“WATER BOATMAN” BEETLES (notonecta and corrixa) are common to all our ponds.
PLANT ARMOUR.—Branches of whin, bramble, hawthorn, and barberry, and leaves of holly, thistle, and nettle will be found to illustrate this lesson. Young whin plants are to be found plentifully in spring, growing under the old bushes. One of these should be grown in a pot in school and kept well watered. It will produce no prickles.
TROUT EGGS are obtainable from any of the fisheries—e.g., Howietoun Fisheries, Stirling, or Solway Fisheries, Dumfries, at about 1s. per 100, from October till April. They are easily hatched and reared wherever running water can be obtained. If not hatched in a bottle, as described in Lesson XIII., the ova ought to be placed in a shallow trough of perforated zinc suspended in a small wooden box. The inside of the box must be charred with a red-hot iron to prevent fungal growths. When the yolk-sac is completely absorbed, the young trout should be fed on yolk of hard-boiled egg, and, later on, on a mixture of this and chopped raw beef. In each case the food should be squeezed through perforated zinc.
“SILKWORMS.”—Eggs of the silk-bearing moth (Bombex Mori) can be had from Messrs Watkins & Doncaster, 36 Strand, London, and other dealers, at 4d. and 6d. per 100. The larva should be fed on mulberry or lettuce leaves, and the leaves should never be given wet.
Caterpillars of Tiger Moth (Arctia caja), Emperor Moth (Saturnia carpini), or Puss Moth (Cerura vinula) should be kept for comparison.
Footnotes
[1]See Book III. Lesson 3.
[2]Dyticus Marginalis.
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The following List gives a rough idea of the main Contents in each Volume of this Series:—