THE DOLING NAT U 11 ALIST. 



MONTHLY NOTES. 



Entomology. — Few insects are out this | 

 month. //. rupicapraria may be looked for , 

 with a lantern at night about hawthorn 

 hedges, and towards the end of the month. 

 J', pilosaria may be found daring the day 

 against the boles of oak trees in woods. The 

 females of both these are wingless, and will 

 require well looking for. Pupae-digging and 

 moss-searching may be continued when the j 

 ground is not frozen, and a few hibernating 

 larvae may be had. but will be better if left 

 till next month. 



Ornithology. — During the iir.st mild days 

 towards the end of this month, several birds, 

 as the missed Thrush and Robin, will begin i 

 to sing. Fieldfares and Re :1 wings may be 

 sedn about hawthorn hedges, seeking the 

 " haws," upon which they chiefly feed. Birds 

 are now in good feather for stuffing, and 

 those that live in or near towns should keep 

 ah eye to the game dealers' shops, as after j 

 the game season is over sea-birds begin to 

 come in more freely, and many birds may be 

 thus obtained which it is difficult to get 

 inland. Many rarities may also be picked 

 out by experienced hands, such as Curlew 

 sandpipers, from batches of Dunlins : great 

 snipes, from strings of common snipes ; 

 spotted redshanks, from bundles of the com- j 

 mon species. Sec. During severe weather our 

 young friends should reserve all crumbs and 

 crusts for the birds . befriend them in time 

 of need, and then nobody can find fault if 

 you kill a specimen or take an egg for a 

 scientific purpose. 



Botany. — Very few plants come into 

 flower this month, but if the weather is "pen 

 a few garden weeds may be found in bl om, 

 such as the red dead-nettle [Lamium 

 punwii), the common chickweed [Stellar m 

 media and groundsel ( Seiiecio vulgaris J and per- 

 chance a daisy, childhood's favourite flower, 

 which may always be found when the ground 

 is clear of frost or snow. 



" The Rose has but a summer's reign, 

 ddic Daisy never dies." 



Another familiar plant may be found in 



bloom, indeed I gathered some yesterday. 



Jan. 9th, that is common furze or whin ( Ulcx 



Europuus ) which is so perennial in its 



blooming that as the old adage has it 



" When the Whin is out of blossom 

 Kissing is out of season." 



And although the firstling blooms of .Ian. 

 are pale and scattered, compared to wealthy 

 clusters of May and June, still they are none 

 the less welcome as the promise and fore- 

 runners of those to follow. Nothing can be 

 more gorgeous than the golden glow of a 

 sloping common or hillside covered with whins 

 in bloom, on a bright sunn)- day in June. No 

 wonder that Linna?us the father of Botany, 

 when first he beheld the unexpected f-ight, 

 should . fall down on his knees and thank 

 God for so much beauty. 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



By J. F. Rouson ; with figures from life by 



S. L. Mosl:;y. 



Assisted by Contributors to the Y. N.) 



25. POLYCHLOROS,. Linn. PI. 12, fig. 1. 

 TJic Large Tortoiscshell . 



" Polychloros, F., Polychloros Linne took 

 this name from Aldrovandus, who says 

 (Ins. iii., 245) ••Septimus Polychloros dici 

 queat, propter colorem diversitatem," (the 

 seventh may be called Polychloros, on ac- 

 count of its varied colors). He seems to 

 have confounded the Fatin color with the 

 Greek cliloros, pale." — A.F. 



Itlia^O. — Plate 12, rig. 1. Deep fulvous 

 with a dark border that does not quite cover 

 the hind margin. On the hind wing this 

 border contains a row of blue lunules. 

 There is also a black costal blotch, with a 

 yellowish mark between it and the border, 

 The forewing has two large black marks on 

 the costa, and four others in the central 

 part of the wing. 



