THE YOTTNG XATUEALlST. 



221 



perforated zinc two and a half, and the top a 

 glass shade about nine or ten inches high. 

 To make the middle part it is better to first 

 make a band half inch wide of plain zinc, to 

 fit down over the bottom, and the perforated 

 piece made to fit inside the band, the reason 

 for so doing is this, that the glass shade will 

 then fit snugly down over the perforated zinc, 

 and also the bottom which will be found very 

 serviceable when you have a batch of eggs to 

 hatch out, you will then find if you remove 

 the perforated zinc that it would be utterly 

 impossible for the young larvae to escape. 

 When I have a few eggs over which I wish to 

 be extra careful I stretch a piece of linen or 

 paper over the underpart before placing the 

 glass shade on, taking the precaution to 

 make a very small hole in the linen, and pass 

 the food-plant through it into a bottie of 

 water underneath. On the bottom portion I 

 have a tinned wire ring, fastened about 

 three-eighths of an inch from the Lop, to pre- 

 vent the glass from sliding down too far. A 

 similar ring is also placed on the perforated 

 portion. In the centre of the bottom I have 

 a quarter inch hole to let any moisture (from 

 overflow of bottle) drain off. The food- 

 plant I always place in one ounce squat 

 bottles, they are about two and a half inches 

 in height, which fits into a tube of zinc fixed to 

 the bottom of the cage. I always use one 

 sized bottle for cages above three inches in 

 diameter ; for cages under that I have smaller 

 bottles, uniform in size. In my fourteen inch 

 cage I have three tubes for bottles, which are 

 fixed in the shape of a triangle. The bottom 

 of the cage I fill in, the first inch with moss, 

 above that one inch of well washed sand, the 

 remainder with fine moss well picked over. 

 The breeding cage is now ready to receive 

 any larvae, and let it be an undeviating rule 

 on your part to place the name of the larvae 

 on each cage as they are occupied. I fancy 

 I hear you say I do not know the name of it. 

 Then make a sketch of it, so that at any future 

 time you will be able to identify it again. 

 Number your cage, and your figure, and 



when the imago appears you will be able to 

 write the name under your sketch. By this 

 I method you become acquainted with all the 

 ! larvae you are fortunate enough to capture. 

 ; Do not disturb the pupa if you can help it, 

 ! but should you require the cage remove the 

 pupa into an earthenware pot, cover it with 

 leno, place your label on it. By this method 

 you can always make certain of the contents of 

 every cage and pot. In gathering food for 

 your larvae always try to obtain it late in the 

 evening or early in the morning, while it is 

 still moist with dew, it will then retain its 

 freshness for a very much longer time, and 

 is more acceptable to the receivers. 



SPRING BLOOMING OF 

 COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE, 



By Mrs. Hutchinson, Leominster. 



So many curious facts have been recorded 



! in reference to the sunless, wet season of 1879, 

 that it seems almost necessary to apologise 



j for sending you still another instance, and 

 yet it seems a pity not to report a most 



I curious phenomenon now to be witnessed in 

 this neighbourhood, which can only be traced 



• to the above cause. Colchicum autumnale is 

 here a very common plant, its lovely lilac, 



1 crocus-shaped, leafless, blossoms making 

 many of our meadows gay in September. 

 Being a local plant, and possibly unknown 

 to some of the readers of The Young Naturalist, 

 I venture first to give a short account of its 

 unusual mode of growth. The styles are of 

 great length, and run down its long tube to 

 the capsule, which is situated deep in the 



I earth with the bulb. Blooming so late in the 

 year there is not time for the seeds to be 

 ripened, and " Providence has so contrived 

 its structure that this important office may be 



J performed at a depth in the earth out of 

 reach of the usual effects of frosts, as seeds 



' buried thus deep are known not to vegetate." 



, — Wethering's Botanv. 



