THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 15.] 
DO YOU DOUBLE UP YOUR 
PERAMBULATORS ? 
The collecting season is now at its 
height ; perhaps on that very account a 
few hints to facilitate the collecting of 
insects may not be unacceptable. 
We often hear the complaint, “ I can- 
not stoop to collect larvae on low plants, it 
gives me the head ache: if I kneel down 
to look in the grass it gives me the 
cramp.” But there is no occasion either 
to stoop or “ to double up your perambu- 
lators it is much better to stretch them 
out at full length; and if you lie down 
on your stomach you will find your eyes 
are just at a nice distauce from the 
ground for seeing, and you will be able 
to see more at your ease than either the 
stupid stooper or the cramped kneeler. 
Of course if you are on sloping ground it 
is best to keep the head uppermost ; for 
instance it would be very awkward to 
collect long on the steep parts of Box 
Hill reclining in an inverted position: 
indeed, with this hot sun making the 
grass so slippery, it soon gets hard 
enough work to retain your position on 
the slope with your head uppermost, for, 
obedient to the law of gravity, you will 
be apt to find yourself slowly descending 
the heights whether with your own con- 
sent or not. Of course if the ground be 
[Price 1c7. 
wet it is desirable to spread a macintosh 
before you previous to prostrating your- 
self, otherwise rheumatism may result, 
or you might get afflicted with ague. 
It is by creeping slowly and cautiously 
over the ground that discoveries must be 
made; and however sparingly they may 
unfold themselves to your view, you may 
be quite sure that every square foot of 
ground in such a place as the Hilly 
Field, at Headley Lane, shelters an enor- 
mous amount of insect life. 
An unusual number of discoveries 
have been made, not whilst entomolo- 
gists were looking for insects, but while 
they were resting discussing some lun- 
cheon: for one thing they then remain 
stationary in one spot for some little 
time ; but we fancy the main cause of 
discoveries being then made is, that as 
they are not specially looking on any 
plant any moving thing that enters their 
field of view more readily attracts atten- 
tion. Twice during the month of July 
has Professor Zeller, on such occasions, 
found a case-bearing larva, which put its 
head out indifferently at either end of its 
case, and was as lively and tremulous as 
a Gelechia larva. Can any of our read- 
ers find such a thing P Of course it is 
not recommended that entomologists 
should spend the whole day in eating 
lunch with the view of making a greater 
number of discoveries. 
SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1856. 
Q 
