32 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



E, abbreviata, A single specimen at Garelochhead, last May, is my sole 

 record of this species, though I have seen other specimens in the possession 

 of some of our members. 



E. joumilatay I have taken commonly at Garelochhead, that is in one or two 

 particular spots under favourable atmospheric circumstances, which leads me 

 to hazard the general remark that the young collector must not be disap- 

 pointed if he does not always find a species in a locality where it is said to 

 occur even commonly, as many species are almost confined to particular 

 nooks and corners and further do not shew themselves at all unless the 

 weather is quite to their mind, and we all know what an uncertain quantity 

 the weather is in this corner of the globe. 



E, rectangulata. Garelochhead is again my only locality for this species. 

 The larva feeding on the apple tree ; is strictly a garden insect. The coloration 

 of the perfect insect varies considerably, the typical green being occas- 

 ionally almost invisible under blotches of blackish colour (v. nigrosericeata.) 



As I mentioned at the beginning of these notes, I have confined my obser- 

 vations to the species which have come under my own notice in the district, 

 but doubtless there are a number of others to be found. 



HINTS ON PRESERVING PLANTS. 



By the Rev. T. H. PRESTON. 



Would you allow me to make a few remarks in connection with Mr. 

 Soulier's " Hints on Preserving Plants." I was much struck with the 

 wonderful manner in which Krattli, the Eugadine Botanist, preserved his 

 specimens, even Melampyrum not turning black : with his help, I managed 

 to preserve a series of Eugadine plants, the colours of which were unusually 

 good when I arrived in England. 



The main secrets are first, not to use much pressure at first, and second, to 

 be extremely careful not to keep the specimens in damp paper, even when 

 drying. 



Our plan was to take out a number of sheets of drying paper (Newman's 

 Botanical Drying Paper, obtained at Gurney and Jackson's, late Van Voorst, 

 1, Paternoster Row, London) folded into " books," about three or four sheets 

 to a book, one of these was carried in the hand, and as the specimens were 

 gathered, if not too thick or fleshy, they were at once placed in the *' book," 

 no special care was taken about the arrangement of the parts of the specimens, 

 except those of the flower or flowers, the rest of the specimen was contracted 

 or folded together, so as to be contained inside the book : only one leaf was 



