THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 4, 1859. 
218 
to be carefully taken up with the least possible mutilation; and, 
in planting, care must also be taken to keep each fibre apart as 
much as possible; and, if the ground be dry, let them be watered, 
and success is more certain than if the roots of a large plant 
were all cut off, so as to leave a ball of earth less, probably, than 
a yard in diameter. In fact, it is the taking up of a plant, as 
w'ell as its planting, that ensures its welfare; and if all the un¬ 
fortunate cases were inquired into, it would often be seen that 
these points had been imperfectly attended to ; for, though the 
proper time for planting be an important thing to ultimate 
success, taking up and planting the tree is equally, if not more 
so; and whether the plant operated on be a Daisy or an Oak, the 
more perfect its roots be at the time of removal, the greater the 
success; and when valuable or ornamental plants have to be 
dealt with, assuredly a little extra labour may be bestowed on 
them.— J. Robson. 
( To le continued.') 
THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S MEETING. 
The December Meeting of the Entomological Society was 
held on the 6tli inst., the chair being occupied by the President, 
Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., &c. Amongst the donations announced 
were— the publications of the Moscow Natural History Society, 
the Linna;an Society, the Dublin Zoological Association, the 
Society of Arts, and a Memoir on Scolia, by M. De Saussure, the 
grandson of the celebrated Swiss philosopher, of the same name, 
who was the first to ascend Mont Blanc. 
Mr. Frederick Bond exhibited a remarkable monstrosity, oc¬ 
curring on a specimen of the Death’s-head Hawk Moth, the wings 
on the right side of which were deformed, and the veins singu¬ 
larly displaced. Also, a specimen of Mythimnaturca, one of the 
Noctuidce, set with the back downwards, in order to display the 
curious structure of the legs of the male. 
Mr. Samuel Stevens exliibited various rare Lepidopterous and 
Coleopterous insects, recently sent home, by Mr. Foxcroft, from 
Sierra Leone, including the beautiful Lamia angulator, Trago- 
cephala pulchella , some fine species of Charaxes, &c. Likewise, 
a number of minute Beetles, of various families, recently captured 
in Celebes by Mr. Wallace, including a number of Staphylinidce, 
which he had found, contrary to the generally-received opinion, 
as plentiful in that tropical region as in our own country. 
Dr. Wallace exhibited some new and very rare British Moths, 
captured during the past summer, including —Laphygma exigua, 
taken both in July and September, flying by night to the light, 
and running about very rapidly, in the same manner as Agrotis 
exclamationis, Micra ostrina, Catephia alchymista; a species new 
to England, found in the Isle of Wight, in September, the rare 
Acontia luctuosa; the three previously-kn6wn species of Nola, 
together with N. centonalis, new to this country, taken in the 
Isle of Wight, in July. 
Mr. Frederick Smith exhibited some galls, found on the leaves 
of the Beech, formed by a species of Cecidomyia , and which had 
not previously been observed in this country, but which Mr. F. 
Walker had identified with a species lately found by Dr. Ezra 
Downes, at Fontainebleau. He also exhibited a specimen of the 
w-orker of Ponera contracta, a rare British Bpecies of Ant, which 
had been taken, running actively about in a bakehouse, by Mr. 
Squier. 
Mr. Westwood exhibited a large specimen of the Indian 
So/pnga, a gigantic species of 9])ider of great voracity, which had 
been captured by Mr. Albert Waghorn, who had observed that 
it devoured not fewer than seven wasps in one evening. Also, 
the larva; of a minute Lepidopterous insect, which had done 
much mischief in the library of a friend, by gnawing the leather 
binding of many volumes. Mr. Stainton suggested that it was 
one of the Tineidce (Endrosis fenestrelta) .which Bad committed 
the damage in question. 
A number of specimens of the curious jumping seeds, from 
Mexico, were placed on the table, for distribution among the 
members, the motion of which has at length been ascertained to 
be occasioned by the seed containing the caterpillar of a small 
moth, belonging to the family Tortricidce. 
Mr. G. R. Waterhouse read an extensive memoir on the no¬ 
menclature of the British species of the family Elateridce, or 
Click Beetles, hi order to harmonise the Stepheusonian nomen¬ 
clature with that adopted by Continental entomologists. 
Mr. Stainton read the descriptions of twenty-five species of 
Miero-Lepidoptera, the transformations of which had been ob¬ 
served, in India, by Mr. Atkinson. The larva; of many of the 
little moths had been found to be identical with those of our 
own country, the caterpillars feeding within the leaves of various 
plants. Two or three of the species would, however, require 
new genera for their reception. 
A letter was read from Mr. Bates, giving an account of the 
habits of various Brazilian insects, and describing a remarkable 
instance of the destruction of myriads of insects of different kinds, 
which were found dead or dying, after a storm, on the borders 
of a lake, and which, when covered with repeated layers of sands, 
would doubtless hereafter afford a similar instance to the deposits 
of insects, in the lias and other formations, which have so much 
attracted the attention of geologists. 
HOW TO USE FALLEN LEAVES. 
Although all good gardeners know the value and importance 
of leaves, yet l have frequently seen them wheeled to the rubbish- 
heap, or some out-of-the-way place, as if they were of no use 
after they were swept up. When I came to my present situation 
there was not a shovelful of leaf mould to be had. My practice 
is, to have a trench dug about a foot and a half deep, four feet 
and a half wide, and any convenient length—say, about sixty 
feet long, into which all the leaves are wheeled as they are got up;. 
I then mark off about seven feet for a Mushroom bed, and put 
two or three inches of horse droppings on it, then spawn, and 
earth over in the usual way. If 1 have a spare frame, I put that 
over it; if not, 1 cover up; thick with litter. Next, 1 take the 
length of a small frame for forcing Rhubarb and Sea-kale; next 
follows a bed of Radishes and early Potatoes ; then another of 
early Carrots; after that, space is left to raise the main crop of 
Celery, sweet herbs, Asters, Balsams, See., to plant out on the 
borders. The ridge in summer is occupied with ridge Cucumbers 
and Vegetable Marrows, and by the end of October I have a fine 
stock of leaf mould.— Pbacticus. 
JEALOUSY OF THE ROBIN. 
The tale of our Robin in this garden having been responded 
to by one similar, in your number of October 19th, I write to 
give further account of “ this curiousish sort of bird,” as the 
gardener is pleased to denominate it. 
One day, after the usual salute of taking a bit of bread from 
the lips of his young mistress, a favourite Canary, in a cage, was 
introduced, and caressed in the path, before the Robin, when, 
after two or three hops round the cage, and a chirp; or two, he 
fluttered his wings, apparently angry, and flew away; nor has he 
ever from that moment app;roached his fair friend, excep;t by 
alighting on her window-sill; nor has any inducement brought 
him back to his original familiarity ;—thus displaying something 
more than instinct, amounting almost to jealousy, at the appear¬ 
ance of a rival, very much to the disappointment and vexation of 
us all.— Albert E. Ratcliff, The Laurels, Cleu-er, Windsor. 
VEGETABLE CULTURE AND COOKERY. 
(Continued from page 203.) 
CRESS. 
The Plain, the Curled, and the Golden, or Normandy, are all, 
to a greater or less extent, cultivated in British gardens. The 
first is that which is used in small salads along with Mustard or 
Rap;e. The Curled and Golden Cress are sown in the open 
ground, and not cut like the small salad Cress, when in the seed- 
leaf, but allowed to stand till it has made a growth of about two 
inches high, when it is cut over for use. It will then shoot up 
again, furnishing a second suppfly from the same roots. 
The true Curled Leaf, when genuine, makes an excellent and 
very beautiful garnish. It is sown for a first crop; in the end of 
March, broadcast, in a warm, sheltered situation, the soil being 
made fine and mellow ; and when the pflants are above ground, 
they are to be lioop;ed over, and shaded from the sun, and 
abundantly supplied with water, to make them grow quickly and 
tender. This is more pungent than the common plain-leaved 
variety, as used in small salads; but the Golden, which is cul¬ 
tivated in the same way, is more delicate in its growth, and 
