146 



THE YOUNG NATUBAL1ST. 



find that their herbarium contained 

 specimens of Willows that would be of 

 service to them in understanding the 

 genus. If they think the trouble too 

 much, they will find they have a lot of 

 dried specimens of little use, if any, 

 from want of proper authentication. 

 Specimens of one Willow, showing 

 both kinds of flowers, the fruit, and the 

 leaves from both trees, are of more 

 value than half a hundred specimens 

 collected at random. 



We have already said the Young 

 Entomologist welcomes the appearance 

 of Willow, or Sallow Blossom. That 

 the flowers be fertilized, it is necessary 

 that the pollen be carried from one to 

 another, and as they grow on different 

 trees, insects are needed to carry it. 

 Wherever this obtains, the flowers are 

 attractive to insects, which flock to 

 them to imbibe the honey. In pressing 

 against the flower for this purpose, the 

 pollen adheres to some portion of the 

 insect, generally about the head, where 

 it is most likely to be brushed against 

 the stigma, and left there when the 

 insect flies to another tree. 



Entomologists take advantage of this 

 attractiveness of Sallow Blossom, and 

 the earliest captures of Noctuce are 

 generally made here. Not only do the 

 hibernating species frequent these 

 flowers, but the Twniocampce all 

 emerge in March, and may all be had 

 at their early floral banquet. That the 

 early bird catches the worm, is as true 

 in Entomology as in other things. Go 

 as soon as the flowers are fairly out, 

 but many people imagine that the time 



has come, before it is so. The first 

 appearance is a silky bud, often 

 gathered as " palms." This is the 

 flower, it it true, but the pollen is not 

 ready yet, and therefore the honey is 

 not ready either. When these silky 

 buds begin to have a yellower appear- 

 ance (we want to avoid the technical 

 terms for the benefit of our younger 

 readers) then the flower is really in 

 bloom, and on a warm damp night, 

 with a westerly, or south-westerly wind, 

 you may fill your boxes quickly at a 

 favourable place. They may be boxed 

 off the flowers, taken with the net, or 

 after a time shaken off into a short 

 umbrella held below, for honey exer- 

 cises a stupifying influence over moths, 

 and, like many a human being, they 

 continue to imbibe till they fall in- 

 toxicated, and reap the frequent reward 

 of intemperance, imprisonment and 

 death. 



NOTES, CAPTURES, &c. 



Parasites. — I have bred the following 



Parasites, which are now in my collection : — 



Ceyptus migrate I from Trichossoma 

 I Hemiteles ^Estinalis / lucorium. 



Pimpla tucionellae l from Pysche opac ella. 

 i Elamus nabellatus j 3 r 



Echinomyia grossa, from Bombyx rubi. 



Melopius dentalis, from Bombyx trifolii. 



Casinaria orbitalis, from Zygaena trifolii. 



Ophion luteum, from Cerura vinula. 



Anomalon tenuicorne, from Diloba casruleoce- 



phala. 



Pimpla graminellas, from Odontia dentalis. 

 Hoplismenus perniciosus, from Lycasna 

 agestis. 



I am rather surprised at not having either 

 seen or heard of any moths being about in 



