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THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



offer any one such insects, unless there is some peculiar local variety on which 

 the advertiser is quite silent. I do not know any one who prefers to be a 

 " ready set collector. And is it possible, for any one who is able to give 

 an exchange for these insects, to be without them. And what about another 

 class of exchangers, of which this a sample, he offers Salicis and Badiata and 

 a few better things, but wants Ulva, Brevilinea, and Neurica, which he stipu- 

 lates must be blackpinned and well set. We can dismiss this class at once 

 by the appellation " mere collector," and only use it as a contrast to one 

 benovolent old Entomologist, who year after year catches and sets a number 

 of specimens of Flavocincta, and distributes them to any who want them, ex- 

 pecting and getting no return ; and I believe it is difficult to find a cabinet 

 in the kingdom that has not had some of his specimens in it. There are 

 certain insects, which are not supposed to be rare, but yet are by no means 

 common, but for some reason or other are never offered in exchange, such for 

 iustance as Anomola, Notka, Semibrmnea, Atriplicis, Advena, Leucographa t 

 Depuncta, Caliginosa, Opkiogramma, Hispida, Trepida, Chaonia, Dodonaa, 

 and many others. Can anyone explain this. 



Before finishing I would just like to tell a little tale that happened some 

 thirty years ago. A generous clergyman was informed that many collectors 

 were in want of good specimens of Pqpuli, Palpina, Megacephala, Dictaa, 

 Dodonaa, and Ligustri, so he gave notice that any Entomogist in want of 

 any of these was to write to him and if successful he should be supplied. 

 Nine months passed, when another notice appeared stating that the generous 

 clergyman had had many applications and had selected 22 gentlemen to be 

 the recipients. He says some of his correspondents expressed a desire for 

 specimen* of the insects offered, but he was sure this was unintentional. He 

 then offered Bodonea and Megacephala to all, Populi to the first 18, Palpina 

 to the first 12, and Ligustri to the first 9. He finishes by repeating he ex- 

 pected no return for the insects. All he required was the postage, and if any 

 correspondent at some future period turned up some rarity in abundance they 

 would perhaps remember him. He was sorry he had disappointed some, but 

 he had worked long and hard for these. — Omega. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



A Plague of Flies. — A correspondent mentions a plague of flies in Kent. 

 I was rather surprised you had not noticed the plague in the North. I fancy 

 about the same time — two or three weeks since — we had them here far too 

 abundantly. The air was thick with them, it just seemed to be raining flies, 



