November 24. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
lection of upwards of 1,000 specimens, which had been 
preserved and transmitted to this country, each being 
wrapped in a small piece of writing paper, pressed flat, 
the wings having been previously folded; by this means 
the collection had occupied very little space, and had 
received no damage in the voyage, and the specimens 
were easily relaxed, and the wings spread out, on 
arriving in this country. 
Mr. F. Smith exhibited some living Ants, brought 
from Jamaica with Orchids. They belonged to the 
curious species, Odontomachus (0. spinosus), and are 
remarkable for the great length and slenderness of their 
hook-like jaws, which they often keep stretched wide 
apart whilst running about. 
Mr. Douglas exhibited some plants of Olechoma 
hederacea (Ground Ivy), the leaves of which were in¬ 
fested with numerous small conical, hairy galls, in¬ 
habited by the grubs of a small Midge, Cecidomyia 
bursaria, of Winnertz, which deposits its eggs in the 
leaves, and this causes the formation of the galls. He 
also exhibited the leaves of different plants showing 
the burrows of mining grubs of Dipterous and Lepi- 
dopterous insects, which were quite similar, although 
formed by such different insects; also the case-bearing 
larva of a Talaporia, taken in the proceeding week, on 
a fence, creeping about, being a very unusual period for 
its appearance in that state. 
Mr. Curtis exhibited a number of British insects, of 
different orders, which he had found to be infested by 
the minute, active, parasitic larvae of the Oil Beetle, 
Melue; amongst them were Malachius eeneus, Odynerus \ 
spinipes, a Bombus, and a Saw-fly, on the latter of which | 
he had found the small, black larvae, which had hitherto I 
baffled all attempts to determine its species. He also 
stated that he bad observed the body of the larvae of a 
Stylops inclosed in that of an Andrena, infested by as 
many as 150 very minute worms, tapering at each end, 
which he considered as parasites upon this parasitic 
Stylops. He also exhibited an African Sand Wasp, of 
the genus Ammophila . with a Stylops exserted between 
the rings of its abdomen; and Mr. F. Smith stated 
that he had a foreign Sphex in his collection, with 
a Stylops exserted from its body, being at least three 
times the size of any hitherto known species. 
Mr. Clifford exhibited a quantity of Pearl Barley, 
which had been greatly deteriorated by the larvse of 
two small Beetles, Anobium gmniceum and Ptinns 
ovatus, which had fed within the grains, and had after¬ 
wards migrated to a stock of Liquorice, which they 
attacked. Mr. Desvignes described a new British Ich¬ 
neumon, which had been reared from the Reed Moths, 
Nonagria typlice and paludicola. Mr. Bailey read the 
description of a new genus of plant Beetles, from 
India, which ho named Paralina, allied to Chryso- 
mela. Mr. Westwood exhibited drawings and speci¬ 
mens of a very minute larvae, which he had received 
from Mr. Hogan, as that of the curious genus of 
Rove Beetles, Diglossa mersa, in company with which 
it is taken on the sands at Baldoyle, near the promon¬ 
tory of Howth, in Ireland. He also exhibited a sketch 
137 I 
of a large black Irish Moth, Gleogene Lepeletieraria, 
taken at Ballymena, by Mr. Templeton, and which had 
been recorded by Mr. Stephens, in his list of the British 
Museum Collection, under the name of Dasydia torvaria. 
Mr. F. Smith read some notes on the habits of the male 
of the curious Bee parasite, named by Mr. Newport, 
Anthophorabia fasoiata, but which be had ascertained 
to be identical with the previously described Melittobia 
Audouinii of Westwood. It resides in the provisioned 
nests of different Mason Bees and Wasps, and is para- ' 
sitic both on the larva of the bee and also on the larva 
of Monodontomerus, which are themselves parasites on | 
the Bee larva. He had kept a male alive for six weeks. 
Mr. A. R. Wallace read the commencement of a paper 
on the habits of the Butterflies of the Valiev of the 
Amazon River, describing their various modes of fl s ht, 
and the different localities which they frequent. 
BROCOLI-CULTURE. 
(Continued from page 117.) 
The former paper, it will be borne in mind, was 
devoted entirely to an attempt at a classification of this 
family, not so much with a view to elucidate the habits 
and peculiarities of kinds contained in catalogues, as to 
show the relationship which the different classes bear to ■ 
each other. 
In order to understand the matter fairly, let us take a 
case :—A family requiring a constant succession of one 
or other throughout the year. I must here suggest, 
that we bear in mind that the whole tribe, for mere 
economic purposes, may be thrown into three groups, 
viz., the autumn, the mid-winter, and the spring Bro- 
colis. It may, too, be observed, that there is no set line 
of demarcation between these groups, for, through the 
cross-breeding which has taken place during the last 
twenty years, or more, kinds have been produced which 
form very useful links in the chain, running into each 
other, and binding closely what was originally of rather 
too detached a character. 
I will take up that position in the round of seasons 
with the gardener in which the chief consideration is, 
how to provide some early Brocoli to succeed the summer 
Cauliflowers; for although, on some good and sound 
soils, Cauliflowers may be produced in tolerable per¬ 
fection through the summer and autumn, yet, on many 
soils, and especially in hot and dry summers, they are 
apt, through their high degree of excitability, to become 
so rough, tough, and defaced, and what is termed open¬ 
headed, from about the second week in August to the 
same period in September, as to drive the cook to prefer 
some early Capes, and others of that class. The true 
Early Purple, or White Gapes, then, sown in the be¬ 
ginning of May, will commence turning in about the 
end of July, by which period what are termed summer 
Cauliflowers will be on the wane, or getting seedy. This 
Cape crop will keep up a succession for a month, at 
least; and if a continuance of this class is desired in 
regular succession, until November (after which they 
are too tender to be relied on), two more sowings must 
be made,—one in the third week of May, and a last in 
the second week of June, at latest. 
This brings us to consider what we may do in the 
Cauliflower way for the late autumn months, for “ Mi¬ 
chaelmas Cauliflowers” have long been noted; and, 
indeed, as soon as the temperature begins to decline— 
say in the middle of September—Cauliflowers and their 
congeners will once more resume the delicate white, and 
