60 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



hunting expedition. The insects may afterwards 

 be carefully pinned, and placed in the collecting- 

 box. 



I advise those who wish to obtain fine specimens 

 for the cabinet to cut the pupa from tbe tree before 

 the imago makes its appearance, the moth being 

 very liable to become damaged when taken shortly 

 after emergence, unless handled with the utmost 

 care, some little time being requisite for the wings 

 to thoroughly harden. By hunting for the pupse, 

 any entomologist may during one search obtain 

 enough to satisfy himself, so common are they 

 where the insect occurs. I once found as many as 

 twenty-three pupse in one tree, and one of the finest 

 willows in this neighbourhood was so infested with 

 them that whenever I visited the tree in the 

 right season, two or three Cosfii were patiently 

 awaiting my arrival. This moth gives much trouble 

 to entomologists, for it always becomes "greasy,"* 

 as most internal feeders are wont to do more or 

 less, and in that state is likely to spoil the other 

 specimens with which it is placed. The only way to 

 prevent this is to eviscerate the individual, and to 

 stuff its body with cotton wool ; but this requires 

 very great icare, otherwise it will not look well. A 

 moth that has become greasy may be cured by 

 steeping it in benzine collas for a few hours, and 

 then placing it upon magnesia. By this means 

 much, if not all, of the grease may be extracted ; 

 but the moth has never a fine appearance after this 

 operation. We have only this one representative 

 of the genus Cossus inhabiting our countrj^, and it 

 is, I believe, almost entirely confined to the southern 

 portion. Although trees suffer very severely when 

 attacked by Cossi, they have other enemies of a less 

 destructive calibre ; such as the pine-boring Sirex 

 gigas and the scolytus, with many ' other larvae 



belonging chiefly to the order Coleoptera. 

 Blackheath. Hekry A. Atjld. 



SUPPLEMENTARY OBSERVATIONS 

 THE SMOOTH NEWT. 



ON 



TTAVING read, with great interest, the two 

 -LL papers by Mr. C. Robson on the Smooth 

 Newt, I should like to add a few remarks as supple- 

 mentary thereto, if you think they will interest your 

 numerous readers who keep aquaria. 



I obtained my newt (a female) in June, 1S71, 

 and had it in my aquarium seventeen months. I 

 have seen it cast its skin repeatedly, and may safely 

 say, on an average, about once a week, during the 

 greater portion of that time, and never found any 

 difficulty in obtaining the exuvise for the cabinet. 

 The method I always adopt to procure the skin, is 

 carefully to note the time when the newt has nearly 

 worked it off to the end of the tail, then to get a 

 thin glass rod, or knitting-needle, and gently touch 

 the naked portion of the tail ; the newt, on feeling 



the unwelcome probe of the inquisitive naturalist, 

 will usually bound forward, and leave the perfect 

 skin beautifully distended in the water. I then 

 carefully remove it into a vessel of clean water, float 

 it on a glass slip, and allow it to' dry. (One mounted 

 in the manner above mentioned I herewith enclose.) 

 The skin is of little use as a microscopic object, but 

 is worthy of a place in any cabinet, and is always a 

 wonderful object to persons unacquainted with the 

 mysteries of Natural History. 



Fig. 41. Male of Smooth Newt. 



My newt was equally susceptible to the variations 

 of temperature as the one belonging to Mr. Robson, 

 and generally, before heavy rain, or any great atmo- 

 spheric change, it would climb up the side of the 

 aquarium, or lie on a piece of wood which I had 

 floating on the water, for hours together, the throat 

 rapidly moving at intervals, to its seeming gratifica- 

 tion. 



Fig. 42. Female of Smooth Newt. 



As to feeding it, I never had any trouble ; it was 

 always ready for a small piece of raw beef or mutton, 

 which I always gave it in thin, worm-like pieces twice 

 a week ; occasionally in summer, giving it a small 

 house-fly. After I had had my newt about fifteen 

 months (with no company but a few small water 

 beetles and snails), a friend sent me out of his 

 aquarium, a male newt, as a companion ; the gentle- 

 man appeai'ed very well satisfied with his new home 

 and the lady for about three weeks ; but he then 

 ungallantly and unceremoniously made his exit, and 

 could not be found again. About six weeks after- 

 wards, the cover of the aquarium being taken off a 

 short time, for some repairs, the lady followed 

 (perhaps) her false one ; and although careful and 

 long search was made, almost immediately after her 

 escape, we could never find any trace of her where- 

 abouts. 



I am sure any of your readers having an aquarium 

 for microscopic purposes, or otherwise, would find 

 in the newt an endless source of amusement and 

 instruction, and one requiring little, or no trouble, 

 to make the little captive quite at home in, and 

 beneficial to, the freshwater aquarium. 



J. M. D. A 511 BURY. 



