THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
63 
care that no damage is done by their 
operations. I have been disgusted with 
the sight of trees and bushes mutilated 
by the thrashing they had received from 
heedless collectors, such damage being 
entirely unnecessary and indefensible, 
and provocative, on the part of their 
owners or their keepers, of retaliatory 
measures, which often fall, not upon the 
doers of the mischief, but upon innocent 
persons. This seasonable note, therefore, 
to have a care in beating, will, I trust, 
not be without its effect in restraining 
the ardour of young entomologists in the 
use of the beating-stick, and inducing 
them to keep in the paths in woods, 
which are far better for beating than 
in the cover. — J. W. Douglas, Lee; 
May 12. 
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE 
TIN El N A. 
The Genus Depkessaria. 
A larva which must necessarily be 
very common, but which we have never 
seen, is that of D. Ocellana, which should 
be found on sallows in J uly. 
The larva of D. Rotundella ought not 
to be difficult to find where that species 
abounds, as at Folkestone, Deal and the 
Isle of Wight. Mr. Harding found the 
larva feeding on the flowers of the Viper’s 
Bugloss ( Echium vulgare). 
The larva of D. Pulcherrimella should 
be sought for in the umbels of Bunium 
flexiiosum. 
The larva of Donglasella, which feeds 
on “one of the UmbelLiferce ” in June, 
should also be tolerably common in the 
Isle of Wight. 
Of the Continental species of this 
genus I should be glad to receive 
larvae of 
Schmidtella, 
Petasitis, 
Impurella, 
Thapsiella, 
Ferulae, and 
Veneficella. 
— H. T. Stainton ; May 12, 1859. 
Botany. — The season for larvae is just 
at hand, and I would therefore strongly 
recommend all who wish to understand 
enough of our wild plants to be able to 
recognise the food-plants of our insects, 
to possess themselves of Mr. Bentham’s 
recently published ‘ Handbook of the 
British Flora’ (price 12s. 6d.), as by far 
the best suited to their purpose. Such a 
book has long been wanted ; not that I 
would disparage the volume of my old 
friend Mr. Babington, which was pre- 
viously the only one at all fitted for ento- 
mologists, but it was written, and is chiefly 
intended for close botanical students, 
since the excellent author can 
“ distinguish and divide 
A hair 'twixt west and south-west side.” 
As to Hooker’s ‘ Flora,’ in my opinion, it 
is or at least (for I confess I have not 
wasted money on the last edition or two) 
was useless, and certes Mr. Bentham need 
not have apologized for bringing out his 
book on its account. The extensive sale 
which Mr. Bentham alludes to is readily 
accounted for through its having been 
made, for many years, his College class- 
book by the author, and in this way, with 
all its imperfections, forced on every 
generation of students. Besides being a 
useful “ Flora,” Mr. Bentham’s volume 
contains an excellent introduction, with 
every explanation of botanical terms, &c., 
necessary for study, and an immense mass 
of most useful and readable information 
relative to the geographical distribution 
