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JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



t July 29, 1876. 



universality is hardly absolute. We come quite near enough 

 to the truth when we say that most animals begin with this 

 as the germ of their life, and it is palpable to the senses 

 amongst the overwhelming majority of the insect tribes, and 

 stands not on a mere theoretical basis. Of course there are 

 snob exceptions as we have in the aphis family, where through 

 a good part of the year the happy mothers produce living 

 young as spry and active as their parents, worse luck to the 

 gardener; and then, again, certain species of flies in the 

 Dipterous order of great destructive powers give birth to larvfE, 

 while there is also an instance of what is still more singular, 

 the deposition of one or two pupie by the parent insect in 

 another genus of flies. It may perhaps appear to some readers 

 to be a needless statement, yet I have met with educated 

 persons who supposed that insects laid eggs, fed a little, laid 

 eggs again, and so on — in fact producing broods much hke 

 birds ; therefore I remark here that (with the exception of a 

 few, such as the queen bee) when a female insect has deposited 

 her eggs she dies. And this, her life work, after it has once 

 been commenced , is gone on with continuously, until all the 

 eggs are got rid of, whether they are laid fii masse, in small 

 quantities, or singly. Of course it doesn't seem a very affec- 

 tionate way of phrasing it, but really it is a case of " getting 

 rid " of the eggs with most insects. Only here and there have 

 we a species that either takes any heed of her progeny after 

 they are hatched, or lays up any provisions for them on their 

 first entry into this world of troubles. Nature prompts the 

 mother to select what is the proper food for her offspring, 

 and, having placed the eggs on or near that, be it animal or 

 vegetable, the mother retires from business, and sinks into 

 the grave to which the partner of her life has already gone — 

 or, to put it in more matter-of-fact, dies off, to be devoured by 

 some creature or another, since most insects, living or dead, 

 are thus utilised. If there is anything in insect economy that 

 strikes us as significant of a resemblance to maternal regard, 

 it is such 11 circumstance as we notice amongst the Cocci or 

 scale insects, where the gradually elongating and wasting 

 female, as she clings to the branch, affords a shield-Uke pro- 

 tection to the young larvffi she has produced, and probably 

 also supplies them with the first food they swallow in some 

 instances. 



A remarkable proof that the insect tribes, by a primary law 

 'of life, are exposed to unusual dangers is furnished by the 

 fecundity of the females in the bulk of the species. Hence in 

 spite of the dangers arising to them from other animals that 

 make them their prey, and the effects of unfavourable weather, 

 with in addition sometimes internal and little-known diseases, 

 hosts of species perpetuate themselves from century to century, 

 where the soil and temperature suit their habits. Of late years 

 in this country to some scarce or local insects the entomologist 

 has been the worst enemy. The schoolboy's notion that a cater- 

 pillar was so named because it was a sort of creature that liked 

 to cater for itself on our choicest vegetables, and that a grub 

 got its name because it was always feeding, is not exactly true. 

 The essential part of the caterpiUar's name is the second half, 

 describing as it does something that " pills," peels, or devours 

 what it comes in contact with. The underground life of some 

 grubs , no doubt, led to the apphcation of the word to larvffi either 

 footless or scantily furnished with feet, and that keep them- 

 selves out of view as much as they can. Yet both words are used 

 in a very loose way, though entomologists have now pretty 

 well agreed to restrict the word " caterpillar " to the larvje of 

 the Lepidoptera, and to the pseudo-caterpillars of some Saw- 

 flies which have much resemblance to the caterpillars produc- 

 ing butterflies and moths. It is true also that some of our 

 forefathers apphed the term "worm" to sundry slim larva. 

 A palmer worm, for instance, was a hairy caterpillar, because 

 it resembled the roughly-clad palmers that had returned to 

 England from wandering on Asian shores. Unfortunately, 

 too, the word "grub" has been used by some writers when 

 they were speaking of insects in their third stage — the pupal 

 condition. On the whole we cannot fall back upon a better 

 word, as generally denoting the second stage of insect develop- 

 ment, than Swammerdam's " larva," mistaken in a sense, as 

 he was in choosing it impressed with the belief that under the 

 skin of the larva the " masked creature," even at its escape 

 from the egg-sheU, were all the organs in miniature of the 

 perfect insect. This we now consider to be a mistake ; there 

 are throughout points of resemblance, but the larva and imago 

 exhibit different structures and functions, necessarily con- 

 nected with differing modes of life. Still we do not quarrel 

 with th« term "larva," as handily expressing the second stage 



of either a moth, a fly, a beetle, or a bee. Widely diverse 

 these from each other, as we shall see hereafter, yet all having 

 something in common. More unUke, it may be, too, than 

 are the matured or fully-developed insects ; thus the six-legged 

 aquatic larva;, well-known to the angler as caddis worms, 

 produce images which are not without resemblance to Lepi- 

 doptera, and have been called water moths, though the larva 

 is 80 difierent from the average caterpillar of true moths. 

 Certain flies and bees are much alike, yet the larva in the one 

 is footless and in the other provided with six feet. And yet 

 amongst other bees where the larva; are dependant for food on 

 the attentions of their nurses or foster parents, they are foot- 

 less, evidently still more incapable of shifting for themselves 

 than the larvae of many flies. To the superficial observer it 

 is quite obvious that the caterpillar of a butterfly, the larva 

 of a beetle or of a bee, is in appearance, as well as in habit, 

 quite different from the insect as it presents itself to us in the 

 final stage of life. But then, again, the larva of a cricket, or 

 that of an aphis, is an approximation to the imago in form, 

 though destitute of wings. Also we have various instances, 

 as amongst the flies and the dragon flies, where the two or 

 four- winged insect is developed from an aquatic larva ; cer- 

 tainly, however, it is as unamiable in habit as the predacious 

 imago. 



The amount of food "put away" by insects in the last 

 stage is sometimes considerable, yet the larval condition must 

 be deemed the grand feeding-time in the insect world gene- 

 rally ; just as the pupal state indicates assimilation and pre- 

 paration for change. Though, as hinted already, there are 

 some active pups, yet as no pupje are found either to grow 

 or to moult, the nutriment they consume must be small in 

 quantity. And here, again, we have strange contrasts and odd 

 resemblances ; beetles and bees, so remote in many respects, 

 are akin in having pupae which display very distinctly in the 

 majority of species the outline form of the perfect insects, 

 while butterflies and flies (with exceptions) approach each 

 other in being developed from pups which give no clue to the 

 nature of the insect enclosed, or only a slight indication. The 

 agile pupre of such insects as dragon flies and grasshoppers 

 hint to us what they are about to become by displaying rudi- 

 mentary wings. As to the length of life in these earlier stages, 

 it is as a rule more prolonged than in the imago condition. 

 We have larvs, it is granted, that attain their seniority in a 

 few days, but those of some beetles and moths live years ; 

 and the pupal state may be reckoned by days, months, or 

 years.— C. 



OUB BORDER FLOWERS— COUSINIA HY8TRIX. 



This is a race of plants very Uttle known and seldom met 

 with in cultivation. They may not be so graceful in their ap- 

 pearance or so attractive in their habit as some other of our 

 border flowers, and it may be their Thistle-like appearance 

 causes them to look a little vulgar among their more refined 

 neighbours. But what if some of them has a rather Cardoon- 

 like appearance'.' We sometimes find relief in change, and 

 need not despise them for that. When taken well in hand 

 they can be made very effective ; and though we have a goodly 

 number of white-leaved plants this adds one more to the 

 number, and is not to be despised where large plants are re- 

 quired to fill large spaces for centres of large beds or for other 

 purposes. Being hardy makes it still more desirable. When 

 in the border fully developed, and seen at a distance with its 

 silvery-white leaves and purple flowers, it is a very striking 

 object, and a group in the shrubbery has a fine effect. 



Though there are several kinds enumerated, I believe that 

 Cousinia hystrix is the only hardy herbaceous one we possess. 

 This is quite hardy, and when well estabUshed will last many 

 years. It may be increased by seed sown in the spring, or by 

 division after blooming. Care should be used in the operation, 

 for they have fleshy roots which sometimes bleed and the 

 plants go off. When the plants have attained a large size the 

 stems ought to be thinned out that they may fully develope 

 themselves. They require a well-drained situation, and will 

 thrive in partial shade. 



The ground for them should be broken up to the depth of 

 2 feet or more, and have some good loam, leaf mould, or good 

 rotten manure, with a little coarse sand well worked into the 

 place intended for them. They must be attended to with water 

 when required, and when the flower stems rise they should be 

 carefully staked to prevent them from being broken by the 

 wind. Liquid manure is of service to them oocasionaUy. When 



