1866.] 267 



or to tire out such as those of ^patwrct, Dicranura, Notodonta, Petasia, for which the 

 beating-stick has no terrors, and whose gi'ip seldom relaxes for anything short of a 

 mortal wound or blow. 



In shaking bushes, spread the sheet beneath, grasp in each hand a large stem, 

 pnll towards you, give as strong a downward jerk as strength will permit of, and 

 keep on repeating the process. I need hardly say it is tough work. Shaking is 

 also the more eflfective plan of working herbs, (beating being hardly applicable) and 

 is eflFected by gathering in the hand a head or bunch of the plant, bending it down, 

 shaking it over the umbrella or net, and striking it against the stick or ribs. 



Fumigation and vaporation, applied to bushes, whether by means of the 

 smoke-bellows, in the form of tinder and tobacco smoke, or by " Maw's Atmospheric 

 odorator !" in the form of a cloud of Benzine, strongly methylated spirit, or other 

 objectionable fluid, would I dare say astonish the inmates, and doubtless cause their 

 precipitate retreat. Never having tried the plan, however, I cannot speak with that 

 amount of certainty which I hope to be enabled to do on a future occasion ; fumi- 

 gation, has however, been employed as a means of disquieting, the larval occupants 

 of low herbage, with, at any rate, some amount of success. 



Sweeping is undoubtedly the best plan for obtaining the inhabitants of low- 

 ground herbage, in fact the number of larvse, of species otherwise far from common, 

 which may thus be taken is often perfectly surprising : it may also be used for 

 working bushes, but for this purpose it scarcely comes up to beating. 



The apparatus required consists of a sweeping-net,* and the usual complement 

 of tins and boxes : — The operator, as he advances step by step, makes long steady 

 sweeps of the net alternately from right to left, and back again from left to right, 

 much after the movements of a mower, except that the sweeper mows, as it were, 

 both ways, a very little practice enabling him to acquire the requisite turn of the 

 wrist whereby the contents are retained within the net. 



By day many larvae may thus be obtained on the slopes of hills and undercliffs, 

 particularly such as have a good assortment of wild herbs, along banks and ditches 

 where herbs and weeds grow rankly, &c. ; but the grand time for sweeping, as with 

 beating, is just after sunset, when our heaths, moors, sandhills, banks, rides iu 

 woods, and other " canny " places, teem with larvae, aflbrding abundance of sport, 

 especially on warm evenings in the spring months. When the vegetation swept is 

 of an uniform character, as heather upon a moor, bilberry on a " chase," reeds, 

 rushes, &c. in a marsh, or clover in a field, much time will be saved by putting the 

 whole of the " sweepings " without examination into a closely fastening bag, for 

 future leisurely investigation at home : — By this means, in addition to the time 

 saved, the necessity for a lantern is done away with, many larvae, which on the field 

 would certainly have escaped notice, are secured, and Psyche and Coleophora cases 

 when present will be got sometimes in plenty — besides which sawfly larvae, beetles, 

 Hymenoptera and bugs, as well as spiders, may be saved, without trouble, 



* The frame of the sweeping-net of the Coleopterist is formed of a ring of stout steel wire, (jointed 

 or hinged for convenience of tloubliiig up and pocketing,) which screws into a liandle, and the bag of 

 the net is nia<le of " Cheese Cloth," the hem through which the ring passes (easily) being composed of 

 leather. This answers very well for sneeping, hut for tlie Lepidopteiist, who is, (or ought to be) always 

 havinR insects fly up under his very nose, it is too heavy : Mr, Cooke, of New Oxford Street, has however 

 acted on a hint I gave him, and now produces, at a reasonable rate, an umbrella sweeping-net of such 

 strength as to defy breakage, and yet sufficiently light to pcrnriit of easy aerial manipulation. I purpose 

 describing the manufacture of this self-acting umbrella-net in a future paper ; in the present, space nil! 

 not permit me to do so. 



