THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



165 



society should endeavour to gather together 

 specimens of Natural History, and arrange 

 them in such a manner that they may be 

 useful to the pupils and to instil into their 

 minds a love for nature, and thus benefit- 

 ing them, and strengthening the society. 

 A school-room is the best of all places for a 

 naturalists' society to meet ; a public-house 

 the very worst. Another matter connected 

 with this society pleased me most of all. I 

 was glad to find that its meetings are graced 

 by the presence of ladies, who take a deep 

 interest in the science. Their presence at 

 our meetings and excursions, should be 

 deemed essential and if they cannot be got 

 to join by any other means admit them 

 free; many would no doubt join but they 

 are afraid of being alone, but a woman with 

 a true mind will throw off this mock deli- 

 cacy—someone must come first. How 

 pleasant our rambles and excursions would 

 be made if they would only join in with 

 them ; and would keep many in higher 

 classes of society from a state of idleness to 

 which they are now forcibly doomed. 

 Success to this society ! It is on the way 

 to progress. — S. L. Mosley. 



ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



{Continued from page 156.) 



Head Louse. — This insect is well 

 knovfn. It is the Pediculus capitis of natu- 

 ralists. It is Bometimes very difficult to 

 keep children who are much together in 

 schools, entirely free from this parasite, and 

 by its proJigous powers of increase it soon 

 spreads when it once gets possession. 

 Leewenhock proved by experiment that in 

 eight weeks a single female louse may be the 

 progenitor ot iOOO descendents, and perhaps 

 more during the warmer seasons. It is 

 worthy of remark that the louse which infests 

 the negro is like him a black, differing some- 

 what in different races of men. 



Remedies. — The " precipitate," before 

 mentioned, is the best remedy for bad 

 attacks. 



Itch Mite. — This is the insect which 

 produces the disease known as the itch. Its 

 I mode of working is to make burrows under 

 the outer cuticle of the skin. In this burrow 

 the insect works its way along, the female 

 laying her eggs at the same time. These eggs 

 hatch in the course of a few days, the young 

 make fresh burrows, producing an intolerable 

 itching sensation. The mites, or their eggs, 

 are transmitted from one person to another, 

 in unclean clothes, beds, &c. I have known 

 painters have their hands attacked by using 

 " graining rags," purchased at the rag stores. 

 It may even be communicated by shaking 

 hands. When any part is attacked by this 

 mite it presents a scaly appearance, and by the 

 aid of a m ignifying glass the burrows may be 

 seen, and the mite extracted. The insect 

 generally found in Britain is culled Sarcaptet 

 scabici^ but others and more injurious species 

 exist 



Remedies. — Directly the disease is detec- 

 ted, take off the under-clothing, and have it 

 thoroughly washed Bathe the parts in 

 water as hot as you can b 'ar, and by means 

 of a brush scrub off as much of the skin as 

 possible. Then apply an ointment made 

 with sulphur, which will kill the insects, but 

 not the eggs ; in a few days, after the eggs 

 have hatched, a second application may be 

 made, which will generally be sufficient to 

 clear the disease. 



(This parasite was once very troublesome 

 in Hartlepool, and attacked classes not much 

 accustomed to insect parasites. A medical 

 man, who was attending a family that suf- 

 fered very much from it, was giving special 

 instructions to the washerwoman as to how 

 the bed clothes and under linen should be 

 washed, and how she was to do to save her- 

 self from attack. She replied that she was 

 accustomed to whitewash ceilings, and with 



