KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



249 



it is comparatively common, and known by the 

 name of 'Le Jardinier.' Latreille observes, 

 that it is a most destructive enemy to the cock- 

 chafer, attacking and killing the females at the 

 moment of opposition, thereby preventing the 

 birth of thousands of young. Captured near Ex- 

 mouth, Dover, Southampton, and Canterbury."] 



Lily of the Valley. — Everybody is in love with 

 this pet of the flowers, and it ought to be gene- 

 rally known that it may be successfully cultivated 

 in pots for forcing, year after year. It must have 

 kind treatment ; but to have it in flower in the 

 greenhouse or conservatory from the month of 

 January until its usual time of flowering in the 

 open air, well repays the little attention it requires. 

 This may be effected by attending to the follow- 

 ing system of management : — The roots should be 

 taken up for potting as soon as the leaves have 

 decayed, in order to allow time for the formation 

 of roots previously to starting them into growth. 

 The middle of December is a good time to begin 

 forcing this Lily ; and a succession of flow ? ers may 

 be kept up by taking a few pots into the forcing 

 pit every three or four weeks, as they remain a 

 long time in perfection. "When the plants have 

 done flowering, they should be removed from the 

 greenhouse to a cold pit or frame, where they can 

 have plenty of light and air; and as soon as they 

 have completed their growth, they should be set 

 on a partially-shaded border, protected from 

 cutting winds. They may remain there until 

 the end of October or beginning of November, 

 when they should again be placed in the cold pit 

 until they are required for forcing. "When the 

 plants are taken into the forcing pit, they should 

 be plunged in a mild bottom heat ; and entirely 

 covered with loose leaves, to exclude light until 

 the roots shall have become active ; after which 

 they should be fully exposed to light, and given 

 plenty of air. Plants treated in this way will not 

 require to be re-potted until the second season 

 after they have been removed from the ground. 

 And when it is necessary to do so, the soil should 

 be carefully shaken from the roots, and the plants 

 re-potted into pots of the same size as those they 

 came out of ; or larger, as may be found requisite. 

 Five-inch pots will be found to be a very conve- 

 nient size in which to grow the Lily of the Valley; 

 and the soil most suited to its wants is composed 

 of turfy loam, leaf-mould, and sand.— G.F. 



The Spider-catching Fly of Van Diemen's 

 Land. — This insect is about the size and figure of 

 a wasp, but in color resembling the domestic fly. 

 Its habits are very singular. The spiders it 

 captures with so much daring, are not intended 

 for food for itself, but for its future progeny. The 

 fly in the height of the summer season may 

 be seen very busy on the moist banks of the river, 

 collecting mud to form cells, which it constructs 

 with great expedition. These cells are made to 

 contain three or four spiders, most of them half as 

 large as itself, which are closely packed, and 

 immediately covered over, the cover of the first 

 being the basis of the second ; and so on, in suc- 

 cession. It takes advantage of any chink in the 

 wall, or niche in the angles of the doors or 

 windows, for its building purposes. I have not 

 ascertained, says a resident naturalist, if the fly 



hunts singly or in couples ; but one, at least, found 

 its way upstairs, or through the window of a bed- 

 room, and constructed, before it was observed, a 

 number of its clay cells on the chintz bed-curtain. 

 W hen discovered and the cells brushed down, the 

 spiders covered the bottom of a dessert plate, and 

 presented a beautiful appearance, being of all 

 colors ; some as if richly enamelled, and quite 

 perfect, and as fresh as if alive. This was the 

 work of two or three days only. The spiders 

 were all of the geometrical class, and were 

 killed as soon as seized. On another occasion I 

 found an Italian iron filled up by them, as also an 

 iron saucepan-handle ; and a dress that had been 

 suspended on a nail for a few days, had a large 

 patch of their nests upon it. So soon as the 

 cavity is filled up with fine plump spiders, an egg 

 is deposited therein ; and when duly hatched the 

 grub has a sumptuous feast prepared for it. — 

 Mimosa. 



Clirysomela Tenebroides. — Within the last ten 

 days, my daughter captured and brought up to me 

 a pair of Clirysomela tenebroides. I have care- 

 fully examined that excellent work, " A Manual 

 of British Coleoptera," by J . F. Stephens, Esq., as 

 well as that beautiful volume of " British Cole- 

 optera, delineated by W. E. Shuckard, Esq.," and 

 also several other works on British Coleoptera. In 

 not one of them do I find any notice of this fine 

 beetle ! I scarcely need tell you that I possess 

 several European specimens, and that I know 

 what Chrysomtla tenebroides is. T. Marsham, 

 in his " Entomologia Britannica " (published 

 upwards of fifty years ago) has accurately de- 

 scribed it. My object in requesting insertion of 

 this little notice, is to ascertain, through the 

 medium of any of your entomological contributors, 

 if this insect is no longer considered British— and, 

 if possible, " why " it is no longer considered so? 

 Being very much interested in everything relating 

 to entomology, I naturally feel very curious on 

 the subject, the more particularly as no doubt 

 exists about the two I have just become possessed 

 of being Clirysomela tenebroides. — Bombyx 

 Atlas, Tottenham, April 19. 



Baric-bound Trees. — Some over-wise people, 

 says a writer in the Gardeners' Journal, have an 

 idea that when a tree gets mossy and bark-bound 

 — the latter another term for the want of growth 

 and weakness, consequent upon neglected culti- 

 vation — it is only necessary to slit the bark up 

 and down the stem with a jack-knife, and it will 

 at once spread out and grow ! This is sheer 

 nonsense. Dig about and cultivate the roots (and 

 the bark will take care of itself), wjth a scraping 

 off* the moss, and a washing of the stem with ley 

 or soap-suds, or chamber slops, which last is 

 quite as good. The increased flow of the sap, 

 induced by a liberal feeding of the roots, will do 

 its own bursting of the " hidebound " bark which 

 is simply its enfeebled condition as a consequence 

 of its poverty of root. No one thinks of turning 

 out a bony, half-starved calf in the spring, into 

 the clover-field, with the skin on its sides all 

 split through with a knife in order to add to its 

 growth. But this last proposition is quite as 

 sensible and philosophical as the other. Nature 

 takes care of herself in these particulars. Sap in 



