THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



171 



never thought of using it for an insect- 

 net, though it seems suitable enough, as it 

 does not tear easily. It would be especially 

 useful for a net for capturing water beetles, 

 &c. — Ejjs." 



EXCHANGE. 



Duplicates. — Clivina fossor, Anchomenus 

 mm natus. Bembidium quadriguttatum, Cam pros, 

 olymbitcs fuscus, Agabits nebulosus, Ciyptopli- 

 fus vini, Aphodius fimetarius, Hopatrum <.ii>u- 

 sum (unset) llclops striatus, Erirlienus macul- 

 us, Chrysomela polita. — \V. H. Bennett, ii, 

 eorge St., Hastings. 



THE FOUR SEASONS: 



\. Story from the Book of Nature ; by 

 Lucy Fern. 



Chap XI. 

 A STROLL NEAR HOME. 

 Setting out from their new home on a 

 -ight October morning, for a stroll round to 

 e what surroun led them in their new 

 x>de, we find John with his fa-ir partner 

 arching the piece of waste ground at the 

 id of the house. 



" What are are you doing there, laid on the 

 imp ground ? You will be certain to catch 

 )ld." 



Looking up John saw Sunshine peeping 

 irough the hedge, and she presently came 

 >und to see what he was doing. 



" I am just admiring the exquisite beauty 

 the fructification of this little moss. Just 

 !ok here. Sunshine ; you see all those heads 

 hich bend from the tops of slender stalks ? 

 i'ell, those are the spore cases, or seed 

 sssels. You see this one comes to a point 



id is somewhat pear shaped. In this one 

 ■m see the point has come off in the shape 

 a lid, because the contents were ripe and 



ady for being dispersed, so nature has 

 berated them. If you take this pocket 



agniher, and look, you will see round the 



opening where the lid came off, a row of 

 beautiful teeth which botanists call peristoma, 

 {peri — around, and stoma — a month)." 



" I dare say there were several thousands 

 of spores in this little cup; they must, in- 

 deed, be very small ?" 



' Yes, it is surprising how so minute a 

 I speck can contain vitality ! so small that they 

 are blown about in the air. and people won- 

 der how it is that moss springs up almost 

 everywhere. " 



SUNSHINE left them to attend to house 

 duties. 



JOHN and his wife proceeded through the 

 ! wood at the cud of the waste. On their way 

 a large tin vasculum was filled with mosses, 

 lichens and fungi. Some of the latter were 

 most beautiful, — some almost white ; others 

 ' a bright yellow ; a few green ; and every 

 now and then on/3 like a strawberry tart 

 studded on the top with candid sugar. 



" Can you distinguish, dear, between the 

 edible and poisonous kinds ?" 



" No, I am not certain that I can, and, 

 therefore, not being certain I prefer to let 

 the eating alone. I know that all the very 

 brightly colored ones are poisonous, but I 

 know also that there are some very wholesome 

 I ones, if we could only distinguish them." 

 Here and there were take;: from the tree 

 trunks a beautiful Brown umber moth ( Hy- 

 bernia defoliaria), and occasionally the wing- 

 less, spider-like female would be seen in a 

 similar position. 



The path which led through the wood 

 j ended in a lane, and following this enabled 

 j them to pick up many treasures in the shape 

 | of mosses, lichens, fungi, and ferns ; for most 

 of the flowering plants had now begun to 

 decay, yet a few were in their perfection, 

 such as, the Autumn crocus ( Colchicum 

 autumnale ) , which now and then put up its 

 purple blossom in some fragrant meadow. 

 Along the hedgerows, upon the old walls, and 

 in every little pool, were something to interest 

 and to entertain. While others dozed on 

 their couch at home, or perhaps walked out 



