374 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY 
Markets. Its Editor, J. Lockhart Morton, Esq., is a 
thoroughly practical farmer, as well as a man of science 
and literature. This is proved by his letters in the 
Times, which demonstrate his sterling knowledge of 
agricultural interests, by his being appointed to lecture 
on “Agriculture and Landed Property” at King’s 
College, and by the Agricultural Gazette being placed 
temporarily under his care; but, ol course, his con¬ 
nection with that paper has now ceased. 
The February Meeting of the Entomological Society 
was held on the 2nd of that month, H. T. Stainton, 
Esq., in the Chair. Mr. Samuel Stevens exhibited a 
box of beautiful Moths and Butterflies recently received 
from the river Ega, in Brazil, collected by Mr. Bates. 
Among them was a splendid new species of Callitliea, 
and a considerable number of inicro-Lepidoptera. 
Mr. Bates had also been fortunate in observing the 
transformation of a species of Erycina: no satis¬ 
factory observation had been previously made of the 
metamorphosis of this family. The specimens contained 
in this box were in excellent preservation, and destitute 
of mould, although they had travelled 1700 miles by 
land, and had been six months on their journey to this 
country. This circumstance led to a conversation on 
the general difficulty experienced in preserving specimens 
in closed boxes in hot, damp climates, where mould is 
so rapidly developed; on the different species of moulds 
by which insect collections are attacked, and the best 
means of preventing them. 
Mr. Ianson read a note on the nomenclature of a 
species of the Staphylmidw belonging to the genus 
Bledius, recently captured by Mr. Parfitt on the Devon¬ 
shire coast. 
A paper was read by Mr. Newman on the binary 
species of insects, suggested by the well-known fact, 
that in many genera of Lepidoptera two of the British 
species exhibited a very striking resemblance to each 
other, as in the two Clouded-yellow Butterflies, the two 
Burnet Moths, the two Hornet Moths, the two large 
Red-underwings, &c. Mr. Stainton stated, however, 
that this binary theory was untenable in many of the 
instances adduced, as there were continental species 
which were intermediate between our two British 
species; and Mr. Lubbock asserted that Mr. Newman’s 
observations proved nothing more than that these were 
instances of a very close affinity between such two 
species, and that nobody had ever doubted that the 
closest affinity does exist between two closely-allied 
species. 
Mr. Newman also read a paper containing the 
description of a supposed new species of Carabus, 
captured in the Crimea by Mr. Blakiston, and which 
he proposed to name 0. Blakistonii. No attempt at 
discernation from the allied species was made, and Mr. 
Waterhouse remarked that such a description in so 
extensive a genus was nearly worthless. Had such a 
comparison been made the author would have avoided 
some evident errors, as, for instance, where he described 
this new species as having large foveae, whereas, in 
GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, March 3, 1857. 
comparison with others of the genus Carabus, the foveae j 
were of small size. 
A conversation took place on the use of pins coated | 
with varnish for the prevention of the growth of 
verdigris and the exudation of grease, and some of the 
members present urged the propriety of using different 
coloured pins for different localities, such as Ireland, j 
Scotland, Wales, and England. 
A number of donations to the Society’s library since | 
the last Meeting (presented by the Academy of Madrid, j 
the Zoological Society, Messrs. Saunders, Murray, ■ 
Zuckhold, &c.) were announced, and thanks ordered to j 
be given to the several donors. 
MEMORIAL OF AN UNFORTUNATE 
CAMELLIA. 
(Concluded from page 304.) 
Poor Camellia, taking heart, I suppose, at the de¬ 
parture of the late severe winter, has consented to tell 
the rest of her woes, which I here beg to relate. 
“ You will remember, when I left off my former tale, I 
had so much recovered as to produce four fine blossoms. 
I was now taken to the drawing-room, put into a fine 
china pot, and dressed round with moss. Here I was 
much admired by the ladies; but really, fine as things 
were, I would much rather have been in some cool pit; 
for they so packed me with moss that my soil could not 
perspire or become mellow, and I found they were com¬ 
mitting errors in their mode of watering. But my blos¬ 
soms soon began to fade, and so I escaped from this 
fine place, and got back to the greenhouse again, and 
rejoiced I was to get rid of the load of moss. However, 
I received a sort of compensation during the next spring 
and summer, for I was, indeed, very well used. My soil 
became filled with hundreds of beautiful fibres. I was 
watered freely, and the water passed equally through the 
soil, and thus served every fibre alike. It is astonishing 
the quantity of roots I made, and if ever they omitted 
giving me my due allowance of water I began to feel a 1 
very sharp appetite, and a jealousy lest I should be | 
short of food; for the pot I was last placed in was only ! 
about four inches and a half in diameter, and I was now 
nearly eighteen inches high, with a good many shoots. 
The following spring I was what they call well bloomed; 
I forget how many blossoms, but J remember being 
taken much notice of. I already began, however, to sigh 
for a larger pot, for at times I found that the water 
they administered did not thoroughly penetrate the 
firm ball of earth, now becoming blocked up with fibres. 
This spring my master was advised by a knowing neigh¬ 
bour to give me a larger pot; but ‘No,’ said he; ‘I 
always like to let well alone.’ I, however, produced 
some nice young shoots again; but it was soon dis¬ 
covered that my foliage had decreased in size, and that 
it was fast losing that fine, glossy, dark green which I 
had attained on the recovery of my health. My master 
concluded I had been too much chilled with the uugenial 
summer, which had been both cold and rainy; but, ' 
alas ! he little thought that the interior of my ball was 
a mass of dust, and as hard as a block. So I was re¬ 
moved to a warm situation in the greenhouse, where 
unluckily they placed me very near to where the fire 
entered, and l was stationed on a shelf not far above 
the flue. Worse treatment I could scarcely have met | 
with, and in a few weeks my poor skin was studded with ] 
a scaly insect, to which our family, when out of con- ; 
dition, are rather liable. This last visitation began to dis- j 
hearten my master, who took much pains in brushing 
off my insect foes. In this situation and awkward 
