52 IRambles wttb feature Students 



mills, granaries, and bakehouses in fact, wherever 

 flour is kept, for in it the beetles lay their eggs, and 

 these hatch into minute thread-like grubs, which in 

 two years' time grow into flat long-bodied mealworms, 

 perfectly harmless, scentless creatures, easily kept in 

 a tin box filled with barley-meal and flour. They 

 grow and fatten all the quicker if the box is kept in 

 a warm place and some layers of flannel are supplied, 

 as they feed upon flannel as well as upon flour. The 

 flannel should be moistened occasionally with a little 

 beer or water. 



At length the worm turns into a curious mummy- 

 like chrysalid, and then into the perfect beetle, which, 

 although it is black, is not in any way related to the 

 so-called blackbeetle or cockroach (which is not a 

 beetle at all), and is of a reddish brown, the male 

 possessing four strong wings. 



The mealworm beetle is as innocent and harmless 

 as its larva ; I sometimes find a wandering specimen 

 near my bird-cages, and I know I can safely pick it 

 up and restore it to the box where its kith and kin 

 reside, with no fear of its biting or leaving any odour 

 on my hands. 



The English nightingale is unfortunately so greedy 

 for this insect, that birdcatchers can always trap it with 

 the greatest ease by clearing a space upon the ground 

 and placing some mealworms on limed twigs. The bird 

 flies down immediately to secure the dainty, and is 

 held fast and caught by the snare so cunningly set. 



WHITLOW GRASS (Draba vernd) 



Early in this month I found, on an old wall, the 

 pretty rosettes of one of our very early spring flowers, 



