Saptember ia,187i. 1 



JOUENAL OF HOKTIOULTUEE AND OOTTAGK GARDENEK. 



219 



thinner than that of birds' eggs ? It has certainly in most cases a 

 remarkable tonghness as well as elasticity. The contents of the 

 eggs of butterflies and moths are also fluid, yet when plunged 

 in strong freezing mixtures they do not solidify. These eggs of 

 the Vapourer are, as already remarked, deposited in the cocoon, 

 yet not to any extent protected thereby, though some theories 

 have been spun out of this fact, and also out of that of the 

 winglessness of the female — theories which it is really scarcely 

 Eeosssary to touch upon. One thing is certain — that the eggs 

 ■of the Scarce Vapourer are deposited in exactly the same situ- 

 ation, and they are hatched in the course of a week or two. 

 'Occasionally, also, the eggs of the commoner species are some 

 •of them hatched the same summer. 



Different caterpillars of the Yapourer vary much in colour, 

 but the full-grown female caterpillar can generally be distin- 

 guished from the male by its greater size, and, as I fancy, it is 

 not quite so hairy. The ground colour is shades of grey, brown, 

 and pink, the most prominent peculiarities being the fine 

 ■" brushes " of hairs, which are elevated on the back, and a 

 ■slender tuft in the last segment, while from the second segment 

 there spring two pencils of hairs, which are black and diverge 

 from each other. In constructing its cocoon this caterpillar 

 -removes its investiture of hairs, and weaves them in with the 

 •ailk, of which it has, seemingly, but a poor supply. 



Another hairy caterpillar, which is common upon fruit trees 

 about London in the month of September is that producing the 

 moth called the Daggers (Aoronycta Psi), the species receiving 

 its name from some peculiar marks in the fore wings, variously 

 <!ompared to the shape of a dagger, or to that of the Greek 

 •letter ^st. The perfect insect is frequently to be seen reposing 

 ■on the trunks of trees in June. The eggs of the species have 

 not as yet come under my observation, but I suspect they are 

 deposited on the leaves of the trees on which the caterpillar is 

 found, not on the trunk or branches. It appears to be partial 

 •to the Pear, though feeding rather indiscriminately on trees, 

 iiarely upon shrubs. This caterpillar may be at once recognised 

 by a singular lump of a deep black, which rises from the fifth 

 segment, and which is long and perpendicular ; at the anal 

 extremity of the body is a smaller and broader protuberance. 

 The colour generally is a mixture of yellow and black : the head 

 lis black and very shining, as is the case with all the Aoronyotas. 

 It is rather curious that another species, A. tridens, so nearly 

 resembles this in the imago state that few entomologists can 

 distinguish them. The caterpillar is markedly different, proving 

 "the genuineness of the species. It is far less abundant. 



Another autumnal moth, much larger than the two just de- 

 •acribed, and which appears to be pretty generally distributed 

 throughout the British islands, is the sombre-looking creature 

 ■called the Old Lady (Mania maura), and it is a frequenter of 

 .gardens. It is not at all an active species, though it will flap 

 along in a sort of stealthy manner to the sweet compounds 

 which insect-hunters spread sometimes upon the trees as baits 

 &r moths. In fact this Old Lady, like other ancient dames 

 two-footed and not six-footed, has several peculiarities. Mr. 

 Newman observes that " it is fond of resorting to summer- 

 houses, boat-houses, sheds, &o., in the interior of which it may 

 frequently be observed in the daytime sitting on the inner sur- 

 ■face of the roof. I once counted twenty-eight in a boat-house 

 et Godalming. A marked specimen has been noticed to return 

 to the same house after being repeatedly rejected." Quite true 

 to character this, old ladies are generally obstinate. But the 

 Old Lady moth has another penchant, which is decidedly not 

 •one in which we can sympathise, and this was first pointed out 

 to me by a non-entomologist. In -addition to the resorts above 

 Earned the Old Lady moths are often found in certain places of 

 retirement which it is hardly necessary to name ; and this 

 4aste is not much more to the credit of the species than the 

 partiality shown by some of our butterflies for decaying or 

 decomposing animal matter. 



The caterpillar of M. maura, like those of some other NootuEe, 

 ieeds both upon low plants and trees ; when in a garden it 

 prefers fruit trees. I think that in some seasons the cater- 

 pillars feed occasionally during the winter on such plants as 

 Dock and Chickweed, being hatched in the autumn. It ascends 

 the trees in spring with the first appearance of leaf-buds, and is 

 full grown during May. This caterpillar is not often observed, 

 ES I believe its habit is to extend itself upon the branches 

 •during the day, where its dull brown hue matches very nearly 

 with the colour of the bark. It is of good size, with a small 

 Iiead, and has a very velvety feel. 



The insect shown in our figure is one which has at times 

 been the source of some alarm to gardeners, and not without a 



show of reason. In our gardens the caterpillar is common 

 enough at times to be deemed a pest, and yet, as far as I know, 

 it does not do us material injury ; partly because it feeds on va- 

 rious plants, and there- 

 fore its ravages are less 

 marked than if it at- 

 tacked only one or two 

 species, and partly be- 

 cause the moth shows 

 no special liking for cul- 

 tivated ground, but flies 

 about and deposits its 

 eggs indiscriminately, 

 Plasia Gamma. preferring open places 



to woods. The Silver Y, or Gamma moth (Plnsia Gamma) 

 occurs throughout Great Britain and Ireland, being on the wing 

 in greater or less numbers from the end of May to October. 

 The species is one which all young entomologists are sure to 

 make acquaintance with pretty soon in their excursions, and 

 before long they get to regard it as somewhat of a nuisance. 

 The singular silvery mark which adorns the wings of P. gamma 

 is found in other species of the same genus ; and unquestion- 

 ably, if this moth were not so common it would be regarded with 

 admiration. 



We discover the caterpillars of the Silver Y both in the 

 kitchen and the flower garden feeding on a great variety of 

 plants, but rarely or never ascending trees. I have seen Holly- 

 hocks almost defoliated by them, and Newman states that in 

 his garden he has noticed them every year upon a Hop vine. 

 This caterpillar belongs to what are known aa theHalf-loopers, 

 and when it is reposing it arches its back and tucks in its head. 

 The colour is greenish, marked with white stripes. There 

 appear to be two broods of the caterpillars annually, one feed- 

 ing-up in early spring, the other in the autumn, some indi- 

 viduals of each brood growing more slowly than the rest of 

 their brethren. 



Kirby and Spence give a dismal account of the devastation 

 committed by this moth in one instance. They say, " In the 

 year 1735 it was so incredibly multiplied in France as to infest 

 the whole country. On the great roads, wherever you cast 

 your eyes, you might see vast numbers traversing them in all 

 directions to pass from field to field, but their ravages were 

 particularly felt in the kitchen gardens, where they devoured 

 everything, whether pulse or pot herbs, so that nothing was 

 left besides the stalks and veins of the leaves. The credulous 

 multitude thought they were poisonous, report affirming that 

 in some instances the eating of them had been followed by 

 baneful effects. In consequence of this alarming idea herbs 

 were banished for several weeks from the soups of Paris. 

 Eeaumur has proved that a single pair of these insects might 

 in one season produce 80,000." With all deference to so great 

 a name, I feel inclined to doubt whether the latter fact is to be 

 regarded as unquestionably demonstrated. We may keep down 

 the Gammas within certain limits by the adoption of several 

 plans. The eggs may be looked for as they are deposited in 

 small clusters on the leaves, or the caterpillars may be hunted 

 up at early morning especially, for it is true in this, as in other 

 species, that as the early bird catches the worm, so the early 

 gardener secures the caterpillars. A good quantity of the pupae 

 of the species may be got by exercising a little observation at 

 the right season, as they are not subterranean, but spun up in 

 white cocoons of silk in different plants. Or lastly, to while 

 away an idle hour, the horticulturist might take a net and 

 chase the perfect insects which come freely to flowers, but it can 

 hardly be expected that many will adopt this mode. — J. B. S. C. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 There are no less than fifty-nine species of Uetica, more 

 or less distributed over India, most of these possessing textile 

 fibres of great strength and utility. A few of the family are 

 armed, and possess a great deal of venom in their sap ; of the 

 latter class we possess on the north-east frontier, and in Bur- 

 mah, the powerfully-stinging U. heterophylla. However, its 

 pain is only transient ; but there is a terrible tyrant of the 

 woods, U. crenulata, which inflicts dangerous symptoms and 

 awful sufferings for ten days, on the slightest touch. Swell- 

 ings, sneezings, contractions of the jaws, and other tetanic 

 signs rapidly follow a single prick. In the Calcutta Botanic 

 Gardens a French traveller and a workman were stung, and 

 each suffered the above penalty of contact. It was many years 

 afterwards that in the forests of Assam I first made ocalat 



