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The Museum Gazette 



of many-coloured light. The observer's attention may be 

 attracted to the fact that the insect has chosen chiefly thistles 

 and nettles as its hosts, these not being likely to be eaten 

 by cattle. Later in the season it will be less careful. The 

 insect here concerned, although a relative of the " plant lice," 

 is not a true aphis. 



June is the month for the Orchis tribe. The Bee must be 

 looked for in its earliest weeks or never. So also of the 

 Spider and the Frog. Others continue in flower much longer, 

 but almost all are in their perfection in June. 



Rhododendrons are now plentiful, and the very interesting 

 arrangement by which their anthers open at their points to 

 discharge their pollen may easily be observed. It is char- 

 acteristic of the whole family of heaths, but as the anthers 

 of rhododendrons are far larger than those of our English 

 heaths, it is best seen in them. 



Those who have never observed it before will be amused 

 to be shown the jack-in-the-box manner in which the curled 

 up stamens of the Broom spring out when the bee touches the 

 shoulders of the petals. June is the month for Broom and 

 both will soon be past. 



Amongt our summer visitants the pretty little Turtle-dove 

 is one of the last to arrive. It waits until the season is well 

 settled and rarely comes to us before the middle of May. 

 As perhaps a result of this caution its numbers remain each 

 year much the same. We have now plenty of turtle-doves 

 at Haslemere, whilst all representatives of the Swallow tribe 

 are scarce. Some observers think that Nightingales also have 

 been less frequently heard this spring than usual. Their 

 song, which ceases when the young are hatched and the 

 business of feeding begins, will soon be over for 1906. 



Speaking of Birds of Passage, we may say that we shall 

 be glad to receive from any readers in different parts of the 

 kingdom, estimates of the year's abundance of the various 

 species. The spring was remarkably variable, and much of 

 it cold, and this may have had the result of much diminishing 



