THE YOUNG NATUKALIST. 



325 



woods in the south of England. 



Biplicata. — This is rather larger than 

 the last, of similar form, and also with two 

 teeth in the aperture, its color is brown, and 

 the surface is closely covered with wrinkles. 

 This is only found in a few localities in the 

 south of England, about woods, shrubs, and 

 hedges. 



Rolphii.— A smaller shell than either of 

 the above, pale yellowish brown, closety 

 wrinkled, aperture with two well-defined 

 teeth, and generally with two or three 

 smaller ones. It is a scarce species found in 

 a few localities in the south and central 

 counties of England, under the bark of trees, 

 or among dead leaves. 



Perversa. — This is smaller and narrower 

 than the last, dark brown, closely wrinkled, 

 and shining, the aperture with two well- 

 defined teeth. It is the commonest of the 

 genus, being found all over the country, 

 under stones and in crevices. 



(To be continued.) 



INJURIOUS INSECTS, III. 



ENEMIES TO GOOSEBERRIES AND 

 CURRANTS. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



There are two kinds of insects which are 

 especially injurious to these two well-known 

 and useful shrubs. They are both common, 

 and in some seasons particularly abundant, 

 doing a great deal of injury by stripping the 

 plants of their leaves, and thus impoverishing 

 the fruit. 



One of them is a black-and-white cater- 

 pillar, with legs at both ends, and a yellow 

 line along each side. This caterpillar may be 

 found during May and the beginning of 

 June, upon both red and biack currants, 

 and also on gooseberry bushes. It also 

 feeds on Blackthorn. When it has attained 

 about an inch and a quarter in length it 

 wanders to some old wall or paling, generally 

 selecting a position under some overhanging 



coping, or attaching itself to the underside of 

 one of the leaves of its food plant, it changes 

 to a beautiful chrysalid, black as jet and 

 polished, with seven golden yellow bands or 

 rings, and held in position by a few silken 

 threads. It remains in this state for a short 

 time, and during July, and even by the end 

 of June, it produces a moth marked very like 

 the caterpillars— white with black spots, and 

 yellow bands, and which has already been 

 figured a^(l described in this magazine. It 

 then lays it eggs upon the currant or goose- 

 berry leaves, and these in the course of a few 

 weeks produce young caterpillars, which eat 

 for a short time, and then go to rest, or 

 hybernate, as it is called, through the winter, 

 during which time they eat nothing. This 

 insect is not so injurious as the next one, but 

 if it becomes too numerous, and you want to 

 lessen its numbers, the best and easiest plan 

 is to shake the bushes during the forepart of 

 May, when the caterpillars will fall to the 

 ground, and they will then be large enough 

 to be easily seen, and may be picked up by 

 children, and destroyed. This insect is 

 called the Gooseberry Moth, or the Common 

 Magpie. The scientific name is Abraxas 

 gvossulariata. 



The other is a semi-transparent greenish- 

 grey grub, about three-quarters of an inch 

 long, and with black spots. It holds on to 

 the edge of a leaf by its fore legs, and the tail 

 curls under on one side of the leaf. This is 

 more a gooseberry grub, and only attacks 

 currants when driven to do so after denuding 

 the gooseberries of all their leaves. It is a 

 very troublesome pest, scarcely a year pass- 

 ing, but that it entirely devastates some 

 gardens. 



This grub does not turn into a moth like 

 the last named, but it comes out a perfect 

 insect, having four transparent wings, and a 

 yellow body marked with black. On the fore 

 edge of the front wings is a small black patch, 

 and the entire cut of the insect is not unlike 

 that on p. 229 of this magazine. During the 

 warm sunny days in the latter part of April 



