THE YOUNG NATURALIST 



115 



I 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES h 

 FOR BEGINNERS. 



By C. S. Gregsox, Liverpool. 



FEBRUARY. 



The day old Father Frost relaxes his hold 

 upon the earth, and the merry sunshine 

 appears to gladden all nature, get a few- 

 large pill boxes into your satchel, some No. 

 10 gilt pins, and a few No. 8 pins on your 

 table, and see that your setting boards have 

 been baked in the oven to kill any acari that 

 may be in any stage upon them, and away 

 to the woods and lanes, and should you ' 

 observe any gnats on the wing then say you 

 are going to have a good night's catch. If, 

 on the other hand. Mr. N. E. wind is hanging 

 about you may search about for specimens 

 upon trees,, palings, &c, during the daylight, : 

 and beat the lower branches of oak trees on 

 which the leaves remain, and other trees 

 and shrubs for insects hiding amongst them, 

 but it will not be advisable to light your 

 lanthorn, for such species as usually fly 

 at dusk and afterwards settle upon hedges 

 and low trees, but rather to wait until you 

 get a warm, moist night. Some men are ! 

 always lucky ; it is because they pay atten- 

 tion to these seemingly little matters, and 

 find other work to do on frosty nights. If 

 you can get an evening with Mr. S. W. 

 wind all right, be sure to have plenty 

 of pill boxes with you, and a newly trimmed 

 lamp, never trust a lamp two nights without 

 cutting the top of the wick away to the 

 clean part, and always touch the top of the 

 wick after the lamp is trimmed with a little 

 turpentine, you can then light your lamp in 

 any state of the wind easily. 



In addition to what could be done in 

 January — which may be carefully continued 

 ■ — you may now expect to take the perfect 

 insects of some of the hybernating species 

 if you keep your eyes open in your rambles. 

 I have seen Pieris rapce and Vanessa urticce on 

 the wing in February, but that was an 

 unusual occurrence. You might certainly 



}pe for Phigalia pilosaria, Hybernia rupica- 



Fig. 37 —Pale Brindled Beauty 

 (P. Pilosaria). 

 Male and Female. 



pyuria, and II. progemmaria, as also Anysop- 

 tciyx ascularia,. The first on gas lamps, Sec, 

 in any district near woods and rough lanes, 

 but especially around Aigburth, Allerton, 

 and West Derby at this side of the river, 

 and around Tranmere, and Claughton across 

 the water ; in this district during the day 

 they ma)- bs found sitting under coping 

 stones, or upon walls, posts, or trees. The 

 garden wall of Claughton Hall used to be a 

 favourite place of mine for it. Rupicapraria 

 though abundant, is somewhat local with us ; 

 the hedge which encloses the pleasure 

 ground at Bidstone Hill is generally alive 

 I with them from g p.m. to n p.m. on suitable 

 \ nights. The females (which are semi-apter- 

 ous) may be found on the branches, or 

 creeping up grass, or sticks of any kind, but 

 she rarely creeps up until n p.m. A less 

 productive locality may be visited by rail — 

 j get off at Broad Green Station and turn 

 down towards Knotty Ash, keep your eye 

 open and your lantern upon the thorn hedge 

 for them. H. progemmaria is common every- 

 where, but here and around Wallasey it 

 absolutely swarms on suitable nights. A . 

 ascularia is plentiful wherever sallows grow- 

 freely , as at Allerton, Garston, &c, on 

 palings and walls during daylight, but to 

 me the most agreeable walk of the month is 

 to Eastham Wood where Hybernia leucophearia 



