276 



HARDWICKE'S SC1E N CE-GOSS IP. 



-Carpenter tells us that spiral springs act thus in 

 some fungi, but I could not trace the slightest 

 resemblance to a spring; and even were they 

 springs, why should a puff of wind occasion such 

 thousands to act? A. E. de Mokavia. 



THE POX-MOTH. 



I THINK I can assist your correspondent R. 

 Gariit toa knowledge of the life-history of Lasio- 

 ■campaRubi (Pox-moth). It abounds on those parts 

 of the Lincolnshire sea-banks where Hippophae 

 rhamnoicles (Sea Buckthorn) grows. I have visited 

 that coast for thirty years past, and on all occa- 

 sions have observed the larva} in profusion. The 

 " natives," as Mr. Garfit terms them, are not an 

 observing people, and as a rule, are unaware of the 

 existence of the insect on their coast. This is in 

 some measure accounted for by, the fact that the 

 larva?, when sufficiently grown to be conspicuous, 

 ■conceal themselves during the day. I have fre- 

 quently gathered them in the autumn when nearly 

 full-grown, bringing them inland with a supply of 

 the Sea Buckthorn : on this they would feed for 

 several weeks and then retire for hybernation : the 

 great difficulty is to carry them through the winter. 

 My most successful year was when I put them into 

 a large box without a lid, about half-filled with earth, 

 and over this, moss, leaves, and other debris, to 

 •enable them to conceal themselves, covering it with 

 wire netting of sufficiently small mesh to prevent 

 -escape. The box was placed in a sheltered place 

 in the garden, where it remained during winter. 

 When the larvae began to move in the spring, I 

 threw in budding branches of hawthorn, sprigs of 

 heath, &c. Whether they fed at all, I am unable 

 to say ; many died during the winter, others in the 

 act of spinning their cocoons ; those which suc- 

 ceeded in reaching the perfect state, emerged the 

 end of May and beginning of June : less than 

 twenty per cent, of the brood attained the imago 

 state. Another year I wintered them in a cool pot- 

 ting-house ; but on this occasion I was even less suc- 

 cessful. The eggs of this moth are deposited in May 

 and June, but the young larvae are not much seen 

 until about an inch long ; they are then velvety- 

 black, with a gold-coloured ring round each seg- 

 ment •. their appearance varies at each moult (it 

 would occupy too much space to give the detail 

 here). Finally, they are reddish-brown, with yellow 

 •and black between each segment : these markings 

 show finely when the larva is in motion, — beneath 

 bluish, and about three inches in length. The larva?, 

 when young, appear to feed at all hours; but, as I 

 have said, the hearty full-grown ones aiehid during 

 the day, coming up to do so at sunset; they are 

 then very conspicuous objects. They retire to their 

 winter quarters on the approach of cold weather, 

 •xe-appearing for a brief period in spring, then change 



to the chrysalis state, iu which they continue several 

 weeks, the moth emerging about the end of May. 

 Along the Lincolnshire coast, by Crofts, Skegness. 

 Winthorpe, and farther north, the sea-banks are for 

 miles covered with the Sea Buckthorn. This is a 

 grand feeding-ground for the larva; of L. Rubi, and 

 iu the June twilight the male moth may be seen 

 wildly coursing about in search of the female. At 

 the time I collected this insect, I was engaged in 

 making pictorial illustrations of the life-history of 

 the Bombycida?. On referring to the drawings, I 

 find the larva of Rubi depicted in its various stages 

 of growth. If this would interest Mr. Garfit, I 

 should be glad to afford him the opportunity of 

 seeing it. 

 Newark. George Gascovke. 



Fox-moth (Bombyx Rubi) (p. 263). — A corre- 

 spondent asks for information about the best treat- 

 ment of these hybernating larva?. Having reared 

 this species several times — once from the egg — I 

 may be allowed to give my experience, though I by 

 no means wish to inculcate that mine was the besi 

 manner of treatment. A large box, with a lid made 

 of perforated zinc or wire gauze, a layer of earth, 

 covered with loose rubbish and moss in the bottom, 

 and the whole placed out of doors. Take care that 

 the bottom of the box is perforated, so that the 

 moisture may drain off. I placed the larva? therein 

 with their food — generally heather— in the autumn, 

 and when the cold became severe, the majority of 

 them sought shelter in the moss, &c, provided for 

 them. These larva? are able to stand very intense 

 cold, often before they hybernate appearing to be 

 quite frozen, and sometimes they are attacked with 

 a white kind of mould, which causes them to die off 

 rapidly. One season nearly the whole I found thus 

 perished- Though this species hyberuates in the 

 larva state, it is usually, if not invaiiably, full-fed 

 when entering its winter quarters. It comes out 

 again in March (but, as far as I could observe, never 

 feeds), and soon spins a large, loose, blackish-look- 

 ing cocoon, which produces a moth at the end of 

 May. The moth is found commonly on all the 

 heaths of the New Porest and its vicinity. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Parus caudatus. — The Long-tailed Titmouse is 

 a bird which ought to be cherished by all possessors 

 of fields and gardens, for there is scarcely a more 

 determined enemy to the many noxious insects 

 which destroy the fruits, vegetables, and flowers. 

 Fortunately for ourselves, the Long-tailed Titmouse 

 is very fond of the various sawflies which work 

 such mischief among our fruit-trees, and often lay 

 waste whole acres of gooseberries; and it is no 

 exaggeration to say that, to a possessor of an orchard 

 or fruit-garden of any kind, every long-tailed tit- 

 mouse is well worth its little weight in gold. When 



