116 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



time, and seemed so fascinated that it could 

 hardly stir. 



Esox LUCIUS. --A splendid pike was caught 

 on Saturday, the 21st Januarj-, in Edgbaston 

 Pool, which weighed over twenty-five 

 pounds. On being opened, a Tench [Tinea 

 vulgaris) was found inside him weighing two 

 and a half pounds. 



Phigalia pilosaria.— Caught one (the 

 first this year) on a lamp in the Priory Road 

 in the evening of 2nd February-. Also saw 

 one H. progemmaria on a hawthorn twig.— 

 Geo, F, Wheeldon, Birmingham. 



GREASE. 



We have never tried Mr. Stainton's plan 

 for removing grease as given in the Y.N. of 

 January 28th. Our first experiment was to 

 cut off the bodies of the moths aft'ected, and 

 soak them in benzine for tw'o or three days. 

 But this was not at all successful, for in the 

 first place the bodies never looked improved 

 by the benzine, and in the second they had 

 lost their shape so much during the soaking 

 that we could not fit them on to the moths 

 again. We have tried a new way lately, 

 which, so far, has answered better. We 

 paint the bodies with benzine without cut- 

 ting them off, leave them for a few minutes 

 to let the benzine soak right through the 

 wings, and then put the moths to dry in a 

 draught. After this treatment the wings 

 are as beautiful as ever, and the body loses 

 all appearance of grease ; but the hairs on 

 the thorax are apt to clot together and look 

 draggled in the large moths, in the smaller 

 ones they do not seem to do so, — R. Pres- 

 coTT Decie, Tenbury. 



BRITISH MOTHS: 



By John E. Robson, 



(Assisted by Contributors to the Y.N.) 

 VIII. XvLixiD^ contains nearly twenty 

 species in six genera. The wings are rather 



long and narrow^ generally with longitudinal 

 markings, but some species show the stig- 

 mata and usual lines. In repose the wings 

 are folded close to the sides, making the 

 insect look very long. There is often a 

 raised crest or hood on the thorax. The 

 larvas are of the usual form, smooth, and 

 many of them gaily coloured. They live on 

 trees, shrubs, and low plants, often preferring 

 the flowers, and remaining exposed during 

 the day. The pupae have often a ventral 

 projection, and are enclosed in a cocoon, 

 generally subterranean, and sometimes 

 buried at a considerable depth. 



IX. Heliothid^ contains ten British 

 species in four genera. Several of them are 

 very rare, one Chavicka deJpliinii being per- 

 haps of doubtful occurrence. They are 

 rather of small size, and some of them very 

 pretty. The often fly by day. They larvae 

 are of the usual form, and feed on low 

 plants, generally preferring the flowers ; 

 some of them are very beautiful. The pupa 

 is subterranean, enclosed in a slight cocoon, 



MINORES, the third section of the 

 Trifid.i:, is of very small extent in this 

 country, only containing about a dozen 

 species in four families. Its members 

 approach closely to the next group or to the 

 Geometrina in some particulars. 



I. AcoNTiD.E only contains three species 

 in two genera. They are small insects, and 

 rather showy. The larvae are long and 

 slender, with only twelve legs. One of our 

 British species, however, Acontia luctuosa, 

 has sixteen. The pupa is in a subterranean 

 cocoon. 



II. ERASTRiDi: also contains only three 

 species in two genera. They are small, 

 rather pretty insects, the wings in repose 

 lying rather flat. The larvae have fourteen 

 legs, the first ventral pair being sometimes 

 rudimentary. The pupa is in a cocoon on 

 the surface of the ground. 



