THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



159 



about for the larva of Bombyx que reus, B. 

 trifolii, and B. rubi, the first among dead 

 sallow leaves, or at night on the stems ; the 

 second amongst tufts of grass, <£c, but now- 

 very small and very yellow, and the last 

 almost everywhere, especially if the evening 

 is wet and warm. Before leaving the sallows 

 look well into the axils of the branches, &c, 

 for a small web, in any of these the beautiful 

 larva of Orayij niscclina may be found now, in 

 a few weeks they will leave their winter 

 quarters, and may then be seen upon the 

 sallow twigs, sunning themselves after a 

 shower. The larva of Gnophos obseurata may 

 low be found feeding upon fescue grass. II. 

 [ cmele larva i s now feeding on the same grass. 

 The lane from Seacome to Wallasey by 

 Poulton is a good locality, but the lane from 

 Preaton Hall to Preaton wood, and so on to 

 Storton is better. On the first warm day 

 r: idonia atomuria will be flirting about on Bid- 

 I tone Hill, and wherever heath grows, and 

 . he spring moths will now be in profusion. 

 Bidstone plantation, and other mixed oak and 

 >irch woods, will now produce Amphydasis 

 rodromaria, and Cymatophora fluvicomis, both 

 .re sitting on the trunks and branches of trees, 

 Ice., during the day time, but the bulk of our 

 .raptures will doubtless be taken at the blos- 

 lorns of the Sallow. Wherever these blossoms 

 an be found in perfection there on suitable 

 lights, moths may be found in abundance by 

 , Either shaking the tree whilst your friend 

 I tolds the beating sheet under it, beating into 

 j .n umbrella, or by scanning the flowers by 

 . Jhe light of your lantern. Scarcely have we 

 liegun to look when we see the little bright 

 .Ipecks — gold, no ! fire, no ! precious stones — 

 he fiery opal, no ! but it is a precious moth, 

 ne as bred, and with a little care a long 

 eries of them may be picked carefully off 

 ito separate pill boxes : never put two moths 

 ato one box, it is certain destruction to both. 

 )o not stop to examine your captures : take 

 lenty of pill boxes, fill them all, and next 

 | lorning you can throw away your useless cap- 

 ares. Amengst your nights work there will 



probably be some, if not all the following 

 species: — Tvniocampa rubrieosa, T. gothica, (if 

 you are near the sandhills), T. opium, (if near 

 Upton Valley), 7\ populeti, (if near where 

 oaks grow), T, stabilis and T. cruda, and 

 T. munda, if at Bidston, or near pine woods, 

 probably Trackeq pineprrda, and hybernated 

 specimens of Cerastis vuccinii, and spadicca, 

 Agi-otis sujjfusa, Calocampa exoleta or Yetusta 

 will doubtless put in an appearance to those 

 who work for them. 



Larva hunting is now fairly begun, and 

 some of our scarce species can be taken in 

 this state by hundreds, thus the larva- of 

 Agrotis agiitliiiiii may be shaken out of tufts of 

 heath during the daytime, or swept into the 

 net at night. But few moths of this species are 

 ever taken on the wing. 



The coleopterist must now buckle on his 

 armour, and if he means to form a good col- 

 lection he must indeed leave no stone 

 unturned, no dead animal must be neglected, 

 buds and flowers of plants arealike his traps; 

 rejectamenta on banks of streams, and what 

 is better — the same on little islands, or shoals 

 even if formed by an old tree root, if sur- 

 rounded by water, they make his game ad- 

 mirably. Sallow catkins should be taken 

 home, both for moths and beetles towards the 

 end of this month. In moths Eupethecia 

 tenuiata and two or three species of the genus 

 Xioithiii may be bred from them ; and of 

 beetles the larvae of Sitonidce feed freely on 

 them. All must now be up and doing, 

 remembering the old saying, "the early bird 

 catches the most worms." Lanthorn — bull's 

 eye should never be used, get a glazier to take 

 them out and put in a piece of common sheet 

 glass fixed loosely by tin, get it soldered on so 

 that the glass is free to move about slightly, 

 as we want to see the moths that are quite 

 near to us. The bull's eye is comparatively 

 useless, it does not cover so much ground 

 near at hand. Always carry an extra glass in 

 your travelling case when you go from home, 

 costs one penny, and prevents disappoint- 

 ment. 



