to insert respecting 

 the Hawfinch. Herefordshire should stand Hert- 

 fordshire, — Charles Ashford. 



Hawfinch. — As another locality in which the 

 Hawfinch has been known to occur, I may mention 

 that, last year, two young ones were taken from a 

 nest built in a small wood near Hitchin, Herts, one 

 of which was caged and successfully reared. — W. 

 Nash, Hitchin. 



Gnaphaltum. — I shall be much obliged if any 

 reader of Science-Gossip will tell me the best 

 method of drying the Gnaphaliums, or Everlasting 

 Flowers, so that in the winter they may retain 

 the peculiar firmness which is in the Immortelles, 

 and other Everlastings, when they are sold in shops. 

 -S. M. P. 



Floral Stars. — " A. E." wishes to correct an 

 error. In writing of the flower of the Anemone 



nemorosa, the word petals was used where it should 

 have been sepals. 



Procession ary Moths.— I presume I have made 

 a mistake regarding the Processionary Caterpillars, 

 which probably are Gold-tails after all. Please to 

 understand that I am no entomologist, but only a 

 poor unlucky gardener, and shall be very thankful 

 to any of your correspondents who will suggest 

 a mode of destroying these horrid pests. Should 

 there be any nests next year, I shall be happy to 

 send specimens, all alive and crawling, to any 

 address.— Julia Colson. 



Borrago (p.214) : — Thinking I had made some 

 mistake in transcribing the words which Mr. Ernst 

 says are erroneous, I was led to consult several dic- 

 tionaries, and I give the results of my research. 

 For his Italian borraggine, I find Borraqine, Borrana, 

 Florio _ (" Worlde of Wordes," 1598) ; Borrdgiue, 

 Baretti (edition 1854) ; Borrace, Borragine, Bor- 

 rana, " Yoeabolario degli Academici della Crusca" 

 (1729) ; for his Spanish Borraja, I find that Baretti 

 (1786) and Caballero (" Diccionario general de la 

 Lengua Castellana, 1856) give the same ; but there 

 is Borrd.va, Connelly and Higgins, Diet. (1798), and 

 Borraxa, the Dictionary of the Spanish Academy 

 (1726). It seems that the botanical work I con- 

 sulted was wrong in giving Burraja, which has a 

 very different meaning. In the matter of the Por- 

 tuguese form, of course, Mr.Ernstis correct; though, 

 besides Borragem, a Portuguese dictionary (1701) 

 gives Borragens. As might have beeu expected, 

 Mr. Ernst's corrections of my botanical authority, 

 in the case of the last two languages, are right ; but 

 in the case of the first, 1 think the authorities are 

 equal. The only Arabic word for the plant which 

 I have been able to find is derived by Freytag 

 (Diet., vol. iv. 102b) (Borago verrucosa), from the 

 root lasiha, adhresit. — B.T., M.A. 



The Bee Orchis (p. 215).— This interesting 

 plant I have found near this town, and also near 

 Milborne Port, by the roadside ; but I have never 

 seen more than a few specimens in a season. A 

 search in some of our pastures, however, would 

 probably prove it to be anything but an uncommon 

 plant in this neighbourhood. — W. Macmillan, Castle 

 Cary, Somerset. 



White Varieties (p. 191). — In walking along 

 the road to Cole Ptailway station from this town, 

 the Herb Robert, with white blossoms, is seen in 

 abundance. White specimens of the Wild Hya- 

 cinth are not rare ; and the white variety of the 

 Sweet Violet is often more abundant than the blue. 

 — W. Macmillan, Castle Cary, Somerset. 



