188 THE YOUNG 



sluggard is fairly constrained to furbish his 

 neglected net and breeding cages, and away 

 to the lanes and woods, doubtless promising 

 himself some hard work, to catch up with his 

 more energetic friends. Well, let him try, 

 and to be successful he had better read care- 

 fully what was said for March ; but he must 

 remember we are writing for an average 

 March and April, not for such an exceptional 

 month as we have had this year, when with a 

 few days March wind, as the month came in, 

 we have had nothing but sunshine every day 

 since, with ice every night, and no rain or 

 snow, so far as I have observed. " Things 

 have become mixed ;" I took rupicapraria on 

 Good Friday night, March 26th, sitting along- 

 side derivata, in Wales. The one should have 

 passed away, and the other should not have 

 yet appeared. Well, then, making allowance 

 for exceptional seasons, if he be determined 

 to make up for lee way, he may do a con- 

 siderable portion of the work set down for 

 that month. In addition to what he there 

 finds, he may expect to take Argynuus euph- 

 rosyne in woods, and open places near woods ; 

 Vanessa Io in lanes, and in some seasons V. 

 cardui is flying about in all sorts of out-of-way 

 places. It is strong on the wing, and it is no 

 joke to capture it by sheer running, so take it 

 coolly, find where thistles have been growing, 

 and wait quietly about as if you did not care 

 whether it came or not — but you do, I know ! 

 — and then make a sure stroke, or don't strike 

 as they fly past you, for they become yours 

 then, or never, if you strike. 



Satyrus JEgeria appears, first brood, in April. 

 This pretty species flies near woods, and 

 may be met with around Bromborough, 

 Hooton, and Raby. Hesperia sylvanus and 

 Thanaos Tages are most commonly got on the 

 mosses towards the end of the month. 



The beautiful light-green larva of Megara 

 is now about to make up after hybernation, 

 and may be found at night on grassy banks. 

 This larva is figured by Hubner with a dark 

 olivacious streak down it, but I never saw it 

 otherwise than bright green. 



NATURALIST 



The larvae of Arctia fuliginosa and Bom- 

 byx rubi are now about spinning up also. 

 Should any rooks be observed picking on the 

 sand hills or waste places, depend upon it 

 they are spun up, and the rooks are collecting 

 the pupae. Drive the birds away, and look about 

 for an old cocoon, which will be found lying 

 empty. This will tell you better than I can 

 what sort of places to find the full ones in. 



If the larks are busy near you, they are 

 probably breakfasting upon Nyssia Zonaria, or 

 Multistvigaria, &c, and if you are late you 

 will doubtless find more old wings than per- 

 fect insects. Saturnia carpini, the finest English 

 Bombyces, may now be met with. Simmon's 

 Wood Moss is decidedly the best place about 

 here to get a lot, but it may be met with at 

 Prenton, Bidston, and on the sandhills, and 

 upon most mosses and moors. The lanes 

 become now our best places. Rumia 

 cratcegata (first brood) near thorn hedges, and 

 Venila maculata ought to be found on the slopes 

 to rich woods where hazel grows. Odontoptera 

 bidentata sits on tree trunks, and under door 

 and window heads in many unlikely places, 

 sometimes quite in the town. The larva of 

 Cleora lichenaria is now nearly full fed upon 

 the lichen-covered trees in Prenton Wood, 

 and also on most of the old orchard trees 

 about Frankby, Hargreave or Hooton, about 

 here, and generally where lichen is plentiful. 

 Tephrosia punctulata and Lobophora lobulata are 

 out where birches and alders grow. Geornetra 

 papilionaria larva is now feeding (young) on 

 the small birches or lower branches of birch 

 trees, and it requires a sharp blow to dislodge 

 it, and a sharp eye to see it in the umbrella 

 among the young sticks of birch, which it 

 exactly resembles, but it will repay all the 

 trouble bestowed upon it when it appears in 

 the perfect state in June. Fidonia atoinaria 

 now swarms on heaths, flitting here and there 

 from under our feet. The female is so much 

 lighter-coloured than the male that we are 

 apt to try and persuade ourselves we have got 

 a new species. Eupithecia abbreviata and 

 exiguata may now be found on tree trunks in 



