THE SUBSTITUTE. 
187 
ence in the larvae, and then says 
“ The dictceoides ahrays feed on 
birch,” the dictaa on various pop- 
lars, never he believes on birch. — 
R. CaRtjiel, 13, Williams Grove, 
Walionrth. 
Local Associations . — Some years 
since I was connected with the 
Carlisle Entomological and Bo- 
tanical Society, under the guidance 
of a gentleman of considerable 
acquirements as a naturalist, and 
ai’dently devoted to the objects of 
the Society ; I allude to Mr. 
Hodgldnson, senior. Perhaps a 
short sketch of the mode of opera- 
tion adopted by the Society may 
be suggestive to schools, and to 
those persons residing in the same 
place, but having no unity of 
action. Each member paid three- 
pence per week for the purchase of 
property, and the following useful 
works were amongst their pnr- 
I chases; Woods ‘Index Entomo- 
logicus,’ containing plates of all 
the British butterflies and moths ; 
Rennie’s ‘Conspectus;’ ‘ Wilher- 
iugton’s Botany,’ and plates of all 
I the grasses. 'The meetings were 
Iheld one night in the week at the 
house of one of the members, and 
each individual stated his expe- 
irience for the week. This was 
highlv advantageous, for as each 
•member took a different locality a 
.greater area of ground w'as 
-searched than could be explored 
by one individual. But this ex- 
cellent plan could not always be 
‘successfully carried out, for by the 
nature of their employment some 
'were limited in their time and 
others had more time at their dis- 
,posal ; it was, therefore, found de- 
-sirable that each member should 
:have a separate collection irre- 
‘spective of the Society’s, The 
members corked their own boxes ; 
and here let me remark that there 
is a white excrescence of a fun- 
goid nature growing on old 
birches, which, when dried, is far 
superior to cork for setting insects 
upon ; it will take a surface almost 
as smooth as glass, and ]>ins pene- 
trate it easier than cork. I forgot 
to state in its proper place that 
the books of the Society were on 
the table each meeting night, and 
were lent for the week, and some 
members copied from Rennie and 
Wood the names, habitats and 
times of appearance of the insects : 
this system is a wonderful strength- 
ener of the memory. Some of the 
members paid attention to Botany, 
making themselves acquainted 
with the plants on which larvae 
feed ; others again made larva- 
reaving their employment. The 
whole body were pupa-collectors 
in the winter. Thus a foundation 
for the desire of knowledge was 
laid which, I believe, has in no 
one single instance retrograded. 
During the summer many of the 
meml)ers and their friends would 
on one day of the week sally forth 
to some distant wood, competition 
giving an exhilarating impulse to 
their jtroceediugs. From those 
excursions I have brought home 
hundreds of larvae, necessarily 
many of one species, and thus 
living as it were amongst larvae 
for years I have been perhaps in- 
sensibly led to study their manners 
and habits as I would those of a 
rational being: viewed in this way 
their peculiar ways become fami- 
liar and palpable. — In. 
Colleeting Larva: and Pupcs , — 
I know of no better system now 
for collecting larvae than was pur- 
sued formerly. Many yards of 
