1906.] 219 



Sydney enjoys on the whole a very fine and pleasant climate, 

 though the heat of the latter part of the summer, when the prevailing 

 wind is from the north-east, is often very o])pressive from the damp- 

 ness of the atmosphere. Eain falls in refreshing showers throughout 

 the year ; the westerly winds in winter are cold and dry, but in 

 summer, blowing from the parched and heated plains of the ' desert 

 interior, they bring an arid atmosphere laden with excessively fine 

 dust, and frequently raise the thermometer well above 100° in the 

 shade. These so-called " Brick-fielders " blow for two or three days 

 at a time, the temperature continuously rising, but the heat is not as 

 trying as might be imagined, owing to the dryness of the air. When 

 they subside they are usually succeeded by what is known as a 

 " Southerly Buster ;" the wind suddenly springing up from the south 

 with great violence, raising dense clouds of dust, and often bringing 

 with it a brief thunderstorm and heavy rain ; and it is always accom- 

 panied by a remarkable drop in the temperature, often to the extent 

 of 35°, or even as much as 40°, in less than an hour. These cold 

 southerly gales are very welcome, as they are in most cases followed 

 by several days of fine pleasant weather with slowly increasing 

 warmth ; but they are very destructive to insect life. The collector 

 may, however, take advantage of them by searching at high-water 

 mark along the sandy beaches, when numbers of common Coleoptera 

 in good condition, and some rare ones now and then among them, may 

 be found washed up by the waves, after having succumbed to the 

 sudden chill and fallen into the water. 



The larger forms of butterflies are apparectly not very abundant 

 near Sydney, though the LycoBnidod and Hesperiidce (which have re- 

 ceived much attention from my friend Mr. G. A. VV^aterhouse, a rising 

 young Sydney entomologist) are much better represented, and are 

 numerous in individuals and species. In the following remarks on 

 the Sydney butterflies I confine myself mainly to the species I have 

 personally observed. Of the genus Papilio the one most frequently 

 observed is the swift-flying P. sarpedon, L., which is commonly seen 

 in gardens in the suburbs, and even in the city, from October to 

 March. Its larva feeds on the young foliage of the camphor-laurel, 

 which is extensively planted as a shade-tree, and thrives remarkably 

 well in New South Wales. P. lycaon, Westw., and F. sthenelus, 

 MacL, are much less common, the latter, indeed, being quite a rarity 

 at Sydney. The orange orchards are frequented by the fine P. 

 erechtheus, Don., and the plainly coloured but elegant P. anactus, 

 Westw\ ; the former is much more common iu some years than in 



