60 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



body, whereas in the Star Fishes the arms and 

 body are all in one piece. Brittle Stars are so 

 called because, when you try to catch them, they 

 throw off first one arm, and then another ; and it 

 is very difficult to get a perfect specimen. The 

 best method of preserving them entire is to plunge 

 them immediately into absolute alcohol as soon as 

 captured. The organization and structure of these 

 creatures is the same as in the Star Fishes. There 

 is another family to which I wish to call your 

 attention — the Feather Stars. There are very 

 few kinds of these creatures now living, but a 

 great number exist in a fossil state. When looking 

 at these fossil remains, we used to think that 

 they all grew upon a stalk, and where fixed 

 to some substance ; but, since living forms have 

 been discovered, it has been found out that in 

 some cases it is only the young form that is fixed, 

 and that when mature the free animals are like the 

 Star Fishes. The head is like a Star Fish with a 

 stalk attached to its back, the mouth in this case 

 being upwards. When mature, the head part 

 separates from the stalk, and is then free. Those 

 beautiful forms called Encrinites, so common in 

 certain limestones and marbles, belong to this 

 group. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Cheimatobia Brum at a. — Our reference to this 

 insect, on Page 37, has brought forth a still more 

 valuable observation than that we there quoted. 

 A lady, who desires not to have her name publish- 

 ed, writes, under date of 12th December, as 

 follows : — "I can now corroborate your remarks. 

 While out walking on this fine frosty afternoon, 

 (the ground here is quite hard and the ice bearing), 

 my daughter's quick eye caught sight of C. brumata 

 at rest on on ash tree. We stopped to note if it 

 were active, and found it married to a £ne female, 

 at rest in the chink of the bark. They crawled 

 actively on to our gloves, and walked about until 

 we got home, when we placed them, still together, 

 in a box which I now forward to you in the same 

 state so that you may record the fact from your 

 own personal observation." They had parted 

 company when they reached us next morning, but 

 they were both alive and quite active, though the 

 thermometer was considerably below the freezing 

 point. The female has since deposited her eggs, 

 though the thermometer has been below the freezing 

 point except for a few hours., 



Plusia Gamma. — "I saw your note on the 

 abundance of P. gamma and V. cardui, and would 

 like to say a few words on a peculiarity respeetinr 

 the first mentioned insect. Here they seemed all 

 to come out together. I was out one evening ane 

 did not notice a single specimen, and the nex 

 night I was surprised at their numbers, nor dk; 

 there seem to be a larger quantity than on thi, 

 occasion. They could have been taken lr 

 hundreds, and continued equally abundant far int, 

 the autumn. V. cardui did not appear in an 

 abundance, with us. I did not see above a doze: 

 specimens altogether." — H. Thompson, Coventry 



Cucullia Chamomill/E. — " I see you ai 

 inclined not quite to trust the statement that ih. 

 insect hybernates. It is rather presuming in rr. 

 to give an opinion as regards a species of which 

 know very little, but that little leads me to doul 

 its hybernating in the perfect state. I think 

 passes the winter in the pupal state. We vei 

 rarely take it here, not above three or four 

 twenty years, and they were met with fresh fro 

 the pupa, in April. I have also had larvce sey 

 me in June, which fed up and produced the mot 

 in April." — (Mrs.)S.E.HuTCHiNSON, Leominstej 



ORDERS OF INSECTS. 



(Continued from Page 55.) 



We have now to speak of the third stage of Insi 

 life — the Pupa or Chrysalis. This is general! 

 state of rest ; of development of parts ; a st 

 in which the soft juicy body of the larva gradua 

 changes, in one instance into the scale-winged 

 beautiful butterfly, another into the beetle w 

 its hard and horny wing case?, or into some otl 

 of the varied forms of insect, life. Some natural 

 have attempted to classify the perfect inse 

 according to the pupa, which are of three disti 

 types. The first of these is called Amorpho 

 It is shapeless, does not eat, and is unable 

 move — except in some cases — the joints of 

 abdomen. When the Amorphous pupa is poin 

 at one end, and at the other discloses the sh 

 of the wings, antennae, &c, of the insect, 

 produces a Butterfly or Moth — a scale-win 

 insect, called in science Lepidoptera. When 

 pupa is alike at both end's, nearly oval, and sfo 

 none of the organs beneath the pupa case 



