Objects for the Microscope. 153 



breeding them or collecting the grubs, and keeping them 

 under muslin shades, to ensure a perfect specimen. 



I must, however, forewarn my young friends that every 

 leaf miner is not the larva of a moth ; for the primrose, 

 ranunculus, and several other plants, are mined by the 

 larva of flies, the Phy tomyzides and Agromyzides. 



The following list of the prettiest specimens will direct 

 the collector : 



NEPTICULA AURELLA. 



This is the bramble-leaf miner. The parent lays an egg 

 on the under surface of the leaf, and as soon as hatched, 

 the larva, which is a very small caterpillar, with very 

 undeveloped legs, and no coronet of hooks on its fore-legs, 

 begins to bore through the cuticle and feed on the paren- 

 chyma, between the upper and under skin. As it feeds and 

 grows, the wavy line widens visibly, and along the centre is 

 a string of excrement, black and wavy also. When full 

 fed, it emerges and falls to the ground, spins a cocoon, and 

 changes to a pupa ; at the end of three weeks it rises as the 

 perfect insect, and flits over the brambles in calm, sunny 

 weather ; or we may find them in windy weather resting on 

 the sheltered side of a paling. 



To the unassisted eye, this tiny moth is a mere brown 

 speck, a very dot of life. Placed under the microscope, we 

 see two upper wings of rich brown passing into deep 

 purple, and then a violet spot and band of brightest gold. 

 Two under wings of soft gray, deeply fringed with silvery 

 scales, and these scales are all remarkably large for the 

 size of this minute insect, which does not exceed three lines 

 in length. 



NEPTICULA MALYELLA, 



is the moth of a small leaf miner on apple trees, in July and 

 October, for all these little creatures have double broods ; 

 and its dark-brown upper wings are streaked with a single 

 bright pale band. 



NEPTICULA PRUNETORI. 



Mines the sloe leaf, and has a beautiful dark] wing, with 

 a well-defined black line preceding a silvery band. 



10 



