clusive of the Cryptogama,) according to Prof. Henslow, amount to 1501 species, and 1625 varieties, of which 98 are supposed to have been naturalized. Thus it appears, that the ratio of the species of British Insects to that of Plants, is more than six to one!-Surely when we reflect upon the immense number and infinite variety of these little beings, their singular metamorphoses, their curious structure, and the admirable ends for which they were created, we cannot fail to exclaim with the wondering poet : Eminet in minimis maximus ipse Deus. ENTOMOLOGICAL PURSUITS. HERE is my friend the weaver :-strong desires And hungry Sphinx, who threads the honied flower; He fears no bailiff's wrath, no baron's blame, CRABBE. "So varied," say Kirby and Spence, "is the scenery to which the diversion of the entomologist introduces him, that he is never out of the way: whether on hill or in valley; on upland or plain; on the heath or in the forest; on the land or on the water; in the heart of a country or on its shores; still his game is within his reach."--Introd., vol. 4, p. 506. The butterflies mentioned in the above lines by our Poet, Crabbe, on account of their extreme beauty, are highly valued by collectors of indigenous Lepidoptera:-the Purple Emperor, Apatura Iris, for "the varying lustres of its purple plumes,"-the White Admiral, Limenitis Camilla, for its graceful elegance, the Clifden Blue, Polyommatus Adonis, for its shining silvery blue,-and the Silver-washed Fritillary, Argynnis Paphia, for the bright metallic dashes which adorn the under-surface of its wings. The "hungry Sphinx," Macroglossum stellatarum, may occasionally be seen frequenting our gardens in sunny weather. It flies with great rapidity, and while hovering over flowers, extracts from them its food with its long spiral tongue hence it has derived the name of the Humming-bird Hawk-moth. To the novice in Entomology it may be amusing to mention the prices that have been charged by Collectors for some of the rarer British specimens of this untaxed game of the field. We will conclude this Note with an anecdote of that excellent naturalist, Prof. Jameson :-When visiting Inglebro,' he found the rare beetle, Carabus glabratus, not then known to be indigenous to Britain. The guide, upon its being shown to him, said that the insect was plentiful in that neighbourhood; upon which the Professor, trusting to the guide's ignorance, offered him a shilling for every specimen he should bring. The guide is said to have made a profitable bargain.-Edin. Phil. Journ., vol. 9, p. 89, TO AN ANCIENT OAK. MAJESTIC Tree! whose wrinkled form has stood, Arm after arm shall leave the mouldering bust, THE WITHERED ROSE. FAIREST flower, the pride of Spring, Many a hope that found its tomb, Eden's prospects know no shade. REV. H. STOWELL. "TWAS Eve. The lengthening shadows And weeping birch swept far adown And nought upon the hush and stillness broke, Of woodmen at their toil; the feeble wail The sun had set; but his expiring beams Yet linger'd in the West, and shed around Beauty and softness o'er the wood and streams, With coming night's first tinge of shade embrown'd. The light clouds mingled, brighten'd with such gleams Of glory, as the seraph-shapes surround, That in the vision of the good descend, And o'er their couch of sorrow seem to bend. There are emotions, in that grateful hour Of twilight and serenity, which steal The thirsty glebe of Summer. We reveal The heavens look down on us with eyes of love, Are beings that eternal vigils keep. 'Tis sweet to dwell on such, and deem they strove 'Tis sweet to mark the sky's unruffled blue Fast deepening into darkness, as the rays Of lingering eve die fleetly, and a few Stars of the brightest beam illume the blaze, Like woman's eye of loveliness, seen through The veil, that shadows it in vain; we gaze In mute and stirless transport, fondly listening As there were music in its very glistening. |