THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 6, 1857. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S MEETING. 
The September Meeting of the Entomological Society 
was rather a flat one, although attended by M. Chevrolat 
and Mr. Thomson, both of Paris, the latter being an Ame¬ 
rican gentleman, who, although but young, has, by his great 
liberality and wealth, been enabled to acquire one of the 
most extensive and valuable collections of foreign Ooleoptera 
ever yet formed, and who has already given good promise by 
the publication of several works of merit, especially the com¬ 
mencement of an illustrated monograph of the Cicindelida. 
Several parts, also, of his Melanges Entomologiques, on the 
plan of Mr. Westwood’s Arcana Entomolegica, were also on 
the table, together with an extensive series of the publi¬ 
cations of the Royal Academy of Brussels and the Zoological 
Society of London, with various works by Messrs. Barthe- 
lemy, Chevrolat, Walker, and Wollaston. Mr. Walker’s 
donation consisted of another of his laborious catalogues of 
a portion of the Lepidopterous collection of the British 
Museum, and Mr. Wollaston’s was an abridged and supple¬ 
mental catalogue of his great work on the Coleopterous 
insects of Madeira, which has been printed by order of 
the trustees of the British Museum, that establishment 
having acquired all the type specimens described by Mr. 
Wollaston. This system of acquiring typical specimens 
named by their authors, which has latterly been pursued to 
a considerable extent by Dr. Gray, the head of the zoolo¬ 
gical department in our National Museum, cannot but result 
in the collections of that establishment becoming one of the 
most valuable, as it is already one of the largest, and cer¬ 
tainly the best preserved in existence. 
Mr. Foxcroft sent for exhibition a very fine series of the 
rare moth, AploceraJlavicincta, taken on the north side of 
Schihallion. 
Mr. Samuel Stevens exhibited a specimen of the gigantic 
beetle, Dynastes Mars , taken by Mr. Bates on the banks of 
the river Amazon. Only two or three specimens of this 
fine species had hitherto been sent to Europe. He also 
exhibited a number of beautiful insects recently collected 
in Celebes by Mr. Wallace, including new and magnificent 
species of the genera of Butterflies, PapUio, Danais , and 
Cethosia, as well as of the great Carabideous genus, Cata- 
dromus. 
Mr. Frederick Bond exhibited three new or very rare 
species of Tineidae , recently reared by himself, belonging to 
the genera Depressaria , Glyphipterye, and Coleophora. 
Mr. George R. Waterhouse noticed the discovery of several 
new British species of the genus Cryplocephalits in English 
collections, where, for the most part, they had been con¬ 
founded with specimens of allied native species. Among 
them was Gryptocephalns imperialis, from the Gog Magog 
hills, Cambridgeshire, and Gryptocephalns variahilis , very 
similar to Gryptocephalns 6-pvstnlatus. 
A notice by Mr. Steadman was read of the occurrence of 
a web-spinning species of A cams on Fuchsias and Balsams. 
Various instances were communicated by different members 
of the capture of specimens of the migratory Locust at Prim¬ 
rose Hill, Wellesden, Brighton, the New Forest, &c. We 
have since heard of the capture of several specimens in 
Lancashire, one of which has been exhibited for some time 
alive in the Museum at Peel Park, Salford, where it has 
! attracted great levees of visitors. Mr. Samuel Stevens also 
! mentioned the capture of a living specimen of Sphinx Nerii 
near Brighton. Some notes on the habits of the Butterflies 
of the Amazon Valley by Mr. Bates were also read. 
FOOD FOR BEES. 
The story that is going the roumj of the journals about 
Tilseed as food for bees is probably one among the hundreds 
of other marvels which the public are periodically expected 
to swallow respecting these insects. We know of no better ex- 
: planation than the reading of Linseed for Tilseed , especially 
j we find the substance in question is mentioned as having 
been pressed into cakes, as is the case where the oil is 
extracted from Linseed, and then, reduced to powder, is 
| use( * for fattening cattle, as well as a manure. In the 
! present instance the story informs us that the powdered 
cake had been made into a paste in a tub for manuring 
Potatoes. It is possible that after fermentation bees might 
be attracted to the spot. There is no difficulty in trying the 
experiment with those who choose to believe the concluding 
marvel, that the quantity of honey is increased tenfold with 
a vast “reproduction of the insect.” We wish them every 
success, but we warn them to be prepared for dis¬ 
appointment. 
It may be that by “Til” is meant the seed of the Tare 
or Vetch, for in some parts of southern England it is so 
called. Parkinson, writing more than two centuries since, 
says, “We in English call them Lentills , but the country 
people in Hampshire and other counties call it Tills , leaving 
out the Lent.” We insert this in answer to two or three 
correspondents who have written to us on the subject. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
FAILURE OF YOUNG SCOTCH FIRS. 
“ Our young plantations are on an exposed part near the 
sea, on the east coast in Aberdeenshire, and were made six 
years ago principally with Scotch Fir, a sprinkling of Silvers, 
and Larch; in the more sheltered and better soils hard 
woods. They have done remarkably well considering the 
situation up to this season. In the early part of July, and 
in one night’s time, a serious blight attacked the Scotch Fir. 
Two-thirds are completely killed; others have two or three 
tiers of the low r er branches quite safe, but the tops entirely 
gone. 
“ What makes it the more remarkable is, that groups of 
them stand in this w r ay with a vigorous plant here and 
there quite uninjured. Not the slightest appearance of this 
malady is seen on the other plants, which are considered of a 
more tender constitution. The plantation is on a rising, dry, 
rocky ground, with different aspects, about three miles from 
the sea, by the side of a river where the tide flows farther 
inland. 
“ I am at a loss to hazard a conjecture on these effects, 
but hope to glean some information through the medium of 
your valuable periodical.”—H. A. C. 
[Probably the blight, as you call it, is caused by an insect. 
Have you examined the young trees closely ? Pray do so if 
you have not, and send a small branch to our office. We 
will then examine it and give you further information. It 
cannot be the soil, for had that been faulty the trees would 
have suffered long ago ; neither can it be the sea air, for that 
must have been blowing on them during the whole time 
since they w r ere planted. It is impossible to give a decisive 
answer to your curious question without seeing the planta¬ 
tion. We can only advise you to cut down all the Scotch 
Fir, and plant in its place some Pinus maritima and Pinus 
Anstriaca. These will bear the sea breeze well, and much 
better than the Scotch Fir, and are not so liable to he 
attacked by insects. Regard this point—be sure and burn 
all the diseased trees immediately. As the Larch continues 
healthy you might plant a lot more of that good timber tree. 
Pray send us the result of your examination, as there 
may be many more cultivators in the same plight, and the 
remarks on the subject will he equally acceptable to them as 
to you. 
Is your soil doep or shallow, and of what nature is the 
subsoil ?] 
SEEDS OF TIMBER TREES. 
“I shall he glad if you would tell me the method how 
and when to pull, preserve, sow, &c., the seed of the follow¬ 
ing forest trees:— Fraxinus excelsior, Acer pseudo-platanus, 
uE sen Ins hippocastanum , Alnns cordi folia , Crataegus oxya- 
cantha, Fagus sylvatica, Larix Europaa, Picea amahiUs, 
Pinus Anstriaca , Ulmus campestris .”—J. 0. G. 
[Forest-tree seeds are gathered when they are ripe. Such 
as ripen late in the autumn should be well but slowly dried, 
and put away in bags till spring. The Fir tribe, such as 
the Larch, the Silver Fir, Cedar of Lebanon, &c., should be 
