38 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



marks and veins are browner. The variety 

 Provincialis, Boisd., occurs in the south of 

 France, &c, and is a large insect with 

 scarcely any perceptible difference between 

 the red and yellow bands, the divisions be- 

 tween them and the wing rays being 

 brownish black. The French type differs 

 considerably from the south of England 

 form, but these differences, though clear to 

 the eye, are very difficult to describe in 

 words. Merope, Prun., is an alpine form and 

 approaches the Scotch or North of England 

 specimens, but it is much less densely scaled 

 and has a semi-transparent look, sometimes 

 it is all black and straw color, except the 

 outer red band on the hind wing. The variety 

 Sibirica, Staud., occurring in Siberia, differs 

 from most northern specimens, for it is paler 

 than any other, while northern forms are 

 generally dark, ^tbiriea, Staud., is the same 

 as I Desfontainesii, Eversin, The Spanish and 

 African form is called Desfontainii, Godt., and 

 is the same as Desfontainesii, Boisd, and H. 

 S. It is more uniformly fulvous than any 

 other. The Turkish specimens are paler on 

 the under, and more varied on the upper 

 side, and are called orientalis, H, S. Besides 

 these varieties, all of which are well defined, 

 and deserving distinctive names, are several 

 aberrations which must be very briefly 

 noticed. Specimens occur not unfrequently 

 with little or no black on the underside, while 

 Dr. Gill has one with the upper side quite 

 obscured with smoky black. Some vary in 

 the under side by being more or less greasy 

 looking, the Irish specimens being much less 

 so than the Scotch, or any other form we 

 have seen. 



Allied species. — Though all the mem- 

 bers of the genus have a strong family like- 

 ness, the species known as Cynthia Hb., is 

 that most nearly allied to Artemis. The 

 females of Cynthia, though scarcely so 

 bright-looking, might almost pass forthevar. 

 Hybernica. In the males the pale straw 

 colored marks are changed to pure white. 

 The resemblance is all the greater for Cynthia 



has the black dots on the red band, near the 

 hind margin of the hind wing, that are so 

 characteristic of Artemis. Cynthia occurs 

 only in the higher Alps, and might readily 

 pass for an extreme local form of Artemis. 

 We would note, however, that the larva is 

 ■ said to be very different. Altogether Artemis 

 is one of the most interesting and instructive 

 species, and well deserving careful study. 



Parasites. — Mr. Newman states that nine 

 out of ten of his larvae were infested with a 

 microgaster, varying from ten to twenty-six in 

 each larva. They emerged in similar man- 

 ner to the well-known parasite of Pieris 

 brassier, spinning small silken cocoons out- 

 side. Piobably these were the small species 

 figured, Microgaster perspicans, which was bred 

 from the larva by Mr Bairstow, of Huddersfleld. 



Note. — Though this insect is best known 

 in this country by the name we have used, it 

 is called Aurinia, Rott., on the continent, the 

 latter name having priority by one year, and 

 it would be well if this name were adopted 

 generally by the- British writers. 



THE FOUR SEASONS: 



A Story from the Book of Nature. 

 By Lucy Fern. 



Chap. II. 



JOHN BKUMMET AND SPRING. 



The young man, as we have already seen, 

 is pale, rather worn and slim. What is the 

 caus2 of this ? He was born a weakly-con-' 

 stiti.ied child, and though his parents had 

 use.", to the best advantage the little know- 

 ledge they possessed, in order to improve his 

 heaxth ; yet that knowledge had been gathered 

 | up in scraps, for in their younger days there 

 were few schools, and few children were sent 

 to them, and those that did go might almost 

 as well have stayed at home for what real 

 instruction they received. Our friend, the 



