151 

 GENERAL NOTES. 



A RECENT BRITISH ENTOMOLOGICAL CIRCULAR. 



The Agricultural Department of Great Britain has just issued a three- 

 page circular, probably written bj' Mr. Whitehead, upon the subject of 

 caterpillars upon fruit trees. Two groups of caterpillars are considered, 

 the one group including the Winter Moth {Gheimatobia brumata), the 

 Pale Brindled Beauty {Phigalia pilosaria)^ihQ Mottled Umber {Hybernia 

 defoUaria), and Ri/bernia aurantiaria, all having wingless females and 

 susceptible to the same remedies. The other group includes three in- 

 sects of more normal habits, viz : The Lackey Moth ( Clisiocampa neustria), 

 the Ermine Moth {Hyponomeuta pacJella)^ and the Figure-of-eight Moth 

 {Diloba ccvrnleocephaJa). The life history of all these species is of 

 course well known in England, and nothing new is suggested in the cir- 

 cular in the way of remedies. The Canker Worm tree-guard of American 

 pattern is recommended for the insects of the first group, while for the 

 second group clean cultivation around the tree, the denuding of the 

 trunk and lower limbs of their outer bark, and the ai)plication of soapy 

 and oily compositions and of paraffine and carbolic acid, and the throw- 

 ing of finely-powdered quicklime on the trees during winter after an 

 attack are the only remedies recommended. No notice is taken of the 

 arsenical mixtures now so popular in this country. 



TWO SUGGESTIONS TO STUDENTS OF ENT03I0L0GY. 



Some years ago we used the following method for studying the ve- 

 nation of the wings of small Lepidoptera. We have told it since to many 

 friends, but believe it has not been published. It is in some respects 

 preferable to the so-called "Dimmock i)rocess" and particularly as a 

 time-saver. It is also in this respect preferable to denudation with a 

 brush. The wing is removed and mounted upon a slide in Canada bal- 

 sam, which should be preferably rather thick. The slide is then held 

 over the flame of an alcohol lamp until the balsam spreads well over 

 the wing. Just as it is about to enter the veins, however, the slide is 

 placed upon ice, or, if in the winter time, outside the window for a few 

 moments. This thickens the balsam immediately and iirevents it from 

 entering the veins, which remain pjermanently filled with air and appear 

 black with transmitted light. With a little practice one soon becomes 

 expert enough to remove the slide and cool it at just the right time, 

 when the scales will have been rendered nearly transparent by the bal- 

 sam while the veins remain filled with air. We have done this satis- 

 factorily not only with TortricidcT and Tineidte, but with Noctuids of 

 the size of Aletia and Leucania. The mounts are permanent, and we 

 have some which have remained unchanged since 1880. Professor Eiley 

 had for some years before this been in the habit of mounting wings in 

 : balsam, in which of course the scales cleared after a time. 



