200 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



pipe, as shown in fig. 126, the two pieces of spring 



which press against the point of the blowpipe 



'holding tlie smallest portion possible of the crea- 



Bb 



A 



Fig. 126. Blowpipe attached to Larva. 



ture's skin : then inflate the larva and hold it in the 

 oven (fig. 127), which should be previously well 



Fig. 127. Showing mode of Preserving'. 



heated. The larva should be kept blown out whilst 

 drying, but not so much so as to give to the animal 



an unnatural appearance, to prevent which they are 

 often steeped iu a solution of alum for a short time 

 prior to being operated upon. Two or three minutes 

 at the outside will suffice to dry the larva, which 

 may then be removed as finished ; but should it be 

 such a larva as that of the Privet Hawk-moth 

 {S. ligustri), it will turn brown after being thus 

 treated, and artificial colouriug should be employed. 

 I have seen one of these which had emerald-greeu 

 puffed into it; and had it been placed beside a 

 living specimen, it would have been difficult to 

 distinguish the one from the other. Only green 

 larvaj such as this will require much pains bestowed 

 upon them, as the majority of the others will retain 

 their natural appearance very well without being 

 artificially coloured. Larva; such as that of the 

 Goat-moth (C. ligniperda) will be the least difficult 

 to preserve ; those of the Puss-moth (C. vinula) 

 preserve well, and from their peculiar shape have a 

 very quaint appearance. The larvaj of the Gold- 

 tailed moth (Z). auriflua) are perhaps the prettiest; 

 but I strongly advise the inexperienced to use a 

 pair of gloves iu handling them, or he may turn 

 rather red about the neck and eyes, as if stung by 

 nettles, and, speaking from experience, I can assure 

 him that the pain is quite as bad, if not worse, 



"With a little patience the entomologist will find 

 himself able to preserve larvae well, and thus be 

 enabled to possess the larva, as well as the pupa 

 and ovum, of each imago. H. A. Auld. 



NEW BOOKS.* 



A LTHOUGH so far distant from the " reading 

 -^^ season," we cannot complain of the scarcity 

 of new books and new editions, and those of a 

 valuable character. The first on our list may seem 

 scarcely in keeping with the scope and character of 

 our magazine, but in it the student will find a mass 

 of anecdotes, traditions, &c., all of which more or 

 less bear on zoological and botanical folk-lore. 

 The science of comparative mythology — that which 

 traces the vague traditions and myths of all nations 

 to a common source — is one of the most modern, 

 and at the same time the most fascinating. To 

 find the fairy and goblin tales of our childhood 

 possessing a mythological significancy is indeed 

 rather startling. Some of the most learned thinkers 

 and scholars of our time are engaged in collecting 

 the disjointed and scattered facts, and combining 

 them into a clear; and incontrovertible story. 



* " Traditions, Superstitions, and Folk-Lore ; their Eastern 

 Origin and Mythical Significance. " By Charles Hardwick. 

 London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. 



"The Scientific and Profitable Culture of Fruit Trees." 

 From the French of M. Du Breuil. Loudon: Lockwood 

 & Co. 



"The Insect World." By Louis Figuier. A New Edition. 

 London : Cassell, Petter, & Galpin. 



