THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



147 



January. C. Brumata will stand twelve degrees 

 of frost. I suppose H, rupicapraia cannot stand 

 nearly so much. — C. W. Dale, Glanvilles 

 Wootton, Feb. 27th. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



J. W. E., Liverpool. — Thanks for your paper 

 on the Cheshire Sandhills. It is the very 

 thing we want, and shall appear on the con- 

 clusion of " Collecting at Hartlepool." We 

 shall be glad of similar papers from other 

 localities, they are a great help to beginners. 



C. S. G., Liverpool. — Received too late for 

 this week : shall appear in our next. 



THE FIRST DAISY. 



By John E. Robson. 



Out by the woodside, to-day, mother, 



I found a white flow'r near the well ; 

 I fain would have brought it away, mother, 

 But feared to have broken the spell. 

 Spring time is coming, 

 Bees will be humming, 

 Birds will be singing, and flowers blooming gay ; 

 Winter is going, 

 Now do more snowing, 

 Keeping one gloomily housed all the day. 

 The flow'r had a centre of gold, mother, 



With white petals blushing with red, 

 I watched the young blossom unfold, mother, 

 And thought, could it speak, 'twould have 

 Spring time is coming, >aid, 

 Bees will be humming, 

 I am their harbinger, welcome my birth : 

 Winter is gone now, 

 Though I'm alone now, 

 Soon will my sister stars gladden the earth. 

 Oh come then with me to the wood, mother, 



And see the first daisy I've found ; 

 I'd like you to tell me if you could, mother, 

 How such gems spring out of the ground. 

 Spring time is coming, 

 Bees will be humming, 

 t will be dancing and singing all day ; 



Joy of my childhood, 

 Meadow or wildwood, 

 Come with me mother, at once, come away. 



LEPIDOPTERA IN MARCH. 



Thk Lepidoptera emerging this month are 

 much more numerous than in last, ami we must 

 not waste space in introductory remarks. For 

 those emerging last month that are still on the 

 wing, see page 117. 



BndROM 18 VER8I00L0RA. * --The Kentish Olory 

 may be found in a few Birch woods in this and 

 the following month. The male, which is very 

 strong on the wing, flies in the middle of the 

 day. The female may be found sitting on the 

 birch stoma It is widely distributed, and col- 

 lectors in any place, where there is abundamv 

 of birch in the woods, will do well to be on the 

 look-out. 



S1.1.KN 1 a [LLUNABIA. — The Early Thorn ap- 

 pear at the end of the month or the beginning 

 of April, and is common in most of places. In 

 Merrin's list E. ill a at r aria is named as occuring 

 this month, but we have no doubt it is a mis- 

 print for the present species. 



BlSTON hirtaria. — The Brindled Beauty is 

 most abundant about the metropolis, where it 

 may be taken in large numbers in the tree 

 trunks. 



Amphidasys PRODROMARIA.* — The Oak 

 Beauty. We expressed a doubt last month as 

 to the appearance of this species before March. 

 Mr. Thomas Foster, of Selby, writes : "I 

 think you were justified in raising a doubt 

 about A. prodroinaria appearing in February. 1 

 have taken it here every year, and in looking 

 over my records of 17 years work I never found 

 it to be out in that month. My earliest date 

 being March 7. 1869, their most regular appear- 

 ance being from March 20th to 30th. Of 

 course they might be a little earlier further 

 south. I look upon 1869 as a very exceptional 

 year, as I never found them before the 20th, 

 either before or since." It may be found at 

 rest on trees, oftenest oak and birch. 



