May 18. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
111 
trees, the larvae making transverse galleries in the 
alburnum; also, Elater sanguineus, rujipennis, balteatus, 
crocatus, Ips, 4-pustulatus, See., all taken under the 
bark of trees, in Sherwood Forest, during the preceding 
week. 
Mr. Staintou exhibited some shoots of Ash, on which 
the larvae of the little moth, Prays Curtisellus, were bur¬ 
rowing beneath Hie bark. These larvae, when young, in 
lastOctober, had mined the leaves of the Ash. A figure, 
by Mr. W. Wing, of the young mining larvae, was also 
exhibited. Mr. Staintou observed, that M. Guenee had 
said of this species that it was of doubtful position, its 
larvae being unknown; but Mr. Stainton doubted 
whether the discovery of the larvae, and its singular 
habits, would tend to remove this uncertainty, unless 
we discovered other larvae of similar habits. He also 
exhibited some drooping shoots of the Spindle tree, the 
drooping being caused by minute larvae feeding on 
the pith of the young shoot. It does not, however, 
remain long within the shoot, but comes out, and, 
spinning a few leaves together, feeds externally on the 
leaves, thus almost reversing the order of things which 
takes place with regard to the preceding species. Mr. 
Stainton conjectured that this latter larva is that of 
Yponornenta plumbella. 
Mr. Stainton also exhibited a new Lithoeolletis larva, 
discovered by Mr. Scott, in the underside of the leaves 
of the Bear-berry ( Arcto-staphylos uva-ursi), which was 
interesting, as affording another instance of the larvae 
of this genus feeding on an herbaceous plant. 
Mr. Curtis communicated a list of rare insects, of 
different orders, captured by himself at Tunbridge Wells 
and Dover, in 1852. 
A conversation took place on the increasing diffi¬ 
culties experienced by collectors of insects near Loudon, 
owing to the encroachments of landed proprietors on 
the ancient public foot-patlis over fields. 
The Secretary announced, that the Council bad 
resolved to co-operate with, and aid, Professor E. Solly, 
in the formation of the Trade Museum of the Society of 
Arts, on which he is now engaged, in matters connected 
with insects and insect produce, such as silks, honey, 
wax, &c.; and that any duplicates of injurious or 
beneficial insects in the Society’s collection should be 
placed at his disposal. 
The one health-giving, blest attribute of water, mainly in¬ 
sisted on in the Bible, is, that it be ‘ livingthat is, run¬ 
ning, fresh, sparkling; well aerated ; holding in suspen¬ 
sion free oxygen and other gases. This one simple and 
sublime standard of excellency is thoroughly established 
by experience; there being no comparison between the 
restorative qualities of water drunk from a running foun¬ 
tain or from a deep, cold, old well; and the unsatisfactory 
liquid which we ordinarily get out of a pipe in the 
street, pumped from the nearest river perhaps; mawkisli > 
warmish, and charged with all the varied earthy, animal, 
and vegetable refuse of an extended and diversified tract 
of country. 
A very few years ago, it was thought sufficient to 
collect by thorough drains, on Smith’s principle, the sur¬ 
face drainage of a limited portion of land, and to im¬ 
pound the same in a great standing reservoir, for use. 
A tolerably soft article may thus be procured, of economi¬ 
cal value for cookery, brewing, tea, washing, and so 
forth. So far, so good. But we have yet to learn that 
any other quality, as even this most valuable one of 
softness, can atone for the want of freshness in the 
beverage we are to drink. It occasionally happens (but 
rarely, and the whole burden of proof in this case lies 
with the fault finder) that the spring water of a country 
place is excessively hard, and naturally unfit to drink; 
the source of impurity being, perhaps, lime or iron. 
But it has been shown, in a former volume, how the roof 
of every house, outside a smoky town, furnishes water 
enough for the ordinary supply of a family; and good 
water too; only, it is not exactly fresh. To make up 
for this deficiency, civilised man has contrived a sin¬ 
gular variety of preparations, all having the common 
object of improving the flavour of the indifferent water 
which civilised man too often has had to put up with. 
Beer was an early invention of the ingenious people 
who first dwelt on the banks of the muddy Nile. The 
Chinese, with their canal water, invented tea; and in 
other eastern countries they resort to coffee, sherbet, 
and other harmless compounds, from a like necessity. 
Then, our continental neighbours have their eau sucree, 
their orgeat, their capiUaire, their groseiUe, &c.; and we, 
ourselves, why should we be ashamed of our raspberry- 
vinegar, lemonade, ginger-beer, and soda-water? All 
these are more or less successful substitutes for the only 
true restoring quality which the liydropathists have yet 
found out. 
But, to return to the fountain head. Napier has 
pointed out the necessity of substituting for Smith’s 
principle the old Elkingtonian system of spring 
drainage; the object being to collect, by a very few well 
laid out deep drains, all the springs of any convenient 
mountain side as a source of artificial water supply. 
The geological nature of the mountain range being 
known, the quality of the water will be pretty certain to 
correspond to it. Some of the springs will be certain to 
flow all the year round; a small reservoir, therefore, 
only is needed, the contents of which will mostly be 
quite fresh; and, again, at a certain altitude, evapo¬ 
ration and the condensation of vapour almost compen¬ 
sate each other, as the author of the “ Natural History 
of Selborne,” has observed, respecting mountain tarns. 
It is to our mountains, then, that we must flee for help 
and health, in this as in other matters. 
When at last successive improvements, and their 
results, have rendered it necessary that we should fetch 
our water supply from the hills, the means to be adopted 
for this purpose are hereby second in interest to the 
great question of source. It is singular, that in Oriental 
countries, and among nations who appear to have had 
early communication with that favoured race with 
whom were so long deposited the oracles of Divine 
Wisdom, many of the plain requirements of national 
