4G 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
few recreations that would not suffer in 
comparison with it. A little child, after 
spending an hour iu gathering cowslips, 
once exclaimed, in an ecstacy of delight, 
“ Oh ! they are better than gold !” Pro- 
bably some money-getting and money- 
loving devotee of Mercurius will exclaim 
“ How intensely absurd!” But it is not 
absurd, — it is true : it is one of those 
truths which childhood seems to perceive 
almost instinctively, but which, as we 
grow older, we begin by forgetting and 
end by sneering at. It is true that money 
may be valued for the good and the 
enjoyment to ourselves and others that it 
will bring; but then it is the anticipation 
of these other advantages which gives the 
pleasure, and many delude themselves 
with the idea that they value money only 
on account of these ulterior objects, while 
every action of their lives proves that it 
is money and money alone which is the 
mainspring of their actions and the source 
of their enjoyment ; and, compared with 
this, the pleasure afforded by objects of 
Natural History is in every way ines- 
timably superior. 
I have no wish to undervalue accurate 
scientific knowledge : the need of it is 
too evident, and I plead guilty myself 
to a loose style of observation and an 
amount of inaccurate knowledge of which 
1 am ashamed; but slid I think that if 
these intended Examinations are carried 
on so as, in any case, to destroy a natural 
love for insects and enjoyment in their 
varied beauties, they will do that person 
an injury for which no amount of scien- 
tific knowledge will ever compensate. 
I am, sir, 
Yours respectfully, 
Thomas Boyd. 
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE TINEINA. 
The Genus Bucculathix. 
The habits of the larvae of this genus 
are so peculiarly interesting that 1 am 
not surprised that Professor Frey should 
state, iu the * Stettin Entomologische 
Zeitung,’ that he hopes this genus will 
be treated of in the ‘Natural History ot 
the Tineina’ before the genus Depressaria 
is attacked. 
At present, however, I have but eight 
natural histories of the genus Bucculatrix 
completely illustrated. 
Thus I am still in want of larvae of 
Frangulella , on the buckthorn, and of 
Maritima , on Aster Tripolium. 
The larvae of Ulmella and Boyrrella 
I have never seen ; the latter must feed 
on elm, and the former (in spite of its 
name) on oak. 
Among the European species of this 
genus I still want larvae of Gnaphaliella. 
The larva of Euonymi , Z. ( Rhamnella , 
H.-S.) is, I believe, unknown, and the 
larvae of Imilutella and Humiliella tire 
equally undetected. 
I have not mentioned here Velustella, 
as 1 feel very grave doubts whether it be 
really a species distinct from Ulmella. 
Hitherto we have never by breeding 
obtained a new species of Bucculatrix ; 
we have added to our known species of 
Elachista, Lithoeolletis and Nrpticula by 
breeding, but we have not had similar 
success with Bucculatrix. Discoveries 
in this direction probably yet remain for 
us, and it should be recollected that all 
the low-plant-l’eeding larva; feed on the 
Cornpositai , as, for instance, 
Aurimaculella and Nigricotnella on 
Ch rysanthemum leucanthemum. 
Cristatella on Achillea Millefolium. 
Maritima on Aster Tripolium. 
Gnaphaliella on Gnaphulium Aren- 
arium. 
Artemisiella on Artemisia camprstris. 
Amongst the tree-feeding species we 
find patrons of oak, elm, alder, lime, 
birch and two bush-eaters, on hawthorn 
and buckthorn ; but we know of no spe- 
cies feeding on maple, fruit trees, willow, 
