84 



THE REPORT OF THE 



No. 19 



edges of the patch — (jordius looking nearly black and tw^ice the size of hylaeus — drupiferarum 

 in turn seemed blacker still, the pale costa making it conspicuous — S. kalmiae was quite 

 unmistakeable in its Hight from flower to flower on account of its color — Darapsa mxjroii and 

 choerihis were easilj^ picked out by their small size and different flight, and they even settled 

 on the blossoms — the large bodied Philampelus achemon and pandorvs were also as easily 

 recognized in the semi-darkness as in a glass covered cabinet drawer. 



Our second evening resulted in our bringing home over forty specimens, belonging to ten 

 S2)ecies of hawk moths. 



I shall not take up more time with details of further evenings spent at the same spot, but 



every visit was time well spent. Many interesting specimens among the smaller moths were 



captured. Plusias, Hadeiias Hellophilas and Mamestra being in mj'riads some nights. On the 



• last evening of my stay, July 20th, I caught only seven Sphingidae, but do not think their season 



Fig 47.— Dolba hylaes. 



Fig. 48.— Sphmx gordius 



Fig. 49. — Sphinx kaltnise. 



was over for I took these within a few minutes of my arrival, and a cold thick fog came up over 

 the fields just before 1 left them and it is uot unlikely that the insects felt it before I did. 



For anyone fond of nature, it would not ba easy to select a spot more inte resting to spend 

 an hour in, than that occupied by my milkweed patch — on its slight elevation, in the midst of 

 hayflelds, the sunset gradually fading away over the Maine Woods and the day-flying fauna 

 disappearing to their resting places, to be replaced by a nocturnal fauna as invisible by day as 

 the former is at night. The scent from the milkweed plant grows stronger as darknesd sets in, 

 the moths begin to flutter about, the whip-poor-will is heard on every side and the roar of the 

 sea on the shore seems more soothing than by day. 



We cannot all have the accompaniment of the ocean, but any entomologist who has not 

 examined the milkweed blooms at dusk has a pleasure still to look forward to. 



