68 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ January 21, 1867. 



the rarity of many of the specimens, but also from the fact that the 

 precise locality and date of capture of everj' individnal was recorded, 

 BO Es to show most satisfactorily the extent of the geographical ranf;e 

 of every species and supposed local variety. With reference to the 

 mimetic re:iemhlauce between animals inhabiting diJTerent localities, 

 he cited the instance of the humming birds of the New World and the 

 Humming-Bird Moth of Europe. 



Mr. AIcLachlau asked for an explanation of the fact that the last- 

 named insect is frequently to he observed in considerable numbers 

 chasing up and Aowti walls, banks, or cliffs, exposed to the hottest 

 Bnn, and especially about stone walls near the sea, but no explanation 

 was offered. 



Mr. h\ Smith stated that in consequence of this habit of the Hnm- 

 ming-Bird Moth, a clay nest found npon a wall, over which the 

 Moth had been seen hovering, had been sent to the British Museum, 

 on the supposition that it was the nest of that species of Moth, hut it 

 was found to have been made by a Mason Bee. 



• Mr. A. E. Eaton mentioned that during the last season he had 

 found the nest of the Hornet in an unusual position — namely, in a 

 sand bank, where there was no wood near. 



The following memoirs were read — Chorentidai and Crambina col- 

 lected in Egypt in 1864, and Crambina, Pterophorina, and Alucitina 

 collected iu Palestine in IStio by the Rev. O. P. Cambridge, deter- 

 mined and the new species described by Professor Zeller, the German 

 descriptions translated by H. T. Stainton, Esq ; and a monogi-aph on the 

 genus Hestia, with a revision of the Danaidan Euttertlies — namely, 

 ninety species of Euploea, seventy of Danais, and ten of Hestia, by 

 Mr. A. G. Butler. 



OUR VINES. 



{Concluded from page 50.) 



So we came to the autumn of another year, and the yellow 

 leaves fell from the great Sycamore tree iu the garden close by, 

 and the Silver Birch threw its long shadows on the grassy lawn, 

 and our fruit, yet tmtasted, hung ripe and ripening in the vinery. 

 It seemed as if we had come to the very point, reached the end 

 for which we had aimed and worked, as if our land of promise 

 lay all before us ready to enter in and possess, as if the reward 

 had come for all our care, and thought, and work, and study ; 

 not the reward of so much pleasure or enjoyment, or eating, or 

 giving away to friends, which though last is not least ; but that 

 deeper, richer, better, more lasting reward, success to our efforts, 

 the power expended coming back to us in a larger measure, 

 giving us a sense of knowledge we could never more part from. 



" You are not out of the wood yet, with all your shouting," 

 said Cousin Walter, one Saturday afternoon in October, the 

 day appointed for the first fruit-gathering, and our Vine doctor 

 had promised to come over and help in the arduous work. 



" What is the matter Walter ? " said Cousin Herbert, " Why 

 there is mould, and no mistake, upon these berries," and he 

 ■was rubbing away with all his might at abunchofLadyDowne's. 

 " Come up and see for yourself, Kate." 



" It is not mould, it is the very bloom yon are rubbing off," 

 said Kate in great alarm, " Come down this minute." 



" You do not mean to tell me this mealy whitey-blue stuff 

 is bloom do you ? why the very canes are covered with it"' 



" So they often are on Lady Downe's," said Kate. 



"You are a jackanapes, Walter," said Uncle Tetley, "if I 

 were you, I would not meddle with what I did not understand." 



I do not think we should ever take a prize for Grapes, even 

 if we were to try, and they were never so fine, said Uncle Tetley, 

 we handle them so much." 



"Well, you see they are our first," said Cousin Herbert, 

 " and a great deal of pleasure lies in the touch ; they are some- 

 thing like a first baby, much made of and tossed about. The 

 idea of a Greek scholar rubbing the bloom away from his Grapes, 

 thinking it mould. But if there is no mould, which I am not 

 sure about, there are plenty of thi'ips on that Reeves' Musca- 

 dine, you can find them by hundreds, if not thousands." 



" Never mind the thrips, said otir Tine doctor, coming in 

 jnst then, let the thrips die with the dying leaves. You can 

 do nothing, you can neither syringe, nor smoke, so you must 

 do as you say here in Y'orkshire, ' bide your time.' " 



" Well you may laugh," said Kate, " but I expect some morn- 

 ing we shall find the thrips has carried everything out to the 

 lawn." 



" Then I will help you to bring them in. Bless my life you 

 have in comparison none, half the gardeners in England would 

 swear they had not. if they had no more. I tell you what. Miss 

 Kate, 1 would not like being your gardener, no not for a thou- 

 sand a-year. Come now, what about those bunches, which are 

 we to cut, and what are we to do with them ? " 



" Think of your friends to be sure," said Annt Margaret, 

 " no good will ever come of them if you are stingy." 



" Well, I suppose," said Cousin Herbert, " the largest mttst 

 go over the way to Mrs. Arthur Tetley's ; or, perhaps, dear 

 Aunt, you will not mind taking it with you ; and, then, George 

 must come in for a share, for after all his queerness, I have 

 seen him give many a helping hand on the sly." 



" And, then," said Kate, " Papa says Dr. Brown must hare 

 a bunch, for he does not grow them, and is very fond of them." 



" And you would not forget our Rector," I said. 



" No need to think of him," said Janet, " look at all the 

 people in his congregation who have vineries, and, doubtless, 

 will send. Why I dare say he has more than he can eat." 



" And, then," said Cousin Walter, " there is lawyer Forden, 

 he must have, or all the fat wiU be in the fire." 



" And there is Walter's learned schoolmaster," said Uncle 

 Tetley. " And, then, there are neighbour Cuthberts." 



" No need to think of them," said Janet, " they are rich, 

 and can afford to buy." 



" I dare say all the people we have mentioned can do that," 

 said Kate. " After all it is only an expression of kindly neigh- 

 bourly fading." 



"It looks as if you thought such a deal about them, as if 

 you had never had Grapes before, and were proud of them, and 

 wanted to be thought clever." 



" Well, we do think a great deal about them, Janet, we are 

 very proud of them, and we have never had before of our own 

 growing ; and there is another thing, we are not ashamed of 

 our feelings, nor of showing them. I wonder what they were 

 given us for, if they are always to be hid away." 



Then we had great work with our Grapes, cutting them down, 

 buQch after bunch, some weighing more, some less than we 

 thought. Cousin Walter held up our little rubbish-basket for 

 their acceptance, but Cousin Herbert shook his head, saying, 

 " Nay, nay, that will not do. we must have something better 

 and cleaner." Then Aunt Margaret brought to light from some 

 place where it had been hid, where we never could make out, a 

 beautiful silver basket and Grape-scissors, saying in reply to 

 our exclamations, " Oh, never mind where it came from, it is 

 a present." If we have not a first-rate gardener, that is no 

 reason we should not serve up our fruit iu a decent, proper 

 manner. Then in triumph we bore into the dining-room our 

 silver basket heavy with its own worth, heavier still with its 

 weight of Grapes, and we formed a jury, and sat in judgment 

 on them round a blazing fire. 



" These Black Hamburghs are very good," said Uncle Tetley. 



" I think them splendid, would not desire better," said Papa. 



" I like Beeves' Muscadinebest." said Cousin Walter, bobbing 

 one alter another of the little round berries into his capacious 

 mouth. 



" I do not," said Mamma, "really, Herbert, you must send 

 me over some Muscat Hamburghs, they are my taste." 



" They are, indeed, very delicious," said Kate, " I would 

 rather have one hunch of Muscats, than a dozen Black Ham- 

 burghs." 



" Well, Lady Downe's is my favourite, there is something 

 sparkling, something piquant about her, and then, too, there 

 is a substance about the berries not like so much sweetened 

 water." 



" They are very good," I said, "with one great fault, rather- 

 moreish." 



" Janet you eat away, but do not say one word," said Aunt 

 Margaret. 



" Oh, Janet is thinking deep waters do not bitbble as they 

 run," said Cousin Walter. 



" They are very good," said Janet, " but I have eaten 

 better." 



" I never did," said our experienced Vine doctor, " and many 

 a professional grower would be proud to show such. In one 

 respect, though, I think you have missed it, Mr. Herbert, you 

 should have kept an accurate account of cost and return, valu- 

 ing your pleasure at so much, then we might have had some 

 idea how your bank book stood." 



" I assure you I dare not do that," said Cousin Herbert, " for 

 cook says they have burned no end of coals and cinders, and 

 Maud and Kate would have brought in heavy damages for 

 spoiled Jferino dresses and soiled skirts. Next year, if all is 

 well, I will try to do so, and then we can weigh the worth of 

 our Grapes against our coal bill." 



Then Mary, our little helper, came in for her share. " These 

 are for yourself," said Aunt Margaret, "and the others for 

 cook and Martha." 



Cook said, they looked very well, but she didn't mind 

 much about such things, they were a great bother ; she troilld 



