THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



7 



ment from their tissues, for it honestly provides 

 I its own nutriment from the soil, which can be 

 demonstrated by cutting a stem of ivy close 

 to the ground when the ivy plant will soon 

 die notwithstanding its innumerable roots, 

 apparently penetrating its host. Although 

 very picturesque, especially in winter, the 

 ivy is also very injurious when permitted to 

 climb the trees of a wood, because by con- 

 stricting their stems it prevents the increase 

 of their diameter, which is formed by annual 

 layers of wood, and it thus strangles the trees 

 by stopping the flow of the sap. 



(To be continued.) 



DIFFICULTIES FOR 

 BEGINNERS. 



By John E. Rokson. 

 No. 2. 



CUCULLIA UMBRATICA AND 

 CHAMOMILE M. 



While all our British Sharks are rather 

 difficult for beginners to separate, the pair we 

 now refer to are more likely to be met with 

 than any others, except perhaps Verbasci, 

 which though common enough in some places 

 in the south, is not nearly so widely dis- 

 tributed as either of these. To begin with, 

 the Sharks may be known by the very distinct 

 crest or hood on the thorax, and by the long 

 narrow, pointed fore-wings. The pair now 

 under consideration, have the fore-wings grey, 

 without any transverse markings, but with 

 numerous darker lines running longitudinally. 

 If you take your own specimens and label 

 them as we have so often advised, all those 

 taken before June are certain to be Cliamomilla, 

 and if you have got one or two specimens 

 correctly named, you will have no more trou- 

 ble. In June or July Umbratica may be taken, 

 and we have taken Ohammnilla on the wing 

 the same night, so that it is only the early 

 specimens that you can be sure are the scarce 

 species. If you have neglected to label your 

 insects you must compare them carefully, and 

 you will find that Cliamomilla is smaller and 



J browner than Umbratica, and has a number of 

 j dark, almost black streaks, shading the middle 

 | of the fore- wing. Umbratica on the other 

 ' hand is larger and greyer, and the darker 

 I streaks are never so deep in hue as those of 

 ' the other species. While these general di- 

 ■ rections may serve to separate them when 3'ou 

 J have the species to compare, Mr. Newman 

 points out a slight difference in them that will 

 j enable you to name either, without the other 

 j to compare it with. The nerves or wing rays 

 of both species are darker than the ground 

 color, and in Cliamomilla this dark line is 

 continued through the fringe, while in Umbra- 

 tica it stops before the fringe, which is 

 uniformly grey. This characteristic is 

 not shown in the otherwise very excellent 

 figure of Cliamomilla in Mr. Newman's work, 

 \ but so far as our observation goes it may 

 J be invariably depended on. We notice also 

 in nearly all our Umbratica, a crescent-shaped 

 mark or lunule near the costa of the hind 

 wing, which we have never seen in Chamo- 

 mills. This is shown in Mr. Newman's 

 figure. Both these species fly freely to 

 flowers, or may be taken at rest on palings, 

 when their long narrow forewings, cover the 

 hind wings, and are folded close to the sides, 

 making them resemble a morsel of wood that 

 has been exposed to the weather. 



The larvae differ very greatly, that of Um- 

 bratica being rough and dirty looking with 

 very indistinct traces of orange lines, while 

 that of Chamomffla is pale green or brown, with 

 wavy lines of the same color but darker, and 

 bordered with a still darker hue. The larva 

 of Umbratica feeds on various species of Sow 

 Thistle (Sonchus,) and will eat lettuce in 

 confinement. During the day it hides under 

 the leaves. The larva of Cliamomilla feeds on 

 Wild Chamomile (Pyrethrum,) sometimes 

 called Dog Daisy, and is generally found on 

 either inodorum, or maritimum. They do not 

 hide during the day, but feed in the brightest 

 j sunshine, and seem to prefer the flowers. They 

 j are often found in great numbers in very 

 j unlikely places. 



