1890.] 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



233 



the insects being removed from the setting boards (or at any subse- 

 quent time before the grease had spread to the wings) the bodies were 

 carefully snapped off, thrown into a wide-mouthed bottle of benzine, 

 and allowed to remain there for days or weeks, as most convenient, 

 and upon being taken out were buried in a box of magnesia until they 

 were thoroughly dry, when removed the greater portion of the mag- 

 nesia fell off, and the few particles still adhering were dusted off with 

 a camel hair brush, and the bodies were finally secured each to its 

 respective thorax with a little gum tragacanth. To prevent the bodies 

 "getting mixed" a duplicate set of small labels, numbered in lead 

 pencil, should be prepared, and as the bodies are broken off a number 

 is fixed upon the pin that is passed through the thorax, and the cor- 

 responding number attached to the detached body by means of a fine 

 pin, which moreover serves as a handle when removing it from the 

 benzine and magnesia. One word of caution, benzine, like all other 

 grease-absorbing mediums, will only take up a given quantity of fatty 

 matter, it is, therefore, necessary that as much benzine should be used 

 as will extract all the grease from the bodies put into it before coming 

 fully charged ; the approximate quantity may be learned with a little 

 experience. Sesiidtz may be successfully treated by immersion in the 

 benzine whole. — Robert Adkin, Lewisham, S.E. 



Destruction of Pup^; by Mice. — 1 hasten to write a note of 

 warning to those who, like myself, are in the habit of leaving their 

 pupae in rather exposed situations. Glancing over my stock of this 

 year's pupae the other day, my suspicions were suddenly roused by 

 the sight of two empty cases on the floor, and on making a thorough 

 investigation, I found that something like a hundred pupae had been 

 destroyed by that little pest the mouse. Not content with pushing 

 the glass tops off the smaller boxes, they also went through one side 

 (made of coarse linen cloth) of a large one and successfully cleaned 

 out a number of A. menyanthidis. 



This is by no means the first experience I have had of the kind ; 

 about four years ago the mice found their way into a drying case and 

 made a meal of the contents. — C. E. Stott, Bolton-le-Moors, Nov- 

 ember, 1890. 



The Past Season. — Most collectors are complaining of the season, 

 but my experience has been, though nothing new has turned up, there 

 have been plenty both of larvae and imagines to be obtained. Out of 



