86 



THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



a slanting direction you would see the initial of 

 the name of your future sweetheart. The specific 

 name of this Fern, Aquilina, is derived from a 

 fancied resemblance of these markings to a Spread 

 Eagle. In Scotland, their strong religious fervour 

 causes the occult cabalistic characters to be looked 

 on as the initials of Jesus Christ. The heart-sick 

 maiden who could not find any initials she wanted 

 must have very little imagination. 



The lecturer then g.ive a very full account, with j 

 localities of the Ferns of Durham and Northumber- 

 land, which we omit as not of sufficient general 

 interest. He then spoke of their cultivation — they I 

 love shade and moisture, with efficient drainage, | 

 nothing being more repugnant to them than 

 Stagnant water. They revel in damp shady places I 

 and cannot have too much water if it is freely j 

 dramed off so that the soil does not become sour 

 and sodden. No plants are mora suitable for 

 cultivation, in closely grazed Wardian cases, and I 

 cannot conceive a more elegant ornament for a 

 room than a well designed and tastefully arranged 

 Fern case, or a more intere sting study than to 

 watch their development. The spores will 

 germinate readily — some even of our British 

 species can only be seen in perfection when grown 

 under such conditions. One of the best composts 

 for indoor growth may be formed by equal quan- 

 tities of well rotted leaf mould and sharp river 

 sand, with a slight admixture of turfy loam. 

 Thorough drainage is best ensured by a foundation 

 of broken sand-stone, round which the roots will 

 revel. Select young plants, and lift them in early 

 spring. Some kinds are loath to leave their native 

 soil, and if their fine fibrous roots are injured they 

 rarely survive — this is particularly true of the rock 

 loving species. It is worse than folly to drag up 

 an old and well established plant . Never dig up 

 a Fern till you have a suitable place in which to 

 plant it, and do not take one more than you have 

 room for. The craze for Ferns has made the 

 extirpation of some of our rarer species inevitable, 

 and all true lovers of nature wish to defer that fatal 

 da) as long as possible. To them it is a sorry 

 sight to see a troop of thoughtless excursionists 

 returning laden with rare and beautiful Ferns, torn 

 up, roots and all, to languish for a few weeks till 

 they meet a lingering death from uncongenial 

 treatment, and are then carelessly tossed to the 

 dung hill. To save our Ferns from such an un- 

 timely fate is my object to-night by increasing your 

 appreciation of these lovely forms of life. 



ORDERS OF INSECTS. 



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(Continued from Page 76.) 

 HEMIPTERA— HETEROPTERA 



We will now speak of the second division of the ® 

 Hemiptera, called Heteroptera. These insects 

 are the true Hemiptera, — half-wings, — and are 

 easily distinguished from those of other orders by 

 the fore wings, which are hormy or leathery near j 

 the base, and membranaceous at the tip. As aP : - 

 general rule, it will also be fou a 1 that the fore 

 wings cross each other when folded for rest. Per 

 haps some of them more nearly resemble some of p 

 the Orthoptera, which shall be spoken of next 

 than any other insects, but from these they can 

 always be distinguished by their mode of obtaining 

 food ; the Hemiptera having a liausteUum, or 

 tubular sucking organ, only, and the Orthopter 

 mandibles or jaws for biting. 



An illustration of the disadvantage of using I 

 English names may be given here. In America p 

 the name lug is used in place of our word beetle 

 In England bug is in general use as the name of 

 that noxious insect, the bed bug, (Cimev lectu 

 larius). Yet, scientifically, the bugs are a large 

 tribe of insects of which Fig. ib, Plate i, is an 

 illustration. For many reasons the sub-order has 

 been much neglected, and probably more new 2 

 species could be turned up among the Heteroptera 

 than in any other order. Most of the species that 

 live on land have a very nasty smell which they 

 emit when handled. Collectors might, however, 

 get over this, for the smell dies with the insect, 

 and is not therefore an annoyance in a collection. 

 But there is an insurmountable difficulty in rearing || 

 them, for they live on the fresh juices of plants 

 which they suck up their haustellum ; the impos- 

 sibility of keeping plants fresh long enough has 

 prevented the transformations of the spscies being 

 known. The larva and pupa are both like the | 

 imago, only less developed ; and this, and the fact 

 that many species change color after death, has 

 prevented naturalists studying the order so sue* 

 cessfully as could be desired. The bugs (Cimicina) 

 have large antennas, which are generally exposed 

 to the sight, not concealed as they often are in 

 other insects. Their bodies too, as a rule, are 

 rather broad in proportion to their length. 

 The bed bug belongs to this family, and in it, the 

 membranaceous wings are entirely wanting, and 

 the first pair only very rudimentary. Without the 

 power of flight it manages to get into a great 



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