THE INTEREST IN INSECTS 



on 



its new landing" place-, or intent upon 

 crawling across and beneath it. The 

 bark of the maples and cottonwoods 

 harbor millions of these Hies. The im- 

 mature forms are dark green instead oi 

 black and they live in small colonies 

 within crevices and chinks, protected 

 by a delicate silken web that is 

 stretched from side to side of protu- 

 berances above them. 



On many tree limbs and old board 

 fences are larger forms, some at least 

 a quarter of an inch in length with 

 large transparent, spotted or clouded 

 wings that always show in the sunlight 

 the brightest rainbow colors. They run 

 swiftly but seldom take to wing when 

 pursued. As they feed on bark mold 

 and lichens they are by no means 

 bothered with the hight cost of living 

 and they become dormant in the winter 

 time. 



Bark hies always live in colonies, one 

 or more families together, a sort of 

 tenement arrangement in which all 

 agree most harmoniously. Unlike must 

 insects and not unlike human families, 

 the immature forms are of all sizes 

 and stages of development. They are 

 all web spinners, the winged parents 

 by no means working alone at this. 

 Generally the web is fragile, delicate 

 and not seemingly protective, yet it 

 must serve such a purpose however 

 poorly. 



Observations of the habits of bark 

 flies are best made with a low power 

 reading glass that takes in a consider- 

 able field. The insects may be ap- 

 proached closely without disturbing 

 them if they are not breathed upon. 

 If with a grass stem one is gentlv 

 touched it will charge headlong into 

 the midst of its huddled family or com- 

 panions, pushing them to right and left 

 very unceremoniously. Some seem to 

 share the alarm, others brace them- 

 selves against the shock with the four 

 front legs and the longer hind ones 

 raised to push back the intruder, 

 whether friend or foe. When the alarm 

 is general they first attempt to huddle 

 closely, all striving to reach the center 

 of the bunch, then in panic thev scat- 

 ter widely and rapidly, the younger 

 ones running into and over each other 

 in the first getaway. 



The little drab colored butterflies 

 called Neonympha have commonlv re- 

 ceived the name of wood brownies : one 



might call these solemn-looking, dwarf- 

 ish and shadow-loving creatures the 

 gnomes of the six-legged world. The 



comical turn oi" their large round heads 

 when thev are spinning their webs or 

 feeding and the manner in which they 



A SMALL FAMILY OF INSECT GNOMES— A 

 BARK FLY SPECIES. 



seem to confer together when the 

 colony is at rest gives them an elfin 

 character, in no manner related to 

 those winged creatures that love fields 

 and flowers and sunlighted patches of 

 green. Yet they are real enough and 

 more than a hundred species have been 

 described, with hundreds of others yet 

 to discover. Moreover, those expert 

 entomologists, the birds, know them 

 really and truly ; the little creepers, 

 nuthatches and kinglets, the wrens and 

 the wood warblers find them a very 

 considerable addition to their long and 

 varied bills of fare. 



I consider The Guide to Nature the 

 best magazine that I take and I have 

 over twenty different publications each 

 month, and I as a commercial photog- 

 rapher consider the nature studies and 

 outdoor life stories are just simply 

 great, and in my opinion I do not see 

 how any person that is a bit interested 

 in photography can afford to be with- 

 out your publication, as it certainly has 

 more interesting photographs in one 

 single issue than all the other pho- 

 tographic magazines put together have 

 in a year. I will certainly gladly 

 contribute photographs and articles 

 from time to time to help the editor 

 along and make the publication 

 better ever}- issue, as it certainly de- 

 pends on the readers of a publication 

 whether it succeeds or not. — Harrv F. 

 Rlanchard. South Glens Falls, New- 

 York. 



