98 THE YOUNG 



of burdock, thistles, &c., almost invari- 

 ably turns greasy, as do all the Notiagria, 

 — -but we could not enumerate all for 

 want of space. Some internal feeders 

 may be less subject to it than others — 

 the Miann, for instance — but to make 

 up for that there are some external 

 feeders, such as S populi and others of 

 the large hawks, that very often grease. 

 "With large insects like these it is very 

 easy when fresh to remove the internal 

 viscera. With a pair of fine-pointed 

 scissors open the abdomen on the under- 

 side as far as the thorax, take out all 

 the inside, and with a piece of cotton 

 wadding on a crochet hook, clean out 

 the thorax. Take a piece of clean 

 wadding about the size of the portions 

 removed, soak it in Benzine, and then 

 fill up the thorax and abdomen with it. 

 An insect so treated will never grease. 

 It may, perhaps, be rather delicate 

 manipulation to do this with small 

 species, but we know of one collector 

 who even treats his pugs after this 

 fashion. Practice will do much, and if 

 you begin with your larger insects you 

 will be able to prepare smaller ones by 

 and bye. Insects are advertised now 

 from which all grease has been removed. 

 "We believe the abdomens of these 

 specimens are boiled in Benzine and 

 then replaced, but we have never tried 

 the process. There is, however, one 

 thing more to be said. Insects do not 

 grease when exposed to the air, and 

 only do so when they are placed in our 

 air-tight cabinet drawers or store boxes. 

 If an insect likely to grease be kept for 

 a considerable time in a box that is not 



NATURALIST. 



air-tight, it may never grease at all. 

 At all events, the longer they are ex- 

 posed to atmospheric influences, the 

 longer are they before they become 

 greasy in our drawers. Some future 

 observer may tell us how long it is 

 necessary to give the air access to each 

 particular species to prevent it greasing, 

 but all that can be said now is— the 

 longer the better. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All communications to be sent to J. E. Bobson, 15 

 Northgate, Hartlepool; or to S. L. Mosley Beau- 

 mont Park, Huddersfield. 



Subscriptions for Vol. III. are now due. 

 Weekly numbers or monthly parts, 6s.; 

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 to the Editors. 



G.T.M. — Villica in this country passes the 

 winter as a young larva and feeds up in 

 the spring, just as Caja does. It may be 

 double brooded in France. The parasites 

 in your C-alhmi pupa are no doubt feed- 

 ing, if you are right that they are not 

 pupae. Take care of them when they 

 emerge. We know of no hymenopterous 

 parasites from C-album yet. 



T.J.M., Liverpool. — The Cockroach is al- 

 ways white when it has just cast its skin. 

 If killed and preserved then it will retain 

 that colour, but soon darkens when alive. 



EXCHANGE. 



CoLEOPTERA. The beautiful Chrysomela 

 graminis for typical specimens of Geode- 

 phaga. — S. L. Mosley, Beaumont Park, 

 Huddersfield. 



