58 



♦ KNOWLEDGE 



[Junk 23, 



tlie task is set al>out in earnest. Mr. Housman expresses 

 regret, and rightly, at the inditfercnce to natural history 

 and science too commonly manifested by the young men of 

 the present day. " Brought up with their eyes unopened 

 to the wonders of Isature, they pass through life in the 

 same state of blindness ; leisure often hangs heavy on 

 their hands ; the country, save for purposes of sport, is 

 Tot«d dull ; travel is deprived of some of its greatest 

 charms ; and wisdom at mani/ entra7ices quite shut out." 

 He notes truly how completely all this is reversed in the 

 case of those who have imbibed an enthusiasm for study- 

 ing and collecting, in any department of natural or historical 

 science. 



Every page of this book is full of interest, from the 

 most amusing account of the author's first attempts at 

 bird-stuffing (the illustration at p. 35 is worth the price of 

 the book, to our mind) to the closing chapters on antiquities 

 and coins. This is just the sort of book to select as a 

 present for a clever, intelligent boy. Mr. Housman's 

 remarks on Natural History Collections (Appendix A.) 

 desene careful study. 



BUTTEJlFLIES AND MOTHS. 

 By W. J. H. Clabk. 



WE have now tnuraerated the principal and most generally 

 employed methods of catching, rearing, and preserving both 

 bntterflies and moths, but there are several others more or less 

 efficacious which find favour in the eyes of different individuals. 



On the Continent, especially in France and Italy, old soap-suds 

 which hare become putrid are considerably used, and they appear 

 to attract moths fairly well. We have tried the plan ourselves, but 

 op to the present only slight success has attended our efforts ; 

 however, wo mean to give it a few more trials. 



Bill-poster's paste, when stale, is very " fetching," and fruit 

 which has burst through over-ripeness makes another very good 

 bait, especially for butterflies and other d.iy-flying Lepidoptera. 



The flowers of the i\-y and sallow are also very great attractions 

 to moths, and have a peculiar intoxicating or stupefying effect on 

 the insects, which, whilst under this influence, can be knocked off 

 the flowers into a net without the slightest trouble. This method 

 must bo worked at night with a lantern. 



Besides these, the following flowers, together with many others, 

 are often visited by both diurnal and nocturn.vl Lepidoptera ; — The 

 heather, mistletoe, bramble, catchfly, viper's bugloss, valerian, 

 several kinds of grasses, scabious, honeysuckle, &c. The flowers 

 must be well watched, and when the insect is hovering over or has 

 settled, the net will have to be used quickly, and with precision, or 

 failure will result. Most of the hawk moths can be caught in this 

 way, as none of them come freely to sugar. 



The females of some moths also have an extraordinary attracting 

 power for males of the same species, the " scent " appearing to 

 travel incredible distances, and by exposing one of these virgin 

 females in a small l>ox covered with a piece of fine muslin, numbers 

 of the other sex will come flying round in great excitement, and 

 settle on the box, or near it, when they can be easily taken. 



Probably the females of all moths have this peculiar power in a 

 greater or less degree, but in the ca.«o of the Vaponrer (Orgijia 

 Antiqua), the Oak Eggar(Bon.lyi QuerciM),tho Emperor (Halurnia 

 Carpini), the Kentish (ilory (Endromifi Versicolor), and one or two 

 others, it is so verj- marked that even a person who knows nothing 

 of entomology cannot fail to notice it. 



The I'nrplo Emperor {Apatura Iris), the most beautiful of our 

 bntterflies, and at the same time the most difGcult to capture, 

 possesses a verj- disgusting and depraved taste, the greatest delicacy 

 one can offer him being decomposed animal matter, and if a dead 

 horse, donkey, (.r other animal in a state of putrefaction happens 

 to be placed near his haunts, he is sure to descend to the feast. 



This noble butterfly seldom visits the ground unless under these 

 circumstances, always flying alxiul the tops of tall oak trees, hence 

 the diflicnlty experienced in catching him. Some people use a net 

 with a handle 30 to 40 feet long, but it is so exceedingly unwieldy 

 and awkward that we cannot recommend its use ; the only way we 

 have found succeed being to wait beneath the tree until his majesty 

 condescends to come to cartli, when a sharp sweep with the net may 

 capture him. 



Light is very attractive to many moths; and if on a still warm 

 night the windows are left open and a strong light kept burning in 



the room, numberless insects will Hock in, appaiontly fascinated by 

 the glare, and the ojierutor. by standing near with a net, c!iu capture 

 as many as ho requires. Thoy must, if possible, bo taken imme- 

 diately on entering, as, if not, tho wings are sure to become more 

 or less injured, owing to the frantic efforts of tho moths to get to 

 the light. 



Going round to tho street lamps from about eleven to one o'clock 

 at night is often very productive ; and if half-a-sovereign or so bo 

 given to tho man who extinguishes the lamps, and a supply of chip 

 boxes, with instructions to catch and bring to you all tho moths he 

 finds, very many rarities will bo obtained, and a considerable 

 amount of trouble spared. 



If any particular species is desired, tho most likely spot for its 

 capture is tho tree or bush on which tho caterpillar feeds, as the 

 female moth, impregnated or otherwise, always flies about in its 

 neighbourhood, and the males aro generally not very far off. 



All the above-mentioned methods aro in use, and are accompanied 

 with a gi-eator or less share of success ; but for moths, nothing 

 comes up to "sugar" in attracting properties, as far as my expe- 

 rience goes, and 1 should advise collectors to stick to that and the 

 street lamps. 



Immediately on seeing Mr. Mattieu Williams' communication in 

 No. 32, page 27, wo gave the bisulphide of carbon a trial. The 

 victim, a large Puss Moth {Cerura Vinula), was placed in tho 

 vapour as directed, for tho space of five minutes, and when taken 

 out was quite dead. 



This method appears to us to bo very good, as insensibility ensues 

 almost immediately ; and though death does not come on so soon 

 as by some other means, yet tho insect cannot flutter about, which 

 is a great consideration. 



There is one great obstacle attached to its use, that is the exces- 

 sively unpleasant odour which it possesses; and, as tho liquid is 

 remarkably volatile, this properly soon makes itsc'lf evident. 



Wo thank Mr. Williams for tho information, and for tho future 

 shall always keep some of the li(iuid in tho house ; wo advise our 

 readers to do tho same. 



TiMK SiGVAl.i.iXG.— The following information, relating to time 

 signalling in England, is taken from the report of the Astronomer 

 Royal for 1881 : — " There has been only one case of accidental 

 failure in the automatic drop of the Greenwich time-ball. On four 

 days the ball was not raised, on account of tho violence of the 

 wind. The Deal ball has been dropped automatically at one hour 

 on every day throughout tho year, with tho exception of fifteen 

 days, on which there was either failure in tho telegraphic connec- 

 tion or interruption from telegraphic signals continuing up to one 

 hour, and of one day when the current was too weak to release the 

 trigger without the attendant's assistance. On three days high 

 wind made it imprudent to raise the ball. Tho Westminster clock 

 has continued to perform well, its errors having been under one 

 second on 40 per cent, of the days of observation ; between one 

 second and two seconds on 44 per cent. ; between two seconds and 

 three seconds on 14 per cent. ; and between throe seconds and four 

 seconds on 2 jjer cent. Time signals originating in the Observatory 

 aro distributed at 10 a.m. to all parts of tho country by the Post- 

 Offico telegraphs." 



A PiiENOMBNAL CANARY.— The power of imitation possessed by 

 birds of the parrot tribo has long been familiarly known, and it 

 would not be difficult to find numerous examples of even well- 

 educated members of the genus in this respect. Wo do not, how- 

 ever, usually regard the vocal powers of canaries as being equal to 

 the production of articulate sounds resembling those made by the 

 human voice. Hut there is at ])rescnt in tho possession of Dr. J. 

 Mefjrigor Croft a little songster of this description, which, besides 

 giving utterance to delicious warblings, is also able to " talk " with 

 a clearness and precision simply marvellous. Somewhat sceptical of 

 the accounts we liad rec.;ived of this animal wonder, wo have, through 

 the kindness of Dr. Croft, had an opportunity of directly proving 

 the truth of tho statements made concerning it. Tho canary does 

 veritably speak, and enunciates a number of sentences which are 

 clearly imitative of tho voice of the lady who has had care of it 

 since its early youth. Tho effect, indeed, jirodiiccd by tho clear, 

 sweetly-uttered sentences pronounced by tho bird is almost weird at 

 first; but tho feeling of wonder thus created quickly gives rise to a 

 sensation of exquisite pleasure, which is deepened as the little 

 creature suddenly at the end of a sentence rushes off into an ecstacy 

 of song. As illustrating tho exquisite pliability of tho laryngeal 

 apparatus of small birds, and the extent to which training may be 

 carried in such cases, the tiny animal is deeply interesting to 

 physiologists. As a mere curiosity, however, it is undoubtedly 

 unique, and wo are deeply obliged to Dr. Croft for having been 

 enabled to witness so phenomenal a bird. — Medical Press. 



