THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



NOTES, CAPTURES, &C. 



Abundance of Wasps. — On the 7th inst., 

 I killed in about one-and-half hour 125 Queen 

 Wasps, on the Flowers of Cotoneaster 

 microphylla in the following proportions 

 for 100: — 



Vespa Rufa . . . . . . 65 



Germanica .. ..15 



Britannica . . . . 10 



Sylvestris . . 7 

 .,, Vulgaris .. . . 3 



100 



— A. 0. W., Nantz Glyn, Colwyn Bay, North 

 W ales, June nth, 1881. 



Variety or Rook. — I also had a variety 

 of the immature Rook in the same singular 

 mottled plumage as yours. It w as killed near 

 Edinburgh, and might at first sight have 

 passed for Hybrid, between a Carrion Crow 

 and a Hooded Crow. J. H. Gurney, Junr., 

 Xorthrepps, Norwich. 



I see in the Y. N. you give a notice of two 

 young Rooks mottled with grey. 1 have an 

 old bird, from the appearance of its face I 

 should say, very old, mottled, or rather 

 barred with grey. I have also one entirely 

 of a slate-colour all over, a full-grown young 

 bird, killed in Sussex two years ago. The 

 old bird, I should say was killed in Scotland, 

 but I do not know how long ago ; it was pro- 

 cured for me by a friend two years ago. — 

 Frederick Bon t d, Staines. 



An Angling Incident.— A Bradford 

 Gentleman angling at Sil'sden, on Thursday 

 morning, got a " Rise at his Hiesj" of a novel 

 character. While arranging a Fly cast, 

 previous to attaching it to the fishing line, he 

 was surprised to find a pull violently ; on 

 looking round for the cause he found that a 

 young Hawk had become enamoured of one 

 of the Artificial Flies (a partridge hackle), 

 and had swallowed the gaudy lure. While 

 the hook was being extracted, the bird made 

 good use of its claws, and left its mark upon 

 the fingers of its astonished captor. The 



285 



bird was set at liberty to search for more 

 palatable food.— From the Bradford Observer, 

 June nth. — J. W. Carter. 



-HOW THE WEASEL 

 SLEEPS." 



Fearing danger near might come, 

 His ear lays low, and widely spread, 



With nose to earth, he looks quite dumb ; 

 Some people think the weasel dead. 



But mark his eye, t'seems closed to light- 

 Look nearer, then you'll see it peeps ; 



His feet are passive, but placed right 

 For action — thus the weasel sleeps. 



Alive his every power he keeps — ■ 

 His nose, his ears, his feet, his eyes, 



Are ready now, and so he sleeps, 



And sniffs the danger, but ne'er flies. 



Forewarned forearmed his "legend" is; 



" Pugo vivere ! " coward, see ; 

 Pugno pro vita, better 'tis — 



The battle won, and I am free. 



And so the weasel sleeps, 'tis said, 

 Alive his every sense ; he keeps 



Strict watch, whilst he is oft thought dead ; 

 Yes, that's the way the weasel sleeps. 



C. S. G RECKON'. 



THE PUP/E OF 

 LEPIDOPTERA. 



By Joseph Andersobf, Jr. 



( Continued.) 



The Pupae of lepidoptera may be primarily 

 separated into two great divisions-- naked 

 and clothed — those that are enveloped in a 

 covering or cocoon, and those that are not, 

 and these yet again into two more groups, 

 subterranean and superaterrene, those in 

 which pupation takes place beneath the soil 

 and those in which this change is effected 

 above it. They are likewise either attached 

 or unattached. 



No British butterflies, with the exception 

 of the Skippers ( Hesperidce), spin a cocoon, 

 and in the older works on entomology these 

 little insects were classed amongst the 

 Heterocera or moths. There is certainly 

 much to be said in favour of such an arrang- 



