172 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



level ground is about quarter of a mile ; from i 

 the railway embankment to the sea, in its 

 widest part, will not be more than a third of 

 this extent yet I have taken over one hundred 

 different species of Noctuae here, including 

 the following at Sugar, A. psi, rumicis, L. 

 conigera, lithargyria, comma, impura, pallens, 

 X. rurea, and var combusta, lithoxylea, polyodon, 

 some quite black, C. cytherea, M. abjecta, anceps, 

 albicolon, A . basilinea, gemina, unanimis, M. 

 strigilis all forms, fasciuncula, G. trilinea once, 



C. morpheas, alsines, blanda, cubicularis, R. tene- 

 brosa, A. exclamationis, nigricans, N, augur, 

 piecta, C-nigrum, baja, A-occulta, once, H. 

 dentina, chenopodii, and suasa rare, pisi, thalas- 

 sina, A. myrtilli, once, though we are many 

 miles from heather. A urtica, G. libatrix, A. 

 tragopogonis, M. typica, and maura. At Silene 

 flowers H, marginata is very abundant, M. 

 anceps, and albicolon are also plentiful, while 

 the following, that do not come to sugar, fly 

 freely to these flowers, and to Vipers' bugloss. 



D. carpophaga, cucubali, capsincola, C, umbratica, 

 and sometimes chamomillce, which is not 

 uncommon in the larvae state, P. v-aureum, 

 and iota. When ragwort flowers are out, a 

 host of species frequent them, including many 

 of the above and others that come out too 

 late for Silene. G. flavago, H. nictitans, 

 micacea, A. valligera, cursoria, nigricans, tritici 

 (many varieties), ravida, T.janthina, and inter - 

 jecta, N. glareosa, triangulum, /estiva, umbrosa, 

 0, macilenta, A. pistacina, lunosa, X. cerago, 

 silago, ferruginea, P. chi, and rarely the var. 

 olivacea, P. flavocincta, E. lutulcnta, E. lucipara, 

 C. exoleta, H. armigera, once. P. chrysitis, &>c. 



Some species have a partiality for certain 

 flowers that are not generally attractive. L. 

 conigera and most of the Miana are fond of 

 Hieracleum spondyllium ; L. impura and pallens, 

 T. interjecta, and others sit on the flowers of 

 marram. A. nigricans, which is more abun- 

 dant at sugar than any other Agrotis, except 

 segetum and exclamationis, is also partial to 

 thistles. Nonagria fulva, like Elymi, is best 

 taken on the wing, though I have taken it on 

 raariam, on a stem of which grass I once took 



a pair in cop. D. conspersa, I have only taken 

 once near a bed of Silene inflata, but sitting on 

 palings. E. mi, flies in the sunshine. M. 

 arcuosa has more of the habits of N. fulva, 

 and I doubt if it be a true Miana. It flies 

 freely among grass on the railway side at 

 dusk. I have not named the commoner 

 species, such as M. brassicce, A. segetum, A, 

 oculea, N . xanthographa, H. oleracea, &c, which 

 distribute their favors with great impartiality, 

 and may be depended on to occur at all 

 places. 



To be continued. 



Carl Linne, better known as Linnaeus, 

 when young showed a great love for natural 

 history. At school he is said to have been 

 very backward at learning, and his father 

 abandoned the idea of fitting him for the 

 clergy, and put him apprentice — like our 

 Thomas Edward — to a shoemaker. Many 

 times he was so poor that he had to mend his 

 shoes with brown paper. But his love for 

 natural history increased as he grew older, 

 and he afterwards became the greatest 

 authority in natural history in Europe, and 

 held the highest university chair in Sweeden. 



ORDERS OF INSECTS. 



Continued from page 158. 



The Diptera may be known from all other 

 insects by having only two wings, It would 

 appear that four wings is the normal form of 

 all insects, but in this order, the second pair 

 are wanting, and their place is occupied by 

 two small organs, called poisers or halteres. 

 What purpose these poisers serve is not 

 known, and they may be but aborted wings, 

 that have ceased to be of service, but have 

 not yet entirely disappeared. They are like 

 the antennae of a butterfly, but shorter — a fine 

 thread or hair with a small knob at the end 

 of it. The mouth of]the insect if formed for 

 sucking only, and is in form of a trunk. 



