tue 
145 
CGorrespontence. 
We shail be glad to receive articles on any natural objects, the preference 
being always given to such as have a local interest. 
Notes on the popular 
names of, or traditions concerning, Animals or Plants, or on any subject con- 
nected with Natural History, will be welcome. 
“CLERKS OF THE WEATHER.”— 
(See p. 106).—Mrs. Woollams writes 
as follows:—“ I think I named three 
Leeches to a pint and a half of 
water. I venture to remind you of 
this, as it is somewhat essential; for 
not only is that number sufficient 
for the quantity of water, but a 
larger number is apt to puzzle 
beginners, as they do not always 
rise and fall together to the moment. 
My experience is not of jive, but of 
Jifteen years, so I trust you will 
receive it with confidence.” 
ON PRESERVING THE COLOUR OF 
DRIED FLOWERS.—(See p. 121).—I 
have been asked to communicate the 
manner of fixing the colour in the 
mounted groups of flowers which I 
sent over for the Annual Svirée. 
Some five years ago, a friend, who 
had been travelling in Norway, 
shewed some specimens which he 
had brought home to a dear child, 
who commenced experimenting to 
preserve the colour in drying. 
Ultimately she found the applica- 
tion of a heated flat iron the best 
mode of proceeding. It was her 
practice to pick the flower in pieces 
for the purpose of more evenly pre- 
serving the true proportions, and 
then, with the perfect flower before 
her, to make it up again. The 
medium used in fixing it on the 
card was isinglass in solution. The 
specimens sent to Wycombe were 
only a few of those produced ; the 
groups of wild flowers, which passed 
into the hands of valued friends, 
being especially natural. 
Henley. H. STUBBS. 
THE DUKE oF BurcuNDY (NVe- 
meobius Lucina).—Mr. Ullyett, in 
his paper on the Wycombe Butter- 
flies, page 113, remarks that the 
larva of the “Little Duke of Bur- 
gundy Fritillary” (Nemeobdius Lu- 
cina), is said never to have been 
found in England. Mr. U. will there- 
fore probably be interested to know 
that [have taken both eggsand larve 
somewhat freely in this neighbour- 
hood, and have bred the perfect 
insect. Some few years since, I hap- 
pened to be in a sunny field em- 
bosomed in beech woods, in this 
parish, where numbers of this pretty 
little butterfly were flitting to and 
fro, and I determined to have a hunt 
for the larva. I had read in West- 
wood’s British Butterflies that the 
larva fed on the Primrose (Primula 
vulgaris), and so to work I went, 
carefully examining the leaves of 
each primrose plant, but with no 
success. I noticed, however, that 
the field was covered with numerous 
plants of the Cowslip (Primula 
veris), and to these I immediately 
directed my attention. I had only 
examined two or three plants, when 
at the back of the very lowest leaves 
among the long grass, close to the 
ground, I found some small hairy 
larvee and a number of little white 
eggs, resembling those of <Arvctia 
menthrasti, laid singly or in small 
clusters. These I took home, and 
in a few days they hatched; the 
young larve fed up rapidly and soon 
assumed the pupa state, and the fol- 
lowing year produced the perfect 
insect. I subjoin a description of 
both larva and pupa for the benefit 
of your readers: Ground colour, 
dingy olive. Central dorsal line, 
blackish or very dark olive, much 
darker at the centre of the segments. 
Sub-dorsal lines slanting, dark olive, 
dotted posteriorly on each segment 
by a dull yellow spot. On each 
segment between the dorsal and 
sub-dorsal lines a largish orange 
tubercular spot, surmounted by a 
tuft of reddish orange hair. Between 
