THE SUBSTITUTE. 
105 
themselves at your expense, as 
they have done at the expense of 
many a young beginnev already. 
Directly they hear of captures, it 
may be as in your case, of single 
specijnens, they try to make sure 
of you, and write in the most 
blarney style.” If any one is at all 
curious to know who these indivi- 
duals are, let him take some rare 
moth and record the capture of it, 
and he will soon learn by being 
asked for fine specimens. — N. 0. 
Bruce, St. John’s; Decembei' 8, 
1856. 
Attracting Male Moths. — The 
insects that I tried on the trees 
(p. 78) were Biston prodromaritis, 
Mriogaster lanestris, and several 
small moths, the names of which 
I should not like to say, as I am 
not quite certain which they are. 
The first I tried was Biston Pro- 
dromarius ; and in less than an 
hour I captured the male. — W. 
H. Fremlin, Wateringbury ; De- 
cember 6, 1856. 
An Instance of one of the many 
Reasons why we prize certain In- 
sects of our own capturing, be they 
Rare or otherwise. — I always had 
a penchant fur Pyrausta octoma- 
culalis. It was one of those in- 
sects that caused me to turn my 
attention to the Lepidoptera, in 
preference to any of the other 
orders, but I did not possess one. 
I saw that species in almost every 
cabinet except my own, and wlien 
a friendly parcel arrived, my first 
exclamation, on opening it, was, 
“ No Oclo. yet !” One day, while 
beating in Knock Wood (how ap- 
propriate a name for the scene of 
t entomological verberations !), I 
t espied an “eight-spot” hovering 
. among low bushes ; I made a 
. desperate sweep with my net— but 
in vain, and Pyrausta octomacu- 
lalis remained a blot in my ento- 
mological escutcheon until last 
year. One beautiful June day, 
1855, hovering over low flowers in 
a hedge, another Oclo. set my 
heart-strings on the stretch. (N.B. 
It is not expedient to draw one’s 
pMrse-strings in adding a new spe- 
mes to the cabinet.) Excited I 
wa.s, for there is no mistaking the 
insect’s appearance. Feeling sure 
of my prize, after a careful aim, I 
succeeded in taking the little flut- 
tering captive. Did this specimen 
grace my cabinet ? Alas, no ! in 
ray anxiety to secure it, I per- 
mitted it to escape through one of 
those rents that ivill come in our 
nets, severely imposed by exacting 
brambles. June 25tli of the same 
year, — a day ever to be marked 
with a white stone, — I not only 
caught, but also secured a beauti- 
ful specimen of my favourite. 
Though more successful this year, 
I still highly value my first Py- 
rausla octomaculalis. — S. C. Tress 
Beale, Ivy Court, Tenterden. 
EXTEACTS. 
Pest of Locusts. — A host of 
locusts has invaded the districts of 
Odessa, Ananieff and Robvior. The 
following fact gives an idea of the 
enormous numbers of these insects. 
A gentleman liviving in the neigh- 
bourhood of Odessa invited a large 
party to a fete at his country-house, 
and in the evening the place was 
splendidly lit up with lamps, Ben- 
gal lights, (Src. Sumptuous side- 
boards were laid out, and a bril- 
liant and select company had as- 
sembled. All looked forward to a 
merry evening. The windows of 
