THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



77 



t^e, especially what are left at Jackson's wood, 

 jjuld be beaten into an umbrella, and the stems 

 «iminevl carefully for a triangular case, about a 

 <arter of an inch long, which when bred will 

 pve quite new to our district and probably new 

 I science. Mr. DiGGLES first discovered this 

 fides when out with me, but though I have 

 lieatedly taken the case since I hive nevei bred 

 ■ male, and the female being apterous in the 

 mlenobidct we require to see itsnure flighty male 

 ■ore any specific purposes can be earned out. 

 ■t it is amongst the dead leave© that the richest 

 Irvest is to be gathered at this season. Try 

 ■llibeam — find a leaf contorted any way — the 

 flsnces are that the second and third nerves are 

 ■awn together on one side. Open this, you per- 

 ■ive first the black, frass, then a small pupa, 

 laving found one, look for other leaves like it, 

 lit don't open them — take them home, place 

 ■era in a jam pot with a gauze or glass cover, 

 Ad expect to breed Lithocolletis carpinirolella 

 lithout further trouble in spring. Visit an oak 

 mood, collect the blotched leaves, and in April 

 Ifcpect L. cramerella, and may be something 

 Atter. Search in snug corners for sallow leaves, 

 •pie or thorn leaves, beech, alder, or birch leaves, 

 k. Place each species gathere I into separate 

 *.gs and label them. After drying them han£ 

 em up in a cold out-house until March and then 

 it each sort into a box or tray with a glass top — 

 ace in the sun and examine them every morn- 

 g — all the little gems bred will then be visible 

 1 the glass top. 



Pupa digging may now be successfully com- 

 anced . Search around the bays of outside trees 

 woods, or better still around single trees grow- 

 g near woods, especially if they have grass and 

 oss growing at their bays ; and be sure and 

 arch the willow and poplar bark for the pupa of 

 e genus Centra, which though difficult to find 

 first, soon becomes easy to a sharp eye. They 

 ake a long oval, rather smooth patch, some- 

 mes slightly raised, generally in a cleft in the 

 ark, and require to be cut out, deep into the bark, 

 j Coleoptera are now to be found under stones, 

 ead bark, and amongst moss everywhere ; the 

 eodeiphaga always in damp places. For these a 

 omade bottle, having some crushed common 

 I oirel leates therein, ?nd a quill inserted through 

 le cork, reaching half an inch below it, will 

 e required. This will kill the beetles with- 



out further trouble, and needs no stopper in the 

 quill. 



Get all last year's captures (if any) arranged and 

 put carefully away. Whatever arrangement you 

 adopt don't change it to please everybody — you 

 can easily modify it as your knowledge increases. 

 Further, get your journal ready and commence 

 work. On this journal much will depend — note, 

 date, and number every capture, that in after years 

 you may refer to tirae and place of capture. 



LEPIDOPTERA IN JANUARY. 



Now that we are beginning the season, we will 

 adopt a different plan with our list of Lepidoptera 

 occurring in each month. As the months advance, 

 our list would grow so long, if we gave every 

 species, that it would occupy an entire number. 

 We purpose therefore, when an insect first emerge.-, 

 to insert it in our list, and say, as far as we know, 

 how long it continues out, not repeating the name 

 in subsequent months. We shall not note hybei - 

 nated species — when the time comes round for 

 their emergence from pupce they will be marked 

 as hybernating. Even with this arrangement the 

 list will be so long in the summer months that we 

 may not be able to get it all in one number. 



The January list i< a very short one. There are 

 but three species of Macro-Lepidoptera emerging 

 this month. 



Phigalia pilosaria, the Pale Brindled Beauty, 

 was given last month as a doubtful record. We 

 have known it out in January, and in a mild season 

 it will be found commonly in woods and shady 

 lanes The male comes to light, is not unfrequent 

 on gas lamps, or on tree trunks and palings. The 

 female is perfectly wingless, and can only be ob- 

 tained on trees or palings. All beginners should 

 take this insect. It continues out till March, or 

 even April in colder districts. 



Hibernia rupicapraria, the Early Moth, 

 was also in the December list, but it is properly a 

 January species. It is abundant about hedges at 

 dusk, and the male comes freely to light. The 

 female can be found on hedges at dusk. This 

 species continues on the wing during February, 

 and into March, and we have twice taken a 

 specimen as late as April, but in ordinary seasons 

 January and the first half of February may be 



