THE YOUNG NATUBALIST. 



287 



on the excrement of animals, some tree 

 feeders attach themselves to certain kinds of 

 trees, others eating several species indiscrim- 

 inately. So with the dung feeders, to obtain 

 one species sheep must be kept on the land, 

 while to get another that is not necessary. 

 Some live exclusively in the earth, eating 

 grass and other roots in the larva state, but 

 enjoying flowers or foliage in the perfect 

 state. The Stcvnoxi are really well repre- 

 sented in our district, and are sure to be met 

 with wherever searched for, or when looking 

 for the Maine uderma, speaking of which re- 

 minds me to call attention to one of them 

 which will be out in perfection this month on 

 the clay banks beyond New Ferry on the 

 shore, yet I never met with anyone who has 

 seen it there. I speak of Lampyris noctiluca, 

 the glow-worm. Let those who wish a treat 

 wsit the shore bank there, and they will see 

 thousands of these ladies' lanterns lighted if 

 :he night is mild and damp, and this where 

 iione are supposed to be by those naturalists 

 Who sit at home and write of other people's 

 work. The Rliyneophova are also abundant 

 nere now, but less understood generally than 

 iny other group oi'Culeoptci'a, except perhaps 

 he Brachelytva. The first really ought to be 

 •tudied as a pleasure, they being so easily 

 )red that a bunch of leaves or flowers of 

 iihrubs or trees placed in a box in spring — as 

 or instance 4he catkins of the willow — will 

 >roduce them freely. In the larva they are 

 >ften white grubs mining the flowers or 

 oung buds, or eating bark below the surface 

 ■ <f the earth, when perfect they eat the leaves, 

 :c, whilst the Brachelytva live like the 

 "leodophaga, some as scavengers, others as 

 laptoves. Lastly I will name the Longicavns, 

 ivourites with everybody, handsome, but 

 ot harmless, for they have amongst them 

 jrae of our most destructive tree borers as 

 irvae, but some of them do injury in the 

 erfect state. They love to feed on umbel- 

 'ferous flowers, especially near woods, under 

 le flowers of which some of them hide the 

 ody whilst the head is turned round the 



' edge, as though they were afraid an ento- 

 ! mologist should see their beautiful forms. 

 I Some do good service in woods, these feed 

 ' only in dead wood which they soon turn into 

 j good soil as do some of the TipuILLe. I need 

 i not name the Heteromeva, &c, further than to 

 J say many of them are out now, and will be 

 ; met with by those who are looking, beating, 

 ■ or sweeping for the other families, but I per- 

 haps ought to mention that for Geudepliaga or 

 other predaceous insects, a broad mouthed 

 bottle with a quill inserted in the cork, and 

 half full of fresh bruised laurel leaves is the 

 | best receptacle to put them in, the laurel 

 kills the beetles, and next day they are suf- 

 ficiently relaxed to set, or will beep for a 

 week, except only the Steplialines, they must 

 be set next day or they spoil. But the leaves 

 so deadly to the flesh eaters only serve to 

 fatten the plant feeders, these, therefore, 

 should either be killed by piercing them 

 under the thorax with a pin dipped 

 in dilute oxalic acid, as I prefer, or by 

 immersing the small bottle they are in 

 ; into hot water, in any case fresh laurel 

 leaves will serve to relax them at any time. 

 To return to the Lepidoptera. Now is the 

 j time to search for the larvae of the genus 

 Acronyeta, as also for those of the Puss Moth 

 (Cerura vinula ), and the Kittens (C. bifida and 

 furcula J on poplars and sallows. Let those 

 of my young friends who rind a queer shaped, 

 square-headed, two-tailed brown or green 

 larva with a touch of red upon it, sitting on 

 a poplar or willow leaf, look it straight in 

 the face, and they will see at once why it is 

 appropriately called the Puss Moth. To 

 those who have taken a fancy to the Tortrices 

 this moth wall prove the most productive of 

 the whole year. The Tineina are also 

 numerous, as also the most wonderful family 

 of Plume Moths (Pteroj^iora), a group of 

 moths which resemble each other in the 

 perfect state, sometimes so much that few 

 can separate them, yet which differ more in 

 their habits and form in early life than any 

 other group I know. 



