May 22, 1S73. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



411 



were mapped, they would all be found to exist outside, I)ut 

 along the moraines left by the ancient glaciers; and that the 

 same was the case with Delius and Mnemosyne. 



Mr. Albert Miiller was desirous of making some inquiry con- 

 cerning the literary remains of an entomologist. It was men- 

 tioned by Markns Lutz, of Basle, in his " Moderne Biographieu," 

 Lichtenstieg, 182(), pp. 39—10, that Johaun Samuel Clemens, a 

 native of Chambery, in Savoy, was a clergyman in the Val 

 d'lllies (Lower Valois), and that he was a learned naturalist. He 

 is said to have formed a library of eight thousand volumes, an 

 herbarium, a collection of minerals and insects of the country, 

 and is reported to have committed to paper many good ob- 

 servations concerning the natural history of the Valois, none of 

 which seem to have been pviblished. He is said to have died in 

 1812. Mr. Miiller said that he would be thankful to auy Italian, 

 French, or Swiss entomologist who might be able to give in- 

 formation concerning the manuscripts of this divine, either by 

 letter to himself or through any entomological publication. 



Mr. Stainton exhibited a " pseudo-cocoon " which had been 

 sent to him by Mr. A. H. Swinton, stating that he had foxind it 

 in a crevice of a brick wall in the mortar. It was of such a hard 

 texture that it could not possibly be penetrated by a pin. Mr. 

 McLachlan thought that the cocoon was that of Cerura vinula, 

 slightly altered in texture, because the larva had to fasten it to 

 a wall instead of a tree trunk. 



Dr. Sharp communicated a paper on " The Staphylinida; of 

 Japan," principally from the collections of Mr. George Lewis. 



A paper was read entitled " Notes on the EphemeridrB, by 

 Dr. H. A. Hagen, compiled by the Eev. A. E. Eaton, M.A." 



THE DOUBLE EOSE-LEAVED BEAMBLE. 

 Permit me again to trespass upon your space, and to inquire 

 after another old plant figured in the " Botanical Magazine." 

 It is Rubas rosiefolius /3 coronarius, a very handsome doubla- 

 floweriug white Bramble, with flowers as large as a Rose. It 

 is said to have come from Prince of Wales's Island in the 

 East ladies. Can any of your correspondents inform me if 

 this fine shrub is still in existence in the country ? — E. A. 



Sales of Plants. — Mr. Stevens sold on the 8th inst. 350 lots 

 of Orchids. The gross sum bid for them was more than £500. 

 Masdevallia Liudeui sold for £10 10s. ; M. trochilus for £11 ; 

 and Odontoglossum vexillarium var. coccineum for £7. At 

 other sales on the 9th and 12th Oncidium splendidum sold for 

 £7 15..'. ; a Camellia alba pleno, 8 feet high, fetched £7 Ws. ; 

 ■Cycas revoluta for £11 lis.; and aDraeajnalineata £7 10s. 



THE BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL INSECTS OF 



OUE GAEDENS.— No. 4. 



A EEVEEEND author, who has written much upon entomology 

 and other sections of zoology, has in one of his works re- 

 ferred to some butterflies that he considered were friends to 

 the gardener, though most of them, he added, were neither 

 friends nor foes, but neutrals. I must acknowledge that at 

 first I faUed to see how any butterflies could be deemed, in a 

 practical sense, friends to the garden, though they do, In their 

 winged condition, impart pleasure by their lively motions and 

 gay colours. Possibly, I thought, this entomologist has formed 

 the opinion that the species so prolific in most seasons upon 

 Cabbages, Cauliflowers, and kindred plants, do good by eating 

 up leaves that are decayed or superfluous, and thus reduce the 

 labours of the horticulturist ; or these larv.ij might be useful 

 by imposing a limit upon the cultivation of Brassicaceous 

 plants, to which, otherwise, too large a space might be appro- 

 priated by some to the exclusion of plants as desirable. The 

 fact was, however, that the praise awarded to certain species 

 of butterflies was for a reason few would conjecture — namely, 

 because their larvie helped to destroy garden weeds. The ex- 

 ample given of the Nettle-consuming lame of some of the 

 Yanessie, as, for instance, V. lo and Urticas, seems particularly 

 unfortunate, for it is rarely these larvie are found except in 

 clusters, feeding upon Nettles growing in patches ui)on 

 sheltered banks. The female butterflies do not resort to gar- 

 dens for the purpose of depositing eggs on any scattered 

 plants which may be growing there, but simply to sip honey. 

 No gardener who is properly attentive to his ground would ever 

 allow Nettles, of all weeds which intrude, ever to become so 

 numerous as to require the agency of larviC to impair their 

 vitality. But I have noticed that even where the spiny larvre 

 of the gaudy Vanessa have occurred in colonies upon Nettles, 

 the plants seem scarcely auy the worse for it, and soon throw 

 out new leaves which replace those that have been devoured. 



Any way, the gardener's benefits from butterflies in this direo. 

 tion are almost microscopical. Nor do I think that a better, 

 case can be made out with regard to some of the grass-eating 

 larva;, as, for instance, that of the Speckled Wood (Pyrarga 

 ^geria), for though the author already referred to cites the 

 Couch-grass (Triticum repens) as the food plant of the species, 

 the larvae feed upon various species of grass, as also do those 

 of the Grayling (Satyrus Semele), which have been sometimes 

 found upon the pest of many gardens. But neither of these 

 species occurs in sufficient abundance, nor in the localities, to 

 keep down the extension of the Couch-grass. 



It is rather singular, however, that in a book dealing with 

 the friends and foes of the horticulturist no mention is made 

 of Dragon-flies, and yet these are among the most predatious 

 of insects, and in certain gardens by no means unfrequent 

 visitors. Individuals of the larger species are to be seen on 

 the wing a long distance from the pool or stream where they 

 were bred, and the number of insects one specimen will destroy 

 in the course of a day is considerable. Many years ago an 

 observer noted the eagerness with which a large Dragon-fly 

 seized upon a Cabbage butterfly, and, having torn off the 

 wings, proceeded to devour the body of its captive. Even the 

 smaller and shghter species are as destructive in their way, 

 though they seldom fly far from a brook or pond, and seize 

 upon the Caddis-flies (Phryganeaj) and other species which 

 have been aquatic in their preparatory states, or are attracted 

 to the water by some cause. Hence a friend of ours argues 

 that it is an advantage to liave an artificial pond or streamlet 

 in or near a garden, because a moiety of tie insects bred in 

 gardens are sure to fly towards the water, and bo drowned or 

 devoured there ; and he might have added that some pleasure 

 is derived from the sight of the elegant motions of the Dragon- 

 flies and May-flies that are likely to be produced under such 

 circumstances. Years ago Dragon-flies were much more com- 

 mon about our market gardens near London than they have 

 been of late, but an impetus to their increase will probably be 

 given by the rains of last winter, which have replenished 

 many ponds and ditches long dry. No one would now think 

 of going out insect-hunting in the district of South Belgravia, 

 yet I remember that about thirty years since, much of the 

 land now covered by streets and squares was garden ground, 

 Dragon-flies careered there on the wing, and other aquatic 

 species were developed in tlip little creeks which intersected 

 the land and flowed into the Thames. 



We have often heard the question put, half in jest, half in 

 earnest, " Why are these insects called Dragon-flies ?" As- 

 suredly they are in no way connected with the " George and 

 the Dragon " of mythic English history, though as the general 

 foes of other insects, these flies might be regarded as akin in 

 disposition to the fabled dragons. We have said they aro the 

 enemies ot other species, but more than that, they attack and 

 eat their own relatives, and various examples of this cannibal 

 propensity have been given. As to the name, however, it is 

 exceedingly probable, we think, that they were first of all 

 called Dragoon-flies by some one who compared them in their 

 rapid and predatious excursions to the " bold dragoons " of 

 former days, beside whom their modern representatives, 

 though duly booted and spurred, appear very pacific indivi- 

 duals indeed. Dragoon-flies might easily be corrupted into 

 dragon-flies. " Horse-stingers " is a name commonly appUed 

 to the larger Dragon-flies throughout the country, and they 

 aro spoken of as objects of dislike, rather unreasonalily. Sting 

 they certainly do not, though armed with jaws most effective 

 for the purpose of biting or of dividiug their pre}-. I have 

 watched their evolutions repeatedly, but have never observed 

 that they are in the least disposed to attack man or any of the 

 larger animals. They are exceedingly fearless, and I have 

 seen such species as C. annulatus and C. ajnea pass close to 

 individuals which happened to come in their way as they were 

 swooping after insects, and they will even strike against a by- 

 passer, but certainly will not attack him unless he takes the 

 ofl'ensive. But if you knock down oue of them with a hand- 

 kerchief, you will find on takmg it up that it does not fail to 

 attempt to seize its enemy, even if he bo of human form. No 

 object could be conceived of why these flies should attack 

 horses, cattle, or other quadrupeds in meadows, though they 

 m.ay touch them by accident. Eennie was, I believe, the first 

 to point out that Dragon-flies, like the fly-catchers and certain 

 other birds, have their particular stations, to which they 

 generally return after one of their hawking flights, carrying 

 back the capture, that they may eat it at their ease. The 

 enormous eyes with which these insects are furnished by 



